Clinical-pathological features of an occult mixed mucinous male breast cancer. a case report

Mucinous carcinoma of the male breast is an uncommon malignant breast neoplasm and its diagnoses remain difficult. It is probably due to such a low rate of breast cancer cases that men tend to be diagnosed at an older age than women and with a later stage of the disease. We describe a case of a 69-year-old male who displayed a palpable lump in his right axilla several years ago, showing signs of cutaneous adnexal mucinous adenocarcinoma after biopsy. After six years and several clinical examination and systemic investigation without results, the patient underwent to fine needle aspiration cytology and subsequently a biopsy of a mass with irregular margins in the retroareolar region of his right breast. The final diagnosis was of a mixed mucinous breast cancer with neuroendocrine differentiation. The tumor cells phenotype showed Synaptophisin (+), CEA (+/-), CK-20 (-), CK-7 (+), TTF-1 (-), estrogen receptor (-), progesterone (-) and HER 2 (++). These results were unusual for a mucinous male breast carcinoma. In the presence of a lesion in the axillary area with no specific primary origin, breast cancer should never be ruled out, even in the absence of clinical evidence and with an immunohistochemical pattern not indicative of mammary origin

Peripersonal Space from a multisensory perspective: the distinct effect of the visual and tactile components of Visuo-Tactile stimuli

: Peripersonal Space (PPS) is defined as the space close to the body where all interactions between the individual and the environment take place. Behavioural experiments on PPS exploit multisensory integration, using Multisensory Visuo-Tactile stimuli (MVT), whose visual and tactile components target the same body part (i.e. the face, the hand, the foot). However, the effects of visual and tactile stimuli targeting different body parts on PPS representation are unknown, and the relationship with the RTs for Tactile-Only stimuli is unclear. In this study, we addressed two research questions: (1) if the MVT-RTs are independent of Tactile-Only-RTs and if the latter is influenced by time-dependency effects, and (2) if PPS estimations derived from MVT-RTs depend on the location of the Visual or Tactile component of MVTs. We studied 40 right-handed participants, manipulating the body location (right hand, cheek or foot) and the distance of administration. Visual and Tactile components targeted different or the same body parts and were delivered respectively at five distances. RTs to Tactile-Only trials showed a non-monotonic trend, depending on the delay of stimulus administration. Moreover, RTs to Multisensory Visuo-Tactile trials were found to be dependent on the Distance and location of the Visual component of the stimulus. In conclusion, our results show that Tactile-Only RTs should be removed from Visuo-Tactile RTs and that the Visual and Tactile components of Visuo-Tactile stimuli do not necessarily have to target the same body part. These results have a relevant impact on the study of PPS representations, providing new important methodological information

Assessing Interpersonal Proximity Evaluation in the COVID-19 Era: Evidence From the Affective Priming Task

Social proximity has since ever been evaluated as positive. However, the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically reduced our social relations to avoid spreading the contagion. The present study aims to investigate people's current assessment of social proximity by using an affective priming paradigm (APP). We hypothesized that if our evaluation of social proximity is positive, then words with positive valence (e.g., relaxed) should be processed faster when preceded by images of social proximity than social distancing. On the contrary, if our evaluation of social proximity is turning negative, then words with a negative valence (e.g., sad) should be processed faster when preceded by images of social proximity than social distancing. To this end, we presented participants with prime images showing line drawings representing humans in situations of proximity or distancing and asked them to evaluate the valence (i.e., positive or negative) of a subsequent target word. In a follow-up session, the same participants evaluated the prime images as being positively or negatively valenced. Results showed that a large subset of participants who rated the prime images of social proximity as positive also processed positive words faster when these were preceded by images of social proximity than social distancing. Conversely, a smaller subset of participants who rated the prime images of social proximity as less positive processed negative words faster when these were preceded by images of social proximity than social distancing. These results suggest individual differences in the assessment of social proximity likely driven by the pandemic

Wearing the face mask affects our social attention over space

Recent studies suggest that covering the face inhibits the recognition of identity and emotional expressions. However, it might also make the eyes more salient, since they are a reliable index to orient our social and spatial attention. This study investigates (1) whether the pervasive interaction with people with face masks fostered by the COVID-19 pandemic modulates the processing of spatial information essential to shift attention according to other's eye-gaze direction (i.e., gaze-cueing effect: GCE), and (2) whether this potential modulation interacts with motor responses (i.e., Simon effect). Participants were presented with face cues orienting their gaze to a congruent or incongruent target letter location (gaze-cueing paradigm) while wearing a surgical mask (Mask), a patch (Control), or nothing (No-Mask). The task required to discriminate the identity of the lateralized target letters by pressing one of two lateralized response keys, in a corresponding or a non-corresponding position with respect to the target. Results showed that GCE was not modulated by the presence of the Mask, but it occurred in the No-Mask condition, confirming previous studies. Crucially, the GCE interacted with Simon effect in the Mask and Control conditions, though in different ways. While in the Mask condition the GCE emerged only when target and response positions corresponded (i.e., Simon-corresponding trials), in the Control condition it emerged only when they did not correspond (i.e., Simon-non-corresponding trials). These results indicate that people with face masks induce us to jointly orient our visual attention in the direction of the seen gaze (GCE) in those conditions resembling (or associated with) a general approaching behavior (Simon-corresponding trials). This is likely promoted by the fact that we tend to perceive wearing the mask as a personal safety measure and, thus, someone wearing the face mask is perceived as a trustworthy person. In contrast, people with a patch on their face can be perceived as more threatening, therefore inducing a GCE in those conditions associated with a general avoidance behavior (Simon-non-corresponding trials)

Does Social distancing affect the processing of brand logos?

