Lenalidomide in the Treatment of Young Patients with Multiple Myeloma: From Induction to Consolidation/Maintenance Therapy

Multiple myeloma is the second most common hematologic malignancy. It accounts for 20,580 new cancer cases in the USA in 2009, including 11,680 cases in men, 8,900 cases in women, and 10,580 deaths overall. Although the disease remains still incurable, outcomes have improved substantially over recent years thanks to the use of high-dose therapy and the availability of novel agents, such as the immunomodulatory drugs thalidomide and lenalidomide, and the proteasome inhibitor bortezomib. Various trials have shown the advantages linked to the use of novel agents in the transplant and not-transplant settings. In particular, this paper will present an overview of the results achieved with lenalidomide-containing combinations in patients eligible for high-dose therapies, namely, young patients. The advantages obtained should always be outweighed with the toxicity profile associated with the regimen used. Therefore, here, we will also provide a description of the main adverse events associated with lenalidomide and its combination

The sit up test to exhaustion as a test for muscular endurance evaluation

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS The aim of this study was to examine the sit up test to exhaustion as a field test for muscular endurance evaluation in a sample of sedentary people of both sexes. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was performed. Three-hundred-eighty-one participants volunteered for the study (28.5 \ub1 10.0 years; 168.2 \ub1 8.9 cm; 65.1 \ub1 11.1 kg), of which 194 males (27.5 \ub1 10.2 years; 173.6 \ub1 7.0 cm; 71.2 \ub1 5.2 kg) and 187 females (29.6 \ub1 10.1 years; 162.6 \ub1 7.1 cm; 58.7 \ub1 8.9 kg). Each subject voluntarily and randomly performed: a sit up test (SUT), a push up test (PUT), and a free weight squat test (ST), all till exhaustion. A multiple regression analysis was adopted for data analysis. Subsequently a percentile model for muscle endurance was developed. The 25th, 50th, and 75th percentile were identified as upper limit for low muscular endurance, average muscular endurance, and lower limit for high muscular endurance, respectively. RESULTS: Considering the sit up test as the dependent variable, the coefficients (R(2) = 0.23; r = 0.49; p < 0.001), and (R(2) = 0.31; r = 0.57; p < 0.001) emerged from a multiple regression analysis applied with respect to the push up test and the squat test, respectively. Gender stratification showed regression coefficients of (R(2) = 0.19; r = 0.44; p < 0.001) for SUT vs. PUT, and (R(2) = 0.30; r = 0.56; p < 0.001) for SUT vs. ST in male; and (R(2) = 0.23; r = 0.49; p < 0.001) for SUT vs. PUT, and (R(2) = 0.34; r = 0.59; p < 0.001) for SUT vs. ST in female. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: The SUT showed low inter-relation with the other proposed tests indicating that the adoption of a single test for the global evaluation of muscle endurance is not the optimal approach. Moreover, the SUT was found to be inexpensive, safe, and appropriate for core muscle endurance measurement for both male and female

