Systematic Analysis for Tabbed Line Design Palma, Eleonora; Pali, Alessandro; Fabbri, Laura ...
2022 IEEE International Symposium on Electromagnetic Compatibility & Signal/Power Integrity (EMCSI),
2022-Aug.-1
Conference Proceeding
The tabbed lines have been shown to be effective for the reduction of the far-end crosstalk (FEXT) in high speed data buses. However the amount of tabbed lines in a specific line or bus is usually ...left to the layout designer without having at hand clear guidelines on how to implement them. The work proposed in this abstract aims at clearly analyzing the impact of the tabbed section percentage with respect to the overall line (bus) length. The presented parametric analysis demonstrates that a FEXT minimum can be always found in the percentage of tabbed portion. The corresponding percentage is function of the specific geometry of the tabs.
The potential role in plant defence of the two wheat pathogenesis-related proteins of class 4 Wheatwin1 and Wheatwin2, possessing high in vitro antimicrobial activity against several pathogens, was ...investigated through over-expression of their encoding genes wPR4a and wPR4b in transgenic tobacco plants. Several independent transformants were obtained, expressing high levels of either transgene when analysed by northern and western blotting. Accumulation of the wPR4b-encoded protein Wheatwin2 in the apoplast of transgenic plants was also demonstrated. When homozygous transgenic lines in the T4 generation were tested for increased tolerance to Phytophthora nicotianae, they were found to be significantly more resistant than both the wild type and their isogenic, non-wPR4 transgenic lines. These results suggest that both Wheatwins might have in vivo antimicrobial activity, confirming earlier indications from in vitro assays.
Treatment delay is a powerful predictor of survival in STEMI patients undergoing primary PCI. We investigated the effectiveness of pre-hospital triage with direct referral to PCI, alongside more ...conventional referral strategies.
From January 2003 to December 2007, 1,619 STEMI patients were referred for primary PCI at our cathlab through two main triage groups: i.e., 1) following pre-hospital triage (n=524), 2) via more conventional triages (n=1,095) represented by the S. Orsola-Malpighi hospital emergency department triage (hub hospital) and local hospital triage. Pre-hospital diagnosis was associated with a 76 minute reduction in pain-to-balloon time (143 107-216 vs. 219 149-343, p=0.001) allowing mechanical revascularisation within 90 minutes from the first medical contact in the vast majority of the patients (>80%). Clinically, pre-hospital triage showed no significant reductions in terms of adjusted long-term mortality (HR 0.81, 95% CI 0.61-1.08; p=0.16) in the overall population. However, significant adjusted survival benefits were observed in high-risk groups (i.e., cardiogenic shock, TIMI risk score >30, diabetes mellitus).
This study shows that pre-hospital diagnosis allows for significant reductions in primary PCI treatment delays and suggests the hypothesis that this referral strategy might provide long-term survival benefits especially in high-risk patients.
Objective
To investigate the phenotype and function of CD4+ T cells in synovial fluid (SF) from the affected joints of children with oligoarticular‐onset juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), and to ...establish a possible link with disease activity.
Methods
CD4+ T cells were obtained from the peripheral blood (PB) and SF of 23 children with oligoarticular‐onset JIA, as well as from the PB of 15 healthy children. The cells were analyzed for the expression of CXCR3, CCR6, and CD161 and for the production of interferon‐γ and interleukin‐17A (IL‐17A). Spectratyping and clonotype analyses were performed to assess different T cell subsets.
Results
The numbers of CD4+CD161+ cells showing either the Th1 or the Th17/Th1 phenotype were higher in the SF than in the PB of children with JIA. The few Th17 cells from JIA SF underwent a spontaneous shift to the Th1 phenotype in vitro, whereas Th17 cells from the PB of healthy children shifted only in the presence of JIA SF; this effect was neutralized by antibody blockade of IL‐12 activity. Spectratyping and clonotype analyses showed a similar skewing of the T cell receptor Vβ repertoire in both CD161+ Th17 cells and CD161+ Th1 cells derived from the SF of the same JIA patient. The frequencies of CD4+CD161+ cells, particularly the Th17/Th1 cells, in the JIA SF positively correlated with the erythrocyte sedimentation rate and levels of C‐reactive protein.
Conclusion
These findings suggest that a shifting of CD4+CD161+ T cells from Th17 to the Th17/Th1 or Th1 phenotype can occur in the SF of children with oligoarticular‐onset JIA, and indicate that the accumulation of these cells is correlated with parameters of inflammation. Thus, the results support the hypothesis that these cells may play a role in JIA disease activity.
Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is a very effective treatment option for patients with severe aortic stenosis who are either not suitable candidates or at high risk for surgical aortic ...valve replacement (AVR). Patients undergoing TAVI are often very elderly and their clinical status is burdened with multiple comorbidities, therefore evaluation of quality of life (QoL) might be challenging. We sought to provide an overview of available data on QoL changes after TAVI and critical insights on the instruments used to detect these changes.
This analysis focuses on studies that evaluated QoL after TAVI with standardized questionnaires. Out of 706 items identified through literature search, 23 studies were included in the final review: 2 randomized controlled trials (one comparing QoL pre- vs post-TAVI, one TAVI vs AVR vs medical therapy) and 21 observational studies (19 studies comparing QoL pre- and post-TAVI and 2 studies TAVI vs AVR). The instruments used in all studies were not specific for TAVI patients.
Most studies reported a significant improvement in QoL after TAVI, greater for physical aspects compared with psychological components, which persisted at mid and long-term follow-up. A short-term benefit was found for transfemoral TAVI patients as compared with transapical TAVI and AVR; however, these differences tended to disappear over time.
