Exploring the Susceptibility to Multiple Primary Tumors in Patients with Differentiated Thyroid Cancer

Purpose: It was demonstrated that differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) patients may develop multiple primary tumors (MPT) during follow-up. Many studies showed an association between reduced telomere length and cancer phenotype; in particular, the short telomeres were associated with the development of a primary tumor. However, the role of altered telomere length in MPT development has not yet been demonstrated. The aim of this study was to evaluate the possible correlation between a short telomere length in blood leukocytes and the risk of developing MPT in DTC patients. Patients and Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 167 DTC patients followed up for a median of 13.6 years. Our control group was represented by 105 healthy subjects without any thyroid disease or present or past history of tumors. Our study groups, age-matched, were evaluated for the relative telomere length measured in leukocytes of peripheral venous blood. Results: The relative telomere length (RTL) was significantly different in healthy subjects compared to the total group of differentiated thyroid cancer patients [p < 0.0001]. Shorter telomeres length was observed in DTC patients with (n = 32) and without (n = 135) MPT compared to healthy subjects (p < 0.0001 and p = 0.0002, respectively). At multivariate analysis, the parameters independently associated with the presence of MPT were RTL [OR: 0.466 (0.226-0.817), p = 0.018] and the familial DTC [OR: 2.949 (1.142-8.466), p = 0.032]. Conclusions: The results of this study suggest a role of the relative telomere length in predicting MPT development in DTC patients. Our results contribute to increasing the knowledge of the genetic mechanisms underlying MPT development in DTC patients, considering relative telomere length as a possible prognostic marker

Graphene etching on SiC grains as a path to interstellar polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons formation.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons as well as other organic molecules appear among the most abundant observed species in interstellar space and are key molecules to understanding the prebiotic roots of life. However, their existence and abundance in space remain a puzzle. Here we present a new top-down route to form polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in large quantities in space. We show that aromatic species can be efficiently formed on the graphitized surface of the abundant silicon carbide stardust on exposure to atomic hydrogen under pressure and temperature conditions analogous to those of the interstellar medium. To this aim, we mimic the circumstellar environment using ultra-high vacuum chambers and investigate the SiC surface by in situ advanced characterization techniques combined with first-principles molecular dynamics calculations. These results suggest that top-down routes are crucial to astrochemistry to explain the abundance of organic species and to uncover the origin of unidentified infrared emission features from advanced observations. © 2014 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved

LAKE SHOREZONE FUNCTIONALITY INDEX (SFI) A tool for the definition of ecological quality as indicated by Directive 2000/60/CE

www.appa.provincia.tn.it/binary/pat_appa/pubblicazioni/IFP_Manual_english_ver2.1310115028.pd

LAKE SHOREZONE FUNCTIONALITY INDEX (SFI) A tool for the definition of ecological quality as indicated by Directive 2000/60/CE

www.appa.provincia.tn.it/binary/pat_appa/pubblicazioni/IFP_Manual_english_ver2.1310115028.pd

Transfer-free electrical insulation of epitaxial graphene from its metal substrate

High-quality, large-area epitaxial graphene can be grown on metal surfaces but its transport properties cannot be exploited because the electrical conduction is dominated by the substrate. Here we insulate epitaxial graphene on Ru(0001) by a step-wise intercalation of silicon and oxygen, and the eventual formation of a SiO$_2$ layer between the graphene and the metal. We follow the reaction steps by x-ray photoemission spectroscopy and demonstrate the electrical insulation using a nano-scale multipoint probe technique.Comment: Accepted for publication in Nano Letter

Dal prelievo coattivo alla banca dati dei profili genetici : l'ennesima incompiuta

Gli autori esaminano la questione della creazione dei data-bases dei profili genetici, con particolare riferimento al caso italiano ed alla luce di recenti innovazioni legislative nazionali (DL 144/2005). Il problema viene discusso in relazione alle direttive CEE e mediante un\u2019analisi comparatistica delle normative continentali e di common law europee e nord-americane, evidenziandone i profili di complessit\ue0 connessi al contemperamento delle esigenze di tutela dei diritti individuali con quelli di investigazione giudiziaria. Mancando norme regolamentari dedicate in Italia, si giunge alla conclusione che si debba raccomandare fortemente la creazione di un organo di controllo indipendente e di massima garanzia

Lake Management in Italy: the Implications of the Water Framework Directive.

Abstract not availableJRC.H-Institute for environment and sustainability (Ispra