Riproducibilità a vario titolo del patrimonio: situazione e prospettive

The paper approaches the rights of reproducing Cultural Heritage items, in every possible aspects and for both commercial and non-commercial purposes. The legal situation is currently vague and not defined, as it is in other parts of Europe and the world. Two valid arguments are confronting each other: on the one hand, the public demand for data openness, on the other, the public institutions’ desire to earn money, at least enough to justify conservation expenses. After a discussion on the current situation, where digital revolution and 3D technology changed even the common understanding of ‘reproduction’ processes, a possible solution is presented, in order to satisfy both needs

Il museo virtuale della Valle del Calore

The Virtual Museum of the Upper Calore Valley is a website which allows visitors to travel in time and space through and have access to various information on monuments, towns, culture, history, wine and food of the Hirpinian territory. By accessing six fictional videos on characters drawn from local history, users can also experience a historical overview, from the Longobard invasion up to the Unification of Italy, through the troubled periods of the Kingdom of Naples. The project works by open source software for video editing, GIS elaboration, and image processing. The browsing platform is based on the earliest release of the Aton framework created by CNR ITABC for browsing large-scale geographical and architectural data, with advanced features for graphic rendering, stereoscopic view, online representation of complex geometry and resolution through powerful paging algorithms. Aton is compatible with every modern HTML5 multimedia standard and is a powerful tool for historical storytelling

Fine-needle aspiration biopsy and flow cytometry immunophenotyping of lymphoid and myeloproliferative disorders of the spleen.

BACKGROUND: Flow cytometry (FC) is a useful adjunct to fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) in the evaluation of lymphoproliferative disorders. The application of FC to FNAB of the spleen (sFNAB) is reported. METHODS: Flow cytometry was performed on 18 sFNAB collected over 3 years. The series comprised 10 cases of non- Hodgkin lymphomas (NHL), 2 cases insufficient for diagnosis, 2 cases of reactive hyperplasia (RH), and 4 cases of myeloid metaplasia (MM). FNAB was performed under ultrasound guidance using a 22-gauge needle. One or two passes were sufficient to prepare a conventional smear that was immediately evaluated to select the cases studied and to prepare a cell suspension for FC. The following fluoresceinated antibodies were used: CD3, CD19/kappa/lambda, FMC7/CD23/CD19, Bcl-2, and CD13/HLA-DR. In six cases, cytospins were also prepared for immunocytochemistry and were tested for CD20 (L26), CD45Ro, and kappa and lambda light chain expression. RESULTS: Flow cytometry contributed to the diagnosis of all cases of NHL by assessing light chain restriction. The specific subtype was also diagnosed by CD19/CD5 and CD 19/CD10 coexpression in two cases. Flow cytometry quantified the percentage of myeloid cells in MM cases and contributed to the cytologic diagnosis showing a polyclonal light chain expression in RH cases.Immunocytochemistry was effective and concordant in four cases. Patients tolerated the sFNAB well and no complications were reported. Cytologic and FC diagnoses were confirmed by follow-up and by histologic evaluation in cases in which splenectomy was performed for therapeutic purposes. CONCLUSION: Flow cytometry applied to sFNAB corroborates the cytologic diagnosis in lymphoid and myeloproliferative disorders of the spleen and allows therapeutic decisions avoiding splenectomy

The MedAfriCarbon Radiocarbon Database and Web Application. Archaeological Dynamics in Mediterranean Africa, ca. 9600–700 BC

The MedAfriCarbon radiocarbon database and its accompanying web application are outcomes of the MedAfrica project — Archaeological deep history and dynamics of Mediterranean Africa, ca. 9600–700 BC. The dataset presented here in Version 1.0 of the database includes 1587 archaeological 14C dates from 368 sites in Mediterranean Africa. The database is unusual because the majority of the dates within it have been annotated with further cultural and environmental variables, notably the presence/absence of different domestic/wild species and particular material culture traits. MedAfriCarbon also includes a publicly-accessible web application that facilitates data exploration and informal analysis

