A set of design criteria for the radio-frequency (RF) section of long-range passive RF identification (RFID) transponders operating in the 2.45-GHz or 868-MHz industrial, scientific, and medical ...(ISM) frequency ranges is derived in this paper, focusing in particular on the voltage multiplier, the power-matching network, and the backscatter modulation. The paper discusses the design tradeoffs between the error probability at the reader receiver and the converted RF-dc power at the transponder, determining the regions of the design space that allow optimization of the operating range and the data rate of the RFID system.
An extreme low power voltage reference generator operating with a supply voltage ranging from 0.9 to 4 V has been implemented in AMS 0.35-mum CMOS process. The maximum supply current measured at the ...maximum supply voltage and at 80degC is 70 nA. A temperature coefficient of 10 ppm/degC is achieved as the combined effect of 1) a perfect suppression of the temperature dependence of mobility; 2) the compensation of the channel length modulation effect on the temperature coefficient; and 3) the absence of the body effect. The power supply rejection ratio without any filtering capacitor at 100 Hz and 10 MHz is lower than -53 and -42 dB, respectively. The occupied chip area is 0.045 mm 2 .
miR-21 is a microRNA (miRNA) frequently overexpressed in human cancers. Here we show that miR-21 is upregulated both in vitro and in vivo by oncogenic Ras, thus linking this miRNA to one of the most ...frequently activated oncogenes in human cancers. Ras regulation of miR-21 occurs with a delayed kinetic and requires at least two Ras downstream pathways. A screen of human thyroid cancers and non-small-cell lung cancers for the expression of miR-21 reveals that it is overexpressed mainly in anaplastic thyroid carcinomas, the most aggressive form of thyroid cancer, whereas in lung its overexpression appears to be inversely correlated with tumor progression. We also show that a LNA directed against miR-21 slows down tumor growth in mice. Consistently, a search for mRNAs downregulated by miR-21 shows an enrichment for mRNAs encoding cell cycle checkpoints regulators, suggesting an important role for miR-21 in oncogenic Ras-induced cell proliferation.
Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is an X-linked recessive muscle disease characterized by secondary osteoporosis and increased fractures. We describe the case of a 20-year-old boy with DMD suffering ...from back pain due to multiple vertebral fractures who was treated with teriparatide
.
Improvement of bone density, pain, and quality of life was achieved. DMD is an X-linked recessive muscle disease with secondary osteoporosis and related frequently occurring fractures. To date, only bisphosphonates have been used to treat osteoporosis in DMD. Black bear parathyroid hormone has been previously reported to enhance bone mass in the dystrophin-deficient mouse. This study reports the positive effect of osteoanabolic treatment with once-daily recombinant human parathyroid hormone 1–34 (rhPTH 1–34, teriparatide) in a 20-year-old DMD boy suffering from multiple vertebral fractures causing back pain. Bone formation and resorption markers (osteocalcin and C-telopeptide of type I collagen, respectively), as expected, increased within 6 months and intensity of back pain early decreased, with no pain reported after 6 months at visual analog scale. Over a 18-month period of treatment with teriparatide, bone mineral density and quality of life, assessed by the 36-item short-form questionnaire, considerably improved and no side effects were reported. Further studies on large cohorts are warranted to test the efficacy of this promising treatment for DMD related osteoporosis.
Tafamidis is a transthyretin (TTR) stabilizer able to prevent TTR tetramer dissociation. There have been a few encouraging studies on Tafamidis efficacy in early-onset inherited transthyretin ...amyloidosis (ATTR) due to Val30Met mutation. However, less is known about its efficacy in later disease stages and in non-Val30Met mutations. We performed a multi-center observational study on symptomatic ATTR patients prescribed to receive Tafamidis. We followed up patients according to a standardized protocol including general medical, cardiological and neurological assessments at baseline and every 6 months up to 3 years. Sixty-one (42 males) patients were recruited. Only 28 % of enrolled subjects had the common Val30Met mutation, mean age of onset was remarkably late (59 years) and 18 % was in advanced disease stage at study entry. Tafamidis proved safe and well-tolerated. One-third of patients did not show significant progression along 36 months, independently from mutation type and disease stage. Neurological function worsened particularly in the first 6 months but progression slowed significantly thereafter. Autonomic function remained stable in 33 %, worsened in 56 % and improved in 10 %. Fifteen percent of patients showed cardiac disease progression and 30 % new onset of cardiomyopathy. Overall, Tafamidis was not able to prevent functional progression of the disease in 23 (43 %) subjects, including 16 patients who worsened in their walking ability and 12 patients who reached a higher NYHA score during the follow-up period. A higher mBMI at baseline was associated with better preservation of neurological function. In conclusion, neuropathy and cardiomyopathy progressed in a significant proportion of patients despite treatment. However, worsening of neurological function slowed after the first 6 months and also subjects with more advanced neuropathy, as well as patients with non-Val30Met mutation, benefited from treatment. Body weight preservation is an important favorable prognostic factor.
The island of Sicily has a long standing tradition in citrus growing. We evaluated the sustainability of orange and lemon orchards, under organic and conventional farming, using an energy, ...environmental and economic analysis of the whole production cycle by using a life cycle assessment approach. These orchard systems differ only in terms of a few of the inputs used and the duration of the various agricultural operations. The quantity of energy consumption in the production cycle was calculated by multiplying the quantity of inputs used by the energy conversion factors drawn from the literature. The production costs were calculated considering all internal costs, including equipment, materials, wages, and costs of working capital. The performance of the two systems (organic and conventional), was compared over a period of fifty years. The results, based on unit surface area (ha) production, prove the stronger sustainability of the organic over the conventional system, both in terms of energy consumption and environmental impact, especially for lemons. The sustainability of organic systems is mainly due to the use of environmentally friendly crop inputs (fertilizers, not use of synthetic products, etc.). In terms of production costs, the conventional management systems were more expensive, and both systems were heavily influenced by wages. In terms of kg of final product, the organic production system showed better environmental and energy performances.
•We compared the sustainability of organic and conventional citrus orchards.•An energy, environmental, economic analysis of the production cycle was performed.•Organic farming showed a higher sustainability than the conventional one.•Organic systems were more sustainable because of lower chemical input.
Bone quality in Duchenne muscular dystrophy Catalano, A.; Vita, G. L.; Messina, S.
Journal of endocrinological investigation,
06/2022, Letnik:
45, Številka:
6
Journal Article
Background and purpose
Charcot−Marie−Tooth (CMT) disease is the most common inherited neuropathy, but therapeutic options have been limited to symptom management. Past pharmacological trials have ...failed, possibly due to insensitive outcome measures (OMs). The aim of the current study was to evaluate the validity and reliability of the 6‐min walk test (6MWT) and StepWatch™ Activity Monitoring (SAM) with other previously validated OMs in CMT disease.
Methods
A prospective multicenter study was performed, consecutively enrolling 168 CMT patients (104 with CMT1A, 27 with CMT1B, 37 with X‐linked CMT) from Italian centers specializing in CMT care.
Results
Statistical analysis showed that the 6MWT was highly related with all previously used OMs. Some, but not all, SAM parameters were related to commonly used OMs but may provide more information about quality of life.
Conclusions
The current study demonstrated the validity and reliability of the 6MWT and SAM as OMs for CMT. Moreover, SAM provides data that correlate better with quality of life measures, making it useful in future rehabilitation trials.
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