Association between diverticulosis and colonic neoplastic lesions in individuals with a positive faecal immunochemical test

Background The association between diverticulosis and colonic neoplastic lesions has been suggested, but data in literature are conflicting. This study aimed to investigate such a relationship in patients participating in a colorectal cancer screening program who underwent high-quality colonoscopy.Methods Data from consecutive individuals 50-75 years of age with a positive faecal immunological test were considered. Diverticulosis was categorised as present or absent. The prevalence of neoplastic lesions (adenoma, advanced adenoma, and cancer) between individuals with and those without diverticula was compared. A multivariate analysis was performed.Results Overall, data from 970 consecutive individuals were evaluated, and diverticulosis was detected in 354 (36.5%) cases. At least one adenoma was detected in 490 (50.5%) people, at least one advanced adenoma in 264 (27.2%), multiple adenoma in 71 (7.3%), whilst a cancer was diagnosed in 48 (4.9%) cases. At univariate analysis, the adenoma detection rate in patients with diverticula was significantly higher than in controls (55.9% vs 47.4%; p=0.011). At multivariate analysis, presence of diverticulosis was an independent risk factor for both adenoma detection rate (OR=1.58; 95% CI=1.14-2.18; p=0.006) and advanced adenoma (OR=1.57; 95% CI=1.10-2.24; p=0.013), but not for colorectal cancer.Conclusions In a colorectal screening setting, the adenoma detection rate was significantly higher in individuals with diverticulosis than in controls

Antioxidative Molecules in Human Milk and Environmental Contaminants

Breastfeeding provides overall beneficial health to the mother-child dyad and is universally recognized as the preferred feeding mode for infants up to 6-months and beyond. Human milk provides immuno-protection and supplies nutrients and bioactive compounds whose concentrations vary with lactation stage. Environmental and dietary factors potentially lead to excessive chemical exposure in critical windows of development such as neonatal life, including lactation. This review discusses current knowledge on these environmental and dietary contaminants and summarizes the known effects of these chemicals in human milk, taking into account the protective presence of antioxidative molecules. Particular attention is given to short- and long-term effects of these contaminants, considering their role as endocrine disruptors and potential epigenetic modulators. Finally, we identify knowledge gaps and indicate potential future research directions

ISO observations of M8, the Lagoon nebula

In this paper, IRAS, ISO, and molecular line observations of the M8 and M8E sources in the Lagoon Nebula are reported

Spitzer-MIPS survey of the young stellar content in the Vela Molecular Cloud-D

A new, unbiased Spitzer-MIPS imaging survey (~1.8 square degs) of the young stellar content of the Vela Molecular Cloud-D is presented. The survey is complete down to 5mJy and 250mJy at 24micron (mu) and 70mu, respectively. 849 sources are detected at 24mu and 52 of them also have a 70mu counterpart. The VMR-D region is one that we have already partially mapped in dust and gas millimeter emission, and we discuss the correlation between the Spitzer compact sources and the mm contours. About half of the 24mu sources are located inside the region delimited by the 12CO(1-0) contours (corresponding to only one third of the full area mapped with MIPS) with a consequent density increase of about 100% of the 24mu sources [four times for 70mu ones] moving from outside to inside the CO contours. About 400 sources have a 2MASS counterpart. So we have constructed a Ks vs. Ks-[24] diagram and identified the protostellar population. We find an excess of Class I sources in VMR-D in comparison with other star forming regions. This result is reasonably biased by the sensitivity limits, or, alternatively, may reflect a very short lifetime (<=10^6yr) of the protostellar content in this cloud. The MIPS images have identified embedded cool objects in most of the previously identified starless cores; in addition, there are 6 very young, possibly Class 0 objects identified. Finally we report finding of the driving sources for a set of five out of six very compact protostellar jets previously discovered in near-infrared images.Comment: 29 pages, 14 figures. To appear in Ap.

POISSON project - I - Emission lines as accretion tracers in young stellar objects: results from observations of Chamaeleon I and II sources

We present the results of the analysis of LR optical-NIR spectra (0.6-2.4 um) of a sample 47 YSOs in the ChaI and II star-forming clouds. These data are part of the POISSON project (Protostellar Optical-Infrared Spectral Survey on NTT). The aim is to determine the accretion luminosity (Lacc) and mass accretion rate (Macc) of the sources through the analysis of the detected emission features. We also aim at verifying the reliability and consistency of the existing empirical relationships connecting emission line luminosity and Lacc. We employ five tracers (OI-6300A, Ha, CaII-8542A, Pab, and Brg) to derive the accretion luminosity. The tracers provide Lacc values showing different scatters when plotted as a function of L*. The Brg seems to be the most reliable, because it gives the minimum Lacc dispersion over the entire range of L*, whereas the other tracers provide much more scattered Lacc values, which are not expected for our homogeneous sample. The comparison between Lacc(Brg) and Lacc obtained from the other tracers also shows systematic differences among the empirical relationships. These may probably be ascribed to different excitation mechanisms contributing to the line emission, which may vary between our sample and those where the relationships were calibrated. Adopting the Lacc derived from Brg, we find Lacc=0.1L*-1L* for all sources, and Macc of the order of 10^-7-10^-9 Msun/yr. The Macc derived in ChaI are proportional to M*^2, as found in other low-mass star-forming regions. The discrepancies observed in the case of Lacc(Brg) and Lacc(Pab) can be related to different intrinsic Pab/Brg, ratios. The derived ratios show the existence of two different emission modalities, one that agrees with predictions of both wind and accretion models, the other suggesting optically thick emission from relatively small regions (10^21-10^22 cm^-3) with gas at low temperatures (<4000K).Comment: 22 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in A&A; institute affiliations and typos correcte

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor association with amygdala response in major depressive disorder

Background: Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) has an essential role in synaptic plasticity and neurogenesis. BDNF mediates amygdala-dependent learning for both aversive and appetitive emotional memories. The expression of BDNF in limbic regions is posited to contribute the development of depression, and amygdala responsivity is a potential marker of depressive state. Methods: The present study examined the relationship between platelet BDNF levels and amygdala volume and function in major depressive disorder (MDD). Participants were 23 MDD (mean age 38.9 years) and 23 healthy controls (mean age 38.8 years). All participants were recruited from the community. MDD participants were in a current depressive episode of moderate severity and medication-free. Amygdala responses were acquired during a functional MRI task of implicit emotional processing with sad facial expressions. Results: Significant correlation was observed between platelet BDNF levels and left amygdala responses, but no significant correlations were found with right amygdala responses or with amygdala volumes. Limitations: Interactions with neuroprotective as well as neurotoxic metabolites in the kyneurenine pathway were not examined. Conclusions: Relationship between BDNF levels and amygdala responsivity to emotionally salient stimuli in MDD could reflect the importance of BDNF in amygdala-dependent learning with clinical implications for potential pathways for treatment