988 research outputs found
Association between diverticulosis and colonic neoplastic lesions in individuals with a positive faecal immunochemical test
Background The association between diverticulosis and colonic neoplastic lesions has been suggested, but data in literature are conflicting. This study aimed to investigate such a relationship in patients participating in a colorectal cancer screening program who underwent high-quality colonoscopy.Methods Data from consecutive individuals 50-75 years of age with a positive faecal immunological test were considered. Diverticulosis was categorised as present or absent. The prevalence of neoplastic lesions (adenoma, advanced adenoma, and cancer) between individuals with and those without diverticula was compared. A multivariate analysis was performed.Results Overall, data from 970 consecutive individuals were evaluated, and diverticulosis was detected in 354 (36.5%) cases. At least one adenoma was detected in 490 (50.5%) people, at least one advanced adenoma in 264 (27.2%), multiple adenoma in 71 (7.3%), whilst a cancer was diagnosed in 48 (4.9%) cases. At univariate analysis, the adenoma detection rate in patients with diverticula was significantly higher than in controls (55.9% vs 47.4%; p=0.011). At multivariate analysis, presence of diverticulosis was an independent risk factor for both adenoma detection rate (OR=1.58; 95% CI=1.14-2.18; p=0.006) and advanced adenoma (OR=1.57; 95% CI=1.10-2.24; p=0.013), but not for colorectal cancer.Conclusions In a colorectal screening setting, the adenoma detection rate was significantly higher in individuals with diverticulosis than in controls
Antioxidative Molecules in Human Milk and Environmental Contaminants
Breastfeeding provides overall beneficial health to the mother-child dyad and is universally recognized as the preferred feeding mode for infants up to 6-months and beyond. Human milk provides immuno-protection and supplies nutrients and bioactive compounds whose concentrations vary with lactation stage. Environmental and dietary factors potentially lead to excessive chemical exposure in critical windows of development such as neonatal life, including lactation. This review discusses current knowledge on these environmental and dietary contaminants and summarizes the known effects of these chemicals in human milk, taking into account the protective presence of antioxidative molecules. Particular attention is given to short- and long-term effects of these contaminants, considering their role as endocrine disruptors and potential epigenetic modulators. Finally, we identify knowledge gaps and indicate potential future research directions
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ISO observations of M8, the Lagoon nebula
In this paper, IRAS, ISO, and molecular line observations of the M8 and M8E sources in the Lagoon Nebula are reported
Spitzer-MIPS survey of the young stellar content in the Vela Molecular Cloud-D
A new, unbiased Spitzer-MIPS imaging survey (~1.8 square degs) of the young
stellar content of the Vela Molecular Cloud-D is presented. The survey is
complete down to 5mJy and 250mJy at 24micron (mu) and 70mu, respectively. 849
sources are detected at 24mu and 52 of them also have a 70mu counterpart. The
VMR-D region is one that we have already partially mapped in dust and gas
millimeter emission, and we discuss the correlation between the Spitzer compact
sources and the mm contours. About half of the 24mu sources are located inside
the region delimited by the 12CO(1-0) contours (corresponding to only one third
of the full area mapped with MIPS) with a consequent density increase of about
100% of the 24mu sources [four times for 70mu ones] moving from outside to
inside the CO contours. About 400 sources have a 2MASS counterpart. So we have
constructed a Ks vs. Ks-[24] diagram and identified the protostellar
population. We find an excess of Class I sources in VMR-D in comparison with
other star forming regions. This result is reasonably biased by the sensitivity
limits, or, alternatively, may reflect a very short lifetime (<=10^6yr) of the
protostellar content in this cloud. The MIPS images have identified embedded
cool objects in most of the previously identified starless cores; in addition,
there are 6 very young, possibly Class 0 objects identified. Finally we report
finding of the driving sources for a set of five out of six very compact
protostellar jets previously discovered in near-infrared images.Comment: 29 pages, 14 figures. To appear in Ap.
