Study of semi-synthetic plastic objects of historic interest using non-invasive total reflectance FT-IR

A significant proportion of modern and contemporary artifacts and objects of historical interest, are composed of materials in the form of synthetic, semi-synthetic, and natural polymers. Each class of polymer and corresponding composite plastics are subject to different degradation processes. This means that conservators and curators of 20th century collections are faced with varied, nontrivial preservation issues. An unresolved problem is the identification of early plastics based on semi-synthetic polymers such as cellulose nitrate, cellulose acetate, and casein formaldehyde, which were often used to imitate the more valuable natural materials such as ivory, tortoiseshell, ebony, and bone. This exemplifies the need for non-invasive methods specifically tailored for identification of plastic materials in collections, so as to provide conservators with a means of materials classification to support preventive conservation strategies and interventive treatments. The present work is aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of non-invasive Total Reflectance (TR) FT-IR spectroscopy, coupled with a custom reference spectral TR FT-IR library, for the identification of materials comprising a series of unknown objects. A set of ten heritage objects made from early semi-synthetic materials was used as a training test set to validate the proposed methodological approach. The FT-IR data acquired on the test objects were pre-processed and finally classified using commercial software tools used for the automatic classification of spectra in FT-IR spectroscopy. The procedure was successfully applied to several cases, although residual uncertainties remained in a few examples. The results obtained are critically analyzed and discussed in the perspective of proposing a robust method for in-field prescreening of the chemical composition of plastic artistic and historical objects

Clear cell sarcoma mimicking a breast tumor in an elderly man: a rare case report and a literature review

Objective: Clear Cell Sarcoma (CCS) is a rare tumor of mesenchymal origin accounting for 1% of soft tissue sarcomas (STS)1. Often misdiagnosed as malignant melanoma2 (MM), it has only one curative treatment: radical surgery and an extensive postoperative follow-up program2. Herein, we present a case of CCS mimicking a right breast tumor, where the patient´s age, gender, growth and localization of the neoplasm render it uncommon. Case presentation: A 70-year-old male was admitted to the Surgery Department complaining about a 3-month right breast tumor. Ultrasound evidenced a nodular formation (2.29 cm-1.91 cm) and mammography showed a hyperdense image, projected 35 mm from the nipple, surrounded by calcifications. No signs of systemic disease were present. Core needle biopsy expressed histological characteristics compatible with both MM and CCS. Results: After multidisciplinary team meeting, a wide resection surgery was performed followed by lymphadenectomy. The immunohistochemistry and pathology report led to the diagnosis: CCS. Conclusions: CCS is a rare sarcoma with poor prognosis. This case is exceptional due to its epidemiology, unusual clinical manifestations and appearance, setting CCS up as a new differential diagnosis to keep in mind regarding breast tumors. Its extreme rarity could help other colleagues deal with this infrequent presentation

The Effect of 17beta Estradiol on Glut1 Expression In The Right Ventricle Of Rats With Severe Pulmonary Hypertension

poster abstractPulmonary hypertension (PH) is a devastating disease that is characterized by a rise of blood pressure in the blood vessels of the lung. This puts significant strain on the right ventricle (RV) of the heart. If untreated, PH can lead to right heart failure and death. One of the hallmarks of right heart failure in PH is the development of cytoplasmic glycolysis in the cardiac muscle cells (myocytes) of the RV. This describes a compensatory process where glucose uptake into the mitochondria is inhibited, thereby leading to its conversion to lactate in the cytoplasm. Importantly, cytoplasmic glycolysis is associated with an increase in a protein called glucose transporter 1 (Glut 1). 17beta estradiol (E2) can ameliorate experimental PH, but its effects on RV glut 1 expression are not yet known. The aim of this project is to determine the RV expression of Glut 1 in a rat model of severe PH, and to investigate whether this is decreased by E2 treatment. We assessed Glut 1 via immunofluorescence staining in cryosections of RV tissue from control rats, untreated PH rats, and E2-treated PH rats. Cell nuclei were stained with DAPI (Diamidinophenyl-indole), cell membranes were stained with WGA (wheat germ agglutinin), and Glut1 was stained with a Glut1 antibody conjugated to a red immunofluorescent dye. Nuclei are stained blue; cell membranes are stained green. Glut 1 quantification occurs via visual inspection and determination of red staining via specific software (Metamorph). We were able to successfully establish the protocol for Glut1 staining. In pilot experiments, there was little Glut1 staining present in normal RVs, but we detected up-regulation of Glut 1 in the RV of animals with PH. Whether this is affected by E2 is currently under investigation

Directed self-assembly of a xenogeneic vascularized endocrine pancreas for type 1 diabetes.

