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Made available in DSpace on 2022-04-28T19:50:10Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2022-02-01 Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) Chemical and topographical surface modifications on dental implants aim to increase the bone surface contact area of the implant and improve osseointegration. This study analyzed the cellular response of undifferentiated mesenchymal stem cells (MSC), derived from senile rats’ femoral bone marrow, when cultured on a bioactive coating (by plasma electrolytic oxidation, PEO, with Ca2+ and P5+ ions), a sandblasting followed by acid-etching (SLA) surface, and a machined surface (MSU). A total of 102 Ti-6Al-4V discs were divided into three groups (n = 34). The surface chemistry was analyzed by energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). Cell viability assay, gene expression of osteoblastic markers, and mineralized matrix formation were investigated. The cell growth and viability results were higher for PEO vs. MSU surface (p = 0.001). An increase in cell proliferation from 3 to 7 days (p < 0.05) and from 7 to 10 days (p < 0.05) was noted for PEO and SLA surfaces. Gene expression for OSX, ALP, BSP, and OPN showed a statistical significance (p = 0.001) among groups. In addition, the PEO surface showed a higher mineralized matrix bone formation (p = 0.003). In conclusion, MSC from senile female rats cultured on SLA and PEO surfaces showed similar cellular responses and should be considered for future clinical investigations. Department of Diagnosis and Surgery Division of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Implantology School of Dentistry São Paulo State University—UNESP Dental Prosthesis Department of Dental Materials and Prosthodontics School of Dentistry São Paulo State University—UNESP Bone Res Lab School of Dentistry of Ribeirao Preto University of São Paulo (USP) Department of Periodontology and Oral Implantology Dental Research Division University of Guarulhos (UnG) Department of Prosthodontics and Periodontology Piracicaba Dental School University of Campinas (UNICAMP) Department of Restorative Dentistry College of Dentistry University of Illinois at Chicago Department of Diagnosis and Surgery Division of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Implantology School of Dentistry São Paulo State University—UNESP Dental Prosthesis Department of Dental Materials and Prosthodontics School of Dentistry São Paulo State University—UNESP FAPESP: 2016/20297-6

Objective: Sensory deficits are important risk factors for delirium but have been investigated in single-center studies and single clinical settings. This multicenter study aims to evaluate the association between hearing and visual impairment or bi-sensory impairment (visual and hearing impairment) and delirium. Design: Cross-sectional study nested in the 2017 "Delirium Day" project. Setting and participants: Patients 65 years and older admitted to acute hospital medical wards, emergency departments, rehabilitation wards, nursing homes, and hospices in Italy. Methods: Delirium was assessed with the 4AT (a short tool for delirium assessment) and sensory deficits with a clinical evaluation. We assessed the association between delirium, hearing and visual impairment in multivariable logistic regression models, adjusting for: Model 1, we included predisposing factors for delirium (ie, dementia, weight loss and autonomy in the activities of daily living); Model 2, we added to Model 1 variables, which could be considered precipitating factors for delirium (ie, psychoactive drugs and urinary catheters). Results: A total of 3038 patients were included; delirium prevalence was 25%. Patients with delirium had a higher prevalence of hearing impairment (30.5% vs 18%; P < .001), visual impairment (24.2% vs 15.7%; P < .01) and bi-sensory impairment (16.2% vs 7.5%) compared with those without delirium. In the multivariable logistic regression analysis, the presence of bi-sensory impairment was associated with delirium in Model 1 [odds ratio (OR) 1.5, confidence interval (CI) 1.2-2.1; P = .00] and in Model 2 (OR 1.4; CI 1.1-1.9; P = .02), whereas the presence of visual and hearing impairment alone was not associated with delirium either in Model 1 (OR 0.8; CI 0.6-1.2, P = .36; OR 1.1; CI 0.8-1.4; P = .42) or in Model 2 (OR 0.8, CI 0.6-1.2, P = .27; OR 1.1, CI 0.8-1.4, P = .63). Conclusions and implications: Our findings support the importance of routine screening and specific interventions by a multidisciplinary team to implement optimal management of sensory impairments and hence prevention and the management of the patients with delirium.

