Syncope and Epilepsy coexist in 'possible' and 'drug-resistant' epilepsy (Overlap between Epilepsy and Syncope Study - OESYS).

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Syncope and related falls are one of the main causes and the predominant cause of hospitalization in elderly patients with dementia. However, the diagnostic protocol for syncope is difficult to apply to patients with dementia. Thus, we developed a "simplified" protocol to be used in a prospective, observational, and multicenter study in elderly patients with dementia and transient loss of consciousness suspected for syncope or unexplained falls. Here, we describe the protocol, its feasibility and the characteristics of the patients enrolled in the study. METHODS: Patients aged ≥65 years with a diagnosis of dementia and one or more episodes of transient loss of consciousness during the previous 3 months, subsequently referred to a Geriatric Department in different regions of Italy, from February 2012 to May 2014, were enrolled. A simplified protocol was applied in all patients. Selected patients underwent a second-level evaluation. RESULTS: Three hundred and three patients were enrolled; 52.6% presented with episodes suspected to be syncope, 44.5% for unexplained fall and 2.9% both. Vascular dementia had been previously diagnosed in 53.6% of participants, Alzheimer's disease in 23.5% and mixed forms in 12.6%. Patients presented with high comorbidity (CIRS score = 3.6 ± 2), severe functional impairment, (BADL lost = 3 ± 2), and polypharmacy (6 ± 3 drugs). CONCLUSION: Elderly patients with dementia enrolled for suspected syncope and unexplained falls have high comorbidity and disability. The clinical presentation is often atypical and the presence of unexplained falls is particularly frequent

Bolsena e la sponda occidentale della Val di Lago: un aggiornamento

La conoscenza delle modalità e delle vicende relative all’occupazione del settore settentrionale del lago di Bolsena in età antica presenta tutt’ora ampie lacune e margini d’incertezza, anche se la pluridecennale attività di ricerca condotta dall’École française de Rome a Bolsena ha conseguito importanti risultati ed un quadro generale di riferimento. Alcuni interventi di scavo condotti dalla Soprintendenza per i Beni Archeologici dell’Etruria meridionale negli ultimi anni a Bolsena e a Gradoli, insieme alla ripresa delle indagini sistematiche nelle necropoli etrusche di Grotte di Castro e alla revisione della documentazione d’archivio hanno fornito una ricca messe di dati nuovi e, per certi aspetti, inattesi, che possono contribuire a mettere meglio a fuoco alcune delle problematiche ancora aperte.Decades of research carried out in Bolsena by the École française de Rome have produced excellent results and a general frame of reference. However, our knowledge of the conditions and the historical events related to the settlement of the northern side of the Bolsena lake in Antiquity remain incomplete, and many of the analyses are uncertain. Some excavations conducted over the last few years in Bolsena and Gradoli by the Archaeological Heritage Office of southern Etruria and the reinvestigation of the Etruscan necropolis in the Grotte di Castro, which included the reassessment of archive material, have revealed a wealth of new and in some respects unexpected results. This data allows us to focus on some of the remaining unanswered questions

Isolation and characterization of CD133+ cell population within human primary and metastatic colon cancer

BACKGROUND: "Cancer stem cells" (CSC) have been identified as a minority of cancer cells responsible for tumor initiation, maintenance and spreading. Although a universal marker for CSC has not yet been identified, CD133 has been proposed as the hallmark of CSC in colon cancer. The aim of our study was to assess the presence of a CD133+ cell fraction in samples of colon cancer and liver metastasis from colon cancer and evaluate their potential as tumor-initiating cells. METHODS: Tissue samples from 17 colon cancers and 8 liver metastasis were fragmented and digested using collagenase. Cell suspensions were characterized by flow cytometry using anti-CD133, CD45 and CD31 antibodies. CD133+ cells were also isolated by magnetic cell sorting and their tumor-initiating potential was assessed versus the remaining CD133- fraction by soft-agar assay. RESULTS: Our results confirmed the existence of a subset of CD133+ tumor cells within human colon cancers. Interestingly, CD133+ cells were detectable in liver metastasis at a higher percentage when compared to primary tumors. Soft-agar assay showed that CD133+ cell fraction was able to induce larger and more numerous colonies than CD133-cells. CONCLUSION: Our findings data that the CD133+ colon cancer cells might play an important role in both primary tumors as well as in metastatic lesions thus warranting further studies on the role(s) of this subset of cells in the metastatic process