Evaluating Voting Competence in Persons with Alzheimer Disease

Voting by persons with dementia raises questions about their decision-making capacity. Methods specifically addressing voting capacity of demented people have been proposed in the US, but never tested elsewhere. We translated and adapted the US Competence Assessment Tool for Voting (CAT-V) to the Italian context, using it before 2006 elections for Prime Minister. Consisting of a brief questionnaire, this tool evaluates the following decision-making abilities: understanding nature and effect of voting, expressing a choice, and reasoning about voting choices. Subjects' performance was examined in relation to dementia severity. Of 38 subjects with Alzheimer's disease (AD) enrolled in the study, only three scored the maximum on all CAT-V items. MMSE and CAT-V scores correlated only moderately (r = 0.59; P < 0.0001) with one another, reflecting the variability of subjects' performance at any disease stage. Most participants (90%), although performing poorly on understanding and reasoning items, scored the maximum on the choice measure. Our results imply that voting capacity in AD is only roughly predicted by MMSE scores and may more accurately be measured by a structured questionnaire, such as the CAT-V. Among the decision-making abilities evaluated by the CAT-V, expressing a choice was by far the least affected by the dementing process

a conditional linear gaussian network to assess the impact of several agronomic settings on the quality of tuscan sangiovese grapes

Summary In this paper, a Conditional Linear Gaussian Network (CLGN) model is built for a two-year experiment on Tuscan Sangiovese grapes involving canopy management techniques (number of buds, defoliation and bunch thinning) and harvest time (technological and late harvest). We found that the impact of the considered treatments on the color of wine can be predicted still in the vegetative season of the grapevine; the best treatments to obtain wines with good structure are those with a low number of buds; the best treatments to obtain fresh wines suitable for young consumers are those with technological rather than late harvest, preferably with a high number of buds, and anyway with both defoliation and bunch thinning not performed

Seasonal pattern of vitamin D in male elite soccer players

The phopho-calcium metabolism and the maintenance of bone mass is not the only important role vitamin Dplays. Vitamin D is also known for its anti-inflammatory function and for modulating the immune defence system. The vitamin D deficit is to be referred not simply to a bone tissue worsening, but to cardiovascular diseases, various types of tumours and some autoimmune diseases. In the sport life, a vitamin D deficit is often related to muscular problems, neuromuscular pains, predisposition to injuries, and can affect one’s performance. Since indoor athletes have reduced exposition to sun rays, they are more likely to be subjected to these risks than outdoor athletes. However, in soccer, the athletes can experience vitamin D deficit not just during the winter but in other periods too, most likely due to several reasons such as, dark complexion, coming from high altitude championships, injuries, or inadequate exposition to sun rays during the summer. The purpose of this study was to examine the vitamin D shortage and BMC variations in Italian Serie A elite male soccer player

Tympanic Membrane Collagen Expression by Dynamically Cultured Human Mesenchymal Stromal Cell/Star-Branched Poly(ε-Caprolactone) Nonwoven Constructs

The tympanic membrane (TM) primes the sound transmission mechanism due to special fibrous layers mainly of collagens II, III, and IV as a product of TM fibroblasts, while type I is less represented. In this study, human mesenchymal stromal cells (hMSCs) were cultured on star-branched poly("-caprolactone) (*PCL)-based nonwovens using a TM bioreactor and proper dierentiating factors to induce the expression of the TM collagen types. The cell cultures were carried out for one week under static and dynamic conditions. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) were used to assess collagen expression. A Finite Element Model was applied to calculate the stress distribution on the scaolds under dynamic culture. Nanohydroxyapatite (HA) was used as a filler to change density and tensile strength of *PCL scaolds. In dynamically cultured *PCL constructs, fibroblast surface marker was overexpressed, and collagen type II was revealed via IHC. Collagen types I, III and IV were also detected. Von Mises stress maps showed that during the bioreactor motion, the maximum stress in *PCL was double that in HA/*PCL scaolds. By using a *PCL nonwoven scaold, with suitable physico-mechanical properties, an oscillatory culture, and proper dierentiative factors, hMSCs were committed into fibroblast lineage-producing TM-like collagens

Internal Guidelines for Reducing Lymph Node Contour Variability in Total Marrow and Lymph Node Irradiation

Background: The total marrow and lymph node irradiation (TMLI) target includes the bones, spleen, and lymph node chains, with the latter being the most challenging structures to contour. We evaluated the impact of introducing internal contour guidelines to reduce the inter- and intraobserver lymph node delineation variability in TMLI treatments. Methods: A total of 10 patients were randomly selected from our database of 104 TMLI patients so as to evaluate the guidelines' efficacy. The lymph node clinical target volume (CTV_LN) was recontoured according to the guidelines (CTV_LN_GL_RO1) and compared to the historical guidelines (CTV_LN_Old). Both topological (i.e., Dice similarity coefficient (DSC)) and dosimetric (i.e., V95 (the volume receiving 95% of the prescription dose) metrics were calculated for all paired contours. Results: The mean DSCs were 0.82 ± 0.09, 0.97 ± 0.01, and 0.98 ± 0.02, respectively, for CTV_LN_Old vs. CTV_LN_GL_RO1, and between the inter- and intraobserver contours following the guidelines. Correspondingly, the mean CTV_LN-V95 dose differences were 4.8 ± 4.7%, 0.03 ± 0.5%, and 0.1 ± 0.1%. Conclusions: The guidelines reduced the CTV_LN contour variability. The high target coverage agreement revealed that historical CTV-to-planning-target-volume margins were safe, even if a relatively low DSC was observed

