L’informatizzazione e la divulgazione del Catasto Gregoriano e della cartografia storica di Roma

Il progetto d’informatizzazione del Catasto Gregoriano Urbano di Roma è stato avviato circa dieci anni fa, grazie a un finanziamento della Fondazione Cariplo, ed è ora nella sua fase conclusiva. Il progetto è stato realizzato dal Dipartimento di Studi Urbani dell’università di Roma Tre, dall’Archivio di Stato di Roma, dalla Sovrintendenza Capitolina e dall’Archivio Capitolino e l’attività di ricerca ha permesso di ricostruire l'immagine urbana ed archeologica della Roma preunitaria e post-unitaria. Le mappe del Catasto Gregoriano e i relativi brogliardi costituiscono la base del Sistema Informativo Geografico (GIS) al quale sono stati collegati altri documenti cartografici e documentali: la pianta di Roma di G.B. Nolli del 1748; un consistente numero di schede relative a documenti di archivio in materia di architettura urbana e archeologia; documenti iconografici sulla architettura della città storica. Il progetto intende conseguire un duplice obiettivo: realizzare un sistema informativo geografico in grado di contenere, gestire e divulgare i dati sulla città storica provenienti da fonti diverse; creare uno strumento web a carattere partecipativo e didattico destinato ad un’ampia platea di utenti e non solo a ricercatori e studiosi del settore. La piattaforma web e la banca dati geografica sono state integralmente realizzate con prodotti e software Open Source.The digitization of the Gregorian Urban Cadastre of Rome (Catasto Gregoriano Urbano di Roma) has started about ten years ago thanks to the funding by the Cariplo Foundation, and it is now in its final stage. The project has been implemented by the Department of Urban Studies of the “Roma Tre” University, the Archivio di Stato di Roma, the Sovrintendenza Capitolina and the Archivio Capitolino. The research has allowed to reconstruct the archaeological and urban image of Rome in the pre- and post-unification periods. The maps and registers of the Gregorian Cadastre represent the basis of the Geographic Information System (GIS), which has been linked to maps and documents from other sources: the 1748 map of Rome by G. B. Nolli, a substantial number of datasheets from archive documents related to buildings and archeology, other iconographic documents concerning the architecture of the old town. The project has a dual purpose: on the one hand, the implementation of a GIS able to store, manage and disseminate data about the historic city from different sources; on the other, the activation of a participatory and educational web tool open to a wide audience, not only to researchers and scholars of this particular field. The web platform and the geographic database have been fully implemented with Open Source products and software.Peer Reviewe

Molecular markers for prostatic cancer.

Prostate cancer (caP) is a major public health problem. Many groups have attempted to identify prognostic risk factors to early detect caP and to identify who will need active treatment. Since the introduction of prostate specific antigen (PSA), diagnosis of caP has increased even as mortality for prostatic cancer has declined. Using current recommended guidelines, the PSA test suffers from both of limited specificity and sensitivity. With the aim to improve early detection of prostatic cancer the volume adjusted PSA, PSA isoforms and PSA kinetics have been investigated. Recently, technological advances in molecular assays have led to the discovery of new markers with high specificity. Further, proteomic array profiling and DNA methylation assays could provide for more accurate diagnosis and prognosis. Current evidence suggests that no single marker is likely to achieve the desired level of diagnostic and prognostic accuracy: future research should focus on validation of already existing biomarkers and the discovery of new markers to identify men with aggressive prostate cancer and to predict outcomes after therapies

Anti-CD20 Therapy Acts via FcγRIIIA to Diminish Responsiveness of Human Natural Killer Cells

