Pirfenidone and Nintedanib in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: Real-life experience in an Italian referral centre.

BACKGROUND: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis has a median survival time after diagnosis of 2-5 years. The main goal of treating IPF is to stabilize or reduce the rate of disease progression. Nintedanib and Pirfenidone have been a breakthrough in the management of IPF. Here we evaluated the effectiveness of Pirfenidone and Nintedanib in a population of IPF patients diagnosed in the last 12 months at Florence ILD Referral Centre. METHODS: In the last 12 months, 82 IPF patients (66 male, mean age 78.3±23.8 years) were diagnosed and started antifibrotic therapy with Pirfenidone or Nintedanib. Their clinical and functional details were analyzed retrospectively at time 0 and after 6 and 12 months of therapy. RESULTS: The median age of the patients treated with Nintedanib was higher than that of the Pirfenidone group (p<0.0001). The most common symptoms at disease onset were exertional dyspnoea and dry cough with no differences between the two groups (p<0.05). All IPF patients manifested bibasal crackles at the time of diagnosis. No significant differences in FVC, FEV1, TLC and DLCO were found at time 0 or after 6 months between patients treated with Pirfenidone and Nintedanib (p>0.05). After 1 year, lung function test parameters of patients treated with Pirfenidone had remained stable from baseline. DISCUSSION: This study emphasizes that both antifibrotic drugs appeared to be a good therapeutic choice in terms of functional stabilization, also in older patients.

Use of sweet lupin (Lupinusalbus L. var. Multitalia) in feeding for Podolian young bulls and influence on productive performances and meat quality traits.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of sweet lupin (Lupinusalbus L. var. Multitalia) as a substitute for soybean (Glicinemax [L] Merr.) in feed on the productive performance and meat quality of Podolian young bulls. The steers were divided into 2 homogeneous groups and were fed durum wheat (Triticumdurum L.), straw and a complete pellet feed containing 20% sweet lupin seeds or 16.5% soybean. Productive performances were similar for both groups. The values of pH, measured on Longissimuslumborum and Semitendinosus muscles 24h after slaughter, were similar. No differences were shown between groups regarding the colour characteristics of both muscles or the tenderness of the cooked meat. No statistical differences were found between diets regarding the fatty acid profile of meats, except for a significantly higher incidence of linoleic acid in the meat obtained from animals on soybean feed. In conclusion, comparable results were obtained when soybean was replaced with sweet lupin seeds in complete pellet feed for Podolian steers.

Multimillijoule chirped parametric amplification of few-cycle pulses.

The concept of optical parametric chirped-pulse amplification is applied to attain pulses with energies up to 8 mJ and a bandwidth of more than 100 THz. Stretched broadband seed pulses from a Ti:sapphire oscillator are amplified in a multistage noncollinear type I phase-matched beta-barium borate parametric amplifier by use of an independent picosecond laser with lock-to-clock repetition rate synchronization. Partial compression of amplified pulses is demonstrated down to a 10-fs duration with a down-chirped pulse stretcher and a nearly lossless compressor comprising bulk material and positive-dispersion chirped mirrors.

Cadmium Ion Adsorption Controls the Growth of CdS Nanoparticles on Layered Montmorillonite and Calumit Surfaces.

Adsorption isotherms have been determined for the intercalation of cadmium ions (Cd2+) into layered hydrophobized montmorillonite (HDP-M) and calumit (DBS-C) sheets dispersed in ethanol (1)-cyclohexane (2) mixtures. The amount of Cd2+ adsorbed depended strongly on the composition of the binary liquid; at an ethanol mole fraction of 0.05 (x1 = 0.05), 95% of the added Cd2+ is located in the ethanolic nanoreactor at the HDP-M (or DBS-C) surface. CdS nanoparticles have been generated in situ in ethanolic nanoreactors at the HDP-M and DBS-C surfaces. Absorption spectrophotometric measurements provided information on the number of CdS nanoparticles formed and on their absorption edges, bandgaps, and mean diameters. Good correlations have been obtained between the adsorption isotherms and the size (and the amount) of the CdS formed. X-ray diffractometry established that CdS nanoparticles stretched the HDP-M and DBS-C lamellas unevenly upon intercalation. Copyright 1999 Academic Press.

