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Environmental noise is a very important issue in modern urban agglomerations and new policies are being explored in order to reduce high sound-pressure levels from transportation and industry, especially in urban contexts. Considering this issue from the subjective perspective, environmental noise is often related to noise annoyance. Over the years, possible solutions were explored for urban sound planning beyond the mere noise control engineering techniques and a number of international projects proposed innovative approaches to deal with this issue: most of them were traffic-related. In order to support the city management, it is suitable to analyse possible indirect effects of traffic limitations on the perception of the sonic environment. Indeed, it was observed that even traffic management plans with no specific focus on noise mitigation are likely to have acoustic implications. The present study investigated the variations of the sonic environment induced by the implementation of a Limited Traffic Zone (LTZ) in the historic centre of Naples, in terms of objective parameters and perceived quality of the ‘sound’ component by means of noise and social surveys before, immediately after and one year after the LTZ implementation, in order to check for possible time effects. Results show that the sample interviewed immediately after the LTZ implementation reported overall positive opinions on the sonic environment and its variation, while the sample interviewed one year after tended to shift to more neutral opinions. This finding suggests that the LTZ could be considered an effective environmental strategy for the urban noise control, but it should be adequately actuated in order to preserve the achievements in terms of noise reduction and subjective perception by the local population.

Recentes estudos demonstraram que os radicais livres de oxigênio parecem desempenhar papel importante nas lesões de isquemia-reperfusão. O alfa-tocoferol(AT) age in vivo como um anti-oxidante. Nosso objetivo foi o de verificar se o AT atenuava as lesões de isquemia-reperfusão em pata direita de ratos. Os animais, randomizados, foram divididos nos seguintes grupos(G): G1-controle sem isquemia; G2 e G3 - quatro horas isquemia e duas reperfusão. Os animais do G2 foram tratados com salina e os do G3 com AT, 50mg/kg. Como parâmetros examinamos as alterações de volume e circunferência do pé direito ao longo do experimento, assim como a captação de 99mTc-pirofosfato e a microscopia eletrônica de transmissão do músculo soleus direito. Os aumentos de volume e circunferência do pé dos animais do G2 foram estatisticamente maiores quando comparados com o G1. As medidas do G3 não diferiram do G1. A captação de 99mTc-pirofosfato foi bem aumentada nos G2 e G3, quando comparados ao G1, porém sem diferenças entre os grupos isquêmicos. As lesões ao MET foram menos intensas em três animais do G3, quando comparados ao G2. Conclusão: O tratamento com AT diminuiu a formação do edema mas só protegeu parcialmente as células musculares contra as lesões de isquemia-reperfusão.

Here we present a new record of the little toad Proceratophrys moratoi for the state of São Paulo, in themunicipality of Bauru. This record extends to the known distribution of P. moratoi around 80 km northwestern from its typelocality and around 115 km west from other known populations of this species. It also corresponds to the lowest elevationwhere the species has been found, approximately 200 m altitude below the known records.

We report that diazepam binding inhibitor (DBI) is a glial messenger mediating crosstalk between satellite glial cells (SGCs) and sensory neurons in the dorsal root ganglion (DRG). DBI is highly expressed in SGCs of mice, rats, and humans, but not in sensory neurons or most other DRG-resident cells. Knockdown of DBI results in a robust mechanical hypersensitivity without major effects on other sensory modalities. In vivo overexpression of DBI in SGCs reduces sensitivity to mechanical stimulation and alleviates mechanical allodynia in neuropathic and inflammatory pain models. We further show that DBI acts as an unconventional agonist and positive allosteric modulator at the neuronal [GABA.sub.A] receptors, particularly strongly affecting those with a high-affinity benzodiazepine binding site. Such receptors are selectively expressed by a subpopulation of mechanosensitive DRG neurons, and these are also more enwrapped with DBI-expressing glia, as compared with other DRG neurons, suggesting a mechanism for a specific effect of DBI on mechanosensation. These findings identified a communication mechanism between peripheral neurons and SGCs. This communication modulates pain signaling and can be targeted therapeutically., Introduction Despite remarkable progress in our understanding of the fundamental biology of pain, current therapies for chronic pain are often inadequate and prone to serious side effects within the central [...]