Natural killer (NK) immune cells mediate antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) by aggregating FcγRIIIA/CD16, contributing significantly to the therapeutic effect of CD20 monoclonal antibodies (mAb). In this study, we show that CD16 ligation on primary human NK cells by the anti-CD20 mAb rituximab or ofatumumab stably impairs the spontaneous cytotoxic response attributable to cross-tolerance of several unrelated NK-activating receptors (including NKG2D, DNAM-1, NKp46, and 2B4). Similar effects were obtained from NK cells isolated from patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia in an autologous setting. NK cells rendered hyporesponsive in this manner were deficient in the ability of these cross-tolerized receptors to phosphorylate effector signaling molecules critical for NK cytotoxicity, including SLP-76, PLCγ2, and Vav1. These effects were associated with long-lasting recruitment of the tyrosine phosphatase SHP-1 to the CD16 receptor complex. Notably, pharmacologic inhibition of SHP-1 with sodium stibogluconate counteracted CD20 mAb-induced NK hyporesponsiveness, unveiling an unrecognized role for CD16 as a bifunctional receptor capable of engendering long-lasting NK cell inhibitory signals. Our work defines a novel mechanism of immune exhaustion induced by CD20 mAb in human NK cells, with potentially negative implications in CD20 mAb-treated patients where NK cells are partly responsible for clinical efficacy. Cancer Res; 75(19); 1-12. ©2015 AACR

New carbon from low cost vegetal precursors: acorn and cypress cone

AbstractThermal-treated carbons from acorn and cypress cone were prepared and characterized. The uptakes of heavy metal ions (Ag+, Cd2+ and Cr+3) and organics (phenol, methylene blue and sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate) from aqueous solution have been studied. Effects of activation by HCl and HNO3 acids on the sorption properties of these carbons were investigated by mass titration, sorption isotherms, IRS, SEM and XRS. The models of Langmuir and Freundlich do not represent our sorption data very well. An earlier proposed empirical correlation is applied successfully to carry out a parameter of comparison between the studied carbons. The acidic treatment changes the surface chemical properties of the two thermal-treated carbons lowering their sorption performances. The carbons show good capacities to uptake metals, phenol and methylene blue, but sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate is removed from its solutions to minor extent. The up-taking properties are found similar to those of two worldwide used commercial grade carbons

Long telomeric C-rich 5'-tails in human replicating cells.

Telomeres protect the ends of linear chromosomes from abnormal recombination events and buffer them against terminal DNA loss. Models of telomere replication predict that two daughter molecules have one end that is blunt, the product of leading-strand synthesis, and one end with a short G-rich 3′-overhang. However, experimental data from proliferating cells are not completely consistent with this model. For example, telomeres of human chromosomes have long G-rich 3′-overhangs, and the persistence of blunt ends is uncertain. Here we show that the product of leading-strand synthesis is not always blunt but can contain a long C-rich 5′-tail, the incompletely replicated template of the leading strand. We examined the presence of G-rich and C-rich single-strand DNA in fibroblasts and HeLa cells. Although there were no significant changes in the length distribution of the 3′-overhang, the 5′-overhangs were mostly present in S phase. Similar results were obtained using telomerase-negative fibroblasts. The amount and the length distribution of the 5′ C-rich tails strongly correlate with the proliferative rate of the cell cultures. Our results suggest that, contrary to what has commonly been supposed, completion of leading-strand synthesis is inefficient and could well drive telomere shortening

Assembly and functional analysis of an S/MAR based episome with the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator gene

Improving the efficacy of gene therapy vectors is still an important goal toward the development of safe and efficient gene therapy treatments. S/MAR (scaffold/matrix attached region)-based vectors are maintained extra-chromosomally in numerous cell types, which is similar to viral-based vectors. Additionally, when established as an episome, they show a very high mitotic stability. In the present study we tested the idea that addition of an S/MAR element to a CFTR (cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator) expression vector, may allow the establishment of a CFTR episome in bronchial epithelial cells. Starting from the observation that the S/MAR vector pEPI-EGFP (enhanced green fluorescence protein) is maintained as an episome in human bronchial epithelial cells, we assembled the CFTR vector pBQ-S/MAR. This vector, transfected in bronchial epithelial cells with mutated CFTR, supported long term wt CFTR expression and activity, which in turn positively impacted on the assembly of tight junctions in polarized epithelial cells. Additionally, the recovery of intact pBQ-S/MAR, but not the parental vector lacking the S/MAR element, from transfected cells after extensive proliferation, strongly suggested that pBQ-S/MAR was established as an episome. These results add a new element, the S/MAR, that can be considered to improve the persistence and safety of gene therapy vectors for cystic fibrosis pulmonary disease

Sustained molecular remission after low dose gemtuzumab-ozogamicin in elderly patients with advanced acute promyelocytic leukemia.

