Lymph Node Staging with Choline PET/CT in Patients with Prostate Cancer: A Review

Due to its prevalence, prostate cancer represents a serious health problem. The treatment, when required, may be local in case of limited disease, locoregional if lymph nodes are involved, and systemic when distant metastases are present. In order to choose the best treatment regimen, an accurate disease staging is mandatory. However, the accuracy of conventional imaging modalities in detecting lymph node and bone metastases is low. In the last decade, molecular imaging, particularly, choline PET-CT has been evaluated in this setting. Choline PET represents the more accurate exam to stage high-risk prostate cancer, and it is useful in staging patients with biochemical relapse, in particular when PSA kinetics is high and/or PSA levels are more than 2 pg/ml. The present paper reports results of available papers on these issues, with particular attention to lymph node staging

Tactile based robotic skills for cable routing operations

This paper proposes a set of tactile based skills to perform robotic cable routing operations for deformable linear objects (DLOs) characterized by considerable stiffness and constrained at both ends. In particular, tactile data are exploited to reconstruct the shape of the grasped portion of the DLO and to estimate the future local one. This information is exploited to obtain a grasping configuration aligned to the local shape of the DLO, starting from a rough initial grasping pose, and to follow the DLO's contour in the three-dimensional space. Taking into account the distance travelled along the arc length of the DLO, the robot can detect the cable segments that must be firmly grasped and inserted in intermediate clips, continuing then to slide along the contour until the next DLO's portion, that has to be clipped, is reached. The proposed skills are experimentally validated with an industrial robot on different DLOs in several configurations and on a cable routing use case

Transcriptional activation of the miR-17-92 cluster is involved in the growth-promoting effects of MYB in human Ph-positive leukemia cells.

MicroRNAs, non-coding regulators of gene expression, are likely to function as important downstream effectors of many transcription factors including MYB. Optimal levels of MYB are required for transformation/maintenance of BCR-ABL-expressing cells. We investigated whether MYB silencing modulates microRNA expression in Philadelphia-positive (Ph+) leukemia cells and if MYB-regulated microRNAs are important for the MYB addiction of these cells. Thirty-five microRNAs were modulated by MYB silencing in lymphoid and erythromyeloid chronic myeloid leukemia-blast crisis BV173 and K562 cells; 15 of these were concordantly modulated in both lines. We focused on the miR-17-92 cluster because of its oncogenic role in tumors and found that: i) it is a direct MYB target; ii) it partially rescued the impaired proliferation and enhanced apoptosis of MYB-silenced BV173 cells. Moreover, we identified FRZB, a Wnt/β-catenin pathway inhibitor, as a novel target of the miR-17-92 cluster. High expression of MYB in blast cells from 2 Ph+leukemia patients correlated positively with the miR-17-92 cluster and inversely with FRZB. This expression pattern was also observed in a microarray dataset of 122 Ph+acute lymphoblastic leukemias. In vivo experiments in NOD scid gamma mice injected with BV173 cells confirmed that FRZB functions as a Wnt/β-catenin inhibitor even as they failed to demonstrate that this pathway is important for BV173-dependent leukemogenesis. These studies illustrate the global effects of MYB expression on the microRNAs profile of Ph+cells and supports the concept that the MYB addiction of these cells is, in part, caused by modulation of microRNA-regulated pathways affecting cell proliferation and survival. Copyright© 2019 Ferrata Storti Foundation

Increasing the stocking density in Paracentrotus lividus larviculture: Effects on survival and metamorphosis rates

The development of sustainable methods for sea urchin juvenile production is currently constrained by high mortality rates during larval growth and the high costs of larval rearing systems management. With the aim of developing a method for the production of juveniles of the purple sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus in a medium-scale recirculating system, the present study focused on the effects of high stocking densities on larval growth. Plutei larvae were reared at three different densities (up to 7 ind/ml) in a semi-static culture system. Larval survival and metamorphosis success were evaluated in order to identify the most effective density range. The highest metamorphosis rates (80%-95%) were obtained at 4 and 7 larvae/ml. These results are comparable with (and in some cases higher than) those reported for the same species at much lower larval densities. In conclusion, the rearing conditions tested here show for the first time that a significantly higher (4 ind/ml) stocking density than those of traditional P. lividus rearing methods (based on large volumes and low densities) can be adopted, thus supporting the feasibility of an increase in the final output of competent larvae with no increase in rearing volumes

