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Lignocellulosic residues (LRs) are one of the most abundant wastes produced worldwide. Nevertheless, unlocking the full energy potential from LRs for biofuel production is limited by their complex structure. This study investigated the effect of N-methylmorpholine N-oxide (NMMO) pretreatment on almond shell (AS), spent coffee grounds (SCG), and hazelnut skin (HS) to improve their bioconversion to methane. The pretreatment was performed using a 73% NMMO solution heated at 120 °C for 1, 3, and 5 h. The baseline methane productions achieved from raw AS, SCG, and HS were 54.7 (± 5.3), 337.4 (± 16.5), and 265.4 (± 10.4) mL CH4/g VS, respectively. The NMMO pretreatment enhanced the methane potential of AS up to 58%, although no changes in chemical composition and external surface were observed after pretreatment. Opposite to this, pretreated SCG showed increased porosity (up to 63%) and a higher sugar percentage (up to 27%) after pretreatment despite failing to increase methane production. All pretreatment conditions were effective on HS, achieving the highest methane production of 400.4 (± 9.5) mL CH4/g VS after 5 h pretreatment. The enhanced methane production was due to the increased sugar percentage (up to 112%), lignin removal (up to 29%), and loss of inhibitory compounds during the pretreatment. An energy assessment revealed that the NMMO pretreatment is an attractive technology to be implemented on an industrial scale for energy recovery from HS residues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Urological management of Cloacal Malformation (CM) focuses on preserving renal function and continence. Study aim was to analyze urinary and intestinal outcomes in CM patients, considering the length of common channel (CC) and presence of occult spinal dysraphism (OSD). Methods: Retrospective review of CM treated at our institution by a multidisciplinary team from 1999 to 2020. Patients with follow-up < 2.5 years were excluded. Length of CC, renal function, urinary and bowel outcomes, presence of associated anomalies (especially OSD) were evaluated. Results: Twenty patients were included, median age at follow-up: 8 years (4–15). A long CC > 3 cm was described in 11 (55%). Chronic kidney disease was found in 3 patients. Urinary continence was achieved in 8/20 patients, dryness (with intermittent catheterization) in 9/20. Fecal continence was obtained in 3/20, cleanliness in 14 (under bowel regimen). OSD was present in 10 patients (higher prevalence in long-CC, 73%). Among OSD, 1 patient reached fecal continence, 7 were clean; 2 achieved urinary continence, while 6 were dry. Conclusions: Length of CC and OSD may affect urinary and fecal continence. An early counseling can improve outcome at long-term follow-up. Multidisciplinary management with patient centralization in high grade institutions is recommended to achieve better results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Systematic and timely documentation of triggered (i.e. event) landslides is fundamental to build extensive datasets worldwide that may help define and/or validate trends in response to climate change. More in general, preparation of landslide inventories is a crucial activity since it provides the basic data for any subsequent analysis. In this work we present an event landslide inventory map (E-LIM) that was prepared through a systematic reconnaissance field survey in about 1 month after an extreme rainfall event hit an area of about 5000 km2 in the Marche-Umbria regions (central Italy). The inventory reports evidence of 1687 triggered landslides in an area of ~550 km2. All slope failures were classified according to type of movement and involved material, and documented with field pictures, wherever possible. The database of the inventory described in this paper as well as the collection of selected field pictures associated with each feature is publicly available at figshare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although there is robust evidence that revascularisation of non-culprit vessels should be pursued in patients presenting with an acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and multivessel coronary artery disease (MVD), the optimal timing of complete revascularisation remains disputed. In this systematic review and meta-analysis our results suggest that outcomes are comparable for immediate and staged complete revascularisation in patients with ACS and MVD. However, evidence from randomised controlled trials remains scarce and cautious interpretation of these results is recommended. More non-biased evidence is necessary to aid future decision making on the optimal timing of complete revascularisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is still continuously debated whether the low-dose/dose-rate (LDR) of ionizing radiation represents a hazard for humans. Model organisms, such as fruit flies, are considered valuable systems to reveal insights into this issue. We found that, in wild-type Drosophila melanogaster larval neuroblasts, the frequency of Chromosome Breaks (CBs), induced by acute