Evaluation of the oncogenic risk of diffuse gastric polyposis. A case report

Benign polyps of the stomach undergo malignant transformation at a rate correlating to the histological type and size of the proliferative lesion. We report a case of a 50-year-old Caucasian woman, affected by a diffuse gastric polyposis of both hyperplastic and adenomatous type. At endoscopy polyps were more than 1,000, scattered over the entire gastric cavity. The patient underwent total gastrectomy. The perilesional gastric mucosa was characterized by the presence of either atrophic or metaplastic areas and by a mild dysplasia. A single tubulo-villous adenomatous polyp was also present in the ascending tract of the colon. The absence of both high-grade dysplastic lesions and outbreaks of neoplastic transformation well correlated with the histochemical and molecular features, confirming the highly proliferative pattern of the polyps in the lack of signs of malignant progression

Equation of state and magnetic susceptibility of spin polarized isospin asymmetric nuclear matter

Properties of spin polarized isospin asymmetric nuclear matter are studied within the framework of the Brueckner--Hartree--Fock formalism. The single-particle potentials of neutrons and protons with spin up and down are determined for several values of the neutron and proton spin polarizations and the asymmetry parameter. It is found an almost linear and symmetric variation of the single-particle potentials as increasing these parameters. An analytic parametrization of the total energy per particle as a function of the asymmetry and spin polarizations is constructed. This parametrization is employed to compute the magnetic susceptibility of nuclear matter for several values of the asymmetry from neutron to symmetric matter. The results show no indication of a ferromagnetic transition at any density for any asymmetry of nuclear matter.Comment: 23 pages, 8 figures, 2 tables (submitted to Phys. Rev. C

Crispr/cas9 ablation of integrated hiv-1 accumulates proviral dna circles with reformed long terminal repeats

Gene editing may be used to excise the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) provirus from the host cell genome, possibly eradicating the infection. Here, using cells acutely or latently infected by HIV-1 and treated with long terminal repeat (LTR)-targeting CRISPR/Cas9, we show that the excised HIV-1 provirus persists for a few weeks and may rearrange in circular molecules. Although circular proviral DNA is naturally formed during HIV-1 replication, we observed that gene editing might increase proviral DNA circles with restored LTRs. These extrachromosomal elements were recovered and probed for residual activity through their transfection in uninfected cells. We discovered that they can be transcriptionally active in the presence of Tat and Rev. Although confirming that gene editing is a powerful tool to eradicate HIV-1 infection, this work highlights that, to achieve this goal, the LTRs must be cleaved in several pieces to avoid residual activity and minimize the risk of reintegration in the context of genomic instability, possibly caused by the off-target activity of Cas9

Primary malignant pericardial tumour in Lynch syndrome

Background: This case represents the first report of malignant primary cardiac tumour in a patient with Lynch Syndrome associated with MSH2 pathogenic variant. Case presentation: A 57-year-old woman with previous ovarian cystadenocarcinoma was admitted to the emergency room for hematic pericardial effusion. Multimodal diagnostic imaging revealed two solid pericardial vascularized masses. After pericardiectomy, the final histological diagnosis was poorly differentiated pleomorphic sarcomatoid carcinoma. During follow-up she developed an ampulla of Vater adenocarcinoma. Genetic analysis identified an MSH2 pathogenic variant. Conclusion: This case contributes to expand the tumour spectrum of Lynch syndrome, suggesting that MSH2 pathogenic variants cause a more complex multi-tumour cancer syndrome than the classic Lynch Syndrome. In MSH2 variant carriers, symptoms such as dyspnoea and chest discomfort might alert for rare tumours and a focused cardiac evaluation should be considered

CaloCube: a novel calorimeter for high-energy cosmic rays in space

In order to extend the direct observation of high-energy cosmic rays up to the PeV region, highly performing calorimeters with large geometrical acceptance and high energy resolution are required. Within the constraint of the total mass of the apparatus, crucial for a space mission, the calorimeters must be optimized with respect to their geometrical acceptance, granularity and absorption depth. CaloCube is a homogeneous calorimeter with cubic geometry, to maximise the acceptance being sensitive to particles from every direction in space; granularity is obtained by relying on small cubic scintillating crystals as active elements. Different scintillating materials have been studied. The crystal sizes and spacing among them have been optimized with respect to the energy resolution. A prototype, based on CsI(Tl) cubic crystals, has been constructed and tested with particle beams. Some results of tests with different beams at CERN are presented.Comment: Seven pages, seven pictures. Proceedings of INSTR17 Novosibirs

Prognostic value of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I early after coronary artery bypass graft surgery

Background: The diagnosis of periprocedural myocardial infarction (PMI) after coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) is based on biochemical markers along with clinical and instrumental findings. However, there is not a clear cutoff value of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin (hs-cTn) to identify PMI. We hypothesized that isolated hs-cTn concentrations in the first 24 h following CABG could predict cardiac adverse events (in-hospital death and PMI) and/or left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) decrease. Methods: We retrospectively enrolled all consecutive adult patients undergoing CABG, alone or in association with other cardiac surgery procedures, over 1 year. Hs-cTn I concentrations (Access, Beckman Coulter) were serially measured in the post-operative period and analyzed according to post-operative outcomes. Results: 300 patients were enrolled; 71.3% underwent CABG alone, 33.7% for acute coronary syndrome. Most patients showed hs-cTn I values superior to the limit required by the latest guidelines for the diagnosis of PMI. Five patients (1.7%) died, 8% developed a PMI, 10.6% showed a LVEF decrease ≥ 10%. Hs-cTn I concentrations did not significantly differ with respect to death and/or PMI whereas they were associated with LVEF decrease ≥ 10% (p value < 0.005 at any time interval), in particular hs-cTn I values at 9–12 h post-operatively. A hs-cTn I cutoff of 5556 ng/L, a value 281 (for males) and 479 (for females) times higher than the URL, at 9–12 h post-operatively was identified, representing the best balance between sensitivity (55%) and specificity (79%) in predicting LVEF decrease ≥ 10%. Conclusions: Hs-cTn I at 9–12 h post-CABG may be useful to early identify patients at risk for LVEF decrease and to guide early investigation and management of possible post-operative complications

Ecological Assessment of Everyday Executive Functioning at Home and at School using the BRIEF Questionnaire following Childhood Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

IntroductionCognitive and behavioural aspects of executive functioning (EF) are frequently impaired following childhood TBI. The Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) questionnaire provides an ecological assessment of EFs in everyday life in home and school environments. The aims of this study were to describe the dysexecutive disorders in children with TBI using the BRIEF; to compare parent- and teacher-ratings and to analyse the demographic and medical variables influencing outcome.MethodsParticipants: Children/adolescents aged 5–17 years 11 months, referred to a paediatric rehabilitation department following TBI. Outcome measures: the parent–and the teacher-report of the BRIEF were collected during neuropsychological assessment (2009–2014), as well as the teacher-report (from 2014). Age at injury and assessment, parental education and TBI severity were collected.Results194 patients (142 boys) participated in the study [mild (n=13), moderate (n=12) or severe (n=169: mean duration of coma 7.2 days; SD=6.5)]. 193 parent-reports and 28 complete teacher reports of the BRIEF were available. Mean age at injury/assessment were 6.9 (SD=4.4), and 11.8 (SD=3.5) years respectively. According to parent-ratings, children had significantly elevated scores in all BRIEF indices [Global Executive Composite (GEC), Behaviour Regulation Index (BRI), Metacognition Index (MI)], and subscales (mean T-scores 61–64; all P<.0001), with 24% to 48.0% scoring in the clinical range. Teachers’ ratings indicated similar deficits in all sub-scales (mean T-scores 63–70; all P<.001), with 39.3–57.2% scoring in the clinical range. For patients with teacher and parent-reports (n=27), no significant difference was found between parent and teacher ratings, which were significantly correlated (r: .44–.72). Regression analyses indicated that GEC was significantly predicted by older age at assessment. The regression model for BRI was not significant. For MI, younger age at injury and older age at assessment were significant predictors.Discussion and conclusionThis study highlights elevated levels of executive dysfunction in everyday life following childhood TBI, evident in home and school environments. Younger age at injury seems to influence the cognitive rather than the behavioural aspects of EFs, whereas older age at assessment is related to higher levels of complaints, probably due to the increasing levels of expectations