Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Nickel Allergy: What Is the Role of the Low Nickel Diet?

( Angela Rizzi ),( Eleonora Nucera ),( Lucrezia Laterza ),( Eleonora Gaetani ),( Venanzio Valenza ),( Giuseppe M Corbo ),( Riccardo Inchingolo ),( Alessandro Buonomo ),( Domenico Schiavino ),( Antonio 대한소화기기능성질환·운동학회(구 대한소화관운동학회) 2017 Journal of Neurogastroenterology and Motility (JNM Vol.23 No.1

Background/Aims Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is characterized by chronic abdominal pain or discomfort accompanied by abnormal bowel movements. In sensitized subjects, ingested nickel (Ni) may induce gastrointestinal symptoms similar to IBS, in addition to typical systemic cutaneous lesions (systemic nickel allergy syndrome [SNAS]). A low nickel diet could improve the systemic manifestations. We evaluated prevalence of nickel allergy in IBS and effects of low Ni diet on (1) gastrointestinal symptoms control, (2) intestinal barrier function, (3) quality of life, and (4) psychological status of patients with IBS and Ni-sensitized patients. Methods Twenty consecutive patients affected by IBS and suspected SNAS underwent intestinal permeability tests. Gastrointestinal symptoms were evaluated using the visual analogue scale before and after 3 months low Ni diet. Subjects with increased intestinal permeability at baseline repeated nuclear examination after the diet. Results The most frequent profile was diarrhea-predominant IBS (8/20). The low Ni diet induced a significant and constant improvement of gastrointestinal symptoms and an equally significant improvement of visual analogue scale. Mean urinary output of ⁵¹Chromium ethylene-diamine-tetra-acetate (⁵¹Cr-EDTA) was 5.91%/24 hr (± 2.08), significantly different from the control group (2.20%/24 hr ± 0.60, P < 0.0001). Conclusion This pilot study shows that low Ni diet improves gastrointestinal symptoms in patients with IBS and SNAS. (J Neurogastroenterol Motil 2017;23:101-108)

이탈리아의 가족주의 복지제도와 여성고용정책

Ester L. Rizzi 한국노동연구원 2022 국제노동브리프 Vol.20 No.8

The Legal Considerations of Doing M&A with Chinese Companies

Li Guo,Cristiano Rizzi 서울대학교 법학연구소 2012 서울대학교 法學 Vol.53 No.4

This Paper lines up the important issues which a foreign business or its attorney need to note when engaging in M&A with Chinese companies. In the context of either share or asset acquisition, China is bringing its rules more in line with the international standards. Nevertheless, certain specific points deserve attention and should not be taken for granted, while many others are still undergoing evolution. Some most recent development such as VIE is also reviewed.

Robust Supervisors for Intersection Collision Avoidance in the Presence of Legacy Vehicles

Heejin Ahn,Andrea Rizzi,Alessandro Colombo 제어·로봇·시스템학회 2020 International Journal of Control, Automation, and Vol.18 No.2

Vehicle coordination at road intersections to prevent collisions has recently drawn a lot of research attention, but still remains challenging due to a large volume of traffic composed of autonomous and human-driven vehicles. In this paper, we present the design and validation of a supervisory algorithm for collision avoidance at road intersections, in the simultaneous presence of measurement errors, unmodeled dynamics, and vehicles that are not equipped with autonomous driving features. We design a supervisor that takes control of vehicles that are capable of communication and autonomous actions, only when necessary to avoid a collision, or otherwise leaves control to their drivers. This supervisor is least restrictive, that is, it takes control away from drivers only when necessary to avoid future collisions. Since the complexity of the supervisor algorithm is combinatorial with the number of vehicles, we also design an approximate supervisor that can handle more realistic scenarios with a larger number of vehicles in polynomially bounded time at the expense of an additional, yet quantified, restrictiveness. The least restrictive supervisor is validated through experimental testings using three small-scale vehicles, and the approximate supervisor is validated through computer simulations.