O Grupo Cataratas de Eficiência Energética (GCEE) é constituído por docentes e discentes do CECE da Unioeste - Foz do Iguaçu, e tem por finalidade enriquecer a formação de seus integrantes por meio de atividades de projeto, construção e manejo de veículos para competições de eficiência energética para veículos movidos à energia elétrica e etanol. A equipe já participou de diversas competições sendo a detentora do recorde latino-americano na categoria etanol (736 Km com um litro de etanol).

Single-edge-crack (SEC) specimens with rigid threaded ends are well suited for fatigue crack growth testing in extreme environments and for conducting tests at negative load ratios. Stress intensity parameter, K , and crack mouth opening displacement, CMOD, solutions as a function of crack size for this geometry are derived using 3-D finite element analyses using multiple codes. Both K and CMOD values obtained are shown to be comparable between the various finite element codes used. The solutions are sensitive to the height (2 H ) to width ( W ) ratio of the specimen, as well as to the aggregate bending stiffness of the members of the loading train. A procedure utilizing the computational results for various 2 H / W values and a set of specially designed fatigue crack growth experiments is described to develop custom solutions for estimating K and CMOD values that account for both, the 2 H / W ratio and the bending stiffness of the loading train.

Cardiac surgery patients have a high risk of postoperative bleeding. Historically, the platelet count has been one of the main parameters used to establish the need for platelet transfusions, and the recent introduction of point-of-care tests for platelet function has allowed clinicians to rationalize platelet transfusion needs by assessing the platelet (dys-)function of the patient. For the present study, the authors evaluated how the introduction of one of these systems-the adenosine diphosphate (ADP) test, performed using a Multiplate electrode analyzer (Roche Diagnostics, Basel, Switzerland)-into their clinical practice had modified their platelet transfusion practice. The relationship between the platelet count and the functional evaluation of platelet aggregation (via the ADP test) also was examined.This was a retrospective, single-center, observational study.Cardiac surgery department of a tertiary care center in North-east Italy.Cardiac surgery patients requiring cardiac bypass in 2017 and 2019.The primary outcome was to compare platelet transfusion practice before and after the implementation of a platelet function test (the ADP test) into the institution's transfusion algorithm, which replaced the platelet count as the trigger. Secondary outcomes were assessing whether the incorporation of the ADP test into their transfusion algorithm brought about a reduction in the frequency of platelet transfusions compared with previous rates (when only platelets counts were used); assessing patient blood loss in the first 12 postoperative hours; and ascertaining the percentage of patients requiring surgical reexplorations.The study comprised 110 patients undergoing cardiac surgery from the platelet count period (2017) and 110 patients from the ADP test period (2019). Agreement between platelet counts versus ADP tests in determining the need for platelet transfusion was moderate (κ = 0.483; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.239-0.728), and the general linear regression relationship between platelet counts and the ADP test (Akaike information criterion = 2536; p0.001) was determined. Since the introduction of ADP testing, a highly significant reduction in platelet transfusions has occurred: 41.82% (platelet count period) versus 13.64% (ADP test period) (p0.001); average blood loss in the 12 hours postsurgery also was less in the ADP test period (p0.001) at 300 mL (95% CI 150-730) compared with 440 mL in the platelet count period (95% CI 135-900). Furthermore, a decreasing trend was observed in the number of patients requiring reexploration to optimize hemostasis in the first 12 hours postsurgery (6.36% v 2.73%); however, this trend did not achieve statistical significance (p = 0.195).The application of new Multiplate analyzer technologies, like the ADP test, have the potential to reduce platelet transfusion rates in cardiac surgery patients compared with the use of platelet counts alone; this point-of-care test may constitute an important strategy to help spare the use of allogeneic blood products. Additional studies are needed to confirm this trend and establish the best cutoff values to apply.