γ-irradiation, is considerably reduced when flies are previously exposed to a protracted dose of 0.4 Gy delivered at a dose rate of 2.5 mGy/h. This indicates that this exposure, which is associated with an increased expression of DNA damage response proteins, induces a radioadaptive response (RAR) that protects Drosophila from extensive DNA damage. Interestingly, the same exposure reduces the frequency of telomere fusions (TFs) from Drosophila telomere capping mutants suggesting that the LDR can generally promote a protective response on chromatin sites that are recognized as DNA breaks. Deep RNA sequencing revealed that RAR is associated with a reduced expression of Loquacious D (Loqs-RD) gene that encodes a well-conserved dsRNA binding protein required for esiRNAs biogenesis. Remarkably, loss of Loqs mimics the LDR-mediated chromosome protection as it decreases the IR-induced CBs and TFs frequency. Thus, our molecular characterization of RAR identifies Loqs as a key factor in the cellular response to LDR and in the epigenetic routes involved in radioresistance. Chronic low y-radiation exposure to Drosophila cells decreases chromosome breaks induced by high-dose irradiation and telomere dysfunction by reducing the esiRNA biogenesis factor Loquacious D. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Local open markets, trading fruits and vegetables, are widespread in Mediterranean countries, such as Tunisia and Jordan, producing large amounts of organic waste. Applying an anaerobic digestion process on this substrate makes it crucial to evaluate the waste mixture composition and seasonal variability properly. In this study, after defining an average composition of the fruit and vegetable waste (FVW) mixture produced in Sfax (Tunisia) and Amman (Jordan) in three seasonal intervals (autumn–winter, spring, and summer), the biochemical methane potential (BMP) of an artificially created FVW mixture was individually determined by three European institutions located in Spain, Italy, and Greece. The average BMP from all three seasons and laboratories was 286 ± 52 NmL CH4 g CODadded−1, close to the theoretical maximum yield of 350 NmL CH4 g CODadded−1, indicating a high biodegradability of the waste. Τhe biochemical methane yields of the spring mixtures were not statistically different across the three labs. The most significant differences among the BMP results were obtained for the autumn/winter and the summer mixtures used in Spain, likely due to the variety or ripeness of fruits and vegetables collected in the local markets. In the other two labs in Italy and Greece, no statistical difference was observed for the BMPs of the three season mixtures within the same lab. Therefore, not a critical difference in the biodegradability of such FVW is expected along the different seasons, indicating that the operation of a full-scale digester over a whole year would constantly benefit from the supplementation of a high biochemical methane potential feedstock. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing total solids in anaerobic digestion can reduce the methane yield by highly complex bio-physical–chemical mechanisms. Therefore, understanding those mechanisms and their main drivers becomes crucial to optimize this waste treatment biotechnology. In this study, seven batch experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of increasing the initial total solids in high-solids anaerobic digestion of the organic fraction of municipal solid waste. With inoculum-to-substrate ratio = 1.5 g VS/g VS and maximum total solids ≤ 19.6%, mono-digestion of the organic fraction of municipal solid waste showed a methane yield = 174–236 NmL CH4/g VS. With inoculum-to-substrate ratio ≤ 1.0 g VS/g VS and maximum total solids ≥ 24.0%, mono-digestion experiments acidified. Co-digestion of the organic fraction of municipal solid waste and beech sawdust permitted to reduce the inoculum-to-substrate ratio to 0.16 g VS/g VS while increasing total solids up to 30.2%, though achieving a lower methane yield (117–156 NmL CH4/g VS). At each inoculum-to-substrate ratio, higher total solids corresponded to higher ammonia and volatile fatty acid accumulation. Thus, a 40% lower methane yield for mono-digestion was observed at a NH3 concentration ≥ 2.3 g N–NH3/kg reactor content and total solids = 15.0%. Meanwhile, co-digestion lowered the nitrogen content, being the risk of acidification exacerbated only at total solids ≥ 20.0%. Therefore, the biodegradability of the substrate, as well as the operational total solids and inoculum-to-substrate ratio, are closely interrelated parameters determining the success of methanogenesis, but also the risk of ammonia inhibition in high-solids anaerobic digestion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The scientific community has recognized that almost 99% of the microbial life on earth is represented by biofilms. Considering the impacts of their sessile lifestyle on both natural and human activities, extensive experimental activity has been carried out to understand how biofilms grow and interact with the environment. Many mathematical models have