Search results for " s.p.a."

Transcatheter Ablation of Supraventricular Tachycardias in Pediatric Patients

2008

Ablation has become an important treatment for many pediatric patients with common supraventricular tachycardias (SVTs). Many multicenter studies have documented that radiofrequency (RF) catheter ablation is a safe and effective procedure for treatment of a large variety of SVTs in children and adults with a high success rate and minimal complications. Novel electrophysiology technologies such as electroanatomic mapping and sophisticated ablating catheters have improved success rates and decreased complications of transcatheter ablation. Moreover, within the last several years, a new energy source using cryoenergy has evolved as a safe and effective alternative for catheter ablation for arr…

Efficient light-induced phase transitions in halogen-bonded liquid crystals

2016

Here, we present a new family of light-responsive, fluorinated supramolecular liquid crystals (LCs) showing efficient and reversible light-induced LC-to-isotropic phase transitions. Our materials design is based on fluorinated azobenzenes, where the fluorination serves to strengthen the noncovalent interaction with bond-accepting stilbazole molecules, and increase the lifetime of the cis-form of the azobenzene units. The halogen-bonded LCs were characterized by means of X-ray diffraction, hot-stage polarized optical microscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry. Simultaneous analysis of light-induced changes in birefringence, absorption, and optical scattering allowed us to estimate tha…

SINTESI E PROPRIETÁ DI SALI ORGANICI POLICATIONICI UTILIZZATI COME MEZZI DI REAZIONE

Caffeine as a Gelator

2016

Caffeine (a stimulant) and ethanol (a depressant) may have opposite effects in our body, but under in vitro conditions they can “gel” together. Caffeine, being one of the widely used stimulants, continued to surprise the scientific community with its unprecedented biological, medicinal and physicochemical properties. Here, we disclose the supramolecular self-assembly of anhydrous caffeine in a series of alcoholic and aromatic solvents, rendering a highly entangled microcrystalline network facilitating the encapsulation of the solvents as illustrated using direct imaging, microscopy analysis and NMR studies. Peer reviewed

Surface-relief gratings in halogen-bonded polymer-azobenzene complexes A concentration-dependence study

2017

In recent years, supramolecular complexes comprising a poly(4-vinylpyridine) backbone and azobenzene-based halogen bond donors have emerged as a promising class of materials for the inscription of light-induced surface-relief gratings (SRGs). The studies up to date have focused on building supramolecular hierarchies, i.e., optimizing the polymer–azobenzene noncovalent interaction for efficient surface patterning. They have been conducted using systems with relatively low azobenzene content, and little is known about the concentration dependence of SRG formation in halogen-bonded polymer–azobenzene complexes. Herein, we bridge this gap, and study the concentration dependence of SRG formation…

Temperature-controlled poly(propylene) glycol hydrophobicity on the formation of inclusion complexes with modified cyclodextrins. A DSC and ITC study.

2011

The study highlighted the main forces driving the formation of hydroxypropyl-cyclodextrins (HP-CDs) + poly(propylene) glycol 725 g mol(-1) inclusion complexes. The temperature parameter was chosen as the variable to modulate the hydrophobicity of the polymer, and consequently ITC experiments as functions of temperature as well as DSC measurements were done in a systematic way. The polymer is not included into HP-α-CD, it is strongly bound to HP-β-CD and it is floating in HP-γ-CD. The stability of the inclusion complexes is entropy controlled. The gain of the entropy is a unique result compared to the opposite literature findings for inclusion complexes based on polymers and CDs. This peculi…

Supramolecular hierarchy among halogen and hydrogen bond donors in light-induced surface patterning

2015

Halogen bonding, a noncovalent interaction possessing several unique features compared to the more familiar hydrogen bonding, is emerging as a powerful tool in functional materials design. Herein, we unambiguously show that one of these characteristic features, namely high directionality, renders halogen bonding the interaction of choice when developing azobenzene-containing supramolecular polymers for light-induced surface patterning. The study is conducted by using an extensive library of azobenzene molecules that differ only in terms of the bond-donor unit. We introduce a new tetrafluorophenol-containing azobenzene photoswitch capable of forming strong hydrogen bonds, and show that an io…

Hydrogen-bonded liquid crystals with broad-range blue phases

2019

We report a modular supramolecular approach for the investigation of chirality induction in hydrogen-bonded liquid crystals. An exceptionally broad blue phase with a temperature range of 25 °C was found, which enabled its structural investigation by solid state 19F-NMR studies and allowed us to report order parameters of the blue phase I for the first time.

VARIABILI GENETICHE, BIOLOGICHE E CLINICHE COME FATTORI PROGNOSTICI DI PROGRESSIONE E SOPRAVVIVENZA NELLA SCLEROSI LATERALE AMIOTROFICA

2014

Questo studio ha riguardato l'analisi di alcune variabili prognostiche e di sopravvivenza nella sclerosi laterale amiotrofica, con particolare riferimento alla caratterizzazione di nuovi geni ed al ruolo di interventi di management.

Lulwoana sp., a dark septate endophyte (DSE) in roots of Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile seagrass

2014

Posidonia oceanica is the most common, widespread and important monocotyledon seagrass in the Mediterranean Basin, and hosts a large biodiversity of species, including microorganisms with key roles in the marine environment. In this study, we ascertain the presence of a fungal endophyte in the roots of P. oceanica growing on different substrata (rock, sand and matte) in two Sicilian marine meadows. Staining techniques on root fragments and sections, in combination with microscope observations, were used to visualise the fungal presence and determine the percentage of fungal colonisation (FC) in this tissue. In root fragments, statistical analysis of the FC showed a higher mean in roots anch…