FESTIVAL: heterogeneous testbed federation across Europe and Japan

FESTIVAL is an H2020 EU-Japan collaborative project that aims to federate heterogeneous testbeds, making them interoperable and building an “Experimentation as a Service” (EaaS) model. Going beyond the traditional nature of experimental facilities, related to computational and networking large scale infrastructures, FESTIVAL testbeds have heterogeneous nature and in order to be federated they have been clustered in four categories: “Open Data” (i.e. open datasets), “IoT” (i.e. sensors and actuators), “IT” (i.e. computational resources) and “Living Labs” (i.e. people). Considering that every testbed category provides specific resources, the main challenge for FESTIVAL is to develop a platform that can allow experimenters to access very different assets in an homogeneous and transparent way, supporting them in the phases of the experiments. The FESTIVAL architecture, based on a multi-level federation approach, proposes a solution to this problem providing also a set of functionalities to manage and monitor the experiments. FESTIVAL tools, also, include the possibility to access FIWAREGeneric Enablers allowing to deploy predefined components to address specific needs in the experimentation (e.g. data analysis, big data management etc.). The FESTIVAL platform will be tested on three different smart city domains across Japan and Europe: smart energy, smart building and smart shopping.This work was funded in part by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Programme of the FESTIVALproject (Federated Interoperable Smart ICT Services Development and Testing Platforms) under grant agreement no. 643275, and by the Japanese National Institute of Information and Communications Technology

Potential advantages of cell administration on the inflammatory response compared to standard ACE inhibitor treatment in experimental myocardial infarction

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Bone Marrow (BM) progenitor cells can target the site of myocardial injury, contributing to tissue repair by neovascolarization and/or by a possible direct paracrine effect on the inflammatory cascade. Angiotensin Converting Enzyme inhibitors (ACE-I) are effective in reducing mortality and preventing left ventricular (LV) function deterioration after myocardial infarction.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We investigated the short term effects of BM mononuclear cells (BMMNCs) therapy on the pro-inflammatory cytokines (pro-CKs) and on LV remodelling and compared these effects over a standard ACE-I therapy in a rat model of myocardial cryodamage.</p> <p>Forty two adult inbread Fisher-F344 rats were randomized into three groups: untreated (UT; n = 12), pharmacological therapy (ACE-I; n = 14, receiving quinapril), and cellular therapy (BMMNCs; n = 16, receiving BMMNCs infusion). Rats underwent to a standard echocardiogram in the acute setting and 14 days after the damage, before the sacrifice. Pro-CKs analysis (interleukin (IL)1β, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)α was performed (multiplex proteome arrays) on blood samples obtained by direct aorta puncture before the sacrifice; a control group of 6 rats was considered as reference.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Concerning the extension of the infarcted area as well as the LV dimensions, no differences were observed among the animal groups; treated rats had lower left atrial diameters and higher indexes of LV function. Pro-Cks were increased in infarcted-UT rats if compared with controls, and significantly reduced by BMMNCs and ACE-I ; TNFα inversely correlated with LV fractional shortening.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>After myocardial infarction, both BMMNCs and ACE-I reduce the pattern of pro-Ck response, probably contributing to prevent the deterioration of LV function observed in UT rats.</p

Homing of peripherally injected bone marrow cells in rat after experimental myocardial injury

Background and objectives: significant progress has been achieved during the past 10 years in cell transplantation and recent research has focused on the possibility of improving ventricular function after myocardial infarction. Most studies in the field of cardiac tissue repair are performed by direct intramyocardial injection of cells of different origin. Since this approach requires a surgical intervention, in this study we investigated the feasibility of non-invasive administration of bone marrow mononuclear cells (BMMNCs) by assessing the fate of peripherally injected, purified, labeled cells in cryodamaged hearts. Design and methods: ten donor and ten recipient inbred isogenic adult (4 weeks old) Fisher rats were used as models to mimic autologous transplantation. Myocardial damage was obtained in recipient rats by placing a frozen metal probe on the anterior left ventricular wall for 15 seconds (freeze-thaw injury technique). BMMNCs were purified and labeled with a red fluorescent cell dye. Seven days after the injury about 15-25x10(6) cells were infused through the femoral vein of recipient rats. Seven days after the infusion, the heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, spleen and thymus were harvested to track transplanted cells. RESULTS: Labeled cells were found only in the injured area of the heart and not in the normal tissue, and a limited number of cells were identified in the spleen of all the animals. Most of the labeled cells in the infarcted area were Thy-1(+) and some were CD34(+). Interpretation and conclusions: our data suggest that peripherally injected BMMNCs can traffic through the circulation to the site of damage; we hypothesize that tissue injury leads to the priming of a cytokine cascade acting as chemoattractant for the infused cells

FESTIVAL: design and implementation of federated interoperable smart ICT services development and testing platform

FESTIVAL EU-Japan collaborative project aims at federating existing Smart ICT testbeds of different nature to provide a platform for developing and testing emergent Smart ICT services. The federation of testbeds covering heterogeneous domains has been a great challenge and FESTIVAL provides a uniform access to different resources, such as Open Data resources, IoT devices, IT resources and Living Labs. In this paper, design and implementation of the current FESTIVAL platform are introduced with approaches to federate and interoperate existing resources. Integration of all the components, including the existing testbeds, will also be described to finalize and validate the federation.A part of the study was carried out by the FESTIVAL project, the Commissioned Research of National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), JAPA

THE NUCK'S CYST: A DISEASE EASILY CONFUSED FOR INGUINAL HERNIA. A CASE REPORT.

