Corrigendum to "Chemical apportionment of southern African aerosol mass and optical depth" published in Atmos. Chem. Phys., 9, 7643–7655, 2009

A correction to results by Magi (2009) is presented here. By combining the in situ measurements of speciated aerosol mass concentrations with concurrent measurements of total aerosol optical properties at a wavelength of 550 nm, it is shown that ~66 % of scattering is due to carbonaceous aerosol, where derived mass scattering cross sections (MSC) for OC and BC are 3.8 ± 0.5 m<sup>2</sup> g<sup>−1</sup> and 2.9 ± 0.8 m<sup>2</sup> g<sup>−1</sup>, respectively. Derived values of mass absorption cross sections (MAC) for OC and BC are 0.7 ± 0.2 m<sup>2</sup> g<sup>−1</sup> and 12.1 ± 0.8 m<sup>2</sup> g<sup>−1</sup>, respectively. The values of MAC imply that ~21 % of the mid-visible aerosol absorption in southern Africa is due to OC, with the remainder due to BC. SSA for BC and OC are about the same as Magi (2009). The results here are determined using an approach that accounts for the fact that OC and BC are partially scattering and absorbing

Galectin-3. One molecule for an alphabet of diseases, from A to Z

Galectin-3 (Gal-3) regulates basic cellular functions such as cell–cell and cell–matrix interactions, growth, proliferation, differentiation, and inflammation. It is not surprising, therefore, that this protein is involved in the pathogenesis of many relevant human diseases, including cancer, fibrosis, chronic inflammation and scarring affecting many different tissues. The papers published in the literature have progressively increased in number during the last decades, testifying the great interest given to this protein by numerous researchers involved in many different clinical contexts. Considering the crucial role exerted by Gal-3 in many different clinical conditions, Gal-3 is emerging as a new diagnostic, prognostic biomarker and as a new promising therapeutic target. The current review aims to extensively examine the studies published so far on the role of Gal-3 in all the clinical conditions and diseases, listed in alphabetical order, where it was analyzed

Estimating and managing the changing methodological parameters of self-report surveys of addictive behavior - based on the waves of the National Survey on Addiction Problems in Hungary

The standard nature of the procedures and tools of sampling and data collection cannot guarantee the stability of data reliability and validity because non-sampling errors are highly sensitive to social conditions. The present study provides a post-hoc attempt to estimate and manage the changing methodological parameters of self-report surveys of addictive behaviours (being highly subjected to changes in social conditions) to make data interpretation easier. The analysis is based on the data of two national Hungarian representative surveys assessing addiction problems in 2007 and 2015 (National Survey on Addiction Problems in Hungary [NSAPH]). Both surveys were conducted using a Hungarian nationwide representative sample aged 18-64 years applying similar procedures in data collection and-processing. Regarding data concerning substance use, both surveys included variables to estimate non-sampling errors in line with current international practices. The methodological parameters of NSAPH2015 showed an increase in non-sampling errors regarding substance use behaviour compared to NSAPH2007. The present paper elaborates an estimation procedure based on the assumption that when following a population, the proportion of people who have ever engaged in a specific type of addictive behaviour cannot be reduced in the given population over time. This also applies to cohorts followed by cross-sectional surveys among national representative samples, as far as lifetime prevalence and data on the age of first use/activity is available. To identify valid trends in different behaviours in epidemiological research assessing addictive behaviours or other sensitive data, researchers should provide the required conditions for controlling or correcting data by cohort analysis

Occurrence of exocrine pancreatic insufficiency in patients with advanced neuroendocrine tumors treated with somatostatin analogs

Background: Although exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) has been described in patients with neuroendocrine neoplasia (NEN) treated with somatostatin analogs (SSAs), its role in the therapeutic management of these patients is not well established. Aim: To determine the frequency of EPI in patients with NEN long-term treated with SSAs. Methods: This is a prospective single-center study evaluating 35 patients treated with SSAs for >12 months due to unresectable/advanced nonpancreatic well-differentiated NEN. Clinical evaluation, biochemical parameters, and fecal elastases 1 (FE-1) were assessed to diagnose EPI. Results: A total of 7 patients (20%) had EPI, given the presence of abdominal symptoms and a median FE-1 value of 180 mcg/g stool (150–198). No patient had severe EPI, defined as FE-1 < 100 mcg/g stool. Elevated glycated Hb levels were a significant predictor for developing EPI (OR 4.81, p = 0.01). No significant difference in terms of duration of SSA treatment was observed between patients with or without EPI diagnosed (84 months and 72 months, respectively; p = 0.950). Conclusions: Mild-moderate EPI is a relatively common condition in patients receiving long-term treatment with SSAs. Specific clinical and biochemical evaluations, including FE-1, should be planned in these patients to diagnose this relevant condition early, which may deteriorate quality of life and cause malnutrition

Restorative Retelling for Processing Psychedelic Experiences : Rationale and Case Study of Complicated Grief