Made available in DSpace on 2020-12-10T19:50:09Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2020-02-23 Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) Objective To evaluate the histological and microtomographic response of peri-implant bone tissue around titanium implants with different surface treatments, placed in bone defects filled or not filled with bone substitute materials. Materials and Methods Thirty rabbits were divided into two groups according to the implant surface treatment. A bone defect was created in both tibias of all the rabbits, followed by the placement of one implant in each of these defects. On the left tibia, the defect was filled with a blood clot (BC), and on the right tibia, the defect was filled with biphasic hydroxyapatite/beta-tricalcium-phosphate (HA/TCP); thus, there were four groups in total: BC-N: bone defect filled with a BC and porous surface titanium implant (control group); BC-A: bone defect filled with a BC and porous-hydrophilic surface titanium implant; HA/TCP-N: bone defect filled with a bone substitute material and porous surface titanium implant; HA/TCP-A: bone defect filled with a bone substitute material and porous-hydrophilic surface titanium implant. The animals were submitted for euthanasia at three distinct periods: 15, 30, and 60 days after implant installation. The samples were evaluated histologically and histometrically, to assess the quantity and quality of cells and the remaining bone substitute material in the grafted areas. The bone quantity was assessed by micro-computed tomography (CT). Results For both surface types, the presence of a bone substitute material led to higher values in all evaluated micro-CT parameters, except in the bone surface/volume ratio parameter. No significant statistical difference was found for new bone formation between the four groups (P < .05; CI 95%). At all periods, the HA/TCP-A group had a higher percentage of new bone formation. Conclusion These results suggest that a porous hydrophilic surface in the presence of bone substitute material can accelerate peri-implant bone tissue formation. Sao Paulo State Univ, Sch Dent, Dept Diag & Surg, Araraquara, SP, Brazil Aarhus Univ, Fac Hlth, Sect Oral Radiol, Dept Dent & Oral Hlth, Aarhus, Denmark Sao Paulo State Univ, Sch Dent, Dept Oral & Maxillofacial Surg, Aracatuba, Brazil Sao Paulo State Univ, Sch Dent, Dept Diag & Surg, Araraquara, SP, Brazil Sao Paulo State Univ, Sch Dent, Dept Oral & Maxillofacial Surg, Aracatuba, Brazil FAPESP: 2016/07837-1 FAPESP: 2017/04017-6

The Courage ruling establishes that private parties are liable to compensate other private parties for the harm caused by a breach of Art. 101(1) TFEU. This article discusses whether a breach by private parties of other provisions of the TFEU with ‘direct horizontal effect’ also gives rise to non-contractual liability and what are the conditions for such liability to arise. ispartof: Maandblad voor Vermogensrecht vol:18 pages:263-269 status: published

In this work preliminary yet comprehensive considerations are reported on the possibility for remote monitoring of degraded compression and bolted joints on high voltage overhead power lines. Measurements are performed on new, naturally aged, and artificially degraded joints to quantify the impedance discontinuity introduced along typical HV overhead lines. Numerical simulations, a preliminary time domain reflectometry (TDR) measurement campaign, and circuit simulations are performed on a real power line to study the TDR-based capabilities for the identification of the investigated joint impedances. This study sets the basic concepts to the development of a remote monitoring system for quantifying and locating degraded joints.

High temperature assessment of crack like defects in power plant components is one of the most important task to ensure high energy conversion efficiency. Creep fatigue crack growth tests for P91 power plant steel, conducted at 600°C on standard C(T) specimens with 0·1, 1 and 10 h hold times, are presented. Microscopic features of the creep fatigue damage were observed along the crack path, on polished and etched cross sections of the tested specimens. The dominant damage mechanism is the formation of microvoids and microcracks associated with the crack tip, due to the creep effect during the hold time. In order to predict the experimentally measured crack growth rate a simple summation rule is used. The superposition of fatigue crack growth rate and creep crack growth rate, experimentally obtained on the same batch of material used for creep fatigue crack growth tests, well describes the behaviour under creep fatigue loading.

