Instrumental Monitoring of a Slow-Moving Landslide in Piedmont (Northwest Italy) for the Definition of Rainfall Thresholds

The prediction and prevention of landslide hazard is a challenging topic involving the assessment and quantitative evaluation of several elements: geological and geomorphological setting, rainfalls, and ground motion. This paper presents the multi-approach investigation of the Nevissano landslide (Asti Province, Piedmont, NW Italy). It shows a continuous and slow movement, alongside few paroxysmal events, the last recorded in 2016. The geological and geomorphological models were defined through a field survey. An inventory of the landslide’s movements and rainfall records in the period 2000–2016 was performed, respectively, through archive investigations and the application of “Moving Sum of Daily Rainfall” method, allowing for the definition of rain thresholds for the landslide activation (105 mm and 193 mm, respectively, in 3 and 30 days prior to the event). The displacements over the last 8 years (2016–2023) were monitored through an innovative in-continuum monitoring inclinometric system and Earth Observation (EO) data (i.e., relying on Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar, or InSAR data): it gave the opportunity to validate the rainfall thresholds previously defined. This study aims to provide information to public authorities for the appropriate management of the site. Moreover, the proposed workflow could be adopted as a guideline for investigating similar situations

The RES approach for debris flow susceptibility analysis: A case study

Climate change has increased the occurrence and magnitude of debris flow events, especially in mountain areas. Moreover, their unpredictability requires to develop reliable methodologies for the evaluation of debris flow susceptibility, which is the starting point for risk assessment and management. In this paper, a modified version of the Debris flow Propensity Index (DfPI) is developed for the debris flow susceptibility estimation at basin scale. Bedrock lithology, fracture network, quaternary deposits, slope angle, channel network, and land use were identified as debris flow predisposing factors and were indexed by using open-access data and geodatabases. The objective of the proposed study is to develop a simple and economic procedure for the susceptibility estimation, easily to implement in GIS-based software for further analyses, such as propagation simulations or hazard scenarios, useful for planning mitigation strategies. The Can? Valley, a small valley located in the more famous Camonica Valley, (Lombardia Region, Northern Italy), was used as a case study for developing and testing the proposed approach

A novel member of the BTB/POZ family, PATZ, associates with the RNF4 RING finger protein and acts as a transcriptional repressor.

We have identified a novel human gene encoding a 59-kDa POZ-AT hook-zinc finger protein (PATZ) that interacts with RNF4, a mediator of androgen receptor activity, and acts as a transcriptional repressor. PATZ cDNA was isolated through a two-hybrid interaction screening using the RING finger protein RNF4 as a bait. In vitro and in vivo interaction between RNF4 and PATZ was demonstrated by protein-protein affinity chromatography and coimmunoprecipitation experiments. Such interaction occurred through a small region of PATZ containing an AT-hook DNA binding domain. Immunofluorescence staining and confocal microscopy showed that PATZ localizes in distinct punctate nuclear regions and colocalizes with RNF4. Functional analysis was performed by cotransfection assays: PATZ acted as a transcriptional repressor, whereas its partner RNF4 behaved as a transcriptional activator. When both proteins were overexpressed a strong repression of the basal transcription was observed, indicating that the association of PATZ with RNF4 switches activation to repression. In addition, RNF4 was also found to associate with HMGI(Y), a chromatin-modeling factor containing AT-hook domains

Remote Glucose Monitoring Platform for Multiple Simultaneous Patients at Coronavirus Disease 2019 Intensive Care Units: Case Report including Adults and Children