Social distancing and isolation have been imposed to contrast the spread of COVID-19. The present study investigates whether social distancing affects our cognitive system, in particular the processing of different types of brand logos in different moments of the pandemic spread in Italy. In a size discrimination task, six different logos belonging to three categories (letters, symbols, and social images) were presented in their original format and spaced. Two samples of participants were tested: one just after the pandemic spread in Italy, the other one after six months. Results showed an overall distancing effect (i.e., spaced stimuli are processed slower than original ones) that interacted with the sample, revealing a significant effect only for participants belonging to the second sample. However, both groups showed a distancing effect modulated by the type of logo as it only emerged for social images. Results suggest that social distancing behaviors have been integrated in our cognitive system as they appear to affect our perception of distance when social images are involved

Design of bioactive biopolymer coating based on Latilactobacillus curvatus 54M16 producer of bacteriocins to preserve the safety of minimally processed fennel

In this study Latilactobacillus curvatus 54M16 (LAB) producing bacteriocins has been incorporated into a sodium caseinate (SC)/guar gum (GG)/beeswax (BW) blend to develop a bioactive film/coating. Moreover, the coating capacity of preserving the safety and quality of minimally processed fennel has been investigated. Results showed significant antimicrobial activity of the bioactive film against L. innocua C6 during 28 days of storage at 4 ◦C, 10 ◦C, 20 ◦C and 30 ◦C. The presence of LAB did not affect the moisture content, thickness, color, and solubility of the SC/GG/BW films, whereas caused a reduction of the film’s stiffness and water vapor permeability. Counts of L. innocua on fennels processed with the active coating showed a significant reduction of about 2 log cycles at the end of storage with respect to the control samples for which L. innocua ranged from 3.42 to 4.13 log CFU/cm2 . Moreover, microbial diversity dramatically decreased in samples coated with antimicrobial film, that were dominated by Lactobacillus sp. In conclusion, the developed bioactive coating can be used as an antimicrobial coating to improve minimally processed fennel safet

Physical properties and antimicrobial activity of bioactive film based on whey protein and Lactobacillus curvatus 54M16 producer of bacteriocins

The objective of the work was to study the viability and antimicrobial activity of bacteriocin-producing lactic acid bacteria (LAB) incorporated into whey protein/inulin/gelatine (WP) edible films in presence or absence of nutrient (modified MRS broth). Moreover, the role of the cell on the film structure and properties has been investigated. The results of the work showed that WP-based films were able to ensure a high viability of the bacteriocin-producing strain L. curvatus 54M16 during 28 days of storage at 4 �C. The addition of nutrient in the film matrix slightly affected the viability of the cells, but it was critical for the antimicrobial activity of the films. Films in presence of nutrient showed a good antimicrobial activity against L. innocua C6 as in vitro system as on cooked ham. The presence of LAB has a significant effect on the structure of the film: it reduced the viscosity of the film forming solution and improved the elasticity and the percentage of elongation. Whereas, no effect was observed for water vapour transmission rate and solubility. Thus, WP-based films in presence of modified MRS broth can be used as effective delivery and carrier systems for lactic acid bacteria to develop bioactive edible film or coating with antimicrobial properties

Comparison of Deaths Rates for COVID-19 across Europe During the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background: Europe overall suffered greatly in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic but the impact of different countries varied. Italy was in the forefront, but there too there were differences, with the Lombardy region the epicentre of the pandemic. Methods: We report Crude Mortality Rates (CMRs) from deaths reported as due to COVID-19 and, in five countries where age-specific data are available, Standardized Mortality Rates (SMRs) in the European Union and United Kingdom. Results: As of 30th August 2020, Belgium was the country with the highest cumulative CMR (86.3/100,000), but the Lombardy region reached almost double this figure (167.6/100,000), far ahead of the corresponding figure for the rest of Italy at 37.0/100,000. SMRs could be calculated for five countries (Italy, Portugal, Sweden, Germany, and Netherlands). Among them, Sweden had the highest SMR (61.6/100,000). The corresponding figures for Italy, Netherlands, Portugal and Germany were 50.2, 41.4, 15.9, and 10.1 per 100,000, respectively. Conclusion: It is clear that countries within Europe have performed very differently in their responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the many limitations in the available data must be addressed before a definitive assessment of the reasons for these differences can be made

Effect of Plasma Activated Water and Sodium Caseinate Based Coating on the Quality of Minimally Processed Cherry Tomatoes During Storage

The objective of the work was to preserve the quality of minimally processed (MP) cherry tomatoes during storage combining plasma activated water (PAW) washing treatment and sodium caseinate (SC) based edible coating by: 1) optimizing the sodium caseinate coating formulation to reduce the respiration rate of the product; 2) assessing the impact of the combination of (PAW) and coating on the quality of the product during shelf life. Cherry tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum var. cerasiforme) were coated with SC blended with chitosan (CH) (2% CH/ 4% SC) or guar gum (GG) (8% SC/0,2 % GG; 8% SC/0,3 % GG; 8% SC/0,4 % GG)). Respiration rate results showed that SC/CH coating did not affect the respiration rate of MP cherry tomatoes, whereas SC/GG blends at 0.2 % was able to reduce the respiration rate of almost the 50% at 20°C. However, to avoid the surface stickiness, beeswax (BW) has been included to the matrix. PAW and coating preserved the colour of the product and increased the total polyphenol as well as the microbiological quality of the product during storage