High Energy Neutrinos from Cosmic Ray Interactions in Clusters of Galaxies

The spatial clustering of galaxies in galaxy clusters implies that the background of infrared (IR) light in the intracluster medium (ICM) may exceed the universal background. Cosmic rays injected within the ICM propagate diffusively and at low enough energies are trapped there for cosmological times. The photopion production interactions of cosmic rays with the IR photons are responsible for the generation of neutrinos whose detection may shed some light on the origin and propagation of high energy cosmic rays in the universe. Here we discuss our calculations of the flux of neutrinos from single clusters as well as the contribution of photopion production in clusters of galaxies to the diffuse neutrino background.Comment: 10 pages, 10 figures, submitted to PR

Are the school prevention programmes - aimed at de-normalizing smoking among youths - beneficial in the long term? An example from the Smoke Free Class Competition in Italy

Tobacco smoking by young people is of great concern because it usually leads to regular smoking, nicotine addiction and quitting difficulties. Young people "hooked" by tobacco maintain the profits of the tobacco industry by replacing smokers who quit or die. If new generations could be tobacco-free, as supported by tobacco endgame strategies, the tobacco epidemic could end within decades. Smoking prevention programmes for teens are offered by schools with the aim to prevent or delay smoking onset. Among these, the Smoke Free Class Competition (SFC) was widely implemented in Europe. Its effectiveness yielded conflicting results, but it was only evaluated at short/medium term (6 - 18 months). The aim of this study is to evaluate its effectiveness after a longer follow-up (3 to 5 years) in order to allow enough time for the maturing of the students and the internalization of the experience and its contents. Fifteen classes were randomly sampled from two Italian high schools of Bologna province that regularly offered the SFC to first year students; 382 students (174 participating in the SFC and 208 controls) were retrospectively followed-up and provided their "smoking histories". At the end of their last year of school (after 5 years from the SFC), the percentage of students who stated that they were regular smokers was lower among the SFC students than in controls: 13.5% vs 32.9% (p=0.03). From the students' "smoking histories", statistically significant protective ORs were observed for SFC students at the end of 1st and 5th year: 0.42 (95% CI 0.19-0.93) and 0.32 (95% CI 0.11-0.91) respectively. Absence of smokers in the family was also a strongly statistically significant factor associated with being a non-smoker student. These results suggest that SFC may have a positive impact on lowering the prevalence of smoking in the long term (5 years)

A New Strategy for Treatment of a Congenital Arteriovenous Fistula of the Neck. Case Report

AbstractCongenital arteriovenous fistulas (AVF) without associated vascular malformations are uncommon. Only a very few cases of AVF have been reported in the neck. We describe our findings in a patient with AVF treated by a combined vascular and endovascular approach

Numerical propagation of high energy cosmic rays in the Galaxy I: technical issues

We present the results of a numerical simulation of propagation of cosmic rays with energy above $10^{15}$ eV in a complex magnetic field, made in general of a large scale component and a turbulent component. Several configurations are investigated that may represent specific aspects of a realistic magnetic field of the Galaxy, though the main purpose of this investigation is not to achieve a realistic description of the propagation in the Galaxy, but rather to assess the role of several effects that define the complex problem of propagation. Our simulations of Cosmic Rays in the Galaxy will be presented in Paper II. We identified several effects that are difficult to interpret in a purely diffusive approach and that play a crucial role in the propagation of cosmic rays in the complex magnetic field of the Galaxy. We discuss at length the problem of the extrapolation of our results to much lower energies where data are available on the confinement time of cosmic rays in the Galaxy. The confinement time and its dependence on particles' rigidity are crucial ingredients for 1) relating the source spectrum to the observed cosmic ray spectrum; 2) quantifying the production of light elements by spallation; 3) predicting the anisotropy as a function of energy.Comment: 29 pages, 12 figures, submitted to JCA

