236 research outputs found
Self-assembly of "Mickey Mouse" shaped colloids into tube-like structures: experiments and simulations
The self-assembly of anisotropic patchy particles with triangular shape was
studied by experiments and computer simulations. The colloidal particles were
synthesized in a two-step seeded emulsion polymerization process, and consist
of a central smooth lobe connected to two rough lobes at an angle of
90, resembling the shape of a "Mickey Mouse" head. Due to the
difference in overlap volume, adding an appropriate depletant induces an
attractive interaction between the smooth lobes of the colloids only, while the
two rough lobes act as steric constraints. The essentially planar geometry of
the "Mickey Mouse" particles is a first geometric deviation of dumbbell shaped
patchy particles. This new geometry is expected to form one-dimensional
tube-like structures rather than spherical, essentially zero-dimensional
micelles. At sufficiently strong attractions, we indeed find tube-like
structures with the sticky lobes at the core and the non-sticky lobes pointing
out as steric constraints that limit the growth to one direction, providing the
tubes with a well-defined diameter but variable length both in experiments and
simulations. In the simulations, we found that the internal structure of the
tubular fragments could either be straight or twisted into so-called Bernal
spirals
Zoledronic acid induces a significant decrease of circulating endothelial cells and circulating endothelial precursor cells in the early prostate cancer neoadjuvant setting
Purpose: Published data demonstrated that zoledronic acid (ZOL) exhibits antiangiogenetic effects. A promising tool for monitoring antiangiogenic therapies is the measurement of circulating endothelial cells (CECs) and circulating endothelial precursor cells (CEPs) in the peripheral blood of patients. Our aim was to investigate the effects of ZOL on levels of CECs and CEPs in localized prostate cancer. Methods: Ten consecutive patients with a histologic diagnosis of low-risk prostate adenocarcinoma were enrolled and received an intravenous infusion of ZOL at baseline (T0), 28 days (T28) and 56 days (T56). Blood samples were collected at the following times: T0 (before the first infusion of ZOL), T3 (72 h after the first dose), T28, T56 (both just before the ZOL infusion) and T84 (28 days after the last infusion of ZOL) and CEC/CEP levels were directly quantified by flow cytometry at all these time points. Results: Our analyses highlighted a significant reduction of mean percentage of CECs and CEPs after initiation of ZOL treatment [p = 0.014 (at day 3) and p = 0.012 (at day 84), respectively]. Conclusion: These preliminary results demonstrate that ZOL could exert an antiangiogenic effect in early prostate cancer through CEP and CEC modulation
Analysis of tourism in Campania as a tool for the development of high-quality cultural services for sightseers: The “Reale Osservatorio Vesuviano” case history
The purpose of this work is to identify the guidelines for the development and diversification of the cultural touristic offer achievable at the Reale Osservatorio Vesuviano (ROV). Founded in 1841, it is the oldest volcano observatory in the world and it has always had the vocation for scientific-naturalistic and formative tourism. The present study investigates the connections between the sociology of tourism and the ROV’s sustainability and competitiveness as a tourist destination. Here it is performed a study of the tourist flow, based on the sociology of tourism and on the correct processing of data sets, distinguishing the ''statistical information on tourism" from "tourism statistics", as such a study is the basis of a proper market strategy in different sectors. Tourism remains, in fact, an important phenomenon in world economy: despite the economic crisis of recent years, international tourist arrivals show a positive development of the trend in all the major sub-areas into which the large international areas are traditionally divided. The principles for a future marketing plan were outlined after collecting all the relevant information. The plan was designed to enhance the overall touristic offer of the ROV, never ceasing to consider the integration of natural- scientific aspects and cultural events to be offered within the observatory itself.Published64-872TM. Divulgazione Scientifica6TM. Poli Museali1VV. AltroN/A or not JC
“I luoghi di Mercalli”: a travelling exhibition as a tool for scientists to dialogue with the public on volcanoes and earthquakes
On March 19, 1914 Giuseppe Mercalli, a seismologist and volcanologist, well-known around the world for the
Intensity scale of earthquakes bearing his name, died tragically. A hundred years after, the Istituto Nazionale di
Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV) has promoted a variety of activities and cultural events that will take place under the
Patronage of the President of the Italian Republic within a year, the so called “Anno Mercalliano” (the Year of
Mercalli).
The opening ceremony took place in Naples, Italy, on March 19, 2014, in the Convitto Nazionale Vittorio Emanuele
II. A scientific conference was held with the participation of experts from INGV and the university of Milano –
Bicocca, and presentations of students. On that day the exhibition entitled “I luoghi di Mercalli” (Mercalli's places) was
also inaugurated, at the presence of local authorities.
The exhibition, organized by INGV, was realized in collaboration with the high school Vittorio Emanuele II, where
Mercalli has been teaching for 19 years, and the Università degli Studi Suor Orsola Benincasa, where he was professor
of natural sciences.
