Baryonic Screening Masses in High Temperature QCD

We compute the screening masses of fields with nucleon quantum numbers for a wide range of temperatures between $T \sim 1$ GeV and $T\sim 160$ GeV. The computation has been performed by means of Monte Carlo simulations of lattice QCD with $N_f=3$ flavors of $O(a)$-improved Wilson fermions: we exploit a novel strategy which has recently allowed to determine for the first time non-singlet mesonic screening masses up to extremely high temperatures. The baryonic screening masses are measured with a few per-mille precision in the continuum limit, and percent deviations from the free theory result $3\pi T$ are clearly visible even at the highest temperatures. The observed degeneracy of the positive and negative parity state's screening mass, expected from Ward identities associated to non-singlet axial transformations, provides further evidence for the restoration of chiral symmetry in the high temperature regime of QCD.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, Proceedings of the 40th International Symposium on Lattice Field Theory (Lattice 2023

PCA3 score and prostate cancer diagnosis at repeated saturation biopsy. Which cut-off: 20 or 35?

PURPOSE: To compare PCA3 score cut-off of 35 vs 20 in PCa diagnosis in patients undergoing repeated saturation prostate biopsy (SPBx). MATERIALS AND METHODS: From January 2010 to May 2011, 118 patients (median 62.5 years) with primary negative extended biopsy underwent a transperineal SPBx (median 30 cores) for persistent suspicion of PCa. The indications for repeated biopsy were: persistently high or increasing PSA values; PSA > 10 ng/mL, PSA values between 4.1-10 or 2.6-4 ng/mL with free/total PSA ≤ 25% and ≤ 20%, respectively; moreover, before performing SPBx urinary PCA3 score was evaluated. RESULTS: All patients had negative DRE and median PSA was 8.5 ng/mL (range: 3.7-24 ng/mL). A T1c PCa was found in 32 patients (27.1%): PCA3 score was 59 (median; range: 7-201) in the presence of PCa and 35 (median; range: 3-253) in the absence of cancer (p < 0.05). In the presence of ASAP and HGPIN median PCA3 score was 109 (range: 42-253) and 40 (range: 30-140), respectively. Diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV of PCA3 score cut-off of 20 vs 35 in PCa diagnosis were 44.9 vs 50%, 90.6 vs 71.9%, 27.9 vs 41.8%, 31.9 vs 31.5% and 88.9 vs 80%, respectively. ROC analysis demonstrated an AUC for PCA3 ≥ 20 vs ≥ 35 of 0.678 and 0.634, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that PCA3 is more useful as an exclusion tool; moreover, setting a PCA3 cut-off at 20 vs 35, would have avoided 22.9 vs 38.1% of biopsies while missing 9.4% and 28% diagnosis of PCa

Ductal prostate cancer staging: Role of PSMA PET/CT

Introduction: To evaluate the accuracy of PSMA PET/CT in the diagnosis and clinical staging of prostatic ductal adenocarcinoma (DAC). Materials and methods: Two Caucasian men 58 and 62 years old were admitted to our Department for dysuria: the patients had not familiarity for prostate cancer (PCa), PSA values were 5.6 and 2.8 ng/ml, digital rectal examination was positive, multiparametric magnetic resonance image (mpMRI) showed for both the presence of an index lesion PIRADS score 5. The patients underwent extended transperineal prostate biopsy combined with four mpMRI/TRUS fusion biopsy under sedation and antibiotic prophylaxis; biopsy histology demonstrated the presence of a mixed PCa characterized by DAC and acinar PCa (Grade Group 4/Gleason score 8). The patients underwent clinical staging performing lung and abdominal CT, bone scan and fluoride 18 (18F) PSMA PET/CT. Results: Conventional imaging was negative for distant metastases; 18F-PSMA PET/CT showed in both patients an intraprostatic lesion characterized by a standardized uptake value (SUVmax) equal to 4.6 and 4.9 in the absence of distant lesions suspicious for metastases. Following multidisciplinary evaluation, the patients underwent radical prostatectomy plus extended pelvic lymphadenectomy. Definitive specimen showed the presence in both cases of a mixed pT3bN1 PCa (ductal plus acinar pattern Grade Group 4) with positive surgical margins, neuronal invasion, and nodes metastases (5/20 and 6/24, respectively). Post-operative PSA in the two patients was 0.8 and 0.3 ng/ml, therefore patients underwent adjuvant therapy. Conclusions: Conventional imaging and PSMA PET/CT could result inadequate in clinical staging of DAC, the use of more imaging data (i.e. mpMRI and/or F-18 FDG) could improve overall accuracy

Grotta della Rondinella a Polignano a Mare: un progetto di ricerca della Federazione Speleologica Pugliese

