Rabies encephalitis and extra-neural manifestations in a patient bitten by a domestic cat

Q3Q2Reporte de caso1-5Rabies encephalitis is a fatal zoonotic viral disease transmitted to humans either by domestic animals like dogs and cats or by wild animals like bats, skunks and raccoons. We present the case of a 25-year-old woman admitted due to behavioral disorders, generalized paresthesiasand acute respiratory deterioration compatible with a respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) requiring orotracheal intubation, mechanical ventilation and empirical initiation of antibiotic and antiviral therapy. Chest tomography showed pneumomediastinum and changes suggestive of pulmonary infection. In the presence of neurological symptoms, a central nervous system (CNS) infection was suspected and the cerebrospinal fluid showed no pleocytosis, hiperproteinorrachy without glucose consumption; cranial CT scan was normal. During hospitalization, the family reported that the patient was bitten by a cat 30-day prior to the onset of rabies-like symptoms, and the animal was sacrificed. The patient had an unfavorable clinical evolution, with electroencephalographic activity dissociation evidenced by video telemetry. The zoonotic exposure led to the suspected diagnosis of rabies infection. The patient died and the suspected diagnosis was confirmed by histopathology, with presence of Negri bodies on cerebellum Purkinje cells and a positive immunofluorescence test for rabies virus. Both, initial extra-neural manifestations and late reporting of rabies exposure led to delayed diagnosis

Linee guida per il Bilancio di Genere negli Atenei italiani

l Bilancio di Genere è un documento che, da un lato, fotografa la distribuzione di genere delle diverse componenti all’interno dell’Università nonché la partecipazione di donne e uomini negli organi di gestione dell’Ateneo e, dall’altro, monitora le azioni dell’Ateneo a favore dell’eguaglianza di genere, e valuta l’impatto di queste e delle politiche dell’Ateneo, compresi gli impegni economici-finanziari, su donne e uomini. Il Bilancio di Genere è dunque uno strumento essenziale per realizzare l’eguaglianza di genere nelle Università e per integrare la prospettiva di genere in tutte le politiche dell’Ateneo. L’importanza di portare la questione di genere al centro dell’attenzione degli Atenei, è evidente se si considera che in Italia, le donne rappresentano solo il 20 % dei professori ordinari e, tra i Rettori italiani, solo il 7% sono donne. Le forbici che descrivono le carriere di donne e uomini all’interno degli Atenei provano inoltre il c.d. fenomeno del “tubo che perde”: al progredire della carriera universitaria, il numero di donne diminuisce e l’Università perde le relative risorse. La diseguaglianza di genere causa dunque un problema di perdita di capacità e cattivo utilizzo di risorse pubbliche. La CRUI ha da tempo intrapreso un percorso a favore della tutela dell’eguaglianza tra donne e uomini nelle Università e ha assunto un impegno preciso per implementare e monitorare la diffusione e l’utilizzo del Bilancio di Genere quale strumento fondamentale per inserire la parità di genere nella più ampia strategia di sviluppo degli Atenei. A tal fine, ha dato mandato a un Gruppo di lavoro di esperte di elaborare le linee guida e la metodologia per realizzare il Bilancio di Genere delle Università e facilitare, così, una sua capillare diffusione tra gli Atenei italiani. Il volume illustrata nel dettaglio il processo di redazione del Bilancio di Genere - dalla costituzione del gruppo di lavoro, sino alla diffusione degli esiti del Bilancio di Genere - qual è il suo contenuto - mediante la individuazione di ambiti e fenomeni da analizzare con l’identificazione dei corrispondenti indicatori e delle relative rappresentazioni - e come il Bilancio di Genere debba essere adoperato come strumento di governance dell’Ateneo, attraverso l’integrazione con i principali documenti di programmazione e rendicontazione, al fine di promuovere l’eguaglianza sostanziale all’interno degli Atenei