Nuck's canal cyst is a blind end adult residual of the fetal peritoneum. These rare cyst formations are usually found in the inguinal canal and can easily be mistaken for hernia, or enlarged limph nodes. Clinically, a Nuck's canal cyst appears as a painless or moderately painful swelling in inguinal area. We report the case of a 40 years-old woman with a painless swelling in her left inguinal region, believed a groin hernia but diagnosed as a Nuck's canal cyst only after intervention. Intraoperatively, the cyst was opened and sebsequently excised, closing the abdominal wall without the use of any sort of syntetic prostetic material

Colorectal Cancer Stage at Diagnosis Before vs During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Italy

IMPORTANCE Delays in screening programs and the reluctance of patients to seek medical attention because of the outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 could be associated with the risk of more advanced colorectal cancers at diagnosis. OBJECTIVE To evaluate whether the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic was associated with more advanced oncologic stage and change in clinical presentation for patients with colorectal cancer. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This retrospective, multicenter cohort study included all 17 938 adult patients who underwent surgery for colorectal cancer from March 1, 2020, to December 31, 2021 (pandemic period), and from January 1, 2018, to February 29, 2020 (prepandemic period), in 81 participating centers in Italy, including tertiary centers and community hospitals. Follow-up was 30 days from surgery. EXPOSURES Any type of surgical procedure for colorectal cancer, including explorative surgery, palliative procedures, and atypical or segmental resections. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary outcome was advanced stage of colorectal cancer at diagnosis. Secondary outcomes were distant metastasis, T4 stage, aggressive biology (defined as cancer with at least 1 of the following characteristics: signet ring cells, mucinous tumor, budding, lymphovascular invasion, perineural invasion, and lymphangitis), stenotic lesion, emergency surgery, and palliative surgery. The independent association between the pandemic period and the outcomes was assessed using multivariate random-effects logistic regression, with hospital as the cluster variable. RESULTS A total of 17 938 patients (10 007 men [55.8%]; mean [SD] age, 70.6 [12.2] years) underwent surgery for colorectal cancer: 7796 (43.5%) during the pandemic period and 10 142 (56.5%) during the prepandemic period. Logistic regression indicated that the pandemic period was significantly associated with an increased rate of advanced-stage colorectal cancer (odds ratio [OR], 1.07; 95%CI, 1.01-1.13; P = .03), aggressive biology (OR, 1.32; 95%CI, 1.15-1.53; P &lt; .001), and stenotic lesions (OR, 1.15; 95%CI, 1.01-1.31; P = .03). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE This cohort study suggests a significant association between the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and the risk of a more advanced oncologic stage at diagnosis among patients undergoing surgery for colorectal cancer and might indicate a potential reduction of survival for these patients

Gallbladder carcinoma late metastases and incisional hernia at umbilical port site after laparoscopic cholecystectomy

A potentially serious complication of laparoscopic cholecystectomy is the inadvertent dissemination of unsuspected gallbladder carcinoma. There are increasing reports of seeding of tumor at the trocar sites following laparoscopic cholecystectomy in patients with unexpected or inapparent gallbladder carcinoma. Although the mechanism of the abdominal wall recurrence is still unclear, laparoscopic handling of the tumor, perforation of the gallbladder, and extraction of the specimen without an endobag may be risk factors for the spreading of malignant cells. The Authors report the case of late development of umbilical metastasis after laparoscopic cholecystectomy; the presence of an incisional hernia and the finding of a stone in subcutaneous tissue demonstrate the diffusion of tumor cells into subcutaneous tissue during the extraction of gallbladder. The patient underwent an excision of the metastases. She is disease free two years after surgical treatment

congenital true cystic mass of the pancreas in a Young woman: which treatment?

Aim. We report a case of congenital true pancreatic cyst with high level of enzymatic activity, rarely seen in young and children which, to the best of our knowledge, rarely has previously been reported. A young girl was admitted to our clinic with a history of abdominal swelling and pain during exercise for many months. A mobile, smooth, non-tender mass was palpated on the left side of the abdomen during physical examination. Ultrasonography and computed tomography imaging revealed a not subdivide cystic mass sized 11.51x8.2 cm. Methods. Surgical treatment was considered, but given the young age of the patient, we declined for fear of complications. Therefore, US-guided percutaneous drainage of cystic was performed. After a week, at the ultrasound check, thanks to obstruction of drainage, we decided to intervene surgically. During abdominal surgical exploration, the pancreatic tail was larger than normal, and a pancreatic cyst arising from the tail of the pancreas was observed. Total cystectomy was performed with distal pancreatectomy. Results. The postoperative period was complication free and the patient was discharged on the seventh postoperative day. No complications occurred during the six-month follow-up period. Conclusion. Early diagnosis and timely intervention have improved the results of surgical therapy in this disease. Although it is extremely rare in children, congenital true pancreatic cyst should be diagnostically considered in cases involving a cystic mass neighbouring the pancreas. Ultrasonography, computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging is helpful in differential diagnosis of other cysts originating from neighbouring organs. Total excision with distal pancreatectomy and splenic preservation are advised for distal pancreatic cyst

CISTOADENOMA GIGANTE DELL'OVAIO: CONSIDERAZIONI CLINICHE E STRATEGIA DIAGNOSTICA

gli autori riortano il caso di una donna obesa affetta da cistoadenoma mucinoso gigante dell'ovaio. nonostante la presenza di una massa addominale voluminosa, la paziente non accusava sintomatologia degna di rilievo