Condotte compulsive in paziente con sindrome di Aicardi. agenesia del corpo calloso

The corpus callosum, which is the largest white matter structure in the brain of all placental mammals, connects the left and right cerebral hemispheres. An alteration in its morphology, hypoconnectivity or hyperconnectivity is a common marker of various neuropsychiatric pathologies. One of these is Aicardi syndrome, which is characterized by a triad of callosal agenesis, infantile spasms and chorioretinal lacunae. Patients affected by Aicardi syndrome frequently display other malformations together with congenital defects of the eyes, ribs and vertebrae. Based on the current clinical knowledge, this syndrome is now recognized as a complex neurodevelopmental disorder that includes neurological and constitutional symptoms. However, literature data have not yet defined the presence of a particular set of symptoms in psychiatric patients with this condition. The present case is the first report in which an on-going compulsive behaviour focused on the insistence to order objects has been observed in Aicardi syndrom

Trends in peptic ulcer mortality in Italy, 1955-1985

Study objective-The aim was to analyse trends in mortality from peptic ulcer in Italy between 1955 and 1985, disentangling the role of age, cohort of birth, and period of death. Design-This was a descriptive epidemiological survey. Death certification numbers from peptic ulcer and estimates of the resident population were obtained from official sources. From these data, age specific and age standardised mortality rates from peptic ulcer were computed. A log-linear age, period, and cohort model with arbitrary constraints on the parameters was applied to the matrices of age specific rates between 25 and 74 years of age. Setting-This was a national survey. Main results-For males, overall peptic ulcer mortality was constant or moderately upwards (from 9.0 to 9.4/100 000, on the basis of World Standard Population) from 1955 to the mid-1970s, but declined considerably afterwards to 3.7/100 000 in 1985. Truncated (35-64 years) rates were slightly more favourable, even in earlier calendar periods, but a substantial drop was observed only from the late 1970s onwards. In 1985 the standardised rate was 3.3/100 000 compared to 18.3 in 1955-1959. For females, the time pattern was similar, although the extent of the decline was smaller in absolute terms (from 1.6 to 1.2/100 000, all ages; from 2.3 to 0.7, truncated). Age specific rates showed an earlier decline in the young, while the fall started only after the mid-1970s in older age groups. On the basis of a log-linear age, period, and cohort model, the Italian generations born in the first decade of this century had the highest risk of dying from peptic ulcer, with a substantial decline for each subsequent cohort. Period trends were stable between 1955 and the mid-1970s, but declined appreciably afterwards. Conclusions-In Italy the peak rate of peptic ulcer mortality was observed in the early 1970s, with a delay of around two decades in comparison with northern Europe and the USA. This can be related to the later process of industrialisation in Italy, with the consequent changes in lifestyle habits, and to a later pattern of rise and decline of cigarette smoking. A likely explanation of the falls in mortality on a period of death basis over the last decade is the introduction of new drugs (histamine-2 receptor antagonists) for the treatment of peptic ulcer, with a reduction of complications of the disease and related mortality. This decline in mortality from peptic ulcer corresponds to the avoidance of over 1500 deaths per year in the whole of Italy

High resolution boundary conditions of an old ice target near Dome C, Antarctica

A high resolution (1 km line spacing) aerogeophysical survey was conducted over a region near the East Antarctic Ice Sheet's Dome C that may hold a 1.5 million year old climate record. New ice thickness data derived from an airborne coherent radar sounder was combined with unpublished data that was unavailable for earlier compilations. We find under the primary candidate region elevated rough topography, near a number of subglacial lakes, but also regions of smoother bed. The high resolution of this ice thickness dataset also allows us to explore the nature of ice thickness uncertainties in the context of radar geometry and processing

New Magnetic Anomaly Map of the Antarctic

The second generation Antarctic magnetic anomaly compilation for the region south of 60 degrees S includes some 3.5 million line-km of aeromagnetic and marine magnetic data that more than doubles the initial map's near-surface database. For the new compilation, the magnetic data sets were corrected for the International Geomagnetic Reference Field, diurnal effects, and high-frequency errors and leveled, gridded, and stitched together. The new magnetic data further constrain the crustal architecture and geological evolution of the Antarctic Peninsula and the West Antarctic Rift System in West Antarctica, as well as Dronning Maud Land, the Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountains, the Prince Charles Mountains, Princess Elizabeth Land, and Wilkes Land in East Antarctica and the circumjacent oceanic margins. Overall, the magnetic anomaly compilation helps unify disparate regional geologic and geophysical studies by providing new constraints on major tectonic and magmatic processes that affected the Antarctic from Precambrian to Cenozoic times.Korea Polar Research Institute (KOPRI) programs, PM15040 and PE17050Germany's AWI/Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine ResearchFederal Institute for Geosciences and Natural ResourcesBritish Antarctic Survey/Natural Environmental Research CouncilItalian Antarctic Research ProgrammeRussian Ministry of Natural ResourcesU.S. National Science Foundation and National Space and Aeronautics AdministrationAustralian Antarctic Division and Antarctic Climate & Ecosystem Cooperative Research CentreFrench Polar InstituteGlobal geomagnetic observatories network (INTERMAGNET

