A new approach to measuring the rebound effect associated to energy efficiency improvements: An application to the US residential energy demand

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Orea, Luis; Llorca, Manuel; Filippini, Massimo

2015-01-01

This paper brings attention to the fact that the energy demand frontier model introduced by Filippini and Hunt (2011, 2012) is closely connected to the measurement of the so-called rebound effect associated with improvements in energy efficiency. In particular, we show that their model implicitly imposes a zero rebound effect, which contradicts most of the available empirical evidence on this issue. We relax this restrictive assumption through the modelling of a rebound-effect function that mitigates or intensifies the effect of an efficiency improvement on energy consumption. We illustrate our model with an empirical application that aims to estimate a US frontier residential aggregate energy demand function using panel data for 48 states over the period 1995 to 2011. Average values of the rebound effect in the range of 56–80% are found. Therefore, policymakers should be aware that most of the expected energy reduction from efficiency improvements may not be achieved. - Highlights: • A new approach to measuring rebound effects in energy consumption is presented. • We illustrate our proposal with an application to US residential energy demand. • Relatively large rebound effects in the range of 56–80% are found. • Energy-inefficient states tend to exhibit low rebound effects. • We identify states where energy-saving policies should be more effective

L’educatore sociale fra i Servizi e l’intervento di strada.

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Chiara Giustini

2007-07-01

Full Text Available Ci siamo sempre poste molte domande sulla povertà, sulle cause dell'impoverimento, sulle responsabilità di noi “ricchi”, sulle possibilità che ogni persona ha di cambiare le cose. Forse è per questo che tre anni fa abbiamo deciso di aderire alla proposta del prof. Genovese e di partecipare al progetto "Un sacco a pelo per l'inverno" promosso dalla Caritas Diocesana di Bologna: da questa collaborazione è nato il Gruppo Nuove Povertà, tuttora impegnato in attività di ricerca sulla povertà, di impegno concreto e di sensibilizzazione al tema della marginalità nella nostra città e di formazione per gli studenti della Facoltà di Scienze della Formazione. Forse è sempre per questo che per le nostre tesi abbiamo affrontato il problema della povertà e delle nuove povertà, la condizione dei senza dimora e le risposte dei Servizi. Ne sono nati due articoli: il primo, firmato da Federica Filippini, affronta il tema della povertà nella sua multidimensionalità e analizza in particolare la condizione dei senza dimora, il percorso di impoverimento, le difficoltà della vita in strada, il rapporto con la città e i Servizi; il secondo, firmato da Chiara Giustini, si sofferma, invece, sulla figura dell'educatore, sia all'interno dei Servizi rivolti ai senza dimora, sia nel lavoro di strada.

Persistent and transient cost efficiency—an application to the Swiss hydropower sector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Filippini, Massimo; University of Lugano; Geissmann, Thomas; Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Greene, William H.

2017-01-01

Electricity prices on the European market have decreased significantly over the past few years, resulting in a deterioration of Swiss hydropower firms’ competitiveness and profitability. One option to improve the sector’s competitiveness is to increase cost efficiency. The goal of this study is to quantify the level of persistent and transient cost efficiency of individual firms by applying the generalized true random effects (GTRE) model introduced by Colombi et al. (Journal of Productivity Analysis 42(2): 123–136, 2014) and Filippini and Greene (Journal of Productivity Analysis 45(2): 187–196, 2016). Applying this newly developed GTRE model to a total cost function, the level of cost efficiency of 65 Swiss hydropower firms is analyzed for the period between 2000 and 2013. A true random effects specification is estimated as a benchmark for the transient level of cost efficiency. The results show the presence of both transient as well as persistent cost inefficiencies. The GTREM predicts the aggregate level of cost inefficiency to amount to 21.8% (8.0% transient, 13.8% persistent) on average between 2000 and 2013. These two components differ in interpretation and implication. From an individual firm’s perspective, the two types of cost inefficiencies might require a firm’s management to respond with different improvement strategies. The existing level of persistent inefficiency could prevent the hydropower firms from adjusting their production processes to new market environments. From a regulatory point of view, the results of this study could be used in the scope and determination of the amount of financial support given to struggling firms.