A biographical and geographical description of the places where Mercalli operated introduces the exhibition, which
is organized in sections:
- Mercalli educator (he taught at high schools in Reggio Calabria and Naples);
- Mercalli volcanologist (Mercalli studied Vesuvius volcanic activity for more than twenty years, he was a scientific
witness of the Vesuvius 1906 eruption, and of the eruptions occurred at Vulcano (1888-90) and Stromboli (1891)
islands.
- Mercalli seismologist (Mercalli Intensity scale definition, based on his experience as witness of catastrophic
earthquakes, such as Casamicciola in 1883 and Messina in 1908).
Another section deals with the Vesuvius Observatory, directed by Mercalli between 1911 and 1914, and the
description of the three active volcanoes of the Campania region (Vesuvius, Campi Flegrei and Ischia island), which
have been the subject of studies by the well-known scientist. The exhibition is enriched by documents, manuscripts,
photos and field notebooks of Mercalli.
It is not intended to be only a celebratory exhibition; rather it is designed as a tool for dissemination of scientific
culture and to raise awareness about seismic and volcanic hazards.
In the exhibition path a continuous thread between the figure of Mercalli as a researcher and the role of an Earth
Science researcher today is highlighted, pointing to the development of scientific knowledge in the past century. The
goal is to improve the capability of learning from the disasters occurred in the past to implement preventive actions to
safely deal with future events.
The exhibition is travelling and will be provided on request to institutions and schools.PublishedMilano, Italia1V. Storia e struttura dei sistemi vulcaniciope
Novel NPM1 exon 5 mutations and gene fusions leading to aberrant cytoplasmic nucleophosmin in AML
Nucleophosmin (NPM1) mutations in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) affect exon 12, but also sporadically affect exons 9 and 11, causing changes at the protein C-terminal end (tryptophan loss, nuclear export signal [NES] motif creation) that lead to aberrant cytoplasmic NPM1 (NPM1c+), detectable by immunohistochemistry. Combining immunohistochemistry and molecular analyses in 929 patients with AML, we found non–exon 12 NPM1 mutations in 5 (1.3%) of 387 NPM1c+ cases. Besides mutations in exons 9 (n = 1) and 11 (n = 1), novel exon 5 mutations were discovered (n = 3). Another exon 5 mutation was identified in an additional 141 patients with AML selected for wild-type NPM1 exon 12. Three NPM1 rearrangements (NPM1/RPP30, NPM1/SETBP1, NPM1/CCDC28A) were detected and characterized among 13 979 AML samples screened by cytogenetic/fluorescence in situ hybridization and RNA sequencing. Functional studies demonstrated that in AML cases, new NPM1 proteins harbored an efficient extra NES, either newly created or already present in the fusion partner, ensuring its cytoplasmic accumulation. Our findings support NPM1 cytoplasmic relocation as critical for leukemogenesis and reinforce the role of immunohistochemistry in predicting AML-associated NPM1 genetic lesions. This study highlights the need to develop new assays for molecular diagnosis and monitoring of NPM1-mutated AML
Inhibition of mitotic kinase Aurora suppresses Akt-1 activation and induces apoptotic cell death in all-trans retinoid acid-resistant acute promyelocytic leukemia cells
Heroin versus cocaine: opposite choice as a function of context but not of drug history in the rat
Rationale
Previous studies have shown that rats trained to self-administer heroin and cocaine exhibit opposite preferences, as a function of setting, when tested in a choice paradigm. Rats tested at home prefer heroin to cocaine whereas rats tested outside the home prefer cocaine to heroin. Here we investigated whether drug history would influence subsequent drug preference in distinct settings. Based on a theoretical model of drug-setting interaction, we predicted that regardless of drug history rats would prefer heroin at home and cocaine outside the home.
Methods
Rats with double-lumen catheters were first trained to self-administer either heroin (25 μg/kg) or cocaine (400 μg/kg) for 12 consecutive sessions. Twenty-six rats were housed in the self-administration chambers (thus, they were tested at home) whereas 30 rats lived in distinct home cages and were transferred to self-administration chambers only for the self-administration session (thus, they were tested outside the home). The rats were then allowed to choose repeatedly between heroin and cocaine within the same session for 7 sessions.
Results
Regardless of the training drug, the rats tested outside the home preferred cocaine to heroin whereas the rats tested at home preferred heroin to cocaine. There was no correlation between drug preference and drug intake during the training phase.
Conclusion
Drug preferences were powerfully influenced by the setting but, quite surprisingly, not by drug history. This suggests that, under certain conditions, associative learning processes and drug-induced neuroplastic adaptations play a minor role in shaping individual preferences for one drug or the other
Cytokine Gene Polymorphisms in Italian Preterm Infants: Association Between Interleukin-10 –1082 G/A Polymorphism and Respiratory Distress Syndrome
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