A Geological Itinerary Through the Southern Apennine Thrust-Belt (Basilicata—Southern Italy)

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Modulation of 5-fluorouracil as adjuvant systemic chemotherapy in colorectal cancer: the IGCS-COL multicentre, randomised, phase III study

The aims of this multicentre, randomised phase III trial were to evaluate: ( 1) the role of levamisol (LEV); and ( 2) the role of folinic acid ( FA), added to 5-fluorouracil (5FU) in the adjuvant treatment of colorectal cancer. Patients with histologically proven, radically resected stage II or III colon or rectal cancer were eligible. The study had a 2 x 2 factorial design with four treatment arms: ( a) 5FU alone, (b) 5FU+LEV, ( c) 5FU+FA, ( d) 5FU+LEV+FA, and two planned comparisons, testing the role of LEV and of FA, respectively. From March 1991, to September 1998, 1327 patients were randomised. None of the two comparisons resulted in a significant disease-free (DFS) or overall (OAS) survival advantage. The hazard ratio (HR) of relapse was 0.89 (95% confidence intervals (CI): 0.73 - 1.09) for patients receiving FA and 0.99 ( 95% CI 0.80 - 1.21) for those receiving LEV; corresponding HRs of death were 1.02 ( 95% CI: 0.80 - 1.30) and 0.94 ( 95% CI 0.73 - 1.20). Nonhaematological toxicity ( all grade vomiting, diarrhoea, mucositis, congiuntivitis, skin, fever and fatigue) was significantly worse with FA, while all other toxicities were similar. In the present trial, there was no evidence that the addition of FA or LEV significantly prolongs DFS and OAS of radically resected colorectal cancer patients

Case Report Cat Scratch Disease Presenting as Breast Cancer: A Report of an Unusual Case

Benign lymphoreticulosis (cat scratch disease, CSD) may have a clinical course that varies from the most common lymphadenitis localized in the site of inoculation, preceded by the typical "primary lesion, " to a context of severe systemic involvement. Among these uncommon clinical aspects, there is mammarian granulomatous lymphadenitis which may appear as a mastitis or a solitary intraparenchymal mass, giving the impression of a breast tumor. In these cases, intensive clinical, instrumental, and laboratory investigations are necessary to exclude malignancy. Because of its rarity, in equivocal cases, it is reasonable to use surgical excision for accurate histological examination. We report a case of CSD of the breast in a 59-year-old woman, analyzing the clinical, histopathological, and instrumental appearance and also performing a literature review

Acoustics and prayers: investigations on the Great Mosque of Tirana, Albania

The Great Mosque of Tirana, also called Namazgâh Mosque, is the largest mosque in the Balkans. After the end of the communism, the mosque was requested by the numerous Muslim citizens, as there was a lack of a religious building to pray in. The mosque is characterized by 50 m high minarets, crowned on the perimeter by a 35 m high central dome surmounted by six niches with half domes. The Great Mosque has an area of 600 m2, whose floor is covered with a precious carpet, and the interior is illuminated by large windows on the side walls. This paper deals with the acoustic characterization of the main prayer room of the Great Mosque and the comparison with the values measured in other mosques. A short digression about the historical background, as well as the measurement techniques according to ISO 3382 have been given