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Due to their lightness and simple connectivity, steel racking systems are typically considered as “low-dissipative” structures, which is reflected in the modern seismic codes by the absence of capacity design and the adoption of low behaviour factors. This limited capability of stress redistribution significantly increases the vulnerability of racks under beyond-design seismic hazards and raises the demand for more resilient designs. Along these lines, the proposed Plastic Ovalization Strategy (POS) attempts to increase the ductility of the individual upright frames comprising the cross-aisle direction of racks, and at the same time to preserve their low-cost and easy-to-assemble nature. This is achieved by tasking the bearing failure mechanism of the diagonal bolt hole to absorb seismic deformations, while capacity design is employed to keep the rest of the structure in the elastic zone. Following a detailed discussion on the motives and basic principles of the strategy, two high-rise racking systems are designed twice by professional engineers, once using standard approaches and then by additionally employing the proposed POS rules. Finally, the two design solutions are compared by conducting a comprehensive seismic assessment, which employs a phenomenological macro-model comprising elastic elements and nonlinear springs to simulate the bearing failure mechanism.

A 34-year-old patient underwent liver transplantation for progressive hepatic failure in the setting of congenital hepatic fibrosis. In past medical history, the patient had undergone splenectomy with proximal Linton’s splenorenal surgical shunt creation for symptomatic portal hypertension with hypersplenism. The patient developed an early allograft dysfunction, with radiologic evidence of a reduced portal flow associated to portal steal from the patent surgical shunt. The patient was successfully treated through endovascular placement of a 30 mm Amplatzer cardiac plug at the origin of the splenic vein.

This paper presents a mechanical model developed for the simulation of the monotonic behaviour of Steel frames with Reinforced Concrete infill Walls (SRCW). In particular, it deals with a specific typology of SRCW, obtained from the classical one through the interposition of dissipative elements in the columns and by stiffening and shaping the steel frame’s corners in a way to prevent the brittle failure of the concrete in compression. This system has demonstrated in past researches to be able to overcome the typical problems of SRCWs and to assure, through a capacity design approach, a global ductile behavior. The selection of the main components to be included in the model is carried out on the base of the analysis of the available experimental tests and of the results of accurate 3D Finite Element model analyses. The behaviour of each component is represented though consolidated models present in the current state-of-the-art and, where necessary, calibrated using the results of the experimental and numerical analyses. The capacity of the proposed mechanical model in representing the global behaviour of the SRCWs is finally demonstrated comparing the results in terms of force–displacement curves with the ones obtained through the refined 3D Finite Element models.

OBJECTIVE Type 2 diabetes may affect the humoral immune response after vaccination, but data concerning coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) vaccines are scarce. We evaluated the impact of diabetes on antibody response to the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccination in older residents of long-term care facilities (LTCFs) and tested for differences according to antidiabetic treatment. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS For this analysis, 555 older residents of LTCFs participating in the GeroCovid Vax study were included. SARS-CoV-2 trimeric S immunoglobulin G (anti-S IgG) concentrations using chemiluminescent assays were tested before the first dose and after 2 and 6 months. The impact of diabetes on anti-S IgG levels was evaluated using linear mixed models, which included the interaction between time and presence of diabetes. A second model also considered diabetes treatment: no insulin therapy (including dietary only or use of oral antidiabetic agents) and insulin therapy (alone or in combination with oral antidiabetic agents). RESULTS The mean age of the sample was 82.1 years, 68.1% were women, and 25.2% had diabetes. In linear mixed models, presence of diabetes was associated with lower anti-S IgG levels at 2 (β = −0.20; 95% CI −0.34, −0.06) and 6 months (β = −0.22; 95% CI −0.37, −0.07) after the first vaccine dose. Compared with those without diabetes, residents with diabetes not using insulin had lower IgG levels at 2- and 6-month assessments (β = −0.24; 95% CI −0.43, −0.05 and β = −0.30; 95% CI −0.50, −0.10, respectively), whereas no differences were observed for those using insulin. CONCLUSIONS Older residents of LTCFs with diabetes tended to have weaker antibody response to COVID-19 vaccination. Insulin treatment might buffer this effect and establish humoral immunity similar to that in individuals without diabetes.