Grotta della Rondinella (PU 71) è una tra le cavità più note e suggestive della fascia costiera di Polignano a Mare, in provincia di Bari. Essa presenta un doppio ingresso: da terra, attraverso uno sprofondamento (sinkhole) e da mare con un ampio portale che conduce a una bella spiaggia in ciottoli. Sebbene inserita in un contesto certamente ad alta vocazione turistica, la cavità, al pari delle molte altre distribuite lungo la costa, non è mai stata adeguatamente tutelata, per cui è di frequente oggetto di degrado, specialmente durante la affollata stagione estiva. Grazie ad un finanziamento privato, è stato avviato un progetto di ricerca multi-disciplinare della Federazione Speleologica Pugliese, comprendente un nuovo rilievo della cavità, indagini a carattere geologico-strutturale e di geomorfologia ipogea, analisi petrografiche e mineralogiche, indagini geofisiche indirizzate alla verifica di eventuali prosecuzioni degli ambienti ipogei. Inoltre, è stato messo in opera il monitoraggio micro-climatico della cavità, e sono stati condotti studi di carattere biospeleologico, con particolare riguardo ai chirotteri, presenti con una piccola colonia nella grotta. L’insieme dei dati così raccolti costituisce indubbiamente un’importante banca dati su un singolo ambiente ipogeo, raramente disponibile in Puglia.Rondinella Cave (PU 71 in the Cadastre of Caves of Apulia region, managed by the Apulian Speleological Federation) is one of the most well known coastal karst caves at Polignano a Mare, along the Adriatic coast in the Bari province. The cave has a double entrance: a wide access allows to enter by the sea, leading to a nice pebble shore, whilst inland a collapse sinkhole represents the main access, produced by fall of the rock diaphragm above the cave. Even though the cave is in a coastal sector heavily frequented by tourists, it was never adequately safeguarded, and, as many other coastal caves in the area, commonly experiences negative effects due to anthropogenic disturbance. Thanks to private funds, a research project was recently started by the Apulian Speleological Federation: it included, but was not limited to, the cave survey with modern speleological techniques; geological, structural and geomorphological analyses; petrographic and mineralogical researches; geophysical surveys addressed to identification of likely further cavities in the areas surrounding the cave. In addition, a micro-climatic monitoring system has been established, and the colony of bats hosted in the cave has been monitored and studied. The amount of data so collected represent without any doubt one of the widest database nowadays available about a karst cave in Apulia

The impact of crustal rheology on natural seismicity: Campi Flegrei caldera case study

We analyze the crustal rheology beneath the active resurgent Campi Flegrei caldera (CFc) in Southern Italy by modelling the 3D brittle-ductile (B/D) transition, based on available thermal, geological and geophysical data. Firstly, the thermal field in the conductive physical regime is modeled using a finite element method; based on an optimization tool, this method is applied to evaluate the location and dimensions of the deep thermal source beneath the caldera. A horizontally-extended thermal anomaly located at about 5000 m depth below sea level is identified beneath Pozzuoli Bay, a part of the CFc. The same isotherm is located at a depth of 20,000 m beyond the caldera. This indicates a higher horizontal temperature gradient in the caldera with respect to the surrounding area. Next, we utilize this thermal model to image the 3D rheological stratification of the shallow crust below the caldera with two different values of strain rates. Within the caldera, the B/D transitions with 3equal to 1012 s 1 and 108 s 1 are located at 3000 m and 5000 m depths, respectively. Outside the caldera, the transition is very deep (15,000e20,000 m), seemingly uninfluenced by the thermal state of the CFc volcanism. Finally, we compare these results with the spatial distribution of earthquake hypocenters, Benioff strain release and b-value distribution to investigate the relationship between crustal rheology and seismicity characteristics. Our analysis reveals that the image of the B/D transition is in agreement with the distribution of earthquake hypocenters, constraining the potential seismogenic volume of the region. Our study demonstrates that knowledge of the rheological state of a volcanic system is an important element to interpret its dynamic, forecast future activity and improve evaluation of the associated seismic hazard. 2018, China University of Geosciences (Beijing) and Peking University. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

68Ga-PSMA PET/CT evaluation in men enrolled in prostate cancer Active Surveillance

