Search results for "Elea"
showing 10 items of 772 documents
Evidence for a role of inducible nitric oxide synthase in gastric relaxation of mdx mice
2006
Alterations of gastric mechanical activity have been reported in mdx mouse, animal model for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. This study examined if alterations in the vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) system are present in mdx stomach. Gastric mechanical activity was recorded in vitro as changes of endoluminal pressure and neurally or pharmacologically evoked relaxations were analysed in mdxvs normal stomach. Reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction was used to detect inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression. Relaxations to sodium nitroprusside in mdx stomach showed no difference in comparison with normal preparations. In normal stomach, VIP produced relaxation, which was…
Prolactin secretion before, during, and after chronic gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist treatments in children.
2005
Objective To examine the effect of long-term administration of GnRH agonists (GnRHa) on PRL secretion in children affected by central precocious puberty (CPP) and growth hormone deficiency (GHD). Design Prospective analysis of blood sampling before, during, and after GnRHa treatments. Setting Pediatric endocrine center. Patient(s) One hundred nineteen and 93 children with a diagnosis of CPP and GHD, respectively. Intervention(s) Monthly depot injections of GnRHa drugs (leuprorelin acetate 3.75 mg [LA] and triptorelin 3.75 mg [TR]) administered to CPP and GHD patients for 40 and 24 months, respectively. Main Outcome Measure(s) Serum PRL levels at baseline and after 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, 36, and…
The significance of premature luteinization in an oocyte-donation programme
2006
BACKGROUND: Several evidences indicate that premature luteinization (PL) may affect IVF outcome. The primary end-point of the present study was to verify the effect of PL on the pregnancy rate (PR) of our oocytedonation programme. METHODS: PL was defined as serum progesterone ³1.2 ng/ml on the day of HCG. We analysed retrospectively 240 oocyte-donation cycles in which 120 women donated twice, with PL in the first donation cycle and no PL in the following one, acting as its own control. Recipients (n = 240) were divided in two groups according to the presence of PL (n = 120) or not (n = 120). Both groups were compared regarding donor cycle parameters and recipient cycle outcome. RESULTS: The…
Histamine release in mesenteric traction syndrome during abdominal aortic aneurysm surgery: prophylaxis with H1 and H2 antihistamines
2002
Objective and design: Mesenteric traction syndrome is described as sudden tachycardia, hypotension and flush. Among other etiological factors eventeration or mesenteric traction of the small intestine may cause histamine release from mesenteric mast cells. We hypothesized that mesenteric traction syndrome may be positively influenced by prophylactic antihistamine administration.¶Methods: Male patients (n = 17, ASA groups III-IV, 48–78 years old) were investigated in a randomised double blind study during elective abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair. Eight patients had pre-anaesthetic prophylaxis with dimetindene (H1-receptor antagonist) plus cimetidine (H2-receptor antagonist), 9 patient…
A Novel Method to Characterize User Sessions of Educational Software
2013
Abstract Software applications destined for the educational environment have a long history and have evolved side by side with the progress of technology from simple computer assisted instruction programs to sophisticated eLearning platforms. A study that we have conducted on a sample of 395 children aged 6 through 12, coming from both the rural and the urban environments, shows that an increasing number of children use computer related technologies. Given their exposure to these technologies it is imperative that the educational applications be designed in a way that takes into account the children's abilities, interests and the demands for their development. We have proposed a 5-dimension…
Mass Transport Analysis of the Enhanced Buffer Capacity of the Bicarbonate-CO2 Buffer in a Phase-Heterogenous System: Physiological and Pharmaceutica…
2018
The bicarbonate buffer capacity is usually considered in a phase-homogeneous system, at equilibrium, with no CO2 transfer between the liquid buffer phase and another phase. However, typically, an in vitro bicarbonate buffer-based system is a phase-heterogeneous system, as it entails continuously sparging (bubbling) the dissolution medium with CO2 in a gas mixture, at constant ratio, to maintain a constant partial pressure of CO2 (g) and CO2(aq) molarity at a prescribed value, with CO2 diffusing freely between the gas and the aqueous phases. The human gastrointestinal tract is also a phase-heterogeneous system, with CO2 diffusing across the mucosal membrane into the mesenteric arterial blood…
Hyaluronic Acid Derivative with Improved Versatility for Processing and Biological Functionalization
2016
A hydrophobic/amino functionalized derivative of hyaluronic acid (HA-EDA-C18 ) has been processed by salt leaching technique as porous scaffold without need of chemical crosslinking. Aim of this work is to demonstrate the improved versatility of HA-EDA-C18 in terms of processing and biological functionalization. In particular, the chemical procedure to tether thiol bearing RGD peptide has been described. Moreover, the possibility to load and to control the release of slightly water soluble effectors has been demonstrated by using dexamethasone. First, the swelling and degradation profiles of the scaffolds have been investigated, then the evaluation of metabolic activity of bovine chondrocyt…
Hyaluronic acid and beta cyclodextrins films for the release of corneal epithelial cells and dexamethasone
2016
In this work we prepared hydrogels based on hyaluronic acid and β-cyclodextrins to sustain the release of both corneal epithelial cells and dexamethasone. This steroid is administered as eye drops several times per day to reduce the risk of rejection in the post operative period after the cornea transplantation and cell release techniques. Hydrogels were produced by crosslinking an amino derivative of hyaluronic acid, with the divinyl sulfone derivative of β-cyclodextrins, this last employed as a crosslinker and solubilizing agent. Drug release studies revealed that dexamethasone containing samples are able to extend the release of this drug for at least five days. Biological studies, condu…
Infrared Thermography assisted evaluation of static and fatigue Mode II fracture toughness in FRP composites
2019
Abstract The work proposes the combined use of a Modified Transverse Crack Tension (MTCT) test coupon and Infrared Thermography, to evaluate the static and fatigue behaviour of Fibre Reinforced Polymer composites under Mode II delamination. Artificial delaminations starters are added to the TCT coupon, whose effects on the Strain Energy Release Rate are discussed. Infrared Thermography and Thermoelastic Stress Analysis are implemented to investigate stresses and delaminations growths on two FRP materials: a pre-preg IM7/8552 carbon fibre-epoxy and a glass-fibre reinforced epoxy laminates. The thermographic, thermoelastic and second harmonic signals have been obtained and used to monitor the…
Deformation and failure of MXene nanosheets
2020
This work is aimed at the development of finite element models and prediction of the mechanical behavior of MXene nanosheets. Using LS-Dyna Explicit software, a finite element model was designed to simulate the nanoindentation process of a two-dimensional MXene Ti3C2Tz monolayer flake and to validate the material model. For the evaluation of the adhesive strength of the free-standing Ti3C2Tz-based film, the model comprised single-layered MXene nanosheets with a specific number of individual flakes, and the reverse engineering method with a curve fitting approach was used. The interlaminar shear strength, in-plane stiffness, and shear energy release rate of MXene film were predicted using th…