Dispnea in Pronto Soccorso di notte

Acute pulmonary embolism (PE) interferes with both blood circulation and gas exchange. Right ventricular failure due to pressure overload is considered the leading cause of death by PE. The diagnosis of PE can be difficult, as the symptoms are often non-specific (dyspnea, chest pain, pre-syncope or syncope, hemoptysis). In particular, chest pain may be typical and derive from ischemia of the right ventricle: in these cases a differential diagnosis with acute coronary syndrome or with aortic dissection is necessary. If EP is suspected, it is therefore necessary to proceed promptly to the recommended diagnostic investigations. The case of a 62-year-old smoker suffering from arterial hypertension, dyslipidemia, non-insulin-dependent diabetes and chronic ischemic heart disease is reported here, admitted to emergency room for increasing dyspnea from mild stress in the absence of trauma, prolonged bed rest or fever. In suspicion of PE, CT angiography with contrast agent was performed for the study of the arterial tree, which confirmed the diagnosis of venous thromboembolism. The patient is treated with supporting tights, unfractionated heparin, and dabigatran is subsequently started (Cardiology)

The “Be Part and Take Part” Issue in Contemporary Italian Speculative Fiction. An Interview with Fabio Deotto by Nicola Cosentino

Fabio Deotto is an Italian fiction writer whose last novel, Un attimo prima (2017), explores the life of an ordinary man in a futuristic Milan by using a psychoanalytic sub-plot. In the fictional universe where Deotto sets the story of Edoardo Faschi, the world has changed after a revolution ignited by an Occupy Movement’s cell. In the “new West” risen from the ashes of the 2008 crisis, citizens are assisted by the State for all their needs, from food to medical care, provided that a strict ..

Geophysical study of the hydrothermal reservoir in the Panza area (Ischia, Italy)

The aim of the present work is the reconstruction of the main geometric pattern and the characterisation with geophysical parameters of geological structures lying at small and medium depths in an area of the Ischia island (Italy), where a sensible hydrothermal activity is present

ZNF521 Enhances MLL-AF9-Dependent Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transformation in Acute Myeloid Leukemias by Altering the Gene Expression Landscape

Leukemias derived from the MLL-AF9 rearrangement rely on dysfunctional transcriptional networks. ZNF521, a transcription co-factor implicated in the control of hematopoiesis, has been proposed to sustain leukemic transformation in collaboration with other oncogenes. Here, we demonstrate that ZNF521 mRNA levels correlate with specific genetic aberrations: in particular, the highest expression is observed in AMLs bearing MLL rearrangements, while the lowest is detected in AMLs with FLT3-ITD, NPM1, or CEBPα double mutations. In cord blood-derived CD34(+) cells, enforced expression of ZNF521 provides a significant proliferative advantage and enhances MLL-AF9 effects on the induction of proliferation and the expansion of leukemic progenitor cells. Transcriptome analysis of primary CD34(+) cultures displayed subsets of genes up-regulated by MLL-AF9 or ZNF521 single transgene overexpression as well as in MLL-AF9/ZNF521 combinations, at either the early or late time points of an in vitro leukemogenesis model. The silencing of ZNF521 in the MLL-AF9 + THP-1 cell line coherently results in an impairment of growth and clonogenicity, recapitulating the effects observed in primary cells. Taken together, these results underscore a role for ZNF521 in sustaining the self-renewal of the immature AML compartment, most likely through the perturbation of the gene expression landscape, which ultimately favors the expansion of MLL-AF9-transformed leukemic clones

Caratterizzazione geofisica dell'acquifero idrotermale dell'area di Panza (Ischia)

Gli obiettivi di questo lavoro sono quelli di ricostruire, con metodologie geofisiche integrate, le principali geometrie tettoniche ed idrogeologiche del territorio di Panza nell’isola di Ischia. La zona è stata scelta in quanto caratterizzata da un’intensa attività idrotermale e deformativa connessa con la presenza di un reservoir geotermico

