Landi G., Facondini F., Cena L., Minghetti M., Landini A., Crittenden P., Baldoni F.(2012) Attachment forerunners in mothers of preterm babies, Third Biennial Conference , IASA, University of Applied Sciences, Frankfurt am Main, Germany, September 14-16, 2012

When the birth of a baby occurs before the due date, there is not only a preterm baby admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at risk of survival, but also a mother and a father with a preterm baby. To study the characteristics of the early bond between the mother and the preterm baby, a sample of 110 mother-child dyads, 55 with preterm babies (birth weight < 1500 g), and 55 with full-term babies were assessed from the first 6 months of corrected age. All dyads were subjected to CARE-Index, a video-recorded procedure of mother-child interaction assessing parental sensitivity and attachment forerunners. Mothers were also subjected to CES-D, for the assessment of depression, and STAI Y-2, for the assessment of trait anxiety. The child’s psychomotor development was assessed by the Bayley Scales of Infant Development (BSID III). Mothers of preterm children, compared to controls, evinced higher levels of anxiety (p < .05), lower scores on dyadic sensitivity as assessed by the CARE-Index (p < .05) (40% fell into the high risk category requiring psychological and/or pharmacological treatment), and expressed more frequently insecure attachment forerunners (p < .01). In turn, preterm babies, compared to controls, showed insecure attachment forerunners at 3 months of corrected age (p < .05) and lower psychomotor development scores at 6 months of corrected age (p < .01). Risk factors for mothers of preterm babies were conflicted relationships with their families of origin and a strong fear for the death of the baby. The results underline the need for longitudinal studies conducted on large samples assessing the Internal Working Models of parents with preterm babies. This would clarify whether the particular behavior observed in the mothers of preterm children is transient and adaptive or a stable pattern influencing negatively the child-mother interaction in the future

A new method to prepare few-layers of nanoclusters decorated graphene: Nb2O5/graphene and its gas sensing properties

During the last decade, due to its excellent electrical, mechanical and thermal properties of chemically modified graphene has been extensively studied for many applications, such as polymer composites, energy-related materials, biomedical applications and sensors. The aim of this work is to evaluate the gas sensing performance of niobium oxide (Nb2O5) nanoclusters deposited onto few-layers graphene powder by magneton sputtering. Two different samples were prepared by changing electrical power of deposition. The materials were deeply morphologically, structurally and chemically characterized. Finally, they were deposited onto alumina substrates and their sensing properties were investigated vs. different gases, showing good sensing performance vs. ppm concentrations of NO2 at room temperature

First light observations of the solar wind in the outer corona with the Metis coronagraph

In this work, we present an investigation of the wind in the solar corona that has been initiated by observations of the resonantly scattered ultraviolet emission of the coronal plasma obtained with UVCS-SOHO, designed to measure the wind outflow speed by applying Doppler dimming diagnostics. Metis on Solar Orbiter complements the UVCS spectroscopic observations that were performed during solar activity cycle 23 by simultaneously imaging the polarized visible light and the H I Lyman-alpha corona in order to obtain high spatial and temporal resolution maps of the outward velocity of the continuously expanding solar atmosphere. The Metis observations, taken on May 15, 2020, provide the first H I Lyman-alpha images of the extended corona and the first instantaneous map of the speed of the coronal plasma outflows during the minimum of solar activity and allow us to identify the layer where the slow wind flow is observed. The polarized visible light (580-640 nm) and the ultraviolet H I Ly alpha (121.6 nm) coronal emissions, obtained with the two Metis channels, were combined in order to measure the dimming of the UV emission relative to a static corona. This effect is caused by the outward motion of the coronal plasma along the direction of incidence of the chromospheric photons on the coronal neutral hydrogen. The plasma outflow velocity was then derived as a function of the measured Doppler dimming. The static corona UV emission was simulated on the basis of the plasma electron density inferred from the polarized visible light. This study leads to the identification, in the velocity maps of the solar corona, of the high-density layer about +/- 10 degrees wide, centered on the extension of a quiet equatorial streamer present at the east limb - the coronal origin of the heliospheric current sheet - where the slowest wind flows at about 160 +/- 18 km s(-1) from 4 R-circle dot to 6 R-circle dot. Beyond the boundaries of the high-density layer, the wind velocity rapidly increases, marking the transition between slow and fast wind in the corona

The first coronal mass ejection observed in both visible-light and UV H I Ly-alpha channels of the Metis coronagraph on board Solar Orbiter