Late- versus early-onset geriatric depression in a memory research center

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Carol Dillon

2009-10-01

Full Text Available Carol Dillon1, Ricardo F Allegri2, Cecilia M Serrano1, Mónica Iturry1, Pablo Salgado1, Frank B Glaser1, Fernando E Taragano21Memory Research Center, Department of Neurology, Hospital General Abel Zubizarreta, GCBA Buenos Aires, Argentina; 2Department of Neuropsychology (SIREN, CEMIC University, Buenos Aires, ArgentinaObjective: To contrast early-onset (<60 years and late-onset (>60 years depression in geriatric patients by evaluating differences in cognition, vascular comorbidity and sociological risk factors. Both patient groups were compared with normal subjects.Materials and methods: We recruited 76 patients with depressive symptoms (37 late onset and 39 early onset and 17 normal controls matched by age and educational level. All subjects were assessed using a semistructured neuropsychiatric interview and an extensive neuropsychological battery. Vascular and sociological risk factors were also evaluated.Results: We found a significant variation in performance between depressive patients and normal controls in most cognitive functions, especially memory (P < 0.0001, semantic fluency (P < 0.0001, verbal fluency, and digit-symbol (P < 0.0001. Late-onset depression patients scored lower and exhibited more severe impairment in memory domains than early-onset depression patients (P < 0.05. Cholesterol levels and marital status were significantly (P < 0.05 different between the depressive groups. Both depressed groups (early- and lateonset were more inactive than controls (P < 0.05; odds ratio: 6.02.Conclusion: Geriatric depression may be a manifestation of brain degeneration, and the initial symptom of a dementia. It is important to consider this in the treatment of patients that exhibit late-onset depressive symptoms.Keywords: early- and late-onset depression, geriatrics, cognition

Management of chronic anterior uveitis relapses: efficacy of oral phospholipidic curcumin treatment. Long-term follow-up

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Pia Allegri

2010-10-01

Full Text Available Pia Allegri1, Antonio Mastromarino1, Piergiorgio Neri21Uveitis Center, Ophthalmological Department of Lavagna Hospital, Genova, Italy; 2Uveitis Unit, The Eye Clinic, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria, Ospedali Riuniti di Ancona, Ancona, ItalyAbstract: Curcumin has been successfully applied to treat inflammatory conditions in experimental research and in clinical trials. The purpose of our study is to evaluate the efficacy of an adjunctive-to-traditional treatment with Norflo tablets (curcumin-phosphatidylcholine complex; Meriva administered twice a day in recurrent anterior uveitis of different etiologies. The study group consisted of 106 patients who completed a 12-month follow-up therapeutic period. We divided the patients into three main groups of different uveitis origin: group 1 (autoimmune uveitis, group 2 (herpetic uveitis, and group 3 (different etiologies of uveitis. The primary end point of our work was the evaluation of relapses frequency in all treated patients, before and after Norflo treatment, followed by the number of relapse in the three etiological groups. Wilcoxon signed-rank test showed a P < 0.001 in all groups. The secondary end points were the evaluation of relapse severity and of the overall quality of life. The results showed that Norflo was well tolerated and could reduce eye discomfort symptoms and signs after a few weeks of treatment in more than 80% of patients. In conclusion, our study is the first to report the potential therapeutic role of curcumin and its efficacy in eye relapsing diseases, such as anterior uveitis, and points out other promising curcumin-related benefits in eye inflammatory and degenerative conditions, such as dry eye, maculopathy, glaucoma, and diabetic retinopathy.Keywords: curcumin, anterior recurrent uveitis, phosphatidylcholine-bound-curcumin (Meriva

[History from neuropsychology to cognitive neurosciences in Argentina].

Science.gov (United States)

Allegri, Ricardo F; Bagnatti, Pablo

2017-11-01

The first step from the neuropsychology in Argentina was in 1883 with the thesis of Antonio Piñeiro about the brain localization of the language and vision disorders, only few years after Broca. The aim of this work has been to describe the development of the neuropsychology in Argentina and its relation with the psychology, neurology and psychiatry. The first period was into the neurology with its French school in?uence. In 1907, Jose Ingeniero published in French his book about "amusia", Cristofredo Jakob the "folia neurobiologica" where he described the organization of the human brain, Vicente Dimitri in 1933 his book "aphasia" and Bernardo de Quiros in 1959 his works about dyslexia. The psychiatry at the hospices with the German influence from Jakob developed to the modern neuropsychiatry with Juan Carlos Goldar. The argentine school of psychology by the holism and the psychoanalysis influence do not accept the neuropsychology until 1960 where was included at the school of psychology from the university of Buenos Aires (UBA) with the first linguistics works of Juan Azcoaga. At the 80, began the North American influence of the neurology with authors like Carlos Mangone (dementia), Ramon Leiguarda (apraxia), Sergio Starkstein (depression and apathy) and Ricardo Allegri (memory and Alzheimer). In 1982 the Argentine Neuropsychological Society was founded and in 1987 was the working group of dementia from the Argentine Neurological Society. At this moment, Aldo Ferreres organized the chair of neuropsychology at the school of psychology (UBA). Nowadays, the growing as discipline is in context of the psychology, neurology and psychiatry in the way of the recent cognitive neurosciences.

