Properties and Structural Studies of Multi-Wall Carbon Nanotubes-Phosphate Ester Hybrids

Long chain phosphate esters bearing at least one or two aryl groups have been synthesized and used for the preparation of stable multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) hybrids. The non-covalent interaction ester/MWCNT has been investigated by several techniques (SEM, UV-vis, 31P-NMR, RAMAN). The used phosphate ester derivatives demonstrated the ability to produce an excellent dispersion of MWCNT in CHCl3. The obtained dispersions showed a great stability from one to at least three weeks in the range of concentration considered. Thermal analysis showed an increase in the decomposition temperature for the hybrids with respect to pristine MWCNT.

Diabetic foot syndrome:Immune-inflammatory features as possible cardiovascular markers in diabetes

Diabetic foot ulcerations have been extensively reported as vascular complications of diabetes mellitus associated with a high degree of morbidity and mortality. Diabetic foot syndrome(DFS), as defined by the World Health Organization, is an "ulceration of the foot(distally from the ankle and including the ankle) associated with neuropathy and different grades of ischemia and infection". Pathogenic events able to cause diabetic foot ulcers are multifactorial.Among the commonest causes of this pathogenic pathway it's possible to consider peripheral neuropathy, foot deformity, abnormal foot pressures, abnormal joint mobility, trauma, peripheral artery disease. Several studies reported how diabetic patients show a higher mortality rate compared to patients without diabetes and in particular these studies under filled how cardiovascular mortality and morbidity is 2-4 times higher among patients affected by type 2 diabetes mellitus. This higher degree of cardiovascular morbidity has been explained as due to the observed higher prevalence of major cardiovascular risk factor, of asymptomatic findings of cardiovascular diseases, and of prevalence and incidence of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events in diabetic patients with foot complications. In diabetes a fundamental pathogenic pathway of most of vascular complications has been reported as linked to a complex interplay of inflammatory, metabolic and procoagulant variables. These pathogenetic aspects have a direct interplay with an insulin resistance, subsequent obesity, diabetes, hypertension, prothrombotic state and blood lipid disorder. Involvement of inflammatory markers such as IL-6 plasma levels and resistin in diabetic subjects as reported by Tuttolomondo et al confirmed the pathogenetic issue of the a "adipo-vascular" axis that may contribute to cardiovascular risk in patients with type 2 diabetes. This "adipo-vascular axis" in patients with type 2 diabetes has been reported as characterized by lower plasma levels of adiponectin and higher plasma levels of interleukin-6 thus linking foot ulcers pathogenesis to microvascular and inflammatory events. The purpose of this review is to highlight the immune inflammatory features of DFS and its possible role as a marker of cardiovascular risk in diabetes patients and to focus the management of major complications related to diabetes such as infections and peripheral arteriopathy.

Food allergy in gastroenterologic diseases:Review of literature

Food allergy is a common and increasing problem worldwide. The newly-found knowledge might provide novel experimental strategies, especially for laboratory diagnosis. Approximately 20% of the population alters their diet for a perceived adverse reaction to food, but the application of double-blind placebo-controlled oral food challenge, the “gold standard” for diagnosis of food allergy, shows that questionnaire-based studies over- estimate the prevalence of food allergies. The clinical disorders determined by adverse reactions to food can be classified on the basis of immunologic or nonimmu- nologic mechanisms and the organ system or systems affected. Diagnosis of food allergy is based on clinical history, skin prick tests, and laboratory tests to detect serum-food specific IgE, elimination diets and challeng- es. The primary therapy for food allergy is to avoid the responsible food. Antihistamines might partially relieve oral allergy syndrome and IgE-mediated skin symptoms, but they do not block systemic reactions. Systemic cor- ticosteroids are generally effective in treating chronic IgE-mediated disorders. Epinephrine is the mainstay of treatment for anaphylaxis. Experimental therapies for IgE-mediated food allergy have been evaluated, such as humanized IgG anti-IgE antibodies and allergen specific immunotherapy.

