Microclimate monitoring in the Carcer Tullianum: temporal and spatial correlation and gradients evidenced by multivariate analysis; first campaign

Too often microclimate studies in the field of cultural heritage are published without any or scarce information on sampling design, sensors (type, number, position) and instrument validation. Lacking of this fundamental information does not allow an open discussion in the scientific community. This work aims to be an invitation for a different approach

Chromosomal Aberrations in Bladder Cancer: Fresh versus Formalin Fixed Paraffin Embedded Tissue and Targeted FISH versus Wide Microarray-Based CGH Analysis

Bladder carcinogenesis is believed to follow two alternative pathways driven by the loss of chromosome 9 and the gain of chromosome 7, albeit other nonrandom copy number alterations (CNAs) were identified. However, confirmation studies are needed since many aspects of this model remain unclear and considerable heterogeneity among cases has emerged. One of the purposes of this study was to evaluate the performance of a targeted test (UroVysion assay) widely used for the detection of Transitional Cell Carcinoma (TCC) of the bladder, in two different types of material derived from the same tumor. We compared the results of UroVysion test performed on Freshly Isolated interphasic Nuclei (FIN) and on Formalin Fixed Paraffin Embedded (FFPE) tissues from 22 TCCs and we didn't find substantial differences. A second goal was to assess the concordance between array-CGH profiles and the targeted chromosomal profiles of UroVysion assay on an additional set of 10 TCCs, in order to evaluate whether UroVysion is an adequately sensitive method for the identification of selected aneuploidies and nonrandom CNAs in TCCs. Our results confirmed the importance of global genomic screening methods, that is array based CGH, to comprehensively determine the genomic profiles of large series of TCCs tumors. However, this technique has yet some limitations, such as not being able to detect low level mosaicism, or not detecting any change in the number of copies for a kind of compensatory effect due to the presence of high cellular heterogeneity. Thus, it is still advisable to use complementary techniques such as array-CGH and FISH, as the former is able to detect alterations at the genome level not excluding any chromosome, but the latter is able to maintain the individual data at the level of single cells, even if it focuses on few genomic regions

Marine Litter in the Pelagos Sanctuary: alone we can do so little. Together we can do so much!

Participation of volunteers in scientific projects has been demonstrated to be effective also from educational and social point of view, since it fills the gap between who produces science/technology and who benefits from it. Nevertheless, motivating and enabling citizens in a long-term commitment represents an essential problem. SeaCleaner project is an example on how this can be guaranteed trough involvement of both volunteers and students in a monitoring program on the subject of marine litter, in a stretch of the Mediterranean-Sea characterized by the presence of marine mammals (Pelagos Sanctuary). This areal is threatened, as many coastal areas, by increasing pollution due to the waste stranded on beaches or floating in the water column, with damage to marine life. Monitoring activities have been carried on, in the last two years, through collaboration of research institutions (ISMAR, INGV), educational institutions (Liguria, Emilia-Romagna and Toscana secondary schools), voluntary associations, national and regional parks and protected marine areas in Liguria and Toscana [1]. Students have been directly involved in the definition of a protocol of data acquisitions (based on MSFD [2]), and in the set up of an app for Android devices, easy-to-use and, at the same time, methodologically sound and comprehensive, that should support volunteers during scheduled trash removal campaigns, overcoming the current lack of data (amount of litter per unit of surface, correlations between trash abundance and factors as degree of protection of the area, presence of rivers, ports, touristic activities etc.). Seacleaner effects: it expands young generation's knowledge on topics not strictly related to scholastic curriculum, and approaches environment problems often unknown to them; it brings students of middle and high school to interact each other and with volunteers and researchers engaged in the monitoring actions (peer-education, inter-generational education), it implements technology training for solving environmental problems concerning local heritage.PublishedFirenze2TM. Divulgazione Scientific

Ensuring long-term commitment of citizens in environmental monitoring and scientific research.

