Ultrasonic Separation of Stress and Texture Effects in Polycrystalline Aggregates

Our general perturbation formalism1 for the propagation of Rayleigh waves on the surface of initially deformed anisotropic material plates is applied to the problem of separation of material texture and stress. The preferential alignment of crystallographic axes in a polycrystalline material is described in terms of their orientation distribution function2. We consider explicitly the case of an orthotropic distribution of cubic crystallites, which occurs, for example, in aluminum and steel alloys. The measured values of the Rayleigh wave phase velocity at different angles on the material plate can be used for the determination, in a reference plate with similar texture, of the three coefficients W400, W420 and W440, which characterize the orientation distribution. An extension of the formalism then allows us to separate the acoustoelastic effects of the initial stresses. An error analysis and a comparison with similar techniques using grazing SH-waves complete our discussion

Parallel processing technique for acoustic tomography for multilayers

Computerized tomography (CT) is one of the most efficient tools for the nondestructive inspection of a material specimen. Depending on the nature of the application (e.g. in medicine, mechanics or geophysics) and of the particular requirements of the situation, different types of radiation (waves) may be used, thus giving different information about the material properties. For example in diagnostic medicine, x-ray transmission CT gives an attenuation map, which allows different tissues to be distinguished. In the case of x-rays, this type of wave passes through an entire material structure in an almost straight line

Memory accumulation mechanisms in human cortex are independent of motor intentions

Previous studies on perceptual decision-making have often emphasized a tight link between decisions and motor intentions. Human decisions, however, also depend on memories or experiences that are not closely tied to specific motor responses. Recent neuroimaging findings have suggested that, during episodic retrieval, parietal activity reflects the accumulation of evidence for memory decisions. It is currently unknown, however, whether these evidence accumulation signals are functionally linked to signals for motor intentions coded in frontoparietal regions and whether activity in the putative memory accumulator tracks the amount of evidence for only previous experience, as reflected in "old" reports, or for both old and new decisions, as reflected in the accuracy of memory judgments. Here, human participants used saccadic-eye and hand-pointing movements to report recognition judgments on pictures defined by different degrees of evidence for old or new decisions. A set of cortical regions, including the middle intraparietal sulcus, showed a monotonic variation of the fMRI BOLD signal that scaled with perceived memory strength (older > newer), compatible with an asymmetrical memory accumulator. Another set, including the hippocampus and the angular gyrus, showed a nonmonotonic response profile tracking memory accuracy (higher > lower evidence), compatible with a symmetrical accumulator. In contrast, eye and hand effector-specific regions in frontoparietal cortex tracked motor intentions but were not modulated by the amount of evidence for the effector outcome. We conclude that item recognition decisions are supported by a combination of symmetrical and asymmetrical accumulation signals largely segregated from motor intentions

Diagnostic aids in the screening of oral cancer

The World Health Organization has clearly indentified prevention and early detection as major objectives in the control of the oral cancer burden worldwide. At the present time, screening of oral cancer and its pre-invasive intra-epithelial stages, as well as its early detection, is still largely based on visual examination of the mouth. There is strong available evidence to suggest that visual inspection of the oral mucosa is effective in reducing mortality from oral cancer in individuals exposed to risk factors. Simple visual examination, however, is well known to be limited by subjective interpretation and by the potential, albeit rare, occurrence of dysplasia and early OSCC within areas of normal-looking oral mucosa. As a consequence, adjunctive techniques have been suggested to increase our ability to differentiate between benign abnormalities and dysplastic/malignant changes as well as to identify areas of dysplasia/early OSCC that are not visible to naked eye. These include the use of toluidine blue, brush biopsy, chemiluminescence and tissue autofluorescence. The present paper reviews the evidence supporting the efficacy of the aforementioned techniques in improving the identification of dysplastic/malignant changes of the oral mucosa. We conclude that available studies have shown promising results, but strong evidence to support the use of oral cancer diagnostic aids is still lacking. Further research with clear objectives, well-defined population cohorts, and sound methodology is strongly required

Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of a 13-mer LNA-inhibitor-miR-221 in mice and non-human primates

Locked nucleic acid (LNA) oligonucleotides have been successfully used to efficiently inhibit endogenous small noncoding RNAs in vitro and in vivo. We previously demonstrated that the direct miR-221 inhibition by the novel 13-mer LNA-i-miR-221 induces significant antimyeloma activity and upregulates canonical miR-221 targets in vitro and in vivo. To evaluate the LNA-i-miR-221 pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, novel assays for oligonucleotides quantification in NOD.SCID mice and Cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis) plasma, urine and tissues were developed. To this aim, a liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry method, after solid-phase extraction, was used for the detection of LNA-i-miR-221 in plasma and urine, while a specific in situ hybridization assay for tissue uptake analysis was designed. Our analysis revealed short half-life, optimal tissue biovailability and minimal urine excretion of LNA-i-miR-221 in mice and monkeys. Up to 3 weeks, LNA-i-miR-221 was still detectable in mice vital organs and in xenografted tumors, together with p27 target upregulation. Importantly, no toxicity in the pilot monkey study was observed. Overall, our findings indicate the suitability of LNA-i-miR-221 for clinical use and we provide here pilot data for safety analysis and further development of LNA-miRNA-based therapeutics for human cancer

Devices for less invasive surfactant therapy: a manikin study

peer reviewedBackground: “Less invasive surfactant therapy” (LIST), or tracheal instillation of surfactant through a small catheter in spontaneously breathing infants, is gaining popularity. Different catheters are currently used for this purpose: a nasogastric tube inserted with (LISA) or without (Take Care) Magill’s forceps, a 13 cm 16G adult angiocath (MIST), a 30 cm F4 angiography catheter (Stockholm). We developed a specific device by combining a F5 umbilical catheter and an intubation stylet (Liege). We aimed to compare those 5 devices using INSURE as a reference. Methods: 20 neonatologists from 4 institutions supporting different surfactant instillation policies intubated 2 manikin heads with the 5 catheters and an endotracheal tube in a predetermined random sequence. Water was flushed trough the catheter. Video review provided times between laryngoscope (T1) or catheter insertion (T2) in the mouth and water flowing from the trachea. Participants gave an ease of use score (range: 1-9) for each catheter. Results: Procedural times were longer with the Take Care method and shorter with the Liège device (Table). Failure rates were higher for LIST procedures than for INSURE. Take Care and LISA were rated as more difficult, while Liège, Stockholm and INSURE were considered easier. Conclusions: LIST procedures remain difficult, even on a manikin. The choice of catheter is important. A device combining the rigidity of a stylet with the soft distal end of an umbilical catheter is associated with procedures of shorter duration and is considered easier by neonatologists

Aurora Kinase A expression predicts platinum-resistance and adverse outcome in high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma patients

High-Grade Serous Ovarian Carcinoma (HGSOC) is the predominant histotype of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC), characterized by advanced stage at diagnosis, frequent TP53 mutation, rapid progression, and high responsiveness to platinum-based-chemotherapy. To date, standard first-line-chemotherapy in advanced EOC includes platinum salts and paclitaxel with or without bevacizumab. The major prognostic factor is the response duration from the end of the platinum-based treatment (platinum-free interval) and about 10-0 % of EOC patients bear a platinum-refractory disease or develop early resistance (platinum-free interval shorter than 6 months). On these bases, a careful selection of patients who could benefit from chemotherapy is recommended to avoid unnecessary side effects and for a better disease outcome. In this retrospective study, an immunohistochemical evaluation of Aurora Kinase A (AURKA) was performed on 41 cases of HGSOC according to platinum-status. Taking into account the number and intensity of AURKA positive cells we built a predictive score able to discriminate with high accuracy platinum-sensitive patients from platinum-resistant patients (p < 0.001). Furthermore, we observed that AURKA overexpression correlates to worse overall survival (p = 0.001; HR 0.14). We here suggest AURKA as new effective tool to predict the biological behavior of HGSOC. Particularly, our results indicate that AURKA has a role both as predictor of platinum-resistance and as prognostic factor, that deserves further investigation in prospective clinical trials. Indeed, in the era of personalized medicine, AURKA could assist the clinicians in selecting the best treatment and represent, at the same time, a promising new therapeutic target in EOC treatment

Clinical features of patients with type 2 diabetes with and without Covid-19: a case control study (CoViDiab I)

Aims: To evaluate whether subjects with diabetes hospitalized for Coronavirus disease-19 (Covid-19) represent a subgroup of patients with high-risk clinical features compared to patients with diabetes without Covid-19. Methods: In this case-control study 79 patients with type 2 diabetes out of 354 adults hospitalized for Covid-19 and 158 controls with type 2 diabetes but without Covid-19, matched for age and gender, were enrolled. Medical history and concomitant therapies were retrieved from medical charts and compared between cases and controls, controlling for confounders. Results: Fully-adjusted multivariate logistic regression model showed that previous CVD history did not differ between patients with and without Covid-19 (odds ratio 1.40, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.59–3.32, p = 0.45). A higher prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (OR 3.72, 95%CI: 1.42–9.72, p = 0.007) and of chronic kidney disease (CKD) (OR 3.08, 95%CI: 1.18–8.06, p = 0.022) and a lower prevalence of ever smokers (OR 0.30, 95%CI: 0.13–0.67, p = 0.003), of users of lipid lowering agents (OR 0.26, 95%CI: 0.12–0.54, p < 0.001), and of anti-hypertensive drugs (OR 0.39, 95%CI: 0.16–0.93, p = 0.033) were found among cases. Conclusions: CVD prevalence does not differ between people with diabetes with and without Covid-19 requiring hospitalization. An increased prevalence of COPD and of CKD in Covid-19 patients with type 2 diabetes is suggested. These findings aid to clarify the relationship between underlying conditions and SARS-CoV-2 infection in the high-risk group of patients with diabetes

The Use of Ultrasonics for Texture Monitoring in Aluminum Alloys

Many alloys of common metals (such as aluminum and steel) are polycrystalline aggregates having preferred orientation (texture) of the single crystals making up the aggregate. Texture often affects mechanical properties, such as response of material to deep drawing which occurs in the manufacture of aluminum cans