Seismic Q estimates in Umbria-Marche (central Italy): hints for the retrieval of a new attenuation law for seismic risk

In the Umbria Marche (Central Italy) region an important earthquake sequence occurred in 1997, characterized by nine earthquakes with magnitudes in the range between 5 and 6, that caused important damages and causalities. In the present paper we separately estimate intrinsic- and scattering- Q −1 parameters, using the classical MLTWA approach in the assumption of a half space model. The results clearly show that the attenuation parameters Qi −1 and Qs −1 are frequency dependent. This estimate is compared with other attenuation studies carried out in the same area, and with all the other MLTWA estimates obtained till now in other tectonic environments in the Earth. The bias introduced by the half space assumption is investigated through numerical solutions of the Energy Transport equation in the more realistic assumption of a heterogeneous crust overlying a transparent mantle, with a Moho located at a depth ranging between 35 and 45 km below the surface. The bias introduced by the half space assumption is significant only at high frequency. We finally show how the attenuation estimates, calculated with different techniques, lead to different PGA decay with distance relationships, using the well known and well proven Boore’s method. This last result indicates that care must be used in selecting the correct estimate of the attenuation parameters for seismic risk purposes. We also discuss the reason why MLTWA may be chosen among all the other available techniques, due to its intrinsic stability, to obtain the right attenuation parameters

The role of microRNA in head and neck cancer: Current knowledge and perspectives

Head and neck cancer is one of the most commonly diagnosed malignancies worldwide. Patients with advanced disease stages frequently develop recurrences or distant metastasis, which results a five-year survival rates of less than 60% despite considerable advances in multimodality therapy. A better understanding of molecular basis of tumorigenesis is required to improve clinical outcomes and to develop new anti-cancer drugs. microRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small, non-coding, RNA molecules that modulate gene expression post-Transcriptionally. They are important regulator in normal biological process; however miRNAs deregulation has been observed in many different tumors and is involved in tumorigenesis. miRNAs may act as tumor suppressors or as oncogenes. Several studies on head and neck cancer demonstrated how aberrant expression of miRNAs is involved in proliferation, metastasis, chemoresistence, and radioresistance. In addition, miRNAs are excellent biomarker targets because they circulate stable in human body fluids and can be obtained with non-invasive methods. Moreover, miRNAs up and down regulation has been correlated with specific cancer phenotype (poor prognosis, aggressiveness and resistance to treatment), playing a role as prognostic biomarkers. This review summarizes current finding on miRNAs in head and neck cancer and their potential role as target for next drug therapy. © 2014 by the authors

Eradication of isolated para-aortic nodal recurrence in a patient with an advanced high grade sorous ovarian carcinoma: our experience and review of literature

Abstract: We report a case report regarding the eradication of isolated lymph-nodal para-aortic recurrence in the aortic region down the left renal vein (LRV) in a patient treated two years earlier in another hospital for a FIGO stage IC2 high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma with a video showing the para-aortic space after eradication of the metastatic tissue. A 66 year-old woman was admitted 24 months after the initial surgical procedure for an increased Ca 125 level and CT scan that revealed a 3 cm para-aortic infrarenal lymph-nodal recurrence that was confirmed by PET/CT scan. A secondary cytoreductive surgery (SCS) with a para-aortic lymph-nodal dissection of the tissue down the LRV and radical omentectomy were performed: during the cytoreduction, the right hemicolon was mobilized. The anterior surface of the inferior vena cava (IVC), aorta and LRV were exposed. The metastatic lymph nodes were detected in the para-ortic space down the proximal part of the LRV and eradicated; an en bloc infrarenal lymph-node dissection from the aortocaval region was performed. The operative time during the surgical procedure was 212 min with a blood loss of 120 mL. No intra- and postoperative complications, including ureteral or vascular injury or renal dysfunction, occurred. At histological examination, three dissected lymph nodes were positive for metastasis, and the patient was discharged five days after laparotomy without side effects and underwent chemotherapy 3 weeks later; after a follow-up of 42 months, no recurrence was detected. In conclusion, secondary debulking surgery can be considered a safe and effective therapeutic option for the management of recurrences, although long-term follow-ups are necessary to evaluate the overall oncologic outcomes of this procedure

Immunotherapeutic approaches for hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a cancer with a high mortality rate due to the fact that the diagnosis usually occurs at anadvanced stage. Even in case of curative surgical treatment, recurrence is common. Sorafenib and regorafenib are the only therapeutic agents that have been demonstrated to be effective in advanced HCC, thus novel curative approaches are urgently needed. Recent studies focus on the role of immune system in HCC. In fact, the unique immune response in the liver favors tolerance, which can represent a real challenge for conventional immunotherapy in these patients. Spontaneous immune responses against tumor antigens have been detected, and new immune therapies are under investigation: dendritic cell vaccination, immune-modulator strategy, and immune checkpoint inhibition. In recent years different clinical trials examining the use of immunotherapy to treat HCC have been conducted with initial promising results. This review article will summarize the literature data concerning the potential immunotherapeutic approaches in HCC patient

Analysis of liquid biopsies from metastatic colorectal carcinoma (mCRC) patients (pts) enrolled in the CAPRI GOIM clinical trial

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Safety and efficacy of sorafenib in stella study, a Multicenter, Observational, Phase IV Study In Italian Centers

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The Role of Eif6 in Skeletal Muscle Homeostasis Revealed by Endurance Training Co-expression Networks

Regular endurance training improves muscle oxidative capacity and reduces the risk of age-related disorders. Understanding the molecular networks underlying this phenomenon is crucial. Here, by exploiting the power of computational modeling, we show that endurance training induces profound changes in gene regulatory networks linking signaling and selective control of translation to energy metabolism and tissue remodeling. We discovered that knockdown of the mTOR-independent factor Eif6, which we predicted to be a key regulator of this process, affects mitochondrial respiration efficiency, ROS production, and exercise performance. Our work demonstrates the validity of a data-driven approach to understanding muscle homeostasis

safety of nintedanib plus docetaxel in advanced non squamous nsclc nsnsclc patients the preliminary results of the seneca second line nintedanib in non small cell lung cancer trial

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