Any work activity performed at elevations over 3,000 m above sea level is considered as work at high altitude. The changing environmental conditions result in an adaptation of the human organism, ...mainly due to a reduced partial pressure of oxygen in the air and a proportional decrease in barometric pressure. We carried out a systematic review of the scientific literature in this field so as to develop a health and risk protocol as well as a procedure of ascent for researchers and staff expected to work in a science research lab at an altitude of 5,100 m asl. We wish to highlight the crucial role that occupational medicine plays in the formulation of a medical protocol used to assess the suitability of staff to work in environments posing high risks to human health, as in this case, and of a protocol of ascent minimizing the risk associated with changes in altitude.
The research presented in this paper analyses the clinic-pathological manifestations and work-related health risks identified among outpatients treated in the hospitals of Rome and Buenos Aires.
The ...occupational anamnestic data were collected between 2013 and 2014 through questionnaires with specific items aimed at detecting occupational diseases classified by target organ systems in outpatient clinics of cardiology, dermatology, physical medicine, ophthalmology, orthopedics, endocrinology (thyroid and gonads). An inferential statistical analysis was then carried out to evaluate the relationship between nationality, exposure to occupational risks and the prevalence and incidence of the selected pathologies. An univariate statistical analysis was performed for this purpose and, in the case of statistically significant results, a subsequent multivariate analysis was used to evaluate the incidence of occupational risk factors and nationality on the pathology diagnosed in conjunction with other confounding factors such as smoking habits and gender. The total sample consisted of 1090 subjects of both sexes. Risks were grouped into seven categories and diseases into 12 diagnostic groups. We analyzed the correlation between risks and diseases with respect to hospital outpatients and to the total sample then comparing Argentina and Italy's data.
Analysis of data revealed a higher prevalence of hypertension and dysmetabolic disorders for DSE (Display Screen Equipment) workers both in Italy and Argentina; however, multivariate analysis showed that smoking represents a confounding factor for this association. A higher prevalence of allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) was found in the population samples of Rome and there appeared to be a correlation between eye disorders/defects and Argentine data source.
Our study suggests the usefulness of collecting occupational anamnestic data from outpatient departments to highlight possible associations between occupational risks, lifestyles and pathologies, so as to implement the appropriate prevention strategies.
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•Experimental study of surface mobilization of a granular soil under vibration.•Correlation between vibrational frequency and amplitude under mobilization.•Evidence of a particle size ...effect on frequency‒amplitude pairs in surface movement.•Demonstration that higher humidity does not necessarily prevent surface movement.
The vibration of dusty surfaces inevitably causes re-entrainment of particles into the atmosphere. Given that movement of mineral dust particles deposited on a surface begins at a critical frequency (fc) and amplitude, an experimental laboratory study was conducted to determine the onset conditions for resuspension of a vibrated granular soil. We determined the resuspension state diagram as a function of frequency and amplitude of a sinusoidal vibration, the granulometry of the dust and the thickness of the soil bed. The mitigation effect of humidity was also evaluated. Critical frequencies ranged between 2.5 and 23Hz when amplitudes were less than 12mm. These results were independent of bed thickness and perturbation type. For all particle sizes observed, fc decreased monotonically with A, contrasting with behavior observed for individual particles. In dry samples, fc for large size classes was markedly less when A was greater than 6mm; while the fc for fine fractions only decreased once amplitudes reached 10 mm. Experiments with wet granular soils demonstrated that wetting above an optimum humidity did not necessarily impede movement and caused agglomeration. This study provides guidelines for managing resuspension of granular soils subjected to vibrations.
Novel Ab-based immunotherapeutic strategies have exploited T-cell receptor-like chimeric immune receptors (CIR) expressed on the surface of transduced human peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) ...to redirect potent non-major histocompatibility complex-dependent cytotoxicity to tumor cells expressing a tumor-associated antigens. We transduced human PBMC with 2 fully human CIRs that trigger through the zeta-chain of CD3 and contain either one of two human scFv specific for the same epitope on the extracellular domain of HER2 but with distinctly different affinities (KD 1616 and 1 nM) for this antigen. Potent direct CIR-mediated killing and in vitro tumor growth inhibition mediated by transduced PBMC were observed against targets expressing different levels of HER2. High-affinity CIR showed stronger ability to bind Ag and retain binding than low-affinity CIR. When lytic potential of the 2 CIRs was evaluated, their efficiency was comparable under conditions of high CIR and Ag expression, whereas low-affinity CIR was more efficient than high-affinity CIR in conditions of limiting Ag and CIR expression levels. When tumor growth inhibition was evaluated, Ag and CIR levels, rather than CIR affinity appeared relevant. Ag-driven CIR activation resulted in the production of soluble factors mediating efficient bystander effect. By carefully defining CIR surface expression and increasing affinity for a specific target antigen, it may be possible to selectively exclude CIR-mediated activity against targets expressing low levels of antigen, as normal cells. On the contrary, low antigen-expressing tumor variants could be eliminated by decreasing CIR affinity. Tuning CIR expression and affinity might help in discriminating different biologic contexts.