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a complex disease that is progressive in many men. BPH is commonly associated with bothersome lower urinary tract symptoms; progressive disease can also result in complications such as acute urinary retention (AUR) and BPH-related surgery. It is therefore important to identify men at increased risk of BPH progression to optimise therapy. Several factors are associated with progression, including age and prostate volume (PV). Serum prostate-specific antigen level is closely correlated with PV, making it useful for determining the risk of BPH progression. Medical therapy is the most frequently used treatment for BPH. 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors impact the underlying disease and decrease PV; this results in improved symptoms, urinary flow and quality of life, and a reduced risk of AUR and BPH-related surgery. Alpha-blockers achieve rapid symptom relief but do not reduce the overall risk of AUR or BPH-related surgery, presumably because they have no effect on PV. Combination therapy provides greater and more durable benefits than either monotherapy and is a recommended option in treatment guidelines. The Combination of Avodart® and Tamsulosin (CombAT) study is currently evaluating the combination of dutasteride with tamsulosin over 4 years in a population of men at increased risk of BPH progression. A preplanned 2-year analysis has shown sustained symptom improvement with combination therapy, significantly greater than with either monotherapy. CombAT is also the first study to show benefit in improving BPH symptoms for combination therapy over the alpha-blocker, tamsulosin, from 9 months of treatment.

The behavior of a multivariable predictive control scheme based on neural networks applied to a model of a nonlinear multivariable real process, consisting of a pressurized tank is investigated in this paper. The neural scheme consists of three neural networks; the first is meant for the identification of plant parameters (identifier), the second one is for the prediction of future control errors (predictor) and the third one, based on the two previous, compute the control input to be applied to the plant (controller). The weights of the neural networks are updated on-line, using standard and dynamic backpropagation. The model of the nonlinear process is driven to an operation point and it is then controlled with the proposed neural control scheme, analyzing the maximum range over the neural control works properly.

Phospholipase A2 (PLA2) is a family of key enzymes in membrane phospholipid metabolism. In rats, the inhibition of PLA2 activity in the hippocampus was found to impair memory formation. Because memory function is largely dependent on the fluidity of brain membranes, we performed the present study to investigate the effects of in vivo PLA2 inhibition (with PACOCF3) on the fluidity of hippocampal membranes from rats trained in a learning task. Hippocampal tissue from rats injected with 100 microM PACOCF3 showed reduced membrane fluidity as compared to vehicle (p0.01), and the reduction of membrane fluidity was highly correlated with PLA2 inhibition (r = .76, p0.03). This finding is of interest because reduction of brain membrane fluidity impairs memory formation and both decreased PLA2 activity and reduced membrane fluidity have been reported in the brain from patients with Alzheimer's disease.

In aeronautical industry numerical flow simulation has become a key element in the aerodynamic design process. However, in order to meet the ambitious goals for air traffic of the next decades, significant investment in enhancing the capabilities and tools of numerical simulations in various aspects is required. Within the 7th European Research Framework Programme, the collaborative target research project IDIHOM was initiated. The overall objective of this project was to enhance and mature adaptive high-order simulation methods for large-scale applications. Compared to its low-order counterparts, high-order methods have shown large potential to either increase the predictive accuracy related to the descretization error at given costs or to significantly reduce computational expenses for a prescribed accuracy. The IDIHOM project was driven by a top-down approach, in which dedicated enhancements and improvements of the complete high-order simulation framework, including grid generation, flow solver and visualization, were led by a suite of underlying and challenging test cases. The project gathered 21 partners from industry, research organizations and universities with well-proven expertise in high-order methods. It started end October 2010 and finished March 2014. This paper presents the achievements of the project and highlights strenghts, weaknesses and perspectives of higher-order methods for aerodynamic applications.

We present the case of an intraperitoneal IUD incidentally noted on lumbar spine X-rays and confirmed by CT. This was secondary to asymptomatic uterine perforation occurred at the time of insertion 17 years before.