Heterogeneous melting near the Thwaites Glacier grounding line

Thwaites Glacier represents 15% of the ice discharge from the West Antarctic Ice Sheet and influences a wider catchment. Because it is grounded below sea level, Thwaites Glacier is thought to be susceptible to runaway retreat triggered at the grounding line (GL) at which the glacier reaches the ocean. Recent ice-flow acceleration2,8 and retreat of the ice front and GL indicate that ice loss will continue. The relative impacts of mechanisms underlying recent retreat are however uncertain. Here we show sustained GL retreat from at least 2011 to 2020 and resolve mechanisms of ice-shelf melt at the submetre scale. Our conclusions are based on observations of the Thwaites Eastern Ice Shelf (TEIS) from an underwater vehicle, extending from the GL to 3 km oceanward and from the ice–ocean interface to the sea floor. These observations show a rough ice base above a sea floor sloping upward towards the GL and an ocean cavity in which the warmest water exceeds 2 °C above freezing. Data closest to the ice base show that enhanced melting occurs along sloped surfaces that initiate near the GL and evolve into steep-sided terraces. This pronounced melting along steep ice faces, including in crevasses, produces stratification that suppresses melt along flat interfaces. These data imply that slope-dependent melting sculpts the ice base and acts as an important response to ocean warming

TRENDS IN PEPTIC-ULCER MORTALITY IN ITALY, 1955-1985

Study objective-The aim was to analyse trends in mortality from peptic ulcer in Italy between 1955 and 1985, disentangling the role of age, cohort of birth, and period of death. Design-This was a descriptive epidemiological survey. Death certification numbers from peptic ulcer and estimates of the resident population were obtained from official sources. From these data, age specific and age standardised mortality rates from peptic ulcer were computed. A log-linear age, period, and cohort model with arbitrary constraints on the parameters was applied to the matrices of age specific rates between 25 and 74 years of age. Setting-This was a national survey. Main results-For males, overall peptic ulcer mortality was constant or moderately upwards (from 9.0 to 9.4/100 000, on the basis of World Standard Population) from 1955 to the mid-1970s, but declined considerably afterwards to 3.7/100 000 in 1985. Truncated (35-64 years) rates were slightly more favourable, even in earlier calendar periods, but a substantial drop was observed only from the late 1970s onwards. In 1985 the standardised rate was 3.3/100 000 compared to 18.3 in 1955-1959. For females, the time pattern was similar, although the extent of the decline was smaller in absolute terms (from 1.6 to 1.2/100 000, all ages; from 2.3 to 0.7, truncated). Age specific rates showed an earlier decline in the young, while the fall started only after the mid-1970s in older age groups. On the basis of a log-linear age, period, and cohort model, the Italian generations born in the first decade of this century had the highest risk of dying from peptic ulcer, with a substantial decline for each subsequent cohort. Period trends were stable between 1955 and the mid-1970s, but declined appreciably afterwards. Conclusions-In Italy the peak rate of peptic ulcer mortality was observed in the early 1970s, with a delay of around two decades in comparison with northern Europe and the USA. This can be related to the later process of industrialisation in Italy, with the consequent changes in lifestyle habits, and to a later pattern of rise and decline of cigarette smoking. A likely explanation of the falls in mortality on a period of death basis over the last decade is the introduction of new drugs (histamine-2 receptor antagonists) for the treatment of peptic ulcer, with a reduction of complications of the disease and related mortality. This decline in mortality from peptic ulcer corresponds to the avoidance of over 1500 deaths per year in the whole of Italy

Potential neuroprotective effect of lithium in bipolar patients evaluated by neuropsychological assessment. Preliminary results

OBJECTIVE: Accumulating evidence is delineating a neuroprotective/neurotrophic role for lithium. However, its primary effects on cognition remain ambiguous. We sought to investigate the profile of cognitive impairment in patients with bipolar disorder and to determine whether continued treatment with lithium preserves cognitive functioning. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, we tested 15 euthymic patients with bipolar I disorder undergoing long-term clinical maintenance treatment with lithium (for at least 12 months), 15 matched patients treated with other mood-stabilizing drugs and who had never received lithium, and 15 matched healthy subjects on the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery. Investigated cognitive domains were visual memory, executive functions, attention, decision-making/impulsivity, and response inhibition. We controlled for age, gender, intelligence, and residual psychiatric symptomatology. RESULTS: Taken together, bipolar patients demonstrated robust deficits in visual memory and executive functions. Once subdivided in treatment subgroups, only non-lithium bipolar patients demonstrated impairments in visual memory. Attention, decision-making, and response inhibition were preserved in both groups. No correlation emerged between neuropsychological tests performance, clinical, and psychological variables. CONCLUSIONS: This study is the first to our knowledge to have demonstrated, by means of a highly sensitive test of visual memory, a potential hippocampus neuroprotective effect of lithium in patients with bipolar disorder. Besides, it confirms prior findings of cognitive deficits in euthymic bipolar patients