Early laboratory diagnosis of COVID-19 by antigen detection in blood samples of the SARS-COV-2 nucleocapsid protein

The purpose of this study was to characterize the diagnostic performance of a newly developed enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for detection of SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein (NP) in blood. Blood samples were collected during hospitalization of 165 inpatients with PCR-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection and from 505 outpatients predominantly with relevant symptoms of COVID-19 simultaneously with PCR testing. For the 143 inpatients who had their first blood sample collected within 2 weeks after PCR-confirmed infection, the diagnostic sensitivity of the ELISA was 91.6%. The mean NP concentration of the 131 ELISA-positive blood samples was 1,734 pg/ml (range, 10 to 3,840 pg/ml). An exponential decline in NP concentration was observed for 368 blood samples collected over the first 4 weeks after PCR-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, and all blood samples taken later had an NP concentration below the 10-pg/ml diagnostic cutoff. The diagnostic sensitivity of the ELISA was 81.4% for the 43 blood samples collected from outpatients with a simultaneous positive PCR test, and the mean NP concentration of the 35 ELISA-positive samples was 157 pg/ml (range, 10 to 1,377 pg/ml). For the 462 outpatients with a simultaneous negative PCR test, the diagnostic specificity of the ELISA was 99.8%. In conclusion, the SARS-CoV-2 NP ELISA is a suitable laboratory diagnostic test for COVID-19, particularly for hospitals, where blood samples are readily available and screening of serum or plasma by ELISA can facilitate prevention of nosocomial infections and reduce the requirement for laborious swab sampling and subsequent PCR analysis to confirmatory tests only

p27(Kip1 )is expressed in proliferating cells in its form phosphorylated on threonine 187

BACKGROUND: G1/S cell cycle progression requires p27(Kip1 )(p27) proteolysis, which is triggered by its phosphorylation on threonine (Thr) 187. Since its levels are abundant in quiescent and scarce in cycling cells, p27 is an approved marker for quiescent cells, extensively used in histopathology and cancer research. METHODS: However here we showed that by using a specific phosphorylation site (pThr187) antibody, p27 is detectable also in proliferative compartments of normal, dysplastic and neoplastic tissues. RESULTS: In fact, whereas un-phosphorylated p27 and MIB-1 showed a significant inverse correlation (Spearman R = -0.55; p < 0,001), pThr187-p27 was positively and significantly correlated with MIB-1 expression (Spearman R = 0.88; p < 0,001). Thus proliferating cells only stain for pThr187-p27, whereas they are un-reactive with the regular p27 antibodies. However increasing the sensitivity of the immunocytochemistry (ICH) by the use of an ultra sensitive detection system based on tiramide signal amplification, simultaneous expression and colocalisation of both forms of p27 was shown in proliferating compartments nuclei by double immunofluorescence and laser scanning confocal microscopy studies. CONCLUSION: Overall, our data suggest that p27 expression also occurs in proliferating cells compartments and the combined use of both regular and phospho- p27 antibodies is suggested

UbcH10 overexpression may represent a marker of anaplastic thyroid carcinomas

The hybridisation of an Affymetrix HG_U95Av2 oligonucleotide array with RNAs extracted from six human thyroid carcinoma cell lines and a normal human thyroid primary cell culture led us to the identification of the UbcH10 gene that was upregulated by 150-fold in all of the carcinoma cell lines in comparison to the primary culture cells of human normal thyroid origin. Immunohistochemical studies performed on paraffin-embedded tissue sections showed abundant UbcH10 levels in thyroid anaplastic carcinoma samples, whereas no detectable UbcH10 expression was observed in normal thyroid tissues, in adenomas and goiters. Papillary and follicular carcinomas were only weakly positive. These results were further confirmed by RT–PCR and Western blot analyses. The block of UbcH10 protein synthesis induced by RNA interference significantly reduced the growth rate of thyroid carcinoma cell lines. Taken together, these results would indicate that UbcH10 overexpression is involved in thyroid cell proliferation, and may represent a marker of thyroid anaplastic carcinomas