BackgroundAccording to the international literature, the percentage of nursing home (NH) residents with renal insufficiency is very high, ranging between 22 and 78%. Diminished kidney function represents a risk factor for drug overdosage, adverse drug reactions, end-stage renal disease, disability, morbidity, and mortality. Several studies suggested that screening for chronic kidney disease (CKD) in high-risk and older populations may represent a cost-effective approach to reducing progression to renal failure and CKD mortality.ObjectiveThis study aimed (i) to investigate to what extent CKD may be staged interchangeably by three different creatinine-based estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) equations in a sample of older adults living in long-term care facilities; (ii) to investigate factors explaining differences among eGFR equations; and (iii) to compare the predictivity of different creatinine-based eGFR equations with respect to all-cause mortality.MethodsA total of 522 residents aged 65 years and older participated in a prospective cohort study of 9 long-term care facilities in Calabria. eGFR was calculated by Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI), Berlin initiative study (BIS), and full age spectrum (FAS) equations. Disability in at least one activity of daily living (ADL), depression, cognitive impairment, comorbidity, and malnutrition was considered in the analysis. Statistical analysis was carried out by Bland–Altman analysis, and 2-year mortality was investigated by Kaplan–Meier curves and Cox regression analysis.ResultsDepending on the adopted equation, the prevalence of NH residents with impaired renal function (eGFR < 60 ml/min/1.73 m2) ranged between 58.2% for the CKD-EPI and 79.1% for the BIS1 equation. The average difference between BIS and FAS was nearly negligible (0.45 ml/min/1.73 m2), while a significant bias was detected between CKD-EPI and BIS and also between CKD-EPI and FAS (6.21 ml/min/1.73 m2 and 6.65 ml/min/1.73 m2, respectively). Although the eGFR study equations had comparable prognostic accuracy in terms of mortality risk, BIS and FAS were able to reclassify NH residents pertaining to a low-risk group with CKD-EPI, and this reclassification improves the discriminative capacity of CKD-EPI with respect to overall mortality.ConclusionDespite the relatively good correlation between eGFRs calculated using all adopted equations, the findings in this study reported clearly demonstrated that CKD-EPI and BIS/FAS equations are not interchangeable to assess eGFR among older people and particularly in institutionalized and frail older subjects.

This paper provides a discussion and thoughtful application on a large sample of the procedures for the classification of existing bridges recently adopted in Italy and defined within the Italian Guidelines for the classification, risk management, safety evaluation and monitoring of existing bridges and the early published Operating Instructions. Focusing on the classification at the territorial level, first the logic flows to the classification on the base of the structural risk are shown, resulting in the definition of the “structural warning class”, providing the motivations that support the criteria for the definition of such procedures. Then, a statistical analysis of the results obtained from the classification of 661 existing Italian bridges is performed, focusing on the vulnerability classification and on the influence of each parameter on its evaluation.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE:There has been a significant development of minimally invasive surgical techniques (MISTs) for the treatment of BPH. Prostatic artery embolization (PAE) is one of the mos...

The seismic retrofit design of structures in which the bracings are compressed due to the presence of significant vertical loads shall take into account the strong asymmetric working conditions of the bracings induced by the seismic action. The initial compression and the consequent asymmetric cyclic loading lead, indeed, to poor global performances and drawbacks in the case of seismic retrofitting through the substitution of the existing bracings with dissipative ones. In order to overcome such issues, this paper presents the development of an asymmetric re-centering dissipative device characterized by a different behavior in tension and in compression and by a strong re-centering capacity, making it suitable to resist and dissipate the energy generated by asymmetric cyclic loadings. The paper firstly analyzes the specific issues of structures in which the bracings work in strong asymmetric loading conditions due to the presence of significant vertical loads, highlighting the main problems that can arise adopting traditional dissipative bracings. Then the proposed device is conceptually described and its behavior experimentally assessed. Finally, the structural behavior of a sub-system equipped with the proposed device is assessed through numerical analyses. The experimental and numerical results show the effectiveness of the proposed device in reducing the residual displacements and protecting the other structural elements demanded to resist to the vertical loads.