We report here a preliminary experience with gemtuzumab ozogamicin (GO) used at low dosage (3 mg/m2) in 3 elderly patients with acute promyelocytic leukaemia (APL) who presented molecular relapse and were unfit for intensive chemotherapy

A phase II, randomized, single-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trial on the efficacy of Curcumina and Calendula suppositories for the treatment of patients with chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome type III

Objective: The management of chronic prostatitis/ chronic pelvic pain syndrome type III (CP/CPPS) has been always considered complex due to several biopsychological factors underling the disease. In this clinical study, we aimed to evaluate the efficacy of the treatment with Curcumin and Calendula extract in patients with CP/CPPS III. Material and methods: From June 2015 to January 2016 we enrolled 60 consecutive patients affected by CP/CPPS III in our institution. Patients between 20 and 50 year of age with symptoms of pelvic pain for 3 months or more before study, a total National Institutes of Health Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index (NIH-CPSI) score ≥ 15 point and diagnosed with NIH category III. Patients were then allocated to receive placebo (Group A) or treatment (Group B). Treatment consisted of rectal suppositories of Curcumin extract 350 mg (95%) and Calendula extract 80 mg (1 suppository/die for 1 month). Patients of Group B received 1 suppository/die for 1 month of placebo. The primary endpoint of the study was the reduction of NIH-CPSI. The secondary outcomes were the change of peak flow, IIEF-5, VAS score and of premature ejaculation diagnostic tool (PEDT). Results: A total of 48 patients concluded the study protocol. The median age of the all cohort was 32.0 years, the median NIH-CPSI was 20.5, the median IIEF-5 was 18.5, the median PEDT was 11.0, the median VAS score was 7.5 and the median peak flow was 14.0. After 3 months of therapy in group A we observed a significant improvement of NIH-CPSI (-5.5; p < 0.01), IIEF-5 (+ 3.5; p < 0.01), PEDT (-6.5; p < 0.01), peak flow (+2.8; p < 0.01) and VAS (-6.5; p < 0.01) with significant differences over placebo group (all p-value significant). Conclusions: In this phase II clinical trial we showed the clinical efficacy of the treatment with Curcumin and Calendula in patients with CP/CPPS III. The benefits of this treatment could be related to the reduction of inflammatory cytokines and of inflammatory cells. These results should be confirmed in further studies with greater sample size

Plantar fascia evaluation with a dedicated magnetic resonance scanner in weight-bearing position: our experience in patients with plantar fasciitis and in healthy volunteers.

Purpose. This study assessed the usefulness of upright weight-bearing examination of the ankle/hind foot performed with a dedicated magnetic resonance (MR)imaging scanner in the evaluation of the plantar fascia in healthy volunteers and in patients with clinical evidence of plantar fasciitis. Materials and methods. Between January and March 2009, 20 patients with clinical evidence of plantar fasciitis (group A) and a similar number of healthy volunteers (group B) underwent MR imaging of the ankle/hind foot in the upright weight-bearing and conventional supine position. A 0.25-Tesla MR scanner (G-Scan, Esaote SpA, Genoa, Italy) was used with a dedicated receiving coil for the ankle/hind foot. Three radiologists, blinded to patients’ history and clinical findings, assessed in consensus morphological and dimensional changes and signal intensity alterations on images acquired in both positions, in different sequences and in different planes.Results. In group A, MR imaging confirmed the diagnosis in 15/20 cases; in 4/15 cases, a partial tear of the plantar fascia was identified in the upright weight-bearing position alone. In the remaining 5/20 cases in group A and in all cases in group B, the plantar fascia showed no abnormal signal intensity. Because of the increased stretching of the plantar fascia, in all cases in group A and B, thickness in the proximal third was significantly reduced (p<0.0001) under upright weight-bearing compared with the supine position Conclusions. Imaging the ankle/hind foot in the upright weight-bearing position with a dedicated MR scanner and a dedicated coil might enable the identification of partial tears of the plantar fascia, which could be overlooked in the supine position