Search results for " Analytical"
showing 10 items of 1453 documents
Metabolomics of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and obstructive sleep apnea syndrome : response to Maniscalco and Motta
2016
We appreciate Maniscalco and Motta’s comments on our recently published article “Fusion of the 1H NMR data of serum, urine and exhaled breath condensate in order to discriminate chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and obstructive sleep apnea syndrome” (Zabek et al. 2015) and we are grateful for the opportunity to clarify a number of points from our work. We are glad that the authors appreciated our data analysis and interpretation. Fusion of metabolomic data is an outstanding tool for a comprehensive description of patient’s phenotype that combines metabolic profiles acquired in different domains. Such an integrative approach is highly valued in the so-called ‘breathomics’ (Smolinska et a…
When a death apparently associated to sexual assault is instead a natural death due to idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome: The importance of gamma…
2017
We here report a case involving a 21-year-old female, found dead in a central square of a city in the south of Italy. Initial evidences and circumstances were suggestive of a death associated with a sexual assault. Two peripheral blood and two vitreous humor samples were collected for the purpose of gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) testing from the dead body at two different post-mortem intervals (PMIs): approximately 2 (t0) and 36 (t1) hours. The obtained results showed that, between t0 and t1, there was an increase of GHB concentrations in peripheral blood and vitreous humor of 66.3% and 8.1%, respectively. This case was the first evidence of GHB post mortem production in a dead body and n…
Rapid hemodilution induced by desmopressin after erythropoietin administration in humans
2011
We have shown that treatment with desmopressin has a very effective hemodilution effect in healthy humans. These results led us to suggest the possible role of desmopressin to mask blood doping in sports. Based on our results, the World Anti-Doping Agency included the desmopressin in the 2011 List of Prohibited Substances and Methods. On this occasion, the aim of our study was to test the desmopressin-induced hemodilution after rHuEpo administration in humans. This was an intra-subject, crossover study in which five physically active males acted as their own controls. A basal blood sample was taken on their first visit to the laboratory. The next day, the subjects began the treatment. They …
Autofluorescence imaging for recurrence detection in skin cancer postoperative scars
2020
This clinical study is a first attempt to use autofluorescence for recurrence diagnosis of skin cancer in postoperative scars. The proposed diagnostic parameter is based on a reduction in scar autofluorescence, evaluated in the green spectral channel. The validity of the method has been tested on 110 postoperative scars from 56 patients suspected of non-melanoma skin cancer, with eight patients (13 scars) available for the repeated examination. The recurrence diagnosis within a scar has been made after two subsequent autofluorescence check-ups, representing the temporal difference between the scar autofluorescence amplitudes as a vector. The recognition of recurrence has been discussed to r…
A body weight loss- and health-promoting gut microbiota is established after bariatric surgery in individuals with severe obesity
2020
Obesity has reached an epidemic level worldwide, and bariatric surgery (BS) has been proven to be the most efficient therapy to reduce severe obesity-related comorbidities. Given that the gut microbiota plays a causal role in obesity development and that surgery may alter the gut environment, investigating the impact of BS on the microbiota in the context of severe obesity is important. Although, alterations at the level of total gut bacteria, total gene content and total metabolite content have started to be disentangled, a clear deficit exists regarding the analysis of the active fraction of the microbiota, which is the fraction that is most reactive to the BS. Here, active gut microbiota…
Sodium Oxybate Therapy for Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome and Keeping of Alcohol Abstinence
2018
BACKGROUND Gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB or sodium oxybate) is both an exogenous and endogenous molecule with neuromodulator properties. In the United States, GHB is an approved drug for the treatment of narcolepsy and narcolepsy with cataplexy in adults. In some European Union countries, sodium oxybate is applied for the treatment of opioid and alcohol withdrawal. OBJECTIVE The aim of the present review was to describe the state of art of the pre-clinical research and the clinical evidence related to GHB used alone or in combination with other treatments in alcohol withdrawal syndrome and alcohol abstinence maintenance. METHOD Internationally published pre-clinical findings and clinical studi…
A new resonant Laser-SNMS system for environmental ultra-trace analysis: Installation and optimization
2017
Abstract Localization, analysis and mobility of radioactive contaminated particles is of major concern for assessment of contamination threads and nuclear forensics. For this purpose, a new resonant Laser-SNMS system was developed and set up at the Institute for Radioecology and Radiation Protection for spatially resolved ultra-trace analysis of low concentrated radionuclides directly on environmental samples. This paper describes the adaption and combination of a dedicated Ti:sapphire laser system with a commercial TOF-SIMS instrument for resonant Laser-SNMS. The project includes computer simulations for optimization of the TOF analyzer. Results on synthetic uranium and technetium samples …
Translational development and pre-clinical evaluation of prototype gastrointestinal mock-up devices: only robotic placement of plastic?
2020
Background: The aim of this study was to address the vision of wireless theranostic devices distributed along the gastrointestinal (GI) tract by defining design requirements, developing prototype mock-ups, and establishing a minimally invasive surgical approach for the implantation process. Methods: Questionnaires for contextual analysis and use case scenarios addressing the technical issues of an implantable GI device, a possible scenario for implantation, preparation and calibration of a device, and therapeutic usage by professionals and patients were completed and discussed by an interdisciplinary team of surgeons, engineers, and product designers. Two acute porcine experiments were cond…
Post-cesarean necrotizing fasciitis caused by surgical site infection
2017
Necrotizing fasciitis (NF) is a rare, but rapidly progressive, potentially life-threatening soft tissue infection, with an incidence of 0.15-0.55 cases per 100,000 population. the gynecological-obstetric literature describes cases of NF due to surgical site infection (SSi) after cesarean delivery. this article discusses issues in the medicolegal evaluation of NF and the importance of prophylactic procedures, risk management protocols, and prompt diagnosis of this condition. two cases of post-cesarean NF due to SSi are reported. in both cases the responsibility lay with the hospitals and the medical staff owing to failure to adopt adequate SSi prophylaxis and to establish a timely diagnosis …
Happiness: role of dopamine and serotonin on mood and negative emotions
2017
Dopamine is a hormone associated with happiness and serotonin regulates our mood. When a person is physically attracted to another, an activation of dopamine, serotonin increased and production of oxytocin, a hormone that reduces pain perception and increases the emotional connection we have with the other occurs. Disconnecting the amygdala, the parts of the brain that are active against negative emotions like fear. The combination of all these elements leads to crush the other. After our beliefs, the way we understand ourselves and understand the world around us, eventually determining if I made a good choice. These are questions necessary to understand the functioning of our brain and hum…