This paper studies the influence of the shear studs distribution, in terms of local and global effects, on the behavior of dissipative hybrid Steel frames with Reinforced Concrete infill Walls (SRCWs). Dissipative SRCWs have been recently proposed as seismic resistant systems, capable of coupling the high stiffness of reinforced concrete walls with the advantages of dissipative systems, in which the energy dissipation takes place in localized and replaceable elements. However, experimental tests showed that the global behavior and the failure mechanism of such systems are strongly influenced by the shear studs distribution along the steel frame—reinforce concrete wall interface. In this paper, this issue is studied through suitable numerical models, calibrated on the base of the available experimental results. Several modeling options and strategies are considered and their influence on the final results has been assessed. The resulting numerical model is used to analyze the mechanical behavior of such system and to perform parametric analyses varying the shear studs distribution. The results obtained help the understanding of the mechanical behavior and of the resisting mechanisms activated on the studied system, supplying relevant information for the development of more accurate design rules.

Non-Destructive Testing methods are key tools for the proper characterization of existing constructions and for their reliable structural assessment. Even if several sophisticated methods are currently available, the possibility of using them strongly depends on the analyzed structural typology. This is particularly true for some specific classes of structures like pre-stressed reinforced concrete ones, for which very few methods exist for the evaluation of the residual pre-stressing force in the elements. Moreover, most of them are currently under development, even if this is a crucial information for their structural analysis and assessment. The paper presents a new Non-Destructive Testing method based on the innovative application of X-ray diffraction for the assessment of the tensile force present in pre-stressing wires and strands. The method is firstly conceptualized considering the main features of the X-ray diffraction and the specific issues related to the geometry of the strands, such as the presence of intertwined spiral wires. The method is then formalized proposing a detailed procedure for the estimation of the total tensile force present in the pre-stressing wire or strand on the base of the X-ray diffractometer measurements and of the nominal geometrical and mechanical properties of the element. Finally, an extensive experimental campaign is used to assess the effectiveness of the proposed procedure. The results show the optimal agreement between the tensile force estimated by the proposed procedure and the one effectively applied and allow estimating the measurement error as a function of the tensile force. The in situ tests demonstrate the actual possibility of using the proposed method together with the issues to be still fixed or enhanced.

The evaluation of seismic vulnerability of industrial constructions is a more and more relevant issue considering the damage occurred as consequence of recent earthquakes all over the world. Each industrial construction, on the other hand, has its own peculiarities depending on, for example, age of construction and aging, hosted industrial activities, structural and morphological modifications during its lifetime, and so on. In the present paper the seismic retrofit of an existing industrial steel structure is executed by using a steel self-centering device properly designed. To this purpose, a refined nonlinear model of the structure is developed, taking into account the most relevant aspects such as II order effects, global buckling of the elements, mechanical nonlinearities, etc. The seismic performances of the case study in its current, un-retrofitted, condition are so evidenced through several Incremental Dynamic Analyses. Afterward, the dissipative systems are introduced analyzing the influence on the global behavior of the several parameters defining the flag-shaped hysteretic behavior of the self-centering devices through several parametric nonlinear analyses. Particular attention is paid to the determination of the maximum and residual displacements and to the evaluation of the share of seismic energy dissipated by the dissipative devices and the one dissipated by the gravity structure. The results obtained allow a better understanding of the effects of seismic retrofit intervention through self-centering devices.

Steel frames with reinforced concrete infill walls (SRCW) are an interesting seismic-resistant structural solution. However, an effective seismic design of SRCWs is not easy due to the current lack of specific capacity design rules that allow controlling the formation of a proper energy dissipating mechanism. In order to overcome such an issue, a ductile design procedure is presented in this paper. The proposed procedure leads to innovative SRCW systems where energy dissipation is expected to take place only in the vertical elements of the steel frame, which are subjected mainly to axial forces. The non-ductile components, i.e. reinforced concrete wall and steel-to-concrete connections, are expected to suffer negligible damage. Accordingly, the system is designed to control the formation of diagonal struts in the infill walls and behaves as a lattice brace instead of a shear wall. Experimental test results and nonlinear finite element analyses are illustrated to support the developed ductile design approach and highlight the advantages of SRCWs.