Intrahepatic islet transplantation is the standard cell therapy for β cell replacement. However, the shortage of organ donors and an unsatisfactory engraftment limit its application to a selected patients with type 1 diabetes. There is an urgent need to identify alternative strategies based on an unlimited source of insulin producing cells and innovative scaffolds to foster cell interaction and integration to orchestrate physiological endocrine function. We previously proposed the use of decellularized lung as a scaffold for β cell replacement with the final goal of engineering a vascularized endocrine organ. Here, we prototyped this technology with the integration of neonatal porcine islet and healthy subject-derived blood outgrowth endothelial cells to engineer a xenogeneic vascularized endocrine pancreas. We validated ex vivo cell integration and function, its engraftment and performance in a preclinical model of diabetes. Results showed that this technology not only is able to foster neonatal pig islet maturation in vitro, but also to perform in vivo immediately upon transplantation and for over 18 weeks, compared to normal performance within 8 weeks in various state of the art preclinical models. Given the recent progress in donor pig genetic engineering, this technology may enable the assembly of immune-protected functional endocrine organs

Factor VIII promotes angiogenesis and vessel stability regulating extracellular matrix proteins

Not available

Evidence for surface rupture associated with the Mw 6.3 L’Aquila earthquake sequence of April 2009 (central Italy)

An earthquake of Mw = 6.3 struck L Aquila town (central Italy) on 6 April 2009 rupturing an ~18-km-long SW-dipping normal fault. The aftershock area extended for a length of more than 35 km and included major aftershocks on 7 and 9 April and thousands of minor events. Surface faulting occurred along the SW-dipping Paganica fault with a continuous extent of ~2.5 km. Ruptures consist of open cracks and vertical dislocations or warps (0.1m maximum throw) with an orientation of N130°–140°. Small triggered slip and shaking effects also took place along nearby synthetic and antithetic normal faults. The observed limited extent and small surface displacement of the Paganica ruptures with respect to the height of the fault scarps and vertical throws of palaeo-earthquakes along faults in the area put the faulting associated with the L' Aquila earthquake in perspective with respect to the maximum expected magnitude and the regional seismic hazard.Published43-513.2. Tettonica attivaJCR Journalreserve

A photographic dataset of the coseismic geological effects induced on the environment by the 2012 Emilia (Northern Italy) earthquake sequence

We present a collection of pictures of the coseismic secondary geological effects produced on the environment by the 2012 Emilia seismic sequence in northern Italy. The May-June 2012 sequence struck a broad area located in the Po Plain region, causing 26 deaths and hundreds of injured, 15.000 homeless, severe damage of historical centres and industrial areas, and an estimated economic toll of ~2 billion of euros. The sequence included two mainshocks (Figure 1): the first one, with ML 5.9, occurred on May 20 between Finale Emilia, S. Felice sul Panaro and S. Martino Spino; the second one, with ML 5.8, occurred 12 km southwest of the previous mainshock on May 29. Both the mainshocks occurred on about E-W trending, S dipping blind thrust faults; the whole aftershocks area extends in an E-W direction for more than 50 km and includes five ML≥5.0 events and more than 1800 ML>1.5 events. Ground cracks and liquefactions were certainly the most relevant coseismic geological effects observed during the Emilia sequence. In particular, extensive liquefaction was observed over an area of ~1200 km2 following the May 20 and May 29 events. We collected all the coseismic geological evidence through field survey, helicopter and powered hang-glider trike survey, and reports from local people directly checked in the field. On the basis of their morphologic and structural characteristics the 1362 effects surveyed were grouped into three main categories: a) liquefactions related to overpressure of aquifers, occurring through several aligned vents forming coalescent flat cones (485 effects); b) liquefactions with huge amounts of liquefied sand and fine sand ejected from fractures tens of meters long (768); c) extensional fractures with small vertical throws, apparently organized in an en-echelon pattern, with no effects of liquefaction (109). The photographic dataset consists of 99 pictures of coseismic geological effects observed in 17 localities concentrated in the epicentral area. The pictures are sorted and presented by locality of observation; each photo reports several information such as the name of the site, the geographical coordinates and the type of effect observed. Figure 1 shows a map of the pictures sites along with the location of the two mainshocks; Figure 2 shows a detail of the distribution of the liquefactions in the area of S. Carlo. The complete description of the coseismic geological effects induced by the Emilia sequence, their relation with the aftershock area, the InSAR deformation area and the I>6 EMS felt area, along with the description of the technologies used for data sourcing and processing are shown in Emergeo Working Group [2012a and 2012b].Published1-703.2. Tettonica attivaN/A or not JCRope