Adalimumab efficacy in enteropathic spondyloarthritis: A 12-mo observational multidisciplinary study

AIM To report adalimumab(Ada) efficacy on articulargastrointestinal disease and health-related quality of life(HRQo L) in patients with enteropathic spondyloarthritis(ES).METHODS A cohort of 52 patients with ES was evaluated in the departments of gastroenterology and internal medicine. At baseline, all patients underwent assessment by an integrated gastro-rheumatologic evaluation of articular and gastrointestinal activity, as well patient reported outcomes(PROs) of the HRQo L questionnaires. After this integrated evaluation and following a specific working flowchart, the Ada anti-tumor necrosis factor(TNF)-inhibitor was assigned to a cohort of 30 patients and its clinical efficacy was evaluated at baseline and after 6-mo and 12-mo treatment by the following tests:(1) Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity ScoreC-Reactive Protein(ASDAS-CRP); Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index(BASDAI), Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index(BASFI) and Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Metrology Index(BASMI) for articular activity;(2) Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire(IBDQ), Crohn's Disease Activity Index(CDAI) and partial Mayo(p Mayo) score for gastrointestinal symptoms and activity; and(3) Health Assessment Questionnaire(HAQ), Patient Global Assessment(PGA) and Short Form-36 health survey(SF-36) questionnaires for PROs of the HRQo L.RESULTS Integrated evaluation and management of the patients affected by ES, carried out simultaneously by a gastroenterologist and a rheumatologist, allowed clinicians to choose the optimal therapeutic strategy. In a cohort of 30 ES patients affected by active articular and gastrointestinal disease, or axial active articular inflammation, Ada led to fast and sustained improvement of both articular and gastrointestinal disease activities. In fact, all the clinimetric evaluation tests exploring articular or gastrointestinal activity, as well as all the HRQo L scores, showed a significant improvement having been achieved at the earliest(6-mo) assessment. This important clinical improvement was maintained at the 12-mo follow-up. Importantly, global and gastrointestinal quality of life significantly correlated with articular disease activity, providing evidence to support that the integrated evaluation is the best option to manage patients with ES.CONCLUSION Ada treatment, upon multidisciplinary(gastrorheumatologic) evaluation, significantly improves both articular and gastrointestinal inflammation, thereby improving the HRQo L in patients affected by ES.

SOME NEW EXTENSIONS OF EDELSTEIN-SUZUKI-TYPE FIXED POINT THEOREM TO G-METRIC AND G-CONE METRIC SPACES

In this paper, we prove some fixed point theorems for generalized contractions in the setting of G-metric spaces. Our results extend a result of Edelstein [M. Edelstein, On fixed and periodic points under contractive mappings, J. London Math. Soc., 37 （1962）, 74-79] and a result of Suzuki [T. Suzuki, A new type of fixed point theorem in metric spaces, Nonlinear Anal., 71 （2009）, 5313-5317]. We prove, also, a fixed point theorem in the setting of G-cone metric spaces.

A RESULT OF SUZUKI TYPE IN PARTIAL G-METRIC SPACES

Recently, Suzuki [T. Suzuki characterizes metric completeness, Proc. A generalized Banach contractlon principle that Amer. Math. Soc. 136 （2008）, 1861-1869] proved a fixed point theorem that is a generalization of the Banach contraction principle and char- acterizes the metric completeness. Paesano and Vetro [D. Paesano and P. Vetro, Suzuki＇s type characterizations of completeness for partial metric spaces and fixed points for partially ordered metric spaces, Topology Appl., 159 （2012）, 911-920] proved an analogous fixed point result for a self-mapping on a partial metric space that characterizes the partial metric O- completeness. In this article, we introduce the notion of partial G-metric spaces and prove a result of Suzuki type in the setting of partial G-metric spaces. We deduce also a result of common fixed point.

Problems of Connectivity between the Sylow Graph,the Prime Graph and the Non-Commuting Graph of a Group

The Sylow graph of a finite group originates from recent investigations on certain classes of groups, defined in terms of normalizers of Sylow subgroups. The connectivity of this graph has been proved only last year with the use of the classification of finite simple groups (CFSG). A series of interesting questions arise naturally. First of all, it is not clear whether it is possible to avoid CFSG or not. On the other hand, what happens for infinite groups? Since the status of knowledge of the non-commuting graph and of the prime graph is satisfactory, is it possible to find relations between these two graphs and the Sylow graph? In the present note we make the point of the situation and formulate the above questions in appropriate way.