This paper presents the results of an extensive experimental campaign on I beam to Circular Hollow Section column joints obtained cutting a dedicated slot on the column through precision laser technology and letting the beam or connection plates pass through the column itself. The application of this technology minimizes the welding necessary to complete the connection, the number and dimensions of the plates, and it assures the continuity of the beam within the column leading to a more favorable mechanical behavior of the joint under vertical loads. Even if the passing-through beam idea was already tested in the past, only recently the laser cutting technology made it really feasible and competitive from a technical and economic point of view. However, several issues about this structural solution needs further clarifications, especially when considering the interaction of the bare steel node with the reinforced concrete slab or the influence of the infill concrete in the column. For this reason, within this research, different joint configurations were designed extrapolating them from realistic case study buildings and testing them under monotonic vertical loads. To deeply understand their behavior, the specimens were designed and realized as four-way joint, differentiating the structural scheme of the joint connecting the main beams and the joints connecting the secondary beams, obtaining a representation of the most common solutions currently adopted in the real practice.

The paper presents the whole dataset obtained during an experimental test campaign executed on the prototype of a new re-centering dissipative device, characterized by an asymmetric behavior, for the seismic protection of buildings. The experimental tests were performed on two different configurations: on the single prototype of the device (configuration 1) and one in which two prototypes are placed within a steel frame in an inverted V bracings configuration (configuration 2). The experimental tests were executed in displacement control, applying cyclic loading histories. Data are mainly reported in terms of force-displacement cyclic curves for the single prototype in the configuration 1 and for the whole braced system in the configuration 2. Keywords: Dissipative device, Asymmetric hysteretic behavior, Inverted V bracings, Re-centering

Ground penetrating radar is a non-invasive technique that, amongst the various available state-of-the-art methods, is capable of accurately locating both metallic and nonmetallic buried objects. The main object of this paper is to describe the application of a GPR strategy to the non-destructive testing of concrete structures, particularly bridges, where there is a need to identify, quantify and categorize structural reinforcements. The new C-Thrue radar, developed by IDS GeoRadar, was used to investigate two bridges near Pisa (Italy). The acquisition of dense and regular grids was used to provide a full reconstruction of the geometry of the investigated area. Moreover, through the use of sensors in different polarizations, and dedicated data processing techniques, the C-Thrue radar enables the creation of spatially correlated data sets that represent scanned 3-D volumes of the ground, allowing demonstrable benefits in overall assessment of the required structural parameters.

Within this paper, the assessment of tension stiffening effects on a reinforced concrete element with the circular sections subjected to axial and bending loads is presented. To this purpose, an enhancement of an analytical model already present within the actual technical literature is proposed. The accuracy of the enhanced method is assessed by comparing the experimental results carried out in past research and the numerical ones obtained by the model. Finally, a parametric study is executed in order to study the influence of axial compressive force on the flexural stiffness of reinforced concrete elements that are characterized by a circular section, comparing the secant stiffness evaluated at yielding and at maximum resistance, considering and not considering the effects of tension stiffness.

Background: Thyroid nodules are a fairly common finding in general population and, even if most of them are benign, a treatment can be however necessary. In the last years, non surgical minimally invasive techniques have been developed to treat this pathology, starting from percutaneous ethanol injection (PEI), to laser ablation (LA), radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and, most recently, microwave ablation (MWA). Methods: We reviewed all medical literature searching in pubmed.gov the terms “microwave” & “thyroid”. We found three original studies concerning MWA treatment, for a total of 263 patients (mean age 51.0 years; range, 15–80 years; male to female ratio 2.55) and 522 nodules. Results: A total of 522 nodules (338 solid, 22 cystic, 162 mixed) in 263 patients were treated. Studies have shown a mean reduction in volume of thyroid nodules ranging from 45.9% to 65%. No study reported a significant and definitive change in laboratory parameters, except for one case (Heck et al. ). No studies have reported major complications after procedure. Conclusions: MWA is a new, promising technique among the minimally invasive treatments of thyroid nodules. Actually, the larger diameter of MW antenna seems to be the major limiting factor in the use of this technique. More studies are necessary to evaluate feasibility, safety and efficacy of the procedure.

