A simple method to treat post-kydney transplantation lymphocele

OBJECTIVE: To describe our experience with ultrasonic-guided instillation of povidone-iodine to treat post-kidney transplantation lymphocele. Patients and methods. We studied the safety and efficacy of this procedure for treatment of lymphocele in 6 male kidney transplanted recipients in which we assisted a progressive increase of creatinine and urinary proteins levels and color-Doppler ultrasonography demonstrated an increase (25,4%) of index of resistence (IR) Using eco-colorDoppler, the related-graft lymphocele location and the distance to the anterior abdominal wall were determined; then, a radiopaque double-lumen catheter was used to instillate 5% povidone-iodine 10 ml. Results. Percut…

Safety studies of a hydrogen refuelling station: Determination of the occurrence frequency of the accidental scenarios

At present, the hydrogen vehicles technology appears to have future Prospective for reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. Nevertheless, the development of such a technology requires appropriate infrastructures for production, Storage and refuelling stages in a refuelling station. This one presents safety challenges due to the hydrogen chemicophysical characteristics. So, to avoid hazards, it is necessary to implement safety practices that, if early adopted in the development of a fuelling station project, can allow very low impact, safety being incorporated in the project itself. However, a drawback is the not sufficient experience and the scarcity of the relevant data collection. To deepe…

Rewetting of a hot vertical surface by liquid sprays

Hot surfaces rewetting interests several technological fields. A very important application is in nuclear reactors technology, where it governs the cooling of overheated fuel elements during hypothesized loss of coolant accidents (LOCAs). This phenomenon is also important in many normal processes and accidental situations taking place in conventional processes. For example when the integrity of metallic containers, filled by toxic or dangerous substances, is endangered by a hypothetical fire. The rewetting consists in the re-establishment of coolant in contact with metallic surfaces become dried due to high temperature. To this end cold liquid is injected on these surfaces via sprays or other …

Feasibility and physics potential of detecting $^8$B solar neutrinos at JUNO

The Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory (JUNO) features a 20 kt multi-purpose underground liquid scintillator sphere as its main detector. Some of JUNO's features make it an excellent location for 8B solar neutrino measurements, such as its low-energy threshold, high energy resolution compared with water Cherenkov detectors, and much larger target mass compared with previous liquid scintillator detectors. In this paper, we present a comprehensive assessment of JUNO's potential for detecting 8B solar neutrinos via the neutrino-electron elastic scattering process. A reduced 2 MeV threshold for the recoil electron energy is found to be achievable, assuming that the intrinsic radioactive …

Atmospheric dry deposition processes of particles on urban and suburban surfaces: Modelling and validation works

Abstract Dry deposition process is one of the important pathways for the removal of particles from atmosphere. It is the result of a combination of different environmental and physical factors as atmospheric conditions, particle properties, characteristics of the canopy. For this latter factor, urban canopy represents unevenly combinations of different types of surface elements that increases the complexity of deposition process phenomena. Therefore, particle dry deposition on urban surfaces is not easy to configure and, although empirical or semi-empirical models in literature have been developed to address this aspect, there is not standardized and commonly accepted criteria, especially f…

An old method for good new cells

The aim of this work was to demonstrate a greater number of viable cells using a micro-surgical in-situ perfusion to collect rat pancreata compared with the pancreas after exsanguination. We used 3 groups of 20 rats. Perfusion was performed by selective cannulation of the left common iliac artery with administration of UW solution at 4 degrees C. Collected pancreata were digested and cells separated by Ficoll gradient were placed in culture to permit adhesion to dishes. Cells were characterized and tested for viability. We observed a gain of about 14% in the number of viable cells compared with those obtained after exsanguination (P < .001 by chi-square).

Use of Intraperitoneal ePTFE Gore Dual-Mesh Plus in a Giant Incisional Hernia After Kidney Transplantation: A Case Report

We evaluated the incidence of and predisposing factors for an incisional hernia after kidney transplantation. Numerous techniques have been used to repair postoperative fascial dehiscences or simple incisional hernias, but no clear treatment exists for giant hernias. Our aim was to obtain (1) a safe procedure to repair a large abdominal defect and reinforce the surrounding, fragile zones and (2) a simple, rapid technique to reduce the operative time. Herein we have described the surgical repair of a giant incisional hernia using intraperitoneal Gore ePTFE dual-mesh plus (Gore-Tex; W. L. Gore, Flagstaff, Ariz, USA) in a 55-year-old man status-post renal transplantation. Total necrosis of dis…

Attività di interconfronto tra codici di trasporto atmosferico per la preparazione e la risposta alle emergenze nucleari

In questo lavoro vengono presentati e confrontati i risultati ottenuti con tre differenti codici (FLEXPART, CALPUFF e ldX) per il trasporto atmosferico di inquinanti radioattivi. I codici vengono confrontati su una singola simulazione di un possibile rilascio incidentale alla stazione frontaliera di Gösgen (CH), in condizioni meteorologiche sfavorevoli per il territorio italiano. In this work we present and compare the results obtained iwth three different codes (FLEXPART, CALPUFF and ldX) for the atmospheric dispersion of radioactive pollutants. The codes are compared on a single simulation of a possible incident release in the Gösgen (CH) nuclear power plant with weather conditions that a…