Efficiency snakes and energy ladders: A (meta-)frontier demand analysis of electricity consumption efficiency in Chinese households

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Broadstock, David C.; Li, Jiajia; Zhang, Dayong

2016-01-01

Policy makers presently lack access to quantified estimates – and hence an explicit understanding – of energy consumption efficiency within households, creating a potential gap between true efficiency levels and the necessarily assumed efficiency levels that policy makers adopt in designing and implementing energy policy. This paper attempts to fill this information gap by empirically quantifying electricity consumption efficiency for a sample of more than 7,000 households. Adopting the recently introduced ‘frontier demand function’ due to Filippini and Hunt (2011) but extending it into the metafrontier context – to control for structural heterogeneity arising from location type – it is shown that consumption efficiency is little more than 60% on average. This implies huge potential for energy reduction via the expansion of schemes to promote energy efficiency. City households, which are the wealthiest in the sample, are shown to define the metafrontier demand function (and hence have the potential to be the most efficient households), but at the same time exhibit the largest inefficiencies. These facts together allow for a potential refinement on the household energy ladder concept, suggesting that wealth affords access to the best technologies thereby increasing potential energy efficiency (the ‘traditional view of the household energy ladder), but complementary to this these same households are most inefficient. This has implications for numerous areas of policy, including for example the design of energy assistance schemes, identification of energy education needs/priorities as well more refined setting of subsidies/tax-credit policies. - Highlights: •Frontier demand functions are estimated for a sample of 7102 Chinese households. •Metafrontier methods capture heterogeneity arising from urban form (e.g. cities, towns and villages). •Wealthier houses have higher efficiency potential, but are in fact less efficient in their consumption of

Pixel or Paper? Validation of a Mobile Technology for Collecting Patient-Reported Outcomes in Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Science.gov (United States)

Epis, Oscar Massimiliano; Casu, Cinzia; Belloli, Laura; Schito, Emanuela; Filippini, Davide; Muscarà, Marina; Gentile, Maria Giovanna; Perez Cagnone, Paula Carina; Venerelli, Chiara; Sonnati, Massimo; Schiavetti, Irene; Bruschi, Eleonora

2016-11-16

In the management of chronic disease, new models for telemonitoring of patients combined with the choice of electronic patient-reported outcomes (ePRO) are being encouraged, with a clear improvement of both patients' and parents' quality of life. An Italian study demonstrated that ePRO were welcome in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), with excellent matching data. The aim of this study is to evaluate the level of agreement between electronic and paper-and-pencil questionnaire responses. This is an observational prospective study. Patients were randomly assigned to first complete the questionnaire by paper and pencil and then by tablet or in the opposite order. The questionnaire consisted of 3 independent self-assessment visual rating scales (Visual Analog Scale, Global Health score, Patient Global Assessment of Disease Activity) commonly used in different adult patients, including those with rheumatic diseases. A total of 185 consecutive RA patients were admitted to hospital and were enrolled and completed the questionnaire both on paper and on electronic versions. For all the evaluated items, the intrarater degree of agreement between 2 approaches was found to be excellent (intraclass correlation coefficient>0.75, P<.001). An electronic questionnaire is uploaded in a dedicated Web-based tool that could implement a telemonitoring system aimed at improving the follow-up of RA patients. High intrarater reliability between paper and electronic methods of data collection encourage the use of a new digital app with consequent benefit for the overall health care system. ©Oscar Massimiliano Epis, Cinzia Casu, Laura Belloli, Emanuela Schito, Davide Filippini, Marina Muscarà, Maria Giovanna Gentile, Paula Carina Perez Cagnone, Chiara Venerelli, Massimo Sonnati, Irene Schiavetti, Eleonora Bruschi. Originally published in JMIR Research Protocols (http://www.researchprotocols.org), 16.11.2016.

Tinnitus: clinical experience of the psychosomatic connection

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Salviati M

2014-02-01

Full Text Available Massimo Salviati,1 Francesco Saverio Bersani,1 Samira Terlizzi,1 Claudia Melcore,1 Roberta Panico,1 Graziella Francesca Romano,1 Guiseppe Valeriani,1 Francesco Macrì,1 Giancarlo Altissimi,2 Filippo Mazzei,2 Valeria Testugini,2 Luca Latini,1 Roberto Delle Chiaie,1 Massimo Biondi,1 Giancarlo Cianfrone21Department of Neurology and Psychiatry, Acute Psychiatric Ward (Servizio Psichiatrico di Diagnosi e Cura - SPDC, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy, 2Department of Sense Organs, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, ItalyBackground: The connection between psychopathology and tinnitus is complex and not adequately studied. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between tinnitus and psychiatric comorbidities from different points of view: categorical, dimensional, temperamental, and perceived stress level.Methods: Two hundred and thirty-nine patients affected by tinnitus were recruited between January and October 2012. Patients underwent a preliminary battery of tests including the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI, Symptom Check List (SCL90-R, Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI, and Stress-Related Vulnerability Scale (VRS, and eventually a full psychiatric evaluation. Results: One hundred and fourteen patients (48% of the total sample presented psychiatric comorbidity. Among these, a higher prevalence of depression, somatization, obsession, and anxiety was found. More than 41% of patients affected by decompensated tinnitus reported a family history of psychiatric disorders. Significant positive correlations between the psychopathological screening tools (SCL90-R and VRS and THI were found. Patients affected by comorbid psychiatric disorder showed specific temperamental and characterial predispositions.Conclusion: Psychiatric comorbidity in subjects affected by tinnitus is frequent. Stress can be considered as a factor leading to damage and dysfunction of the auditory apparatus. The vulnerability to neurotic disorders and