The study highlights an improvement in QoL after TAVI that persists over time. As different instruments resulted to be more sensitive to detect different aspects, multidimensional assessments - capable of combining disease-specific and disease-non-specific measures - should foster clinical research in order to have a more complete picture of QoL of TAVI patients.
The impact of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) or surgical aortic valve replacement (AVR) on cognitive status and quality of life in high-risk patients has been incompletely ...investigated.
We conducted a prospective, multicenter study including all patients treated with TAVI and high-risk patients undergoing AVR (age ≥80 years or logistic EuroSCORE ≥15%) at participating centers. Multidimensional geriatric evaluation including Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), EuroQol 5D (EQ5D) and Minnesota Living With Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLHFQ) were performed at baseline and at 3- and 12-month follow-up.
A total of 518 patients (151 AVR and 367 TAVI) were enrolled in 10 Italian institutions. Patients receiving AVR were older (82.7 ± 2.4 years), with a lower logistic EuroSCORE (12.5 ± 7.1%) as compared with TAVI patients (81.5 ± 6.2 years and 19.6 ± 14.0%, respectively, p=0.001 and p<0.001). Overall, 35.5% of patients showed some degree of cognitive impairment at baseline, with no differences between groups. No significant changes in the cognitive status were observed between baseline and follow-up and between groups at any time point. TAVI patients had a lower quality of life at baseline as compared with AVR patients. Generic and heart failure-related quality of life improved significantly after either procedure.
In high-risk patients, both TAVI and AVR are associated with a significant improvement of quality of life up to 1 year without a detrimental effect on cognitive function.
Surgery is considered the treatment of choice for postoperative biliary strictures. Recently, endoscopic stent placement has been proposed as an alternative to surgical management in selected ...patients.
In this retrospective study, 157 patients with postoperative biliary strictures were included. Eighty patients (group A) were treated endoscopically and 77 by surgery (group B). Baseline characteristics of patients were comparable in both groups. Endoscopic therapy consisted of placement of endoprostheses, with trimonthly elective exchange for a 1-year period. Surgical therapy consisted of constructing a biliary-digestive anastomosis in normal ductal tissue. Data were evaluated according to intention-to treat analysis.
Successful treatment was achieved in 54% of group A and 73% of group B (
P <0.001). Overall 31% of patients developed complications in group A and 23% of patients in group B (
P <0.05). However, the rates of severe complications were comparable in both groups (11% versus 13%;
P = not significant) In group A the mortality rate was 0% compared with 8% of group B (
P <0.05). Recurrent stenosis was evidenced in 6% of patients of group A and 5% of patients of group B.
Surgery provides a better long-term outcome over the endoscopy, because of patients with total obstruction are not amenable to endoscopic approach. When successfully done, endoscopic results are similar to surgical results with less mortality.
Robotized sorter for blood classification using RFID tags D'Alessandro, Vito Ivano; Paciolla, Francesco; de Palma, Luisa ...
2022 IEEE International Symposium on Medical Measurements and Applications (MeMeA),
2022-June-22
Conference Proceeding
Human errors in specimen identification and incorrect blood transfusions in hospitals cause economic losses for several million dollars and many adverse events each year, posing serious risks for ...patient health and carrying huge expenses for the health care system. This article presents the control of a 6 DOF (Degrees of Freedom) Mitsubishi's robot of the RV -Series to classify test tubes according to the sample's blood type (0, A or B) stored in the RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification) tag's memory. The automatization of processes using a robot, which is able to carry out repetitive and monotonous tasks, improves the standard of care and allows to reduce mortality among patients receiving transfusions with automatically classified blood. On each test tube a readable/writable MIFARE Ultralight® tag uniquely identified with a UID (Unique Identifier) has been applied. The classification is performed using the MFRC522 RFID IC (Integrated Circuit) reader connected to an Arduino UNO R3 board using a Serial Peripheral Interface bus. The execution of the task is performed only with linear trajectories and requires the development of two different levels of controllers. Moreover, additive manufacturing techniques have been used to shape both 3D printed screw cap of the test tubes and the Arduino case to hold the board.
CD8 and CD4 lymphocytes control cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection in immunocompetent individuals, while patients with defective cellular immunity are prone to endogenous reactivation of latent CMV or, ...like seronegative subjects, prone to primary infection. Administration of CMV‐specific CD8 lymphocytes was beneficial for immunocompromised hemopoietic stem cell (HSC) graft recipients. Since CD4 cells contribute to expansion of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL), we defined new Th peptides on the immunodominant protein pp65 recognized by CD4 cells from HLA‐typed subjects, in the perspective of complementing CTL administration with CMV‐specific Th cells. Screening by ELISPOT on CD4 and CD8 subsets using overlapping peptides identified 10 novel CD4 peptides. To simplify procedures to generate T cell lines, we used a CD4 peptide library for T cell stimulation instead of ill‐defined viral lysates, without the requirement of dendritic cells. This library stimulated CMV‐specific CD4 cells. In fact, peptide‐induced CD4 cells responded to pp65 and to the viral lysate. These cells were also devoid of alloreactivity after one stimulation cycle. Since Good Manufacturing Procedure‐grade peptides can be synthesized, culture conditions are simplified and alloreactivity is rapidly lost, these procedures based on peptide stimulation can facilitate implementation of adoptive reconstitution of CD4 responses in immunocompromised patients also in the case when the HSC allodonor is available for generation of the T cell line.
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