also been developed to simulate and elucidate the main processes characterizing the biofilm growth. Two main mathematical approaches for biomass representation can be distinguished: continuum and discrete. This review is aimed at exploring the main characteristics of each approach. Continuum models can simulate the biofilm processes in a quantitative and deterministic way. However, they require a multidimensional formulation to take into account the biofilm spatial heterogeneity, which makes the models quite complicated, requiring significant computational effort. Discrete models are more recent and can represent the typical multidimensional structural heterogeneity of biofilm reflecting the experimental expectations, but they generate computational results including elements of randomness and introduce stochastic effects into the solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The conservation of the cultural heritage, such as old books, manuscripts, paintings etc. is particularly important, for both their artistic and historical values. These types of materials are often exposed to usage or storage conditions where efficient biodeterioration mechanisms take place. Deterioration of these materials occurs naturally as a result of aging, but it can be accelerated by poor storage conditions (humidity) that lead to fungi growth and negative chemically effects. Firstly, this work concerns with isolation and identification of a fungal species that infects an 18th century book. The identification was based on morphological analysis made by light and SEM microscopy and on ribosomal DNA loci amplification and sequencing. One fungal strain, Aspergillus versicolor, was identified as responsible of book biodeterioration. Then, A. versicolor was used as biodeteriogen to contaminate paper samples exposed two degradation processes (exposure to wet atmosphere and to acidic attack) simulating storage conditions of 18th century book. Secondly, microwave heating at three different temperatures (30, 58 and 63 °C) was applied on paper samples affected by spots originating from A. versicolor in order to evaluate the effectiveness of microwave in cleaning of artworks from fungi. Scanning electron microscopy and cellulose degree of polymerization were used for visual inspection and characterization of the paper samples before and after the treatments respectively. The best results were obtained by exposure of paper samples for few minutes at 58 and 63 °C, while the lower temperature (30 °C) didn’t inhibit A. versicolor’s growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the importance of the organic matter characteristics of several organic amendments (i.e., buffalo manure, food and kitchen waste, fruit and vegetables waste, and activated sewage sludge) and their influence in the bioremediation of a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH)-contaminated soil. The removal of low molecular weights (LMW) and high molecular weights (HMW) PAHs was monitored in four bioremediation reactors and used as an indicator of the role of organic amendments in contaminant removal. The total initial concentration of LMW PAHs was 234 mg kg soil (dry weight), while the amount for HMW PAHs was 422 mg kg soil (dry weight). Monitoring of operational parameters and chemical analysis was performed during 20 weeks. The concentrations of LMW PAH residues in soil were significantly lower in reactors that displayed a mesophilic phase, i.e., 11 and 15 %, compared to reactors that displayed a thermophilic phase, i.e., 29 and 31 %. Residual HMW PAHs were up to five times higher compared to residual LMW PAHs, depending on the reactor. This demonstrated that the amount of added organic matter and macronutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus, the biochemical organic compound classes (mostly soluble fraction and proteins), and the operational temperature are important factors affecting the overall efficiency of bioremediation. On that basis, this study shows that characterization of biochemical families could contribute to a better understanding of the effects of organic amendments and clarify their different efficiency during a bioremediation process of PAH-contaminated soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A pot experiment was designed to assess the phytoremediation potential of alfalfa ( Medicago sativa L.) in a co-contaminated (i.e., heavy metals and petroleum hydrocarbons) soil and the influence of citric acid and Tween 80 (polyethylene glycol sorbitan monooleate), applied individually and combined together, for their possible use in chemically assisted phytoremediation. The results showed that alfalfa plants could tolerate and grow in a co-contaminated soil. Over a 90-day experimental time, shoot and root biomass increased and negligible plant mortality occurred. Heavy metals were uptaken by alfalfa to a limited extent, mostly by plant roots, and their concentration in plant tissues were in the following order: Zn > Cu > Pb. Microbial population (alkane-degrading microorganisms) and activity (lipase enzyme) were enhanced in the presence of alfalfa with