Eredità mitocondriale medio orientale all'Isola d'Elba

Il sequenziamento della regione non codificante del DNA mitocondriale (regione HVS1) consente, sulla base di mutazioni puntiformi ad alto tasso di mutazione, la costruzione di aplotipi composti che rappresentano, ciascuno, una linea diretta a trasmissione esclusivamente femminile. Attraverso la loro analisi risulta semplificata la ricostruzione filo-geografica delle popolazioni. Nella presente tesi si è studiata la variabilità HVS1nella popolazione dell’Isola d’Elba. Quest’ultima, per evidenze storico-culturali, geografiche, e demografiche, può essere considerata come un’area parzialmente isolata che ben si presta alla verifica di modelli di popolamento basati su marcatori uni-parentali di linea. Un totale di 53 sequenze HVS1 sono state ottenute da altrettanti individui residenti nell’isola (area occidentale), non imparentati fra loro da almeno tre generazioni, aventi entrambi i genitori e tutti e quattro i nonni nativi dell’Elba. Dal confronto con un archivio di sequenze HVS1 italiane (in particolare toscane) e medio-orientali, si è stimata la composizione del campione elbano e la possibile origine di ciascun aplotipo nel contesto del popolamento dell’area mediterranea. I risultati suggeriscono una significativa differenziazione del repertorio mitocondriale elbano rispetto a quello italiano. La divergenza è causata da una alta frequenza di aplotipi caratteristici di linee (H5,H7,U7) per le quali si ipotizza una chiara origine medio-orientale. La presenza di tali linee è compatibile con flussi migratori avvenuti in epoca storica (etruschi, fenici, coloni romani), le cui tracce si sarebbero conservate grazie al forte isolamento della popolazione

Processing Tomato–Durum Wheat Rotation under Integrated, Organic and Mulch-Based No-Tillage Organic Systems: Yield, N Balance and N Loss

In a 4-year study, the biannual crop rotation processing tomato–durum wheat was applied to three cropping systems: (i) an innovative organic coupled with no-tillage (ORG+) where an autumn-sown cover crop was terminated by roller-crimping and then followed by the direct transplantation of processing tomato onto the death-mulch cover; (ii) a traditional organic (ORG) with autumn-sown cover crop that was green manured and followed by processing tomato; and (iii) a conventional integrated low-input (INT) with bare soil during the fall–winter period prior to the processing tomato. N balance, yield and N leaching losses were determined. Innovative cropping techniques such as wheat–faba bean temporary intercropping and the direct transplantation of processing tomato into roll-crimped cover crop biomass were implemented in ORG+; the experiment was aimed at: (i) quantifying the N leaching losses; (ii) assessing the effect of N management on the yield and N utilization; and (iii) comparing the cropping system outputs (yield) in relation to extra-farm N sources (i.e., N coming from organic or synthetic fertilizers acquired from the market) and N losses. The effects of such innovations on important agroecological services such as yield and N recycling were assessed compared to those supplied by the other cropping systems. Independently from the soil management strategy (no till or inversion tillage), cover crops were found to be the key factor for increasing the internal N recycling of the agroecosystems and ORG+ needs a substantial improvement in terms of provisioning services (i.e., yield)

Case report : posterior thoracic window in the presence of pleural effusion in critical care medicine : one more chance to image the aortic valve

Good quality echocardiographic images in the setting of critical care medicine may be difficult to obtain for many reasons. We present a case of an 85-year-old woman with acute pulmonary edema and pleural effusion, where transthoracic bedside echocardiographic examination raised a suspicion for significant aortic valve disease. However, given the orthopneic decubitus of the patients, the quality of images was poor. To increase the accuracy of diagnosis, a posterior thoracic view through the pleural effusion in the sitting position was used. This view allowed the diagnosis of mixed aortic valve disease (aortic stenosis and regurgitation) and the quantification of valve disease through multiparametric criteria as recommended by current guidelines. The posterior thoracic view, when feasible, may provide a useful option in the assessment of cardiac structures and further diagnostic information in technically difficult echocardiographic examinations

Growing lettuce under multispectral light-emitting diodes lamps with adjustable light intensity

