The Influence of Cancer Stem Cells on the Risk of Relapse in Adenocarcinoma and Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Lung: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Purpose Lung cancer relapse may be associated with the presence of a small population of cancer stem cells (CSCs) with unlimited proliferative potential. Our study assessed the relationship between CSCs and the relapse rate in patients harboring adenocarcinoma (ADL) and squamous cell carcinoma of the lung (SCCL). Experimental design This is an observational prospective cohort study (NCT04634630) assessing the influence of CSC frequency on relapse rate after major lung resection in 35 patients harboring early (I-II) (n = 21) and locally advanced (IIIA) (n = 14) ADL and SCCL. There was a 2-year enrollment period followed by a 1-year follow-up period. Surgical tumor specimens were processed, and CSCs were quantified by cytofluorimetric analysis. Results Cancer stem cells were expressed in all patients with a median of 3.1% of the primary cell culture. Primary analysis showed no influence of CSC frequency on the risk of relapse (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.05, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.85-1.30). At secondary analysis, patients with locally advanced disease with higher CSC frequency had an increased risk of relapse (HR = 1.26, 95% CI = 1.14-1.39), whereas this was not observed in early-stage patients (HR = 0.90, 95% CI = 0.65-1.25). Conclusion No association was found between CSC and relapse rates after major lung resection in patients harboring ACL and SCCL. However, in locally advanced-stage patients, a positive correlation was observed between CSC frequency and risk of relapse. These results indicate a need for further molecular investigations into the prognostic role of CSCs at different lung cancer stages

Un modello di calcolo delle criticità nei sistemi di drenaggio urbano

Atti del II Convegno di idraulica urban

Karst springs along the Murge Adriatic coastline (Apulia, southern Italy)

Apulia is an almost entirely karst region in southern Italy, being characterized by several thousand-meter-thick Mesozoic carbonate succession, diffusely outcropping in the Gargano (north), Murge (center) and Salento (south) areas. It is surrounded by Adriatic and Ionian seas for most of its extent, with over 850 km of coasts and a significant, but not yet quantified, amount of freshwater gushing out along coastline or offshore. Mainly the coastal sectors of Apulian aquifers are then strongly exposed to seawater intrusion phenomena for both natural causes, due to the presence of fractures and karst forms, or human induced causes, such as sea level rise and over-exploitation. Focusing on Murge area, the groundwater discharge to the sea typically occurs in a diffuse way, through groundwater fractures; locally it is concentrated where karst conduits reach the sea or coastal zones, that is where the hydraulic function of karst conduits for freshwater transfer prevails. Many thermal anomalies have been detected in the past thanks to multi-spectral aerial surveys (visible, infrared and thermal infrared), due to differences in temperatures between spring water and seawater. In this work, we describe the Adriatic coast between the city of Monopoli and the Torre Canne place: in this area, the main known springs show average discharges ranging from 300-400 to 600 l/s, with maximum peaks slightly lower than 1.200 l/s. This is the coastal stretch where most of the thermal anomalies have been recognized as submarine springs. In addition, at several other locations, in the immediate proximity and along the coasts, there are proofs of water emergencies. To provide a contribution aimed at improving the knowledge about hydrogeology of this sector of Murge, we present new data on the karst coastal springs and a first attempt to link them with those coming out from the main inland recharge area

Combined use of tracer and ERT tests as effective tool for the investigation of heterogeneous alluvial aquifers

The presence of preferential groundwater transport was investigated in the heterogeneous alluvial aquifer of the upper Alento River, located in Campania (southern Italy), in a fluvial sector characterised by braided geomorphology and sedimentary deposition. Groundwater tracing methods were applied by means of two-well tracer tests (natural and forced-gradient tracer tests) and the inflow of a fluorescent dyes detected by a mobile downhole fluorometer. Tracer concentrations monitored over the entire screened interval of the well (8 m long) and the breakthrough curves obtained at different depths highlight that the tracer appears only over a limited length of the screen interval. The results suggest that groundwater flow occurs trough alternative paths according to the complex geometrical and granulometric features of the underlying deposits, so that groundwater flow (direction and specific discharge) varies with depth. These results have been confirmed by using of electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) that indicates, within alluvial deposits, the presence of two distinct electrostratigraphic horizons. The topmost superficial one, characterised by greater resistivity values, can be related to more coarse alluvial sediments with little finegrained matrix and likely to more permeable materials. This evidence supports the thesis of a non-uniform groundwater flow within a high heterogeneous aquifer. The results emphasise the usefulness of tracer tests and ERT as effective tools for the investigation of aquifer heterogeneity in studies concerning the fate of dissolved pollutants

