Il dialetto di Senigallia

Nell’ambito della situazione dialettale marchigiana, il dialetto di Senigallia svolge un ruolo “di frontiera”. E’ infatti il primo importante centro costiero che linguisticamente non partecipi di certe caratteristiche fonetiche e morfologiche proprie dell’area marchigiana settentrionale. Lo studio analizza i tratti più significativi del dialetto senigalliese

Estakhr Project - Third preliminary report of the joint Mission of the Iranian center for archaeological research, the Parsa-Pasargadae research foundation and the Sapienza University of Rome, Italy

This report presents the preliminary results of the study of the pottery collected during the excavation campaign carried out in 2012 in the framework of the joint Iranian-Italian Archaeological Mission in Estakhr. The ceramic finds relate to a time span ranging from the 9th to the 12th century, corresponding to the occupation phases identified within the stratigraphy. Moreover, the use of archaeometry made it possible to identify both imported and locally manufactured wares

Polar Diels-Alder Reactions using Heterocycles as Electrophiles. Influence of Microwave Irradiation

In this work we studied a series of polar Diels-Alder reactions using different heterocycles derivatives acting as electrophiles joint to dienes of different nucleophilicity, analyzing the effect of the microwave irradiation in these processes. We employ the technique in two conditions: benzene as solvent and solvent free reactions. The last one presents the better yield in shorter time of reaction. Using microwave heating the aromatic cycloadducts are clearly predominant. It is possible to demonstrate that the microwave irradiation has a better influence on these cycloaddition reactions respect to those developed in thermal classical conditions.Fil: Kneeteman, Maria Nelida. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ingeniería Química; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe; ArgentinaFil: López Baena, Anna Francesca. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ingeniería Química; ArgentinaFil: Della Rosa, Claudia Daniela. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ingeniería Química; ArgentinaFil: Mancini, Pedro Maximo Emilio. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ingeniería Química; Argentin

Increased levels of DNA methyltransferases are associated with the tumorigenic capacity of prostate cancer cells

DNA methylation might be the earliest somatic genome changes in prostate cancer that also play an important role in the process of tumor invasion, growth and metastasis. In recent years, several inhibitors of DNA methyltransferases (DNMTis) have been developed and evaluated in pre-clinical models and in clinical trials. While these compounds are effective in the treatment of hematological conditions, clinical trials in solid tumors and in prostate cancer have shown limited or no efficacy. This may be attributed to inappropriate dose regimens leading to toxicity-related adverse events. As with other anti-target compounds, one of the obstacles encountered with DNMTis in prostate cancer could be the inability to select patients for the clinical studies as well as the inability to monitor the efficacy of the drug if not the conclusion of the study. Primary cultures derived from human prostatic tissues harvested from patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and prostate cancer (PCa) as well as neoplastic and non-neoplastic prostate cell lines were tested for DNMT expression/activity and to monitor azacitidine molecular efficacy. We observed that in primary cultures the levels of DNMT activity as well as the protein levels of DNMT1, DNMT3a and DNMT3b were higher in cultures derived from PCa compared to BPH tissue samples and significantly higher in cultures derived from PCa with Gleason scores ≥7 compared to those observed in cultures derived from Gleason scores <7. In addition, DNMT activity as well as DNMT1, DNMT3a and DNMT3b levels were higher in PCa cell lines compared to their non-neoplastic counterparts. Although DNMT activity was higher in high tumorigenic/aggressive PCa cell lines compared to low tumorigenic/aggressive cell lines, only the levels of DNMT3a and DNMT3b were significantly higher in the first group of cells, suggesting that DNMT1 activity is related to the transition to non-neoplastic versus neoplastic phenotype whereas the de novo methylation enzymes were mainly related to progression. Nevertheless, the comparison in the more aggressive PC3 cell derivatives (PC3-LN4 cells) also possessed higher levels of DNMT1 compared to PC3 and PC3M from which these cells were derived. Collectively, our results confirm previous data on the increased methylation in more aggressive tumors supporting the use of DNMTis in advanced prostate cancer. In addition, since glutathione S-transferase-π (GSTP1) was re-expressed or its protein levels were increased after treatment with non-toxic azacitidine doses and since GSTP1 can easily be measured in patient sera, the monitoring of this protein may aide in the evaluation of therapy in future clinical trials

Progress in the Development of CdTe and CdZnTe Semiconductor Radiation Detectors for Astrophysical and Medical Applications

Over the last decade, cadmium telluride (CdTe) and cadmium zinc telluride (CdZnTe) wide band gap semiconductors have attracted increasing interest as X-ray and gamma ray detectors. Among the traditional high performance spectrometers based on silicon (Si) and germanium (Ge), CdTe and CdZnTe detectors show high detection efficiency and good room temperature performance and are well suited for the development of compact and reliable detection systems. In this paper, we review the current status of research in the development of CdTe and CdZnTe detectors by a comprehensive survey on the material properties, the device characteristics, the different techniques for improving the overall detector performance and some major applications. Astrophysical and medical applications are discussed, pointing out the ongoing Italian research activities on the development of these detectors

Intermittent theta-burst stimulation rescues dopamine-dependent corticostriatal synaptic plasticity and motor behavior in experimental parkinsonism. Possible role of glial activity.

