The Vesuvian “Pomici di Avellino” eruption and Early Bronze Age settlement in the middle Clanis valley

Archaeological rescue work conducted prior to the construction of the high-velocity rail line in the Province of Naples (Italy), in particular in the area of Afragola, has yielded new and important information regarding the impact of the Vesuvian Pomici di  Avellino eruption on human communities living in this part of the Campanian plain. Of particular significance was the discovery of a village destroyed by the eruption, the excavation of which has allowed an understanding of the mode and timescale of collapse of each building, and thus revealed (in varying degrees of completeness) the structural details of each building type. Thousands of human footprints and animal hoof prints were found both inside and outside the village, providing clear evidence of the initial hurried flight and also of the subsequent exodus due to the disruption of natural drainage the eruption caused.Scavi archeologici effettuati prima della costruzione della linea ad alta velocità nel territorio di Afragola (Napoli, Italia), hanno consentito di ottenere nuove e importanti informazioni sull’impatto che l’eruzione delle Pomici di Avellino ha avuto sulle comunità umane che vivevano in questo settore della Piana Campana. Importanza fondamentale riveste la scoperta di un villaggio distrutto dall’eruzione, il cui scavo ha permesso di capire i modi e i tempi del collasso di ogni edificio e di evidenziare (con vari gradi di completezza) i dettagli strutturali di ogni tipo di costruzione. Migliaia di impronte umane e animali sono state rinvenute dentro e fuori il villaggio, fornendo chiara testimonianza dell iniziale fuga e del successivo esodo.Des études géoarchéologiques à Afragola (plaine de Campanie, province de Naples) ont livré des informations importantes sur l’impact de l’éruption d’Avellino sur l’occupation humaine. Nous avons retrouvé un village détruit par l’éruption où les fouilles ont permis de comprendre les modes de construction et de destruction des bâtiments. Des milliers de traces de pas d’animaux et d’humains traduisent la fuite du village

Long-term prognosis of patients with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and epilepsy

15noreservedObjective: Epilepsy in Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) has been reported in the literature, but there are no studies that have investigated in detail clinical and electroencephalography (EEG) features in patients with EDS, and that have compared the outcome of epilepsy in subjects with or without brain lesions. We report a series of 42 patients with EDS and epilepsy, including data that concern clinical characteristics, EEG abnormalities, brain malformations at magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and long-term outcome. Methods: EEG, clinical information, and neuroimaging characteristics in 42 patients with EDS were analyzed at the onset of epilepsy and after long-term follow-up (at least 5 years). We subdivided the patients into two groups: group A, 26 patients without brain abnormalities; group B, 16 patients with brain lesions, often with periventricular heterotopia (PH). Results: Group A patients: Most cases (19 of 26) presented focal epilepsy, whereas 7 of 26 were affected by generalized epilepsy; interictal EEG showed temporal or temporoparietal spikes in most cases. Twenty-three patients received antiepileptic drug (AED) monotherapy; three patients were treated with polytherapy. During follow-up, all patients were seizure-free for at least 2 years, and only one continued to receive AEDs. Group B patients: the majority presented focal epilepsy (9 of 16), but many patients had generalized epilepsy (7 of 16); interictal EEG showed usually frontal or frontotemporal spikes and waves. Many patients (12 of 16) received AED polytherapy. During follow-up, 12 patients were seizure-free, and all patients continued pharmacologic treatment. Significance: All patients without brain lesions showed a favorable response to AED monotherapy and were seizure-free after a few years of treatment. Patients with central nervous system abnormalities had a worse outcome, suggesting that the presence of brain lesions could influence the long-term evolution in these patients.mixedVerrotti, A.; Spartà, M.V.; Monacelli, D.; Porto, R.; Castagnino, M.; Russo Raucci, A.; Compagno, F.; Viglio, S.; Foiadelli, T.; Nicita, F.; Grosso, S.; Spalice, A.; Chiarelli, F.; Marseglia, G.; Savasta, S.Verrotti, A.; Spartà, M. V.; Monacelli, D.; Porto, R.; Castagnino, M.; Russo Raucci, A.; Compagno, F.; Viglio, S.; Foiadelli, T.; Nicita, F.; Grosso, S.; Spalice, A.; Chiarelli, F.; Marseglia, G.; Savasta, S

