Radiative Heating of an Ice-Free Arctic Ocean

During recent decades, there has been dramatic Arctic sea ice retreat. This has reduced the top-of-atmosphere albedo, adding more solar energy to the climate system. There is substantial uncertainty regarding how much ice retreat and associated solar heating will occur in the future. This is relevant to future climate projections, including the timescale for reaching global warming stabilization targets. Here we use satellite observations to estimate the amount of solar energy that would be added in the worst-case scenario of a complete disappearance of Arctic sea ice throughout the sunlit part of the year. Assuming constant cloudiness, we calculate a global radiative heating of 0.71 W/m2 relative to the 1979 baseline state. This is equivalent to the effect of one trillion tons of CO2 emissions. These results suggest that the additional heating due to complete Arctic sea ice loss would hasten global warming by an estimated 25 years

The vanishing ideal of a finite set of points with multiplicity structures

Given a finite set of arbitrarily distributed points in affine space with arbitrary multiplicity structures, we present an algorithm to compute the reduced Groebner basis of the vanishing ideal under the lexicographic ordering. Our method discloses the essential geometric connection between the relative position of the points with multiplicity structures and the quotient basis of the vanishing ideal, so we will explicitly know the set of leading terms of elements of I. We split the problem into several smaller ones which can be solved by induction over variables and then use our new algorithm for intersection of ideals to compute the result of the original problem. The new algorithm for intersection of ideals is mainly based on the Extended Euclidean Algorithm.Comment: 12 pages,12 figures,ASCM 201

Ulcère de Buruli chez un voyageur français au Sénégal

L’ulcère de Buruli (UB) est une infection endémique du tissu sous-cutané causée par Mycobacterium ulcerans, un agent pathogène environnemental. C’est une affection émergente caractérisée par la nécrose du tissu sous-cutané aboutissant à un ulcère chronique, d’extension progressive et qui reste indolore. La maladie a un impact socio-économique majeur dans les populations des pays concernés par l’endémie. L’ulcère de Buruli est présent à l’état endémique dans 17 pays et des cas isolés ont été rapportés dans 10 autres pays. A ce jour, peu de cas ont été rapportés chez le voyageur. Nous relatons ici un cas d’ulcère de Buruli, confirmé par la détection de matériel génétique de M. ulcerans, chez un voyageur ayant contracté l’infection au Sénégal, pays dans lequel aucun cas d’ulcère de Buruli n’a jusqu’alors été rapporté

Test of the photon detection system for the LHCb RICH Upgrade in a charged particle beam

The LHCb detector will be upgraded to make more efficient use of the available luminosity at the LHC in Run III and extend its potential for discovery. The Ring Imaging Cherenkov detectors are key components of the LHCb detector for particle identification. In this paper we describe the setup and the results of tests in a charged particle beam, carried out to assess prototypes of the upgraded opto-electronic chain from the Multi-Anode PMT photosensor to the readout and data acquisition system.Comment: 25 pages, 22 figure

Combined platelet-rich plasma and lipofilling treatment provides great improvement in facial skin-induced lesion regeneration for scleroderma patients

Background: The use of stem cells, including mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), for regenerative medicine is gaining interest for the clinical benefits so far obtained in patients. This study investigates the use of adipose autologous tissue in combination with platelet-rich plasma (PRP) to improve the clinical outcome of patients affected by systemic sclerosis (SSc). Methods: Adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (AD-MSCs) and PRPs were purified from healthy donors and SSc patients. The multilineage differentiation potential of AD-MSCs and their genotypic-phenotypic features were investigated. A cytokine production profile was evaluated on AD-MSCs and PRPs from both healthy subjects and SSc patients. The adipose tissue-derived cell fraction, the so-called stromal vascular fraction (SVF), was coinjected with PRP in the perioral area of SSc patients. Results: Histopathological and phenotypical analysis of adipose tissue from SSc patients revealed a disorganization of its distinct architecture coupled with an altered cell composition. Although AD-MSCs derived from SSc patients showed high multipotency, they failed to sustain a terminally differentiated progeny. Furthermore, SVFs derived from SSc patients differed from healthy donors in their MSC-like traits coupled with an aberrant cytokine production profile. Finally, the administration of PRP in combination with autologous SVF improved buccal's rhyme, skin elasticity and vascularization for all of the SSc patients enrolled in this study. Conclusions: This innovative regenerative therapy could be exploited for the treatment of chronic connective tissue diseases, including SSc

HIDRAdisk: validation of an innovative visual tool to assess the burden of hidradenitis suppurativa