Despite updated guidelines and technological developments that allow for an accurate diagnosis, many asymptomatic individuals have a high risk of developing CAD or cardiac events. The CAC score can estimate a correct risk level for these subjects, which is clinically significant for adequate management of risk factors and obtaining personalized preventive therapy. This systematic review aims to assess the prognostic value of CAC score in asymptomatic individuals. According to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement, a systematic literature search was performed to identify original articles since 2010 that evaluated the prognostic value of CAC score in asymptomatic individuals. The quality of the included studies was assessed by the QUIPS tool. A total of 45 articles were selected. Many of these (25 studies) evaluated the prognostic value of CAC score in asymptomatic subjects. In comparison, others (20 studies) evaluated the association of CAC score with other clinical parameters and imaging modalities or the comparison with computed tomography coronary angiography (CTCA). Our findings showed that the CAC score provides valuable prognostic information for predicting CAD risk in asymptomatic individuals.

AimObstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) in proximal coronary segments is associated with a poor prognosis. However, the relative importance of plaque location regarding the risk for major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in patients with non-obstructive CAD has not been well defined.Methods and resultsFrom the Coronary CT Angiography Evaluation for Clinical Outcomes: An International Multicenter (CONFIRM) registry, 4644 patients without obstructive CAD were included in this study. The degree of stenosis was classified as 0 (no) and 1-49% (non-obstructive). Proximal involvement was defined as any plaque present in the left main or the proximal segment of the left anterior descending artery, left circumflex artery, and right coronary artery. Extensive CAD was defined as segment involvement score of >4. During a median follow-up of 5.2 years (interquartile range 4.1-6.0), 340 (7.3%) MACE occurred. Within the non-obstructive CAD group (n = 2065), proximal involvement was observed in 1767 (85.6%) cases. When compared to non-obstructive CAD patients without proximal involvement, those with proximal involvement had an increased MACE risk (log-rank P = 0.033). Multivariate Cox analysis showed when compared to patients with no CAD, proximal non-obstructive CAD was associated with increased MACE risk [hazard ratio (HR) 1.90, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.47-2.45, P < 0.001] after adjusting for extensive CAD and conventional cardiovascular risk factors; however, non-proximal non-obstructive CAD did not increase MACE risk (HR 1.26, 95% CI 0.79-2.01, P = 0.339).ConclusionsIndependent of plaque extent, proximal coronary involvement was associated with increased MACE risk in patients with non-obstructive CAD. The plaque location information by coronary computed tomography angiography may provide additional risk prediction over CAD extent in patients with non-obstructive CAD.

BackgroundAtherosclerosis-related adverse events are commonly observed even in conditions with low cardiovascular (CV) risk. Longitudinal data regarding the association of normal systolic blood pressure maintenance (SBPmaintain ) with coronary plaque volume changes (PVC) has been limited in adults without traditional CV disease.HypothesisNormal SBPmaintain is important to attenuate coronary atherosclerosis progression in adults without baseline CV disease.MethodsWe analyzed 95 adults (56.7 ± 8.5 years; 40.0% men) without baseline CV disease who underwent serial coronary computed tomographic angiography with mean 3.5 years of follow-up. All participants were divided into two groups of normal SBPmaintain (follow-up SBP

Objectives. Cytokines play an important role in left ventricular remodeling consequent to myocardial ischemia. The aim of this study was to correlate cytokine production and lymphocyte apoptosis to post-ischemic left ventricular remodeling in patients affected by acute myocardial infarction (AMI) undergoing primary cutaneous angioplasty (PCI). Methods. In 40 patients, affected by AMI and undergoing PCI, we evaluated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-𝛼) and interleukin 10 (IL10) production and apoptosis on day 1, day 3, day 7, 1 month and 6 months after PCI. Patients were divided into two subgroups of remodeling or not remodeling by echocardiographic criteria. Results. In the subgroup of remodeling patients, at each timepoint TNF-𝛼 production was increased significantly in comparison with the subgroup of not remodeling patients. IL10 production was statistically lower in remodeling subjects than in not remodeling ones 1 and 6 months after reperfusion. There were no differences between the two groups as regards lymphomonocyte apoptosis. Conclusions. We found an increased production of pro-inflammatory cytokine TNF-𝛼 and a corresponding decrease of anti-inflammatory/regulatory cytokine IL10 in remodeling patients and we concluded that this cytokine imbalance resulted in pro-inflammatory effects which might contribute to the progression of left ventricular remodeling.