A ‘healthy baby’: The double imperative of preimplantation genetic diagnosis

This is the author's accepted manuscript. The final published article is available from the link below. Copyright @ 2010 The Authors.This article reports from a study exploring the social processes, meanings and institutions that frame and produce ‘ethical problems’ and clinical dilemmas for practitioners, scientists and others working in the specialty of preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD). A major topic in the data was that, in contrast to IVF, the aim of PGD is to transfer to the woman’s womb only those embryos likely to be unaffected by serious genetic disorders; that is, to produce ‘healthy babies’. Staff described the complex processes through which embryos in each treatment cycle must meet a double imperative: they must be judged viable by embryologists and ‘unaffected’ by geneticists. In this article, we focus on some of the ethical, social and occupational issues for staff ensuing from PGD’s double imperative.The Wellcome Trus

Enhanced thermal stability and spin-lattice relaxation rate of N@C60 inside carbon nanotubes

We studied the temperature stability of the endohedral fullerene molecule, N@C60, inside single-wall carbon nanotubes using electron spin resonance spectroscopy. We found that the nitrogen escapes at higher temperatures in the encapsulated material as compared to its pristine, crystalline form. The temperature dependent spin-lattice relaxation time, T_1, of the encapsulated molecule is significantly shorter than that of the crystalline material, which is explained by the interaction of the nitrogen spin with the conduction electrons of the nanotubes.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, 1 tabl

Nucleic Acids in Human Glioma Treatment: Innovative Approaches and Recent Results

Gliomas are the most common primary central nervous system tumors with a dismal prognosis. Despite recent advances in surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy, current treatment regimens have a modest survival benefit. A crucial challenge is to deliver drugs effectively to invasive glioma cells residing in a sanctuary within the central nervous system. New therapies are essential, and oligonucleotide-based approaches, including antisense, microRNAs, small interfering RNAs, and nucleic acid aptamers, may provide a viable strategy. Thanks to their unique characteristics (low size, good affinity for the target, no immunogenicity, chemical structures that can be easily modified to improve their in vivo applications), these molecules may represent a valid alternative to antibodies particularly to overcome challenges presented by the blood-brain barrier. Here we will discuss recent results on the use of oligonucleotides that will hopefully provide new effective treatment for gliomas

Dilaton Interactions and the Anomalous Breaking of Scale Invariance of the Standard Model

We discuss the main features of dilaton interactions for fundamental and effective dilaton fields. In particular, we elaborate on the various ways in which dilatons can couple to the Standard Model and on the role played by the conformal anomaly as a way to characterize their interactions. In the case of a dilaton derived from a metric compactification (graviscalar), we present the structure of the radiative corrections to its decay into two photons, a photon and a $Z$, two $Z$ gauge bosons and two gluons, together with their renormalization properties. We prove that, in the electroweak sector, the renormalization of the theory is guaranteed only if the Higgs is conformally coupled. For such a dilaton, its coupling to the trace anomaly is quite general, and determines, for instance, an enhancement of its decay rates into two photons and two gluons. We then turn our attention to theories containing a non-gravitational (effective) dilaton, which, in our perturbative analysis, manifests as a pseudo-Nambu Goldstone mode of the dilatation current ($J_D$). The infrared coupling of such a state to the two-photons and to the two-gluons sector, and the corresponding anomaly enhancements of its decay rates in these channels, is critically analyzed.Comment: Revised version, 42 pages, 5 figure

Personality assessment and effect of visitors on a group of lions (panthera Leo) hosted in captivity