The Emilia, May–July 2012, earthquake hit a highly industrialized area, where some tens thousands industrial buldings, mainly single storey precast structures, are located. Due to the likelihood of strong after shocks and the high vulnerability of these structures, the authorities first asked for a generalized seismic retrofit after the strong shakings of May 20th. In order to accelerate community recovery, this requirement was later loosened, leaving out the buildings which had undergone a strong enough shaking without any damage; the strong enough shaking was defined with reference to the ultimate limit state design earthquake. To the authors’ knowledge, it is the first time that the information on the earthquake intensity and structural damage is used for such a large scale post earthquake simplified safety assessment. In short, the earthquake was used as large experimental test. This paper shows the details of the models and computations made to identify the industrial buildings which have been considered earthquake tested and therefore not compelled to mandatory seismic retrofit. Since earthquake indirect (e.g. due to economic halt) costs may be as large the direct ones, or even larger, it is believed that this method may considerably lower the earthquake total costs and speed up the social and economic recovery of a community.

A part of damage-control laparotomy is to leave the fascial edges and the skin open to avoid abdominal compartment syndrome and allow further explorations. This condition, known as open abdomen (OA), although effective, is associated with severe complications. Our aim was to develop evidence-based recommendations to define indications for OA, techniques for temporary abdominal closure, management of enteric fistulas, and methods of definitive wall closure.The literature from 1990 to 2014 was systematically screened according to PRISMA [Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses] protocol. Seventy-six articles were reviewed by a panel of experts to assign grade of recommendations (GoR) and level of evidence (LoE) using the GRADE [Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation] system, and an international consensus conference was held.OA in trauma is indicated at the end of damage-control laparotomy, in the presence of visceral swelling, for a second look in vascular injuries or gross contamination, in the case of abdominal wall loss, and if medical treatment of abdominal compartment syndrome has failed (GoR B, LoE II). Negative-pressure wound therapy is the recommended temporary abdominal closure technique to drain peritoneal fluid, improve nursing, and prevent fascial retraction (GoR B, LoE I). Lack of OA closure within 8 days (GoR C, LoE II), bowel injuries, high-volume replacement, and use of polypropylene mesh over the bowel (GoR C, LoE I) are risk factors for frozen abdomen and fistula formation. Negative-pressure wound therapy allows to isolate the fistula and protect the surrounding tissues from spillage until granulation (GoR C, LoE II). Correction of fistula is performed after 6 months to 12 months. Definitive closure of OA has to be obtained early (GoR C, LoE I) with direct suture, traction devices, component separation with or without mesh. Biologic meshes are an option for wall reinforcement if bacterial contamination is present (GoR C, LoE II).OA and negative-pressure techniques improve the care of trauma patients, but closure must be achieved early to avoid complications.

The paper describes the development of an original steel self-centering device (SSCD) for improving the level of seismic protection of new and pre-existing structures. In particular, the proposed hysteretic device exhibits two technical features essential to protecting structures against the effects of an earthquake: re-centering and recovery of the structure’s original dissipative resources (Dissipative Elements) after a seismic event. The overall mechanical behavior of the hysteretic device was first defined in terms of its main internal components. A refined parametric analysis was then conducted by varying the mechanical properties of the steel elements responsible for seismic energy dissipation; this allowed optimizing the retrofitting/protection capacities of the system. To this end, various grades of steel, used not only in traditional structural engineering applications, but also in automotive engineering and packaging, were selected, and specimens of each subjected to experimental monotonic and cyclic tests to determine the most suitable for our purposes. A full-scale prototype SSCD was finally fabricated and checked through cyclic tests to evaluate its mechanical and dissipative performance.

Background/Aims: Calbindin D28k has been reported to be involved in transcellular calcium transport along the rat distal convoluted tubule (DCT). It has also been shown that administration of bumetanide is associated with hypercalciuria. The experiments reported here were designed to verify whether chronic infusion of this diuretic affects the gene expression and protein abundance of calbindin D28k along rat kidney DCT. Methods: Bumetanide was subcutaneously infused by an osmotic minipump for 7 days at a rate of 1.5 mg·h–1·kg–1. cDNA was synthesized from total RNA extracted from DCT microdissected from collagenase-treated kidneys. Results: Calbindin D28k mRNA abundance, quantified by competitive PCR, was found to be 13.7 ± 1.9 amol·ng–1 total RNA in DCT of control rats (n = 4) as compared to 24.2 ± 2.4 amol·ng–1 total RNA in DCT of bumetanide- treated rats (n = 5) (p < 0.01). This effect was associated with a 52% increase (p < 0.005) in calbindin D28k protein abundance, as detected by Western blot performed on tissue slices from renal cortex (n = 4). Conclusion: These data not only demonstrate that bumetanide upregulates the mRNA and protein abundance of calbindin D28k in rat DCT, but also suggest that DCT calcium reabsorption is increased following the administration of this loop diuretic.