Ultrarobust Thin‐Film Devices from Self‐Assembled Metal–Terpyridine Oligomers

Ultrathin molecular layers of Fe(II) -terpyridine oligomers allow the fabrication of large-area crossbar junctions by conventional electrode vapor deposition. The junctions are electrically stable for over 2.5 years and operate over a wide range of temperatures (150-360 K) and voltages (±3 V) due to the high cohesive energy and packing density of the oligomer layer. Electrical measurements reveal ideal Richardson-Shottky emission in surprising agreement with electrochemical, optical, and photoemission data

A case series of low dose bevacizumab and chemotherapy in heavily pretreated patients with epithelial ovarian cancer

Abstract Background The addition of bevacizumab to standard chemotherapy prolongs progression free survival in the first line treatment of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC), but its cost/effectiveness is debated. We assessed the safety and activity of a lower dose of bevacizumab in pretreated advanced stage EOC. Methods We treated 15 patients, mostly with platinum resistant EOC, who had received a median of four prior cytotoxic regimens, with bevacizumab 5–7.5 mg/kg q21 days in combination with either carboplatin (n = 8), oral cyclofosfamide (n = 5) or weekly paclitaxel (n = 2). Bevacizumab was administered until disease progression. Tumor response was assessed by CA125 and fusion 18 F-FDG PET/contrast enhanced CT. Results The median number of bevacizumab cycles was 21 (range 3–59). The median baseline CA125 was 272 U/ml and decreased to 15.2 U/ml at nadir. Tumor response was 4 complete response (CR) (26.7%) and 7 partial response (PR) (46.7%) by chemotherapy (CT), with an overall response rate of 73.4% (95% CI, 51.0 – 95.8) according to Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors (RECIST), and 6 CR (40%) and 4 PR (26.7%) by PET, for an overall metabolic response rate of 67% (95%CI, 42.8 – 90.6) according to PET Response Criteria in Solid Tumors (PERCIST). Median progression free survival (PFS) was 21 months and median overall survival (OS) was 24 months. Grade 3 adverse events related to bevacizumab were hypertension (n = 2), proteinuria (n = 1) and epistaxis (n = 5). Treatment was delayed in five patients for nasal bleeding or uncontrolled hypertension. Conclusions Low-dose bevacizumab and chemotherapy was well tolerated and active in a heavily pretreated population of advanced EOC. Further studies should assess the activity of low dose bevacizumab in EOC.</p

Le Memorie antiche e moderne dell'Isola dell'Elba di Sebastiano Lambardi (1791): autopsia, esperienze personali e tradizioni locali.

La presente tesi ha come oggetto di studio la prima opera a stampa dedicata all'Isola d'Elba: Memorie antiche e moderne dell'Isola dell'Elba di Sebastiano Lambardi, edita nel 1791. Oltre ad analizzare la composizione di tale lavoro, si vuole studiare la figura del suo autore, erudito locale, che si autodefinisce appunto "Cosmopolitano" (ossia di Cosmopoli, nome cinquecentesco di Portoferraio) e soprattutto il suo modo di operare, servendosi della propria esperienza, della visione diretta (autopsia), di carte antiche e moderne di vari autori di proprietà della famiglia o che gli vengono fornite dal suo insegnante di architettura civile e militare e delle tradizioni locali. Dal momento che l'autore vive nel XVIII secolo e l'opera viene scritta e stampata verso la fine dello stesso, sotto il Granducato dei Lorena, si cerca di contestualizzare tale lavoro, studiando il Settecento elbano ma anche toscano (precisamente lorenese). Oltre a soffermarci sulla storiografia elbana si analizza l'opera di un erudito fiorentino (Giovanni Targioni Tozzetti) e il suo modo di studiare. La tesi è dunque così distinta: il primo capitolo suddiviso in due paragrafi, dedicati uno alla Toscana lorenese e uno alle Relazioni d'alcuni viaggi fatti in diverse parti della Toscana per osservare le produzioni naturali e gli antichi monumenti di essa; il secondo è anch'esso ripartito in due paragrafi, uno incentrato sulla storia dell'Elba nel XVIII secolo e uno su Sebastiano Lambardi e sugli altri studiosi dell'isola; il terzo capitolo è interamente dedicato all'opera Memorie antiche e moderne dell'Isola dell'Elba; il quarto a Celeteuso Goto, un autore immaginario, utile per alcuni eruditi elbani per dare importanza alla storia dell'Elba