In the last 10 years researches have been focused on the impact of personality on welfare, health and management of zoo animals. The present study, as part of a wider research in European Zoos, had the purpose to identify the personality of three female and one male lions housed at Parco Natura Viva - Garda Zoological Park. Moreover, since researches have reported significant effects of visitor presence on zoo animals, in particular primates and felids, the effects of visitors on the behaviour of these animals was also evaluated. The study was made of two different periods, one in the presence and one in the absence of visitors. Data on individual and social behaviours were collected using focal animal sampling method. The enclosure was ideally divided in different zones. During each observational session, the zone in which the animal was, the position of body, the proximity to conspecifics were also collected. The time budget, the association index and the sociogram were then calculated. Besides, a survey (modified from Chadwick, 2014) was proposed to the two keepers of the lions. The questionnaires listed 31 traits rated on a scale from 1 (trait was never exhibited) to 12 (trait was always exhibited) by the keepers for each lion. Personality profiles were defined for each individual through the questionnaires correlated with behavioural data. Statistical analysis within subjects underlined a significant difference in the following traits: curious, friendly to conspecifics, playful, solitary. In addition, the ANOVA (F-test) assessed a significant difference between the two periods of observation (with and without visitors) for the curious, eccentric, playful and vocal traits. The results showed that the different personality between animals seems not be related to age, gender or rearing history. Studies about animal personality are useful to guarantee a good care and the management of each individuals

'To school of prevention: the vaccinations', project in the ASL Roma 4

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Comments on Anomaly Cancellations by Pole Subtractions and Ghost Instabilities with Gravity

We investigate some aspects of anomaly cancellation realized by the subtraction of an anomaly pole, stressing on some of its properties in superspace. In a local formulation these subtractions can be described in terms of a physical scalar, an axion and related ghosts. They appear to be necessary for the unitarization of the theory in the ultraviolet, but they may generate an infrared instability of the corresponding effective action, signalled by ghost condensation. In particular the subtraction of the superanomaly multiplet by a pole in superspace is of dubious significance, due to the different nature of the chiral and conformal anomalies. In turn, this may set more stringent constraints on the coupling of supersymmetric theories to gravity.Comment: 18 pages. Revised version. To appear in "Classical and Quantum Gravity

The personality of captive lionessess influence their reaction to environmental and social changes?

Studying the personality traits in zoo animals might be useful to better satisfy their behavioral needs and improve individual well-being [1]. The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate the response of a group of lionesses exposed to environmental and social changes, and to correlate them to their personality profile. The subjects were three lionesses (Panthera leo) housed at Parco Natura Viva. Personality traits were evaluated by rating method [2] and then behavioral observation data were collected (continuous focal animal sampling method) and analyzed (BORIS software [3]) focusing on individual and social behaviours. During the first period (baseline), no changes were introduced in the lioness\u2019s life and environment. In the second period, two male lions arrived at the park, and where hosted in an enclosure near to the study lionesses. In the third period, lionesses were provided with novel objects (panels with pictures). The results showed that personality profiles were different between the study subjects. The results of behavioral observations have highlighted that the arrival of the new males led to behavioral changes in particular in social behavior (Wilcoxon test, p < 0.016) which also differed significantly between the lionesses (Kruskal-Wallis test, p < 0.05). Moreover, the arrival of the two males led the lionesses to perform pacing with differences between them (Kruskal-Wallis test p < 0.05). The introduction of novel objects helps the lionesses to manage the arrival of the new lions (Wilcoxon test (p < 0.016). In conclusion, all the three subjects were affected by the new stimuli, but the extent of the behavioral modification varied significantly from one lioness to the other, confirming various personality profiles previously assessed

Surgical site infection after caesarean section. Space for post-discharge surveillance improvements and reliable comparisons

Surgical site infections (SSI) after caesarean section (CS) represent a substantial health system concern. Surveying SSI has been associated with a reduction in SSI incidence. We report the findings of three (2008, 2011 and 2013) regional active SSI surveillances after CS in community hospital of the Latium region determining the incidence of SSI. Each CS was surveyed for SSI occurrence by trained staff up to 30 post-operative days, and association of SSI with relevant characteristics was assessed using binomial logistic regression. A total of 3,685 CS were included in the study. A complete 30 day post-operation follow-up was achieved in over 94% of procedures. Overall 145 SSI were observed (3.9% cumulative incidence) of which 131 (90.3%) were superficial and 14 (9.7%) complex (deep or organ/space) SSI; overall 129 SSI (of which 89.9% superficial) were diagnosed post-discharge. Only higher NNIS score was significantly associated with SSI occurrence in the regression analysis. Our work provides the first regional data on CS-associated SSI incidence, highlighting the need for a post-discharge surveillance which should assure 30 days post-operation to not miss data on complex SSI, as well as being less labour intensive