Many psychedelic experiences are meaningful, but ineffable. Engaging in meaning-making regarding emerging symbolic content and changing previous schemas have been proposed as mechanisms of change in psychedelic therapy. Firstly, we suggest the implementation of a Restorative Retelling (RR) technique to process and integrate the psychedelic experience into autobiographical memory, in a way that fosters meaning-making. We also show how ayahuasca has the potential to evoke key psychological content in survivors, during the process of grief adjustment following the death of a loved one. The rationale for the implementation of RR to process psychedelic experiences and a case study of a woman suffering from Complicated Grief (CG) after her mother's suicide are presented. Evaluations conducted before the ayahuasca experience and after RR suggest the effectiveness of ayahuasca and RR in reducing symptoms of CG and psychopathology. This case report illustrates an effective adaptation of the RR technique for processing the psychedelic experience. The significance of the study and its limitations are discussed

Genetic diversity of Streptococcus suis clinical isolates from pigs and humans in Italy (2003-2007)

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Carotid artery disease: Novel pathophysiological mechanisms identified by gene-expression profiling of peripheral blood

AbstractObjectThe pathogenesis of carotid artery stenosis (CAS) as well as the mechanisms underlying the different localisation of the atherosclerotic lesions remains poorly understood. We used microarray technology to identify novel systemic mediators that could contribute to CAS pathogenesis.Moreover, we compared gene-expression profile of CAS with that of patients affected by abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), previously published by our group.Methods and resultsBy global gene-expression profiling in a pool of 10 CAS patients and 10 matched controls, we found 82 genes differentially expressed. Validation study in pools used for profiling and replication study in larger numbers of CAS patients (n = 40) and controls (n = 40) of 14 genes by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) confirmed microarray results. Fourteen out of 82 genes were similarly expressed in AAA patients. Gene ontology analysis identified a statistically significant enrichment in CAS of differentially expressed transcripts involved in immune response and oxygen transport. Whereas alteration of oxygen transport is a common tract of the two localisations, alteration of immune response in CAS and of lipid metabolic process in AAA represents distinctive tracts of the two atherosclerotic diseases.ConclusionsWe describe the systemic gene-expression profile of CAS, which provides an extensive list of potential molecular markers

Role of [18F]FDG PET/CT in the management of G1 gastro-entero-pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors

Purpose: Since the role of [18F]FDG PET/CT in low-grade gastroenteropancreatic (GEP) neuroendocrine neoplasia (NET) is not well established, this study was aimed to evaluate the role of [18F]FDG PET/CT in grade 1 (G1) GEP-NETs. Methods: This is a retrospective study including patients with G1 GEP-NETs who underwent [18F]FDG PET/CT. Results: 55 patients were evaluated, including 24 (43.6%) with pancreatic NETs and 31 (56.4%) with gastrointestinal NETs. At the time of diagnosis, 28 (51%) patients had metastatic disease, and 50 (91%) patients were positive by 68-Ga sstr PET/CT. Overall, 27 patients (49%) had positive findings on [18F]FDG PET/CT. Following [18F]FDG PET/CT, therapeutic management was modified in 29 (52.7%) patients. Progression-free survival was longer in patients with negative [18F]FDG PET/CT compared with positive [18F]FDG PET/CT (median PFS was not reached and 24 months, respectively, p = 0.04). This significance was particularly evident in the pancreatic group (p = 0.008). Conclusions: Despite having low proliferative activity, approximately half of GEP-NETs G1 showed positive [18F]FDG PET/CT, with a corresponding negative impact on patients’ clinical outcomes. These data are in favor of a more “open” attitude toward the potential use of [18F]FDG PET/CT in the diagnostic work-up of G1 GEP-NETs, which may be used in selected cases to detect those at higher risk for an unfavorable disease course

Phytochemical profiling, antibacterial and antioxidant properties of Crocus sativus flower: A comparison between tepals and stigmas

Several studies have demonstrated that stigmas of Crocus sativus contain several bioactive compounds with potential health-promoting properties. However, during the processing of stigmas, large amounts of floral bio-residues are normally discarded as by-products. In this study, using untargeted metabolomics, the comprehensive phytochemical composition of C. sativus stigma and tepals was investigated. Moreover, the antibacterial and anti-biofilm properties of the extracts of C. sativus stigmas and tepals were compared. The study was carried out using two methicillin-resistant staphylococcal reference strains (i.e., Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 43300 and Staphylococcus epidermidis ATCC 35984), representing important Gram-positive biofilm-forming human pathogens. The antibacterial properties were correlated with total polyphenol content, total terpenoid content, and in vitro antioxidant properties of tepals and stigmas. The results demonstrated that stigma and tepal extracts, at the sub-toxic concentrations, were able to interfere with biofilm formation by ATCC 43300 and ATCC 35984. Besides, the higher antibacterial activity of tepals than stigmas was associated with higher levels of phycompounds. Therefore, our results demonstrated that C. sativus stigmas and bio-residues, such as tepals, are potential antioxidant sources and good candidates as antibacterial agents to prevent biofilm formation. Taken together, these findings showed that C. sativus could be used as functional ingredient by the food and pharmaceutical industries