This work aims to study the crack propagation in 12%Cr steel for turbine disks. Creep Crack Growth (CCG) tests on CT specimens have been performed to define the proper fracture mechanics which describes the initiation of the crack propagation and the crack growth behaviour for the material at high temperature. Results have been used to study the occurrence of crack initiation on a turbine disk at the extreme working temperature and stress level experienced during service, and validate the use of C* integral in correlating creep growth rate on the disk component, in case C* is numerically calculated through FEM analysis or calculated by the use of reference stress concept.

Background Previous studies have reported the high prevalence of occult SpA in IBD patients. Objectives To investigate the presence of clinical and ultrasound peripheral entheseal abnormalities in a consecutive series of IBD patients. Methods 61 IBD consecutive patients [26 Crohn9s disease (CD) and 35 ulcerative colitis (UC), M/F 32/29, mean age 35.7+12.4 years, mean disease duration 57+93 months] entered the study. Gastroenterological examination consisted of the determination of bowel involvement, extraintestinal manifestations, MAYO and CDAI score. A complete rheumatological examination which included 66 peripheral join count, MASES and Leeds entheseal evaluation, BASDAI, BASFI and evaluation of spine mobility was done at study entry. ESR and CRP were evaluated at study entry. US examination was done using an Esaote MyLabClass, 18–6MHz linear multifrequence transducer both in gary scale and with PD. The following enthesis were separately studied clinical and US by two rheumatologist unaware of the other evaluation: lateral elbow epicondyle, distal quadricipital insertion at the patella, proximal and distal patellar tendon insertions, Achilles tendon an plantar fascia insertion at the calcaneous. Knee and ankle joints were evaluated for synovial hyertrophy, PD signal and fluid. Extensor and flexor tendons of the foot and ankle were evalutaed for the presence of tendon sheat fluid, synovial hypertrophy and PD signal. Quadriceps, patellar, Achille and plantar fascia entheses were scored according to the 0–36 Glasgow Ultrasound Enthesitis Scoring System (GUESS) and power Doppler (PD). Correlations of GUESS and PD with IBD features [duration, type (CD/UC) and activity (disease activity index for CD/Truelove score for UC)] were investigated. Results 29/61 (47.5%) patients had at leat one entheseal alteration at clinical examination and 56 (91.8%) presented almost one US entheseal abnormality with a mean 3.05±1.7 number of abnormal enthesis /patient. The mean MASEI was 11±9 and the mean GUESS 5.8±3.9 with 56/61 patients with value >1. The US evidence of enthesitis was higer in CD with ileo-colon localization as compared to ileo or colon involvement (100% vs 89% and 50%, p=0.03). Patients with disease duration >12 months have significantly grater number of cronical (2.48±1.5vs3.7±1.7, p=0.01) and acute enthseal alteration (3.0±1.3vs1.9±1.3,p=0.01) as compared with patients with disease duration Conclusions US entheseal abnormalities are present in a high percentage of IBD patients. US enthesopathy is associated with longer disease duration and topographical localization of gut disease. Disclosure of Interest None declared

Microtuber and minitubers of cv. Monalisa were produced in the laboratory and compared with normal seed tubers in a field experiment. These tubers were planted at similar plant densities (13.6 sprouts per m2) with two distances between rows (60 and 90 cm). Final ground cover was almost complete only in the plots derived from normal tubers and decreased with the size of the mother tubers. Normal seed, mini- and microtubers yielded respectively 50.8, 31.7, and 17.0 t/ha (means of two spacings). At close and wide spacing between rows, microtubers yielded respectively 27.3 and 6.7 t/ha, and minitubers 38.9 to 24.4 t/ha. Row spacing did not influence the yields from normal seed tubers. Total number of tubers per m2 was also affected and, as means of the two spacings, ranged from 107.8 with microtubers, 122.1 with minitubers, to 142.9 with normal tubers. Mother tuber type also affected the yield distribution in three tuber grades (

