AUTOPHAGY, BUT NOT THE UNFOLDED PROTEIN RESPONSE, REGULATES THE EXPRESSION OF IL-23 IN THEGUT OF PATIENTS WITH ANKYLOSING SPONDYLITIS AND SUBCLINICAL GUT INFLAMMATION

Background: IL-23 is a heterodimeric cytokine that has been implicated in the pathogenesis of Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS). High serum and tissue levels for this cytokine have been demonstrated in AS and correlated with entheseal inflammation but the mechanisms responsible for its over-expression are currently not clear. Objectives: The aim of the study was to clarify the immunological mechanisms underlying the increased IL-23 expression in the gut of AS patients. Methods: Consecutive gut biopsies from 20 HLA-B27+ AS patients and 10 normal subjects were considered for the present study. The occurrence of HLA-B27 misfolding was studied by assessing the co-localization of HLA-B heavy chains (H…

L’INFORMAZIONE E LA FORMAZIONE DEL SANITARIO NELLE INFEZIONI NOSOCOMIALI: LA NOSTRA ESPERIENZA

Gli Autori riportano i risultati ottenuti dalla somministrazione di un questionario, nel contesto siciliano dei Policlinici Universitari di Palermo e Messina, a sanitari operanti nel campo della terapia intensiva, selezionando e analizzando i quesiti maggiormente implicati nelle tematiche inerenti il clinical risk management delle IN, individuandone specifiche carenze a carico dei singoli professionisti e della struttura ospedaliera. È stato evidenziato che, sebbene siano già presenti specifici protocolli, nonché linee guida in materia, essi non trovano ancora un adeguato spazio nella realtà quotidiana di gestione del malato a causa di una generale inadeguatezza dell’informazione e della fo…

Decolonial Thinking and Refugees’ Stories. The Queens of Syria Documentary (2014)

As an important stimulus for the international mushrooming of artistic creativity in public spaces, counter narratives by displaced people are contributing to the reframing of the political and sociolinguistic contemporary framework, where migrant identities are fighting to gain a voice. A counter wave of audiovisual productions based on aesthetic discourse has emerged within territories that seem to be losing their humanity with respect to migration issues, and seem to publicly reinforce forms of spectacularisation. Against a backdrop of international political conflict, where migrants and dispossessed refugees are nameless and cannot speak, visual and performative arts have taken on a dec…

Lowering the radioactivity of the photomultiplier tubes for the XENON1T dark matter experiment

The low-background, VUV-sensitive 3-inch diameter photomultiplier tube R11410 has been developed by Hamamatsu for dark matter direct detection experiments using liquid xenon as the target material. We present the results from the joint effort between the XENON collaboration and the Hamamatsu company to produce a highly radio-pure photosensor (version R11410-21) for the XENON1T dark matter experiment. After introducing the photosensor and its components, we show the methods and results of the radioactive contamination measurements of the individual materials employed in the photomultiplier production. We then discuss the adopted strategies to reduce the radioactivity of the various PMT versi…

The Role of the Creative Industries: Translating Identities on Stages and Visuals

Drawing on research on narrative theory (Baker, 2006, 2014) in translation and interpretation studies, on the interdisciplinary relationship between translation studies and the visual and performing arts, and on the principal diversities between media discourse representations and aesthetic constructions on the topic of the migration crisis, this study addresses the issue of transferring cultural difference and language diversity within public and digital spaces through the telling and visualization of authentic stories belonging to migrant people, which contribute to the reversal of anti-refugee media discourses. Against the lens of a political reframing of migrant communities in the arts,…

Acute myeloid leukemia in Italian patients with multiple sclerosis treated with mitoxantrone

none 25 no Abstract OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the incidence and dose-dependency of mitoxantrone (MTX)-associated acute myelocytic leukemia (AML) in the network of Italian multiple sclerosis (MS) clinics. METHODS: We performed a multicenter retrospective cohort study of patients treated with MTX in MS centers under the Italian national health care system between 1998 and 2008. Demographic, disease, treatment, and follow-up information were collected using hospital records. RESULTS: Data were available for 3,220 patients (63% women) from 40 Italian centers. Follow-up (mean ± SD) was 49 ± 29 months (range 12-140 months). We observed 30 cases of AML (incidence 0.93% [95% confidence interval 0.60%…

