Giuseppe Alaimo

Noninvasive assessment of liver fibrosis in thalassaemia major patients by transient elastography (TE) – lack of interference by iron deposition

The correlation between liver stiffness, measured by transient elastography, liver fibrosis, using the histological METAVIR score, and iron overload, measured by atomic absorption spectrometry was evaluated in 56 homozygous‐β‐thalassaemics. Liver stiffness increased proportionally to liver fibrosis staging (r = 0·70; P > 0·001) independently of liver iron concentration (r = 0·01; P = 0·932). The area under the receiver‐operating characteristic curve for prediction of cirrhosis was 0·997 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0·925–1·000) with cut‐off of 13 kPa with 100% sensitivity (95% CI: 69·0–100·0) and 95% specificity (95% CI: 84·2–99·3). Transient elastography is a reliable non‐invasive tool for diagnosing advanced liver fibrosis in homozygous‐β‐thalassaemics, regardless of the degree of iron overload.

High‐dose prolonged combination therapy in non‐responders to interferon monotherapy for chronic hepatitis C

Therapy of chronic hepatitis C non‐ responders to interferon monotherapy with standard doses of interferon plus ribavirin is usually ineffective.

Service Life of Cementitious Photocatalytic Paints Newly Formulated

The use of photocatalytic products for surface coating of buildings contributes to the sustainability of building interventions, due to the reduction of some atmospheric pollutants and self-cleaning attitude. The world market produces a wide range of coatings, applied in limited thickness, transparent and opaque, high initial performance, although data on their durability are still missing. The knowledge of the performance over time of such innovative products is necessary according to the new EU Regulation No. 305/2011, which introduced for construction works, the seventh requirement on their sustainability and particularly their durability. The study concerns the evaluation of the durability of white photocatalytic paint, TX Active® cement-based. The methodology is based on ISO 15686 and consists in monitoring the most significant selected parameters, during laboratory accelerated aging tests and natural environment exposure. Measured performance were the morphological appearance of the surface, the photocatalytic activity and the color. The results obtained demonstrate the efficiency in time and the maintenance of performance of the photocatalytic paint, above limits defined by standards and conservation of color.

Innovative Siloxane Coating Formulations: The Experimental Assessment of the Durability of Colour

Maintenance programming of civil and industrial buildings is a relevant problem, especially in a global situation where natural resources are increasingly limited. Accurately knowing the durability of building products and components, essential for a sustainable use of resources, becomes more and more important after the recent 18 January 2011 resolution of the European Parliament, which introduced the seventh requirement on construction products, specifically regarding the sustainability and therefore the durability of such. This study concerns the evaluation of the durability of some innovative coatings based on acrylic-siloxane resins containing several pigments, used for building external decorative finishing, applied in thin thickness and of different basic components. The parameters investigated are: the surface appearance and the maintenance of the original colour, significant for the aesthetic quality of the architecture. The paper presents the first results of the experimental study on coating materials, produced by Hydrate Ltd, performed according to ISO 15686, aimed at defining the Reference Service Life, by monitoring the behaviour over time of artificially aged samples in the climatic chamber and external exposed samples, as well as the monitoring of a case study.