Search

Resumen Introducción y Objetivo La proyección de la punta nasal, así como su posición con respecto al dorso y al labio superior, varían con frecuencia en el postoperatorio de una rinoplastia. Esta variación depende de múltiples factores condicionados por la técnica quirúrgica, así como de factores individuales. El objetivo del presente estudio es demostrar que el injerto de cartílago autólogo extensor septal caudal permite predecir con mayor exactitud la posición y proyección definitiva de la punta nasal. Material y Método Estudiamos prospectivamente 40 pacientes a los que se realizó rinoplastia abierta utilizando un injerto de cartílago autólogo extensor caudal septal. Hicimos mediciones en las fotografías de perfil pre y post-operatorias a lo largo de 1 año. Resultados Las proporciones nasales medidas con el Índice de Goode (valor normal: 0.55-0.6) pasaron de 0.54 a 0.56 al mes de postoperatorio (p=0.005). En el grupo con desproporción nasal se incrementó de 0.51 a 0.54 (p=0.001) y luego se estabilizó en 0.53 (p=0.021). La proyección de la punta aumentó al mes un 4.8% (1.2 mm) y en el grupo con desproporción nasal aumentó un 5.75% (1.4 mm) y se mantuvo significativamente durante 1 año (p=0.039). En pacientes con ángulo naso-labial

Soil erosion is one of the main environmental problems in the Mediterranean area. This problem is becoming even more important especially in Italy, in the Apennines, where severe erosive processes occur due to the action of concentrated running water. The erodibility (K-Factor) of a soil, estimated using the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE), is a measure of its susceptibility to erosion and depends on several soil properties such as organic matter, texture and permeability and structure.To assess the spatial variability of soil properties and soil erodibility in hilly agricultural areas and to investigate the relationships between soil features and landscape morphodynamics, a detailed study in Molise region (southern Italy), in a small drainange basin located along its hilly Adriatic flank, was carried out. In this catchment, 63 topsoil samples (A horizons) were collected and 10 soil profiles, forming a catena crossing 3 land units, were sampled. The calculated K-Factors ranges between 0.012 and 0.048 t ha h ha−1 MJ−1 mm−1 indicating a complex spatial distribution, due to the several local pedological and geomorphological factors affecting soil erodibility. The results give clear evidence about the relationships among soil characteristics, soil erodibility and landscape morpho-dynamics (land units).Comparing the soil loss rates estimated for the study area with those reported in literature, a good correspondence can be observed only for the more stable land unit, not characterized by intense erosive processes. The proposed methodology is suitable to highlight areas characterized by similar morphodynamics features, and comparable soil erodibility, for a more effective spatialization of K factor.

The goals of the current research were to assess the immediate impact of invasive wild boar (Sus scrofa L.) in olive orchards of southern Italy. Over a one-year study, in grubbed and ungrubbed areas, we measured the seasonal changes on the fast soil biological and chemical responses at depths of 0–15 cm and 15–40 cm, and several leaf and fruit characteristics. The impact factor, IFG, was used to quantify the effects of wild boar on individual soil parameters. Grubbing induced an increase in the soil moisture at both depths. Soil pH, organic matter, and C/N ratio were higher in grubbed soils at 0–15 cm and lower at 15–40 cm compared to ungrubbed soils. These trends were reflected in the higher microbial community biomass and the inhibition of fungal fraction in grubbed topsoil, while an opposite tendency at 15–40 cm was found. Microbial biomass had the highest IFG in topsoil (94%) and metabolic quotient (85%) at a 15–40 cm depth. Microbial stress condition and C loss were found in grubbed soil at both depths. Furthermore, these soils were also shown to be of lower quality than ungrubbed soils, especially at 0–15 cm (SQI = 0.40 vs. 0.50, respectively). A stronger negative impact of wild boar grubbing was observed in the Autumn/Winter and for fruit polyphenol content.