It may be possible to recognize different forms of precocious puberty at the first evaluation. In a group of 26 sexually precocious girls we used Bayley-Pinneau predicted adult height (P.A.H.) to discriminate patients with 'poor' or 'good' height prognosis. Patients with evidence of impaired height prognosis (P.A.H.-1 SDS) (Group 1) were immediately treated with LH-RH analogs, while patients with unimpaired height prognosis (P.A.H.-1 SDS) (Group 2) were followed without therapy. Two yr of treatment significantly improved P.A.H. in Group 1 patients, from a mean of -1.68 +/- 0.4 to a mean of -0.57 +/- 0.6 (SDS) (p0.01). After the 2 yr observation period, Group 2 patients showed no significant variation of P.A.H. (from a mean of 0.45 +/- 0.8 to a mean of 0.33 +/- 0.6). The retrospective analysis of the growth pattern changes in the two Groups seems to indicate that LH-RH agonist treatment improves height potential in girls with initial poor height prognosis and that girls with initial good height prognosis maintain an unimpaired growth potential.

Authors examine the case-report of hip arthrodesis of the Istituto Ortopedico Galeazzi of Milan. 32 cases have been examined with mid follow-up of more than 31 years. Authors reconsider advantages and disadvantages of a surgical technique that now is almost abandoned, emphasizing the possible effectiveness of this surgical procedure in the light of knowledges of the prosthetic hip surgery.

Clinical effectiveness of botulinum toxin (BTX) in the treatment of both neurogenic and idiopathic detrusor overactivity has been demonstrated in several studies. However, different protocols and techniques have been used by authors. METHODS. Literature review on intradetrusor injection of BTX for detrusor overactivity. RESULTS. The greatest clinical experience reports the use of 200 and 300 U Botox®. Available data suggest that clinical efficacy, duration, and the side effect profile is similar at these doses. Very few data, on the other hand, are available regarding the clinical outcomes using the Dysport® preparation; isolated reports support that efficacy is similar when using a dosing range of 500 to 1000 SU with increased risk of systemic side effects using 1000 SU. A variety of injection volumes was used, demonstrating similar efficacy and tolerability profile. Clinical effect duration extends six to ten months in the majority of studies. Data suggest that a repeated injection scheme proves successful in the vast majority of initial responders. CONCLUSIONS. Safety, effectiveness, specificity and reversibility make BTX a new attractive treatment modality for overactive bladder syndrome. However, more experience is needed to standardize the injection protocol with respect to therapeutic outcomes and adverse effects.

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) includes various practices, measures and products which are not presently considered as part of the conventional (mainstream) medicine. Herbal products, vitamins, minerals and amino acids are increasingly popular as dietary supplements for the treatment, improvement and prophylaxis of urological diseases, and as therapeutic options to improve general health and well-being. As these products are available for free without prescription, conventional healthcare providers are often unaware that their patients are using CAM. A particular attention is paid to herbal products by the public. For this reason it is essential to know that some herbal supplements may act in the same way as chemical drugs, and that the fact that they originate 'from nature' does not mean that they are safe and/or with no potential harmful effects and/or toxicity. The possible interactions with conventional medications and contamination with prescription drugs and metals have been reported. The active components of many phytotherapeutic preparations and their mechanism(s) of action are still being determined and evaluated. There is scientific evidence for the effectiveness of some treatments, but for most of them, many important key questions still need to be answered through basic research and well-designed studies, according to established guidelines. Because of the increasing popularity and use of Phytotherapy, urologists should not ignore it, and be well informed about its benefits and potential risks.

Therapeutic Education (TE) means to build a partnership between doctors and patients comparing knowledge and therapeutic procedures to manage the disease and its treatment. Patients cannot be a mere passive beneficiary of therapeutic services, but they must play an active role, be conscious and participate in charging proper and community health. Patient TE is a pathway characterized by an "educational diagnosis" including identification of patient demands about pathology; an "educational-therapeutic policy" based on assignment of tasks and rules to manage every aspect of pathology; and the "evaluation" of results of patients' educational process. The aim of TE is to allow the patients to know their pathology, to properly perform therapeutic procedures, to self-manage and prevent complications and to adopt a correct lifestyle. It can be useful to organize theoretical and practical lessons reserved to groups of patients. TE can be applied to urologic pathologies. These pathologies are often chronic diseases and affect elderly patients, who are organically and psychologically fragile. Urologic patients must often manage urostomies, urinary drains, complex follow-up plans. The patients' learning about procedures and disease management represents a professional duty of the urologic team: bladder and prostate cancer, urinary drains management are fields where we can apply a TE plan to support and safeguard the patients' health.

