An unusual abdominal wall mass in a child

Abdominal tumors are one of the most common types of pediatric cancer. Therefore, they should always be included in the differential diagnosis of abdominal masses. Here, we present the case of a child whose initial hypothesis of diagnosis contemplated this possibility. Later, it was demonstrated that the abdominal mass found was secondary to a common parasitosis. A 2-year old, moderately malnourished and pale white boy was referred with a history of a rapidly growing, well-limited, middle abdominal mass. The mass was 10 by 3 cm, hard and poorly movable, apparently involving both abdominal rectus muscles. A complete resection was performed, revealing an abdominal wall abscess, with intense eosinophilic proliferation, secondary to a local and intense reaction to innumerous Ascaris lumbricoides eggs. Extra luminal infestations with Ascaris, that usually form peritoneal granulomas have been previously described. However, neither external trauma nor fistula, that could explain the superficial presence of the eggs, was found. This description reinforces the relevance of infectious diseases within the differential diagnosis of abdominal masses, particularly in areas with high prevalence of parasitic infestations

Nidogen-1 is a novel extracellular ligand for the NKp44 activating receptor

The release of soluble ligands of activating Natural Killer (NK) cell receptors may represent a regulatory mechanism of NK cell function both in physiologic and in pathologic conditions. Here, we identified the extracellular matrix protein Nidogen-1 (NID1) as a ligand of NKp44, an important activating receptor expressed by activated NK cells. When released as soluble molecule, NID1 regulates NK cell function by modulating NKp44-induced IFN-\u3b3 production or cytotoxicity. In particular, it also modulates IFN-\u3b3 production induced by Platelet-Derived Growth Factor (PDGF)-DD following NKp44 engagement. We also show that NID1 may be present at the cell surface. In this form or when bound to a solid support (bNID1), NID1 fails to induce NK cell cytotoxicity or cytokine release. However, analysis by mass spectrometry revealed that exposure to bNID1 can induce in human NK cells relevant changes in the proteomic profiles suggesting an effect on different biological processes

The MAXXIDUEPERCENTO Competition. An emblematic case of the relationship between public museum - architectural space - work of art

Il MAXXI, Museo Nazionale delle Arti del XXI secolo, è una delle più importanti opere di arte pubblica realizzata e inaugurata negli ultimi anni. Progettata dall’architetto anglo-iracheno Zaha Hadid, selezionata in seguito a un concorso internazionale bandito dal Ministero per i Beni Culturali e assegnato nel 1998, l’opera fu realizzata a partire dal 2000. La volontà di applicare la cosiddetta “legge del 2%” al progetto del Museo MAXXI a Roma diede luogo, tra il 2008 e il 2009, al concorso organizzato e promosso d’intesa tra il Ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali e il Ministero delle Infrastrutture. Giunsero 554 candidature tra le quali la giuria selezionò cinque artisti (Jenny Holzer, Joseph Kosuth, Maurizio Mochetti, Alfredo Pirri, Sislej Xhafa) per un’opera da realizzare nella hall e sei artisti (Piero Golia, Massimo Bartolini, Daniel Buren, Olaf Nicolai, Wilfredo Garcia Prieto, Massimo Grimaldi) per un’opera da destinare allo spazio esterno del museo. Le opere che risultarono vincitrici furono quella di Maurizio Mochetti per la hall, Linee rette di luce nell’Iperspazio curvilineo, e di Massimo Grimaldi per l’esterno del complesso museale, Emergency’s Paediatric Centre in Port Sudan supported by MAXXI. Entrambe le opere sono state installate nel momento in cui il museo MAXXI è stato inaugurato nel maggio del 2010.MAXXI, the National Museum of XXI Century Arts, is one of the most important works of public art created and inaugurated in the most recent years. The project, designed by the Anglo-Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid, was selected following an international competition held by the Ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali It was assigned in 1998 and the work has been realized starting from 2000. To apply the so-called “2% Law” the Ministero delle Infrastrutture and the Ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali promoted a competition which took place between 2008 and 2009. Among the 554 candidacies the jury selected five artists (Jenny Holzer, Joseph Kosuth, Maurizio Mochetti, Alfredo Pirri, SislejXhafa) for a work of art to be realized in the lobby and six artists (Piero Golia, Massimo Bartolini, Daniel Buren, Olaf Nicolai, Wilfredo Garcia Prieto, Massimo Grimaldi) for a work of art to be placed outside the museum. The winners were Maurizio Mochetti who realized for the hall Linee rette di luce nell’Iperspazio curvilineo, and Massimo Grimaldi who created Emergency’s Paediatric Centre in Port Sudan supported by MAXXI for the external area of the museum