CARTOGRAPY IN THE EXPLOITATION OF NATURAL AND CULTURAL HERITAGE: 3D LASER SCANNER APPLICATIONS

La presente proposta è relativa all’utilizzo dei rilievi Laser Scanner 3D per la valorizzazione dei beni culturali e naturali. Alla base di ogni intervento volto alla valorizzazione dei beni culturali e naturali è fondamentale che ci sia un percorso di conoscenza che non sia solo storico-artistico come accade spesso, ma anche attraverso la conoscenza accurata delle sue caratteristiche (posizione, forma, geometria, materia e colore), dettagli fondamentali per tutelare e valorizzare il patrimonio. La tecnologia del laser scanner 3D consente di ottenere risultati di eccellente qualità in tempi relativamente brevi e di intervenire in ambienti complessi laddove altre tecniche mostrano numerosi limiti. L’innovativa metodologia di rilievo rivela la sua efficacia non solo nell’acquisizione e restituzione dei dati, ma soprattutto nella rappresentazione cartografica. Rispetto alle altre tecniche, il rilievo non è parziale ma completo e oggettivo: tutto ciò che è presente nel range di azione del laser scanner 3D viene rilevato senza alcuna distinzione. Il suo impiego risulta, pertanto, essenziale per rilevare e acquisire informazioni su beni particolarmente articolati ed irregolari, su parti inaccessibili o comunque non facilmente raggiungibili (notevoli altezze, presenza di asperità, ecc.), su elementi delicati, evitandone il contatto diretto. In questa nota sono riportati alcuni esempi applicativi della metodologia laser scanner 3D ed il beneficio delle relative informazioni cartografiche attraverso il rilievo di alcuni importanti beni culturali di grande valenza architettonica, storica e naturale quali il, gli ipogei di piazza della città di Matera e di un tratto del torrente Gravina di Matera che intaglia formazioni coerenti determinando suggestivi paesaggi.The present paper deals with the use of the 3D Laser Scanner ion the development of natural and cultural resources. Any intervention pointed to the development of natural and cultural resources needs to learn, besides the fundamental historical and artistic knowledge, some of their characteristics such as location, form, geometrical aspects, material properties and colour, all features that must be considered basic for both the safeguard and the development of the resource itself. The 3D Laser Scanner technology enables to obtain in a short time excellent results and to be active in particular environments where other techniques result to be rather limited. This technique is particularly effective not only in the acquisition and rendering processes, but also in cartographic representation of data. Compared to other technique, the 3D Laser Scanning is complete and objective: everything that is in the activity range of the used instrument is completely registered without any distinction. Ultimately, its use results to be absolutely necessary to survey and collect information in case of quite irregular and articulated structures, of very difficult or completely inaccessible parts and of fragile elements, avoiding the direct contact. Some examples of the use of the 3D Laser Scanner technique are here quoted emphasizing the advantages of the cartographic information as result from the survey of some important cultural resources relevant from architectural, historical and natural points of view, in particular: the Santuario della Palomba, the Vittorio Veneto Square in Matera hypogees, and a part of the Gravina di Matera, a torrent deeply incised in limestones rocks that creates striking sceneries

Information theoretical perspective on the method of Entanglement Witnesses

We frame entanglement detection as a problem of random variable inference to introduce a quantitative method to measure and understand whether entanglement witnesses lead to an efficient procedure for that task. Hence we quantify how many bits of information a family of entanglement witnesses can infer about the entanglement of a given quantum state sample. The bits are computed in terms of the mutual information and we unveil there exists hidden information not \emph{efficiently} processed. We show that there is more information in the expected value of the entanglement witnesses, i.e. $\mathbb{E}[W]=\langle W \rangle_\rho$ than in the sign of $\mathbb{E}[W]$. This suggests that an entanglement witness can provide more information about the entanglement if for our decision boundary we compute a different functional of its expectation value, rather than $\mathrm{sign}\left(\mathbb{E}\right [ W ])$

Investigating the game-related statistics and tactical profile in NCAA division I men’s basketball games

The aim of this study was to analyze the game-related statistics and tactical profile in winning and losing teams in NCAA division I men’s basketball games. Twenty NCAA division I men’s basketball close (score difference: 1-9 points) games were analyzed during the 2013/14 season. For each game, the game-related statistics were collected from the official teams’ box scores. Number of ball possessions, offensive and defensive ratings and the Four Factors (effective field goal percentage; offensive rebounding percentage, recovered balls per ball possession, free throw rate) were also calculated. The tactical parameters evaluated were: ball reversal, dribble in key area, post entry, on-ball screen, off-ball screen, and hand off. Differences between winning and losing teams were calculated using a magnitude-based approach. Winning teams showed a likely higher percentage of 3-point goals made, number of defensive rebounds and steals and a very likely higher number of free throws made and free throws attempted. Furthermore, winning teams showed a likely higher team offensive rating and effective field goal percentage and a very likely higher free throw rate compared to losing teams. Finally, the results revealed a likely higher number of ball reversals and post entries in winning teams compared to losing teams. This study highlighted the game-related statistics and the tactical actions differentiating between winning and losing teams in NCAA Division I men’s basketball close games. Coaches should use these results to optimize their training sessions, focusing on those variables that might increase the possibility to win close games

Heparanase and Renal Fibrosis

n/