Years of life that could be saved from prevention of hepatocellular carcinoma

BACKGROUND: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) causes premature death and loss of life expectancy worldwide. Its primary and secondary prevention can result in a significant number of years of life saved. AIM: To assess how many years of life are lost after HCC diagnosis. METHODS: Data from 5346 patients with first HCC diagnosis were used to estimate lifespan and number of years of life lost after tumour onset, using a semi-parametric extrapolation having as reference an age-, sex- and year-of-onset-matched population derived from national life tables. RESULTS: Between 1986 and 2014, HCC lead to an average of 11.5 years-of-life lost for each patient. The youngest age-quartile group (18-61 years) had the highest number of years-of-life lost, representing approximately 41% of the overall benefit obtainable from prevention. Advancements in HCC management have progressively reduced the number of years-of-life lost from 12.6 years in 1986-1999, to 10.7 in 2000-2006 and 7.4 years in 2007-2014. Currently, an HCC diagnosis when a single tumour <2 cm results in 3.7 years-of-life lost while the diagnosis when a single tumour 65 2 cm or 2/3 nodules still within the Milan criteria, results in 5.0 years-of-life lost, representing the loss of only approximately 5.5% and 7.2%, respectively, of the entire lifespan from birth. CONCLUSIONS: Hepatocellular carcinoma occurrence results in the loss of a considerable number of years-of-life, especially for younger patients. In recent years, the increased possibility of effectively treating this tumour has improved life expectancy, thus reducing years-of-life lost

The conformational state of hERG1 channels determines integrin association, downstream signaling, and cancer progression

Ion channels regulate cell proliferation, differentiation, and migration in normal and neoplastic cells through cell-cell and cell-extracellular matrix (ECM) transmembrane receptors called integrins. K+ flux through the human ether-\ue0-gogo- related gene 1 (hERG1) channel shapes action potential firing in excitable cells such as cardiomyocytes. Its abundance is often aberrantly high in tumors, where it modulates integrin-mediated signaling. We found that hERG1 interacted with the \u3b21 integrin subunit at the plasma membrane of human cancer cells. This interaction was not detected in cardiomyocytes because of the presence of the hERG1 auxiliary subunit KCNE1 (potassium voltage-gated channel subfamily E regulatory subunit 1), which blocked the \u3b21 integrin-hERG1 interaction. Although open hERG1 channels did not interact as strongly with \u3b21 integrins as did closed channels, current flow through hERG1 channelswas necessary to activate the integrin-dependent phosphorylation of Tyr397 in focal adhesion kinase (FAK) in both normal and cancer cells. In immunodeficient mice, proliferation was inhibited in breast cancer cells expressing forms of hERG1 with impaired K+ flow, whereas metastasis of breast cancer cells was reduced when the hERG1/\u3b21 integrin interaction was disrupted. We conclude that the interaction of \u3b21 integrins with hERG1 channels in cancer cells stimulated distinct signaling pathways that depended on the conformational state of hERG1 and affected different aspects of tumor progression

Management of anterior thigh injuries in soccer players: practical guide

Most of the anterior thigh injuries are contusions or strains, however, some of these injuries can be career ending. Early diagnosis and correct treatment are key to successful outcome. Analyzing injury mechanism and adding both clinical and imaging findings, clinicians can make the right treatment decisions already often in the acute phase of the injury. Low grade contusions and muscle strains are treated well with planned rehabilitation, but complete tendon injuries or avulsions can require operative treatment. Also, neglected minor injuries could lead to chronic disabilities and time lost from play. Typical clinical presentation of anterior thigh injury is swelling and pain during hip flexion or knee extension. In more severe cases a clear gap can be palpated. Imaging methods used are ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) which are helpful for clinicians to determine more exact the extent of injury. MRI can identify possible tendon retractions which may need surgery. Clinicians should also be aware of other traumatic lesions affecting anterior thigh area such as myositis ossificans formation. Optimal treatment should be coordinated including acute phase treatment with rest, ice, and compression together with designed return-to-play protocol. The anatomical structure involved lines the treatment pathway. This narrative review describes these more common reasons for outpatient clinical visits for anterior thigh pain and injuries among soccer players

Elliptic flow of charged particles in Pb-Pb collisions at 2.76 TeV

We report the first measurement of charged particle elliptic flow in Pb-Pb collisions at 2.76 TeV with the ALICE detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. The measurement is performed in the central pseudorapidity region (|$\eta$|<0.8) and transverse momentum range 0.2< $p_{\rm T}$< 5.0 GeV/$c$. The elliptic flow signal v$_2$, measured using the 4-particle correlation method, averaged over transverse momentum and pseudorapidity is 0.087 $\pm$ 0.002 (stat) $\pm$ 0.004 (syst) in the 40-50% centrality class. The differential elliptic flow v$_2(p_{\rm T})$ reaches a maximum of 0.2 near $p_{\rm T}$ = 3 GeV/$c$. Compared to RHIC Au-Au collisions at 200 GeV, the elliptic flow increases by about 30%. Some hydrodynamic model predictions which include viscous corrections are in agreement with the observed increase.Comment: 10 pages, 4 captioned figures, published version, figures at http://aliceinfo.cern.ch/ArtSubmission/node/389

Sistema per l’identificazione di difetti su una superficie di almeno una porzione di una scocca e relativo metodo

La presente invenzione riguarda un sistema e un metodo per l’identificazione, la classificazione e la successiva rimozione di difetti di fabbricazione presenti sui componenti di veicoli