Light-Emitting Diodes (LEDs) technology offers vast possibilities in plant lighting due to its ability to mix different light frequencies, high energy use efficiency and low heat production combined to long lifespan. In particular, the combined effect of the Blue:Red (B:R) ratio and other frequencies in the central part of the PAR spectrum (CGA, i.e. cyan, green and amber) may be very important, though literature information is scarce. In this paper, the effects of six light spectra from LED technology were tested, i.e.: (i) B:R=0.82 (i.e. similar to sunlight) with CGA (treatment T0), (ii) B:R=0.82 without CGA (T1), (iii) red prevalence (B:R=0.25) without CGA (T2), (iv) blue prevalence (B:R=4) without CGA (T3), (v) red prevalence with CGA (T4) and (vi) blue prevalence with CGA (T5). The experiment was carried out in a walk-in climatic chamber with controlled temperature and relative humidity and an incident PAR photon flux density (PFD) of 300 μmol m–2 s–1 (14/10 light/dark photoperiod), generated by multispectral LED lamps with adjustable light intensity. Smooth leaved lettuce (Lactuca sativa L. cv Gentilina) was used as the test plant and biomass yield (DW, g m–2), LAI, soil coverage proportion (SC%), energy-biomass conversion efficiency (E-BCE, kWh g–1) and Radiation Use Efficiency (RUE, g mol–1 photons) were determined. Treatments with red predominance (T2 and T4) showed the highest SC% rates, while those with blue predominance (T3 and T5) showed the lowest. Light spectrum also affected leaf size (i.e. mean leaf area). The highest DW and RUE were observed in T2 and T4, followed by T0, while biomass in T3 and T5 was significantly lower (similar to T1). LAI values were generally high, but treatments with blue predominance showed the lowest LAI values (both with or without CGA). The introduction of intermediate wavelengths (green, cyan and amber) did not bring about significant improvement in DW or RUE, but resulted in reduced energy-biomass conversion efficiency, mainly due to lower architectural efficiency of the CGA LEDs. Future research should clarify how to optimise the light spectra according to the crop growth phases. The adoption of spectra promoting fast growth is fundamental in the early growth, while the use of spectra maximising yield quality may be more important later on

Benda-BEAM High-Dose Therapy Prior to Auto-SCT is Effective in Resistant/Relapsed DLBCL

Abstract Background: The most important drawback of clinical trials of high-dose therapy (HDT) followed by autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) in lymphomas is the high heterogeneity of histological entities. Therefore, the statistical power is reduced, and data are not conclusive. We previously demonstrated the safety of a new conditioning regimen with bendamustine, etoposide, cytarabine, and melphalan (BeEAM) prior to ASCT in resistant/relapsed lymphoma patients. This combination of drugs was able to induce a high CR rate in a population that did not have an opportunity of being cured with other therapies. However, that study enrolled both Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma patients. Aims: We designed a phase II study to evaluate the efficacy of the BeEAM conditioning in resistant/relapsed diffuse large B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (DLBCL) patients. Patients and methods: The study was registered at European Union Drug Regulating Authorities Clinical Trials (EudraCT) N. 2011-001246-14. Until now, 61 patients (median age 54 years, range 19-69) with resistant/relapsed DLBCL were enrolled. The primary end-point of the study is to evaluate the 1-year complete remission rate. Results: Briefly, 46/61 patients had advanced stage disease (III-IV); 20 were primary refractory and 41 had relapsed after a median number of 2 lines of therapy (range: 1-3). Twenty-one patients had 1 or more relevant comorbidities (range: 1- 5). 30 patients were in II or subsequent CR after salvage therapy, whereas 27 were in PR and 4 had stable or progressive disease. A median number of 5.72x106 CD34+/kg cells (range 2.21-10.60) collected from peripheral blood was reinfused to patients. All patients engrafted, with a median time to ANC>0.5x109/l of 10 days. Median times to achieve a platelet count >20x109/l and >50x109/l were 12 and 17 days respectively. Twenty-two out of 61 patients presented a fever of unknown origin (36%), whereas 24 patients (39%) presented a clinically documented infection. All patients received G-CSF after transplant for a median time of 8 days (range: 8-13). One patient died due to an incomplete hematological recovery after transplant, producing an overall transplant related mortality of 2.7%. Fifty-seven patients are evaluable for response: 48/57 (84%) obtained a CR, 3/57 (5%) a PR, whereas 6/57 (11%) did not respond to therapy. After a median follow-up of 10.5 months after transplant (range 3-37), 6/57 (11%) patients were refractory, 12/57 (21%) relapsed and 39/57 (68%) are still alive, in continuous CR. Conclusion: Our clinical trial was designed to closely resemble real-world treatment for these patients. During the study, we transplanted a similar proportion of the patients that would have received ASCT in a real-world scenario. While we cannot make sound comparisons without head-to-head trials, results from previous studies using HDT regimens in DLCBL have not been as encouraging as ours. Accordingly, our data preliminary provide the evidence that the Benda-BEAM regimen is safe and has promising high efficacy in resistant-relapsed aggressive DLBCL patients. Acknowledgments: The study was supported in part by AIL Pesaro Onlus. Mundipharma Italy is grateful acknowledged for providing Bendamustine free of charge. Disclosures Patriarca: Janssen-Cilag, Celgene, Merck Sharp & Dohme: Honoraria. Zinzani:Gilead: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Takeda: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; J&J: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Pfizer: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees