Rappresentazione di sé e creatività nella prima adolescenza: uno studio sulle differenze di genere

La ricerca fornisce un contributo agli studi inerenti la relazione tra rappresentazione di sé e creatività nella prima adolescenza. Hanno partecipato alla ricerca 160 soggetti (età media =13 anni) frequentanti l’ultimo anno di scuole medie inferiori della Campania. Sono stati utilizzati due strumenti self-report per la valutazione delle dimensioni della rappresentazione di sé (SPP, Harter 1998) e della creatività (TPC, Williams, 1993). I risultati emersi forniscono un tassello interessante alla comprensione delle relazioni tra le dimensioni considerate. Da un punto di vista generale, sembra che il valore personale globale, cui corrisponde una valutazione positiva della propria persona, oltre che al sentirsi accettati e apprezzati dagli altri, sia legato a caratteristiche personali inerenti le dimensioni della creatività prese in esame

Spigelian hernia: a case report and review of the literature

Spigelian hernia is a rare abdominal hernia that occurs through Spigelian aponeurosis. The Authors present a case of Spigelian hernia associated with narrowing of sigmoid colon and diverticular pathology.They also described historical background, surgical anatomy and etiopathogenesis of this hernia. By a remarkable revision of literature, they sum up epidemiology and clinical features of Spigelian hernia. Furthermore, they discuss diagnostic and therapeutic principles

Le lesioni polipoidi della colecisti: problemi diagnostici e terapeutici

Le lesioni polipoidi della colecisti costituiscono un’entità eterogenea di difficile definizione diagnostica preoperatoria. L’indicazione chirurgica è discutibile ma in alcuni casi obbligatoria . In questo studio abbiamo analizzato i dati clinici relativi a 25 pazienti sottoposti consecutivamente a colecistectomia laparoscopica per formazioni polipoidi. Ciò al fine di evidenziare la possibile correlazione fra aspetto ecografico e valutazione istopatologica e di definire l’indicazione terapeutica

Sviluppo di composti di ossidazione in olio extra vergine di oliva durante la frittura: influenza della cultivar e del processo di estrazione

An experimental investigation was carried out in order to assess the influence of the cultivar and of the oil extraction process on the evolution of the oxidation compounds in extra virgin olive oil during frying. In order to do this oils from two Sardinian cultivars, obtained by two different oil extraction processes have been used to fry potato chips. The oils extracted from the potato chips were analyzed to evaluate the oxidative degradation and the antioxidant capacity. The results obtained showed that the differences observed for the oxidation triacylglycerol and polar compounds content in the extracted oils reflect the differences observed in the starting oils, while, as regards the triacylglycerol oligopolymers, the oils showed a different behavior during frying, indicating a slower polymerization rate in the oils characterized by a better quality. Un’indagine sperimentale è stata condotta allo scopo di valutare l’influenza della cultivar e del processo di estrazione dell’olio sullo sviluppo di composti di ossidazione in olio extra vergine di oliva sottoposto a frittura. Allo scopo oli monovarietali, provenienti da due cultivar sarde, ottenuti applicando due differenti tecnologie di estrazione sono stati impiegati per la frittura di patatine. L’olio estratto da queste è stato sottoposto ad indagini analitiche utili per la valutazione dei fenomeni di ossidazione e della capacità antiossidante. I risultati ottenuti hanno evidenziato che le differenze riscontrate per il contenuto in triacilgliceroli ossidati e in composti polari negli oli estratti dalle patate rispecchiavano quelle degli oli di partenza, mentre per il contenuto in oligopolimeri dei triacilgliceroli è stato evidenziato un comportamento differente degli oli nel corso della frittura, ad indicazione di una minore polimerizzazione negli oli caratterizzati da migliore qualità iniziale

Discontinuation of first-line bevacizumab in metastatic colorectal cancer: the BEAWARE Italian Observational Study

BEAWARE investigated the pattern of first-line bevacizumab early interruption in the Italian real-world setting of metastatic colorectal cancer