Introduction: To evaluate the accuracy of 68Ga-prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) in the diagnosis of clinically significant prostate cancer (csPCa: Grade Group ≥ 2) in men enrolled in Active Surveillance (AS) protocol. Materials and methods: From May 2013 to December 2021 200 men aged between 52 and 74 years (median age 63) with very low risk PCa were enrolled in an AS protocol study. During the follow up 48/200 (24%) men were upgraded and 10/200 (5%) decided to leave the AS protocol. After five years from confirmatory biopsy (range: 48-60 months) 40/142 (28.2%) consecutive patients were submitted to mpMRI and 68Ga-PSMA PET/CT imaging examinations before scheduled repeated biopsy. All the mpMRI (PI-RADS ≥ 3) and 68Ga-PET/TC standardized uptake value (SUVmax) ≥ 5 index lesions underwent targeted cores (mpMRI-TPBx and PSMA-TPBx) combined with transperineal saturation prostate biopsy (SPBx: median 20 cores). Results: Multiparametric MRI and 68Ga-PSMA PET/CT showed 18/40 (45%) and 9/40 (22.5%) lesions suspicious for PCa. In 3/40 (7.5%) men a csPCa (GG2) was found; 68Ga-PSMA-TPBx vs. mpMRI-TPBx vs. SPBx diagnosed 2/3 (66.6%) vs. 2/3 (66.6%) vs. 3/3 (100%) csPCa, respectively. In detail, mpMRI and 68Ga-PSMA PET/TC demonstrated 16/40 (40%) vs. 7/40 (17.5%) false positive and 1 (33.3%) vs. 1 (33.3%) false negative results. Conclusion: Although 68PSMA PET/CT did not improve the detection for csPCa of SPBx (1 false negative result equal to 33.3% of the cases), at the same time, would have spared 31/40 (77.5%) scheduled biopsies showing a better diagnostic accuracy in comparison with mpMRI (83.3% vs. 70.2%)

Ground deformation and source geometry of the 30 October 2016 Mw 6.5 Norcia earthquake (Central Italy) investigated through seismological data, DInSAR measurements, and numerical modelling

We investigate the Mw 6.5 Norcia (Central Italy) earthquake by exploiting seismological data, DInSAR measurements, and a numerical modelling approach. In particular, we first retrieve the vertical component (uplift and subsidence) of the displacements affecting the hangingwall and the footwall blocks of the seismogenic faults identified, at depth, through the hypocenters distribution analysis. To do this, we combine the DInSAR measurements obtained from coseismic SAR data pairs collected by the ALOS-2 sensor from ascending and descending orbits. The achieved vertical deformation map displays three main deformation patterns: (i) a major subsidence that reaches the maximum value of about 98 cm near the epicentral zones nearby the town of Norcia; (ii) two smaller uplift lobes that affect both the hangingwall (reaching maximum values of about 14 cm) and the footwall blocks (reaching maximum values of about 10 cm). Starting from this evidence, we compute the rock volumes affected by uplift and subsidence phenomena, highlighting that those involved by the retrieved subsidence are characterized by significantly higher deformation values than those affected by uplift (about 14 times). In order to provide a possible interpretation of this volumetric asymmetry, we extend our analysis by applying a 2D numerical modelling approach based on the finite element method, implemented in a structural-mechanic framework, and exploiting the available geological and seismological data, and the ground deformation measurements retrieved from the multi-orbit ALOS-2 DInSAR analysis. In this case, we consider two different scenarios: the first one based on a single SW-dipping fault, the latter on a main SW-dipping fault and an antithetic zone. In this context, the model characterized by the occurrence of an antithetic zone presents the retrieved best fit coseismic surface deformation pattern. This result allows us to interpret the subsidence and uplift phenomena caused by the Mw 6.5 Norcia earthquake as the result of the gravitational sliding of the hangingwall along the main fault plane and the frictional force acting in the opposite direction, consistently with the double couple fault plane mechanism

Citrus sinensis and Vitis vinifera Protect Cardiomyocytes from Doxorubicin-Induced Oxidative Stress: Evaluation of Onconutraceutical Potential of Vegetable Smoothies

The interest towards nutraceuticals able to counteract drug side effects is continuously growing in current chemotherapeutic protocols. In the present study, we demonstrated that smoothies containing mixtures of Citrus sinensis and Vitis vinifera L. cv. Aglianico N, two typical fruits of the Mediterranean diet, possess bioactive polyphenols that protect cardiomyocytes against doxorubicin-induced oxidative stress. The polyphenolic extracts isolated from Citrus sinensis- and Vitis vinifera-based functional smoothies were deeply characterized by Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry methods. Subsequently, the functional smoothies and relative mixtures were tested to verify their ability to affect cellular viability and oxidative stress parameters in embryonic cardiomyocyte cells (H9c2), and human breast adenocarcinoma cell line (MCF-7) exposed to doxorubicin. Interestingly, we found that the mix resulting from Citrus sinensis and Vitis vinifera association in ratio 1:1 was able to reduce cardiomyocytes damage induced by anthracyclines, without significantly interfering with the pro-apoptotic activity of the drug on breast cancer cells. These results point out the potential use of vegetable smoothies as adjuvants functional foods for chemotherapeutic anticancer protocols