Previous data showing an increase of receptor binding activity of [R16]VIP, a vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) structural analogue containing arginine at the position 16 of its amino acid sequence, have pointed out the importance of a positive charge at this site. Here, the functional characterization of three VIP polyaminated adducts (VIPDap, VIPSpd, and VIPSpm), obtained by a transglutaminase-catalysed reaction between the VIP Gln16 residue and 1,3-diaminopropane (Dap), spermidine (Spd), or spermine (Spm), is reported. Appropriate binding assays and adenylate cyclase enzymatic determinations have shown that these VIP adducts act as structural VIP agonists, both in vitro and in vivo. In particular, their IC50 and EC50 values of human and rat VIP/pituitary adenylate cyclase activating peptide (PACAP)1 and VIP/PACAP2 receptors indicate that VIPDap is a VIP agonist, with an affinity and a potency higher than that of VIP, while VIPSpd and VIPSpm are also agonists but with affinities lower than that of VIP. These findings suggest that the difference in adduct agonist activity reflects the differences in the positive charge and carbon chain length of the polyamine covalently linked with the VIP Gln16 residue. In addition, the data obtained strongly suggest that the length of polyamine carbon chain could be critical for the interaction of the agonist with its receptor, even though possible hydrophobic interaction cannot be ruled out. In vivo experiments on murine J774 macrophage cell cultures have shown the ability of these compounds to stimulate the inducible nitric oxide synthase activity at the transcriptional level.

In this study we show that SV-IV, a major immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, and sperm immunoprotective protein secreted from the rat seminal vesicle epithelium, acts in vitro as a substrate of protein kinase C (PKC) competing efficiently with H1 histone, a very well known PKC substrate. Electrospray mass spectrometry (ES-MS) analysis demonstrated that approximately 10% of the native SV-IV molecules were phosphorylated by PKC and that such a modification involved only a single serine residue (Ser58) out of the 22 occurring in the protein. Interestingly, this modification produced a substantial enhancement (approximately 50%) of the native SV-IV's ability to stimulate the activity of both horseradish peroxidase (POD) and selenium-dependent glutathione peroxidase (GPX), an enzyme that is known to protect the mammalian spermatozoa from oxidative stress and loss of motility in the female genital tract following ejaculation. In contrast, the phosphorylation of SV-IV on Ser58 did not produce any effect on the anti-inflammatory properties of SV-IV, as measured by its ability to inhibit the phospholipase A2.

SV-IV is a basic, thermostable, secretory protein of low Mr (9758) that is synthesized by rat seminal vesicle (SV) epithelium under strict androgen transcriptional control. This protein is of obvious pharmacological interest because it has potent nonspecies-specific immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, and pro-coagulant activities. In evaluating the clinical relevance and the possible use in medicine of SV-IV, we became interested in the study of its structure–function relationships and aimed to identify in its polypeptide chain specific peptide fragments possessing the marked anti-inflammatory properties of the protein not associated with other biological activities (pro-coagulation and immunomodulation) typical of this molecule. By using two different experimental approaches (the fragmentation of the protein into peptide derivatives by chemical methods and the organic synthesis on solid phase of selected peptide fragments), data were obtained showing that in this protein: (a) the immunomodulatory activity is related to the structural integrity of the whole molecule; (b) the anti-inflammatory activity is located in the N-terminal region of the molecule, the 8–16 peptide fragment being the most active; (c) the identified anti-inflammatory peptide derivatives do not seem to possess pro-coagulant activity, even though this particular function has been located in the 1–70 segment of the molecule.