Cognitive reserve and Aβ1-42 in mild cognitive impairment (Argentina-Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative

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Harris P

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Paula Harris,1,2 Marcos Fernandez Suarez,1 Ezequiel I Surace,1,2 Patricio Chrem Méndez,1 María Eugenia Martín,1 María Florencia Clarens,1 Fernanda Tapajóz,1,2 Maria Julieta Russo,1 Jorge Campos,1 Salvador M Guinjoan,1,2 Gustavo Sevlever,1 Ricardo F Allegri1,2 1Instituto de Investigaciones Neurológicas, 2Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Buenos Aires, Argentina Background: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between cognitive reserve and concentration of Aβ1-42 in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF of patients with mild cognitive impairment, those with Alzheimer’s disease, and in control subjects. Methods: Thirty-three participants from the Argentina-Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative database completed a cognitive battery, the Cognitive Reserve Questionnaire (CRQ, and an Argentinian accentuation reading test (TAP-BA as a measure of premorbid intelligence, and underwent lumbar puncture for CSF biomarker quantification. Results: The CRQ significantly correlated with TAP-BA, education, and Aβ1-42. When considering Aβ1-42 levels, significant differences were found in CRQ scores; higher levels of CSF Aβ1-42 were associated with higher CRQ scores. Conclusion: Reduced Aβ1-42 in CSF is considered as evidence of amyloid deposition in the brain. Previous results suggest that individuals with higher education, higher occupational attainment, and participation in leisure activities (cognitive reserve have a reduced risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Our results support the notion that enhanced neural activity has a protective role in mild cognitive impairment, as evidenced by higher CSF Aβ1-42 levels in individuals with more cognitive reserve. Keywords: amyloid, biomarkers, cerebrospinal fluid, Alzheimer’s disease 

The Effect of Music on the Human Stress Response

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Thoma, Myriam V.; La Marca, Roberto; Brönnimann, Rebecca; Finkel, Linda; Ehlert, Ulrike; Nater, Urs M.

2013-01-01

Background Music listening has been suggested to beneficially impact health via stress-reducing effects. However, the existing literature presents itself with a limited number of investigations and with discrepancies in reported findings that may result from methodological shortcomings (e.g. small sample size, no valid stressor). It was the aim of the current study to address this gap in knowledge and overcome previous shortcomings by thoroughly examining music effects across endocrine, autonomic, cognitive, and emotional domains of the human stress response. Methods Sixty healthy female volunteers (mean age = 25 years) were exposed to a standardized psychosocial stress test after having been randomly assigned to one of three different conditions prior to the stress test: 1) relaxing music (‘Miserere’, Allegri) (RM), 2) sound of rippling water (SW), and 3) rest without acoustic stimulation (R). Salivary cortisol and salivary alpha-amylase (sAA), heart rate (HR), respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), subjective stress perception and anxiety were repeatedly assessed in all subjects. We hypothesized that listening to RM prior to the stress test, compared to SW or R would result in a decreased stress response across all measured parameters. Results The three conditions significantly differed regarding cortisol response (p = 0.025) to the stressor, with highest concentrations in the RM and lowest in the SW condition. After the stressor, sAA (p=0.026) baseline values were reached considerably faster in the RM group than in the R group. HR and psychological measures did not significantly differ between groups. Conclusion Our findings indicate that music listening impacted the psychobiological stress system. Listening to music prior to a standardized stressor predominantly affected the autonomic nervous system (in terms of a faster recovery), and to a lesser degree the endocrine and psychological stress response. These findings may help better understanding the

Consequences of the 118A>G polymorphism in the OPRM1 gene: translation from bench to bedside?

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Mura E

2013-05-01

Full Text Available Elisa Mura,1 Stefano Govoni,1 Marco Racchi,1 Valeria Carossa,1 Guglielmina Nadia Ranzani,2 Massimo Allegri,3,4 Ron HN van Schaik5 1Department of Drug Sciences, Centre of Excellence in Applied Biology, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy; 2Department of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy; 3Pain Therapy Service, Foundation IRCCS San Matteo Hospital, Pavia, Italy; 4Department of Clinical, Surgical Diagnostic and Pediatric Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy; 5Department of Clinical Chemistry, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands Abstract: The 118A>G single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP in the µ-opioid receptor (OPRM1 gene has been the most described variant in pharmacogenetic studies regarding opioid drugs. Despite evidence for an altered biological function encoded by this variant, this knowledge is not yet utilized clinically. The aim of the present review was to collect and discuss the available information on the 118A>G SNP in the OPRM1 gene, at the molecular level and in its clinical manifestations. In vitro biochemical and molecular assays have shown that the variant receptor has higher binding affinity for ß-endorphins, that it has altered signal transduction cascade, and that it has a lower expression compared with wild-type OPRM1. Studies using animal models for 118A>G have revealed a double effect of the variant receptor, with an apparent gain of function with respect to the response to endogenous opioids but a loss of function with exogenous administered opioid drugs. Although patients with this variant have shown a lower pain threshold and a higher drug consumption in order to achieve the analgesic effect, clinical experiences have demonstrated that patients carrying the variant allele are not affected by the increased opioid consumption in terms of side effects. Keywords: µ-opioid receptor, opioids, pharmacogenetics, pain, analgesia

