Imatinib mesylate in the treatment of newly diagnosed or refractory/resistant c-KIT positive acute myeloid leukemia. Results of an Italian Multicentric Phase II Study

We evaluated safety and efficacy of imatinib (600 mg) in 36 c-KIT+ acute myeloid leukemia patients not amenable to receive conventional chemotherapy. No patient achieved complete remission. One patient obtained a hematologic improvement (platelet increase with transfusion independence). Median overall survival was 3 months (0.5-44+). Non-hematologic toxicity was overall mild

Imatinib mesylate in the treatment of newly diagnosed or refractory/resistant c-KIT positive acute myeloid leukemia. Results of an Italian Multicentric Phase II Study

We evaluated safety and efficacy of imatinib (600 mg) in 36 c-KIT+ acute myeloid leukemia patients not amenable to receive conventional chemotherapy. No patient achieved complete remission. One patient obtained a hematologic improvement (platelet increase with transfusion independence). Median overall survival was 3 months (0.5-44+). Non-hematologic toxicity was overall mild

Exploiting external reflection FTIR spectroscopy for the in-situ identification of pigments and binders in illuminated manuscripts : brochantite and posnjakite as a case study

In the present work, the use of portable instrumentation allowing in-situ reflection FTIR analyses is exploited to identify the coloring matters of northern-Italian illuminations dating to the XVI century. In order to build a database of spectra, reference paint samples were prepared spreading the pigments on parchment with two different binders, i.e. gum arabic and egg white, used in antiquity. Pigments for the database were chosen considering their use in the Middle Ages and in the Renaissance and their response in the mid- and near-IR region. The reflection FTIR spectra obtained resulted to be dominated by the specular reflection component, allowing the use of the Kramers\u2013Kronig transform to convert them to the more conventional absorbance FTIR spectra. Several pigments could thus be identified in ancient illuminations, even if some green details showed a spectral pattern different with respect to the most common commercial green pigments of the database. Therefore, in addition, basic copper sulfates brochantite and posnjakite were synthesized and characterized. In three green details, posnjakite was identified, both as a pure compound and together with malachite

Exploiting reflectance FTIR spectroscopy for the in situ identification of pigments in illuminated manuscripts

The non-destructive identification of pigments used in pictorial works is of great interest in the field of the study of cultural heritage, in particular when it is applied in situ and thus in the place of conservation of the artefacts, avoiding the costs and risks related to the transport to the laboratory. As far as the in situ identification of inorganic pigments is concerned, the techniques mostly established are, undoubtedly, X-ray fluorescence (XRF), which however provides only the elemental composition of the pigment; visible-NIR reflectance spectroscopy, not always specific due to the bandwidth; and micro-Raman spectroscopy, highly specific but sometimes of difficult application for those compounds that are only weak scatterers. Therefore the recent development of portable instrumentation for reflectance FTIR spectroscopy is very appealing, allowing the application in the field of a technique highly specific for the identification of compounds. Indeed, several studies have been reported in the literature concerning the use of this technique for the study of cultural heritage.1-2 In the present work a very compact portable FTIR spectrometer which is provided with a reflectance module for contactless measurements and a DTGS detector was used. This kind of instrumentation works at room temperature and exhibits a linear response on the spectral range between 7500 and 375 cm-1, thus allowing to record also overtone and combination bands at higher wavenumbers. In this way, the reflectance FTIR spectra of several inorganic pigments spread on parchment with different binders (arabic gum and egg white) were recorded in order to build a spectral database and moreover to evaluate the influence of the binders on the spectroscopic patterns. Exploiting the specular reflection arising from the samples, the reflectance FTIR spectra acquired could be converted to the more conventional absorbance FTIR spectra applying the Kramers-Kronig transformation. Finally, reflectance FTIR spectra were acquired from some northern-Italian illuminations dating to the XVI century, and then were compared to the reference FTIR spectra, in order to identify the coloring matter. Lapis lazuli, azurite, malachite, lead tin yellow and yellow ochre were recognized in the illuminated details analyzed. In some cases, it was also possible to identify the organic matters used in the illuminations as binders. Basic copper sulfates brochantite and posnjakite as a case study As it has been recently discussed in the literature,3 among all the pigments commonly employed in the ancient paintings, those which provide the green colour are the most elusive from the point of view of identification. Even neglecting the not uncommon cases in which the green hue was obtained by a mixture of blues and yellows, indeed, most of green pigments are based on copper compounds (for example malachite CuCO3\u387Cu(OH)2 and verdigris Cu(CH3COO)2\u3872H2O) and thus they result to be indistinguishable by means of techniques such as XRF, able to identify only copper, or vis-NIR reflectance, being the chromophore the same ion Cu2+, and also hardly identifiable by means of Raman spectroscopy, being all of them rather weak scatterers. Moreover, in several pictorial works and in particular in illuminations, besides the most common and already mentioned malachite and verdigris, also basic copper sulphates were discovered, in more detail posnjakite CuSO4\u3873Cu(OH)2\u387H2O and brochantite CuSO4\u3873Cu(OH)2 in northern-European and Italian illuminations dating from XII to XVII century4-7. When these pigments were recognized in other contexts, such as mural paintings8 and ancient wallpapers9, their formation was supposed to be the result of the degradation of the most common copper pigments, also because recipes for the production of such basic copper sulphates were not known before the XVII century and these compounds, although present in nature as minerals, are not widespread. Nevertheless, especially in the case of illuminations, often perfectly preserved, scientists have more often hypothesized that such pigments, of natural origin or artificial origin, were used on purpose6. In the present work, as a case study, pure brochantite and posnjakite were synthesized and characterized. Then reflectance FTIR spectra of these compounds spread on parchment were used for the identification of green pigments of northern-Italian illuminations, recognizing mainly posnjakite. Notably, the reflectance FTIR spectra of the basic copper sulphates mentioned above are reported here for the first time