Treatment with FRAX486 rescues neurobehavioral and metabolic alterations in a female mouse model of CDKL5 deficiency disorder

Introduction: CDKL5 deficiency disorder (CDD) is a rare neurodevelopmental condition, primarily affecting girls for which no cure currently exists. Neuronal morphogenesis and plasticity impairments as well as metabolic dysfunctions occur in CDD patients. The present study explored the potential therapeutic value for CDD of FRAX486, a brain-penetrant molecule that was reported to selectively inhibit group I p21-activated kinases (PAKs), serine/threonine kinases critically involved in the regulation of neuronal morphology and glucose homeostasis.Methods: The effects of treatment with FRAX486 on CDD-related alterations were assessed in vitro (100 nM for 48h) on primary hippocampal cultures from Cdkl5-knockout male mice (Cdkl5-KO) and in vivo (20 mg/Kg, s.c. for 5 days) on Cdkl5-KO heterozygous females (Cdkl5-Het).Results: The in vitro treatment with FRAX486 completely rescued the abnormal neuronal maturation and the number of PSD95-positive puncta in Cdkl5-KO mouse neurons. In vivo, FRAX486 normalized the general health status, the hyperactive profile and the fear learning defects of fully symptomatic Cdkl5-Het mice. Systemically, FRAX486 treatment normalized the levels of reactive oxidizing species in the whole blood and the fasting-induced hypoglycemia displayed by CdklS-Het mice. In the hippocampus of Cdkl5-Het mice, treatment with FRAX486 rescued spine maturation and PSD95 expression and restored the abnormal PAKs phosphorylation at sites which are critical for their activation (P-PAK-Ser144/141/139) or for the control cytoskeleton remodeling (P-PAK1-Thr212).Conclusions: Present results provide evidence that PAKs may represent innovative therapeutic targets for CDD

Experimental setup and procedure for the measurement of the 7Be(n,α)α reaction at n_TOF

The newly built second experimental area EAR2 of the n_TOF spallation neutron source at CERN allows to perform (n, charged particles) experiments on short-lived highly radioactive targets. This paper describes a detection apparatus and the experimental procedure for the determination of the cross-section of the 7Be(n,α)α reaction, which represents one of the focal points toward the solution of the cosmological Lithium abundance problem, and whose only measurement, at thermal energy, dates back to 1963. The apparently unsurmountable experimental difficulties stemming from the huge 7Be γ-activity, along with the lack of a suitable neutron beam facility, had so far prevented further measurements. The detection system is subject to considerable radiation damage, but is capable of disentangling the rare reaction signals from the very high background. This newly developed setup could likely be useful also to study other challenging reactions requiring the detectors to be installed directly in the neutron beam.European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) Seventh Framework Programme FP7/2007-2011-UMO-2012/04/M/ST2/00700Croatian Science Foundation-HRZZ 168

First results of the140ce(N,ү)141ce cross-section measurement at n_tof

An accurate measurement of the140Ce(n,ү) energy-dependent cross-section was performed at the n_TOF facility at CERN. This cross-section is of great importance because it represents a bottleneck for the s-process nucleosynthesis and determines to a large extent the cerium abundance in stars. The measurement was motivated by the significant difference between the cerium abundance measured in globular clusters and the value predicted by theoretical stellar models. This discrepancy can be ascribed to an overestimation of the140Ce capture cross-section due to a lack of accurate nuclear data. For this measurement, we used a sample of cerium oxide enriched in140Ce to 99.4%. The experimental apparatus consisted of four deuterated benzene liquid scintillator detectors, which allowed us to overcome the difficulties present in the previous measurements, thanks to their very low neutron sensitivity. The accurate analysis of the p-wave resonances and the calculation of their average parameters are fundamental to improve the evaluation of the140Ce Maxwellian-averaged cross-section. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland