RICERCA DI MICROMETASTASI LINFONODALI IN PAZIENTI CON NSCLC. ANALISI MOLECOLARE DEL CEA MRNA MEDIANTE REAL TIME RT-PCR E VALUTAZIONE DEL SUO VALORE PROGNOSTICO

Malignant tumors of epithelial are the most frequent category of malignancy, and are a major cause of death in developed countries. The most common diseases are those involving cancers of the respiratory system. The more aggressiveis form is represented by non-small cell carcinomas (NSCLC). The RT-PCR has greater sensitivity in identifying lymph node micrometastases, while also achieving a higher specificity if it is carried out to quantify the target of interest by Real Time PCR. Leveraging the versatility of CEA mRNA as a marker for lymph node micrometastases, it was decided to develop a system of quantification in real-time PCR able to: obtain a high sensitivity/specificity; lead to a speeding up of diagnostic time and the detection of the disease in its early stage; allow you to customize and improve the quality of care and outcome in advanced stage. Considering separately patients histologically N0, N1 and N2 were obtained the following results: 15 of 58 histologically N0 patients were positive for the molecular investigation, obtaining a P <0.05%; 7 of 10 histologically N1 patients were positive to molecular analysis, obtaining a P <0.05%; 13 histologically N2 patients of 13 were positive to molecular analysis, showing a 100% concordance between the two diagnostic methods. The molecular analysis has allowed the restaging of 21 patients: 5 N0 patients were restaging N1, 10 N0 patients were restaging N2 and 6 N1 patients with stage N1 were restaging N2

Suitability of short-period sensors for retrieving reliable H/V peaks for frequencies less than 1 Hz

Using three different short-period electromagnetic sensors with resonant frequencies of 1 Hz (Mark L4C-3D), 2 Hz (Mark L-22D), and 4.5 Hz (I/O SM-6), coupled with three digital acquisition system, the PDAS Teledyne Geotech, the REFTEK 72A, and the Earth Data Logger PR6-24 (EDL), the effect of the seismic instruments on the horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratio (H/V) using seismic noise for frequencies less than 1 Hz has been evaluated. For all possible sensors - acquisition system pairs, the background seismic signal and instrumental self-noise power spectral densities have been calculated and compared. The results obtained when coupling the short-period sensors with different acquisition systems show that the performance of the considered instruments at frequencies < 1 Hz strongly depends upon the sensor-acquisition system combination and the gain used, with the best performance obtained for sensors with the lowest resonance frequency. For all acquisition systems, it was possible to retrieve correctly the H/V peak down to 0.1-0.2 Hz by using a high gain and a 1 Hz sensor. In contrast, biased H/V spectral ratios were retrieved when low-gain values were considered. Particular care is required when using 4.5 Hz sensors since they may not even allow the fundamental resonance frequency peak to be reproduce

Bioactive Phenolic Compounds From Agri-Food Wastes : An Update on Green and Sustainable Extraction Methodologies

Phenolic compounds are broadly represented in plant kingdom, and their occurrence in easily accessible low-cost sources like wastes from agri-food processing have led in the last decade to an increase of interest in their recovery and further exploitation. Indeed, most of these compounds are endowed with beneficial properties to human health (e.g., in the prevention of cancer and cardiovascular diseases), that may be largely ascribed to their potent antioxidant and scavenging activity against reactive oxygen species generated in settings of oxidative stress and responsible for the onset of several inflammatory and degenerative diseases. Apart from their use as food supplements or as additives in functional foods, natural phenolic compounds have become increasingly attractive also from a technological point of view, due to their possible exploitation in materials science. Several extraction methodologies have been reported for the recovery of phenolic compounds from agri-food wastes mostly based on the use of organic solvents such as methanol, ethanol, or acetone. However, there is an increasing need for green and sustainable approaches leading to phenolic-rich extracts with low environmental impact. This review addresses the most promising and innovative methodologies for the recovery of functional phenolic compounds from waste materials that have appeared in the recent literature. In particular, extraction procedures based on the use of green technologies (supercritical fluid, microwaves, ultrasounds) as well as of green solvents such as deep eutectic solvents (DES) are surveyed