Mechanical behaviour of a syntactic foam/glass fibre composite sandwich: experimental results

Papa, Enrico,Corigliano, Alberto,Rizzi, Egidio Techno-Press 2001 Structural Engineering and Mechanics, An Int'l Jou Vol.12 No.2

This note presents the main results of an experimental investigation into the mechanical behaviour of a composite sandwich conceived as a lightweight material for naval engineering applications. The sandwich structure is formed by a three-dimensional glass fibre/polymer matrix fabric with transverse piles interconnecting the skins; the core is filled with a polymer matrix/glass microspheres syntactic foam; additional Glass Fibre Reinforced Plastics extra-skins are laminated on the external facings of the filled fabric. The main features of the experimental tests on syntactic foam, skins and sandwich panels are presented and discussed, with focus on both in-plane and out-of-plane responses. This work is part of a broader research investigation aimed at a complete characterisation, both experimental and numerical, of the complex mechanical behaviour of this composite sandwich.

Closed-form optimum tuning formulas for passive Tuned Mass Dampers under benchmark excitations

Jonathan Salvi,Egidio Rizzi 국제구조공학회 2016 Smart Structures and Systems, An International Jou Vol.17 No.2

This study concerns the derivation of optimum tuning formulas for a passive Tuned Mass Damper (TMD) device, for the case of benchmark ideal excitations acting on a single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) damped primary structure. The free TMD parameters are tuned first through a non-linear gradient-based optimisation algorithm, for the case of harmonic or white noise excitations, acting either as force on the SDOF primary structure or as base acceleration. The achieved optimum TMD parameters are successively interpolated according to appropriate analytical fitting proposals, by non-linear least squares, in order to produce simple and effective TMD tuning formulas. In particular, two fitting models are presented. The main proposal is composed of a simple polynomial relationship, refined within the fitting process, and constitutes the optimum choice. A second model refers to proper modifications of literature formulas for the case of an undamped primary structure. The results in terms of final (interpolated) optimum TMD parameters and of device effectiveness in reducing the structural dynamic response are finally displayed and discussed in detail, showing the wide and ready-to-use validity of the proposed optimisation procedure and achieved tuning formulas. Several post-tuning trials have been carried out as well on SDOF and MDOF shear-type frame buildings, by confirming the effective benefit provided by the proposed optimum TMD.

Maxillary resection for cancer, zygomatic implants insertion, and palatal repair as single-stage procedure: report of three cases

Salvatori, Pietro,Mincione, Antonio,Rizzi, Lucio,Costantini, Fabrizio,Bianchi, Alessandro,Grecchi, Emma,Garagiola, Umberto,Grecchi, Francesco Korean Association of Maxillofacial Plastic and Re 2017 Maxillofacial Plastic Reconstructive Surgery Vol.39 No.-

Background: Oronasal/antral communication, loss of teeth and/or tooth-supporting bone, and facial contour deformity may occur as a consequence of maxillectomy for cancer. As a result, speaking, chewing, swallowing, and appearance are variably affected. The restoration is focused on rebuilding the oronasal wall, using either flaps (local or free) for primary closure, either prosthetic obturator. Postoperative radiotherapy surely postpones every dental procedure aimed to set fixed devices, often makes it difficult and risky, even unfeasible. Regular prosthesis, tooth-bearing obturator, and endosseous implants (in native and/or transplanted bone) are used in order to complete dental rehabilitation. Zygomatic implantology (ZI) is a valid, usually delayed, multi-staged procedure, either after having primarily closed the oronasal/antral communication or after left it untreated or amended with obturator. The present paper is an early report of a relatively new, one-stage approach for rehabilitation of patients after tumour resection, with palatal repair with loco-regional flaps and zygomatic implant insertion: supposed advantages are concentration of surgical procedures, reduced time of rehabilitation, and lowered patient discomfort. Cases presentation: We report three patients who underwent alveolo-maxillary resection for cancer and had the resulting oroantral communication directly closed with loco-regional flaps. Simultaneous zygomatic implant insertion was added, in view of granting the optimal dental rehabilitation. Conclusions: All surgical procedures were successful in terms of oroantral separation and implant survival. One patient had the fixed dental restoration just after 3 months, and the others had to receive postoperative radiotherapy; thus, rehabilitation timing was longer, as expected. We think this approach could improve the outcome in selected patients.

