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Abstract: Within the framework of the EUROfusion Consortium, the Characterization of armour, heat sinks materials and joints sub-project of the Work Package Material (WP-MAT) has been dedicated to the development of different tungsten (W) monoblock mock-ups equipped with advanced materials for divertor target applications in the EU-DEMO fusion reactor. Assessing the status of the relevant joining interfaces of these mock-ups, not only after fabrication but throughout the whole component lifetime, plays a key role in the qualification process. At the ENEA Special Technologies Laboratory (TES), a number of facilities have been built to perform non-destructive inspections of plasma-facing components for fusion applications by ultrasonic testing (UT). The present work reports on the results of the UT inspections assessing the structural integrity of the relevant joining interfaces of three small-scale mock-ups provided with advanced W armour materials, specifically W-matrix with W2C inclusions consolidated by Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS), K-doped rolled W and K-doped laminated W. The UT examinations are carried out after fabrication and after the high heat flux tests (HHFT) at the neutral beam facility GLADIS. All results confirm the high-quality joining achieved by HIP and HRP. During the HHF tests of mock-ups, after a few hundred HHFT cycles defects are detected at the joining interfaces, due to debonding, delamination and W material cracks mainly affecting the loaded zone. The ultrasonic pulse-echo technique provides not only the size and position of the defects in the plane orthogonal to the ultrasonic beam, but also their depth in the material. During the analysis, the probe is inserted inside the pipe and the mock-up is examined in a cylindrical configuration. The coupling medium (demineralized water) is poured only inside the pipe. The main inspection parameters and the piezoelectric probes are chosen to obtain the maximum resolution in accordance with the thickness and joining interfaces to be analyzed.
Keywords: E-MIPS registry, laparoscopic distal pancreatectomy, cohort study, minimally invasive distal pancreatectomy
Published in DiRROS: 08.06.2026; Views: 121; Downloads: 75
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Abstract: BackgroundMedications for comorbid conditions may affect cognition in Alzheimer's disease (AD). ObjectiveTo explore the association between common medications and cognition, measured with the Mini-Mental State Examination. MethodsCohort study including persons with AD from the Swedish Registry for Cognitive/Dementia Disorders (SveDem). Medications were included if they were used by ≥5% of patients (26 individual drugs). Each follow-up was analyzed independently by performing 100 Monte-Carlo simulations of two steps each 1) k-means clustering of patients according to Mini-Mental State Examination at follow-up and its decline since previous measure, and 2) Identification of medications presenting statistically significant differences in the proportion of users in the different clusters. Results15,428 patients (60.38% women) were studied. Four clusters were identified. Medications associated with the best cognition cluster (relative to the worse) were atorvastatin (point estimate 1.44 95% confidence interval [1.15–1.83] at first follow-up, simvastatin (1.41 [1.11–1.78] at second follow-up), warfarin (1.56 [1.22–2.01] first follow-up), zopiclone (1.35 [1.15–1.58], and metformin (2.08 [1.35–3.33] second follow-up. Oxazepam (0.60 [0.50–0.73] first follow-up), paracetamol (0.83 [0.73–0.95] first follow-up), cyanocobalamin, felodipine and furosemide were associated with the worst cluster. Cholinesterase inhibitors were associated with the best cognition clusters, whereas memantine appeared in the worse cognition clusters, consistent with its indication in moderate to severe dementia. ConclusionsWe performed unsupervised clustering to classify patients based on their current cognition and cognitive decline from previous testing. Atorvastatin, simvastatin, warfarin, metformin, and zopiclone presented a positive and statistically significant associations with cognition, while oxazepam, cyanocobalamin, felodipine, furosemide and paracetamol, were associated with the worst cluster.
Keywords: Alzheimer's disease, cohort study, comorbidity, metformin, Mini-Mental State Examination, oxazepam, pharmacological treatments, statins, warfarin, zopiclone
Published in DiRROS: 15.04.2026; Views: 170; Downloads: 168
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Abstract: Introduction: Glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) is currently the gold standard for assessing glycaemic control in diabetes, given the established relationship with microvascular and macrovascular complications in this condition. However, HbA1c is affected by non-glycaemic factors, while also failing to provide data on hypoglycaemic exposure and glucose variability, which are associated with adverse vascular outcomes. Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM)-derived glucose metrics provide a more comprehensive assessment of glycaemia, but their role in predicting future vascular complications remains unclear. Here, we present the protocol for a real-world cohort study, aiming to establish the relationship between CGM-derived glycaemic metrics and the incidence of macrovascular and/or microvascular complications in people with diabetes. Methods and analysis: This cohort study will use data from all CGM new users (FreeStyle Libre system) in France who uploaded their glycaemic values onto the LibreView cloud-based system, linked with data from the French nationwide Système National des Données de Santé claims database. The study is expected to include a minimum of 70 000 individuals with diabetes with a first date of glucose data upload to the LibreView platform after 1 January 2018 and with a 6-year follow-up period. The primary outcomes are the first occurrence of new macrovascular or microvascular complications, analysed as a composite outcome and separately. Secondary outcomes will include all-cause mortality and hospital admissions for any cause. This longitudinal study will provide key data on the relationship between CGM-derived glycaemic metrics and micro/macrovascular complications in diabetes. This will have an impact on routine clinical practice by setting targets for the different glycaemic markers, based on robust outcome data, thus helping to optimise glucose management in diabetes. Ethics and dissemination: The study data-collection protocol is approved by the French National Commission for Informatics and Liberties, including approval from the Comité Ethique et Scientifique pour les Recherches, les Etudes et les Evaluations dans le domaine de la Santé. This study complies with French and European regulations, including those relating to the General Data Protection Regulation. This study uses pseudonymous information, not requiring informed consent. Dissemination plans include full publication of the study outcomes in peerreviewed journal(s) with open access and presentations at national and international diabetes and cardiovascular conferences.
Keywords: continuous glucose monitoring, diabetes, cohort study, glycaemic values
Published in DiRROS: 24.02.2026; Views: 317; Downloads: 201
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