Cambodian Performing Arts in the Era of UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage

UNESCO’s protection of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) has been a topic of ongoing debate inthe field of Cambodian performing arts. UNESCO’s recognition as ICH means that international attention and renewed economic opportunities arise for the selected performing arts and thus can help to preserve cultural practices that are at risk of being lost. In Cambodia, only a handful of teachers and performers survived the brutalities of Pol Pot’s regime (1975-79), and the incorporation of the artistic traditions into a global scenario, also thanks to the UNESCO cultural strategy, has led to the possibility of revitalizing and rebuilding both old and new repertoires. This is certainly the case regarding the musical tradition of Chapei Dang Veng and the dance-drama Lkhon Khol Wat Svay Andet, registered in the “List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding” in 2016 and 2018 respectively. However, considering the “branding” effect of listing and heritage-making, ICH seems to open the doors to mass tourism and in general favors over-commercialization and folklorization of cultural practices, leading to the erosion of their religious significance

Folliculogenesis, Fertility and Biotechnology in Dairy Cattle

The ovarian follicle population is formed by thousands of follicles, preantral and antral, where oocytes are included. During fetal life, the first follicles produced are preantral, and, as they undergo the development process, they reach the final stage of antral follicles, where a cavity/or antrum is developed. All this growth phase is called folliculogenesis, and this chapter will abord the most important aspects of this process. Moreover, not all follicles reach the preovulatory phase and can be fertilized, so we will discuss how reproductive biotechniques can positively influence the fertility of bovine females. We will also discuss the possibility of antral follicle count to influence reproductive performance and the correlation to biotechniques. Finally, we present alternatives on how to improve fertility and productive efficiency in dairy herds

Integrated Genomic, Functional, and Prognostic Characterization of Atypical Chronic Myeloid Leukemia

Atypical chronic myeloid leukemia (aCML) is a BCR-ABL1-negative clonal disorder, which belongs to the myelodysplastic/myeloproliferative group. This disease is characterized by recurrent somatic mutations in SETBP1, ASXL1 and ETNK1 genes, as well as high genetic heterogeneity, thus posing a great therapeutic challenge. To provide a comprehensive genomic characterization of aCML we applied a high-throughput sequencing strategy to 43 aCML samples, including both whole-exome and RNA-sequencing data. Our dataset identifies ASXL1, SETBP1, and ETNK1 as the most frequently mutated genes with a total of 43.2%, 29.7 and 16.2%, respectively. We characterized the clonal architecture of 7 aCML patients by means of colony assays and targeted resequencing. The results indicate that ETNK1 variants occur early in the clonal evolution history of aCML, while SETBP1 mutations often represent a late event. The presence of actionable mutations conferred both ex vivo and in vivo sensitivity to specific inhibitors with evidence of strong in vitro synergism in case of multiple targeting. In one patient, a clinical response was obtained. Stratification based on RNA-sequencing identified two different populations in terms of overall survival, and differential gene expression analysis identified 38 significantly overexpressed genes in the worse outcome group. Three genes correctly classified patients for overall survival

SETBP1 induces transcription of a network of development genes by acting as an epigenetic hub

SETBP1 variants occur as somatic mutations in several hematological malignancies such as atypical chronic myeloid leukemia and as de novo germline mutations in the Schinzel-Giedion syndrome. Here we show that SETBP1 binds to gDNA in AT-rich promoter regions, causing activation of gene expression through recruitment of a HCF1/KMT2A/PHF8 epigenetic complex. Deletion of two AT-hooks abrogates the binding of SETBP1 to gDNA and impairs target gene upregulation. Genes controlled by SETBP1 such as MECOM are significantly upregulated in leukemias containing SETBP1 mutations. Gene ontology analysis of deregulated SETBP1 target genes indicates that they are also key controllers of visceral organ development and brain morphogenesis. In line with these findings, in utero brain electroporation of mutated SETBP1 causes impairment of mouse neurogenesis with a profound delay in neuronal migration. In summary, this work unveils a SETBP1 function that directly affects gene transcription and clarifies the mechanism operating in myeloid malignancies and in the Schinzel- Giedion syndrome caused by SETBP1 mutations.Peer reviewe

Imaging features and ultraearly hematoma growth in intracerebral hemorrhage associated with COVID-19

Purpose: Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is an uncommon but deadly event in patients with COVID-19 and its imaging features remain poorly characterized. We aimed to describe the clinical and imaging features of COVID-19-associated ICH. Methods: Multicenter, retrospective, case-control analysis comparing ICH in COVID-19 patients (COV19\u2009+) versus controls without COVID-19 (COV19\u2009-). Clinical presentation, laboratory markers, and severity of COVID-19 disease were recorded. Non-contrast computed tomography (NCCT) markers (intrahematoma hypodensity, heterogeneous density, blend sign, irregular shape fluid level), ICH location, and hematoma volume (ABC/2 method) were analyzed. The outcome of interest was ultraearly hematoma growth (uHG) (defined as NCCT baseline ICH volume/onset-to-imaging time), whose predictors were explored with multivariable linear regression. Results: A total of 33 COV19\u2009+\u2009patients and 321 COV19\u2009-\u2009controls with ICH were included. Demographic characteristics and vascular risk factors were similar in the two groups. Multifocal ICH and NCCT markers were significantly more common in the COV19\u2009+\u2009population. uHG was significantly higher among COV19\u2009+\u2009patients (median 6.2 mL/h vs 3.1 mL/h, p\u2009=\u20090.027), and this finding remained significant after adjustment for confounding factors (systolic blood pressure, antiplatelet and anticoagulant therapy), in linear regression (B(SE)\u2009=\u20090.31 (0.11), p\u2009=\u20090.005). This association remained consistent also after the exclusion of patients under anticoagulant treatment (B(SE)\u2009=\u20090.29 (0.13), p\u2009=\u20090.026). Conclusions: ICH in COV19\u2009+\u2009patients has distinct NCCT imaging features and a higher speed of bleeding. This association is not mediated by antithrombotic therapy and deserves further research to characterize the underlying biological mechanisms

