Chemically Crosslinked Alginate Hydrogel with Polyaziridine: Effects on Physicochemical Properties and Promising Applications.

Alginate biopolymer is widely employed in many industrial fields thanks to its pleasing features of biodegradability, biocompatibility, low toxicity, and relatively low cost. The gelling process of alginate with divalent cations is fairly simple and thus it is used as a versatile biomaterial to tailor the desired mechanical and moisture properties. This study focused on developing new gel formulations to enhance the properties of calcium-alginate hydrogel (CA).

Stradivari's Varnish Revisited: Feature Improvements Using Chemical Modification.

The most widespread varnish formulations used by master violin-makers of the "Italian Golden Age", including Antonio Stradivari, were based on mixtures of siccative oils (e.g., linseed oil) and natural resins (e.

Biopolymer Gels as a Cleaning System for Differently Featured Wooden Surfaces.

The cleaning of some wooden artefacts can be challenging due to peculiar surface roughness and/or particular finishing treatments that favour the deposition of dirt and contaminants. The most common cleaning system used by conservators is agar gel, characterized by its rigidity and brittleness, which challenges the cleaning of rough and irregular surfaces typical of most wooden artefacts. In this work, alginate crosslinked with calcium (CA) and konjac glucomannan crosslinked with borax (KGB) gels were proposed to solve this issue.

A Nanofocused Light on Stradivari Violins: Infrared s-SNOM Reveals New Clues Behind Craftsmanship Mastery.

It is well-known that all the phases of the manufacturing influence the extraordinary aesthetic and acoustic features of Stradivari's instruments. However, these masterpieces still keep some of their secrets hidden by the lack of documentary evidence. In particular, there is not a general consensus on the use of a protein-based ground coating directly spread on the wood surface by the Cremonese Master.

Data from Multiple Portable XRF Units and Their Significance for Ancient Glass Studies.

X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy is a non-destructive technique employed for elemental analysis of a wide range of materials. Its advantages are especially valued in archaeometry, where portable instruments are available. Considering ancient glass, such instruments allow for the detection of some major, minor, and trace elements linked to the deliberate addition of specific components or to impurities in the raw materials of the glass batch.

The impact of alkaline treatments on elasticity in spruce tonewood.

It is commonly believed that violins sound differently when finished. However, if the role of varnishes on the vibrational properties of these musical instruments is well-established, how the first components of the complete wood finish impact on the final result is still unclear. According to tradition, the priming process consists of two distinct stages, called pre-treatment and sizing.

Preliminary Cleaning Approach with Alginate and Konjac Glucomannan Polysaccharide Gel for the Surfaces of East Asian and Western String Musical Instruments.

The cleaning of string musical instruments is challenging due to the traditional finishing treatments used by the makers. Multilayered coating systems were applied to Western musical instruments, while the Nakdong technique was applied in East Asia. Furthermore, by restorations and performance, dust and grime were overlapped together with polishes, adhesives, and varnishes.

Study of a surface coating present on a Renaissance Piety from the Museum of Ancient Art (Castello Sforzesco, Milan).

The surface coating present on a marble Piety dating to the Renaissance period and stored at the Castello Sforzesco-Museum of Ancient Art (Milan, Italy) was studied and chemically characterised. For this purpose, both portable non-invasive (XRF and colorimetric measurements) and micro-invasive techniques (FTIR-ATR and SEM-EDS), have been applied. The statue has been recently submitted to a restoration, since its surface appeared dark and yellowed, before an exhibition at the Louvre Museum and the original appearance of the marble surface recovered thanks to the surface coating removal.

Ustekinumab in Crohn's disease: Real-world outcomes from the Sicilian network for inflammatory bowel diseases.

Background And Aim: Ustekinumab is approved in Europe for the treatment of moderate to severe Crohn's disease (CD). Italian real-life data are scarce, so the aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness and safety of ustekinumab in an Italian cohort of CD patients.

Methods: Data of patients with CD who started using ustekinumab were extracted from the cohort of the Sicilian Network for Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Reflection FTIR spectroscopy for the study of historical bowed string instruments: Invasive and non-invasive approaches.

A micro-sample detached from a historical bowed string instrument represents a valuable record of the materials used by the great Masters of violin-making art. It allows researchers to collect a wealth of information and to disclose - at least partially - their procedures for finishing and varnishing. In the present work, a set of four cross-sectioned micro-samples - collected from well-preserved bowed string instruments made by Antonio Stradivari and Lorenzo Storioni - are investigated by Synchrotron Radiation (SR) FTIR micro-spectroscopy in reflection mode.

Spectroscopic Analysis to Characterize Finishing Treatments of Ancient Bowed String Instruments.

Historical bowed string instruments exhibit acoustic features and aesthetic appeal that are still considered inimitable. These characteristics seem to be in large part determined by the materials used in the ground and varnishing treatments after the assembly of the instrument. These finishing processes were kept secret by the violinmakers and the traditional methods were handed down orally from master craftsmen to apprentices.

[Risk of tuberculosis in healthcare workers: risk assessment and medical surveillance].

Tuberculosis screening is recommended for all health care workers. We evaluated the prevalence of latent tuberculosis infection among 939 hospital workers of Tor Vergata University teaching hospital in Rome, Italy, in the period 2007-2013, by using the QuantiFERON Gold In-Tube (QFT) test. The mean age of subjects tested was 31 years.

[eHealth: necessity and challenges].

In times of economic crisis and a national healthcare system that absorbs more than 7% of the gross domestic product, there is a need to "rethink" healthcare practice. EHealth is part of this process of improving accessibility to services, use of available resources and coordination of program choices, and is an indispensable tool for implementing this cultural and management revolution. How realistic is it, today, to think of implementing a digitalized healthcare practice network? To settle this question is essential for today's national healthcare system.