Influence of Temperature on Calcium Hydroxyapatite Nanopowders

The aim of this work is to investigate the effects of thermal treatment, in the range of temperature between 80oC - 900oC, on crystallinity, morphology and particles size of calcium hydroxylapatite nanopowders (HAp). A complete study was carried out applying 31P Magic Angle Spinning NMR, X-ray diffraction, nitrogen porosimetry and Transmission Electron Microscopy techniques. HAp specimens were prepared by chemical precipitation in an aqueous solution of calcium nitrate and ammonium hydrogen phosphate. The thermal treatment performed, showed the formation of crystals whose appearance has three main morphologies and different particles size. HAp treated up to 500oC showed a set of needle-like shape crystals with a low surface area value. These crystals turned into rod-like crystals with temperature increase, along with an increase in crystallite size. At 900oC was detected a hexagonal hydroxylapatite phase. Furthermore, Dynamic Light Scattering explored a stable HAp dispersion. The isopropyl alcohol dispersion resulted stable for at least two weeks, useful to create layers of determined morphology nanoparticles.

帕金森病患者的长期存活状况:一项人群研究

In a set of a population-based study, long-term survival of 59 prevalent PD patients was compared with that of individuals free of neurological diseases matched 1:2 by sex and age of enrolment. PD individuals, compared with reference subjects, showed a two-fold increased risk of death (OR 2.1; 95% CI 1.4, 3.1). Among causes of death, pneumonia and cachexia were significantly more frequent among PD patients than among individuals free of neurological diseases. We confirmed in a long-term follow-up study an increased mortality among PD individuals compared with that of the general population.

评估肌萎缩侧索硬化患者及其陪护者的个体及健康相关生活质量

We performed a cross-sectional study aimed to address the quality of life (QoL) and putative associated variables in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients and their respective caregivers, using both health-related (WHOQOL- BREF)and individual (SEIQoL-DW) QoL instruments. Further, we sought to investigate concordance within patient-caregiver pairs for ratings of respective QoL. Thirty-seven patient-caregiver pairs were included in the study. QoL was rated low by both patients and caregivers, and there was no significant difference between them on scores of overall QoL, even if caregivers showed higher scores on the physical and psychological WHOQOL-BREF domains compared to patients. No correlation could be found between QoL of both patients and caregivers and all the examined socio-demographic variables. Moreover, concordance between patients and respective caregivers was low for ratings of QoL, suggesting that their QoL is not necessarily interrelated, and that these couples do not actually represent a unique psychological entity. Interestingly, physical dysfunction, measured with the ALS-FRS, was not significantly correlated with caregivers’individual Qo L scores. The most frequently nominated SEIQoL-DW cues were related to health ( physical and psychological) and family for both patients and caregivers, and the re was high agreement for the choice of areas important for subject’s QoL. Inte restingly, patients and caregivers who endorsed spirituality as a significant do main reported better QoL. Our study confirms that ALS has a negative impact on Q oL in both patients and caregivers. However, caregivers who present lower QoL le vels are not always those who have to look after the most physically or psycholo gically impaired patients. Major attention on QoL issues of both patients and ca regivers, family status, and health perception, integrated with the medical eval uation, could lead to a better understanding of the problems related to the care giving experience, and could help couples dealing with this life-threat-ening disease.

A Formal Passage From a System of Boltzmann Equations for Mixtures Towards a Vlasov-Euler System of Compressible Fluids

A formal asymptotics leading from a system of Boltzmann equations for mixtures towards either Vlasov-Navier-Stokes or Vlasov-Stokes equations of incompressible fluids was established by the same authors and Etienne Bernard in: A Derivation of the Vlasov-Navier-Stokes Model for Aerosol Flows from Kinetic Theory Commun. Math. Sci., 15: 1703–1741(2017) and A Derivation of the Vlasov-Stokes System for Aerosol Flows from the Kinetic Theory of Binary Gas Mixtures. KRM, 11: 43–69(2018). With the same starting point but with a different scaling, we establish here a formal asymptotics leading to the Vlasov-Euler system of compressible fluids. Explicit formulas for the coupling terms are obtained in two typical situations: for elastic hard spheres on one hand, and for collisions corresponding to the inelastic interaction with a macroscopic dust speck on the other hand.