Revista Colombiana de Ciencias Sociales, 7(2, (July-December, 2016

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Sonia Natalia Cogollo Ospina

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Revista Colombiana de Ciencias Sociales Vol. 7 No. 2 (julio-diciembre, 2016 Presentación Sonia Natalia Cogollo Ospina Editorial Latinoamérica, un camino hacia la prevención del deterioro cognitivo Ricardo F. Allegri Educación emocional y satisfacción con la vida percibida en un grupo de adultos mayores Adriana del Pilar Perugache Rodríguez, Ana Lucía Caicedo Leiton, Karen Alexandra Barón Guerrero, Dayana Stephany Tenganan Álvarez La evaluación de la competencia digital en la docencia universitaria: el caso de los grados de empresariales y económicas María Rosa Fernández Sánchez, Marcelo Sánchez-Oro Sánchez, Rafael Robina Ramírez Reflexividad, mediaciones y educación. El sujeto y su interacción con la pantalla audiovisual Juan David Zabala Sandoval  La educación intra e intercultural como enfoque pedagógico “propio” Alcibíades Miguel López Hernández y Edith María Cuello Daza  Modelos democráticos con pretensiones emancipatorias: una invitación a transitar de lo racional a lo razonable Mariluz Nova Laverde  Acciones colectivas como práctica de memoria, realizadas por una organización de víctimas en Medellín (Colombia Jolyn Elena Castrillón Baquero, Juan David Villa Gómez, Andrés Felipe Marín Cortés  Embarazo juvenil en el Departamento del Cesar: ¿y dónde está el padre? Mario Alejandro Duarte Orozco Un acercamiento a Gramsci: la hegemonía y la reproducción de una visión del mundo Mauricio Puentes Cala, Ivonne Suárez Pinzón

Methodology for the study of the boiling crisis in a nuclear fuel bundle

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Crecy, F. de; Juhel, D. [Commissariat a l`Energie Atomique, Grenoble (France)

1995-09-01

The boiling crisis is one of the phenoumena limiting the available power from a nuclear power plant. It has been widely studied for decades, and numerous data, models, correlations or tables are now available in the literature. If we now try to obtain a general view of previous work in this field, we may note that there are several ways of tackling the subject. The mechanistic models try to model the two-phase flow topology and the interaction between different sublayers, and must be validated by comparison with basic experiments, such as DEBORA, where we try to obtain some detailed informations on the two-phase flow pattern in a pure and simple geometry. This allows us to obtain better knowledge of the so-called {open_quotes}intrinsic effect{close_quotes}. These models are not yet acceptable for nuclear use. As the geometry of the rod bundles and grids has a tremendous importance for the Critical Heat Flux (CHF), it is mandatory to have more precise results for a given fuel rod bundle in a restricted range of parameters: this leads to the empirical approach, using empirical CHF predictors (tables, correlations, splines, etc...). One of the key points of such a method is the obtaining local thermohydraulic values, that is to say the evaluation of the so-called {open_quotes}mixing effect{close_quotes}. This is done by a subchannel analysis code or equivalent, which can be qualified on two kinds of experiments: overall flow measurements in a subchannel, such as HYDROMEL in single-phase flow or GRAZIELLA in two-phase flow, or detailed measurements inside a subchannel, such as AGATE. Nevertheless, the final qualification of a specific nuclear fuel, i.e. the synthesis of these mechanistic and empirical approaches, intrinsic and mixing effects, etc..., must be achieved on a global test such as OMEGA. This is the strategy used in France by CEA and its partners FRAMATOME and EdF.

