EEG-based mental workload neurometric to evaluate the impact of different traffic and road conditions in real driving settings

Car driving is considered a very complex activity, consisting of different concomitant tasks and subtasks, thus it is crucial to understand the impact of different factors, such as road complexity, traffic, dashboard devices, and external events on the driver’s behavior and performance. For this reason, in particular situations the cognitive demand experienced by the driver could be very high, inducing an excessive experienced mental workload and consequently an increasing of error commission probability. In this regard, it has been demonstrated that human error is the main cause of the 57% of road accidents and a contributing factor in most of them. In this study, 20 young subjects have been involved in a real driving experiment, performed under different traffic conditions (rush hour and not) and along different road types (main and secondary streets). Moreover, during the driving tasks different specific events, in particular a pedestrian crossing the road and a car entering the traffic flow just ahead of the experimental subject, have been acted. A Workload Index based on the Electroencephalographic (EEG), i.e., brain activity, of the drivers has been employed to investigate the impact of the different factors on the driver’s workload. Eye-Tracking (ET) technology and subjective measures have also been employed in order to have a comprehensive overview of the driver’s perceived workload and to investigate the different insights obtainable from the employed methodologies. The employment of such EEG-based Workload index confirmed the significant impact of both traffic and road types on the drivers’ behavior (increasing their workload), with the advantage of being under real settings. Also, it allowed to highlight the increased workload related to external events while driving, in particular with a significant effect during those situations when the traffic was low. Finally, the comparison between methodologies revealed the higher sensitivity of neurophysiological measures with respect to ET and subjective ones. In conclusion, such an EEG-based Workload index would allow to assess objectively the mental workload experienced by the driver, standing out as a powerful tool for research aimed to investigate drivers’ behavior and providing additional and complementary insights with respect to traditional methodologies employed within road safety research

Years of life that could be saved from prevention of hepatocellular carcinoma

BACKGROUND: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) causes premature death and loss of life expectancy worldwide. Its primary and secondary prevention can result in a significant number of years of life saved. AIM: To assess how many years of life are lost after HCC diagnosis. METHODS: Data from 5346 patients with first HCC diagnosis were used to estimate lifespan and number of years of life lost after tumour onset, using a semi-parametric extrapolation having as reference an age-, sex- and year-of-onset-matched population derived from national life tables. RESULTS: Between 1986 and 2014, HCC lead to an average of 11.5 years-of-life lost for each patient. The youngest age-quartile group (18-61 years) had the highest number of years-of-life lost, representing approximately 41% of the overall benefit obtainable from prevention. Advancements in HCC management have progressively reduced the number of years-of-life lost from 12.6 years in 1986-1999, to 10.7 in 2000-2006 and 7.4 years in 2007-2014. Currently, an HCC diagnosis when a single tumour <2 cm results in 3.7 years-of-life lost while the diagnosis when a single tumour 65 2 cm or 2/3 nodules still within the Milan criteria, results in 5.0 years-of-life lost, representing the loss of only approximately 5.5% and 7.2%, respectively, of the entire lifespan from birth. CONCLUSIONS: Hepatocellular carcinoma occurrence results in the loss of a considerable number of years-of-life, especially for younger patients. In recent years, the increased possibility of effectively treating this tumour has improved life expectancy, thus reducing years-of-life lost

Łączny wpływ insektycydów na przeżywalność chrząszczy z rodzinnym biegaczowatych, Harpalus rufipes