Ovarian carcinoma is a highly lethal malignancy that often becomes resistant to chemotherapy. Alterations in apoptotic signals and p53 status contribute to drug resistance, and CD95-mediated ...apoptosis is also deficient in resistant cells. We analyzed the mechanism of resistance to CD95-mediated apoptosis in ovarian carcinoma cell lines differing in p53 status.
CD95-mediated apoptosis was induced by agonistic anti-CD95 antibody, and the apoptotic cascade was monitored with biochemical and functional assays.
CD95-mediated apoptosis was blocked in human ovarian cancer cells. In cell lines with wild-type p53, treatment with the protein synthesis inhibitor cycloheximide (CHX) together with anti-CD95 overcame the resistance, suggesting the presence of a labile inhibiting protein. Indeed, the labile protein cellular FLICE-inhibitory protein long form (c-FLIP(L)) was found to block caspase-8 recruitment to the death-inducing signaling complex (DISC), and sensitization of cells by CHX was due to c-FLIP(L) down-modulation at the DISC level. Down-regulation of c-FLIP(L) with antisense oligonucleotides increased CD95-mediated apoptosis as in cells sensitized by CHX, demonstrating the direct involvement of c-FLIP(L) in apoptosis resistance. Removal of c-FLIP(L) block at DISC level allowed full activation of the mitochondrial pathway and, eventually, apoptosis in wild-type p53 cells, whereas in cells with mutated p53, c-FLIP(L) involvement in CD95-mediated apoptosis resistance appeared to be irrelevant. Immunohistochemical analysis of an ovarian tumor tissue array revealed c-FLIP(L) expression in samples with no p53 accumulation (P = 0.034), and a significant (P = 0.037) inverse relationship between c-FLIP(L) and p53 expression levels was also observed in 27 epithelial ovarian cancer specimens with known p53 status.
The inhibitory protein c-FLIP(L) is involved in resistance to CD95-mediated apoptosis in ovarian carcinoma cells with wild-type p53.
Plasma concentrations of pirprofen and of its pyrrol metabolite were assessed in 9 elderly patients (3 males, 6 females; mean age 76 years) suffering from chronic degenerative disease. Pirprofen 400 ...mg in 4 ml was administered i.m. and the pharmacokinetic profile of the drug and the metabolite was calculated. The AUC, Cmax and t1/2 of pirprofen were similar to those found in previous studies, and, as expected, those parameters for the pyrrol metabolite were lower (Cmax = 2.8 micrograms/ml-1; tmax = 6.4 h; AUC(0-32) = 56.5 micrograms.h.ml-1). One patient (n = 8) showed different pharmacokinetic behaviour, which is discussed. The data suggest that age has little influence on the pharmacokinetic of pirprofen, although unpredictable responses should always be considered in clinical practice.
A multicentre, double-blind, between-patient study was carried out to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of oxiracetam (800-mg tablets), in comparison with placebo, each given twice daily for 12 ...weeks to patients suffering from primary degenerative, multi-infarct or mixed forms of dementia. Efficacy was assessed by the Inventory of Psychic and Somatic Complaints in the Elderly (IPSC-E), administered at entry and after 4, 8 and 12 weeks of treatment, and by the Blessed Dementia Scale and the Newcastle Memory, Information and Concentration Scale (NMICS), administered at the beginning and at the end of the study. Three hundred and seven patients were enrolled, 18 of whom were excluded from the analysis because of violation of the protocol. Two hundred and eighty-nine patients were analyzed (145 m, 144 f, mean age 73 years) and 272 completed the study; 3 patients in each treatment group were withdrawn because of poor tolerability, 10 because of poor compliance and 1 patient because of the occurrence of a cerebral stroke. A significantly (p less than 0.01) different effect, in favor of oxiracetam, was observed in the three main efficacy criteria (i.e. IPSC-E, Blessed Dementia Scale and NMIC total scores), and confirmed by descriptive analyses carried out on some subitems of the scales used. Thirty-one patients on oxiracetam and 27 on placebo complained of a total of 35 and 32 minor unwanted effects, respectively. No clinically or statistically significant changes were observed on routine laboratory examinations.
Electron scattering cross sections have been calculated and measured for aluminium, copper, silver and gold samples. The energy of the incident electrons ranges from 300 to 1200 keV. We have ...developed a theory similar to that of Lenz using a modified form of the Wentzel potential. The theoritical results give a good representation of the measurements.
