1,419 research outputs found
Porokeratosis: Two Faces, One Family
Porokeratosis is a disorder of keratinisation whose pathogenesis is yet unclear. It has been postulated that it results from the proliferation of an abnormal clone of keratinocytes, triggered by several factors, such as immunosuppression or prolonged ultraviolet exposure. Various clinical forms are recognized whose common denominator is a keratotic ring surrounding a central zone of atrophy. The histological hallmark is the cornoid lamella, a thin column of hyperproliferative abnormal keratinocytes. We describe two cases of porokeratosis. A 67-year-old woman with an erythematous purplish round plaque surrounded by a keratotic border that had appeared 6 years previously on the left sural region was diagnosed as âgiantâ porokeratosis. A 49-year-old man presented with small papules coalescent in an erythematous oval plaque on the lateral side of the left foot consistent with linear porokeratosis
Metastatic Uterine Leiomyosarcoma in the Upper Buccal Gingiva Misdiagnosed as an Epulis
Uterine leiomyosarcoma (LMS) is a rare tumor constituting 1% of all uterine malignancies. This sarcoma demonstrates an aggressive growth pattern with an high rate of recurrence with hematologic dissemination; the most common sites are lung, liver, and peritoneal cavity, head and neck district being rarely interested. Only other four cases of metastasis in the oral cavity have been previously described. The treatment of choice is surgery and the use of adjuvant chemotherapy and radiation has limited impact on clinical outcome. In case of metastases, surgical excision can be performed considering extent of disease, number and type of distant lesions, disease free interval from the initial diagnosis to the time of metastases, and expected life span. We illustrate a case of uterine LMS metastasis in the upper buccal gingiva that occurred during chemotherapy in a 63-year-old woman that underwent a total abdominal hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy for a diagnosis of LMS staged as pT2bN0 and that developed lung metastases eight months after primary treatment. Surgical excision of the oral mass (previously misdiagnosed as epulis at a dental center) and contemporary reconstruction with pedicled temporalis muscle flap was performed in order to improve quality of life. Even if resection was achieved in free margins, "local" relapse was observed 5 months after surgery
Nanostructured composite coating endowed with antiviral activity against human respiratory viruses deposited on fibre-based air filters
Grotta Romanelli (Southern Italy, Apulia). Legacies and issues in excavating a key site for the Pleistocene of the Mediterranean
Grotta Romanelli, located on the Adriatic coast of southern Apulia (Italy), is considered a key site for the Mediterranean Pleistocene for its archaeological and palaeontological contents. The site, discovered in 1874, was re-evaluated only in 1900, when P. E. Stasi realised that it contained the first evidence of the Palaeolithic in Italy. Starting in 1914, G. A. Blanc led a pioneering excavation campaign, for the first-time using scientific methods applied to systematic palaeontological and stratigraphical studies. Blanc proposed a stratigraphic framework for the cave. Different dating methods (C-14 and U/Th) were used to temporally constrain the deposits. The extensive studies of the cave and its contents were mostly published in journals with limited distribution and access, until the end of the 1970s, when the site became forgotten. In 2015, with the permission of the authorities, a new excavation campaign began, led by a team from Sapienza University of Rome in collaboration with IGAG CNR and other research institutions. The research team had to deal with the consequences of more than 40 years of inactivity in the field and the combined effect of erosion and legal, as well as illegal, excavations. In this paper, we provide a database of all the information published during the first 70 years of excavations and highlight the outstanding problems and contradictions between the chronological and geomorphological evidence, the features of the faunal assemblages and the limestone artefacts
Evaluation of two lyophilized molecular assays to rapidly detect foot-and-mouth disease virus directly from clinical samples in field settings
Accurate, timely diagnosis is essential for the control, monitoring and eradication of footâandâmouth disease (FMD). Clinical samples from suspect cases are normally tested at reference laboratories. However, transport of samples to these centralized facilities can be a lengthy process that can impose delays on critical decision making. These concerns have motivated work to evaluate simpleâtoâuse technologies, including molecularâbased diagnostic platforms, that can be deployed closer to suspect cases of FMD. In this context, FMD virus (FMDV)âspecific reverse transcription loopâmediated isothermal amplification (RTâLAMP) and realâtime RTâPCR (rRTâPCR) assays, compatible with simple sample preparation methods and in situ visualization, have been developed which share equivalent analytical sensitivity with laboratoryâbased rRTâPCR. However, the lack of robust âreadyâtoâuse kitsâ that utilize stabilized reagents limits the deployment of these tests into field settings. To address this gap, this study describes the performance of lyophilized rRTâPCR and RTâLAMP assays to detect FMDV. Both of these assays are compatible with the use of fluorescence to monitor amplification in realâtime, and for the RTâLAMP assays end point detection could also be achieved using molecular lateral flow devices. Lyophilization of reagents did not adversely affect the performance of the assays. Importantly, when these assays were deployed into challenging laboratory and field settings within East Africa they proved to be reliable in their ability to detect FMDV in a range of clinical samples from acutely infected as well as convalescent cattle. These data support the use of highly sensitive molecular assays into field settings for simple and rapid detection of FMDV
