Snowline

“Mais où sont les neiges d’antan?” François Villon’s most famous line is a kind of translation, a variation of the old “ubi sunt” trope: Where are the things that used to be? But Villon specifically asks: Where are the snows? Even in the thick of a snowy winter, this snow is not the same as the remembered snows. The difference is affective, but it is also ecological: the world’s climate is dramatically changing. Winter itself is changing. Donato Mancini has collected over eighty translations of Villon’s line, from Thomas Urquhart’s 1653 translation of Rabelais’s quotation of the line, all the way up to translations by Florence Dujarric (2013) and Michael Barnholden (2014). From these he has arranged forty – a number that once stood for a countless number, like the forty thieves or the forty years of the biblical flood – into a booklength poem. Taking a cue from Caroline Bergvall’s “Via,” but deviating from it in significant ways, snowline traces how Villon’s line has changed and yet stubbornly stayed the same over six hundred years. It is a meditative and pointedly nostalgiac book: You will grow older as you read it, and the world around you will continue to melt into air

Chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency in multiple sclerosis: a highly prevalent age-dependent phenomenon

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and clinical relevance of chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI) in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients and healthy controls using extra- and intracranial colour Doppler sonography. METHODS: We examined 146 MS patients, presenting with a clinically isolated syndrome, relapsing-remitting, secondary progressive, or primary progressive MS, and 38 healthy controls. Sonographic examination was performed according to Zamboni’s protocol and was performed by three independent sonographers. The results of sonographic examination were compared with clinical and demographic characteristics of the patients. RESULTS: CCSVI, defined as the presence of at least two positive Zamboni’s criteria, was found in 76% of MS patients and 16% of control subjects. B-mode anomalies of internal jugular veins, such as stenosis, malformed valves, annuli, and septa were the most common lesions detected in MS patients (80.8%) and controls (47.4%). We observed a positive correlation between sonographic diagnosis of CCSVI and the patients’ age (p = 0.003). However, such a correlation was not found in controls (p = 0.635). Notably, no significant correlations were found between sonographic signs of CCSVI and clinical characteristics of MS, except for absent flow in the jugular veins, which was found more often in primary (p<0.005) and secondary (p<0.05) progressive patients compared with non-progressive patients. Absent flow in jugular veins was significantly correlated with patients’ age (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Sonographically defined CCSVI is common in MS patients. However, CCSVI appears to be primarily associated with the patient’s age, and poorly correlated with the clinical course of the disease

Analysis of intracellular magnesium and mineral depositions during osteogenic commitment of 3d cultured saos2 cells

In this study, we explore the behaviour of intracellular magnesium during bone phenotype modulation in a 3D cell model built to mimic osteogenesis. In addition, we measured the amount of magnesium in the mineral depositions generated during osteogenic induction. A two-fold increase of intracellular magnesium content was found, both at three and seven days from the induction of differentiation. By X-ray microscopy, we characterized the morphology and chemical composition of the mineral depositions secreted by 3D cultured differentiated cells finding a marked co-localization of Mg with P at seven days of differentiation. This is the first experimental evidence on the presence of Mg in the mineral depositions generated during biomineralization, suggesting that Mg incorporation occurs during the bone forming process. In conclusion, this study on the one hand attests to an evident involvement of Mg in the process of cell differentiation, and, on the other hand, indicates that its multifaceted role needs further investigation

Thermotolerant Campylobacter spp. in chicken and bovine meat in Italy: Prevalence, level of contamination and molecular characterization of isolates