Una metodologia per quantificare le perdite localizzate con elettroscanner in reti fognarie in esercizio

Atti II Convegno Nazionale di Idraulica Urban

Efficienza e Sicurezza del Servizio Idrico Integrato: Tecnologie per il controllo della funzionalità delle reti di fognatura

Nel settore della gestione dei sistemi idrici artificiali, l'Italia, e ancor più l'Italia meridionale e quella insulare, si presentano ancora con un certo ritardo, rispetto agli altri paesi europei, nella messa a punto e, soprattutto, nell 'impiego pratico di idonee metodologie di analisi e di strumenti tecnici per il controllo dell'efficienza e della sicurezza delle reti fognarie. In questo contesto si colloca la linea di ricerca Tecnologie per il Controllo della Funzionalità delle Reti di Fognatura all'interno del progetto AQUATEC Tecnologie innovative di controllo trattamento e manutenzione per la soluzione dell'emergenza acqua che ha permesso di sviluppare e testare in aree urbane campione nuove tecnologie per quantificare e quindi controllare le infiltrazioni di acque parassite e le perdite nelle reti fognarie urbane. Il progetto è stato finanziato dal MIUR nell'ambito dell'art. 12 del D.M 593/2000 - Progetto n. 12934. Il presente contributo intende diffondere all'interno della comunità scientifica e tecnica i risultati dell'attività di ricerca che ha permesso di contribuire al superamento del gap metodologico e strumentale esistente, fornendo agli end users del Servizio Idrico Integrato (ATO, Comuni, Enti Gestori, etc) strumenti (metodi e tecniche) di diagnosi, di controllo e di gestione delle reti fognarie efficaci e di semplice impiego ed applicazione. La sperimentazione è stata condotta nel territorio di Capoterra (CA) e rappresenta una esemplificazione della stretta collaborazione tra ricercatori afferenti a strutture differenti, tecnici degli uffici comunali preposti e degli enti gestori del servizio idrico

Spatial and temporal classification of coastal regions using bioclimatic indices in a Mediterranean environment

Bioclimatic indices combine atmospheric parameters to provide analytical indication of climatic features and their evolution in space and time that can directly relate with natural resource availability, distribution, and related bio-physical processes. The availability of bioclimatic information can provide natural resource managers with analytical means to assess the magnitude and temporal evolution of drought and climate change parameters that could affect the availability, demand and use of natural resources for various sectors. This paper presents a methodology to process bioclimatic data in the space and time domains for assessing the moisture/dryness level and water requirements of a region, and inform water resource planning and management decisions related to drought, climate variability and change. The methodology relies on a modular assembly of statistical tests and methods, and utilizes point scale measurements of meteorological data to perform the analysis of the spatial behavior of derived bioclimatic indicators at the continuous regional scale, and evaluate the significance of the temporal trends. Also, the article presents an application of the proposed methodology to a coastal area of southern Italy (the Apulia Region) that is characterized by recurring water supply limitations, involving the use of the popular De Martonne bioclimatic aridity index. The methodology allowed to obtain qualitative and quantitative information about the aridity level of the Apulia region, the identification of main bioclimatic zones, and the evaluation of spatial pattern and time evolution of aridity. The determination of bioclimatic zones showed that nearly 40% of the regional territory is characterized by dry sub-humid (Mediterranean) climate, about 30% by sub-humid climate, while nearly 10% and 20% are characterized by semi-arid and humid climates, respectively. The temporal analysis revealed that the Salento and the Ionian coastal zone are areas at risk of increasing aridity, with resulting impacts on the water supply and demand for irrigated agriculture

Accurate classification of bioclimatic data: Temporal analysis

This paper presents a general methodology for processing bioclimatic data in the temporal domain. Two different methods are used to assess the presence of temporal trends in the time-series of bioclimatic indices at each measurement station. A preliminary stage checks for the statistical homogeneity in the data set and for the presence of serial autocorrelation in the data, applying the proper methods to remove these effects. The methodology has been applied to a case study in Apulia, Italy, using the popular De Martonne index as a bioclimatic indicator