Pestycydy są główną przyczyną spadku liczby owadów na całym świecie, przy czym środki owadobójcze są najbardziej szkodliwe ze względu na ich nieselektywność, ponieważ działają na układ nerwowy szkodnika, który jest biochemicznie identyczny z układem stawonogów niebędących przedmiotem zwalczania („non-target arthropods”, NTA). Negatywny wpływ insektycydów na NTA został już wcześniej potwierdzony, ale literatura dotycząca wpływu mieszanin insektycydów i ich interakcji jest skąpa. Gdy w mieszaninie obecne są dwie lub więcej substancji toksycznych, mogą one oddziaływać między sobą, a ostateczna toksyczność mieszaniny może być silniejsza (synergizm) niż addytywna lub słabsza (antagonizm). W niniejszym badaniu chrząszcze z rodziny biegaczowatych, Harpalus rufipes, były topikalnie eksponowane na szereg stężeń (względem zalecanych stężeń aplikacyjnych; Recommended Application Concentration, RAC) insektycydu fosforoorganicznego (Dursban 480 EC z chloropiryfosem jako składnikiem aktywnym, s.a.), pyretroidu (Sherpa EC 100, s.a. cypermetryna) oraz neonikotynoidu (Mospilan 20 SP, s.a. acetamipryd), pojedynczo lub w mieszaninach, w celu oceny różnic w ich toksyczności oraz stwierdzenia, czy występują istotne interakcje. Szczególnie wysoką śmiertelność zaobserwowano u chrząszczy wystawionych na działanie Dursbanu przy 0,2 RAC po 24 h od ekspozycji, podczas gdy Sherpa wykazywał umiarkowaną toksyczność przy 4 RAC (chrząszcze przeżywały maksymalnie do 40 dni), zaś Mospilan nie miał znaczącego wpływu na przeżywalność chrząszczy nawet po zastosowaniu stężenia odpowiadającego 6 RAC. Najniższą wartość LT50 stwierdzono dla Dursbanu (2,24 dni przy 0,2 RAC), następnie dla Sherpy (12,65 dni przy 4 RAC) i Mospilanu (19,80 dni przy 6 RAC), przy czym ten ostatni wynik nie różnił się statystycznie od kontroli (20,31 dni). Nie stwierdzono interakcji między Sherpą i Mospilanem, podczas gdy między Sherpą i Dursbanem wystąpiło antagonistyczne oddziaływanie, co wskazuje, że łączne działanie tych dwóch insektycydów jest bezpieczniejsze niż stosowanie samego Dursbana. Wyniki tego badania sugerują, że: 1) Dursban stosowany nawet grupo poniżej RAC jest wysoce szkodliwy dla biegaczowatych, 2) Sherpa i Mospilan stosowane zgodnie z zaleceniami (1 RAC) są bezpieczne dla NTA, 3) interakcje między substancjami toksycznymi mogą rzeczywiście wystąpić, niezbędna jest więc ocena ich charakteru, aby uniknąć zarówno niedoszacowania, jak i przeszacowania ryzyka. W obecnym eksperymencie łączny efekt insektycydów nie był jednak silniejszy niż addytywny, a interakcja między Sherpą i Dursbanem była nawet antagonistyczna.Pesticides are the main driver of insects decline all over the world, with insecticides being the most harmful due to their non-selectivity, as they target the pest’s nervous system, which is biochemically identical to those of non-target arthropods (NTA). Negative effects of insecticides on NTA have been confirmed before but literature on effects of mixtures of insecticides and their interactions is scarce. When present in a mixture, two or more toxicants can interact with each other, and the final toxicity may be stronger (synergism) than additive, or lower (antagonism). We topically exposed the carabid beetles Harpalus rufipes to a range of concentrations (relative to recommended application concentrations, RAC) of an organophosphorus insecticide (Dursban 480 EC with chlorpyrifos as an active ingredient, a.i.), a pyrethroid (Sherpa EC 100, a.i. cypermethrin) and a neonicotinoid (Mospilan 20 SP, a.i. acetamiprid), either alone or in mixtures, to evaluate differences in their toxicity and to assess if interactive effects occur. High mortality was observed in Dursban-exposed beetles at 0.2 RAC after 24 h from exposure, while Sherpa had a moderate toxicity at 4 RAC (survival up to 40 days) and Mospilan had no significant effect on survival of beetles even when applied at 6 RAC. The LT50 of Dursban applied at its highest rate (0.2 RAC) was the shortest (2.24 days), followed by Sherpa (12.65 days at 4 RAC) and Mospilan (19.80 days at 6 RAC), with the last case not differing from control (20.31 days). No interaction occurred between Sherpa and Mospilan, while an antagonistic interaction was found between Sherpa and Dursban, demonstrating that combining these two insecticides is safer than using only Dursban. Results from this study suggest that: i) Dursban applied at only a fraction of RAC is highly harmful towards carabid beetles, ii) Sherpa and Mospilan applied at 1 RAC are both safe towards NTA species, iii) interactions between toxicants can indeed occur and it is essential to assess their nature to avoid over or under estimation of risks. In the present experiment the combined effect of insecticides was, however, not stronger than additive and the interaction between Sherpa and Dursban was even antagonistic