BACKGROUND. Contrast media are widely used in urogenital radiology. The ideal contrast agent should be totally inert, causing no interactions with organism, and with a rapid and complete excretion. Adverse reactions could occur after using any type of contrast media. Contrast enhanced procedures are performed with increasing frequency and the patients population is progressively older and with multiple co-morbid conditions, thus contrast media toxicity is becoming a serious problem. Contrast media-induced nephropathy (CIN) is considered an important cause of hospital-acquired renal failure. The administration of gadolinium-based contrast agents has been recently associated with the development of a serious adverse reaction, potentially lethal in patients with renal insufficiency, named nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF). METHODS. Literature review on contrast media in urogenital radiology, CIN, NSF. CONCLUSIONS. Since 1996, the Contrast Media Safety Committee of the European Society of Urogenital Radiology (ESUR) has released its guidelines regarding safety about the use of contrast media. CIN, and the emerging NSF, are topics of increasing interest for urologists, radiologists, nephrologists, dermatologists and all the clinicians. Contrast media have progressively become safer in the last years. Even if rare, some adverse reactions still occurr up to now. CIN and its prevention remain an issue under debate. In the past, whenever a patient required a contrast-enhanced imaging study, the trend was to select magnetic resonance imaging with gadolinium-based contrast agents in order to avoid the well-known CIN of iodinated-based contrast agents. The awareness of NFS is changing the contrast-enhanced imaging in patients with renal failure. At present we have to investigate NSF etiopathogenesis, in order to prevent and eventually to cure it. The understanding of the risk factors for both CIN and NSF is an emerging need, the adoption of all preventive measures to reduce the risks remain a mandatory issue.

Oncology-applied hyperthermia is a very old form of therapy. In recent years hyperthermia has been investigated with the aim of improving the treatment for non-muscle invasive bladder cancer to prevent relapse and disease progression, in association with mitomycin-C, a well-known chemotherapeutic agent, to enhance its effect. Target patients are those with non-muscle invasive transitional cell carcinoma, showing medium (Ta-T1, G1-2, multifocal, diameter3 cm) or high (T1, G3, multifocal or rapidly relapsing, CIS) risk for recurrence or progression. The treatment may be prophylactic following tumor eradication, or ablative when tumor cannot be otherwise eradicated. Several studies have shown the benefits of thermochemotherapy with lower risk for relapse than other treatment options, and 66-80% complete responses following ablative treatment. This association of treatments has a synergic therapeutic effect, higher than administering hyperthermia and drug therapy as single treatment.

In the last decades a growing interest has been dedicated to prevention, diagnosis and therapy of male genital pathologies, such as varicocele, infertility and erectile dysfunction in the population involved in sport activities. High incidence (up to 30%) of varicocele has been reported in a population of athletes and up to 60-80% in the subgroup of body-builders. The incidence of varicocele specifically increases with hours of training, in a linear model. Controversial data come from literature about the effects of physical activity on fertility, with prevalence of trials demonstrating worsening of seminal parameters. Furthermore, it has been demonstrated that physical stress in healthy male athletes can interfere with LH levels. Bicycling is one of the major risk factors for erectile dysfunction, with incidence of 13-24%. This is due to the prolonged compression of perineal arteries leading to reduced chronic penile perfusion. Bioengineering studies have been the basis for industry to produce specifically shaped saddles that significantly reduce and minimize compressive effects. Finally, high frequency of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in cyclists has been related to increased incidence of erectile dysfunction in comparison with normal population.