“Percorsi nel BLU”/“Blue Paths” is a project – carried out by a Science teacher of a Unified School District in La Spezia - aimed for teaching scientific methods trough interactive learning and operational research on marine habitats. SEACleaner, instead, is a project carried out by a National Research Centre – Institute of Marine Sciences ISMAR-CNR– aimed for monitoring the impact of marine debris and for raising awareness on the importance of appropriate management strategies for solving this problem; this project involves higher secondary school students trough “work-related learning” internships. “Percorsi nel BLU”/“Blue Paths” and SEACleaner are actually cooperating and sharing some goals, methodologies and sampling sites of the coastal Tuscan and Ligurian Protected Areas. The cooperation is giving interesting and important educational outcomes and scientific results such as: updated checklists of benthic communities, high frequency of surveys that can allow to identify significant seasonal patterns (especially for beach litter accumulation rates) but also synergy among very different partners (marine parks, researchers, local authorities, citizens, environmental education centres, teachers and students) that represents an effective push-pull impulse for maintaining a long lasting engagement of citizens in scientific research.PublishedGenova, Italy3A. Ambiente Marinoreserve

Ensuring long-term commitment of citizens in environmental monitoring and scientific research.

“Percorsi nel BLU”/“Blue Paths” is a project – carried out by a Science teacher of a Unified School District in La Spezia - aimed for teaching scientific methods trough interactive learning and operational research on marine habitats. SEACleaner, instead, is a project carried out by a National Research Centre – Institute of Marine Sciences ISMAR-CNR– aimed for monitoring the impact of marine debris and for raising awareness on the importance of appropriate management strategies for solving this problem; this project involves higher secondary school students trough “work-related learning” internships. “Percorsi nel BLU”/“Blue Paths” and SEACleaner are actually cooperating and sharing some goals, methodologies and sampling sites of the coastal Tuscan and Ligurian Protected Areas. The cooperation is giving interesting and important educational outcomes and scientific results such as: updated checklists of benthic communities, high frequency of surveys that can allow to identify significant seasonal patterns (especially for beach litter accumulation rates) but also synergy among very different partners (marine parks, researchers, local authorities, citizens, environmental education centres, teachers and students) that represents an effective push-pull impulse for maintaining a long lasting engagement of citizens in scientific research

Tolerogenic effect of mesenchymal stromal cells on gliadin-specific T lymphocytes in celiac disease

Celiac disease is caused by a dysregulated immune response toward dietary gluten, whose only treatment is a lifelong gluten-free diet. We investigated the effects of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) on gliadin-specific T cells, which are known to induce intestinal lesions, in view of a possible use as new therapy

Antiretroviral treatment in pregnancy: a six-year perspective on recent trends in prescription patterns, viral load suppression, and pregnancy outcomes

The aim of the study was to describe the recent trends in antiretroviral treatment in late pregnancy and the sociodemographic changes among pregnant women with HIV over the last 6 years. Data from the National Program on Surveillance on Antiretroviral Treatment in Pregnancy in Italy were grouped per calendar year, and changes in antiretroviral treatment, population characteristics, maternal immunovirologic status and newborn clinical parameters were analyzed. A total of 981 HIV-infected mothers who delivered between 2002 and 2008 were evaluated. The proportion of women receiving at least three antiretroviral drugs at delivery increased significantly from 63.0% in 2002 to 95.5% in 2007-2008, paralleled by a similar upward trend in the proportion of women who achieved complete viral suppression at third trimester (from 37.3 in 2002 to 80.9 in 2007-2008; p < 0.001). The co-formulation of zidovudine plus lamivudine remained the most common nucleoside backbone in pregnancy, even if a significant increase in the use of tenofovir plus emtricitabine was observed in more recent years. Starting from 2003, nevirapine prescription declined, paralleled by a significant rise in the use of protease inhibitors (PI), which were present in more than 60% of regimens administered in 2007-2008. Nelfinavir was progressively replaced by ritonavir-boosted PIs, mainly lopinavir. No significant changes in preterm delivery, Apgar score, birth weight, and birth defects were observed during the study period, and the rate of HIV transmission remained below 2%. These data demonstrate a significant evolution in the treatment of HIV in pregnancy. Constant improvements in the rates of HIV suppression were observed, probably driven by the adoption of stronger and more effective regimens and by the increasing options available for combination treatmen