The Effect of Cadmium Ion Adsorption on the Growth of CdS Nanoparticles at Colloidal Silica Particle Interfaces in Binary Liquids

Adsorption isotherms have been determined for the binding of Cd2+ onto the surfaces of hydrophilic A200 SiO2 and hydrophobic R972 SiO2 particles dispersed in ethanol (1>)-cyclohexane (2) mixtures at ethanol mole fractions of x1 = 0.05, 0.10, 0.20, and 0.40. CdS nanoparticles have been generated in situ within the ethanolic nanoreactors at surfaces of SiO2 particles in the different ethanol-cyclohexane binary liquids by the addition of hydrogen sulfide. Absorption spectra of the CdS particles provided information on their quantity, absorption edges, optical band gaps, and mean diameters. Good correlations have been obtained between the adsorption isotherms and size of the CdS particles as well as between the adsorption isotherms and the amount of CdS formed. The smallest CdS particles (ca. 6 nm diameter) have been obtained on the surfaces of SiO2 particles dispersed in ethanol (1>)-cyclohexane (2) mixtures at ethanol mole fractions of x1 = 0.05. More CdS particles have been observed to coat the hydrophilic A200 SiO2 than the hydrophobic R972 particles. In the x1 = 0.10 ethanol (1)-cyclohexane (2) liquid mixtures up to 10% of the SiO2 surface can be covered by CdS nanoparticles. Immersion wetting enthalpy measurements in methanol established the surface of the SiO2 particles to be hydrophilic, which became partially hydrophobic upon and the binding of cadmium ions and hence upon the subsequent formation of CdS. Copyright 1997 Academic Press. Copyright 1997Academic Press

High-power longitudinally end-diode-pumped Nd:YLF regenerative amplifier.

We describe a high-power compact diode-pumped Nd:YLF regenerative amplifier. The pumping source is a 15-W diode-laser array that is focused into the laser crystal with a longitudinal end-pumping arrangement based on an array of cylindrical microlenses. Seeded with 15-ps pulses from a diode-pumped and mode-locked Nd:YLF oscillator, the regenerative amplifier produces pulses of 0.5-mJ energy at a 1-kHz repetition rate. A pulse energy as high as 0.75 mJ is achieved at a 500-Hz repetition rate and below.

Diode-pumped Nd:YLF all-in-one laser.

A high-power longitudinally end-diode-pumped Nd:YLF all-in-one laser has been constructed and tested. The compact single-cavity laser generates pulses with durations of 28 ps. Pulse energies of ~120 or -500 microJ are measured at a 1-kHz repetition rate when the all-in-one laser is pumped with a 3- or 15-W diode laser, respectively. Controlled prelasing is utilized to prevent the buildup of large-amplitude relaxation oscillations and to minimize the prelasing leakage. Pulse shaping in the all-in-one laser is analyzed in terms of the Kuizenga-Siegman theory.

Dynamics of shock waves and cavitation bubbles generated by picosecond laser pulses in corneal tissue and water.

Time-resolved flash photography was used to investigate the dynamics of shock waves and cavitation bubbles generated by picosecond optical breakdown in bovine corneal tissue and water. A picosecond Nd:YLF laser was employed. A rapid decay of the shock waves was observed in both materials, with similar temporal characteristics, indicating that water serves as a good model for shock wave studies. In contrast, differences in the cavitation bubble dynamics were found between cornea and water, which are related to differences in the mechanical and thermal properties of the two media, suggesting that water should not be used to model cavitation dynamics in cornea. The experimental results also suggest that the efficiency of intrastromal ablation may be increased by using short pulses and moderate pulse energies in order to avoid the creation of large cavitation bubbles. The experiment indicates that the optimum laser repetition rate for intrastromal ablation is between 1 and 5 kHz.

Additive-pulse-compression mode locking of a neodymium fiber laser.

The generation of bandwidth-limited shoulder-free 125-fsec pulses by additive-pulse-compression mode locking of a neodymium glass laser is described. An all-fiber nonlinear amplifying loop mirror is employed as a fast saturable absorber and permits stable pulse generation under the condition of large pulse shaping in the cavity.