Effective Heterogeneous Data Fusion procedure via Kalman filtering

Ravizza, Gabriele,Ferrari, Rosalba,Rizzi, Egidio,Chatzi, Eleni N. Techno-Press 2018 Smart Structures and Systems, An International Jou Vol.22 No.5

This paper outlines a computational procedure for the effective merging of diverse sensor measurements, displacement and acceleration signals in particular, in order to successfully monitor and simulate the current health condition of civil structures under dynamic loadings. In particular, it investigates a Kalman Filter implementation for the Heterogeneous Data Fusion of displacement and acceleration response signals of a structural system toward dynamic identification purposes. The procedure is perspectively aimed at enhancing extensive remote displacement measurements (commonly affected by high noise), by possibly integrating them with a few standard acceleration measurements (considered instead as noise-free or corrupted by slight noise only). Within the data fusion analysis, a Kalman Filter algorithm is implemented and its effectiveness in improving noise-corrupted displacement measurements is investigated. The performance of the filter is assessed based on the RMS error between the original (noise-free, numerically-determined) displacement signal and the Kalman Filter displacement estimate, and on the structural modal parameters (natural frequencies) that can be extracted from displacement signals, refined through the combined use of displacement and acceleration recordings, through inverse analysis algorithms for output-only modal dynamics identification, based on displacements.

Effects of Chemical Composition on Nanocrystallization Kinetics, Microstructure and Magnetic Properties of Finemet-Type Amorphous Alloys

Hossein Asghari Shivaee,Alberto Castellero,Paola Rizzi,Paola Tiberto,Hamid-Reza Madaah-Hosseini,Marcello Baricco 대한금속·재료학회 2013 METALS AND MATERIALS International Vol.19 No.4

In this study, the kinetics of nanocrystallization of amorphous Fe73.5Si13.5B9Nb3Cu1 (F1) and Fe77Si11B9Nb2.4Cu0.6(F2) alloys is investigated. The microstructure and magnetic properties of the nanocrystalline alloys are compared. The crystallization temperature of F2 alloy is shifted towards lower temperatures with respect to F1. Thus, the crystalline volume fraction and the crystalline grain size at specific annealing temperature for the F2 alloy are higher than for the F1 alloy, accounting for the higher coercive force of F2 alloy with respect to the one of F1 alloy. According to isoconversional methods, the activation energy for crystallization is variable as a function of transformed fraction because of the continuous changes in chemical composition during the transformation. Mean values of 350 and 290 kJ/mol are obtained for F1 and F2, respectively. Microstructural observations confirm that minor changes in chemical composition affect the kinetics and final microstructure of the nanocrystalline alloy, that determine the observed magnetic properties.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Alcohol Use Disorder During the COVID-19 Outbreak: Do Dissociation and Emotional Metacognitive Beliefs Mediate the Role of Emotion Dysregulation?

Rogier Guyonne,Zobel Sara Beomonte,Rizzi Damiano,Velotti Patrizia 대한신경정신의학회 2022 PSYCHIATRY INVESTIGATION Vol.19 No.10

Objective Despite the well-documented relationship between emotion dysregulation and both post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and alcohol use disorder symptoms, no studies investigated this issue in the context of the outbreak. Moreover, additional research investigating the role of mediators intervening in these pathways is required. Dissociation and emotional beliefs are two factors that may explain such relationships. However, a poor number of studies empirically tested their role. Methods A cross-sectional study on a sample of 719 community participants (32.5% males; M_age=34.36, standard deviation=14.38 years) was conducted. Participants fulfilled a battery of self-report questionnaires measuring levels of PTSD outbreak-related symptoms, alcohol use disorder, emotion dysregulation, emotional beliefs, and dissociation. Results Partial r-Pearson correlations showed that PTSD symptoms’ level was positively and significantly related to all variables investigated in the study whereas alcohol use disorder level was positively and significantly associated with emotion dysregulation and only some dimension of emotional beliefs and dissociation. Results drawn from a structural equation model highlight the mediating role of both emotional belief and dissociation in the relationship linking emotion dysregulation and alcohol use disorder whereas only dissociation, but not emotional beliefs, mediated the link between emotion dysregulation and PTSD symptoms. Conclusion Most of the hypotheses have been supported stressing the relevance of both dissociation and emotional beliefs in PTSD and alcohol use disorder symptoms. These two variables appear important framework from which deepen the impact of emotion dysregulation in psychopathology.