A new reciprocal translocation involving chromosomes 1/14 in a boar

International audienc

The Influence of Government Effectiveness and Corruption on the High Levels of Homicide in Latin America

“Most research that has examined the international variation in homicide levels has focused on structural variables, with the suggestion that socio-economic development operates as a cure for violence. In Latin America, development has occurred, but high homicide levels remain, suggesting the involvement of other influencing factors. We posit that government effectiveness and corruption control may contribute to explaining the variation in homicide levels, and in particular in the Latin America region. Our results show that social and economic structural variables are useful but are not conclusive in explaining the variation in homicide levels and that the relationship between homicide, government effectiveness, and corruption control was significant and highly pronounced for countries in the Latin American region. The findings highlight the importance of supporting institutions in improving their effectiveness in Latin America so that reductions in homicide (and improvements in citizen security in general) can be achieved

a telescope proton recoil spectrometer for fast neutron beam lines

A telescope proton recoil spectrometer for fast neutron beam-lines C. Cazzaniga1,3,∗, M. Rebai2,3, M. Tardocchi3, G. Croci2,3, M. Nocente2,3, S. Ansell1, C. D. Frost1, and G. Gorini2,3 1ISIS Facility, Science and Technology Facilities Council, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Didcot OX11 0QX, UK 2Universita degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, Dipartimento di Fisica, Piazza della Scienza 3, Milano, Italy 3Istituto di Fisica del Plasma "P. Caldirola", Associazione EURATOM-ENEA/CNR, Via Cozzi 53, Milano, Italy ∗E-mail: [email protected]

Evolução dos pacientes com condrossarcoma grau I em relação ao tipo de tratamento cirúrgico

PURPOSE: To evaluate the oncological outcome of patients with grade I chondrosarcomas according to the type of surgical treatment performed, since there is still controversy regarding the need for aggressive resections to reach a successful outcome. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The records of 23 patients with grade I chondrosarcomas were reviewed. The mean age was 38.4 years, ranging from 11 to 70 years; 52% were men and 48% were women. The femur was the site of 13 tumors. The tumors were staged as IA (17, 74%) and IB (6, 26%). Regarding tumor location, 74% (17) were medullary, 22% (5) were peripheral, and 4% (1) was indeterminate. Tumor size ranged from 2 to 25 cm, mean 7.9 cm. Regarding the surgical procedure, 11 patients underwent intralesional resection, 9 patients underwent wide resection, and 3 underwent radical resection. The follow-up period ranged from 24 to 192 months. RESULTS: None of the patients developed local recurrence or metastases; 7 patients had other general complications. CONCLUSIONS: This data supports the use of less aggressive procedures for treatment of low-grade chondrosarcomas.OBJETIVO: Avaliar a evolução oncológica de portadores de condrossarcomas grau I de acordo com o tipo de tratamento cirúrgico efetuado. Existe controvérsia em relação à necessidade de ressecções agressivas para obtenção de uma evolução clínica favorável. MATERIAIS E MÉTODOS: Os prontuários de 23 portadores de condrossarcoma grau I foram analisados. A idade dos pacientes variou de 11 a 70 anos com média de 38,4 anos, 52% eram homens e 48% mulheres. O local mais acometido foi o fêmur com 13 pacientes. Dezessete lesões (74%) foram classificadas como IA e seis (26%) como IB. Setenta e quatro por cento dos tumores eram medulares, 22% eram periféricas e uma lesão indeterminada. O tamanho dos tumores variou de 2 a 25 cm, média de 7,9 cm. Onze pacientes foram submetidos a ressecção intralesional, nove a ressecção ampla e três a ressecção radical. O seguimento variou de 24 a 192 meses. RESULTADOS: Complicações não oncológicas ocorreram em sete pacientes. Nenhum dos pacientes apresentou recidiva local ou metástase. Estes dados sugerem que os procedimentos cirúrgicos menos agressivos são seguros para o tratamento dos pacientes com condrossarcoma grau I

Higher frequencies of lymphocytes expressing the natural killer group 2D receptor in patients with Behcet disease

Behçet disease (BD) is an inflammatory systemic disease with a fluctuating course, which can affect the skin, eyes, central nervous system, musculoskeletal, gastrointestinal, and vascular systems. No laboratory tests are currently available for the diagnosis of BD and monitoring disease activity. Moreover there is a lack of knowledge on BD pathogenesis. This study focused on circulating Natural Killer (NK), NKT and T cells evaluated as CD3neg CD56pos, CD3pos CD56pos, and CD3pos CD56neg. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were collected from 38 BD patients and 20 healthy controls (HC). The frequencies of NK, NKT, and T cells expressing CD16, CD69, NKG2D, Nkp30, Nkp46, and NKG2A were assessed by flow cytometry. Cytotoxic potential of NK cells was evaluated by flow cytometry as the percentage of cells expressing the degranulation marker CD107a after incubation with K562 cells. The levels of 27 cytokines were determined in plasma with a multiplex bead-based assay. Higher percentages of NK, NKT, and T cells expressing NKG2D were detected in PBMCs of BD patients than HC. ROC curve analysis showed that the evaluation of NKG2Dpos NK, NKT, and T cell percentages discriminated between BD patients and HC. Moreover, there was a positive correlation between the BD Current Activity Form (BDCAF) scores and the frequencies of NKG2Dpos NK and NKT cells. A higher frequency of NK cells expressing CD107a was induced in PBMCs from BD patients than HC after incubation with K562 cells. Concentrations of IL-5, IL-6, IL-10, IL-13, IP-10, and MIP-1β were higher in plasma of BD patients than HC. Monitoring the frequencies of NKG2Dpos lymphocytes could help the clinicians in BD patients management. In addition, the increased expression of NKG2D in BD patients is likely involved in disease pathogenesis

Prognostic value of CXCL12 expression in 40 low-grade oligodendrogliomas and oligoastrocytomas.

Both clinical and biological features have been reported as prognostic factors in low-grade gliomas. Among these, histotype, tumor size, enhancement, age and genetic pattern. Microvessel density (MVD) has been correlated to clinical outcome in astrocytomas, but its impact in oligodendrogliomas and mixed tumors is not sure. The pro-angiogenic chemokine stromal cell-derived factor (SDF-1/CXCL12) and its receptor CXC chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) have been described in low-grade gliomas, with a correlation between CXCL12 expression and shorter time to progression (TTP). The intermediate filament Nestin is expressed in proliferating vessels. Platelet-derived growth factor B (PDGF-B) and its receptor PDGFR-beta are also involved in angiogenesis and malignant progression in gliomas