POISSON project - I - Emission lines as accretion tracers in young stellar objects: results from observations of Chamaeleon I and II sources
We present the results of the analysis of LR optical-NIR spectra (0.6-2.4 um)
of a sample 47 YSOs in the ChaI and II star-forming clouds. These data are part
of the POISSON project (Protostellar Optical-Infrared Spectral Survey on NTT).
The aim is to determine the accretion luminosity (Lacc) and mass accretion rate
(Macc) of the sources through the analysis of the detected emission features.
We also aim at verifying the reliability and consistency of the existing
empirical relationships connecting emission line luminosity and Lacc. We employ
five tracers (OI-6300A, Ha, CaII-8542A, Pab, and Brg) to derive the accretion
luminosity. The tracers provide Lacc values showing different scatters when
plotted as a function of L*. The Brg seems to be the most reliable, because it
gives the minimum Lacc dispersion over the entire range of L*, whereas the
other tracers provide much more scattered Lacc values, which are not expected
for our homogeneous sample. The comparison between Lacc(Brg) and Lacc obtained
from the other tracers also shows systematic differences among the empirical
relationships. These may probably be ascribed to different excitation
mechanisms contributing to the line emission, which may vary between our sample
and those where the relationships were calibrated. Adopting the Lacc derived
from Brg, we find Lacc=0.1L*-1L* for all sources, and Macc of the order of
10^-7-10^-9 Msun/yr. The Macc derived in ChaI are proportional to M*^2, as
found in other low-mass star-forming regions. The discrepancies observed in the
case of Lacc(Brg) and Lacc(Pab) can be related to different intrinsic Pab/Brg,
ratios. The derived ratios show the existence of two different emission
modalities, one that agrees with predictions of both wind and accretion models,
the other suggesting optically thick emission from relatively small regions
(10^21-10^22 cm^-3) with gas at low temperatures (<4000K).Comment: 22 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in A&A; institute
affiliations and typos correcte
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor association with amygdala response in major depressive disorder
Background: Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) has an essential role in synaptic plasticity and neurogenesis. BDNF mediates amygdala-dependent learning for both aversive and appetitive emotional memories. The expression of BDNF in limbic regions is posited to contribute the development of depression, and amygdala responsivity is a potential marker of depressive state.
Methods: The present study examined the relationship between platelet BDNF levels and amygdala volume and function in major depressive disorder (MDD). Participants were 23 MDD (mean age 38.9 years) and 23 healthy controls (mean age 38.8 years). All participants were recruited from the community. MDD participants were in a current depressive episode of moderate severity and medication-free. Amygdala responses were acquired during a functional MRI task of implicit emotional processing with sad facial expressions.
Results: Significant correlation was observed between platelet BDNF levels and left amygdala responses, but no significant correlations were found with right amygdala responses or with amygdala volumes.
Limitations: Interactions with neuroprotective as well as neurotoxic metabolites in the kyneurenine pathway were not examined.
Conclusions: Relationship between BDNF levels and amygdala responsivity to emotionally salient stimuli in MDD could reflect the importance of BDNF in amygdala-dependent learning with clinical implications for potential pathways for treatment
Boosting the photocatalytic performance of PAN-TiO2 nanostructured membranes by mechanosynthesis
Mechano-synthesized TiO2 nanoparticles have been explored for their activity towards gas-phase photodegradation of methanol. The effect of milling time over the photoactivity in terms of degradation efficiency has been studied. Titania nanopowders milled for 2 and 8 h were compared with the commercial unmilled catalyst and it has been established that there is a significant impact of milling time over the activity of the catalyst. The current study unveiled that the 2 hr milled sample performs far superior than the pristine catalyst with several order higher kinetics, while with further increase in the milling time the activity drastically reduces. Such behavior has been attributed to higher absorption of radiation as well as increased photo-carrier generation in the milled samples
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