How do disease perception, treatment features, and dermatologist–patient relationship impact on patients assuming topical treatment? An Italian survey

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Burroni AG

2015-02-01

Full Text Available Anna Graziella Burroni,1 Mariella Fassino,2 Antonio Torti,3 Elena Visentin4 1IRCCS University Hospital San Martino, IST National Institute for Cancer Research, Genoa, Italy; 2Department of Psychology, Specialization School in Clinical Psychology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy; 3Dermatology practice, Milan, Italy; 4HTA and Scientific Support, CSD Medical Research Srl, Milan, Italy Background: Psoriasis largely affects daily activities and social interactions and has a strong impact on patients’ quality of life. Psoriatic patients have different attitudes toward their condition. Topical medications are essential for the treatment of psoriasis, but the majority of patients do not adhere to these therapies. Objective: The history of treatment success or failure seems to influence patient attitude toward topical therapy. Therefore, it is important to understand the psychological, experiential, and motivational aspects that could be critical for treatment adherence, and to describe the different attitudes toward topical treatment. Furthermore, the physician–patient relationship and the willingness to trust the dermatologist may have a substantial role in encouraging or discouraging patients’ attitudes toward topical therapy. Methods: A survey was designed to collect aspects that could be relevant to understanding different patient attitudes toward psoriasis and its treatments. A total of 495 self-administered questionnaires compiled by psoriatic patients were analyzed from 20 Italian specialized hospital centers in order to provide a nationwide picture. Results: Psoriatic patients have different perceptions and experiences in relation to their condition: half of them consider psoriasis as a disease, while the other half consider psoriasis as a disorder or a nuisance. Topical therapy is the most widely used treatment, even though it is not considered the most effective one and often perceived to be cosmetic. The main findings are: 1

Reduction of painful area as new possible therapeutic target in post-herpetic neuropathic pain treated with 5% lidocaine medicated plaster: a case series

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Casale R

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Roberto Casale,1,2 Maria Di Matteo,3,7 Cristina E Minella,4,7 Guido Fanelli,5,7 Massimo Allegri4,6,71Department of Clinical Neurophysiology and Pain Rehabilitation Unit, Foundation Salvatore Maugeri, IRCCS, Pavia, 2EFIC Montescano School, Montescano, 3Anesthesia and Intensive Care I, 4Pain Therapy Service, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, 5Department of Anesthesia, Intensive Care and Pain Therapy, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Parma, University of Parma, Parma, 6Department of Clinical, Surgical, Diagnostic and Pediatric Science, University of Pavia, Pavia, 7Study In Multidisciplinary Pain Research Group, Parma, ItalyAbstract: Post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN is neuropathic pain persisting after an acute episode of herpes zoster, and is associated with severe pain and sensory abnormalities that adversely affect the patient's quality of life and increase health care costs. Up to 83% of patients with PHN describe localized neuropathic pain, defined as “a type of neuropathic pain characterized by consistent and circumscribed area(s of maximum pain”. Topical treatments have been suggested as a first-line treatment for localized neuropathic pain. Use of 5% lidocaine medicated plaster could reduce abnormal nervous peripheral discharge and via the plaster could have a “protective” function in the affected area. It has been suggested that use of this plaster could reduce pain as well as the size of the painful area. To evaluate this possible outcome, we retrospectively reviewed eight patients with PHN, treated using 5% lidocaine medicated plaster. During a follow-up period of 3 months, we observed good pain relief, which was associated with a 46% reduction in size of the painful area after one month (from 236.38±140.34 cm2 to 128.80±95.7 cm2 and a 66% reduction after 3 months (81.38±59.19 cm2. Our study cohort was composed mainly of elderly patients taking multiple drugs to treat comorbidities, who have a high risk of drug�

Impact of current cough on health-related quality of life in patients with COPD

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Deslee G

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Gaëtan Deslee,1 Pierre-Régis Burgel,2 Roger Escamilla,3 Pascal Chanez,4 Isabelle Court-Fortune,5 Pascale Nesme-Meyer,6 Graziella Brinchault-Rabin,7 Thierry Perez,8 Gilles Jebrak,9 Denis Caillaud,10 Jean-Louis Paillasseur,11 Nicolas Roche2On behalf of the Initiatives BPCO Scientific Committee 1Department of Respiratory Diseases, INSERM UMR 903, Maison Blanche Hospital, University Hospital of Reims, Reims, 2Department of Respiratory Diseases, Cochin Hospital, AP-HP and University Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, 3Department of Respiratory Diseases, Larrey Hospital, Toulouse, 4Department of Respiratory Diseases, APHM, INSERM U1077, CNRS UMR 7733 Aix Marseille Université, Marseille, 5Department of Respiratory Diseases, University Hospital of St Etienne, 6Department of Respiratory Diseases, La Croix Rousse Hospital, Lyon, 7Department of Respiratory Diseases, Pontchaillou Hospital, University Hospital of Rennes, Rennes, 8Department of Respiratory Diseases, Calmette Hospital, University Hospital of Lille, Lille, 9Department of Respiratory Diseases, Bichat Hospital, AP-HP, Paris, 10Department of Respiratory Diseases, Gabriel Montpied Hospital, University Hospital of Clermont-Ferrand, Clermont-Ferrand, 11EFFI-STAT, Paris, FranceBackground: Cough and sputum production are frequent in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD. The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between cough and sputum production and health-related quality of life in COPD.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in the French Initiatives COPD cohort and assessed cough and sputum production within the past 7 days using the cough and sputum assessment questionnaire (CASA-Q, health-related quality of life, spirometry, smoking status, dyspnea, exacerbations, anxiety and depression, and comorbidities.Results: One hundred and seventy-eight stable COPD patients were included (age, 62 [56–69] years, 128 male, forced expiratory volume in 1 second