A study of microbial communities on terracotta separator and on biocathode of air breathing microbial fuel cells

Recently, terracotta has attracted interest as low-cost and biocompatible material to build separators in microbial fuel cells (MFCs). However, the influence of a non-conductive material like terracotta on electroactive microbiological communities remains substantially unexplored. This study aims at describing the microbial pools developed from two different seed inocula (bovine and swine sewage) in terracotta-based air-breathing MFC. A statistical approach on microbiological data confirmed different community enrichment in the MFCs, depending mainly on the inoculum. Terracotta separators impeded the growth of electroactive communities in contact with cathodes (biocathodes), while a thick biofilm was observed on the surface (anolyte-side) of the terracotta separator. Terracotta-free MFCs, set as control experiments, showed a well-developed biocathode, Biocathode-MFCs resulted in 4 to 6-fold higher power densities. All biofilms were analyzed by high-throughput Illumina sequencing applied to 16S rRNA gene. The results showed more abundant (3- to 5-fold) electroactive genera (mainly Geobacter, Pseudomonas, Desulfuromonas and Clostridia MBA03) in terracotta-free biocathodes. Nevertheless, terracotta separators induced only slight changes in anodic microbial communities

Suitability of short-period sensors for retrieving reliable H/V peaks for frequencies less than 1 Hz

Using three different short-period electromagnetic sensors with resonant frequencies of 1 Hz (Mark L4C-3D), 2 Hz (Mark L-22D), and 4.5 Hz (I/O SM-6), coupled with three digital acquisition system, the PDAS Teledyne Geotech, the REFTEK 72A, and the Earth Data Logger PR6-24 (EDL), the effect of the seismic instruments on the horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratio (H/V) using seismic noise for frequencies less than 1 Hz has been evaluated. For all possible sensors - acquisition system pairs, the background seismic signal and instrumental self-noise power spectral densities have been calculated and compared. The results obtained when coupling the short-period sensors with different acquisition systems show that the performance of the considered instruments at frequencies < 1 Hz strongly depends upon the sensor-acquisition system combination and the gain used, with the best performance obtained for sensors with the lowest resonance frequency. For all acquisition systems, it was possible to retrieve correctly the H/V peak down to 0.1-0.2 Hz by using a high gain and a 1 Hz sensor. In contrast, biased H/V spectral ratios were retrieved when low-gain values were considered. Particular care is required when using 4.5 Hz sensors since they may not even allow the fundamental resonance frequency peak to be reproduce

Comunità microbica associata a Hyalesthes obsoletus Signoret, vettore del Legno nero della vite

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Empirical H/V spectral ratios estimated in two deep sedimentary basins using microseisms recorded by short-period seismometers

In this work, we analyse continuous measurements of microseisms to assess the reliability of the fundamental resonance frequency estimated by means of the horizontal-to-vertical (H/V) spectral ratio within the 0.1–1 Hz frequency range, using short-period sensors (natural period of 1 s). We apply the H/V technique to recordings of stations installed in two alluvial basins with different sedimentary cover thicknesses—the Lower Rhine Embayment (Germany) and the Gubbio Plain (Central Italy). The spectral ratios are estimated over the time–frequency domain, and we discuss the reliability of the results considering both the variability of the microseism activity and the amplitude of the instrumental noise. We show that microseisms measured by short period sensors allow the retrieval of fundamental resonance frequencies greater than about 0.1–0.2 Hz, with this lower frequency bound depending on the relative amplitude of themicroseism signal and the self-noise of the instruments. In particular,we show an examplewhere the considered short-period sensor is connected to instruments characterized by an instrumental noise level which allows detecting only fundamental frequencies greater than about 0.4 Hz. Since the frequency at which the peak of the H/V spectral ratio is biased depends upon the seismic signal-to-instrument noise ratio, the power spectral amplitude of instrumental self-noise should be always considered when interpreting the frequency of the peak as the fundamental resonance frequency of the investigated site