Il concorso MAXXIDUEPERCENTO. Un caso emblematico del rapporto museo pubblico-spazio architettonico-opera

Il MAXXI, Museo Nazionale delle Arti del XXI secolo, è una delle più importanti opere di arte pubblica realizzata e inaugurata negli ultimi anni. Progettata dall’architetto anglo-iracheno Zaha Hadid, selezionata in seguito a un concorso internazionale bandito dal Ministero per i Beni Culturali e assegnato nel 1998, l’opera fu realizzata a partire dal 2000. La volontà di applicare la cosiddetta “legge del 2%” al progetto del Museo MAXXI a Roma diede luogo, tra il 2008 e il 2009, al concorso organizzato e promosso d’intesa tra il Ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali e il Ministero delle Infrastrutture. Giunsero 554 candidature tra le quali la giuria selezionò cinque artisti (Jenny Holzer, Joseph Kosuth, Maurizio Mochetti, Alfredo Pirri, Sislej Xhafa) per un’opera da realizzare nella hall e sei artisti (Piero Golia, Massimo Bartolini, Daniel Buren, Olaf Nicolai, Wilfredo Garcia Prieto, Massimo Grimaldi) per un’opera da destinare allo spazio esterno del museo. Le opere che risultarono vincitrici furono quella di Maurizio Mochetti per la hall, Linee rette di luce nell’Iperspazio curvilineo, e di Massimo Grimaldi per l’esterno del complesso museale, Emergency’s Paediatric Centre in Port Sudan supported by MAXXI. Entrambe le opere sono state installate nel momento in cui il museo MAXXI è stato inaugurato nel maggio del 2010

Il concorso MAXXIDUEPERCENTO. Un caso emblematico del rapporto museo pubblico-spazio architettonico-opera

MAXXI, the National Museum of XXI Century Arts, is one of the most important works of public art created and inaugurated in the most recent years. The project, designed by the Anglo-Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid, was selected following an international competition held by the Ministero per i Beni e le Attività CulturaliIt was assigned in 1998 and the work has been realized starting from 2000. To apply the so-called “2% Law” the Ministero delle Infrastrutture and the Ministero per i Beni e le AttivitàCulturali promoted a competition which took place between 2008 and 2009. Among the 554 candidacies the jury selected five artists (Jenny Holzer, Joseph Kosuth, Maurizio Mochetti, Alfredo Pirri, SislejXhafa) for a work of art to be realized in the lobby and six artists (Piero Golia, Massimo Bartolini, Daniel Buren, Olaf Nicolai, Wilfredo Garcia Prieto, Massimo Grimaldi) for a work of art to be placed outside the museum. The winners were Maurizio Mochetti who realized for the hall Linee rette di luce nell’Iperspazio curvilineo, and Massimo Grimaldi who created Emergency’s Paediatric Centre in Port Sudan supported by MAXXI for the external area of the museum.Il MAXXI, Museo Nazionale delle Arti del XXI secolo, è una delle più importanti opere di arte pubblica realizzata e inaugurata negli ultimi anni. Progettata dall’architetto anglo-iracheno Zaha Hadid, selezionata in seguito a un concorso internazionale bandito dal Ministero per i Beni Culturali e assegnato nel 1998, l’opera fu realizzata a partire dal 2000. La volontà di applicare la cosiddetta “legge del 2%” al progetto del Museo MAXXI a Roma diede luogo, tra il 2008 e il 2009, al concorso organizzato e promosso d’intesa tra il Ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali e il Ministero delle Infrastrutture. Giunsero 554 candidature tra le quali la giuria selezionò cinque artisti (Jenny Holzer, Joseph Kosuth, Maurizio Mochetti, Alfredo Pirri, Sislej Xhafa) per un’opera da realizzare nella hall e sei artisti (Piero Golia, Massimo Bartolini, Daniel Buren, Olaf Nicolai, Wilfredo Garcia Prieto, Massimo Grimaldi) per un’opera da destinare allo spazio esterno del museo. Le opere che risultarono vincitrici furono quella di Maurizio Mochetti per la hall, Linee rette di luce nell’Iperspazio curvilineo, e di Massimo Grimaldi per l’esterno del complesso museale, Emergency’s Paediatric Centre in Port Sudan supported by MAXXI. Entrambe le opere sono state installate nel momento in cui il museo MAXXI è stato inaugurato nel maggio del 2010

