New quadrature-based moment method for the mixing of inert polydisperse fluidized powders in commercial CFD codes

To describe the behavior of polydisperse multiphase systems in an Eulerian framework, we solved the population balance equation (PBE), letting it account only for particle size dependencies. To integrate the PBE within a commercial computational fluid dynamics code, we formulated and implemented a novel version of the quadrature method of moments (QMOM). This no longer assumes that the particles move with the same velocity, allowing the latter to be size-dependent. To verify and test the model, we simulated the mixing of inert polydisperse fluidized suspensions initially segregated, validating the results experimentally. Because the accuracy of QMOM increases with the number of moments tracked, we ran three classes of simulations, preserving the first four, six, and eight integer moments of the particle density function. We found that in some cases the numerics corrupts the higher-order moments and a corrective algorithm, designed to restore the validity of the moment set, has to be implemented

MiR-205-5p inhibition by locked nucleic acids impairs metastatic potential of breast cancer cells

Mir-205 plays an important role in epithelial biogenesis and in mammary gland development but its role in cancer still remains controversial depending on the specific cellular context and target genes. We have previously reported that miR-205-5p is upregulated in breast cancer stem cells targeting ERBB pathway and leading to targeted therapy resistance. Here we show that miR-205-5p regulates tumorigenic properties of breast cancer cells, as well as epithelial to mesenchymal transition. Silencing this miRNA in breast cancer results in reduced tumor growth and metastatic spreading in mouse models. Moreover, we show that miR-205-5p knock-down can be obtained with the use of specific locked nucleic acids oligonucleotides in vivo suggesting a future potential use of this approach in therapy

Burden of acute otitis media in primary care pediatrics in Italy: A secondary data analysis from the Pedianet database

Background: The incidence of acute otitis media (AOM) vary from country to country. Geographical variations together with differences in study designs, reporting and settings play a role. We assessed the incidence of AOM in Italian children seen by primary care paediatricians (PCPs), and described the methods used to diagnose the disease.Methods: This secondary data analysis from the Pedianet database considered children aged 0 - 6 years between 01/2003 and 12/2007. The AOM episodes were identified and validated by means of patient diaries. Incidence rates/100 person-years (PY) were calculated for total AOM and for single or recurrent AOM.Results: The 92,373 children (52.1% males) were followed up for a total of 227,361 PY: 23,039 (24.9%) presented 38,241 episodes of AOM (94.6% single episodes and 5.4% recurrent episodes). The total incidence rate of AOM in the 5-year period was 16.8 episodes per 100 PY (95% CI: 16.7-16.9), including single AOM (15.9 episodes per 100 PY; 95% CI: 15.7-16.1) and recurrent AOM (0.9 episodes per 100 PY; 95% CI: 0.9-0.9). There was a slight and continuously negative trend decrease over time (annual percent change -4.6%; 95%CI: -5.3, -3.9%). The AOM incidence rate varied with age, peaking in children aged 3 to 4 years (22.2 episodes per 100 PY; 95% CI 21.8-22.7). The vast majority of the AOM episodes (36,842/38,241, 96.3%) were diagnosed using a static otoscope; a pneumatic otoscope was used in only 3.7%.Conclusions: Our data fill a gap in our knowledge of the incidence of AOM in Italy, and indicate that AOM represents a considerable burden for the Italian PCP system. Educational programmes concerning the diagnosis of AOM are needed, as are further studies to monitor the incidence in relation to the introduction of wider pneumococcal conjugate vaccines

MARTINI coarse-grained model for poly-ε-caprolactone in acetone-water mixtures

In this work we present the development of a MARTINI-type coarse-graining (CG) model for poly-ε-caprolactone (PCL) dissolved in a solvent binary mixture of acetone and water. A thermodynamic/conformational procedure is adopted to build up the CG model of the system, starting from the standard MARTINI force field. The single CG bead is parametrized upon solvation free energy calculations, whereas the conformation of the whole polymer chain is optimized using the radius of gyration values calculated at different chain lengths. The model is then able to reproduce the correct thermodynamics of the system, as well as the conformation of single PCL chains, especially in pure water and acetone. The results obtained here are then used to simulate the interactions between multiple longer PCL chains in solution. The model developed here can be used in the future to achieve deeper insight into the dynamics of the polymer self-assembly

Adenotonsillectomy in children with recurrent acute tonsillitis: review and implications for practice

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