Coil-ring-coil block copolymers as building blocks of supramolecular hollow cylindrical brushes

This work describes the synthesis of a new class of rod-coil block copolymers, oligosubstituted shape persistent macrocycles, ( coil-ring-coil block copolymers), and their behavior in solution and in the solid state.The coil-ring-coil block copolymers are formed by nanometer sized shape persistent macrocycles based on the phenyl-ethynyl backbone as rigid block and oligomers of polystyrene or polydimethylsiloxane as flexible blocks. The strategy that has been followed is to synthesize the macrocycles with an alcoholic functionality and the polymer carboxylic acids independently, and then bind them together by esterification. The ester bond is stable and relatively easy to form.The synthesis of the shape persistent macrocycles is based on two separate steps. In the first step the building blocks of the macrocycles are connected by Hagiara-Sogonaschira coupling to form an 'half-ring' as precursor, that contains two free acetylenes. In the second step the half-ring is cyclized by forming two sp-sp bonds via a copper-catalyzed Glaser coupling under pseudo-high-dilution conditions. The polystyrene carboxylic acid was prepared directly by siphoning the living anionic polymer chain into a THF solution, saturated with CO2, while the polydimethylsiloxane carboxylic acid was obtained by hydrosilylating an unsaturated benzylester with an Si-H terminated polydimethylsiloxane, and cleavage of the ester. The carbodiimide coupling was found to be the best way to connect macrocycles and polymers in high yield and high purity.The polystyrene-ring-polystyrene block copolymers are, depending on the molecular weight of the polystyrene, lyotropic liquid crystals in cyclohexane. The aggregation behavior of the copolymers in solution was investigated in more detail using several technique. As a result it can be concluded that the polystyrene-ring-polystyrene block copolymers can aggregate into hollow cylinder-like objects with an average length of 700 nm by a combination of shape complementary and demixing of rigid and flexible polymer parts. The resulting structure can be described as supramolecular hollow cylindrical brush.If the lyotropic solution of the polystyrene-ring-polystyrene block copolymers are dried, they remain birefringent indicating that the solid state has an ordered structure. The polydimethylsiloxane-ring-polydimethylsiloxane block copolymers are more or less fluid at room temperature, and are all birefringent (termotropic liquid crystals) as well. This is a prove that the copolymers are ordered in the fluid state. By a careful investigation using electron diffraction and wide-angle X-ray scattering, it has been possible to derive a model for the 3D-order of the copolymers. The data indicate a lamella structure for both type of copolymers. The macrocycles are arranged in a layer of columns. These crystalline layers are separated by amorphous layers which contain the polymers substituents

Cyclooxygenase inhibition up-regulates liver carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1A expression and improves fatty liver

Fil: Rosselli, Maria Soledad. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones Médicas; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Oficina de Coordinacion Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones Medicas; ArgentinaFil: Burgueño, Adriana Laura. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones Médicas; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Oficina de Coordinacion Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones Medicas; ArgentinaFil: Pirola, Carlos Jose. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones Médicas; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Oficina de Coordinacion Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones Medicas; ArgentinaFil: Sookoian, Silvia Cristina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones Médicas; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Oficina de Coordinacion Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones Medicas; Argentin

Complete resolution of primary sclerosing peritonitis (“abdominal cocoon”) following long term therapy for Tropheryma whipplei: a case report and review of literature

A 53-year-old man was admitted to our internal medicine unit with intestinal obstruction and signs of systemic inflammatory disease. Clinical history was unremarkable until a few months earlier, when he began suffering from Achilles tendonitis. Diagnostic procedures, including laparotomy, revealed diffuse thickening of the peritoneum resembling sclerosing encapsulating peritonitis. Biopsies showed reactive fibrosis. No known secondary causes were found and surgery was technically not feasible. Clinical conditions worsened daily until, on the basis of the overall spectrum of clinical and radiological findings, Whipple’s disease was hypothesised and specific therapy administered, with prompt clinical improvement. Complete disappearance of the cocoon was demonstrated at 1 year clinical/ultrasound/computed tomography follow-up