Saggi e dialoghi sul cinema

Il volume raccoglie alcuni saggi critici sui rapporti tra cinema e arti visive. Una sezione del libro contiene i contributi inediti, nati sottoforma di intervista durante una serie di incontri presso la Galleria nazionale d\u92arte moderna di Roma, di alcuni protagonisti e figure emergenti del cinema italiano, tra cui Nina di Majo, Roberto Perpignani, Andrea Occhipinti, Vincenzo Cerami, Vittorio Storaro

Atypical presentation of ewing’s sarcoma with a single left orbital metastasis

BACKGROUND: We present an uncommon case of Ewing' sarcoma in a 16-year-old boy. CASE REPORT: This case can be considered unique because of the atypical presentation, normal laboratory tests and absence of the typical symptoms such as pain, masses or swelling, fatigue or weight loss, breathing problems linked to lung metastases or pathologic fractures. The only event that brought the patient to our attention was the sudden onset of left proptosis. CONCLUSIONS: The final histopathology together with CT and PET-CT findings led to the diagnosis of a multi-metastatic Ewing's sarcoma involving the orbit, skeleton, bone marrow and lymph nodes

Plasmonica 2014

Il workshop è particolarmente rivolto a giovani ricercatori, studenti di dottorato e post-docs che lavorano in tutti i campi della Plasmonica. Lo scopo della serie di workshops è di creare una comunità di persone di qualunque nazionalità, attive in Italia e all’estero, che considerano la Plasmonica il loro principale oggetto di studio

Assessment of left ventricular diastolic dysfunction in congestive heart failure by acoustic quantification

LV filling patterns were studied by Doppler and echocardiographic automated border detection (ABD) in 35 congestive heart failure (CHF) pts (aged 19 to 78 years, mean 53). All pts were in sinus rhythm and mild-to-moderate CFH (NYHA functional class II-III). The etiology of CHF was idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy in 9 pts, ischemic cardiomyopathy in 10, hypertensive heart disease in 13, and congenital heart disease in 3. Medical therapy consisted of digitalis in 18 pts, diuretics in 19, ACE-inhibitors in 18, and calcium channel blockers in 6. 15 normal age-matched subjects (aged 24 to 72 years, mean 49) were selected as controls. Doppler peak filling velocity at early diastole (E) and at atrial contraction (A) and flow velocity integrals were determined. Real time LV volumes by ABD were obtained with the method of discs in the apical 4 chamber view and LV filling ABD parameters were calculated. 23 pts (group 1) resulted to have systolic dysfunction (LVEF ≤ 50%) and 12 pts (group 2) had normal or nearly normal LVEF. Four out of 23 pts in group 1 and five of 12 pts in group 2 had an E/A mitral flow velocity ratio < 1 and the other 19 pts in group 1 and 7 pts in group 2 had pseudonormalized or nondiagnostic Doppler patterns. Group 1 pts were further classified in pts with severly impaired (LVEF < 40%) and mildly impaired (40% ≤ LVEF ≤ 50%) LV systolic function (group 1a e 1b, respectively). E/A ratio was higher and deceleration time and isovolumic relaxation time were shorter in group 1a CHF pts. There was no significant difference in mitral inflow indices between normal controls and groups 1b and 2, respectively. ABD diastolic indices differed significantly from controls in group 1a and 1b pts. A significant difference in ABD indices was also observed between group 2 pts and normal subjects. Thus ABD filling patterns are useful in differentiating systolic from diastolic dysfunction in CHF pts even in the presence of nondiagnostic Doppler indices