rhizosphere effects of 9.1 and 1.5, respectively, after 90 days. Soil amendments did not significantly enhance plant metal concentration or total uptake. In contrast, the combination of citric acid and Tween 80 significantly improved alkane-degrading microorganisms (2.4-fold increase) and lipase activity (5.3-fold increase) in the rhizosphere of amended plants, after 30 days of experiment. This evidence supports a favorable response of alfalfa in terms of tolerance to a co-contaminated soil and improvement of rhizosphere microbial number and activity, additionally enhanced by the joint application of citric acid and Tween 80, which could be promising for future phytoremediation applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper proposes a structured Product Development Lifecycle (PDL) model to deal with the concept design stage of complex assemblies. The proposed method provides a systematic approach to design, aimed to improve requirements management, project management and communication among stakeholders as well as to avoid project failures reducing project development time. This research also provides suggestions and recommendations for utilizing different analysis, synthesis and assessment methodologies along with the proposed approach. The process developed, named Iterative and Participative Axiomatic Design Process (IPADeP), is consistent with ISO/IEC 15288:2008 - 'Systems and software engineering', and INCOSE Systems engineering handbook. It is an iterative and incremental design process, participative and requirements driven, based on the theory of Axiomatic Product Development Lifecycle (APDL). IPADeP provides a systematic methodology in which, starting from a set of experts' assumptions, a number of conceptual solutions are generated, analysed and evaluated. Based on the results obtained, new iterations can be performed for each level of decomposition while product requirements are refined. In this paper, we applied IPADeP to the initial phase of conceptual design activities for DEMO divertor-to-vacuum vessel locking system in order to propose new innovative solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Very little is known about the influence of environmental radiation on living matter. In principle, important information can be acquired by analysing possible differences between parallel biological systems, one in a reference-radiation environment (RRE) and the other in a low-radiation environment (LRE). We took advantage of the unique opportunity represented by the cell culture facilities at the Gran Sasso National Laboratories of the Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, where environment dose rate reduction factors in the underground (LRE), with respect to the external laboratory (RRE), are as follows: 10 for neutrons, 10 for directly ionizing cosmic rays and 10 for total γ-rays. Chinese hamster V79 cells were cultured for 10 months in both RRE and LRE. At the end of this period, all the cultures were kept in RRE for another 6 months. Changes in the activities of antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase, SOD; catalase, CAT; glutathione peroxidase, GPX) and spontaneous mutation frequency at the hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyl transferase ( hprt) locus were investigated. The results obtained suggest that environmental radiation might act as a trigger of defence mechanisms in V79 cells, specifically those in reference conditions, showing a higher degree of defence against endogenous damage as compared to cells grown in a very low-radiation environment. Our findings corroborate the hypothesis that environmental radiation contributes to the development of defence mechanisms in today living organisms/systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background:AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) has a central role in cellular energy sensing and is activated in preclinical tumour models following anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) therapy. The possible predictive or prognostic role of AMPK status in cancer patients treated with anti-VEGF drugs has not been investigated so far.Methods:Expression of components of the AMPK pathway including phosphorylated AMPK (pAMPK), phosphorylated acetyl-Coa carboxylase (pACC) and liver kinase B1 (LKB1) was investigated by immunohistochemistry in 48 colorectal cancers treated with FOLFIRI plus bevacizumab. Correlation between pAMPK and pACC and associations between the AMPK pathway scores and clinico-pathological characteristics were assessed. Overall survival (OS) was estimated through Kaplan-Meier method, whereas hazard ratios were computed to identify prognostic factors.Results:Fourteen patients (29.2%) were included in the pAMPK-negative group (score ⩽5), whereas 34 patients (70.8%) were included in the pAMPK-positive group (score >5). The Spearman's coefficient for the correlation between pAMPK and pACC scores in primary tumour samples was 0.514 (P=0.0002). Low pAMPK levels were associated with worse OS (P-value 0.0002) but not with PFS, whereas low pACC levels were associated both with worse OS