Aberrant Notch3 and Notch4 expression in human hepatocellular carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Notch signalling is altered in several solid tumours and it plays a role in growth inhibition and apoptosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)-derived cell lines, bile duct development and hepatocyte regeneration. AIMS: This study aims to analyse the expression of Notch3, Notch4 and HES1 and HES6 as Notch-target genes in HCC, matched non-neoplastic tissue and HEPG2 cells. RESULTS: Notch3 and Notch4 are not expressed in normal liver and in chronic hepatitis surrounding HCC. Cirrhotic tissue stains negative for Notch3, while Notch4 is expressed by hepatocytes at the edge of regenerative nodules and in cell planes adjacent to fibrous septa. HCC tissue displays Notch3 and Notch4 abnormal accumulation, respectively, in 78% and 68% of the cases. The endothelium of hepatic veins with neoplastic permeation is frequently Notch4 positive. An upregulation of Notch3 mRNA was found in 95% of HCCs vs cirrhosis (P=0.0001), while Notch4 mRNA was downregulated in 80% of HCCs. HES6 mRNA expression was higher in HCC tissue when compared with cirrhosis (P=0.007), paralleling Notch3 mRNA expression. The HEPG2 cell line displays high Notch3 and low Notch4 protein and mRNA levels. CONCLUSIONS: These descriptive findings suggest an aberrant expression of Notch3 and Notch4 in HCC and allow the hypothesis of an activation of Notch signalling by Notch3

Cryoglobulinemia in elderly patients with HCV-related chronic hepatitis

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection affects about 3% of the world’s population and often leads to chronic liver disease. In some industrialized countries, HCV prevalence increases with age, but the optimal management of older patients has not been accurately defined. HCV infection can also lead to lymphoproliferative disorders, the most common being mixed cryoglobulinemia (MC), and also for this condition that frequently affects elderly patients, the optimal therapeutic strategy is still debated. We report the case of a 77-year-old Caucasian woman with HCV-related chronic hepatitis and cutaneous manifestations consisting of urticaria and pruritus related to MC resistant to antihistamines. The patient underwent a treatment with interferon and ribavirin. Such a treatment led to early biochemical and virological response associated with the resolution of cryoglobulinemia and cutaneous symptoms. After the end of treatment, HCV replication relapsed, but cryoglobulinemia and cutaneous symptoms did not recur. In the absence of definite treatment guidelines in this particular context, our experience suggests that the presence of symptoms related to HCV-infection that deeply affect patient quality of life warrants antiviral therapy even beyond the age limits that currently exclude patients from treatment

Precursor polymorph determines the organic semiconductor structure formed upon annealing

Films of the chemical precursor (t)Boc-quinacridone obtained by the spin-coating and bar-assisted meniscus shearing methods were subjected to thermal deprotection to recover the organic semiconductor quinacridone in its crystalline form. We found that the final crystal structure of the semiconductor on the Si/SiO2 substrate is in fact determined by the chemical precursor starting structure, which is in turn induced by the deposition method. Indeed, the samples prepared by spin coating display the precursor structure known from the literature, which transforms into the beta-quinacridone phase. The shearing technique instead yields highly homogeneous films composed of a novel (t)Boc-quinacridone polymorph, which acts as a trigger for the subsequent formation of a pure, well oriented alpha-quinacridone phase. Although this crystalline form is the least stable of the many quinacridone polymorphs, here it turns out to be selectively induced and stabilized. Finally, the organic field effect transistor charge mobility of the alpha-quinacridone films was measured.T. S. acknowledges the H2020-MSCA-COFUND-2014 Programme (P-SPHERE, Grant agreement 665919). This work was supported by the MIUR-PRIN project “From natural to artificial light-harvesting systems: unveiling fundamental processes towards a bio-inspired materials design” (HARVEST) protocol 201795SBA3. This work was funded by DGI (Spain) with the project GENESIS PID2019-111682RB-I00, the Generalitat de Catalunya (2017-SGR-918), and the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, through the “Severo Ochoa” Programme for Centers of Excellence in R&D (FUNFUTURE CEX2019-000917-S). The authors thank Dr Raphael Pfattner (ICMAB-CSIC) for fruitful discussions.Peer reviewe

Pulmonary scintigraphy as a method to investigate gastrobronchial communication in tracheostomized patients

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a degeneration of somatic motor neurons extending from upper motor cortical pyramidal neurons to lower motor neurons of the brainstem and cord. During the course of the disease patients require invasive procedures for nutrition and ventilation. Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy (PEG), performed in patients with impaired swallowing, is a safe procedure for the administration of Enteral Nutrition (EN). In the advanced stages of the disease patients develop a ventilatory failure due to muscolar weakness in these case they need a permanent tracheal tube with mechanical ventilation. Here we reported a case of a patient with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ASL) who developed an increased gastric endocavitary pressure after a Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy (PEG)