This work focuses on remote glucose monitoring at COVID-19 Intensive Care Units (ICU)in Argentina. We report the first cases using a new emergency platform for multi-centermulti-patient on-line remote glucose monitoring, which is accessible for everyone ondemand and which allows the integration of different glucose sensors. Five critical patientshave been monitored, two children and three adults, together with an ambulatory patient totest the platform versatility. All ICU patients have recovered or have been metabolicallycontrolled by the date of the submission of this report. Relevant lessons have been learnedfor the glucose management of critical patients, resulting in a new protocol in one of theparticipant hospitals.Fil: Garelli, Fabricio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones en Electrónica, Control y Procesamiento de Señales. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones en Electrónica, Control y Procesamiento de Señales; ArgentinaFil: Rosales, Nicolás. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones en Electrónica, Control y Procesamiento de Señales. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones en Electrónica, Control y Procesamiento de Señales; ArgentinaFil: Fushimi, Emilia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones en Electrónica, Control y Procesamiento de Señales. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones en Electrónica, Control y Procesamiento de Señales; ArgentinaFil: Arambarri, Delfina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones en Electrónica, Control y Procesamiento de Señales. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones en Electrónica, Control y Procesamiento de Señales; ArgentinaFil: Mendoza, Leandro Ezequiel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones en Electrónica, Control y Procesamiento de Señales. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones en Electrónica, Control y Procesamiento de Señales; ArgentinaFil: de Battista, Hernán. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones en Electrónica, Control y Procesamiento de Señales. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones en Electrónica, Control y Procesamiento de Señales; ArgentinaFil: Sanchez Peña, Ricardo Salvador. Instituto Tecnológico de Buenos Aires. Departamento de Matemática. Centro de Sistemas y Control; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: García Arabehety, Julia. Hospital Italiano; ArgentinaFil: DIstefano, Sabrina. Hospital Italiano; ArgentinaFil: Barcala, Consuelo. Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Hospital de Pediatría "Juan P. Garrahan"; ArgentinaFil: Giunta, Javier. Hospital Italiano; ArgentinaFil: Las Heras, Marcos. Hospital Italiano; ArgentinaFil: Martinez Mateu, Carolina. Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Hospital de Pediatría "Juan P. Garrahan"; ArgentinaFil: Prieto, Mariana. Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Hospital de Pediatría "Juan P. Garrahan"; ArgentinaFil: San Román, Eduardo. Hospital Italiano; ArgentinaFil: Krochik, Andrea Gabriela. Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Hospital de Pediatría "Juan P. Garrahan"; ArgentinaFil: Grosembacher, Luis. Hospital Italiano; Argentin

Motoric Cognitive Risk Syndrome, Subtypes and 8-Year All-Cause Mortality in Aging Phenotypes: The Salus in Apulia Study

BackgroundThis study aims to establish the key clinical features of different motoric cognitive risk (MCR) subtypes based on individual quantitative measures of cognitive impairment and to compare their predictive power on survival over an 8-year observation time.MethodsWe analyzed data from a population-based study of 1138 subjects aged 65 years and older in south Italy. These individuals were targeted and allocated to subtypes of the MCR phenotype according to the slowness criterion plus one other different cognitive domain for each characterized phenotype (Subjective Cognitive Complaint [SCC]; Global Function [Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) < 24]; or a combination of both). Clinical evaluation and laboratory assays, along with a comprehensive battery of neuropsychological and physical tests, completed the sample investigation.ResultsMCR prevalence was found to be 9.8% (n = 112), 3.6% (n = 41), 3.4% (n = 39) and 1.8% (n = 21) for the MCR, MCR-GlobalFunction, MCR-StructuredSCC and MCR-SCC and GlobalFunction, respectively. Univariate Cox survival analysis showed an association only of the MCR-GlobalFunction subtype with an almost three-fold increased risk of overall death as compared to the other counterparts (HR 2.53, 95%CI 1.28 to 4.99) over an 8-year observation period. Using Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE) for clustered survival data, we found that MCR males had an increased and significant mortality risk with respect to MCR female subjects.ConclusionsMCR phenotypes assigned to the MMSE cognitive domain are more likely to have an increased risk of overall mortality, and gender showed a huge effect on the risk of death for MCR subjects over the 8-year observation

Serum levels of IL-6 are associated with cognitive impairment in the salus in apulia population-based study

Growing evidence suggests that inflammation contributes to brain aging and neurodegeneration. This study investigates the relationship between global cognitive as well executive function and the inflammatory markers IL-6, CRP, and TNF-α in a population-based study of older adults. A population-based sample, of older people in Southern Italy, was enrolled. We measured serum levels of IL-6, CRP, and TNF-α. We also administered two neuropsychological tests: Mini-Mental State Examination and Frontal Assessment Battery. Rank-based regression models were performed to investigate the relationship between inflammatory markers and cognitive functions, including major demographic and clinical confounders for adjustment. The sample consisted of 1929 subjects aged between 65 and 95 years. Multivariate linear regression analysis revealed that higher serum levels of IL-6 were associated with lower MMSE and FAB scores even after adjustment for demographic data and cardiovascular risk factors. No significant associations were found between cognitive functioning and serum levels of CRP and TNF-α. Our results suggest that higher levels of IL-6 were associated with cognitive impairment in an older adult population of Southern Italy

HMGA2 exhibits dRP/AP site cleavage activity and protects cancer cells from DNA-damage-induced cytotoxicity during chemotherapy