Background: Recent studies support the therapeutic utility of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in Parkinson's disease (PD), whose progression is correlated with loss of corticostriatal long-term potentiation and long-term depression. Glial cell activation is also a feature of PD that is gaining increasing attention in the field because astrocytes play a role in chronic neuroinflammatory responses but are also able to manage dopamine (DA) levels. Methods: Intermittent theta-burst stimulation protocol was applied to study the effect of therapeutic neuromodulation on striatal DA levels measured by means of in vivo microdialysis in 6-hydroxydopamine-hemilesioned rats. Effects on corticostriatal synaptic plasticity were studied through in vitro intracellular and whole-cell patch clamp recordings while stepping test and CatWalk were used to test motor behavior. Immunohistochemical analyses were performed to analyze morphological changes in neurons and glial cells. Results: Acute theta-burst stimulation induced an increase in striatal DA levels in hemiparkinsonian rats, 80 minutes post-treatment, correlated with full recovery of plasticity and amelioration of motor performances. With the same timing, immediate early gene activation was restricted to striatal spiny neurons. Intense astrocytic and microglial responses were also significantly reduced 80 minutes following theta-burst stimulation. Conclusion: Taken together, these results provide a first glimpse on physiological adaptations that occur in the parkinsonian striatum following intermittent theta-burst stimulation and may help to disclose the real potential of this technique in treating PD and preventing DA replacement therapy-associated disturbances

Determination of surface lattice strain in ZnTe epilayers on {100}GaAs by ion channeling and reflectance spectroscopy

We report on the direct measurements of surface lattice strain in ZnTe epitaxial layers on {100}GaAs substrates by ion channeling Rutherford backscattering spectrometry and low‐temperature (10 K) reflectance spectroscopy measurements. The measured ZnTe strain is the superposition of the expected thermal (tensile) strain and a thickness‐dependent residual compressive strain. Our data indicate that the removal of this residual strain is slower than the rate predicted by the equilibrium theory, following an apparent h−1/2 power‐law dependence on the epilayer thickness h, above ∼100 nm

Ancient spring waters still emerging and accessible in the Roman Forum area. Chemical–physical and microbiological characterization

The presence of abundant surface and underground waters and, consequently, fertile and flat soils favored the birth and expansion of Rome. Before the construction of the first aqueduct, the “springs” were probably the only source of drinking water in Rome. At the same time, today, many of them are only scarce outcrops that, anyway, constitute an important heritage for their hydrogeological, archaeological, and monumental significance. In the present study, a multiparametric analytical approach is reported to highlight possible differences among the still emerging and accessible sources in the area of the Roman Forum and to exclude infiltrations from the water and/or sewage network. Temperature, conductivity, pH, dissolved oxygen, and redox potential were measured in situ, while the salt and bicarbonate content, the fixed residue, some UV-Vis indices, and the volatile organic compounds were determined in the laboratory. The microbiological water quality was evaluated by assaying Escherichia coli, intestinal Enterococci, and Salmonella, with the total bacterial count at 22 and 37°C. As expected, all samples are non-potable. Nevertheless, the comparison of data on standpipes close to the springs allowed us to exclude important infiltrations from the water network and the microbiological analysis of those from the sewer network

Prevalence and time course of post-stroke pain: A multicenter prospective hospital-based study

OBJECTIVE: Pain prevalence data for patients at various stages after stroke. DESIGN: Repeated cross-sectional, observational epidemiological study. SETTING: Hospital-based multicenter study. SUBJECTS: Four hundred forty-three prospectively enrolled stroke survivors. METHODS: All patients underwent bedside clinical examination. The different types of post-stroke pain (central post-stroke pain, musculoskeletal pains, shoulder pain, spasticity-related pain, and headache) were diagnosed with widely accepted criteria during the acute, subacute, and chronic stroke stages. Differences among the three stages were analyzed with χ(2)-tests. RESULTS: The mean overall prevalence of pain was 29.56% (14.06% in the acute, 42.73% in the subacute, and 31.90% in the chronic post-stroke stage). Time course differed significantly according to the various pain types (P < 0.001). The prevalence of musculoskeletal and shoulder pain was higher in the subacute and chronic than in the acute stages after stroke; the prevalence of spasticity-related pain peaked in the chronic stage. Conversely, headache manifested in the acute post-stroke stage. The prevalence of central post-stroke pain was higher in the subacute and chronic than in the acute post-stroke stage. Fewer than 25% of the patients with central post-stroke pain received drug treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Pain after stroke is more frequent in the subacute and chronic phase than in the acute phase, but it is still largely undertreated