Psychiatric profile of motor subtypes of de novo drug-naïve Parkinson's disease patients

Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a heterogeneous neurodegenerative disorder. It is well established that different motor subtypes of PD evolve with different clinical courses and prognoses. The complete psychiatric profile underlying these different phenotypes since the very early stage of the disease is debated. Aims of the study: We aimed at investigating the psychiatric profile of the three motor subtypes of PD (akinetic-rigid, tremor-dominant, and mixed) in de novo drug-naïve patients with PD. Methods: Sixty-eight patients with PD, divided into 39 akinetic-rigid (AR), seven mixed (MIX), and 22 tremor-dominant (TD) patients underwent a complete assessment of psychiatric, cognitive, and motor symptoms. Results: No significant differences were found among groups. Conclusions: Our results suggest that a differentiation of the psychiatric symptoms associated with specific motor subtypes of PD is not detectable in de novo drug-naïve patients. Previous evidence that emerges later along the disease progression may be a consequence of the dopaminergic and nondopaminergic damage increase

Evidence of mud diapirism and coral colonies in the ionian sea (central mediterranean) from high resolution chirp sonar survey

A chirp sonar survey in the Ionian Sea investigated the Calabrian margin, the Calabrian accretionary wedge, the Taranto Trench and the Apulian foreland. Shallow tectonics structures have been related to deeper ones, recognised on CROP seismic profiles. The identified echo characters have been compared with those described in the modern literature and have been related to different kinds of sediments, on the basis of core samples. Based on echo character and morphology we have recognised: 1) A widespread presence of mounds, up to 50 m high, occurring on the Apulian plateau as isolated mounds in the deepest zones (1600-800 m) and in groups in the shallower ones (800-600 m); they have been interpreted as coral mounds, according to a recent discovery of living deep water coral colonies in this zone. 2) Some mud diapirs, isolated or in groups of two or three elements, widespread in the whole study area. In analogy of what has been observed on the Mediterranean Ridge, their presence suggests the activity of deep tectonic structures (thrusts and faults) and a reduced thickness (or absence) of Messinian evaporites in this part of the Ionian Sea

Specific interaction of plant HMG-like proteins with cruciform DNA

Proteins which, on the basis of their solubility in 0.35% NaCl-2% TCA and of their electrophoretic mobility, correspond to animal HMG 1/2 family were isolated from nuclei of ungerminated pea embryos. These proteins ound with a high degree of specificity to synthetic cruciform DNA produced by annealing chemically synthesized oligonucleotides. Hence, specific binding to four-way junction DNA, previously reported for animal HMG 1 and 2 proteins proved also to be a property of plant HMG 1/2 family, in spite of their low homology to the animal ones

Constraining magnetic fields in galaxy clusters

Magnetic fields originate small-scale instabilities in the plasma of the intra-cluster medium, and may have a key role to understand particle acceleration mechanisms. Recent observations at low radio frequencies have revealed that synchrotron emission from galaxy clusters is more various and complicated than previously thought, and new types of radio sources have been observed. In the last decade, big steps forward have been done to constrain the magnetic field properties in clusters thanks to a combined approach of polarisation observations and numerical simulations that aim to reproduce Faraday Rotation measures of sources observed through the intra-cluster medium. In this contribution, I will review the results on magnetic fields reached in the last years, and I will discuss the assumptions that have been done so far in light of new results obtained from cosmological simulations. I will also discuss how the next generation of radio instruments, as the SKA, will help improving our knowledge of the magnetic field in the intra-cluster medium

Innovative Configuration for a Far Infrared Space Interferometer

In the last ten years many proposals and studies have been advanced for a far-IR kilometer baseline interferometer. This paper shows the results of FISICA (Far Infrared Space Interferometer Critical Assessment), an FP7 program of the European Community. In particular, we focus on an innovative strategy to cover the plane of observation with a minimal propellant consumption. Results of some numerical simulations, carried out for a three-booms configuration, are provided

Suspensão da irrigação durante a maturação de uvas 'Niágara Rosada'.