Campylobacter species are common foodborne pathogens associated with cases of human gastroenteritis worldwide. A detailed understanding of the prevalence, contamination levels and molecular characteristics of Campylobacter spp. in cattle and chicken, which are likely the most important sources of human contamination, is imperative. A collection of 1243 poultry meat samples (665 chicken breasts and 578 chicken thighs) and 1203 bovine meat samples (689 hamburgers and 514 knife-cut meat preparations) were collected at retail outlets, in randomly selected supermarkets located in different Italian regions during one year. Of these samples, 17.38% of the poultry meat and 0.58% of the bovine meat samples tested positive for Campylobacter, of which 131 were Campylobacter jejuni (57.96%) and 95 were Campylobacter coli (42.03%). Campylobacter isolates were genotyped with the aim of assessing the genetic diversity, population structure, source distribution and Campylobacter transmission route to humans. All isolates were molecularly characterized by pulse field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), and further genotyped using multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and fla-SVR sequencing to gain better insight into the population structure. Antibiotic resistance was also investigate. The highest levels of resistance among chicken strains were observed for ciprofloxacin (88.25%), nalidixic acid (81.45%) and tetracycline (75.6%). PFGE analysis revealed 73 pulsotypes for C. jejuni and 54 pulsotypes for C. coli, demonstrating the existance of different and specific clones circulating in Italy. MLST of C.jejuni isolates mainly clustered in the CC353, CC354, CC21, CC206 and CC443; while C.coli isolates clustered only in CC828. The most common flaA alleles were 287 for C. jejuni and 66 for C. coli. Our study confirms that poultry meat is the main source of Campylobacteriosis, whereas red meat had a low level of contamination suggesting a minor role in transmission. The high presence of Campylobacter in retail chicken meat, paired with its increased resistance to antimicrobials with several multidrug resistance profiles detected, is alarming and represents a persistent threat to public health

Tuberculosis in Kindergarten and Primary School, Italy, 2008–2009

An outbreak of tuberculosis (TB) in Italy involved 19 schoolchildren with active TB and 43 with latent infection. The source of the outbreak was a school assistant born in Italy who had a family history of TB. This outbreak highlights the need for maintaining clinical and public health expertise in countries with low TB incidence

The central dark matter content of early-type galaxies: scaling relations and connections with star formation histories

We examine correlations between the masses, sizes, and star formation histories for a large sample of low-redshift early-type galaxies, using a simple suite of dynamical and stellar populations models. We confirm an anti-correlation between size and stellar age, and survey for trends with the central content of dark matter (DM). An average relation between central DM density and galaxy size of ~ Reff^-2 provides the first clear indication of cuspy DM haloes in these galaxies -- akin to standard LCDM haloes that have undergone adiabatic contraction. The DM density scales with galaxy mass as expected, deviating from suggestions of a universal halo profile for dwarf and late-type galaxies. We introduce a new fundamental constraint on galaxy formation by finding that the central DM fraction decreases with stellar age. This result is only partially explained by the size-age dependencies, and the residual trend is in the opposite direction to basic DM halo expectations. Therefore we suggest that there may be a connection between age and halo contraction, and that galaxies forming earlier had stronger baryonic feedback which expanded their haloes, or else lumpier baryonic accretion that avoided halo contraction. An alternative explanation is a lighter initial mass function for older stellar populations.Comment: 24 pages, 23 figures. MNRAS, submitted with minor modifications following referee report

Baraitser-Winter cerebrofrontofacial syndrome: Delineation of the spectrum in 42 cases

Baraitser-Winter, Fryns-Aftimos and cerebrofrontofacial syndrome types 1 and 3 have recently been associated with heterozygous gain-of-function mutations in one of the two ubiquitous cytoplasmic actin-encoding genes ACTB and ACTG1 that encode β- and γ-actins. We present detailed phenotypic descriptions and neuroimaging on 36 patients analyzed by our group and six cases from the literature with a molecularly proven actinopathy (9 ACTG1 and 33 ACTB). The major clinical anomalies are striking dysmorphic facial features with hypertelorism, broad nose with large tip and prominent root, congenital non-myopathic ptosis, ridged metopic suture and arched eyebrows. Iris or retinal coloboma is present in many cases, as is sensorineural deafness. Cleft lip and palate, hallux duplex, congenital heart defects and renal tract anomalies are seen in some cases. Microcephaly may develop with time. Nearly all patients with ACTG1 mutations, and around 60% of those with ACTB mutations have some degree of pachygyria with anteroposterior severity gradient, rarely lissencephaly or neuronal heterotopia. Reduction of shoulder girdle muscle bulk and progressive joint stiffness is common. Early muscular involvement, occasionally with congenital arthrogryposis, may be present. Progressive, severe dystonia was seen in one family. Intellectual disability and epilepsy are variable in severity and largely correlate with CNS anomalies. One patient developed acute lymphocytic leukemia, and another a cutaneous lymphoma, indicating that actinopathies may be cancer-predisposing disorders. Considering the multifaceted role of actins in cell physiology, we hypothesize that some clinical manifestations may be partially mutation specific. Baraitser-Winter cerebrofrontofacial syndrome is our suggested designation for this clinical entity