Combining pain therapy with lifestyle: the role of personalized nutrition and nutritional supplements according to the SIMPAR Feed Your Destiny approach

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De Gregori M

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Manuela De Gregori,1–3 Carolina Muscoli,2,4,5 Michael E Schatman,2,6 Tiziana Stallone,2,7 Fabio Intelligente,2,8 Mariangela Rondanelli,2,9 Francesco Franceschi,2,10 Laura Isabel Arranz,2,11 Silvia Lorente-Cebrián,2,12 Maurizio Salamone,2,13,14 Sara Ilari,2,5 Inna Belfer,2,15 Massimo Allegri2,16,17 1Pain Therapy Service, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, Italy; 2Study in Multidisciplinary Pain Research Group, 3Young Against Pain Group, Parma, Italy; 4Department of Health Sciences, Institute of Research for Food Safety and Health, University “Magna Graecia” of Catanzaro, Parma, Italy; 5IRCCS San Raffaele Pisana, Roccelletta di Borgia, Catanzaro, Italy; 6US Pain Foundation, Bellevue, WA, USA; 7ENPAB, Rome, 8Chronic Pain Service Anestesia Day-Surgery, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano, 9Department of Public Health, Section of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, Azienda di Servizi alla Persona di Pavia, University of Pavia, Pavia, 10Institute of Internal Medicine, Catholic University of Rome, Rome, Italy; 11Department of Nutrition, Food Sciences and Gastronomy, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, 12Department of Nutrition, Food Science and Physiology, Center for Nutrition Research, University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain; 13Metagenics Italia srl, Milano, 14Italian Lifestyle Medicine Association, Bari, Italy; 15Faculty of Dentistry, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada; 16Department of Surgical Sciences, University of Parma, 17Anesthesia, Intensive Care and Pain Therapy Service, Azienda Ospedaliero, Universitaria of Parma, Parma, Italy Abstract: Recently, attention to the lifestyle of patients has been rapidly increasing in the field of pain therapy, particularly with regard to the role of nutrition in pain development and its management. In this review, we summarize the latest findings on the role of nutrition and nutraceuticals, microbiome, obesity, soy, omega-3 fatty acids, and curcumin supplementation as key elements in

Cannabis and intractable chronic pain: an explorative retrospective analysis of Italian cohort of 614 patients

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Fanelli G

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Guido Fanelli,1,2 Giuliano De Carolis,3 Claudio Leonardi,4 Adele Longobardi,5,6 Ennio Sarli,7,8 Massimo Allegri,1,2 Michael E Schatman9 1Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine Unit, Division of Surgical Sciences, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, 2Anesthesia, Intensive Care and Pain Therapy Service, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Parma, Parma, 3Pain Therapy Service, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Pisana, Pisa, 4Department of Drug Addiction Diseases, Local Public Health of Rome, Rome, 5Department of Neurosciences, Reproductive and Odontostomatological Sciences, University of Naples “Federico II”, Naples, 6Young Against the Pain (YAP Group, Parma, 7Progetti Live Surgery, 8PinHub Group, Florence, Italy; 9Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA Background: Despite growing interest in the therapeutic use of cannabis to manage chronic pain, only limited data that address these issues are available. In recent years, a number of nations have introduced specific laws to allow patients to use cannabis preparations to treat a variety of medical conditions. In 2015, the Italian government authorized the use of cannabis to treat several diseases, including chronic pain generally, spasticity in multiple sclerosis, cachexia and anorexia among AIDS and cancer patients, glaucoma, Tourette syndrome, and certain types of epilepsy. We present the first snapshot of the Italian experience with cannabis use for chronic pain over the initial year of its use.Methods: This is a retrospective case series analysis of all chronic pain patients treated with oral or vaporized cannabis in six hubs during the initial year following the approval of the new Italian law (December 2015 to November 2016. We evaluated routes of administration, types of cannabis products utilized, dosing, and effectiveness and safety of the treatment.Results: As only one of the six centers has