HMGA proteins are not translated in normal human somatic cells, but are present in high copy numbers in pluripotent embryonic stem cells and most neoplasias. Correlations between the degree of malignancy, patient prognostic index and HMGA levels have been firmly established. Intriguingly, HMGA2 is also found in rare tumor-inducing cells which are resistant to chemotherapy. Here, we demonstrate that HMGA1a/b and HMGA2 possess intrinsic dRP and AP site cleavage activities, and that lysines and arginines in the AT-hook DNA-binding domains function as nucleophiles. We also show that HMGA2 can be covalently trapped at genomic abasic sites in cancer cells. By employing a variety of cell-based assays, we provide evidence that the associated lyase activities promote cellular resistance against DNA damage that is targeted by base excision repair (BER) pathways, and that this protection directly correlates with the level of HMGA2 expression. In addition, we demonstrate an interaction between human AP endonuclease 1 and HMGA2 in cancer cells, which supports our conclusion that HMGA2 can be incorporated into the cellular BER machinery. Our study thus identifies an unexpected role for HMGA2 in DNA repair in cancer cells which has important clinical implications for disease diagnosis and therapy

Clinical and molecular description of the first Italian cohort of 33 subjects with hypophosphatasia

IntroductionHypophosphatasia (HPP) is a rare genetic disease caused by inactivating variants of the ALPL gene. Few data are available on the clinical presentation in Italy and/or on Italian HPP surveys.MethodsThere were 30 suspected HPP patients recruited from different Italian tertiary cares. Biological samples and related clinical, biochemical, and anamnestic data were collected and the ALPL gene sequenced. Search for large genomic deletions at the ALPL locus (1p36) was done. Phylogenetic conservation and modeling were applied to infer the effect of the variants on the protein structure.ResultsThere were 21 ALPL variants and one large genomic deletion found in 20 out of 30 patients. Unexpectedly, NGS-driven differential diagnosis allowed uncovering three hidden additional HPP cases, for a total of 33 HPP subjects. Eight out of 24 coding variants were novel and classified as “pathogenic”, “likely pathogenic”, and “variants of uncertain significance”. Bioinformatic analysis confirmed that all the variants strongly destabilize the homodimer structure. There were 10 cases with low ALP and high VitB6 that resulted negative to genetic testing, whereas two positive cases have an unexpected normal ALP value. No association was evident with other biochemical/clinical parameters.DiscussionWe present the survey of HPP Italian patients with the highest ALPL mutation rate so far reported and confirm the complexity of a prompt recognition of the syndrome, mostly for HPP in adults. Low ALP and high VitB6 values are mandatory for the genetic screening, this latter remaining the gold standard not only to confirm the clinical diagnosis but also to make differential diagnosis, to identify carriers, to avoid likely dangerous therapy in unrecognized cases

Cama de pollo en Entre Ríos. Aportes para un mejor uso y manejo

La cama de pollo (CP) es un residuo de la producción avícola de pollos parrilleros. Entre Ríos y en particular el área de influencia de la Estación Experimental del INTA Concepción del Uruguay constituyen el principal núcleo productivo de esta rama de la avicultura a nivel país. Entre Ríos concentró el 48,7% de la faena del año 2015. El objetivo del libro es acercar a profesionales, productores, empresas e instituciones interesadas, la información obtenida relativa a la CP por esta unidad del INTA, a través de una compilación.EEA Concepción del UruguayFil: Almada, Natalia Soledad. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Concepción del Uruguay; ArgentinaFil: Araujo, Santiago Ruben. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Concepción del Uruguay; ArgentinaFil: Arias, Norma Monica. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Concepción del Uruguay; ArgentinaFil: Bernigaud, Irma Isabel. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Concepción del Uruguay; ArgentinaFil: Bueno, Dante Javier. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Concepción del Uruguay; ArgentinaFil: De Battista, Juan José. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Concepción del Uruguay; ArgentinaFil: Duarte, Sabrina Lorena. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ingeniería Química; ArgentinaFil: Duarte, Sabrina Lorena. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET). Centro Científico Tecnológico Santa Fe; ArgentinaFil: Federico, Francisco Javier. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Concepción del Uruguay; ArgentinaFil: Ferrer, José Luis. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Concepción del Uruguay. Agencia de Extensión Rural Villaguay; ArgentinaFil: Gallinger, Claudia Isabel. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Concepción del Uruguay; ArgentinaFil: Gange, Juan Martí­n. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Concepción del Uruguay; ArgentinaFil: Garcia, Ana Laura. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Concepción del Uruguay; ArgentinaFil: Genta, Guillermo. Actividad privada; ArgentinaFil: Procura, Francisco. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Concepción del Uruguay; ArgentinaFil: Procura, Francisco. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET); ArgentinaFil: Pulido, Diego Germán. Actividad privada; ArgentinaFil: Re, Alejo Esteban. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Concepción del Uruguay; ArgentinaFil: Rodriguez, Francisco. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Concepción del Uruguay; ArgentinaFil: Rodriguez, Francisco. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET); ArgentinaFil: Soria, Mario. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Concepción del Uruguay; Argentin