Microscopic polyangiitis: a large single-center series.

Objective: Microscopic polyangiitis (MPA) is a rare systemic vasculitis, antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody associated, characterized by necrotizing small vessel involvement with few or no immune complex deposits. Necrotizing glomerulonephritis is common. Pulmonary capillaritis causing alveolar hemorrhage and hemoptysis is well recognized, but most case series are reported in the nephrology literature and emphasize renal considerations.

[Vaccines and adverse events between risk and fear].

The decrease in the incidence of infectious diseases caused by vaccination is responsible for the huge importance given to adverse reactions from both population and health care personnel. Generally no real relationship exists between the true risks associated with vaccines and the risk perceived by the population. This aspect is confirmed by the results of a survey performed in 2009 among 376 students of the University of Roma Tor Vergata and 84 health care workers of the vaccination centers in Lazio Region.

[Hepatitis A in Europe today: epidemiology and prevention].

The susceptibility to Hepatitis A virus infection is growing among the European population and many hepatitis outbreaks have been described in 2004-2008. The change in epidemiological characteristics observed in the last decades has to be taken in account in issuing specific recommendations about the use of the vaccine in pre and post exposure prophylaxis.

[Towards measles elimination in Italy].

Measles elimination is an important target for Public Health. Data on measles epidemiology in Italy are presented for years 2005-2008, after National Measles Elimination Plan was launched in 2003. In 2005 less than 300 case were notified but since 2006 outbreaks were detected in many Italian Regions.

Nighttime measurements of atmospheric optical thickness by star photometry with a digital camera.

Nighttime stellar photometric measurements have been carried out with a commercial digital single-lens reflex camera to determine the atmospheric optical thickness on large fields of view (FOV). Specific procedures of image analysis allow to extract an equivalent irradiance for a number of stars and for the sky light background; thus, a measure of the optical thickness in each star direction can be retrieved. A larger FOV is obtained by stitching several photographs shot in quick sequence on adjacent regions of the sky: such measurements provide almost instantaneous maps of optical thickness and skylight background that indicate the degree of homogeneity of the aerosol load.

Review of ozone and temperature lidar validations performed within the framework of the Network for the Detection of Stratospheric Change.

The use of assimilation tools for satellite validation requires true estimates of the accuracy of the reference data. Since its inception, the Network for Detection of Stratospheric Change (NDSC) has provided systematic lidar measurements of ozone and temperature at several places around the world that are well adapted for satellite validations. Regular exercises have been organised to ensure the data quality at each individual site.

Provider attitudes and use of alternative medicine in a midwestern medical practice in 2001.

Objective: To determine the current level of use, referral and desire for service of different complementary and alternative (CAM) therapies among Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center providers.

Methods: A survey was conducted in January of 2001 of all medical and associate staff.

Results: The response rate was 79%; 55% reported using 1 or more of 18 therapies for themselves.

A comparison of low dose methotrexate bioavailability: oral solution, oral tablet, subcutaneous and intramuscular dosing.

Objective: To compare the relative bioavailability of low dose methotrexate (MTX) administered as tablet, oral solution, and subcutaneous (sc) injection to that of intramuscular (im) injection in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: Twelve patients meeting the American College of Rheumatology criteria for RA had serial blood MTX concentration samples drawn over a 24-h period after receiving their normal weekly MTX dose. Relative bioavailability (F) of the tablet and oral solution formulations was determined by comparison of the area under the time-versus-serum-concentration curves (AUC) for the 2 different oral formulations as a percentage of the AUC for im injection.

Interferometric investigations of convection around cylinders at small Grashof numbers.

Experiments with a Twyman-Green interferometer have been carried out to determine the temperature distribution around a horizontal cylinder in the presence of natural convection for Grashof numbers around 10(-4) and a Prandtl number of 0.7, a region of parameters poorly covered by previous investigations. Temperature differences are recovered by digital analysis of the fringe pattern perturbation.

Epidemiology of acute asthma: IgE antibodies to common inhalant allergens as a risk factor for emergency room visits.

In recent years the morbidity and mortality of asthma has increased, although the etiology is still poorly understood. Most patients with asthma suffer acute attacks that are commonly treated in hospital emergency rooms (ER). In the present study, asthma in adults was studied with acute attacks as a marker for the disease; 102 patients first observed at a university hospital ER with acute airway obstruction were compared to 118 patients observed at the same ER with any diagnosis other than shortness of breath to evaluate allergy as a risk factor for asthma in adults.

Automatic fringe recognition and detection of subwavelength phase perturbations with a Michelson interferometer.

Simple systems and procedures based on personal computer hardware to analyze the fringe pattern in a Michelson interferometer, retrieve information on the irregularities of the combined phase front and use it to obtain a correct interferogram are presented. In one system, where one of the mirrors can be moved piezoelectrically, good sensitivity (lambda/30) is obtained while using an economical array of 1-bit image sensing elements. In another system, based on a TV camera and a 6-bit frame grabber, images of the two separate laser beams and of the fringe patterns are stored; by adequate numerical analysis, higher sensitivity (lambda/100) is achieved.

Serum IgE antibodies to Trichophyton in patients with urticaria, angioedema, asthma, and rhinitis: development of a radioallergosorbent test.

A series of patients was identified who demonstrated immediate positive skin tests to intradermal Trichophyton extract. These skin responses did not correlate with other fungal skin tests and were present both in atopic and nonatopic patients. The individuals demonstrating positive immediate skin tests included patients with urticaria, angioedema, asthma, and/or rhinitis, as well as five of 34 normal control subjects.