ARPA-E

About: ARPA-E is a government organization based out in Washington D.C., District of Columbia, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Climate change. The organization has 1161 authors who have published 1267 publications receiving 30049 citations. The organization is also known as: Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy.

Fibrinogen decrease after intravenous thrombolysis in ischemic stroke patients is a risk factor for intracerebral hemorrhage.

Abstract: Background Intravenous thrombolysis is an effective treatment in acute stroke patients, but it increases the risk of intracerebral hemorrhages. Our aim is to establish if fibrinogen depletion increases the risk of intracerebral hemorrhage after intravenous thrombolysis for acute ischemic stroke. Methods In 104 ischemic stroke patients, treated with intravenous thrombolysis, we assessed the rate of intracerebral hemorrhages documented by computed tomographic scan at 24 hours and within 7 days post-treatment. Fibrinogen levels were determined at 2 hours after therapy: patients were classified as belonging to “low fibrinogen group” if levels decreased to less than 2 g/L and/or by 25% or more. Fibrinogen levels and other known hemorrhagic risk factors were studied using univariate and multivariate analyses. Results During the first 7 days, an intracerebral hemorrhage was detected in 24 patients (23.1%), and only 6 of these (5.8%) experienced symptomatic bleeding; 41 patients were included in the low fibrinogen group. Among the 24 hemorrhages, 18 occurred in the low fibrinogen group and 6 in the “normal fibrinogen group”: the bleeding rate in the low fibrinogen group was significantly higher (43.9%) than that in the normal fibrinogen group (9.5%; odds ratio [OR] 7.43, P P P P = .008). Conclusions An early fibrinogen reduction seems to increase the risk of intracerebral hemorrhage after rtPA treatment in ischemic stroke. Fibrinogen assessment could be a rapid, inexpensive, and widely available tool to help the identification of patients at higher risk of bleeding.

Systematic GIS-based landslide inventory as the first step for effective landslide-hazard management

Abstract: The purpose of the so-called IFFI project (Inventario dei Fenomeni Franosi in Italia—Inventory of Landslides in Italy) and of many other related activities carried out by the Centro Regionale per le Ricerche Territoriali e Geologiche of ARPA Piemonte (Agenzia Regionale per la Protezione Ambientale—Regional Agency for Environmental Protection), is to map all the existing landslides in Piemonte (including both results of monitoring data and available historical data). ARPA carried out new systematic surveys using airphoto interpretation and created a specific alphanumeric geological information systems (GIS)-based database to store and process all the collected data. In order to obtain proper landslide-hazard zoning, it is necessary to provide a landslide inventory and to define the relationship between landslides and geological setting. A landslide inventory represents a fundamental base of knowledge, is a very basic tool for land planning, and strongly helps the local authorities in their decision making.

Ammonium glycyrrhizinate-loaded niosomes as a potential nanotherapeutic system for anti-inflammatory activity in murine models.

Abstract: Background: Liquorice extracts demonstrate therapeutic efficacy in treating dermatitis, eczema, and psoriasis when compared with corticosteroids. In this work, nonionic surfactant vesicles (niosomes, NSVs) containing polysorbate 20 (Tween 20), cholesterol, and cholesteryl hemisuccinate at different molar concentrations were used to prepare monoammonium glycyrrhizinate (AG)-loaded NSVs. The anti-inflammatory properties of AG-loaded NSVs were investigated in murine models. Methods: The physicochemical properties of the NSVs were characterized using dynamic light scattering. The fluidity of the lipid bilayer was evaluated by measuring the fluorescence intensity of diphenylhexatriene. The drug entrapment efficiency of AG was assessed using highperformance liquid chromatography. The physicochemical stability of the NSVs was evaluated as a function of time using dynamic light scattering combined with Turbiscan Lab ® Expert analysis. Serum stability was determined by incubating the NSVs with 10% v/v fetal bovine serum. The cytotoxic effects of the NSVs were investigated in human dermal fibroblasts using the Trypan blue dye exclusion assay (for cell mortality) and an MTT assay (for cell viability). Release profiles for the AG-loaded NSVs were studied in vitro using cellulose membranes. NSVs showing the most desirable physicochemical properties were selected to test for in vivo anti-inflammatory activity in murine models. The anti-inflammatory activity of the NSVs was investigated by measuring edema and nociception in mice stimulated with chemical agents. Results: NSVs showed favorable physicochemical properties for in vitro and in vivo administration. In addition, they demonstrated long-term stability based on Turbiscan Lab Expert analysis. The membrane fluidity of the NSVs was not affected by self-assembling of the surfactants into colloidal structures. Fluorescence anisotropy was found to be independent of the molar ratios of cholesteryl hemisuccinate and/or cholesterol during preparation of the NSVs. The anti-inflammatory AG drug showed no effect on the s tability of the NSVs. In vivo experiments demonstrated that AG-loaded NSVs decreased edema and nociceptive responses when compared with AG alone and empty NSVs. In vitro and in vivo results demonstrated that

Sources of carbonaceous aerosol in the Amazon basin

Abstract: . The quantification of sources of carbonaceous aerosol is important to understand their atmospheric concentrations and regulating processes and to study possible effects on climate and air quality, in addition to develop mitigation strategies. In the framework of the European Integrated Project on Aerosol Cloud Climate Interactions (EUCAARI) fine (Dp The source apportionment results were employed to evaluate the ability of global chemistry transport models to simulate carbonaceous aerosol sources in a regional tropical background site. The comparison showed an overestimation of elemental carbon (EC) by the TM5 model during the dry season and OC both during the dry and wet periods. The overestimation was likely due to the overestimation of biomass burning emission inventories and SOA production over tropical areas.