CD73-Adenosinergic Axis Mediates the Protective Effect of Extracellular Vesicles Derived from Mesenchymal Stromal Cells on Ischemic Renal Damage in a Rat Model of Donation after Circulatory Death

We propose a new organ-conditioning strategy based on mesenchymal stromal cell (MSCs)/extracellular vesicle (EVs) delivery during hypothermic perfusion. MSCs/EVs marker CD73 is present on renal proximal tubular cells, and it protects against renal ischemia-reperfusion injury by converting adenosine monophosphate into adenosine (ADO). In this study, after checking if CD73-silenced EVs (EVsi) would impact in vitro tubular-cell proliferation, we perfused kidneys of a rat model of donation after circulatory death, with Belzer solution (BS) alone, BS supplemented with MSCs, EVs, or EVsi. The ADO and ATP levels were measured in the effluents and tissues. Global renal ischemic damage score (GRS), and tubular cell proliferation index (IPT) were evaluated in the tissue. EVsi did not induce cell proliferation in vitro. Ex vivo kidneys perfused with BS or BS + EVsi showed the worst GRS and higher effluent ADO levels than the MSC- and EV-perfused kidneys. In the EV-perfused kidneys, the tissue and effluent ATP levels and IPT were the highest, but not if CD73 was silenced. Tissue ATP content was positively correlated with tissue ADO content and negatively correlated with effluent ADO level in all groups. In conclusion, kidney conditioning with EVs protects against ischemic damage by activating the CD73/ADO system

Hepatoid carcinoma of the pancreas with lymphoid stroma: first description of the clinical, morphological, immunohistochemical, and molecular characteristics of an unusual pancreatic carcinoma

We report a case of tumour in the head of the pancreas observed in a 57-year-old man with a history of worsening jaundice and elevated alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) serum level, who underwent Whipple pancreatoduodenectomy. Histologically, the tumour was predominantly composed of solid sheets of large eosinophilic cells with a prominent lymphoid infiltration without association neither with DNA microsatellite instability nor Epstein-Barr virus infection. The tumour was diffusely and strongly positive for hepatocyte paraffin-1 (Hep Par-1) and glypican-3 leading to the diagnosis of hepatoid carcinoma. Strong cytoplasmic staining for AFP was focally observed. Moreover, tumour cells showed countless cytoplasmic eosinophilic globules immunoreactive for the stress protein p62. A primary hepatocellular carcinoma of the liver was ruled out by careful clinical analysis. Hepatoid carcinoma is an extremely rare pancreatic neoplasm, and here, we describe the first case of such variant associated with lymphoid stroma. The characteristic histologic features and the immunophenotypic profile help in distinguishing this carcinoma from other pancreatic tumours, notably from medullary carcinom

Géoarchéologie de la péninsule italienne

Le n°112 de Méditerranée, consacré à la géoarchéologie de la péninsule italienne, aborde l’impact des sociétés humaines dans l’évolution des paysages et des modelés de la péninsule surtout à partir de la colonisation grecque à l’époque archaïque. Ce numéro fait suite au colloque international de Salerno qui s’est déroulé en septembre 2007 et a traité du thème « People/environment relationships from the mesolithic to the middle ages : recent geo-archeological findings in Southern Italy ». Il concrétise 10 ans de collaboration scientifique entre les chercheurs de l’université d’Aix-Marseille, du Centre Jean Bérard et de l’université Federico Due de Naples. Trois langues véhiculaires ont été utilisées, l’anglais, le français et l’italien. Tous les résultats présentés sont inédits et de nombreuses données sont importantes et doivent intéresser un public averti en Italie comme en France. Une courte introduction en l’honneur du professeur Aldo Cinque (Université de Naples) rappelle le cursus de ce géomorphologue talentueux, précurseur dans bien des domaines