Effectiveness of occupational health and safety training. A systematic review with meta-analysis

Purpose This meta-analysis aims to verify the efficacy of occupational health and safety (OHS) training in terms of knowledge, attitude and beliefs, behavior and health. Design/methodology/approach The authors included studies published in English (2007–2014) selected from ten databases. Eligibility criteria were studies concerned with the effectiveness of OHS training for primary prevention of workplace injury; and studies focused on examined outcome related to OHS. Findings The selected studies (n = 28) highlighted a strong support for the effectiveness of training on worker OHS attitudes and beliefs and, to a lesser extent, on worker’s knowledge but only medium for behavior and small evidences for its effectiveness on health. Research limitations/implications Future research should more deeply investigate the efficacy on knowledge increase of trainings delivered by experts and researchers, applying different methods, in a small group; training delivered by peer and by researcher, applying different methods; and trained workers less than 29 years and more than 49 years old, considering that workers in these age groups are particularly vulnerable to fatalities. Practical implications Our study is a contribution for those they intend to grant effective training, in response to specific needs of OHS. The evidences presented could be considered a first step to identify the factors related to the efficacy of OHS training to plan adequate interventions. Social implications The OHS training is effective on the basis of the extent interventions are carried out for each specific learning outcome. Originality/value This meta-analysis suggested that classroom training, although the most used and studied, does not ever revealed itself very effective: it was not significant for outcomes in terms of knowledge and showed a decreasing efficacy for attitudes and beliefs, behaviors and health. It seemed that there was a distinction between interventions on knowledge, attitudes and beliefs, as opposed to behavioral interventions and health

Chest wall mechanics during pressure support ventilation

INTRODUCTION: During pressure support ventilation (PSV) a part of the breathing pattern is controlled by the patient, and synchronization of respiratory muscle action and the resulting chest wall kinematics is a valid indicator of the patient's adaptation to the ventilator. The aim of the present study was to analyze the effects of different PSV settings on ventilatory pattern, total and compartmental chest wall kinematics and dynamics, muscle pressures and work of breathing in patients with acute lung injury. METHOD: In nine patients four different levels of PSV (5, 10, 15 and 25 cmH(2)O) were randomly applied with the same level of positive end-expiratory pressure (10 cmH(2)O). Flow, airway opening, and oesophageal and gastric pressures were measured, and volume variations for the entire chest wall, the ribcage and abdominal compartments were recorded by opto-electronic plethysmography. The pressure and the work generated by the diaphragm, rib cage and abdominal muscles were determined using dynamic pressure-volume loops in the various phases of each respiratory cycle: pre-triggering, post-triggering with the patient's effort combining with the action of the ventilator, pressurization and expiration. The complete breathing pattern was measured and correlated with chest wall kinematics and dynamics. RESULTS: At the various levels of pressure support applied, minute ventilation was constant, with large variations in breathing frequency/ tidal volume ratio. At pressure support levels below 15 cmH(2)O the following increased: the pressure developed by the inspiratory muscles, the contribution of the rib cage compartment to the total tidal volume, the phase shift between rib cage and abdominal compartments, the post-inspiratory action of the inspiratory rib cage muscles, and the expiratory muscle activity. CONCLUSION: During PSV, the ventilatory pattern is very different at different levels of pressure support; in patients with acute lung injury pressure support greater than 10 cmH(2)O permits homogeneous recruitment of respiratory muscles, with resulting synchronous thoraco-abdominal expansion

Long non-coding RNAs play a role in the pathogenesis of psoriatic arthritis by regulating microRNAs and genes involved in inflammation and metabolic syndrome

Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is an inflammatory arthritis, characterized by inflammation of entheses and synovium, leading to joint erosions and new bone formation. It affects 10-30% of patients with psoriasis, and has an estimated prevalence of approximately 1%. PsA is considered to be primarily an autoimmune disease, driven by autoreactive T cells directed against autoantigens present in the skin and in the joints. However, an autoinflammatory origin has recently been proposed. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are RNAs more than 200 nucleotides in length that do not encode proteins. LncRNAs play important roles in several biological processes, including chromatin remodeling, transcription control, and post-transcriptional processing. Several studies have shown that lncRNAs are expressed in a stage-specific or lineage-specific manner in immune cells that have a role in the development, activation, and effector functions of immune cells. LncRNAs are thought to play a role in several diseases, including autoimmune disorders. Indeed, a few lncRNAs have been identified in systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, and psoriasis. Although several high-throughput studies have been performed to identify lncRNAs, their biological and pathological relevance are still unknown, and most transcriptome studies in autoimmune diseases have only assessed protein-coding transcripts. No data are currently available on lncRNAs in PsA. Therefore, by microarray analysis, we have investigated the expression profiles of more than 50,000 human lncRNAs in blood samples from PsA patients and healthy controls using Human Clariom D Affymetrix chips, suitable to detect rare and low-expressing transcripts otherwise unnoticed by common sequencing methodologies. Network analysis identified lncRNAs targeting highly connected genes in the PsA transcriptome. Such genes are involved in molecular pathways crucial for PsA pathogenesis, including immune response, glycolipid metabolism, bone remodeling, type 1 interferon, wingless related integration site, and tumor necrosis factor signaling. Selected lncRNAs were validated by RT-PCR in an expanded cohort of patients. Moreover, modulated genes belonging to meaningful pathways were validated by RT-PCR in PsA PBMCs and/or by ELISA in PsA sera. The findings indicate that lncRNAs are involved in PsA pathogenesis by regulating both microRNAs and genes and open new avenues for the identification of new biomarkers and therapeutical targets

Real time power management strategy for hybrid energy storage systems coupled with variable energy sources in power smoothing applications

Abstract As the renewable energy sources (RES) production is strongly influenced by multiple geographic factors and highly variable, the need for both energy storage integration and robust real-time power management strategies development is obvious. Wind power represents the largest generating capacity among RES, being at the same time the most fluctuant. The capability to overcome the great disadvantage of wind power variability supports rising its penetration while preserving current operation modes of power systems, so new fashions to achieve this target are of great interest. This paper aims to prove the robustness of a recently introduced power management strategy, able to operate in online conditions, based on simultaneous perturbation stochastic approximation (SPSA) algorithm. To this regard, two different real datasets for wind power profiles with different statistical features are employed. The power management strategy is implemented on a hybrid energy storage system comprising a battery and a flywheel, modeled in Simulink/Matlab. The objectives of the proposed strategy are to reduce the instantaneous power ramp of the profile injected to the grid while smoothening the power profile exchanged by the battery in order to preserve it. Simulations are performed in representative conditions selected on statistical basis. It is demonstrated that the SPSA based power management achieves similar performances in all simulation conditions, proving to be robust. As a performance indicator, the reduction of the power ramp in reference to the 90% CDF threshold is evaluated. It is remarked as an 80% power ramp reduction is obtained towards the grid in both sites. Moreover, the further target is achieved in terms of battery lifetime extension; specifically, the fluctuation of the power profile exchanged by the battery is smoothed by 63% in the first site and 48% in the second, with respect to the flywheel one

Unlocking Access to Enantiopure Fused Uracils by Chemodivergent [4+2] Cross‐Cycloadditions: DFT‐Supported Homo‐Synergistic Organocatalytic Approach

The discovery of chemical methods enabling the construction of carbocycle‐fused uracils which embody a three‐dimensional and functional‐group‐rich architecture is a useful tool in medicinal chemistry oriented synthesis. In this work, an unprecedented amine‐catalyzed [4+2] cross‐cycloaddition is documented; it involves remotely enolizable 6‐methyluracil‐5‐carbaldehydes and β‐aryl enals, and chemoselectively produces two novel bicyclic and tricyclic fused uracil chemotypes in good yields with a maximum level of enantiocontrol. In‐depth mechanistic investigations and control experiments support an intriguing homo‐synergistic organocatalytic approach, where the same amine organocatalyst concomitantly engages both aldehyde partners in a stepwise eliminative [4+2] cycloaddition, whose vinylogous iminium ion intermediate product may diverge—depending upon conditions—to either bicyclic targets by hydrolysis or tricyclic products by a second homo‐synergistic trienamine‐mediated stepwise [4+2] cycloaddition