Background Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic, relapsing, inflammatory skin disease characterized by painful inflamed nodules, recurrent abscesses and fistulas located in apocrine gland–bearing body sites. The negative impact of HS on patient's quality of life (QoL) has been reported to be greater than other dermatologic conditions as psoriasis and atopic eczema, and its improvement is an important goal in disease management. Nowadays, there are no specific validated QoL instruments available for HS and generic dermatologic questionnaires are used. Objective The objective of this study was to demonstrate the validity, reliability and responsiveness of HIDRAdisk, a new innovative tool designed for rapid assessment of HS burden and, at the same time, an intuitive graphic visualization of the measurement outcome. Methods A multicentre, longitudinal, observational study was conducted to validate the HIDRAdisk compared with other validated questionnaires [Skindex‐16, Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI), Work Productivity and Activity Impairment–General Health (WPAI:GH)] and to evaluate its correlation with disease severity in Italian patients with any degree of HS severity, as measured by Hurley stage and HS Physician Global Assessment (HS‐PGA). Results A total of 140 patients (59% women; mean age 34.9 ± 11.0 years) were enrolled in 27 dermatologic centres. HIDRAdisk showed a strong correlation with Skindex‐16 and DLQI, and a good one with WPAI:GH (correlation coefficient: 0.7568, 0.6651 and 0.5947, respectively) and a statistically significant correlation with both Hurley stage and HS‐PGA. Very good internal consistency (Cronbach coefficient >0.80; intraclass correlation coefficient >0.6), with correlation between the 10 items, good test–retest reliability (Spearman correlation coefficient, 0.8331; P < 0.0001) and responsiveness to changes were demonstrated. Conclusion Our study shows that HIDRAdisk, a short and innovative visual HS QoL instrument, has been psychometrically validated in Italian language and it may help improve the management of HS once implemented in routine clinical practice

HIDRAdisk: validation of an innovative visual tool to assess the burden of hidradenitis suppurativa

Background Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic, relapsing, inflammatory skin disease characterized by painful inflamed nodules, recurrent abscesses and fistulas located in apocrine gland–bearing body sites. The negative impact of HS on patient's quality of life (QoL) has been reported to be greater than other dermatologic conditions as psoriasis and atopic eczema, and its improvement is an important goal in disease management. Nowadays, there are no specific validated QoL instruments available for HS and generic dermatologic questionnaires are used. Objective The objective of this study was to demonstrate the validity, reliability and responsiveness of HIDRAdisk, a new innovative tool designed for rapid assessment of HS burden and, at the same time, an intuitive graphic visualization of the measurement outcome. Methods A multicentre, longitudinal, observational study was conducted to validate the HIDRAdisk compared with other validated questionnaires [Skindex‐16, Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI), Work Productivity and Activity Impairment–General Health (WPAI:GH)] and to evaluate its correlation with disease severity in Italian patients with any degree of HS severity, as measured by Hurley stage and HS Physician Global Assessment (HS‐PGA). Results A total of 140 patients (59% women; mean age 34.9 ± 11.0 years) were enrolled in 27 dermatologic centres. HIDRAdisk showed a strong correlation with Skindex‐16 and DLQI, and a good one with WPAI:GH (correlation coefficient: 0.7568, 0.6651 and 0.5947, respectively) and a statistically significant correlation with both Hurley stage and HS‐PGA. Very good internal consistency (Cronbach coefficient >0.80; intraclass correlation coefficient >0.6), with correlation between the 10 items, good test–retest reliability (Spearman correlation coefficient, 0.8331; P < 0.0001) and responsiveness to changes were demonstrated. Conclusion Our study shows that HIDRAdisk, a short and innovative visual HS QoL instrument, has been psychometrically validated in Italian language and it may help improve the management of HS once implemented in routine clinical practice

Molecular screening for bacterial pathogens in ticks (Ixodes ricinus) collected on migratory birds captured in northern Italy

Migratory birds have an important role in transporting ticks and associated tick-borne pathogens over long distances. In this study, 2,793 migratory birds were captured by nets in a ringing station, located in northern Italy, and checked for the presence of ticks. Two-hundred and fifty-one ticks were identified as nymphs and larvae of Ixodes ricinus (Linnaeus, 1758) and they were PCR-screened for the presence of bacteria belonging to Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, Rickettsia spp., Francisella tularensis and Coxiella burnetii. Four species of Borrelia (B. garinii, B. afzelii, B. valaisiana and B. lusitaniae) and three species of Rickettsia (R. monacensis, R. helvetica and Candidatus Rickettsia mendelii) were detected in 74 (30%) and 25 (10%) respectively out of 251 ticks examined. Co-infection with Borrelia spp. and Rickettsia spp. in the same tick sample was encountered in 7 (7%) out of the 99 infected ticks. We report for the first time the presence of Candidatus Rickettsia mendelii in I. ricinus collected on birds in Italy. This study, besides confirming the role of birds in dispersal of I. ricinus, highlights an important route by which tick-borne pathogens might spread across different countries and from natural environments towards urbanised areas