Early prediction of treatment outcome in acute myeloid leukemia by measurement of WT1 transcript levels in peripheral blood samples collected after chemotherapy

The Wilms' tumor gene WT1 is a reliable marker for minimal residual disease assessment in acute leukemia patients. The study was designed to demonstrate the potential use of WT1 to establish quality of remission in acute leukemia patients for early identification of patients at high risk of relapse. A prospective study based on a quantitative Real-Time PCR (TaqMan) assay in 562 peripheral blood samples collected from 82 acute leukemia patients at diagnosis and during follow-up was established. The evaluation of WT1 in peripheral blood samples after induction chemotherapy can distinguish the continuous complete remission patients from those who obtain only an "apparent" complete remission and who could relapse within a few months. WT1 helps identify patients at high risk of relapse soon after induction chemotherapy allowing post-induction therapy in high risk patients to be intensified

New investigations on the 32S(3He,d)33Cl reaction at 9.6 MeV bombarding energy

The 32S(3He,d)33Cl one-proton transfer reaction is a powerful tool to investigate the spectroscopy of low-lying states in the proton-rich 33Cl nucleus. However, the extraction of firm differential cross-section data at various angles to benchmark and constrain theoretical models is made challenging by the presence of competitive reactions on target contaminants. In this paper we report on arecent measurement using a new generation hodoscope of silicon detectors, capable to detect and identify emitted deuterons down to energies of the order of 2 MeV. The high angular segmentation of our hodoscope combined with a suitable target to control possible contaminants, allowed to unambiguously disentangle the contribution of various states in 33Cl, in particular the 2.352 MeV state lying just few tens of keV above the proton separation energy

FIRB "SQUARE" project: nano-structured sensors for the detection of the polluting in engine exhaust gases and for indoor air quality monitoring

The present work is a final dissemination of activities carried out and main results obtained in the national founded project Firb "Square". The project is leaded by Centro Ricerche Fiat and it involves the most qualified national public Research Institutes and Universities active in the fields of nanomaterials synthesis, nanotechnology and gas sensors development

Sol-gel synthesis of vanadate-based thin films as counter electrodes in electrochromic devices

V2O5-based thin films were prepared via the sol-gel method in order to obtain semiconductive films suitable as counter electrodes in electrochemical devices (e.g. electrochromic windows). Different metal precursors (nickel 2,4-pentanedionate, NiCl2, BiCl3, SbCl3) were added, after dissolution, into the starting vanadium oxo-triisopropoxide solution in the presence of acetic acid as a chelating agent. Preventing different synthesis conditions due to the ambient moisture, the hydrolysis reaction was carried out in controlled acidic conditions. Stable sols were obtained and thin films were dipped on transparent substrates coated with a conductive layer (ITO, SnO2:F). Different techniques were employed on as-prepared and heat treated (673 K) films, and the corresponding gels in order to characterize the microstructural, surface and electrochemical features of the samples. Better results were obtained for Ni/V oxides thin films: unless their charge capacity was not very high (similar to10 mC/cm(2)), their electrochemical stability was unchanged after 1000 cycles and their transmittance spectra showed high transparency (>80%) in all the visible region during both the intercalation and deintercalation steps. On the other hand, preliminary analysis on Sb/V mixed oxides showed a higher charge capacity but irreversible electrochemical reactions took place during the first working cycles

Reactions of trans-hydridocyanoalkylplatinum(II) complexes with isocyanides. Preparation of novel platinum(II) compounds with adjacent Pt-H and Pt-C bonds

The hydridocyanopropyl complex of platinum(II) trans-[PtH(CH2CH2CH2CN)-(PPh3)2] reacts with an excess of isocyanide RNC (R = t-Bu or 2,6-Me2C6H3) to yield platinum(O) isocyanide complexes of the type [Pt(CNR)2(PPh3)2] through reductive elimination of 1-cyanopropane. In contrast the cyanomethyl complex trans-[PtH(CH2CN)(PPh3)2] reacts with RNC to give the novel platinum(II) complexes [PtH(CH2CN)(CNR)(PPh3)] (R = CH3; t-Bu; 2,6-Me2C6H3;p-MeOC6H4) by displacement of one phosphine ligand. Spectroscopic evidence shows these complexes to contain the cyanoalkyl group adjacent to the hydride and opposite to the phosphine. Heating of these complexes in the presence of equimolar amounts of PPh3 and RNC gives the corresponding platinum(O) species [Pt(CNR)2(PPh3)2]

Encapsulation of viable animal cells for hybrid bioartificial organs by the Biosil methodProceedings of SPIE

Gas phase silicon alkoxides react with the wet surface of mammalian cells, affording a stable and homogeneous layer of amorphous SiO2 modified by Si-CH3 and Si-H bonds. Layer thickness may be controlled by exposure time. The layer does not suppress cell viability or functionality, and may be applied to cells supported on a trapping network or to cell aggregates. H4-II-E-C3 rat hepatoma cells, Hep G2 human cancer cells and human fibroblasts on various supports were encapsulated by the SiO2 layer and studied in terms of glucose utilization and 3H-leucin incorporation into secreted proteins. In the case of pancreatic islets, encapsulation was carried out without supports, so that original islet volume and features were maintained. In vitro results indicate preservation of vitality and function, as tested by insulin production

Research and development for the SPES target

The target is one of the key issues of isotope separation on line (ISOL) facilities. SPES, now under development at LNL-INFN, is an innovative ISOL facility possessing a target chatacterized by seven separate uranium dicarbide thin disks. The research on the materials development and target prototyping is discussed in the following

Optical Sensing Properties Towards Ethanol Vapors of Au-Polyimide Nanocomposite Films Synthesized by Different Chemical RoutesSensors and Microsystems

Nanocomposite films containing Au nanoparticles embedded in a fluorinated polyimide (BPDA-3F) were prepared by two different chemical routes and the synthesis was followed by the estimation of the optical sensing capability of the samples in ethanol vapors. This work arises from the well-known ascertainment that optochemical sensing of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) using MNP (metal nanoparticles) characteristic surface plasmon resonance (SPR) absorption peak as the sensing probe is an attractive technique for its simplicity, high stability and sensitivity