IDENTIFYING TIME PATTERNS AT THE FIELD SCALE FOR RETRIEVING SUPERFICIAL SOIL MOISTURE ON AN AGRICULTURAL AREA WITH A CHANGE DETECTION METHOD: A PRELIMINARY ANALYSIS

Abstract. A preliminary analysis based on the application of a change detection method for remote sensed soil moisture retrieval at high resolution is presented. Sentinel-1 SAR images are used for studying agricultural areas in Spain, where in situ soil moisture data are available through the International Soil Moisture Network. The total backscattered SAR signal is modelled as the sum of vegetation and soil contributions. At first, the relationship between soil moisture and the co-polarized band of Sentinel-1 was analyzed for all the measurement stations of the area, and the ones with stronger relation were selected. Time series analyses were then conducted at the field scale for studying the interactions between some SAR parameters and the in situ data. The two polarizations and the polarization ratio were analyzed with respect to in situ soil moisture observations and precipitation data in order to identify homogeneous time domains in which the method can be applied in a consistent manner. Analyses show that the main driver of wide range SAR signal variations is the presence of precipitation events. Moreover, SAR coherence and polarization rate manifest specific behaviors that can be exploited either for deepening the knowledge on the role of model parameters and identifying suitable time and space extends in which operate separate estimations of vegetation, soil moisture and soil roughness parameters. Identification and isolation of precipitation driven patterns, as long as the selection of homogeneous time spans and space regions is the basis for improving the capability of satellite based soil moisture retrieval models

Thalassaemia intermedia: the role of erythroexchange in the treatment of an indolent wound.

Thalassaemia intermedia is a haemoglobinopathy in which, by definition, the patient maintains satisfactory levels of haemoglobin without needing transfusions. Indeed, the condition is also called non-transfusion-dependent thalassaemia. Nevertheless, at some time during the patient’s lifetime, transfusion therapy may become necessary to guarantee a level of haemoglobin adequate for the activities of normal life. Thalassaemia intermedia is most commonly associated with a homozygous or compound heterozygous state for two beta-thalassaemia alleles but the severity of the clinical picture is related to the patient’s genotype and the consequent degree of globin chain imbalance1. The level of foetal haemoglobin (HbF) is usually variably elevated. In addition, patients with thalassaemia intermedia can suffer from an atypical form of pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE), a multisystem disorder affecting, among others, the elastic tissues of the arteries and leading to degeneration and calcification of the elastic lamina of the arterial wall2. At the level of the ankle, low haemoglobin concentrations associated with abnormal red cell rheology and increased haemoglobin F cause tissue hypoxia that promotes thinning of the skin and subcutaneous fragility. As a consequence, trophic ulcers are a common finding in adult patients3. We report here the difficult healing of a surgical wound in a patient with thalassaemia intermedia and the beneficial effect obtained with erythroexchange that, decreasing the level of HbF in favour of HbA, improved the oxygen availability in the area and promoted healing

ANTI-CITRULLINA ANTIBODIES IN ADULT ONSET STILL DISEASE. PRELIMINARY RESULTS

Background: Anti-citrulline antibodies (anti-CCP) are now considered an important sierologic marker for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). They have prognostic properties about erosiveness with > 75% of sensitivity and > 95% of specificity. Adult onset Still disease may have a poliarthritic RA-like presentation. Objectives: The aim of this study is to evaluate the prevalence and diagnostic value of anti-CCP in Adult Onset Still disease (AOSD) and other conditions. Methods: We have studied 123 patients: 10 AOSD (5 F, 5 M), 26 established RA (21F, 5 M), 26 Lupus erithematosus systemicus (SLE) (23 F, 3 M), 57 healthy controls (28 F, 29 M), 4 patients with circulating IgM anti-Epstain Barr virus antibodies (EBV). We have used an ELISA kit provided by Shield. The assay was performed using high purifyied sintetic peptides and anti-human IgG monoclonal antibodies linked by alcaline phosphatase. Results: Anti-CCP were present in 76% of RA patients and in 7.6% of SLE patients. Findings in AOSD, EBV and healthy controls were below of reference level. Conclusion: Our preliminar study confirm data of literature about RA. In AOSD patients we haven't found anti-CCP antibodies, analogously to results from a pediatric study about cases of juvenile idiopatic arthritis. Anti-CCP antibodies absence in AOSD with RA-like poliarticular picture may be usefull for differential diagnosis on seronegative RA

Binding of anti-spectrin antibodies to red blood cells and vesiculation in various in vivo and in vitro ageing conditions in the rat

In this study, the binding of naturally occurring antibodies as well as of induced anti-spectrin antibodies to red blood cells (RBC), in relation with different ageing conditions, was investigated in the rat. RBC from aged animals, or from rats whose RBC were age-induced either by means of hypertransfusion (which blocks erythropoiesis) or by treatment with clodronate-containing liposomes (which reduces RBC removal from circulation), were used. Attainment of RBC ageing was demonstrated by MCV reduction and by an increase of both RBC density and 4.1a/4.1b RBC membrane protein ratio. The results demonstrate an augmented anti-spectrin antibody binding to RBC in relation with their ageing condition, especially when induced by hypertransfusion. The vesiculation process was also investigated and correlated with antibody binding: vesicles were found only in the plasma of clodronate-treated rats, whose RBC showed the lowest level of anti-spectrin antibody binding with respect to the other groups. In addition, RBC preserved in vitro in different media showed a binding of anti-spectrin antibody, which inversely correlated with the vesiculation process. On the whole, the latter results suggest a protective effect of vesicles towards IgG opsonization of aged RBC

CHANGES IN ANTI-SPECTRIN ANTIBODY LEVEL IN RATS EITHER TREATED WITH HOMOLOGOUS SPECTRIN OR BEARING IMPAIRED RBC

A STUDY ON THE EXTENT OF MODIFICATIONS OF ANTI-SPECTRIN ANTIBODIES IN RATS IN DIFFERENT CONDITIONS, SUCH AS IMMUNIZATION WITH HOMOLOGOUS SPECTRIN, PROLONGED PHENYLHYDRAZINE TREATMENT AND RED BLOOD CELL AGING, WAS CARRIED OU

SURVIVAL OF HOMOLOGOUS AGED RBCs IN RATS BEARING INDUCED ANTIBODIES AGAINST SPECTRIN OR OTHER MEMBRANE PROTEINS

A study on the elimination of circulating aged red blood cells was undertaken in rats bearing antibodies against membrane components. RBC ageing was otained by means of the hypertransfusion procedure

IDENTIFICAZIONE DI CELLULE FETALI NEL SANGUE MATERNO: USO DI ANTICORPI ANTI-ERITROCITI DI FUNICOLO

XX RIUNIONE, ANCONA, 1-2 DICEMBRE 199

STUDIO SUI RAPPORTI TRA PROPRIETA' ANTIGENICHE DI SUPERFICIE DI ERITROCITI FETALI E BANDA 3

ATTI DEL 13� CONGRESSO NAZIONALE DELLA SOCIETA' ITALIANA DI IMMUNOLOGIA E DI IMMUNOPATOLOGIA, ROMA 12-15 DICEMBRE 1993