and PFS (P-value 0.0007 and 0.01, respectively).Conclusions:Our findings suggest that high tissue AMPK activation is a prognostic biomarker in this cohort of metastatic colorectal cancer patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mining often leads to nitrate and metal contamination of groundwater and water bodies. Denitrification of acidic water was investigated in two up-flow fluidized-bed reactors (FBR) and using batch assays. Bacterial communities were enriched on ethanol plus nitrate in the FBRs. Initially, the effects of temperature, low-pH and ethanol/nitrate on denitrification were revealed. Batch assays showed that pH 4.8 was inhibitory to denitrification, whereas FBR characteristics permitted denitrification even at feed pH of 2.5 and at 7-8 °C. Nitrate and ethanol were removed and the feed pH was neutralized, provided that ethanol was supplied in excess to nitrate. Subsequently, Fe(II) and Cu impact on denitrification was investigated within batch tests at pH 7. Iron supplementation up to 100 mg/L resulted in iron oxidation and soluble concentrations ranging from 0.4 to 1.6 mg/L that stimulated denitrification. On the contrary, 0.7 mg/L of soluble Cu significantly slowed denitrification down resulting in about 45 % of inhibition in the first 8 h. Polymerase chain reaction-denaturant gradient gel electrophoresis demonstrated the co-existence of different denitrifying microbial consortia in FBRs. Dechloromonas denitrificans and Hydrogenophaga caeni were present in both FBRs and mainly responsible for nitrate reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Copyright of La Radiologia Medica is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Over the last years anaerobic digestion has been successfully established as technology to treat organic wastes. The perspective of turning, through a low-cost process, organic wastes into biogas, a source of renewable energy and profit, has certainly increased the interest around this technology and has required several studies aimed to develop methods that could improve the performance as well as the efficiency of this process. The present work reviews the most interesting results achieved through such studies, mainly focusing on the following three aspects: (1) the analysis of the organic substrates typically co-digested to exploit their complementary characteristics; (2) the need of pre-treating the substrates before their digestion in order to change their physical and/or chemical characteristics; (3) the usefulness of mathematical models simulating the anaerobic co-digestion process. In particular these studies have demonstrated that combining different organic wastes results in a substrate better balanced and assorted in terms of nutrients, pre-treatments make organic solids more accessible and degradable to microorganisms, whereas mathematical models are extremely useful to predict the co-digestion process performance and therefore can be successfully used to choose the best substrates to mix as well as the most suitable pre-treatments to be applied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article describes the case of a 64-year-old male patient with hypertrophic arachnoid granulation of the occipital bone. The patient reported symptoms of progressive bilateral hypoacusia, dizziness and tinnitus. He underwent a skull X-ray examination to examine his condition. A computed tomography (CT) scan revealed an osteolytic mass lesion.

VAMOS is a Magneto-Optical Filter (MOF) that can acquire nearly simultaneous Dopplergrams and magnetograms with high cadence in the K I 7699 Å line. We performed an accurate set-up of this instrument in view of its use for studying oscillations in solar magnetic regions. The optimal set-up for VAMOS was achieved and an extra result of the spectral transmission measurements was found. The MOF and Wing Selector (WS) bandpasses depend not only on the cell temperature and magnetic field but also on the radiation intensity entering the cell, when this radiation exceeds a suitable level. We call this effect The Intensity Effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A field study aimed to characterize atmospheric pollutants in the gaseous and the particulate phases was conducted during the fall–winter of 2004 and the summer of 2005 in the Ashdod area, Israel. The site is influenced by both anthropogenic sources (power plants, refineries, chemical and metal industries, a cargo port, road traffic) and natural sources (sea-spray and desert dust). The use of diffusion lines—a series of annular diffusion denuders for sampling gaseous compounds followed by a cyclone and a filter pack for determining PM2.5 composition—allowed a good daily characterization of the main inorganic compounds in both the gaseous (HCl, HNO3, SO2, NH3) and the particulate phase (Cl−, NO3 −, SO4 =, NH4 +, and base cations). During the summer campaign two other activities were added: an intensive 3-h sampling period and the determination of PM2.5 bulk composition. The results were interpreted on the basis of meteorological condition, especially the mixing properties of the lower atmosphere