Brachiocephalic trunk anomalies and variations

Knowledge of anatomical anomalies and variations on the brachiocephalic trunk (BCT) are important in medical practice, mainly for the interpretation of diagnostic images, in surgical procedures of thorax and neck, and may also be of high risk for life. We studied 50 fetuses, of both genders, between 12 and 21 weeks of gestation and described the variations we found according they happened at the origin, the position or the branching of the brachiocephalic trunk.www.anatclinar.com.arFil: Biasutto, Susana Norma. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Instituto y Cátedra de Anatomía Normal; Argentina.Fil: Cecenarro, Rodolfo Raúl. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Cátedra de Anatomía Normal; Argentina.Fil: Álvarez, María Laura. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Cátedra de Anatomía Normal; Argentina.Fil: De la Rosa, Matías. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Cátedra de Anatomía Normal; Argentina.Fil: Bortolin, Paulina Alejandra. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Cátedra de Anatomía Normal; Argentina.Fil: Ceccon, Gabriel. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Cátedra de Anatomía Normal; Argentina.Sistemas Cardíaco y Cardiovascula

Editorial: Developing novel materials and new techniques of biological and physical retrospective dosimetry for affected individuals in radiological and nuclear emergencies

Retrospective dosimetry estimates radiation doses received by an individual in the past using physical and biological methods. Because of the increasing threat of radiological accidents or terrorist attacks involving radioactive material, the development of this area of research has become extremely important (1, 2). This Research Topic, entitled “Developing Novel Materials and New Techniques of Biological and Physical Retrospective Dosimetry for Affected Individuals in Radiological and Nuclear Emergencies,” provided an opportunity to receive new relevant contributions from various experts who provided new insights and perspectives in the field of retrospective dosimetry. The aim was to connect more scientific fields, researchers and infrastructures from this interdisciplinary research area and to collect studies relevant to human health. The main objective is to improve complementary physical and biological measurement techniques with lower detection limits of received radiation doses, to characterize different appropriate dosimeters, to develop and validate individual dose estimation models, and to propose standardized dosimetry protocols required in the most likely scenarios. It also aims to estimate more accurately radiation dose received by individuals involved in a nuclear accident or radiological emergency using materials on or near the victim and the victim's blood in a relatively short period of time to allow appropriate medical treatment and therapy to increase survival rates

High serum levels of soluble CD40-L in patients with undifferentiated nasopharyngeal carcinoma: pathogenic and clinical relevance

BACKGROUND: Engagement of CD40 promotes survival of undifferentiated nasopharyngeal carcinoma (UNPC) cells and similar effects are induced by the EBV oncoprotein LMP-1 that is expressed in a fraction of cases. Considering that CD40 may be activated also by the soluble isoform of CD40L (sCD40L), we investigated the serum levels of sCD40L in a series of 61 UNPC patients from Italy, a non-endemic area for this disease. RESULTS: At diagnosis, serum samples of UNPC patients contained significantly higher levels of sCD40L than age-matched healthy controls (p < 0.001). High levels of sCD40L (i.e., >18 ng/ml) were more frequently found in patients <40 years of age (p = 0.03) and with distant metastases at presentation (p = 0.03). Serum levels of sCD40L were inversely associated with the expression of the EBV oncoprotein LMP-1 (p = 0.03), which mimics a constitutively activated CD40. The amount of sCD40L decreased in a fraction of patients treated with local radiotherapy alone. Moreover, CD40L(+ )lymphoid cells admixed to neoplastic UNPC cells were detected in cases with high serum levels of sCD40L, suggesting that sCD40L is probably produced within the tumor mass. CONCLUSION: sCD40L may contribute to CD40 activation in UNPC cells, particularly of LMP-1-negative cases, further supporting the crucial role of CD40 signalling in the pathogenesis of UNPC. sCD40L levels may be useful to identify UNPC patients with occult distant metastases at presentation

The study of ancient archaeological finds through X-ray tomography: the case of the “Tintinnabulum” from the Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography of Torino.

X-ray Computed Tomography (CT) is a widely used diagnostic technique in the field of Cultural Heritage and beyond, above all thanks to its non invasiveness. The high penetrating power of X-rays allows us to investigate the internal structure of the analysed objects, thus obtaining valuable information related to the history of artistic and archaeological finds. In particular, CT provides useful data on the entire volume of the objects, to finally obtain a 3D model of the studied artworks. In this field, the goal of the “neu_ART” project, a collaboration among different institutions in Torino funded by Regione Piemonte in 2010, was to develop radio-tomographic set-ups for X-ray imaging analysis dedicated to Cultural Heritage studies. In this paper, a computed tomography investigation on an ancient ceramic rattle from the Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography of the University of Torino is presented. This is the first analysis carried out at the Physics Department of University of Torino, using the imaging set-up based on a TDI linear detector moved by a high precision mechanical system. Thanks to this study, much information on the technique of execution and the state of conservation was obtained