Being in the Past and Perform the Future in a Virtual World: VR Applications to Assess and Enhance Episodic and Prospective Memory in Normal and Pathological Aging

The process of aging commonly features a gradual deterioration in cognitive performance and, in particular, the decline of memory. Despite the increased longevity of the world's population, the prevalence of neurodegenerative conditions, such as dementia, continues to be a major burden on public health, and consequently, the latest research has been focused on memory and aging. Currently, the failure of episodic and Prospective memory (PM) is one of the main complaints in the elderly, considered among the early symptoms of dementia. It is therefore increasingly important to define more clearly the boundaries between normal and pathological aging. Recently, researchers have begun to build an…

Randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial of acetyl-L-carnitine for ALS.

Our objective was to assess the effects of acetyl-L-carnitine (ALC) with riluzole on disability and mortality of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Definite/probable ALS patients, 40-70 years of age, duration 6-24 months, self-sufficient (i.e. able to swallow, cut food/handle utensils, and walk), and with forced vital capacity (FVC) > 80% entered a pilot double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel group trial and were followed for 48 weeks. ALC or placebo 3 g/day was added to riluzole 100 mg/day. Primary endpoint: number of patients no longer self-sufficient. Secondary endpoints: changes in ALSFRS-R, MRC, FVC and McGill Quality of Life (QoL) scores. Analysis was made in the intention-to-tr…

Mantle-derived fluids in Central Mediterranean: Geochemical and geophysical constrains on sources of fluids and migration

The geodynamics of the central Mediterranean is characterized by the interaction between the European plate and the African’s. In this setting Sicily is a sector of the Appenine-Maghrebide accretionary prism, which is located between two areas affected by extensional tectonics (Sicily Channel to the south and the Thyrrenian back arc basin to the north). Significant mantle-derived helium (0.4<R/Ra<2.8; R=3He/4He in the sample, Ra in atmosphere) is found in the CH4 and N2-CO2 rich fluids released in central western Sicily, a region without evidence of recent magmatism. CH4- dominated gases are released from mud volcanoes localized in an area of both low heat flow and seismicity. On the contra…

Clinical risk management delle infezioni nosocomiali: profili di responsabilità

L’oggetto del rapporto obbligatorio tra paziente e struttura sanitaria rientra nella complessa prestazione di assistenza sanitaria. Il rapporto, nonché la responsabilità, tra ospedale e paziente, è di natura contrattuale e ad esso si fa riferimento sia in caso di inadempimento delle obbligazioni direttamente a carico della struttura (ex art. 1218 c.c.), sia in caso Di inadempimento delle prestazioni medico-professionale del sanitario (ex art. 1228 c.c.). Un’obbligazione importante a cui risponde la struttura ospedaliera è quella di garantire l’utilizzo di locali idonei sotto il profilo igienico, in quanto essa è l’ente responsabile delle infezioni nosocomiali dovute ad agenti patogeni event…

Accessibilità e contronarrazione al Sole Luna Doc Festival. Sottotitolare le storie dei documentari

This work is placed in the context of studies on the accessibility of audiovisual products in the realm of independent cinema, with its ability to provide access to social, cultural, historical and political truths, and also in the context of studies on audiovisual translation as an instrument providing access to audiences with specific and general disabilities, and to audiences with normal hearing. Against the backdrop of documentary festivals and, in particular, within the framework of the Sole Luna Doc Film Festival, scrutiny is placed on interlingual subtitling (also for the deaf and hard of hearing) as the most frequently used and disseminated practice. The three dominant languages are…

Mantle-derived helium in sedimentary basins of Central Mediterranean:Geologic and tectonic constrains on fluids accumulation and migration.

