Synflorescence analysis in South American species of Andropogon section Leptopogon (Andropogoneae, Poaceae): a tool to identify different ploidy levels

In southern South America, Andropogon sect. Leptopogon is represented by both diploid and hexaploid species. In order to compare the synflorescence structures and floral arrays in relation to ploidy levels in species of Andropogon, the section Leptopogon was used as model. In this study, the synflorescence structure was typologically characterized. The structural analysis was based on the typology system developed by Troll and Weberling, which has proved useful in describing inflorescences. A comparative analysis of the variations observed in the structure of the synflorescence and a morphometric analysis using principal component analysis were carried out. These results revealed that diploid and hexaploid species present differences mainly in the following parameters: synflorescence length, number of internodes of the enrichment zone main axis, number of internodes and length of paracladia of the trophotagma, number of long paracladia per unit of inflorescence, length of hairs on articulated rachis internodes, pedicellate spikelet length, pedicellate spikelet width, pedicel width, length of hairs on pedicel, sessile spikelet length, awn length and floral system arrangements. This study provides a useful tool to distinguish between diploid and hexaploid species of Andropogon sect. Leptopogon. We propose naming the group of diploid species from Central and South America as the Andropogon selloanus complex.Fil: Nagahama, Nicolas. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Córdoba. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal (p); ArgentinaFil: Vegetti, Abelardo Carlos. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Cs.agrarias. Catedra de Morfologia Vegetal; ArgentinaFil: Anton, Ana Maria Ramona. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Córdoba. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal (p); ArgentinaFil: Norrmann, Guillermo Alberto. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Nordeste. Instituto de Botánica del Nordeste (i); Argentin

Hepatitis B virus DNA integration in tumour tissue of a non-cirrhotic HFE-haemochromatosis patient with hepatocellular carcinoma.

Co-existence of multiple causes of liver injury increases the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development. HCC usually develops in patients with cirrhosis although it may also occur in individuals with no or mild liver disease, in particular in cases with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Here we report the case of a 43year-old man with HFE-haemochromatosis, seronegative for hepatitis B and C infections, who developed HCC in the absence of severe liver damage. Both tumoural and non-tumoural liver DNA extracts were tested by nested-PCR and primers specific for four different HBV genomic regions in order to evaluate the presence of occult HBV infection. Only X gene sequences were detected in tumour (but not in non-tumour) DNA extracts. HBV-Alu PCR showed a HBV integration involving a 5'-deleted X gene with an intact enhancer-II/basal-core promoter region. The viral-host junction sequencing revealed that this integrant was located upstream of the partitioning-defective-6-homolog-gamma gene (PARD6G) and real time-PCR quantification demonstrated that PARD6G was overexpressed in tumour compared to non-tumour liver tissues. In conclusion, the combination of HFE-haemochromatosis and occult HBV infection in this patient might have led to a sequel of cellular events that determined the development of HCC even in the absence of cirrhosis

Multicenter observational study on the reliability of the HEART score

Objective To rapidly and safely identify the risk of developing acute coronary syndrome in patients with chest pain who present to the emergency department, the clinical use of the History, Electrocardiogram, Age, Risk Factors, and Troponin (HEART) scoring has recently been proposed. This study aimed to assess the inter-rater reliability of the HEART score calculated by a large number of Italian emergency physicians. Methods The study was conducted in three academic emergency departments using clinical scenarios obtained from medical records of patients with chest pain. Twenty physicians, who took the HEART score course, independently assigned a score to different clinical scenarios, which were randomly administered to the participants, and data were collected and recorded in a spreadsheet by an independent investigator who was blinded to the study\u2019s aim. Results After applying the exclusion criteria, 53 scenarios were finally included in the analysis. The general inter-rater reliability was good (kappa statistics [\u3ba], 0.63; 95% confidence interval, 0.57 to 0.70), and a good inter-rater agreement for the high- and low-risk classes (HEART score, 7 to 10 and 0 to 3, respectively; \u3ba, 0.60 to 0.73) was observed, whereas a moderate agreement was found for the intermediate-risk class (HEART score, 4 to 6; \u3ba, 0.51). Among the different items of the HEART score, history and electrocardiogram had the worse agreement (\u3ba, 0.37 and 0.42, respectively). Conclusion The HEART score had good inter-rater reliability, particularly among the high- and low-risk classes. The modest agreement for history suggests that major improvements are needed for objectively assessing this component. Keywords HEART score; HEART pathway; Chest pain; Acute coronary syndrome; Emergency service, hospita