as determined by monitoring the natural radioactivity due to Radon progeny, a good proxy of the atmospheric ability to dilute pollutants. Several pollution episodes were identified and the predominance of different sources was highlighted (sea-spray, desert dust, secondary photochemical pollutants). During the summer period a considerable increase of nitric acid and particulate sulphate was observed. Secondary inorganic pollutants (nitrate, sulphate and ammonium) constituted, on the average, 57% of the fine particle fraction, organic compounds 20%, primary anthropogenic compounds 14%, natural components (sea-spray and crustal elements) 9%. The advantages of the diffusion lines in determining gaseous and particulate N− and S− inorganic compounds are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The presentation of congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) at birth may fall outside the typical features (cyanosis, tachypnea and respiratory failure), manifesting, instead, also with others pictures that make the diagnosis difficult or even impossible. We report a case of CDH presenting as a pneumothorax and a perforative peritonitis due to an antenatal gastric perforation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors present a new type of dual-plane mammaplasty and preliminary results obtained with it. The technique is aimed at improving the final natural appearance of breasts without adding additional risks of dislocation. The eligibility criteria specified patients with sufficient breast tissue to disguise the implant, patients with asymmetric hypoplasia, and patients with an intense workout activity. The exclusion criteria specified patients with very little breasts. The technique is based on combined subglandular positioning in the superior part of the breast and retrofascial–precostal positioning in the inferior part. Beginning in January 2000, 57 patients were recruited. No postoperative bleedings, hematomas, or seromas were observed. In 93% of cases, good final shapes were obtained. After 1 year of follow-up evaluation, no displacement, asymmetry, or rupture was recorded. Only three patients (5.3%) showed mild monolateral capsular contractures (Baker II type), which resolved using capsulotomy without prostheses removal. “Reverse” dual-plane mammaplasty is a new technique that gives a good anatomic final appearance with no risk of displacement. The low risk of complications renders it feasible and safe for aesthetic breast augmentation. Further studies are necessary to compare this technique with retroglandular and retropectoral approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated the involvement of endocannabinoids in the control of neuronal damage and memory retention loss in rodents treated with the β-amyloid peptide (1–42) (BAP). Twelve days after stereotaxic injection of BAP into the rat cortex, and concomitant with the appearance in the hippocampus of markers of neuronal damage, 2-arachidonoyl glycerol, but not anandamide, levels were enhanced in the hippocampus. VDM-11 (5 mg/kg, i.p.), an inhibitor of endocannabinoid cellular reuptake, significantly enhanced rat hippocampal and mouse brain endocannabinoid levels when administered sub-chronically starting either 3 or 7 days after BAP injection and until the 12–14th day. VDM-11 concomitantly reversed hippocampal damage in rats, and loss of memory retention in the passive avoidance test in mice, but only when administered from the 3rd day after BAP injection. We suggest that early, as opposed to late, pharmacological enhancement of brain endocannabinoid levels might protect against β-amyloid neurotoxicity and its consequences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unlabelled: Brown fat uptake of 2-deoxy-2-[F-18]fluoro-D: -glucose (FDG) on a positron emission tomography (PET) scan limits the ability to assess for cancer. Drugs such as benzodiazepine, propranolol, and reserpine have been proposed to reduce this uptake, but the studies have been either small clinical or preclinical trials. As an alternative, we evaluated the effect of controlling the patient's environmental temperature on brown fat uptake of FDG.Method: From January 1, 2002 to November 30, 2004, patients were identified who had (1) a pattern of FDG uptake in the neck/paravertebral areas suggestive of brown fat, (2) a repeat FDG-PET scan after control of the patient's environmental temperature, and (3) no evidence of cancer in the neck/paravertebral areas by other diagnostic methods. For the follow-up PET scan, all patients wore warm clothing and avoided exposure to cold air during their transit to our facility. After arrival, patients were kept in a separate temperature-controlled room (at least 75 degrees F) for 15 minutes to two hours before FDG injection as well as during the uptake phase. Four physicians blindly and retrospectively assessed the FDG uptake in the neck and paravertebral regions on all initial and temperature-controlled PET scans by visually grading the radioactivity on a semiquantitative scale (0 = background, 1+ = background but liver). The changes in maximal SUVs were