ABSTRACT
Polymer-modified bitumens are usually employed for enhancing the mixture performance against typical pavement distresses. This paper presents an experimental investigation of bitumens added with two plastomeric compounds, containing recycled plastics and graphene, typically used for asphalt concrete dry modification. The goal was to study the effects of the compounds on the rheological response of the binder phase, as well the adhesion properties, in comparison with a reference plain bitumen. The blends (combination of bitumen and compounds) were evaluated through dynamic viscosity tests, frequency sweep tests, and multiple stress creep recovery (MSCR) tests. Moreover, the bitumen bond strength (BBS) test was performed to investigate the behavior of the systems consisting of blends and aggregate substrates (virgin and pre-coated). The rheological tests indicated that both blends performed better than the plain bitumen, especially at high temperature, showing an enhanced rutting resistance. In terms of bond strength, comparable results were found between the blends and reference bitumen. Moreover, no performance differences were detected between the two types of blends.
ABSTRACT
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on psychosis remains to be established. Here we report 6 cases (3 male and 3 female) of first-episode psychosis (FEP) admitted to our hospital in the second month of national lockdown. All patients underwent routine laboratory tests and a standardized assessment of psychopathology. Hospitalization was required due to the severity of behavioral abnormalities in the context of a full-blown psychosis (the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale [BPRS] = 75.8 ± 14.6). Blood tests, toxicological urine screening, and brain imaging were unremarkable, with the exception of a mild cortical atrophy in the eldest patient (male, 73 years). All patients were negative for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) throughout their stay, but 3 presented the somatic delusion of being infected. Of note, all 6 cases had religious/spiritual delusions and hallucinatory contents. Despite a generally advanced age (53.3 ± 15.6), all patients had a negative psychiatric history. Rapid discharge (length of stay = 13.8 ± 6.9) with remission of symptoms (BPRS = 27.5 ± 3.1) and satisfactory insight were possible after relatively low-dose antipsychotic treatment (Olanzapine-equivalents = 10.1 ± 5.1 mg). Brief psychotic disorder/acute and transient psychotic disorder diagnoses were confirmed during follow-up visits in all 6 cases. The youngest patient (female, 23 years) also satisfied the available criteria for brief limited intermittent psychotic symptoms. Although research on larger populations is necessary, our preliminary observation suggests that intense psychosocial stress associated with a novel, potentially fatal disease and national lockdown restrictions might be a trigger for FEP.
Subject(s)
COVID-19/prevention & control , Communicable Disease Control , Delusions , Hallucinations , Psychotic Disorders , Stress, Psychological/complications , Adult , Aged , Antipsychotic Agents/administration & dosage , Delusions/diagnosis , Delusions/drug therapy , Delusions/etiology , Female , Follow-Up Studies , Hallucinations/diagnosis , Hallucinations/drug therapy , Hallucinations/etiology , Humans , Italy , Male , Middle Aged , Psychotic Disorders/diagnosis , Psychotic Disorders/drug therapy , Psychotic Disorders/etiology , Remission Induction , Time Factors , Young AdultABSTRACT
Justificativa e objetivos - A ropivacaína, anestésico local amino amida, é um enanitômero S puro, o que confere à droga alta potência e baixa toxicidade. A proposta de nosso estudo foi avaliar o comportamento do bloqueio peridural com ropivacaína a 1 por cento em volumes menores que aqueles descritos na literatura. Método - foram selecionados 38 pacientes, estado físico ASA I e II, com idades entre 15 e 70 anos e peso de 50 a 100 kg. A medicaçäo pré-anestésica foi midazolam, (15 mg) por via oral, 60 minutos antes da anestesia. Na sala cirúrgica, após a monitorizaçäo, os pacientes recebiam infusäo venosa de 10 ml.kg elevado a menos 1 de soluçäo de Ringer com lactato. Realizava-se a punçäo peridural com o paciente na posiçäo sentada e administrava-se ropivacaína a 1 por cento em volume correspondente a 10 por cento de sua altura em centímetros. Eram entäo colocados em decúbito dorsal horizontal e avaliadas a intensidade do bloqueio motor e a extensäo dos bloqueios sensitivos e térmico, 1, 3, 5, 7, 10, 15, 20 e 30 minutos após a injeçäo da droga. Também foram observados a pressäo arterial, a frequência cardíaca e os efeitos colaterais decorrentes da técnica no per e pós-anestésico imediato e na visita pós-anestésica. Na sala de recuperaçäo pós- anestésica os pacientes foram acompanhados até a reversäo total do bloqueio motor e regressäo do bloqueio sensitivo e térmico até o nível L2. Resultados - A idade média foi de 41,4 anos, o peso 68,8 kg e a altura 165 cm. O nível superior de bloqueio térmico foi T4 e sensitivo, T6. A maioria dos pacientes apresentou bloqueio motor grau 1 (Bromage) ao final dos 30 minutos de observaçäo. A duraçäo média do bloqueio motor foi de 254 min e do térmico e sensitivo 426 min. Apenas três pacientes apresentaram complicaçöes, sendo dois casos de hipotensäo arterial e um de bradicardia. Conclusöes - Nos volumes utilizados neste estudo, a ropivacaína promoveu adequado nível de analgesia, bloqueio motor de membros inferiores pouco intenso, porém suficiente para realizaçäo dos procedimentos cirúrgicos propostos e baixa incidência de efeitos colaterais