The effect of nontoxic, low concentrations (10 −8 M) of retinoic acid (RA) for a relatively long time (28 days) on a Kirsten ras-virus transformed cell line (Ki-SVC1), derived from the rat seminal vesicle epithelium, was investigated. In these experimental conditions, the cell treatment with RA induced a decrease of the proliferation rate, apoptosis and a marked reduction of both anchorage-independent growth and tumorigenicity. These biological responses were either preceded or associated with important changes in adenylate cyclase/protein kinase C signaling pathways, the activation of important apoptosis-linked genes and a marked decrease of the v-Ki-ras p21 protein. The significance of these findings is discussed.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of the protein Seminal Vesicle Protein No. 4 (SV-IV), a potent inhibitor of antithrombin III (antithrombin), on the coagulation of blood obtained from patients affected by hemophilia A. In the coagulating blood of these patients, the antithrombin/thrombin ratio was found to be markedly higher (about 44) than in normal individuals (about 4. 4). This high ratio was related to the low efficiency of thrombin-generating reactions induced by the factor VIII deficiency and to the high levels of free (not bound to serine proteases) antithrombin present in the hemophilic serum (antithrombin concentration was the same in normal and hemophilic plasma). The elevated concentration of free antithrombin in hemophiliacs was primarily a consequence of a reduced consumption caused by the scarce availability in the hemophilic serum of factors Xa and IIa, which are serine proteases possessing strong binding affinity for antithrombin. Addition of SV-IV to coagulating hemophilic blood reduced markedly the serum antithrombin and thrombin-antithrombin complexes, normalizing, as a consequence, the clotting time and other coagulation parameters. Similar results were obtained by using appropriate concentration of factor VIII.

The sequential use of reverse transcriptase and the polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) has provided molecular biology research with an exquisitely sensitive and fast technique for studying gene expression. This method is particularly useful to study transcripts in the nervous system, which are on average present at low levels and the amount of tissue or cells to be analyzed is often limited. Here, we describe a RT-PCR assay which allows the simultaneous detection and semi-quantitation of several transcripts (multiplex). Multiple PCR primer pairs are used to detect different target transcripts in a single reaction, together with a pair of primers able to amplify the hypoxantine-phosphoribosyl-transferase (HPRT), a gene constitutively expressed at low levels throughout the nervous system. HPRT levels remain constant also during neurogenesis and it is thus apt to be used in developmental neurobiology. This internal standard is the mRNA of reference to evaluate sample variation in RT and PCR reactions and to monitor the degradation and recovery of RNAs. Normalization with respect to HPRT cDNA allows to estimate the relative abundance of each target mRNA.

We first report 3 patients who experienced absence epilepsy (mean age at onset: 6.3 years; range: 4-9) 1-4 years after recovering from an electroclinical picture characteristic of benign childhood partial epilepsy (BCPE). All patients were put on monotherapy with sodium valproate, and their long-term course was excellent with remission of absences and normalization of EEG recordings. The exceptionality of our observation favors the hypothesis that BCPE and absence epilepsy are distinct entities.

Background: Alexithymia is likely to be involved in the pain experience of cancer patients, but the extent to which psychological interventions may modify both pain and alexithymia is unclear. Methods: A group of 52 consecutive cancer patients were enrolled in a 6-month multicomponent psychological intervention trial, and compared to 52 control patients who received standard medical care. Validated scales for pain, alexithymia, coping with disease, illness behavior, psychological distress, and psychosocial functioning were administered at baseline and 6 months later. Results: Pain was strongly associated with alexithymia and several psychological dimensions. Although at baseline patients in the intervention group had worse psychological and somatic health, at follow-up their level of pain intensity, alexithymia, and somatic concerns had significantly improved compared to control patients. Patients in the intervention group showed dramatic improvements in pain perception, alexithymia, and other psychological variables, while control patients showed an unexpected significant worsening of alexithymia, depression, and adjustment to disease. Multiple regression showed that psychological intervention and alexithymia were both independently associated with the reduction in pain perception. Conclusions: These findings confirm the close association between alexithymia and pain, and show that multicomponent psychological intervention may significantly reduce both alexithymia and cancer pain. Although the present findings need replication, they should strongly encourage clinicians to provide patients with psychological interventions targeting alexithymic difficulties and helping patients to cope better with both feelings and somatic perception.