Deep image prior inpainting of ancient frescoes in the Mediterranean Alpine arc

20 pages, 12 figuresThe unprecedented success of image reconstruction approaches based on deep neural networks has revolutionised both the processing and the analysis paradigms in several applied disciplines. In the field of digital humanities, the task of digital reconstruction of ancient frescoes is particularly challenging due to the scarce amount of available training data caused by ageing, wear, tear and retouching over time. To overcome these difficulties, we consider the Deep Image Prior (DIP) inpainting approach which computes appropriate reconstructions by relying on the progressive updating of an untrained convolutional neural network so as to match the reliable piece of information in the image at hand while promoting regularisation elsewhere. In comparison with state-of-the-art approaches (based on variational/PDEs and patch-based methods), DIP-based inpainting reduces artefacts and better adapts to contextual/non-local information, thus providing a valuable and effective tool for art historians. As a case study, we apply such approach to reconstruct missing image contents in a dataset of highly damaged digital images of medieval paintings located into several chapels in the Mediterranean Alpine Arc and provide a detailed description on how visible and invisible (e.g., infrared) information can be integrated for identifying and reconstructing damaged image regions

Deep image prior inpainting of ancient frescoes in the Mediterranean Alpine arc

Abstract The unprecedented success of image reconstruction approaches based on deep neural networks has revolutionised both the processing and the analysis paradigms in several applied disciplines. In the field of digital humanities, the task of digital reconstruction of ancient frescoes is particularly challenging due to the scarce amount of available training data caused by ageing, wear, tear and retouching over time. To overcome these difficulties, we consider the Deep Image Prior (DIP) inpainting approach which computes appropriate reconstructions by relying on the progressive updating of an untrained convolutional neural network so as to match the reliable piece of information in the image at hand while promoting regularisation elsewhere. In comparison with state-of-the-art approaches (based on variational/PDEs and patch-based methods), DIP-based inpainting reduces artefacts and better adapts to contextual/non-local information, thus providing a valuable and effective tool for art historians. As a case study, we apply such approach to reconstruct missing image contents in a dataset of highly damaged digital images of medieval paintings located into several chapels in the Mediterranean Alpine Arc and provide a detailed description on how visible and invisible (e.g., infrared) information can be integrated for identifying and reconstructing damaged image regions

Interval Debulking Surgery for Advanced Ovarian Cancer in Elderly Patients (≥70 y): Does the Age Matter?

Background Elderly ovarian cancer (OC) patients are more likely to be managed suboptimally, with worse clinical outcomes as a result. Strategies to decrease morbidity are lacking. Methodology: Consecutive patients with advanced stage OC (IIIC-IV) who were managed in our center between January 2016 and July 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. All patients underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) and interval debulking surgery (IDS) according to our institution protocol. We divided patients into two groups: Group 1 (age ≥ 70 years) and Group 2 (age < 70 years). The primary outcome of the study was assessment of peri-operative morbidity amongst two groups. Results A total of 153 patients were referred during the study period. 114 patients underwent IDS after NACT (74.5%), 46 in Group 1 and 68 in Group 2. Elderly patients were more likely to receive more than three cycles of NACT prior to IDS compared to younger patients (39% vs. 19%, p = 0.03). Elderly patients were more frequently subjected to Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing (CPET) as pre-operative assessment (63% vs. 27%, p = 0.002). Optimal/complete resection was achieved in all patients in Group 1 (100%) and in 97% of patients in Group 2. With the exception of higher postoperative cardiac arrhythmias in Group 1 (11% vs. 1%, p = 0.04), no significant differences in 30-day morbidity were observed. No 90-day death in both groups was registered. Conclusion Older age should not preclude clinicians from offering ultra-radical resection to patients with advanced OC after NACT. In our series, elderly patients received the same treatment with similar outcomes to the younger group. Clinicians should be encouraged to use CPET for patients’ selection following NACT

Surgical treatment of large adnexal masses: a retrospective analysis of 330 consecutive cases

Introduction: In the present study, perioperative outcomes of laparoscopy (LPS) were compared to open surgery (OS) for the treatment of large adnexal masses (AM). Material and methods: Retrospective observational cohort study. Data of consecutive patients who underwent ovarian cystectomy or salpingo-oophorectomy for large AM (diameter &gt;= 10 cm) at a referral minimally invasive gynecologic center were analyzed. Propensity score match (PSM) analysis was used to minimize covariate imbalances between the two groups. Results: Overall 330 patients, 285 (86.4%) LPSs and 45 (13.6%) OSs were included. PSM showed LPS (vs. OS) to be associated with less intraoperative blood loss (mL: 131.1 +/- 52.6 vs. 545.5 +/- 101.2; p = .007), shorter operative time (min: 84.8 +/- 77.9 vs. 123.7 +/- 70.1; p &lt; .001), but higher rate of spillage (54.5% vs. 12.1%; p &lt; .001). Among the LPS group, a positive correlation between AM size and both conversion to open surgery and need for mini-laparotomy was found (p &lt; .05). Conclusions: An accurate patient selection, a dedicated workup, and an appropriate counselling are mandatory before LPS for large AM. The increased risks of intraoperative spillage associated with the minimally invasive approach should be acknowledged