Losartan reduces liver expression of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) in a high fat-induced rat nonalcoholic fatty liver disease model

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of losartan-an angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT1R) antagonist- and telmisartan-an AT1R blocker with insulin-sensitizing properties-, on the hepatic expression of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) in a rat model of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). METHODS: Rats were given a high-fat diet (HFD) for 8 weeks and after this period were randomly divided into 3 groups. For 12 weeks along with the same access to HFD, one group (9 rats) received losartan and another group received telmisartan (10 rats), both at 10mg/kg intraperitoneally (ip) every 24h. The third group (8 rats) received saline ip along with the HFD. Finally, a control group (6 rats) was fed with standard chow diet for 20 weeks. RESULTS: Fatty liver was reverted by both losartan and telmisartan. Both drugs had beneficial effects on insulin resistance, reaching statistical significance in telmisartan group. Expression of hepatic mRNA of PAI-1 showed a 42% decrease in losartan-treated rats in comparison with both HFD group and telmisartan-treated rats. To further evaluate this differential effect on PAI-1 expression, we explored the effect of the drugs on liver expression of TNFalpha, PEPCK-C and PPARalpha, and no significant differences were observed. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that AT1R blockers could be eligible drugs for reducing hepatic lipid accumulation in patients with NAFLD. However, only 12 weeks of losartan treatment strongly reduced hepatic PAI-1 gene expression. These differences could provide even more effective options for preventing fatty liver disease and its cardiovascular complications.Fil: Rosselli, Maria Soledad. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas; ArgentinaFil: Burgueño, Adriana Laura. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas; ArgentinaFil: Carabelli, Julieta. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas; ArgentinaFil: Schuman, Mariano Luis. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas; ArgentinaFil: Pirola, Carlos José. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas; ArgentinaFil: Sookoian, Silvia Cristina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas; Argentin

Genetic variants in STAT3 are associated with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

Aims: To investigate the role of gene variants and derived haplotypes of the STAT3 transcription factor in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and their relation with the clinical disease severity. Patients & Methods: 108 patients with NAFLD and different stages of clinical disease severity, and a group of 55 healthy individuals were included in a Hospital-based study. We selected 3 tagSNPs showing a minor allele frequency >10 % (rs2293152 C/G, rs6503695 C/T, and rs9891119 A/C) encompassing 68.55 kb in chromosome 17, representing 24 polymorphic sites (r2 >0.8). Results: In univariate analysis, there were significant differences in the allele frequency of the rs6503695 and rs9891119 between the healthy individuals and NAFLD patients (empiric P =0.021 and 0.020, respectively). The test results for the multi-marker analysis showed that haplotypes TA and CC of tagSNPs rs6503695, rs9891119 were significantly associated with NAFLD (empiric P = 0.035 and 0.015, respectively). When we tested the hypothesis of a relation between the gene variants and the clinical and histological spectrum of NAFLD by multinomial analysis, a significant association was observed with rs9891119 (P = 0.02). Conclusions: Our study suggests a potential role of the STAT3 polymorphisms and their haplotypes in susceptibility to NAFLD and disease severity.Fil: Sookoian, Silvia Cristina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones Médicas. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones Médicas; ArgentinaFil: Castaño, Gustavo Osvaldo. Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Hospital "Dr. Abel Zubizarreta"; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Fernández Gianotti, Tomás. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones Médicas. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones Médicas; ArgentinaFil: Gemma, Carolina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones Médicas. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones Médicas; ArgentinaFil: Rosselli, Maria Soledad. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones Médicas. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones Médicas; ArgentinaFil: Pirola, Carlos José. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones Médicas. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones Médicas; Argentin