Female gender and psychological profile of outpatients attending Post-COVID-19 follow-up: some preliminary results

Background: The Post-COVID syndrome, characterized by persistence of psychological, neurologic, and physical symptoms, affects a large proportion of COVID-19 survivors. Specifically, females seem at increased risk of experiencing more psychological manifestations of Post-COVID Syndrome. Methods: A sample of 60 PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) confirmed COVID-19 outpatients (48.3% female; age mean= 56.1; SD= 10.8) attending an outpatient clinic dedicated to Post-COVID-19 follow-up was enrolled for this study. Each participant completed the Psychosocial Index to assess stress, well-being, psychological distress, and illness behavior, the Impact of Event Scale – Revised to evaluate post-traumatic stress symptoms and, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale to assess anxiety and depression; the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale to assess resilience; and N scale of NEO Five Factor to assess “Neuroticism”. Results: More than half of patients showed clinical or subclinical anxiety and depressive symptoms. Post-traumatic stress symptoms were found in 58.3% of sample. Resilience levels were in a medium range (71.0 ± 15.2). Statistical analysis found a predominance of depressive symptomatology (p = 0.0453), hyperarousal manifestations (p = 0.0049), perception of stress (p = 0.0001) and trait of neuroticism in women (p 0.0001). Our results show psychological distress, post-traumatic symptoms, poor psychological well-being, depression and anxiety symptoms for several weeks after infection in patients who had COVID-19. Moreover, female outpatients had a higher perception of distress, hyperarousal manifestations and depressive symptomatology than the male counterpart.                    Conclusions: As a novelty, this study gives us a deeper understanding of the psychological Post-COVID-19 profile in a clinical sample of pneumological outpatients. Moreover, it focused on gender differences identifying the female gender as a risk factor with respect to psychological illness. Our findings suggest the relevance of planning personalized interventions and assessment aimed at higher psychopathological risk groups, such as females

Treatment options in end-stage heart failure: where to go from here?

Chronic heart failure is a major healthcare problem associated with high morbidity and mortality. Despite significant progress in treatment strategies, the prognosis of heart failure patients remains poor. The golden standard treatment for heart failure is heart transplantation after failure of medical therapy, surgery and/or cardiac resynchronisation therapy. In order to improve patients’ outcome and quality of life, new emerging treatment modalities are currently being investigated, including mechanical cardiac support devices, of which the left ventricular assist device is the most promising treatment option. Structured care for heart failure patients according to the most recent international heart failure guidelines may further contribute to optimal decision-making. This article will review the conventional and novel treatment modalities of heart failure

International consensus recommendations on the diagnostic work-up for malformations of cortical development

Malformations of cortical development (MCDs) are neurodevelopmental disorders that result from abnormal development of the cerebral cortex in utero. MCDs place a substantial burden on affected individuals, their families and societies worldwide, as these individuals can experience lifelong drug-resistant epilepsy, cerebral palsy, feeding difficulties, intellectual disability and other neurological and behavioural anomalies. The diagnostic pathway for MCDs is complex owing to wide variations in presentation and aetiology, thereby hampering timely and adequate management. In this article, the international MCD network Neuro-MIG provides consensus recommendations to aid both expert and non-expert clinicians in the diagnostic work-up of MCDs with the aim of improving patient management worldwide. We reviewed the literature on clinical presentation, aetiology and diagnostic approaches for the main MCD subtypes and collected data on current practices and recommendations from clinicians and diagnostic laboratories within Neuro-MIG. We reached consensus by 42 professionals from 20 countries, using expert discussions and a Delphi consensus process. We present a diagnostic workflow that can be applied to any individual with MCD and a comprehensive list of MCD-related genes with their associated phenotypes. The workflow is designed to maximize the diagnostic yield and increase the number of patients receiving personalized care and counselling on prognosis and recurrence risk