determined in the left and right neck region. Data were evaluated using a two-tail t-test.Results: Ten patients met the above criteria. The median age was 32 years with a range of 11-58 years. In comparing the semiquantitative uptake and the SUVs of FDG in the neck and paravertebral areas on the initial PET scan to the temperature-controlled PET scan, the mean decrease and the standard deviation of the decrease demonstrated a statistically significant decrease in with P values range from <0.02 to <0.001.Conclusion: Controlling the patient's environmental temperature prior to the dosing and during the uptake phase can significantly reduce FDG uptake in brown fat in the neck and paravertebral areas. Further studies are warranted to determine the most effective protocol to control the patient's environmental temperature in order to minimize brown fat uptake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the study of sulfur cycle bacteria was already started around the 1890's by the famous microbiologists Winogradsky and Beijerinck, there are nowadays still many new discoveries to be made about the metabolic properties, phylogenetic position and ecological behaviour of bacteria that play a role in the biological sulfur cycle. The current interest of the scientific community in the biological sulfur cycle is very high, especially because of the many special organisms that have recently been discovered in deep sea and other environments characterised by extreme conditions (such as high salt, low/high pH or temperature) and also in bioreactor environments. This paper highlights the many unique opportunities the sulfur cycle bacteria offer for sulfur pollution abatement and sulfur recovery. Special attention is given to bioreactor systems where dissimilatory sulfate reduction is an important bioconversion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigates the effects of angiostatin, endostatin and interferon gene transfer in in vivo models of breast cancer induced neovascularization and tumor growth. Secretion of the combinant proteins; Heterogeneity in the therapeutic efficacy of angiostatic molecules delivered by viral vectors; Usefulness of gene therapy.

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence and management of complications of videosurgical procedures that occurred during a 4-year period in eight Italian pediatric surgery centers.Methods: Between 1996 and 1999, 2305 videosurgical procedures were performed in 11 centers of pediatric surgery. The data from 3 centers, for a total of 616 procedures, were largely incomplete and were thus excluded from the study. We analyzed the data from 8 centers only, for a total of 1689 laparoscopic or thoracoscopic operations on patients aged between 15 days and 16 years. The type of operations performed ranged from basic videosurgical interventions, such as varicocelectomy and cryptorchidism, to advanced laparoscopic procedures, such as splenectomy, total colectomy, and esophageal achalasia. Each patient's file was examined for any complications that may have occurred during the surgical procedure and for a record of how these were managed.Results: We recorded 79 complications (4.6%) in our series. In 57 cases (72.2%) the problem was solved by videosurgery. Twenty-two cases (27.8%) required conversion to open surgery. There was no mortality in our series. At a maximum follow-up of 4 years, all children were alive and had no problems related to the videosurgical complications.Conclusions: We believe that the routine use of open laparoscopy in pediatric patients is a key factor to avoiding complications related to the Veress needle and blind introduction of the first trocar. Moreover, the surgeon's laparoscopic experience, the correct indications for laparoscopic surgery, and the verification of the laparoscopic equipment before surgery are also important rules to follow to reduce the incidence of complications. In the beginning, it is preferable to have the assistance of an expert laparoscopic surgeon to decrease the complications related to the learning curve period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Sex differences in the sensitivity of the human pineal gland to the suppressant effect of bright light on melatonin synthesis were studied in 6 healthy men and women. Blood samples were collected in two randomly ordered sessions: in one, subjects rested supine in bed, in the dark, from 21.00 to 7.00h; in the other session, they were exposed to bright light (2,000 lux) from 2.00 to 4.00 h. In the dark condition, no significant differences were observed between men and women in either the timing or the absolute values of melatonin plasma levels, whereas after bright light exposure, the suppression of plasma melatonin was a 40% greater in women than in men. These findings suggest that, in humans, there is a sex difference in the nocturnal sensitivity of the pineal to light. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Il Nuovo Cimento: B is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

