The use of force in international affairs

https://stars.library.ucf.edu/prism/1436/thumbnail.jp

Evaporite sinkholes of the Friuli Venezia Giulia region (NE Italy)

Sinkholes are common in the Friuli Venezia Giulia (FVG) Region (NE Italy), where the presence of karstifiable rocks favours their occurrence accelerated by intense rainfalls. Their existence has been reported since the end of the 1800s along the Tagliamento Valley, in correspondence with the mantled evaporites (gypsum). Furthermore, tens of evaporite sinkholes have been documented on the reliefs adjacent to the village of Sauris and along the narrow W\u2013Eoriented valleys, where regional faults have played a major role in their spatial distribution. This paper reports for the first time an inventory of the sinkholes affecting the evaporites of the FVG Region. These phenomena were mapped and categorised using a genetic classification. The main output is an A0-format map, which incorporates a 1:50,000 scale Sinkhole Inventory Map (SIM). The SIM encompasses 552 sinkholes. The cover suffosion sinkholes are the most abundant, followed by bedrock collapses. There is a clear prevalence of the circular shape (65%) over other shapes. Diameters are 1\u2013140 m, with depths ranging 0.1\u201340 m with a mean value of 4.5 m. The SIM can motivate regional planning authorities to perform further investigations aimed to understand the geomorphological evolutions of these phenomena

Do mixed histological features affect survival benefit from neoadjuvant platinum‐based combination chemotherapy in patients with locally advanced bladder cancer? A secondary analysis of Southwest Oncology Group‐Directed Intergroup Study (S8710)

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/86993/1/j.1464-410X.2010.09900.x.pd

Promoter Methylation of E-cadherin in Hepatocellular Carcinomas and Dysplastic Nodules

In order to clarify the significance of E-cadherin methylation in multistep hepatocarcinogenesis, we examined the methylation status of the E-cadherin promoter region, using methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction in 64 hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) and 13 dysplastic nodules (DNs), and correlated these results with E-cadherin protein expression and clinicopathologic factors of HCCs. Promoter methylation was detected in 1 of 13 (7.7%) DNs, in 5 of 13 (38.5%) Edmondson and Steiner grade I HCCs, and in 27 of 51 (52.9%) grade II or III HCCs, and a significant correlation was observed between the methylation status and the stepwise progression of hepatocarcinogenesis (p=0.004). Reduced E-cadherin immunoreactivity was found in 18 of 64 (28%) HCCs, but in none of DNs. E-cadherin methylation status in HCCs was significantly correlated with microvascular invasion (p=0.02) and tumor recurrence (p=0.04), but not with reduced E-cadherin immunoreactivity. The Kaplan-Meier method showed that methylation status did not have a significant influence on the recurrence-free survival of HCC patients (p=0.15). Our results indicate that methylation of the E-cadherin promoter region is a frequent event in HCC, which may play an important role in the stepwise progression of hepatocarcinogenesis. And the promoter methylation of E-cadherin in HCC was found to be significantly correlated with microvascular invasion and recurrence

Atypical strain of Toxoplasma gondii causing fatal reactivation after hematopoietic stem cell transplantion in a patient with an underlying immunological deficiency

International audienceIn immunocompromized patients, including hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) recipients, life-threatening toxoplasmosis may result from reactivation of previous infection. We report a case of severe disseminated toxoplasmosis that developed early after allogeneic HSCT for T-cell lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma in a 15-year-old Toxoplasma gondii-seropositive boy with Nijmegen breakage syndrome, a rare genetic DNA repair disorder associated with immunodeficiency. The donor was the patient's HLA-identical brother. Prophylaxis with cotrimoxazole was discontinued a day before the HSCT procedure. Signs of lung infection appeared as early as day 14 post-HSCT. The presence of tachyzoite-like structures on Giemsa-stained bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid smears suggested toxoplasmosis. Real-time PCR targeted at the T. gondii AF146527 gene revealed extremely high parasite burdens in both blood and BAL fluid. Although immediate introduction of specific treatment resulted in a marked reduction of the parasite load and transient clinical improvement, the patient deteriorated and died of multiple organ failure on day 39 post-HSCT. Direct genotyping of T. gondii DNA from blood and BAL fluid with the PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism method revealed type II alleles with SAG1, SAG2, and GRA6 markers but alleles of both type I and type II with GRA7. Additional analysis with 15 microsatellite markers showed that the T. gondii DNA was atypical and genetically divergent from that of the clonal type I, II, and III strains. This is the first report of increased clinical severity of toxoplasmosis associated with an atypical strain in the setting of immunosuppression, which emphasizes the need to diagnose and monitor toxoplasmosis by quantitative molecular methods in cases of reactivation risk

Characterization of MOSFET dosimeters for low-dose measurements in maxillofacial anthropomorphic phantoms

Peer reviewe

Micronuclei formation in liver fibrosis samples from patients infected by hepatitis C virus

Genetic research on fibrosis outset and its progression in chronic hepatitis (CH) by hepatitis C virus (HCV) are limited. The lack of cytogenetic data led us to investigate the presence of micronuclei (MNi), as a sign of genomic damage. Hepatocytes of hepatic parenchyma from 62 cases diagnosed with CH associated with HCV and displaying different degrees of fibrosis (F1-F4) were analyzed. These data were compared to 15 cases without fibrosis (F0). Twelve healthy liver parenchyma samples were included as control. All samples were obtained from paraffin-embedded archival material. Micronucleated hepatocytes (MN-Heps) were analyzed through Feulgen/Fast-green staining. Results showed that the rates of MN-Heps in the F4 group were statistically significant (p < 0.05) and higher than those in the control group. Like results were also obtained on comparing F4 with F0, F1, F2 and F3 cases. Conversely, differences were not significant (p > 0.05) on comparing F0, F1, F2, F3, one against the other, as well as individual versus control. Although chromosomal losses in CH were detected, it was shown that liver parenchyma with fibrosis in the initial stages (F1-F3) cannot be considered cytogenetically abnormal

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for autoimmune diseases in the time of COVID-19: EBMT guidelines and recommendations

Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19), caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), represents one of the biggest challenges of 21st century, threatening public health around the globe. Increasing age and presence of co-morbidities are reported risk factors for severe disease and mortality, along with autoimmune diseases (ADs) and immunosuppressive treatments such as haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), which are also associated with adverse outcomes. We review the impact of the pandemic on specific groups of patients with neurological, rheumatological, and gastroenterological indications, along with the challenges delivering HSCT in adult and pediatric populations. Moving forward, we developed consensus-based guidelines and recommendations for best practice and quality of patient care in order to support clinicians, scientists, and their multidisciplinary teams, as well as patients and their carers. These guidelines aim to support national and international organizations related to autoimmune diseases and local clinical teams delivering HSCT. Areas of unmet need and future research questions are also highlighted. The waves of the COVID-19 pandemic are predicted to be followed by an “endemic” phase and therefore an ongoing risk within a “new normality”. These recommendations reflect currently available evidence, coupled with expert opinion, and will be revised according to necessary modifications in practice