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The galvanic deposition method was used to deposit Hydroxyapatite/Chitosan/Collagen coatings on 304 stainless steel. Galvanic deposition is an alternative and valid way to fabricate bio-coatings with high biocompatibility and good anticorrosion properties. Physical-chemical characterizations were carried out to investigate chemical composition and morphology of the samples. Coatings consist of a mixture of calcium phosphate (Brushite and Hydroxyapatite) with chitosan and collagen. Corrosion tests were performed in the simulated body fluid (SBF) after different aging times. Results show that, in comparison with bare 304 stainless steel, coating shifts corrosion potential to anodic values and reduces corrosion current density. Nevertheless, the aging in SBF led to a completely conversion of brushite into hydroxyapatite. The release of metal ions, measured after 21 days of aging in SBF solution, is very low due to the presence of coating that slow-down the corrosion rate of steel.

OBJECTIVE—To evaluate the impact of a continuous quality improvement effort implemented by a network of diabetes outpatient clinics in Sicily, Italy. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—Twenty-two clinics adopted the same electronic medical record system. Process and intermediate outcomes indicators were identified and software was developed, enabling the extraction of the information needed for the profiling of quality of care. Data were centrally analyzed anonymously every year, and results were discussed in meetings with the participants. The performances of the different centers were ranked against the “best performers,” and the reasons for variation were discussed. RESULTS—From 2001 to 2005, a total of 26,782 patients aged ≥18 years have been seen in the participating clinics. Rates of monitoring of A1C, blood pressure, lipid profile, and microalbuminuria constantly increased over the years. The percentage of individuals with A1C values ≤7.0% increased by 16.6%, while the proportion of patients with blood pressure ≤130/85 mmHg increased by 10.7%. The percentage of individuals with LDL cholesterol levels CONCLUSIONS—We found a strong consistency between increasing rates of monitoring, increasing drug prescription, and better levels of intermediate outcomes. Despite the satisfactory achievements, a substantial room for improvement in the care of diabetes still persists.

The treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) relies on liver resection, which is, however, burdened by a high rate of recurrence after surgery, up to 60% at 5 years. No pre-operative tools are currently available to assess the recurrence risk tailored to every single patient. Recently liquid biopsy has shown interesting results in diagnosis, prognosis and treatment allocation strategies in other types of cancers, since its ability to identify circulating tumor cells (CTCs) derived from the primary tumor. Those cells were advocated to be responsible for the majority of cases of recurrence and cancer-related deaths for HCC. In fact, after being modified by the epithelial-mesenchymal transition, CTCs circulate as "seeds " in peripheral blood, then reach the target organ as dormant cells which could be subsequently "awakened " and activated, and then initiate metastasis. Their presence may justify the disagreement registered in terms of efficacy of anatomic vs non-anatomic resections, particularly in the case of microvascular invasion, which has been recently pointed as a histological sign of the spread of those cells. Thus, their presence, also in the early stages, may justify the recurrence event also in the contest of liver transplant. Understanding the mechanism behind the tumor progression may allow improving the treatment selection according to the biological patient-based characteristics. Moreover, it may drive the development of novel biological tailored tests which could address a specific patient to neoadjuvant or adjuvant strategies, and in perspective, it could also become a new method to allocate organs for transplantation, according to the risk of relapse after liver transplant. The present paper will describe the most recent evidence on the role of CTCs in determining the relapse of HCC, highlighting their potential clinical implication as novel tumor behavior biomarkers able to influence the surgical choice.

Layered perovskite mixed ionic electronic conductors with formula NdBa1-xCo2O5+δ, (x = 0, 0.05, 0.10) are promising Solid-Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) cathodes. This study concentrates on the synthesis and physico-chemical characterization of these materials. Specifically, the surface composition is investigated by in situ near-ambient pressure X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) measurements at 800K in 0.5 and 5 mbar O2 up to 2.5 Vcell. Under electrochemical polarization, a chemisorbed molecular O2 species is identified, accompanied by the partial reduction of Ba. The former species is the precursor for the oxygen-reduction mechanism and the latter is the active surface site. This attribution is supported by two pieces of evidence: (i) the surface concentration of Ba oxides anticorrelates with oxygen pressure; (ii) the molecular oxygen species is not affected by the degree of Ba deficiency. Ba deficiency, instead, correlates positively with the surface concentration of BaO and negatively with those of Co oxides and BaO2. Ageing under oxygen-reduction conditions leads to the loss of electrocatalytic performance, owing to the surface enrichment with defective cobalt oxidic phases, exhibiting lower electronic conductivity, and depletion of active Ba. EIS measurements, carried out in parallel with photoelectron spectroscopy, independently confirm the key kinetic impact of the electronation of adsorbed elemental oxygen.