Multicenter observational study on the reliability of the HEART score

Objective To rapidly and safely identify the risk of developing acute coronary syndrome in patients with chest pain who present to the emergency department, the clinical use of the History, Electrocardiogram, Age, Risk Factors, and Troponin (HEART) scoring has recently been proposed. This study aimed to assess the inter-rater reliability of the HEART score calculated by a large number of Italian emergency physicians. Methods The study was conducted in three academic emergency departments using clinical scenarios obtained from medical records of patients with chest pain. Twenty physicians, who took the HEART score course, independently assigned a score to different clinical scenarios, which were randomly administered to the participants, and data were collected and recorded in a spreadsheet by an independent investigator who was blinded to the study’s aim. Results After applying the exclusion criteria, 53 scenarios were finally included in the analysis. The general inter-rater reliability was good (kappa statistics [κ], 0.63; 95% confidence interval, 0.57 to 0.70), and a good inter-rater agreement for the high- and low-risk classes (HEART score, 7 to 10 and 0 to 3, respectively; κ, 0.60 to 0.73) was observed, whereas a moderate agreement was found for the intermediate-risk class (HEART score, 4 to 6; κ, 0.51). Among the different items of the HEART score, history and electrocardiogram had the worse agreement (κ, 0.37 and 0.42, respectively). Conclusion The HEART score had good inter-rater reliability, particularly among the high- and low-risk classes. The modest agreement for history suggests that major improvements are needed for objectively assessing this component

Role of embedded carbon particles on the morphology, microstructure and transport properties of sintered ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene

Selected ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) samples extracted from controlled positions along a representative reel from which ski bases are made were analyzed and compared to each other to test their composition and homogeneity. Scanning electron microscopy shows a UHMWPE matrix in which spherical particles are partly agglomerated and homogeneously distributed. Transmission electron microscopy, besides this, reveals the presence of a minority species, namely plate-like inclusions dispersed throughout the matrix. Raman features are traced back to structurally disordered carbonaceous material, with trigonal bond coordination. Surface electrical resistivity is quite low as compared to typical values for UHMWPE, being critically affected by the amount and spatial distribution of carbon particles. The observed homogeneity of distribution of carbon particles in the matrix is likely to be responsible for its ability to dissipate in an effective way the considerable amount of heat generated during ski gliding on hard, packed snow, thus preventing major structural damage of ski bases

Cytosolic glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase is phosphorylated during seed development

Cytosolic glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (NAD-GAPDH) is involved in a critical energetic step of glycolysis and also has many important functions besides its enzymatic activity. The recombinant wheat NAD-GAPDH was phosphorylated in vitro at Ser205 by a SNF1-Related protein kinase 1 (SnRK1) from wheat heterotrophic (but not from photosynthetic) tissues. The S205D mutant enzyme (mimicking the phosphorylated form) exhibited a significant decrease in activity but similar affinity toward substrates. Immunodetection and activity assays showed that NAD-GAPDH is phosphorylated in vivo, the enzyme depicting different activity, abundance and phosphorylation profiles during development of seeds that mainly accumulate starch (wheat) or lipids (castor oil seed). NAD-GAPDH activity gradually increases along wheat seed development, but protein levels and phosphorylation status exhibited slight changes. Conversely, in castor oil seed, the activity slightly increased and total protein levels do not significantly change in the first half of seed development but both abruptly decreased in the second part of development, when triacylglycerol synthesis and storage begin. Interestingly, phosphoNAD-GAPDH levels reached a maximum when the seed switch their metabolism to mainly support synthesis and accumulation of carbon reserves. After this point the castor oil seed NAD-GAPDH protein levels and activity highly decreased, and the protein stability assays showed that the protein would be degraded by the proteasome. The results presented herein suggest that phosphorylation of NAD-GAPDH during seed development would have impact on the partitioning of triose-phosphate between different metabolic pathways and cell compartments to support the specific carbon, energy and reducing equivalent demands during synthesis of storage products.Fil: Piattoni, Claudia Vanesa. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto de Agrobiotecnología del Litoral. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Instituto de Agrobiotecnología del Litoral; ArgentinaFil: Ferrero, Danisa María Luján. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto de Agrobiotecnología del Litoral. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Instituto de Agrobiotecnología del Litoral; ArgentinaFil: Dellaferrera, Ignacio Miguel. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Vegetti, Abelardo Carlos. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias; ArgentinaFil: Iglesias, Alberto Alvaro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto de Agrobiotecnología del Litoral. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Instituto de Agrobiotecnología del Litoral; Argentin