New CXCR4 Antagonist Peptide R (Pep R) Improves Standard Therapy in Colorectal Cancer

he chemokine receptor CXCR4 is overexpressed and functional in colorectal cancer. To investigate the role of CXCR4 antagonism in potentiating colon cancer standard therapy, the new peptide CXCR4 antagonist Peptide R (Pep R) was employed. Human colon cancer HCT116 xenograft-bearing mice were treated with chemotherapeutic agents (CT) 5-Fluorouracil (5FU) and oxaliplatin (OX) or 5FU and radio chemotherapy (RT-CT) in the presence of Pep R. After two weeks, CT plus Pep R reduced by 4-fold the relative tumor volume (RTV) as compared to 2- and 1.6-fold reductions induced, respectively, by CT and Pep R. In vitro Pep R addition to CT/RT-CT impaired HCT116 cell growth and further reduced HCT116 and HT29 clonal capability. Thus, the hypothesis that Pep R could target the epithelial mesenchyme transition (EMT) process was evaluated. While CT decreased ECAD and increased ZEB-1 and CD90 expression, the addition of Pep R restored the pretreatment expression. In HCT116 and HT29 cells, CT/RT-CT induced a population of CD133+CXCR4+ cells, supposedly a stem-resistant cancer cell population, while Pep R reduced it. Taken together, the results showed that targeting CXCR4 ameliorates the effect of treatment in colon cancer through inhibition of cell growth and reversal of EMT treatment-induced markers, supporting further clinical studies

Biliverdin Protects against Liver Ischemia Reperfusion Injury in Swine

Ischemia reperfusion injury (IRI) in organ transplantation remains a serious and unsolved problem. Organs that undergo significant damage during IRI, function less well immediately after reperfusion and tend to have more problems at later times when rejection can occur. Biliverdin has emerged as an agent that potently suppress IRI in rodent models. Since the use of biliverdin is being developed as a potential therapeutic modality for humans, we tested the efficacy for its effects on IRI of the liver in swine, an accepted and relevant pre-clinical animal model. Administration of biliverdin resulted in rapid appearance of bilirubin in the serum and significantly suppressed IRI-induced liver dysfunction as measured by multiple parameters including urea and ammonia clearance, neutrophil infiltration and tissue histopathology including hepatocyte cell death. Taken together, our findings, in a large animal model, provide strong support for the continued evaluation of biliverdin as a potential therapeutic in the clinical setting of transplantation of the liver and perhaps other organs

Prognostic and predictive role of EGFR pathway alterations in biliary cancer patients treated with chemotherapy and anti-EGFR

The association of anti-EGFR to gemcitabine and oxaliplatin (GEMOX) chemotherapy did not improve survival in biliary tract carcinoma (BTC) patients. Multiple mechanisms might be involved in the resistance to anti-EGFR. Here, we explored the mutation profile of EGFR extracellular domain (ECD), of tyrosine kinase domain (TKD), and its amplification status. EGFR mutational status of exons 12, 18-21 was analyzed in 57 tumors by Sanger sequencing. EGFR amplification was evaluated in 37 tumors by Fluorescent In Situ Hybridization (FISH). Kaplan-Meier curves were calculated using the log-rank test. Six patients had mutations in exon 12 of EGFR ECD and 7 in EGFR TKD. Neither EGFR ECD nor TKD mutations affected progression free survival (PFS) or overall survival (OS) in the entire population. In the panitumumab plus GEMOX (P-GEMOX) arm, ECD mutated patients had a worse OS, while EGFR TKD mutated patients had a trend towards shorter PFS and OS. Overall, the presence of mutations in EGFR or in its transducers did not affect PFS or OS, while the extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ECC) mutated patients had a worse prognosis compared to WT. Nineteen out of 37 tumors were EGFR amplified, but the amplification did not correlate with survival. ECC EGFR amplified patients had improved OS, whereas the amplification significantly correlated with poor PFS (p = 0.03) in gallbladder carcinoma patients. The high molecular heterogeneity is a predominant feature of BTC: the alterations found in this work seem to have a prognostic impact rather than a predictive role towards anti-EGFR therapy

Procedure Based on External Quantum Efficiency for Reliable Characterization of Perovskite Solar Cells

Perovskite solar cells PSCs have the potential for widespread application, but challenges remain for a reliable characterization of their performance. Standardized protocols for measuring and reporting are still debated. Focusing on the short circuit current density J SC , current voltage characteristics J V and external quantum efficiency EQE are collected to estimate the parameter. Still, they often provide a mismatch above 1 amp; 8201;mA amp; 8201;cm amp; 8722;2, resulting in a possible 5 or higher error. Combining experimental data and optical simulations, it is demonstrated that the EQE can provide a reliable estimate of the J SC that could otherwise easily be overestimated by J V. With access to the internally transmitted light through simulations, an upper limit for EQE is defined depending on the front layers. Details on the origin of the spectral shape and contributions to the optical losses are obtained with further optical simulations, providing hints for cell optimization to achieve a photocurrent gain. The authors use solution processed n i p PSCs with triple cation mixed halide absorbers as demonstrators and ultimately come to the proposal of an upgrade of the present best practices in PSC efficiency measurements. Still, the approach and conclusions are general and apply to cells with all designs and chemical formulation