Inventario de sistema de creencias (SBI-15 R) en Colombia: estructura factorial y confiabilidad en población universitaria y en pacientes crónicos

El presente estudio de corte psicométrico, tuvo como objetivo analizar la estructura factorial y la consistencia interna del Inventario de Sistema de Creencias (SBI-15 R) en universitarios y enfermos crónicos colombianos. Para ello se aplicó el cuestionario SBI-15R a 265 estudiantes universitarios adultos y 52 enfermos crónicos. El análisis factorial denota dos factores: el factor 1 denominado convicción religiosa y el factor 2 denominado soporte social religioso, sin hallar diferencias en la estructura para cada muestra, y un alfa de Cronbach total de 0,926. Los resultados encontrados después de la eliminación de un ítem muestran una alta confiabilidad y concordancia en la estructura factorial del Inventario de Sistema de Creencias (SBI-14-Col) con la versión original mexicana, lo que implica adecuada validez de la prueba en población colombiana

Autoesquemas y habilidades sociales en adolescentes con diagnóstico de labio y paladar hendido

The purpose of this research was to evaluate the relationship of the self-schemes and social skills of 49 adolescents of both genres with a diagnosis of cleft lip andpalate in the city of Medellin, Colombia. The design of the study was exploratorydescriptive-transversal-correlational. The Schemes Questionnaire (CIE) and the Scale of Social Skills EHS were used as instruments. The outcomes did not demonstrate clinically significant levels in the variables of the study; the scores of the self-schemes and the social skills reported by the adolescents with cleft lip and palate were generally good. Finally, the whole study had a Cronbach Alfa above .70El objetivo de la presente investigación fue evaluar la relación de los autoesquemas y las habilidades sociales de 49 adolescentes de ambos géneros con diagnóstico de labio y paladar hendido, de la ciudad de Medellín, Colombia. El diseño del estudio fue exploratorio-descriptivo-transversal-correlacional. Se utilizaron como instrumentos el Cuestionario de Esquemas, CIE y la Escala de Habilidades Sociales, EHS. Los resultados no evidenciaron niveles clínicamente significativos en las variables del estudio, a nivel general los puntajes de los autoesquemas y las habilidades sociales, reportados por los adolescentes con labio y paladar hendido, fueron buenos. Por último, todo el estudio tuvo un Alfa de Cronbach superior a .7

Phase II study of imatinib in advanced chordoma.

PURPOSE: To explore the antitumor activity of imatinib in patients with advanced platelet-derived growth factor β (PDGFB)/PDGF receptor β (PDGFRB)-positive chordomas.¦PATIENTS AND METHODS: In a collaborative Italian-Swiss, prospective, phase II clinical study conducted from November 2004 through April 2006, 56 patients with advanced PDGFB and/or PDGFRB chordoma received 800 mg/d of imatinib until progression. The primary end point was the overall tumor response rate (ORR), defined by RECIST. Secondary, exploratory end points included tissue response (ie, changes in tumor density or signal intensity/contrast enhancement, and/or [18F]-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography [PET] uptake), overall survival, progression-free survival (PFS), and pain score.¦RESULTS: Among 50 patients evaluable by RECIST, the best response was one partial response (PR) obtained at 6 months (ORR, 2%). There were 35 patients with stable disease (SD, 70%) and a 64% clinical benefit rate (ie, RECIST complete response + PR + SD ≥ 6 months). A minor dimensional response (< 20%) was detected in nine patients. A maximum standard uptake value decrease ≥ 25% was observed in 10 (39%) of 26 patients evaluable for PET response at 3 months. Changes in the Brief Pain Inventory score were consistent with the response assessment. Median PFS (intention-to-treat population, 56 patients) was 9 months. No unexpected toxicities were observed.¦CONCLUSION: This is the largest phase II study in chordoma to date. It confirms anecdotal evidence that imatinib has antitumor activity in this orphan disease, and therefore, it is worth further investigation