Prostatitis-like syndromes are high prevalent health problems and frequently considered by patients and physicians as strictly correlated to sports causing perineal compression. These syndromes and their relationships with sporting activities have been discussed in this report.We reviewed peer-reviewed scientific articles published by May 2009 and searched according to the following term selection: prostatitis, pudendal nerve, sport, cycling.Chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS) is a major healthcare burden heavily affecting patients' Quality of Life. No clear evidence of any direct etiologic relationship has been found in literature between prostatitis, either bacterial or non-bacterial, and sports activities. On the other hand, some types of sport causing perineal compression, such as cycling, can exacerbate symptoms of acute and chronic prostatitis; a temporary sport discontinuation is justified in these patients. CP/CPPS may be often caused by pudendal nerve entrapment (PNE). Prostatitis-like urogenital neuropathic pain together with voiding and sexual dysfunctions are the hallmark of PNE. A common feature is that flexion activities of the hip, such as climbing, squatting, cycling provoke or worsen urogenital pain or pelvic pain. Many of the patients with PNE are cyclists, played American football, lifted weights, or wrestled as teenagers and young adults. PNE represents the most common bicycling associated urogenital problems.Overall, studies show that no causal relationship has been demonstrated between prostatitis and sporting activities. Conversely, urologists should be aware that sports involving vigorous hip flexion activities or prolonged perineal compression are a potential and not an infrequent cause of uroandrological symptoms caused by pudendal nerve entrapment.

Several substances such as growth hormone (GH), erythropoietin (Epo), and anabolic steroids (AS) are improperly utilized to increase the performance of athletes. Evaluating the potential cancer risk associated with doping agents is difficult since these drugs are often used at very high doses and in combination with other licit or illicit drugs. The GH, via its mediator, the insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), is involved in the development and progression of cancer. Animal studies suggested that high levels of GH/IGF-1 increase progression of androgen-independent prostate cancer. Clinical data regarding prostate cancer are mostly based on epidemiological studies or indirect data such as IGF-1 high levels in patients with prostate cancer. Even if experimental studies showed a correlation between Epo and cancer, no clinical data are currently available on cancer development related to Epo as a doping agent. Androgens are involved in prostate carcinogenesis modulating genes that regulate cell proliferation, apoptosis and angiogenesis. Most information on AS is anecdotal (case reports on prostate, kidney and testicular cancers). Prospective epidemiologic studies failed to support the hypothesis that circulating androgens are positively associated with prostate cancer risk. Currently, clinical and epidemiological studies supporting association between doping and urological neoplasias are not available. Nowadays, exposure to doping agents starts more prematurely with a consequent longer exposition period; drugs are often used at very high doses and in combination with other licit or illicit drugs. Due to all these elements it is impossible to predict all the side effects, including cancer; more detailed studies are therefore necessary.

This paper investigates the possibility of utilizing Optimal Active Power Flow (OAPF) and Optimal Reactive Power Flow (ORPF) algorithms for on-line safety and economic re-dispatching in an Ancillary Services Market (MSD) structure. It is described a procedure that the Italian Transmission System Operator (TERNA) has implemented recently for real-time operation. Starting from a real-time snapshot, the procedure ranks all the possible contingencies and re-dispatches the active (through OAPF) and reactive (through ORPF) power productions in order to prevent the effects of the most dangerous ones. The re-dispatching is achieved by minimizing the economic effort, according to the offer/bids on the MSD. The fulfilled constraints are: nodal balance, maximum flow limit for the transmission lines (under N and N-1 security conditions), nodal voltage limits, minimum and maximum power offered in the MSD, gradient limitations. Examples are provided about the application of the procedure to the Italian main transmission system (1700 buses).

TVD concepts applied to inviscid (Euler) terms of fully Navier Stokes equations seem to improve the accuracy of the numerical solutions; this is obtained at the expense of greater computational effort, due both to code complexity and to slow rate of convergence. Further investigation is needed to asses the superiority of the present approach versus others.