The geodynamics of the central Mediterranean is characterized by the interaction between the European plate and the African one. In this setting Sicily is a sector of the Appenine-Maghrebide accretionary prism, which is located between two areas affected by extensional tectonics (Sicily Channel to the south and the Thyrrenian back arc basin to the north). In the present study we present the first dataset of helium isotopic composition measured in fluids released from the central-western Sicily.With the aim to constrain the transfer system of fluids in this area we relate the results of geochemical investigations with the stratigraphy and structural setting, derived from field geology, deep …

Utility of post mortem MRI in definition of thrombus in aneurismatic coronary arteries due to incomplete Kawasaki Disease in infants

Abstract Kawasaki disease (KD) is an acute, self-limited vasculitis of unknown etiology that primarily affects the coronary artery (CA) and presents in childhood. The characteristic coronary arterial lesion is an aneurysm, which may lead to thrombosis, dilatation, stenosis, and occlusion. Such an aneurysm is typically calcified and generally develops five or more years after the onset of acute KD. It becomes more noticeable after ten years. KD is sometimes difficult to diagnose because of the limited clinical features, especially in infants younger than 6 months old, where the clinical presentations often do not fulfill the diagnostic criteria for KD. We report a case of Incomplete Kawasaki…

Dal paternalismo ippocratico alla medicina difensiva: Eticità del consenso informato in psichiatria

La figura del medico nella storia ha attraversato il tempo e le criticità culturali determinando l’evoluzione della scelta terapeutica nella pratica clinica del quotidiano. Il tema del rapporto medico paziente è un tema classico, che vede la contrapposizione, in sintesi, fra tre distinti modelli: un modello tutorio paternalistico, che è il modello classico, risalente alla tradizione ippocratica e cattolica, improntato sulla figura del medico benefattore e onnidecidente; un modello basato sul moderno concetto di alleanza terapeutica e un modello incentrato sulla piena libertà di autodeterminazione del malato e sulla concezione personalistica dei diritti del paziente1. Se scaviamo all’origine…

Elemental and isotope covariation of noble gases in olivines and pyroxenes from Etnean volcanics erupted during 2001-2005, and genetic relation with peripheral gas discharges. Implication for volcanic surveillance.

Sulphur behaviour in Etnean magmatic system (Italy

Sulfur is an essential volatile component of basaltic magmas and it is mostly dissolved as S6+ and/or S2- depending on the redox conditions. Mt. Etna continuously discharges enormous quantity of SO2 (~3563 t/d [1]). However these high flows are not fully understood in terms of S origin (magmatic or crustal) and of its behavior during magmatic evolution (fractional crystallization, magma mixing, vapor/melt fractionation [2]). Our research combines the study of sulfur in natural olivine hosted melt inclusions with an experimental study on S solubility in hydrous alkali basalts at magmatic conditions. We report new data of S in melt inclusions, belonging to six of the most characteristic Etnea…

Un caso di disfonia severa provocata da una lesione monolaterale iatrogena del nervo laringeo ricorrente Considerazioni medicolegali

di un intervento di emitiroidectomia, a causa di una lesione del nervo laringeo ricorrente di sinistra, riferibile ad una condotta colposa del chirurgo. Vengono considerati i risvolti medicolegali, porgendo particolare attenzione alla questione relativa al risarcimento cui l’operatore sanitario è obbligato, nei confronti del soggetto danneggiato. Tale compenso è stabilito in rapporto alla menomazione della funzione fonatoria subita dalla persona lesa e, pertanto, si riferisce non solo all’alterazione dell’integrità psicofisica e alle eventuali ripercussioni esistenziali che una tale condizione può determinare sulla qualità della vita, ma finanche alle conseguenze economicamente valutabili d…

Italian multicentric survey on laparoscopic spleen surgery in the pediatric population.

Abstract Background: Some technical aspects of laparoscopic spleen surgery still are debated, although efforts have been made to standardize them. The position of the patient, the approach to the spleen, vessel identification and division, and spleen extraction can vary from center to center. Methods: This retrospective muticentric study led by the Societa` Italiana di Videochirurgia Infantile (SIVI) examined indications, surgical details, and complications of laparoscopic spleen surgery in the pediatric population during a 5-year period. Results: The study period from January 1999 to December 2003 (5 years) involved nine centers and included 85 patients with a mean age of 10 years (range, …

A two-component mantle below Mt Etna volcano: evidences from noble gas and trace element geochemistry of primitive products

A general geochemical study comprehensive of major elements, trace elements and Sr-Nd isotopes in the bulk rock, coupled to noble gases analyses from fluid inclusions retained in minerals, was performed. The studied samples ( basalts, trachybasalts and basanites) represent some among the most primitive products of Etnean history. The variable composition measured in trace elements (i.e. Zr/Nb=2.81–4.98, Ce/Yb=35.02–66.90, La/Yb=15.36–35.52, Th/Y=0.17–0.43) was modeled as due to varying degrees of melting of a common mantle source. We numerically simulated the process by MELTS code to calculate a melting percentage for each product, and we accordingly estimated the pristine trace-elements co…

A two-component mantle extending from Hyblean Plateau to Mt Etna (Eastern Sicily) as inferred by an integrated approach with noble gases, trace elements and isotope geochemistry.