Sarcoma primitivo del cuore. Descrizione di un caso

Primary cardiac tumors are rare events. We describe here a case of undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma (so-called pleomorphic malignant fibrous histiocytoma) obliterating mostly the left side and the anterior wall of pericardium in a 84-year-old man admitted for mild dyspnea at rest. The diagnosis was suspected after excluding the lung origin of the mass (observed by plain chest radiography) by thorax computed tomography but it was confirmed only by cardiac-gated magnetic resonance imaging and transthoracic biopsy. Considering both patient's age and comorbidity, and local extension of the lesion, after counseling with cardiac surgeons and oncologists, the patient was treated only by conservative medical therapy. The patient died 6 months after the diagnosis due to a superior vena cava syndrome as an effect of infiltration and obstruction of superior vena cava by the tumor at the site of vein entry in the right atrium. This case is an example of a primary cardiac tumor that causes relative myocardial sufferance both by infiltration and by limitation of normal heart diastolic function

Incontri aristotelici

Questo volume raccoglie i contributi degli Incontri aristotelici organizzati da Walter Cavini e da me all’interno delle attività seminariali afferenti all’insegnamento di Storia della Filosofia Antica dell’Università di Bologna nell’anno accademico 2016/17. Gli incontri si sono tenuti il 19 Aprile 2017 presso l’Accademia delle Scienze di Bologna, grazie alla collaborazione di Walter Tega. Si è trattato dell’evento inaugurale di un ciclo di incontri che seguiranno verosimilmente la stessa formula, ognuno dei quali sarà dedicato a un filosofo, a una corrente di pensiero o a un periodo storico-filosofico al centro degli interessi attuali della comunità degli studi filosofici. Gli Incontri aristotelici prevedevano la presentazione di due libri su Aristotele di recente pubbli-cazione: la monografia di Giulia Mingucci, La fisiologia del pensiero in Aristotele (Bologna: il Muli-no, 2015); e l’ultima, recentissima, introduzione al pensiero di Aristotele di Mario Vegetti e Francesco Ademollo, Incontro con Aristotele: Quindici lezioni (Torino: Einaudi, 2016). I contributi – tre inter-venti per ogni volume, a cui si aggiungono le risposte degli autori – seguono lo stesso ordine delle presentazioni orali, organizzate in due tavole rotonde, delle quali conservano volutamente lo stile col-loquiale. Scopo di questo resoconto scritto è il duplice invito innanzitutto a leggere i due volumi, ac-comunati dalla rara chiarezza espositiva e dalla capacità di restituire il carattere complesso della filoso-fia aristotelica, e in secondo luogo a leggere le opere di Aristotele che vi sono evocate, a partire dalla chiave di lettura suggerita in ciascuno di questi otto contributi. Chiudono il volume, in appendice, un aggiornamento bibliografico, che da un lato integra la bi-bliografia del libro di Giulia Mingucci dal 2015 a oggi, dall’altro fornisce al lettore l’elenco delle prin-cipali introduzioni al pensiero di Aristotele di cui disponiamo (indicandone le eventuali traduzioni ita-liane), e una rassegna delle recensioni ai due libri attualmente segnalate