Widely distributed photonics-based dual-band MIMO radar for harbour surveillance
A new architecture for a widely distributed dual-band coherent multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) radar system is illustrated, and its implementation and testing are reported. The system consists in a central unit where radar signals are coherently generated and detected, which serves multiple remote sensors connected over transparent WDM optical network. Every remote node operates coherently both in the S- and X-band, and is displaced over distances of several kilometers, allowing to monitor a scene under different angles of view. All the remote sensors share the same oscillator and digital signal processing unit, both located in the central office, allowing to perform centralized raw data fusion on the acquired signals. By virtue of the system coherence, the system takes advantage of the coherent MIMO processing strategy to offer a superior spatial resolution, which is even magnified by the dual-band approach
Distributed coherent radars enabled by fiber networks
In the last few years, we have been proposing the use of photonics to bring new functionalities in radar systems, exploiting its precision and tunability to give radars improved performance and reconfigurability. This paper will present the most recent evolution of the original idea of photonics-based radars, which considers the exploitation of the increasingly available fiber connections to implement a network of widely distributed radars. The centralized photonic approach allows driving several separated radars simultaneously, enabling the novel class of distributed coherent radar systems. Through the implementation of specific multi-input multi-output (MIMO) processing, the photonics-enabled radar network is capable to push the radar detection resolution far beyond the limits usually set by the signal bandwidth alone
Small fragments sodium sulfated hyaluronate, more than hyaluronic acid, reduces LPS-induced cytokine/chemokine levels in HaCaT cells
Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a linear non-sulphated glycosaminoglycan, used in dermatology as a
biomaterial for bioengineering purposes, temporary dermal filler, stimulation of wound healing
as well as drug vehicle in topical formulations. In addition to the well-characterized
structural properties, extensive research on HA has revealed a range of vastly immunemodulatory
effects, dependent on its size. In this in vitro study we investigated the ability of
HA-S3, a small fragment HA (MW, molecular weight: 68 kDa) with degree of sulphatation
of 3 and of HA fraction (MW:210 kDa) to reduce the bacterial induced inflammatory response
in spontaneous immortalized keratinocytes. To this purpose, HaCaT cells were treated for
24 hours with 25 ”g/ml of E. Coli derived bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in absence or
presence of small fragment HA-S3 or HA. Cell viability was thereafter assessed using trypan
blue stain and interleukin (IL)-8, IL-1ÎČ and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) concentrations
were determined in cell supernatants by single enzyme-linked immunoadsorbent assay
(ELISA). Our results showed that cell viability was not affected either by HA-S3 or HA which
in turn were able to reduce LPS-induced mortality. HA and especially HA-S3 were able to
significantly reduce LPS-induced pro-inflammatory cytokines. Our observation might suggest
new perspectives in the development of HA-S3 containing topical products able to modulate
cutaneous inflammatory response
Where Rabies Is Not a Disease. Bridging Healthworlds to Improve Mutual Understanding and Prevention of Rabies
Deeply embedded in local social, cultural, and religious settings, traditional healing is part of dog bite and rabies management in many rabies endemic countries. Faith healing, which usually encompasses a more holistic approach to health including physical, mental and social dimensions, is rare in the context of rabies. In Gujarat, Western India, the Hindu goddess Hadkai Mata is worshiped by low-caste communities as the Mother of Rabies in the event of a dog bite to a person or their livestock. This belief might influence people's attitudes and behaviors toward rabies prevention but has never been investigated. Through 31 in-depth interviews with healers and staff of Hadkai Mata temples, this paper explores the system of knowledge around dog and human rabies that is built and shared in these places of worship and healing. Qualitative and quantitative data were analyzed looking for convergences and divergences with the recently launched National Action Plan for dog-mediated Rabies Elimination. Results suggest that while the etiology of human rabies as a social illness is usually explained as the goddess's wish to correct misbehaving people and restore positive interpersonal relations, there is some appreciation for the biological processes of infection that lead to rabies as a physical disease. Hadkai Mata is believed to cure rabies if her patients undergo the necessary process of moral growth. Although conventional post-exposure prophylaxis is not opposed per se, it is often delayed by patients who seek traditional treatment first. Some reluctance was expressed toward mass dog vaccination because it is seen as an interference in how the goddess controls dogs, by enraging themâhence infecting them with rabiesâand sending them to bite wrongdoers. Addressing these cultural perceptions is likely to be critical in achieving effective control of dog rabies in this region. The study highlights the value of multidisciplinary approaches in the control and elimination of rabies, as well as other zoonoses. This includes the importance of understanding different culturally- and religiously- mediated ways in which humans relate to animals; and looking for points of convergence and mutual understanding, upon which context-tailored, linguistically-accurate, locally acceptable, feasible and effective strategies can be designed
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