The origin of ultra high energy cosmic rays

We briefly discuss some open problems and recent developments in the investigation of the origin and propagation of ultra high energy cosmic rays (UHECRs).Comment: Invited Review Talk at TAUP 2005 (Zaragoza - September 10-14, 2005). 7 page

Total Gastrectomy for locally advanced Cancer: The total Laparoscopic Approach

Total gastrectomy is the treatment of choice for adenocarcinoma of the upper and middle third of the stomach resected with curative intent. The laparoscopic approach allows satisfactory exploration of the peritoneal cavity and optimizes staging in borderline T3 or T4 tumours in patients affected by locally advanced tumours or intraperitoneal carcinomatosis. Laparoscopy can eliminate unnecessary laparotomies in 10 % of patients affected by these conditions with formal contraindications for resection [1] . Complete resection of the stomach associated with D2 lymph node dissection is also performed using a currently well-established technique [2, 3] . The specificity of laparoscopic gastric resection for cancer is that the stomach and the greatomentum are withdrawn separately.Reconstruction of the digestive tract is more complex, and requires a variety of techniques (supra-umbilical mini-laparotomy, Orvil® technique, enlarging a port-site for passage of a circular stapler, mechanical side to side anastomosis, etc), but none ofthese has become the gold standard [4-7] . This explains the difficulties encountered in promoting the widespread use of minimally invasive resection in western countries. Scientific societies insist on the need for prospective studies to establish the place of laparoscopy for gastric cancer (prophylactic gastrectomy for CDH-1 related gastric cancer, < T3 Tumours, palliative gastrectomy) [4] . Here, we present our technique for total resection of the stomach and D2 lymph node dissection, which allows the manualcreation of a feasible, safe, tension-free and effective esojejunal anastomosis. It can be performed by any surgeon familiar with laparoscopic surgery and the principles of oncologic resection. The cost is also relatively low because neither a circular staplernor other special equipment is required. Finally, the incision for extraction of the specimen can be placed in any area of the abdomen (usually through a supra-pubic incision in our practice).Keywords: Gastric cancer, laparoscopy, total gastrectomy, lymphadenectomy, Intracorporeal anastomosis.Total gastrectomy is the treatment of choice for adenocarcinoma of the upper and middle third of the stomach resected with curative intent. The laparoscopic approach allows satisfactory exploration of the peritoneal cavity and optimizes staging in borderline T3 or T4 tumours in patients affected by locally advanced tumours or intraperitoneal carcinomatosis. Laparoscopy can eliminate unnecessary laparotomies in 10 % of patients affected by these conditions with formal contraindications for resection [1] . Complete resection of the stomach associated with D2 lymph node dissection is also performed using a currently well-established technique [2, 3] . The specificity of laparoscopic gastric resection for cancer is that the stomach and the great omentum are withdrawn separately.Reconstruction of the digestive tract is more complex, and requires a variety of techniques (supra-umbilical mini-laparotomy, Orvil® technique, enlarging a port-site for passage of a circular stapler, mechanical side to side anastomosis, etc), but none of these has become the gold standard [4-7] . This explains the difficulties encountered in promoting the widespread use of minimally invasive resection in western countries. Scientific societies insist on the need for prospective studies to establish the place of laparoscopy for gastric cancer (prophylactic gastrectomy for CDH-1 related gastric cancer, < T3 Tumours, palliative gastrectomy) [4] . Here, we present our technique for total resection of the stomach and D2 lymph node dissection, which allows the manual creation of a feasible, safe, tension-free and effective esojejunal anastomosis. It can be performed by any surgeon familiar with laparoscopic surgery and the principles of oncologic resection. The cost is also relatively low because neither a circular stapler nor other special equipment is required. Finally, the incision for extraction of the specimen can be placed in any area of the abdomen (usually through a supra-pubic incision in our practice).Keywords: Gastric cancer, laparoscopy, total gastrectomy, lymphadenectomy, Intracorporeal anastomosis