83 research outputs found
Remembering William Thomas Green Morton: The Birth of Anesthesia Between Cultural Amnesia, Myth and History
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Is a Quantum Biosensing Revolution Approaching? Perspectives in NV‐Assisted Current and Thermal Biosensing in Living Cells
none8openPetrini, Giulia; Moreva, Ekaterina; Bernardi, Ettore; Traina, Paolo; Tomagra, Giulia; Carabelli, Valentina; Degiovanni, Ivo Pietro; Genovese, MarcoPetrini, Giulia; Moreva, Ekaterina; Bernardi, Ettore; Traina, Paolo; Tomagra, Giulia; Carabelli, Valentina; Degiovanni, Ivo Pietro; Genovese, Marc
Bortezomib with Thalidomide plus Dexamethasone Compared with Thalidomide plus Doxorubicin and Dexamethasone as Induction Therapy in Previously Untreated Multiple Myeloma Patients
We conducted a retrospective study to compare thalidomide, bortezomib and dexamethasone (VTD) with thalidomide plus doxorubicin and dexamethasone (TAD). Until now, first-line treatment with these combinations has not been reported in any comparative study. The principal objective of this study was to determine whether VTD would improve the complete response (CR) and CR plus very good partial response rates compared with TAD. Second, using additional methods, such as flow cytometric assays and polymerase chain reaction technology, we evaluated the molecular residual disease in the subgroup of patients that obtained CR. Our study shows that VTD is a superior induction regimen compared with TAD, with a higher response rate after induction, translating into greater CR plus very good partial response
Nanodiamond–Quantum Sensors Reveal Temperature Variation Associated to Hippocampal Neurons Firing
Mode structure reconstruction by detected and undetected light
We introduce a novel technique for the reconstruction of multimode optical
fields, based on simultaneously exploiting both the generalized Glauber's
-order correlation function and a recently proposed
anti-correlation function (dubbed ) which is resilient to
Poissonian noise. We experimentally demonstrate that this method yields mode
reconstructions with higher fidelity with respect to those obtained with
reconstruction methods based only on 's, even requiring less "a
priori" information. The reliability and versatility of our technique make it
suitable for a widespread use in real applications of optical quantum
measurement, from quantum information to quantum metrology, especially when one
needs to characterize ensembles of single-photon emitters in the presence of
background noise (due, for example, to residual excitation laser, stray light,
or unwanted fluorescence).Comment: 11 pages, 3 figure
Biocompatible technique for nanoscale magnetic field sensing with Nitrogen-Vacancy centers
The possibility of using Nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamonds to measure
nanoscale magnetic fields with unprecedented sensitivity is one of the most
significant achievements of quantum sensing. Here we present an innovative
experimental set-up, showing an achieved sensitivity comparable to the state of
the art ODMR protocols if the sensing volume is taken into account. The
apparatus allows magnetic sensing in biological samples such as individual
cells, as it is characterized by a small sensing volume and full
bio-compatibility. The sensitivity at different optical powers is studied to
extend this technique to the intercellular scale.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figure
Insights into the diagenetic environment of fossil marine vertebrates of the Pisco Formation (late Miocene, Peru) from mineralogical and Sr-isotope data
The late Miocene Pisco Formation of Peru is an outstanding example of richness and high-quality
preservation of fossil marine vertebrates. In order to reconstruct the fossilization path, we present
new textural, mineralogical and Sr-isotope data of diagenetic minerals formed in correspondence of fossil
specimens such as marine vertebrates and mollusks. These fossil specimens were found at Cerro los
Quesos, in the Ica Desert, within the diatomaceous strata of the Pisco Formation. Dolomite, gypsum,
anhydrite and Mn minerals are the main phases found, while the calcium carbonate originally forming
the mollusk valves is replaced by gypsum. An early formation of dolomite and of Mn minerals, triggered
by the modifications of the geochemical environment due to organic matter degradation, is suggested by
the textural relationships and is confirmed by the Sr isotopic ratio of dolomite, which agrees with that of
seawater at the time of sedimentation. Instead, gypsum Sr isotopic ratios indicate a pre-Miocene
seawater-derived brine circulating within the sedimentary sequence as a source for Sr. Oxidation of
diagenetic sulfide causing a lowering of the pH of porewater is proposed as an explanation for Cacarbonate
dissolution. The diagenetic chemical environment was, nevertheless, favorable to bone
preservation
Travels of a Rayed Head: imagery, fiber, structure and connotations of early textiles from the South Central Andes
The rayed head image has long been identified as a central symbol associated with the Paracas tradition, also called the sun face 1 and associated with the concept of Oculate Being developed by the Berkeley School. 2 Prominently repeated on the central ground of the famous Paracas Textile at the Brooklyn Museum, this image has much earlier antecedents in the region. Scholars disagree on the extent to which many Paracas, Topara and early Nasca images with large round eyes, grinning mouths, and serpentlike appendages emitting from the head and body may also be manifestations of a particular Oculate Being or of more general concepts of natural or supernatural power. Recently, contemporary textiles found in the Sihuas valley to the south (see Haeberli in this volume) challenge us to reexamine the similarities and distinctions among rayed heads.