Na região noroeste de São Paulo, a videira Niágara Rosada (Vitis labrusca) tem sido uma das principais cultivares adotadas pelos produtores locais. Todas as áreas vitícolas, nessa região, são irrigadas devido ao déficit hídrico que ocorre durante o período de produção da cultura. Diversas técnicas podem ser empregadas com o propósito de aumentar a eficiência do uso da água, sendo que a irrigação com déficit hídrico tem sido uma das mais adotadas para a cultura da videira. No presente trabalho, avaliou-se o efeito de diferentes épocas de suspensão da irrigação durante a fase de maturação de uvas da cultivar ?Niágara Rosada? (Vitis labrusca), sob as condições do noroeste paulista. O experimento foi conduzido em área da Estação Experimental de Viticultura Tropical da Embrapa Uva e Vinho, localizada no município de Jales, noroeste do estado de São Paulo. As plantas de ?Niágara Rosada? sobre porta-enxertos ?IAC 572? foram conduzidas no sistema latada e irrigadas por microaspersão. O delineamento estatístico foi em blocos ao acaso com quatro tratamentos e cinco repetições. Os tratamentos avaliados foram: suspensão da irrigação aos 21 dias (T1), 15 dias (T2) e 9 dias (T3) antes da colheita, e irrigação até o final do ciclo da cultura (T4). Foram avaliadas variáveis relacionadas à qualidade dos frutos, como teor de sólidos solúveis, pH, tamanho de bagas e massa de cachos e bagas. Durante o período de avaliação, não ocorreram precipitações pluviais no local do experimento. Não foram encontradas diferenças significativas pelo teste de Tukey, ao nível de 5% de probabilidade, para as variáveis avaliadas. A suspensão da irrigação aos 21 dias (T1) apresentou uma economia de água de 21% em relação ao total aplicado no tratamento sem suspensão da irrigação (T4)

Formação do vinhedo com a cultivar BRS Isis no sistema de sustentação em Y, sobre diferentes porta-enxertos.

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a interferência de diferentes porta-enxertos na formação da cultivar BRS Isis no sistema de sustentação em Y

Efeito da suspensão da irrigação sobre a incidência de requeima na cultivar de videira Niágara Rosada.

O objetivo deste trabalho é avaliar o efeito da suspensão da irrigação, em diferentes épocas da maturação dos frutos, sobre a ocorrência da requeima das folhas da videira 'Niágara Rosada'

Subacute pericardial abscess after aortic valve replacement: a case report

BACKGROUND: Purulent pericarditis is an infectious disease, frequently caused by gram-positive bacteria, that is rarely observed in healthy individuals, and is often associated with predisposing conditions. CASE PRESENTATION: Here, we present the case of an Escherichia coli post-surgical localized purulent pericarditis complicated by transient constrictive pericarditis and its diagnostic and therapeutic management. CONCLUSIONS: Our case report focuses on the importance of imaging-guided treatment of purulent pericardial diseases, in particular on the emerging role of 18\u2009F-labelled 2-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography in pericardial diseases and on the management of transient constrictive pericarditis, often seen after thoracic surgery

Small bodies science with the Twinkle space telescope

© 2019 Society of PhotoOptical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). Twinkle is an upcoming 0.45-m space-based telescope equipped with a visible and two near-infrared spectrometers covering the spectral range 0.4 to 4.5 μm with a resolving power R 250 (λ 2.42 μm). We explore Twinkle's capabilities for small bodies science and find that, given Twinkle's sensitivity, pointing stability, and spectral range, the mission can observe a large number of small bodies. The sensitivity of Twinkle is calculated and compared to the flux from an object of a given visible magnitude. The number, and brightness, of asteroids and comets that enter Twinkle's field of regard is studied over three time periods of up to a decade. We find that, over a decade, several thousand asteroids enter Twinkle's field of regard with a brightness and nonsidereal rate that will allow Twinkle to characterize them at the instrumentation's native resolution with SNR > 100. Hundreds of comets can also be observed. Therefore, Twinkle offers researchers the opportunity to contribute significantly to the field of Solar System small bodies research