A multi-element psychosocial intervention for early psychosis (GET UP PIANO TRIAL) conducted in a catchment area of 10 million inhabitants: study protocol for a pragmatic cluster randomized controlled trial

Multi-element interventions for first-episode psychosis (FEP) are promising, but have mostly been conducted in non-epidemiologically representative samples, thereby raising the risk of underestimating the complexities involved in treating FEP in 'real-world' services

Morphological and genetic characterization of Sardinian trout Salmo cetti (Rafinesque, 1810) and their conservation implications

The morphological and genetic structure of Western Mediterranean trout Salmo cettii inhabiting basins in Sardinia was completed to assist the design of its conservation programmes. Genetic analysis of protein-coding LDH-C1 plus sequencing mitochondrial control region gene and analyses of morphological characters described 253 specimens from seven localities in two basins in Southwest Sardinia. Nuclear and mitochondrial analyses revealed all of the fish were pure-bred native S. cettii, with no introgression from allochthonous S. trutta. The novel 18 mtDNA control region haplotypes were clustered in an ‘insular’ clade, strictly related to the Adriatic haplogroup, and depicted a radial network around two ancestral haplotypes. Completion of discriminant analysis using data on body pigmentation and quantitative morphologic parameters revealed three phenotypic groups within the fish. Each population and phenotype, characterised by high values of nucleotide and haplotype diversity, were not genetically differentiated and not geographically structured according to the two hydrological basins. Geometric morphometric analysis, based on 15 landmarkers, revealed pronounced and highly significant differences in body shape morphology between populations, suggesting S. cettii is locally adapting to extreme environmental conditions and so future management plans for these populations should treat the two basins as distinct morphological unit

Relevance of BRAF(V600E) Mutation Testing Versus RAS Point Mutations and RET/PTC Rearrangements Evaluation in the Diagnosis of Thyroid Cancer

A molecular profile including BRAF and RAS mutations as well as RET/PTC rearrangement evaluation has been proposed to provide an accurate presurgical assessment of thyroid nodules and to reduce the number of unnecessary diagnostic surgeries, sparing patients' health and saving healthcare resources. However, the application of such molecular analyses may provide different results among different centers and populations in real-life settings. Our aims were to evaluate the diagnostic utility of assessing the presence of BRAF and RAS mutations and RET/PTC1 and RET/PTC3 rearrangements in all cytological categories in an Italian group of thyroid nodule patients assessed prospectively, and to understand whether and which mutation testing might be helpful in cytologically indeterminate nodules. A total of 911 patients were submitted to ultrasound and fine-needle aspiration biopsy examination. Cytological evaluation was performed in parallel with molecular testing and compared to pathological results in 940 thyroid nodules, including 140 indeterminate lesions. BRAF mutation testing provided the best contribution to cancer diagnosis, allowing the disease to be detected at an early stage, and identifying indeterminate nodules in which diagnostic lobectomy could be spared. On the contrary, RAS and RET/PTC analysis did not further increase diagnostic sensitivity for thyroid cancer. In addition, we found RET/PTC rearrangements in benign lesions, indicating that this molecular marker might not be useful for the detection of thyroid cancer. BRAF(V600E) mutation analysis is superior to RAS point mutations and evaluation of RET/PTC rearrangements in the diagnosis of thyroid cancer, even in indeterminate lesions

Detection and monitoring of hazardous material transportation on road between France and Italy: Objectives, methodology and first results

This paper presents the objectives, the methodology and the first results of the TMD-NIS Interreg IIIA Alcotra Project that deals with the detection and monitoring of Hazardous Matter Transportation on the road axis Nice-Imperia-Savona between France and Italy. The final objective of this project is to develop a Decision Support System (DSS) for public and private end users to improve risk prevention and crisis management. In order to develop this DSS, this project is based upon the definition of instruments, technologies and common operational strategies for the integrated management and the monitoring of vehicles of HAZMAT transportation. In the way of collaboration, two complementary technologies have been developed: an image processing system to identify the HAZMAT orange plates and an on-board system using GPS and GPRS. This DSS will also integrate geographical and socio-economical data in order to estimate the risk exposure of the different territories related to the HAZMAT transportation activity

DELTA-OPIOID RECEPTOR MODULATION OF THE HYPOTHALAMIC -PITUITARY-ADRENOCORTICAL AXIS

STUDY ON THE MODULATION OPERATED BY DELTA-OPIOID RECEPTOR ON THE HYPOTHALAMIC -PITUITARY-ADRENOCORTICAL AXI

EFFECTS OF SOMATOSTATIN ANALOG TREATMENT ON GLUCOSE METABOLISM IN ACROMEGALY

SOMATOSTATIN ANALOG TREATMENT in acromegaly may improve insulin resistance by reducing GH and IGF-1, but impairs insulin secretio