From micro- to nanostructured implantable device for local anesthetic delivery

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Zorzetto L

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Laura Zorzetto,1 Paola Brambilla,1 Elena Marcello,1 Nora Bloise,2 Manuela De Gregori,3 Lorenzo Cobianchi,4,5 Andrea Peloso,4,5 Massimo Allegri,6 Livia Visai,2,7 Paola Petrini1 1Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering ‘G. Natta’, Politecnico di Milano, Milan, 2Department of Molecular Medicine, Centre for Health Technologies (CHT, INSTM UdR of Pavia, University of Pavia, 3Pain Therapy Service, IRCCS Foundation Policlinico San Matteo Pavia, Pavia, 4General Surgery Department, IRCCS Foundation Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, 5Departments of Clinical, Surgical, Diagnostic and Pediatric Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, 6Department of Surgical Sciences, University of Parma, Parma, 7Department of Occupational Medicine, Toxicology and Environmental Risks, S. Maugeri Foundation, IRCCS, Lab of Nanotechnology, Pavia, Italy Abstract: Local anesthetics block the transmission of painful stimuli to the brain by acting on ion channels of nociceptor fibers, and find application in the management of acute and chronic pain. Despite the key role they play in modern medicine, their cardio and neurotoxicity (together with their short half-life stress the need for developing implantable devices for tailored local drug release, with the aim of counterbalancing their side effects and prolonging their pharmacological activity. This review discusses the evolution of the physical forms of local anesthetic delivery systems during the past decades. Depending on the use of different biocompatible materials (degradable polyesters, thermosensitive hydrogels, and liposomes and hydrogels from natural polymers and manufacturing processes, these systems can be classified as films or micro- or nanostructured devices. We analyze and summarize the production techniques according to this classification, focusing on their relative advantages and disadvantages. The most relevant trend reported in this work highlights the effort of moving from microstructured

Analysis of the Thermo-Elastic Response of Space Reflectors to Simulated Space Environment

Science.gov (United States)

Allegri, G.; Ivagnes, M. M.; Marchetti, M.; Poscente, F.

2002-01-01

high pressure Xenon lamps to simulate the direct solar irradiation and a cryogenic heat exchanger to reproduce the earth shadowing of sunlight. The temperature of the thermal cycles ranges from -80°C up to 100°C: the thermo-elastic response of the antenna has been surveyed by employing strain gauges place on the structures at several different locations. The structure has been subjected to 100 thermal cycles, each of which lasting two hours: the total duration of the exposition to the vacuum environment has been equal to 300 hours. Finally the antenna has been disassembled and its elements have been examined to evaluate the effects of the simulated exposition on each of them: the total mass loss and the final thermo-mechanical properties of the polymeric based materials which constitute the structural core of the antenna have been surveyed. The experimental results have been compared to numerical simulation performed by the NASTRAN code: the basic FEM model, developed for the unexposed antenna, has been updated to take into account the thermo-mechanical degradation of the structural elements and materials. This has allowed to obtain, by extrapolation, a FEM based prevision of the antenna thermo-elastic response for long-term operative conditions. References. [1] D. Hastings, H. Garret "Spacecraft environment interactions", Cambridge University Press, Atmospheric Series, Cambridge, 1996. [2] IAF-01-I.6.05 "On the Reliability of Honeycomb Core Bonding Joint in Sandwich Composite Materials for Space Applications" G. Allegri, U. Lecci, M. Marchetti, F. Poscente, 52° IAF Congress, 2001. [3] Meguro A. and alii, "Technology status of the 13 m aperture deployment antenna reflectors for Engineering Test Satellite VIII", Acta Astronautica, Volume: 47, Issue: 2-9, July - November, 2000, pp. 147-152. [4] Novikov L. S. "Contemporary state of spacecraft/environment interaction research" Radiation Measurements, Volume: 30, Issue: 5, October, 1999, pp. 661-667. [5] IAF-01-I.1

Corneal surface reconstruction - a short review

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Madhavan H N

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Cornea is the clear, dome-shaped surface that covers the front of the eye and when damage due to burns or injury and several other diseases, stem cells residing in its rim called "limbus" are stimulated to multiply to support growth of new epithelial cells over its surface. If this ready source of stem cells is damaged or destroyed the natural repair is not possible and such a condition is known as corneal limbal stem cell deficiency (CLSCD disease. Stem cell transplant helps such persons to regenerate the corneal surface. Human corneal limbal stem cell transplantation is at present an established procedure with reasonable good clinical outcome particularly when autologous limbal epithelial tissue from a fellow unaffected eye is used. 1, 2 A major concern related to the autograft is the possibility of CLSCD at the donor site, 3 techniques that allowed the expansion of a small limbal biopsy in the laboratory using cell cultures that could be then transplanted to the affected eye have been developed ,4, 5 Human amniotic membrane (HAM is used as a scaffold for both culturing the human limbal epithelial cells and for ocular surface reconstruction with the cultured limbal epithelial cells. 4-7 However, researchers have used alternative scaffolds like collagen 8, fibrin gel 9 and cross-linked gel of fibronectin and fibrin. 10 All these are biological materials and also need for animal 3T3 feeder layer for stem cell cultures. The properties of HAM are unique including antiadhesive effects, bacteriostatic effects, wound protection, pain reduction, and improvement of epithelialization and characteristically lacking imunogenicity. The use of amniotic membrane transplantation (AMT to treat ocular surface abnormalities was first reported by Graziella Pellegrini, chief of stem cell laboratory at Giovanni Paolo Hospital in Venice, Italy, who was the first to demonstrate the limbal stem cell transplant in 1997. Amniotic membrane has been successfully used in