Natural organic matter, including humic substances (HS), comprises complex secondary structures with no defined covalent chemical bonds and stabilized by inter- and intra-molecular interactions, such as hydrogen bonding, Van der Waal’s forces, and pi-pi interactions. The latest view describes HS aggregates as a hydrogel-like structure comprised by a hydrophobic core of aromatic residues surrounded by polar and amphiphilic molecules akin a self-assembled soft material. A different view is based on the classification of this material as either mass or surface fractals. The former is intended as made by the clustering of macromolecules generating dendritic networks, while the latter have been modelled in terms of a solvent-impenetrable core surrounded by a layer of lyophilic material. This study reviews the evolution of the increasingly refined models that appeared in the literature, all capable to describing the physicochemical properties of HS. All the models are critically examined and revisited in terms of their ability to provide key information on the structural organization of HS. Understanding how the molecular association pathway influences aggregation of HS also provides a key acknowledgment of their role in the environment.

Resumen: Este artículo tiene por objetivo específico identificar e interpretar de forma crítica las principales representaciones e imágenes que la sociedad chilena, a través de la prensa, la literatura y el cine, hizo sobre los pentecostales durante el siglo XX. Para alcanzar este propósito, se eligió dos de las identificaciones más recurrentes: el epíteto de “canutos” y la caracterización de la “predica en la calle”. El método de trabajo fue histórico social y el acercamiento teórico se situó en los estudios de las representaciones sociales de Moscovici. El acceso a fuentes primarias, las herramientas y aportes conceptuales de Moscovici permitió analizar el objeto en estudio a nivel social, cultural y religioso.

Soil is a vital resource for sustaining life of the Earth. This resource has a low ability for regeneration, while it is subjected to increasing human pressure; it is therefore, in need of protection, as recognized by the UE in Europe and by the FAO at world scale. Soil provides important functions related to: the agriculture as vegetable biomass production and row materials of the Agro-Food processing; the water regulation and hydrogeologic protection, the regulation of the biochemical cycles of the fundamental elements for life: nitrogen, phosphorus and sulphur; the degradation of the xenobiotics polluting substance; the preservation of the biodiversity; the preservation of cultural artifact: the climatic regulation, relating to the function of carbonic sink provided by the soil organic matter and biomass. The UE has call attention that the soil threats like: erosion, organic matter decline, local and widespread contamination, sealing, compaction, biodiversity decline, salinization and landslides are closely linked to agriculture (Soil Thematic Strategy of the UE). According to FAO assessment the percentage of soil degraded in the world was about 15% in 2001 and is increased up to 27% in 2008. The 78% of the degraded soil are located in the humid regions and concern in equal measure both forest that cultivated land. Such tendency points out that the agricultural and forest productions in long time will be strongly influenced by the soil degradation there it will be a decrease also if the same surface of agricultural land. In cultivated land one of the principal cause of the productivity decline is the excessive dependence of the farmer on the productive factors employees in to increase the production level (inputs), with the result to damage the soil in the long time, therefore, all ecosystems dependent on soil. Different soil quality indexes have been proposed and elaborated in to attempt to evaluate the sustainability of land use activities as part of national and international programmes on sustainable soil management. Actually, Rural Policy, in particular the agri-environment measures, offers member states or regions new opportunities for encouraging farmers to achieve soil quality in to decrease soil degradation. Although, Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), to date, soil protection is not a specific objective, nor does a targeted policy framework for soils seem exist.

An optimal drug delivery system should be characterized by biocompatibility, biodegradability, high drug loading and favorable drug release profile. To achieve this goal a hydrazone linked doxorubicin-poly(lactic acid) prodrug (PLA-DOX) was synthesized by the functionalization of a short polymer chain produced by ring opening polymerization. The hydrophobic prodrug generated in this way was nanoprecipitated using a block copolymer to form polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) with a quantitative loading efficiency and a high and tunable drug loading. The effects of the concentration of the PLA-DOX prodrug and surfactant were studied by dynamic light scattering showing a range of NP size between 50 and 90 nm and monodispersed size distributions with polydispersity indexes lower then 0.27 up to a maximum DOX concentration of 27% w/w. The release profile of DOX from these NPs, tested at different pH conditions, showed a higher release rate in acidic conditions, consistent with the nature of the hydrazone bond which was used to conjugate the drug to the polymer. In vitro cytotoxicity studies performed on BV2 microglia-like cell line highlighted a specific cytotoxic effect of these NPs suggesting the maintenance of the drug efficacy and a modified release profile upon encapsulation of DOX in the NPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]