We carried out a geochemical investigation of the mantle beneath Hyblean and Etnean area through ultramafic xenoliths (peridotites and pyroxenites) retained in Miocenic age Hyblean volcanics and primitive Etnean lavas and tephra, respectively. Major and trace elements and Sr-Nd isotopes (whole rock and /or minerals) were analysed together with noble gases entrapped in fluid inclusions hosted in olivines and pyroxenes phenocrysts. The geochemical results from Hyblean xenoliths study highlighted the presence of two distinct compositional groups: the peridotites, featured by a more enriched geochemical fingerprint (3He/4He ∼7 Ra, 143Nd/144Nd ∼0.5129 and Zr/Nb ∼ 4) whereas the pyroxenites, char…

The search for Muon neutrinos from northern hemisphere gamma-ray bursts with AMANDA

We present the results of the analysis of neutrino observations by the Antarctic Muon and Neutrino Detector Array (AMANDA) correlated with photon observations of more than 400 gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) in the Northern Hemisphere from 1997 to 2003. During this time period, AMANDA's effective collection area for muon neutrinos was larger than that of any other existing detector. Based on our observations of zero neutrinos during and immediately prior to the GRBs in the dataset, we set the most stringent upper limit on muon neutrino emission correlated with gamma-ray bursts. Assuming a Waxman-Bahcall spectrum and incorporating all systematic uncertainties, our flux upper limit has a normalizatio…

Intersociety policy statement on the use of whole-exome sequencing in the critically ill newborn infant.

Abstract The rapid advancement of next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology and the decrease in costs for whole-exome sequencing (WES) and whole-genome sequening (WGS), has prompted its clinical application in several fields of medicine. Currently, there are no specific guidelines for the use of NGS in the field of neonatal medicine and in the diagnosis of genetic diseases in critically ill newborn infants. As a consequence, NGS may be underused with reduced diagnostic success rate, or overused, with increased costs for the healthcare system. Most genetic diseases may be already expressed during the neonatal age, but their identification may be complicated by nonspecific presentation, esp…

Effect of body weight on the volume of distribution of theophylline.

The volume of distribution (Vd) of theophylline and the relevant aminophylline loading dose (LD) are usually calculated on the basis of total body weight (TBW). In obese subjects it has been suggested that lean or ideal body weight (IBW) is the best predictor. In a sample of 40 acutely ill asthmatic patients (aged 22 to 78 yr, weighing 45 to 176 kg) we measured Vd and found that (1) it increases with TBW, (2) it cannot be accurately predicted from either TBW or IBW alone by a simple regression analysis. Power functions have been usefully applied in comparing the pharmacokinetics of animal species, including humans, with different body mass. In our sample, data were best fitted by the equati…

Expansion of intestinal CD4+CD25(high) Treg cells in patients with ankylosing spondylitis: a putative role for interleukin-10 in preventing intestinal Th17 response

Objective: subclinical gut inflammation has been demonstrated in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients. Aim of this study was to determine the frequency of regulatory CD4+CD25high T cells (Treg), and to evaluate Treg-related cytokines (IL-2, TGF-β, IL-10), and transcription factors (FOXP3 and STAT5) in the ileum of AS patients. Methods: Quantitative gene expression analysis, by rt-PCR, of Treg-related cytokines (IL-2, TGF-β, IL-10) and transcription factor (STAT-5 and FOXP3) was performed on ileal biopsies of 18 AS and 15 active Crohn’s disease (CD) patients, and 15 healthy subjects (HS). Tissue and circulating Treg cells were also analyzed by flow cytometry. Results: A significant up-regula…