Studio dell'infiltrato linfocitario peritumorale e dei linfociti circolanti in pazienti affetti da melanoma cutaneo

I linfociti T \u3b3\u3b4 sono un gruppo di effettori \u201cnatural killer\u201d del sistema immunitario innato che hanno rappresentato un interessante oggetto di studio nel corso degli ultimi anni. Il Dipartimento di Discipline Chirurgiche, Oncologiche ed Odontostomatologiche del Policlinico Universitario di Palermo, da anni attivo nei confronti della ricerca scientifica, ha recentemente condotto uno studio mirato alla conoscenza del potenziale effetto immunoterapeutico di questa popolazione linfocitaria verso i melanomi in stadio avanzato. Sulla base della classificazione della American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) i pazienti affetti da melanoma maligno in stadio IV con neoplasia metastatica hanno una prognosi infausta, con una bassa sopravvivenza a 5 anni. Dati statistici stimano che la sopravvivenza globale sia inferiore al 10%, evidenziando come pochi trattamenti terapeutici siano al momento disponibili e ragionevolmente efficaci. I diversi schemi terapeutici proposti ed approvati per il trattamento del melanoma metastatico (interleukina 2 ad alte dosi e chemioterapia) hanno mostrato un tasso di risposta globale del 16% e del 7,5%, con bassa risposta completa e sopravvivenza a lungo termine. Lo studio e l\u2019analisi dell\u2019infiltrato linfocitario peritumorale (TIL) nei pazienti affetti da melanoma maligno e la ricerca di linfociti circolanti nel torrente ematico permetter\ue0 di definire il ruolo chiave dei linfociti T \u3b3\u3b4, e le potenzialit\ue0 del trattamento terapeutico del melanoma maligno metastatico.\u3b3\u3b4 T cells are a group of effectors "natural killer" of the innate immune system, which represented an interesting object of study in recent years. The Department of Surgical, Oncology and Dentistry of the University Hospital of Palermo, active for years in respect of scientific research, has recently conducted a study aimed at understanding the potential effect of this immunotherapeutic lymphocyte population to the advanced-stage melanomas. Based on the classification of the American Joint Committee on Cancer ( AJCC ) patients with stage IV malignant melanoma with metastatic cancer have a poor prognosis, with a low 5-year survival. Statistical data estimate that overall survival is less than 10 %, highlighting how few treatments are currently available and reasonably effective. The different therapeutic schemes proposed and approved for the treatment of metastatic melanoma (high-dose interleukin- 2 and chemotherapy) showed an overall response rate of 16 % and 7.5 %, with a low complete response and long-term survival. The study and analysis of the infiltrated peritumoral lymphocytes ( TIL) in patients with malignant melanoma and the pursuit of lymphocytes circulating in the blood stream will allow you to define the key role of \u3b3\u3b4 T cells, and the potential of the therapeutic treatment of metastatic malignant melanoma

Determining Nutrient Recommendations for Agricultural Crops Based on Soil and Plant Tissue Analyses Between Different Analytical Laboratories

There is limited information concerning the disparities between soil and plant tissue testing laboratories. Soil and plant tissue analyses are crucial to determining nutrient applications for agricultural field crops. Accurate fertility inputs improve crop production and long-term agricultural sustainability. The over application of nutrients can potentially decrease yields and reduce profits. A study was established in 2016 at Louisiana State University at Alexandria (LSUA) in Alexandria, Louisiana to 1) assess and compare soil and plant tissue nutrient values, ratings and recommendations between research and commercial laboratories for field corn (Zea mays) and soybean (Glycine max), and 2) compare crop response and yields between the different recommendations provided by each laboratory. A survey was also conducted to identify soil and plant tissue testing procedures and methods followed by local growers. The majority of growers perform soil tests and do so regularly, while plant tissue analyses are conducted less often than soil. For fertility questions and recommendations, the option ‘other’ was most selected by responders, while the second option was equal between LSU AgCenter extension agents and agriculture consultants. The experiment was prepared in a randomized complete block design on a Coushatta silt loam soil. Soil and plant tissue samples were collected and analyzed for elemental levels using the Mehlich-3 extraction method (extractable Ca, Cu, K, Mg, Na, P, S and Zn). The soil was a Plant tissue agricultural metals, (Al, B, Ca, Cu, Fe, K, P, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, S and Zn) were extracted using hydrochloric and nitric acid plant tissue digestion. Overall procedures and methods remained congruent among research and commercial laboratories. Following the elemental analyses of soil and plant tissue, nutrients were applied as recommended by each laboratory throughout the growing season. Ratings and recommendations were based on fertility method. The sufficiency approach to fertilization applied enough nutrients for the growing season; the build-up and maintenance method built the elemental concentration of soil until it reached the soil critical level and then maintained the amount of nutrients in the soil, so it was never limiting. For both field corn and soybean, commercial laboratories recommended higher nutrient applications for soil and plant tissue for each year of study, although elemental results remained similar in value between laboratories. Overall yield results exhibited minor variation between research and commercial laboratories. The results of the survey indicated soil and plant tissue testing are performed regularly by local growers, however, the distribution of sample analyses and information obtained varied. Agriculture sustainability and conservation was also rated high by participants

A Gaze into politics. The role of ideology, personality and political group processing in shaping automatic social behaviors

Studies in human and non-human primates indicate that basic socio-cognitive operations are inherently linked to the power of gaze in capturing reflexively the attention of an observer. Here I report a series of behavioral and neural investigation studies that I and my collaborators have conducted on the modulation of this automatic social behavior by high order factors as politics. In particular, we showed that Gaze following behavior is permeable to social identities within the political domain, individual differences in ideology and personality and low level facial features that drive our inferences on the personality of a character. Furthermore I discussed which are the social processes that underly this basic social cognitive behavior and sketched future directions to better clarify this issue

London, British Library, Royal 1 A. xiv: "West-Saxon Gospels"

280. London, British Library, Royal 1 A. xiv "West-Saxon Gospels" [Ker 245, Gneuss -

London, British Library, Cotton Otho C. i., vol. 1 + Cotton Otho B. x, f. 51: 'West-Saxon Gospels"

218. London, British Library, Cotton Otho C. i., vol. 1 + Cotton Otho B. x, f. 51 'West-Saxon Gospels" [Ker 181, Gneuss 358

Pinning Control of Higher Order Nonlinear Network Systems

In this letter, we study the problem of controlling via pinning the motion of nonlinear network systems of any order whose dynamics are in controllable canonical form. Different from existing works that either focus on spontaneous synchronization, assume linear dynamics or rely on dynamics cancellation, here we provide a constructive method to prove pinning controllability towards the desired trajectory selected by the pinner. We introduce an algorithmic procedure that associates to any connected topology a suitable Lyapunov function for the network system. The approach is demonstrated on an illustrative example