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The method for preparing paintings varies from artist to artist. The non-destructive investigation of the preparation used to make a canvas is very important both for restoration and authentication purposes. A portable diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform (DRIFT) method for the non-invasive characterization of grounds in paintings is presented: with this method there is no need to sample or touch the artworks and the analysis can be performed directly on site. Sixteen of the most important canvas grounds used since the XIV to the XX century were prepared following the ancient recipes: they include grounds from Vasari, Caravaggio, and De Chirico. The grounds were analyzed by DRIFT spectroscopy and a reference spectral collection was built. The DRIFT method was then performed on the ground of a painting of Moncalvo: the infrared analysis was able to identify the ground composition. The portable DRIFT method can be applied as a non-invasive diagnostic tool in the cultural heritage field: useful information can be provided to conservators and art historians.

Three-way PCA has been applied to proteomic pattern images to identify the classes of samples present in the dataset. The developed method has been applied to two different datasets:  a rat sera dataset, constituted by five samples of healthy Wistar rat sera and five samples of nicotine-treated Wistar rat sera; a human lymph-node dataset constituted by four healthy lymph-nodes and four lymph-nodes affected by a non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The method proved to be successful in the identification of the classes of samples present in both of the groups of 2D-PAGE images, and it allowed us to identify the regions of the two-dimensional maps responsible for the differences occurring between the classes for both rat sera and human lymph-nodes datasets. Keywords: three-way principal component analysis • proteomics • multivariate analysis • 2D-maps

Early reconstructive treatment of war-related lower extremity injuries can be feasible even when evacuation to ideal tertiary facilities is impossible. However, in such instances, lengthy procedures considered “state of the art” in the everyday civilian practice of plastic surgery are often impractical, and alternative options need to be sought. Undelayed distally based fasciocutaneous flaps of the leg have recently been used in 12 cases of extensive defects of the foot due to antipersonnel mine injuries. All patients, treated during the conflict in Bosnia-Herzegovina, were smokers and were between 17 and 45 years of age. No preoperative arteriography or Doppler was available. One flap was totally lost, and two others suffered tip necrosis. All other cases healed uneventfully. We were impressed at the reliability of distally based fasciocutaneous flaps, even with length-to-width ratios of up to 5:1, and even after distal deepithelialization or tubing of the pedicle. The whole foot can be reached when the appropriate lateral or medial based flap is selected. Obvious disadvantages are the grafted secondary defect of the leg and the lack of sensation, although the latter is a common feature shared by most other flaps to the foot. Also, free-muscle transfer is preferable for very deep defects with extensive bone loss. However, for the ease of dissection, versatility, and short operating time, distally based fasciocutaneous flaps find a definite place in reconstructive trauma surgery.

Early reconstructive treatment of warrelated lower extremity injuries can be feasible even when evacuation to ideal tertiary facilities is impossible. However, in such instances, lengthy procedures considered “state of the art” in the everyday civilian practice of plastic surgery are often impractical, and alternative options need to be sought. Undelayed distally based fasciocutaneous flaps of the leg have recently been used in 12 cases of extensive defects of the foot due to antipersonnel mine injuries. All patients, treated during the conflict in BosniaHerzegovina, were smokers and were between 17 and 45 years of age. No preoperative arteriography or Doppler was available. One flap was totally lost, and two others suffered tip necrosis. All other cases healed uneventfully. We were impressed at the reliability of distally based fasciocutaneous flaps, even with lengthtowidth ratios of up to 51, and even after distal deepithelialization or tubing of the pedicle. The whole foot can be reached when the appropriate lateral or medial based flap is selected. Obvious disadvantages are the grafted secondary defect of the leg and the lack of sensation, although the latter is a common feature shared by most other flaps to the foot. Also, freemuscle transfer is preferable for very deep defects with extensive bone loss. However, for the ease of dissection, versatility, and short operating time, distally based fasciocutaneous flaps find a definite place in reconstructive trauma surgery.

The optimal interface between an implant and the host organism is that which minimizes uncontrolled and irregular growth of fibrous tissue around the foreign material. One way to achieve this goal is to coat the outer surface of the implant with a biocompatible material.

This study was designed as a pilot investigation of the effect of pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMF) stimulation on early flexor tendon healing in a chicken model using a similar stimulus to that used clinically. The PEMF used caused a decrease in tensile strength and an increase in peritendinous adhesions. Copyright 1999 The British Society for Surgery of the Hand

This study was designed as a pilot investigation of the effect of pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMF) stimulation on early flexor tendon healing in a chicken model using a similar stimulus to that used clinically. The PEMF used caused a decrease in tensile strength and an increase in peritendinous adhesions.

This study is focused on the characterisation of typical salami produced in Alessandria province (North West of Italy). Seventeen small or medium salami producers from this area were involved in the study and provided the samples investigated. The aim is double and consists in obtaining a screening of the characteristics of different products and following their evolution along ripening. The study involved five types of typical salami that were characterised for aroma components and nutritional features. This approach could provide a basis for a possible PDO or PGI label request. Principal Component Analysis and cluster analysis were used as multivariate statistical tools for data treatment. The overall results obtained point out that the products investigated do not deviate from analogous European products and show the possibility of characterising by specific parameters three main groups of samples: Salamini di Mandrogne, Muletta, and Nobile Giarolo; moreover some considerations can also be drawn with respect to the nutritional characterization considering the biogenic amines profile.