Context. The Metis coronagraph on board Solar Orbiter offers a new view of coronal mass ejections (CMEs), observing them for the first time with simultaneous images acquired with a broad-band filter in the visible-light interval and with a narrow-band filter around the H I Ly-alpha line at 121.567 nm, the so-called Metis UV channel. Aims. We show the first Metis observations of a CME, obtained on 16 and 17 January 2021. The event was also observed by the EUI/FSI imager on board Solar Orbiter, as well as by other space-based coronagraphs, such as STEREO-A/COR2 and SOHO/LASCO/C2, whose images are combined here with Metis data. Methods. Different images are analysed here to reconstruct the 3D orientation of the expanding CME flux rope using the graduated cylindrical shell model. This also allows us to identify the possible location of the source region. Measurements of the CME kinematics allow us to quantify the expected Doppler dimming in the Ly-alpha channel. Results. Observations show that most CME features seen in the visible-light images are also seen in the Ly-alpha images, although some features in the latter channel appear more structured than their visible-light counterparts. We estimated the expansion velocity of this event to be below 140 km s(-1). Hence, these observations can be understood by assuming that Doppler dimming effects do not strongly reduce the Ly-alpha emission from the CME. These velocities are comparable with or smaller than the radial velocities inferred from the same data in a similar coronal structure on the east side of the Sun. Conclusions. The first observations by Metis of a CME demonstrate the capability of the instrument to provide valuable and novel information on the structure and dynamics of these coronal events. Considering also its diagnostics capabilities regarding the conditions of the ambient corona, Metis promises to significantly advance our knowledge of such phenomena

Keratinocyte-specific stat3 heterozygosity impairs development of skin tumors in human papillomavirus 8 transgenic mice tumors in human papillomavirus 8 transgenic mice.

Human papillomaviruses (HPV) of the genus β are thought to play a role in human skin cancers, but this has been difficult to establish using epidemiologic approaches. To gain insight into the transforming activities of β-HPV, transgenic mouse models have been generated that develop skin tumors. Recent evidence suggests a central role of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (Stat3) as a transcriptional node for cancer cell–autonomous initiation of a tumor-promoting gene signature associated with cell proliferation, cell survival, and angiogenesis. Moreover, high levels of phospho-Stat3 have been detected in tumors arising in HPV8-CER transgenic mice. In this study, we investigate the in vivo role of Stat3 in HPV8-induced skin carcinogenesis by combining our established experimental model of HPV8-induced skin cancer with epidermis-restricted Stat3 ablation. Stat3 heterozygous epidermis was less prone to tumorigenesis than wild-type epidermis. Three of the 23 (13%) Stat3+/−:HPV8 animals developed tumors within 12 weeks of life, whereas 54.3% of Stat3+/+:HPV8 mice already exhibited tumors in the same observation period (median age for tumor appearance, 10 weeks). The few tumors that arose in the Stat3+/−:HPV8 mice were benign and never progressed to a more malignant phenotype. Collectively, these results offer direct evidence of a critical role for Stat3 in HPV8-driven epithelial carcinogenesis. Our findings imply that targeting Stat3 activity in keratinocytes may be a viable strategy to prevent and treat HPV-induced skin cancer. Cancer Res; 70(20); 7938–48. ©2010 AACR

Trend of microbiologically-confirmed tuberculosis in a low-incidence setting with high immigration rates

BACKGROUND: The metropolitan area of Bologna, a city in Northern Italy (Emilia Romagna region), is considered a low incidence setting for TB, but has a high rate of foreign immigration (13.5% official resident immigrants relative to the whole population in 2011). The aim of this study was to describe the epidemiological trend of TB, focusing on differences between Italian and foreign-born cases. METHODS: We examined all bacteriologically confirmed TB cases identified in the Microbiology Unit of Bologna University Hospital from January 2008 and December 2011. We compared demographic, clinical and microbiological data for Italian vs. foreign-born TB cases. RESULTS: Out of 255 TB cases identified during the study period, 168 (65.9%) were represented by foreign-born cases. The proportion of immigrants with TB progressively increased over the study period (from 60.8% in 2008 to 67.5% in 2011). Although foreign-born cases were significantly younger than Italian cases (mean age 32.3 ± 14.4 years vs 61.9 ± 21.5 years), the mean age among the latter decreased from 71.2 in 2008 to 54.6 years in 2011 (p = 0.036). Concerning TB localization, 65.9% (n = 168) had pulmonary TB (P-TB) and 34.1% (n = 87) extra-pulmonary TB (EP-TB). In this study, 35.6% of Italian-born P-TB cases were smear positive, versus 51.4% of foreign-born P-TB cases. The highest proportion of high-grade positive microscopy P-TB was among subjects between 25–34 years old (36.9%; p = 0.004). Mono-resistance to isoniazid (mono-H) was found among 9.2% and 10.1% of Italian and foreign-born cases, respectively. Among Italian cases, resistance to H and any other first line drug (poly-H) and Multidrug resistant TB (MDR-TB) were 4.6% and 1.2%, respectively. In foreign-born cases poly-H (12.8%) and MDR-TB (6.9%) significantly increased over the time (p = 0.003 and p = 0.007, respectively). The proportion of MDR-TB was significantly higher among immigrants from Eastern Europe (10.9%) compared to Italian-born patients (p = 0.043). All (n = 9) MTB strains resistant to four or five first line drugs and Extensively drug resistant (XDR-TB) strains were from foreign-born cases. CONCLUSIONS: TB epidemiology in a low incidence setting is strongly influenced by immigration rates. Ethnicity, mean age, and incidence of MDR-TB among foreign-born cases reflect immigration trends in Northern Italy