From IR to X-rays: approaches to go through the coating system of historical bowed string musical instruments

Some historical bowed string musical instruments produced in Italy from the 16th to 18th Centuries are considered until now peak-quality masterpieces of the violin-making art. Technical skills were mostly lost after the disappearance of the prominent workshops, and nowadays ancient methods and materials are charming secrets to be revealed by scientific techniques. This work discusses the results obtained by investigating the complex coating systems on bowed string instruments produced by four violin-makers, namely: Jacobus Stainer, Gasparo da Salò, Giovanni Paolo Maggini and Lorenzo Guadagnini. They were selected in order to represent convincingly - albeit not exhaustively - the variety of situations that can be encountered when multi-layered coatings on historical bowed string instruments are considered. The coating systems have been investigated though micro-invasive and non-invasive procedures [1], employing UV-imaging, portable X-ray fluorescence, optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry and Fourier transform infrared microscopy. In addition, two tomographic techniques (synchrotron radiation micro-computed tomography and optical coherence tomography) have been used to image the finishing layers spread on the wood substrate [2,3]. Chemical investigations and images on cross-sections have been compared with the morphological view obtained by tomography, with particular attention to the ability of the tomographic insight to distinguish and measure the various overlying layers, and to highlight the presence of dispersed particles

Investigations through the coating system: the curious case of the historical bowed string instruments

The most outstanding violin-makers - among whom Antonio Stradivari is the most celebrated - were active during the 17th and 18th centuries, a period known as the “golden age” of violin-making. Since few documents have been left about methods of the ancient violin makers, most of their know-how have been lost through the centuries. Nowadays, ancient methods and materials are charming secrets to be revealed by scientific techniques. The present scientific investigation discusses the results obtained by investigating the complex coating systems on bowed string instruments produced by four violin-makers: Jacobus Stainer, Gasparo da Salò, Giovanni Paolo Maggini and Lorenzo Guadagnini. They were selected in order to represent convincingly - albeit not exhaustively - the variety of situations that can be encountered when multi-layered coatings on historical bowed string instruments are considered. The coating systems have been investigated though micro-invasive and non-invasive procedures [1], employing UV-imaging, portable X-ray fluorescence, optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry and Fourier transform infrared microscopy. In addition, two tomographic techniques (synchrotron radiation micro-computed tomography and optical coherence tomography) have been used to image the finishing layers spread on the wood substrate [2,3]. Chemical investigations and images on cross-sections have been compared with the morphological view obtained by tomography, with particular attention to the ability of the tomographic insight to distinguish and measure the various overlying layers, and to highlight the presence of dispersed particles

Adjuvant Imatinib in Patients with GIST Harboring Exon 9 KIT Mutations : Results from a Multi-institutional European Retrospective Study

Purpose: The effect of high-dose imatinib (800 mg/day) on survival in the adjuvant treatment of patients with resected KIT exon 9-mutated gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) is not established. Here, the association of dose and other clinicopatho-logic variables with survival was evaluated in a large multi-institutional European cohort. Experimental Design: Data from 185 patients were retrospec-tively collected in 23 European GIST reference centers. Propen-sity score matching (PSM) and inverse-probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) were used to account for confounders. Uni-variate and multivariate unweighted and weighted Cox propor-tional hazard regression models were estimated for relapse-free survival (RFS), modified-RFS (mRFS) and imatinib failure-free survival (IFFS). Univariate Cox models were estimated for overall survival. Results: Of the 185 patients, 131 (70.8%) received a starting dose of 400 mg/d and the remaining 54 (29.2%) a dose of 800 mg/d. Baseline characteristics were partially unbalanced, suggesting a potential selection bias. PSM and IPTW analyses showed no advantage of imatinib 800 mg/d. In the weighted multivariate Cox models, high-dose imatinib was not associated with the survival outcomes [RFS: hazard ratio (HR), 1.24; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.79-1.94; mRFS: HR, 1.69; 95% CI, 0.92-3.10; IFFS: HR, 1.35; 95% CI, 0.79- 2.28]. The variables consistently associated with worse survival out-comes were high mitotic index and nongastric tumor location. Conclusions: In this retrospective series of patients with KIT exon 9-mutated GIST treated with adjuvant imatinib, a daily dose of 800 mg versus 400 mg did not show better results in terms of survival outcomes. Prospective evaluation of the more appropriate adjuvant treatment in this setting is warranted.Peer reviewe

External validation and adaptation of a dynamic prediction model for patients with high‐grade extremity soft tissue sarcoma

Background and Objectives: A dynamic prediction model for patients with soft tissue sarcoma of the extremities was previously developed to predict updated overall survival probabilities throughout patient follow‐up. This study updates and externally validates the dynamic model. Methods: Data from 3826 patients with high‐grade extremity soft tissue sarcoma, treated surgically with curative intent were used to update the dynamic PERsonalised SARcoma Care (PERSARC) model. Patients were added to the model development cohort and grade was included in the model. External validation was performed with data from 1111 patients treated at a single tertiary center. Results: Calibration plots show good model calibration. Dynamic C‐indices suggest that the model can discriminate between high‐ and low‐risk patients. The dynamic C‐indices at 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 years after surgery were equal to 0.697, 0.790, 0.822, 0.818, 0.812, and 0.827, respectively. Conclusion: Results from the external validation show that the dynamic PERSARC model is reliable in predicting the probability of surviving an additional 5 years from a specific prediction time point during follow‐up. The model combines patient‐, treatment‐specific and time‐dependent variables such as local recurrence and distant metastasis to provide accurate survival predictions throughout follow‐up and is available through the PERSARC app.Peer reviewe

COVID-19 in rheumatic diseases in Italy: first results from the Italian registry of the Italian Society for Rheumatology (CONTROL-19)

OBJECTIVES: Italy was one of the first countries significantly affected by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic. The Italian Society for Rheumatology promptly launched a retrospective and anonymised data collection to monitor COVID-19 in patients with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs), the CONTROL-19 surveillance database, which is part of the COVID-19 Global Rheumatology Alliance. METHODS: CONTROL-19 includes patients with RMDs and proven severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) updated until May 3rd 2020. In this analysis, only molecular diagnoses were included. The data collection covered demographic data, medical history (general and RMD-related), treatments and COVID-19 related features, treatments, and outcome. In this paper, we report the first descriptive data from the CONTROL-19 registry. RESULTS: The population of the first 232 patients (36% males) consisted mainly of elderly patients (mean age 62.2 years), who used corticosteroids (51.7%), and suffered from multi-morbidity (median comorbidities 2). Rheumatoid arthritis was the most frequent disease (34.1%), followed by spondyloarthritis (26.3%), connective tissue disease (21.1%) and vasculitis (11.2%). Most cases had an active disease (69.4%). Clinical presentation of COVID-19 was typical, with systemic symptoms (fever and asthenia) and respiratory symptoms. The overall outcome was severe, with high frequencies of hospitalisation (69.8%), respiratory support oxygen (55.7%), non-invasive ventilation (20.9%) or mechanical ventilation (7.5%), and 19% of deaths. Male patients typically manifested a worse prognosis. Immunomodulatory treatments were not significantly associated with an increased risk of intensive care unit admission/mechanical ventilation/death. CONCLUSIONS: Although the report mainly includes the most severe cases, its temporal and spatial trend supports the validity of the national surveillance system. More complete data are being acquired in order to both test the hypothesis that RMD patients may have a different outcome from that of the general population and determine the safety of immunomodulatory treatments