Bone Resorption in Kidney Transplant Recipients

Early diagnosis of persistent hyperparathyroidism (HP) following kidney transplantation may prevent worsening of osteodystrophy and potential damage to the graft. We evaluated the utility of collagen pyridinoline (PYD) and deoxypyridinoline (DPD) urinary cross-links beyond the common HP markers to evaluate 70 selected stable recipients between 1997 and 2006 who were divided into 2 group depending on the immunosuppressive protocol. All patients showed elevated levels of urinary cross-links even though calcemia and phosphoremia values were normal. Their mean creatinine level was slightly increased. Data were assessed as mean values +/- SD. All variables underwent a correlation matrix analysis…

Analisi dei modelli validi per lo studio dei processi di deposizione secca e sui dati meteo previsionali dell’ECMWF

The DEIM's research group in collaboration with ENEA –C.R. Bologna, has performed the following activities: "Analysis of models to study dry deposition processes of pollutants in atmosphere onto urban surface", and "Preliminary study of compatibility between ECMWF forecast data and CALMET model". Regarding the first activity, a dry deposition model, based on electrical analogy, is developed to analyze complex phenomena,such as inertial impact processes and wind turbulence effects, that influence the transport of pollutants in the interface between urban canopy and quasi-laminar sublayer. The model allows the deposition rate assessment for particles with different diameters and various atmos…

Dry deposition of particle on urban areas

Abstract Dry deposition process is recognized as an important pathway among the removal processes of radioactive pollutants in atmosphere. There is not a unique and accepted theoretical description of involved dry deposition phenomena due to the complexity of the fluid-dynamic processes that influence the deposition flux, but also because there is a lack of experimental data covering all scenarios of interest. In this paper, that is the result of a National Research Program a research activity conducted by DEIM Department of the University of Palermo and ENEA and funded by the Italian Minister of Economic Development, a new schema for parameterization of particle dry deposition velocity on …

Dry deposition models for radionuclides dispersed in air: a new approach for deposition velocity evaluation schema

In the framework of a National Research Program funded by the Italian Minister of Economic Development, the Department of Energy, Information Engineering and Mathematical Models (DEIM) of Palermo University and ENEA Research Centre of Bologna, Italy is performing several research activities to study physical models and mathematical approaches aimed at investigating dry deposition mechanisms of radioactive pollutants. On the basis of such studies, a new approach to evaluate the dry deposition velocity for particles is proposed. Comparisons with literature experimental data show that the proposed dry deposition scheme allows to capture the main phenomena involved in the dry deposition process…

Validation of high voltage power supplies for the 1-inch photomultipliers of AugerPrime, the Pierre Auger Observatory upgrade

In the framework of the upgrade of the Pierre Auger Observatory, a new high voltage module is being employed for the power supply of the 1-inch photomultiplier added to each water-Cherenkov detector of the surface array with the aim of increasing the dynamic range of the measurements. This module is located in a dedicated box near the electronics and comprises a low consumption DC-DC converter hosted inside an aluminum box. All the modules have undergone specific tests to verify their reliability in the extreme environmental conditions of the Argentinian pampa. In this paper, we describe the validation procedure and the facility developed to this aim. The successful results of the tests on …

The use of a new kind of low profile retractor for arteriovenous fistula procedure simplifies and speeds up the intervention

Purpose The aim of this study was to demonstrate the effectiveness of a new kind of disposable surgical retractor in arteriovenous fistula (AVF) procedures in order to achieve an easier, faster and safer surgical intervention. Methods Between January and June 2008, 22 AVF procedures were performed using the 3PAWS ReeTrakttrade; (Insightra Inc. - Irvine, Ca., USA) a self-retaining, low profile retractor. An equivalent patient sample, in which an AVF was performed using conventional retraction devices, was considered for comparison of the intra- and post-operative results. Results In all of the 22 AVF procedures performed, the ReeTrakt™ system has simplified the performance of the surgical te…

Studio con il codice RELAP5 delle perdite di carico e dello scambio termico in tubi elicoidali interessati da deflussi monofase

Verification of the RELAP5 code against the MEGAPIE irradiation experiment

Reduction of plasma granzyme A correlates with severity of sepsis in burn patients.

The risk of mortality is high in burn patients and correlates with age, burn area extent, and sepsis. Immunosuppression has been reported to occur after severe burn. Cytotoxic cells possess specialized granules containing perforin and a group of serine proteases (granzymes). Granzyme A is a serine protease constitutively expressed by gammadelta and NK cells, in agreement with their functional cytolytic potential. In vitro studies have shown that GrA may be released extracellularly during cytotoxic cell degranulation, indicating the activation of cytotoxic cells. The aim of our study was to determine plasma GrA activity in burned patients and to verify if decreased GrA levels were associated…