One of the great challenges of the history of material culture, envisioned as a history of philosophical concepts, social values and cultural practices through their inscription in material objects, is the degree to which a recurrent image, pattern or special arrangement reflects a similar idea. A number of quite different images have been associated with the concept of an Oculate Being proposed by John Rowe and others of the Berkeley school based on their analysis of Ica valley ceramics and Ocucaje gravelots in the 1950s. I here trace the rayed head or sun face image as it occurs over at least 500 years in the region of Ica and Paracas. I then briefly consider its relationship to other contemporary imagery and later imagery featuring ray-like elements emitted from the head, both in the same contexts where the rayed head appears, and in other cemeteries to the south in southern Peru and northern Chile.
All the imagery discussed here is associated with a period between about 450 BC and AD 450 called the Formative in the South Central Andes (Bolivia and northern Chile) and called the Early Horizon (or late Formative) and Early Intermediate (or Regional Development) Period in the Central Andes. Most of the images I discuss are created on textiles. While only recovered from burials on the desert coast, textile materials draw on relationships of production and exchange that spanned the Andean cordillera to the montane rainforest to the east, and stretched to the north and south. Either as clothing or cargo, textiles themselves traveled and were no doubt a primary source of non-local imagery.
I do consider related images on non-textile artifacts. I compare textile based imagery with contemporary imagery on engraved and painted ceramics and gourds to try to distinguish among design features specific to medium, style and iconography
Evaluation of Haematological and Immunological Parameters of the ASFV Lv17/WB/Rie1 Strain and Its Derived Mutant Lv17/WB/Rie1/d110-11L against ASFV Challenge Infection in Domestic Pigs
African swine fever virus (ASFV) is the etiological agent of a haemorrhagic disease that threatens the global pig industry. There is an urgency to develop a safe and efficient vaccine, but the knowledge of the immune–pathogenetic mechanisms behind ASFV infection is still very limited. In this paper, we evaluated the haematological and immunological parameters of domestic pigs vaccinated with the ASFV Lv17/WB/Rie1 strain or its derived mutant Lv17/WB/Rie1/d110-11L and then challenged with virulent Armenia/07 ASFV. Circulating levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), 13 key cytokines and 11 haematological parameters were evaluated throughout the study. Lv17/WB/Rie1 triggered an inflammatory response, with increased levels of CRP and pro-inflammatory cytokines, and induced lymphopenia, thrombocytopenia and a decline in red blood cell (RBC) parameters, although this was transitory. Lv17/WB/Rie1/d110-11L triggered only transitory thrombocytopenia and a mild inflammatory reaction, with no increase in serum levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, but it raised IL-1Ra levels. Both strains counteracted several adverse reactions elicited by virulent challenge, like thrombocytopenia, a decline in RBC parameters, and inflammation. Within this paper, we provided a deep portrayal of the impact of diverse ASFV strains on the domestic pig’s immune system. A better understanding of these immune–pathological mechanisms would help to design suitable vaccines against this disease
Genetic predisposition and induced pro-inflammatory/pro-oxidative status may play a role in increased atherothrombotic events in nilotinib treated chronic myeloid leukemia patients
Several reports described an increased risk of cardiovascular (CV) events, mainly atherothrombotic, in Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) patients receiving nilotinib. However, the underlying mechanism remains elusive. The objective of the current cross-sectional retrospective study is to address a potential correlation between Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors (TKIs) treatment and CV events. One hundred and 10 chronic phase CML patients in complete cytogenetic response during nilotinib or imatinib, were screened for CV events and evaluated for: traditional CV risk factors, pro/anti-inflammatory biochemical parameters and detrimental ORL1 gene polymorphisms (encoding for altered oxidized LDL receptor-1). Multivariate analysis of the whole cohort showed that the cluster of co-existing nilotinib treatment, dyslipidaemia and G allele of LOX-1 polymorphism was the only significant finding associated with CV events. Furthermore, multivariate analysis according to TKI treatment confirmed IVS4-14 G/G LOX-1 polymorphism as the strongest predictive factor for a higher incidence of CV events in nilotinib patients. Biochemical assessment showed an unbalanced pro-inflammatory cytokines network in nilotinib vs imatinib patients. Surprisingly, pre-existing traditional CV risk factors were not always predictive of CV events. We believe that in nilotinib patients an induced "inflammatory/oxidative status", together with a genetic pro-atherothrombotic predisposition, may favour the increased incidence of CV events. Prospective studies focused on this issue are ongoing
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