Incorporating a mucosal environment in a dynamic gut model results in a more representative colonization by lactobacilli

To avoid detrimental interactions with intestinal microbes, the human epithelium is covered with a protective mucus layer that traps host defence molecules. Microbial properties such as adhesion to mucus further result in a unique mucosal microbiota with a great potential to interact with the host. As mucosal microbes are difficult to study in vivo, we incorporated mucin-covered microcosms in a dynamic in vitro gut model, the simulator of the human intestinal microbial ecosystem (SHIME). We assessed the importance of the mucosal environment in this M-SHIME (mucosal-SHIME) for the colonization of lactobacilli, a group for which the mucus binding domain was recently discovered. Whereas the two dominant resident Lactobacilli, Lactobacillus mucosae and Pediococcus acidilactici, were both present in the lumen, L. mucosae was strongly enriched in mucus. As a possible explanation, the gene encoding a mucus binding (mub) protein was detected by PCR in L. mucosae. Also the strongly adherent Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) specifically colonized mucus upon inoculation. Short-term assays confirmed the strong mucin-binding of both L. mucosae and LGG compared with P. acidilactici. The mucosal environment also increased long-term colonization of L. mucosae and enhanced its stability upon antibiotic treatment (tetracycline, amoxicillin and ciprofloxacin). Incorporating a mucosal environment thus allowed colonization of specific microbes such as L. mucosae and LGG, in correspondence with the in vivo situation. This may lead to more in vivo-like microbial communities in such dynamic, long-term in vitro simulations and allow the study of the unique mucosal microbiota in health and disease

Recent Advances in the Development of Biomimetic Materials

: In this review, we focused on recent efforts in the design and development of materials with biomimetic properties. Innovative methods promise to emulate cell microenvironments and tissue functions, but many aspects regarding cellular communication, motility, and responsiveness remain to be explained. We photographed the state-of-the-art advancements in biomimetics, and discussed the complexity of a "bottom-up" artificial construction of living systems, with particular highlights on hydrogels, collagen-based composites, surface modifications, and three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting applications. Fast-paced 3D printing and artificial intelligence, nevertheless, collide with reality: How difficult can it be to build reproducible biomimetic materials at a real scale in line with the complexity of living systems? Nowadays, science is in urgent need of bioengineering technologies for the practical use of bioinspired and biomimetics for medicine and clinics

Visual perception and dissociation during Mirror Gazing Test in patients with anorexia nervosa : a preliminary study

Purpose: It has been widely shown that dissociative features might play a fundamental role in producing body image distortions in patients affected by eating disorders. Here, we hypothesize that the Mirror Gazing Test (MGT), a task consisting in mirror exposure in a condition of sensory deprivation, would elicit dissociative symptoms in a group of patients with anorexia nervosa (AN). Methods: Fourteen patients with AN and fourteen healthy controls (HC) underwent a 10&nbsp;min MGT and completed the Strange Face Questionnaire and a short version of the Clinician-Administered Dissociative States Scale, along with a psychological assessment for eating disorders psychopathology, anxiety and depression. Results: AN patients reported a higher number of strange-face apparitions and dissociative sensations than HC during the MGT. Dissociative identity (compartmentalization of two or more identities) and depersonalization (detachment of bodily-self) were much higher in patients with AN than in HC. These findings were correlated with body dissatisfaction and disruption in interoceptive awareness. Conclusion: Dissociation and body image dysfunction are strongly connected in the pathophysiology of anorexia nervosa. Future research should investigate the same aspects in other psychiatric conditions characterized by body image distortions, such as Body Dysmorphic Disorder. Level of evidence: I, Experimental studies