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We used radiolabelled monoclonal antibodies (MoAbs) to prove disease persistence after treatment for ovarian carcinoma. Twelve patients with histologically confirmed ovarian carcinoma were studied. They received 5 mCi (1 mg) of iodine-131-B72.3 by intravenous injection before and after a complete course of chemotherapy. Images were obtained with a LFOV gamma camera 2 h after MoAb administration and daily up to 6 days. Before treatment 8 patients had a true positive scan. Questionable antibody uptake was observed in 2 patients while 1 had a true negative scan and 1 a false-negative examination. After treatment the therapeutic response was evaluated. Five patients had partial remission and antibody scan showed persistence of disease in all patients except 1. Four patients showed progression of the disease and 1 no change. The antibody scan was positive in 4 and questionable in 1. Two patients had complete remission and negative antibody scans. Computed tomography (CT) could not always discriminate postoperative fibrosis from tumour lesions, especially when the peritoneum was involved in the disease. High serum levels of tumour markers were constantly associated with the presence of tumour lesions, but normal values did not guarantee absence of disease. We conclude than the antibody scan is complementary to CT and serum tumor markers in the definition of therapeutic response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mitogenactivated protein kinase kinase (MAPKK) is a protein downstream ras which is rapidly activated in cells stimulated with various extracellular signals. These proteins are believed to play a pivotal role in integrating and transmitting transmembrane signals required for cell growth. To study the effect of inhibition of MAPKK on smooth muscle cell (SMC) proliferation in vivo after vascular injury, we performed experimental balloon angioplasty using the standard Clowes technique in male Wistar rats 14-weeks old. The animals did not receive any treatment after vascular injury (N=6) or were randomly assigned to receive, after balloon injury, a 30% (w/v) pluronic gel solution applied to the injured carotid artery, containing respectively: 1) no plasmid DNA (n=10); 2) RSV-lacZ (encoding the β-galactosidase gene) as control gene without effects on SMC proliferation (n=10); 3) Tg-CAT (encoding cloramphenicol acetyl-transferase gene under the control of thyreoglobulin promoter) as an additional control gene without effects on SMC proliferation (n=7); 4) a negative mutant of Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Kinase (MAPKK) (n=13). Fourteen days after vascular injury, carotid arteries were removed and cross sections were cut and stained with hematoxylin/eosin. Morphometric analysis demonstrated, in the MAPKK-treated rats, a significant reduction of both neointima (0.096±0.018 mm2 vs. 0.184±0.019 mm2, p<0.01) and neointima/media ratio (0.603±0.103 vs. 1.147±0.161, p<0.01) compared to control DNA. The inhibition of MAPKK, by a dominant inhibitor mutant gene, prevents the SMC proliferation after vascular injury in vivo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of low-dose chronic scopolamine on measures of cerebral perfusion and muscarinic receptors were tested in eight Alzheimer's disease (AD) subjects and eight elderly controls. Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) scans using technetium-labelled hexamethypropylene amine oxide (Tc-HMPAO) to measure cerebral perfusion before and after chronic scopolamine revealed a significant 12% increase in the normal controls ( P<0.01) while the AD subjects showed no significant change. In contrast, the controls showed decreased muscarinic binding as evidenced byI-quinuclidinyl-4-iodobenzilate (I-QNB) labelling after chronic drug (−10%, P<0.01) whereas the AD subjects showed increasedI-QNB labelling (+8%, P<0.05). The difference between AD and control subjects was even more marked when the ratio of I-QNB to HMPAO uptake was compared, pointing to a double dissociation in the SPECT results. These data cannot be explained by group differences in cerebral perfusion alone and suggest a differential sensitivity between AD and elderly controls to chronic cholinergic blockade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 6-month-old male Wistar rats, levels of dopamine (DA), dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC), ascorbic acid (AA), dehydroascorbic acid (DHAA), uric acid and glutathione (GSH) were determined by HPLC in the striatum and striatal synaptosomes after subchronic oral exposure to MnCl 50-100-150 mg/kg. Mn significantly decreased levels of DA and GSH and increased levels of DHAA and uric acid both in the striatum and synaptosomes. In synaptosomes, individual total Mn doses/rat were directly correlated with individual DOPAC/DA ratio values ( r=+0.647), uric acid ( r=+0.532) and DHAA levels ( r=+0.889) and inversely correlated with DA ( r=−0.757) and GSH levels ( r=−0.608). In turn, GSH levels were inversely correlated with uric acid ( r=−0.451) and DHAA levels ( r=−0.460). In conclusion, the response of striatal cellular defense mechanisms (increase in AA oxidation, decrease in GSH levels) correlated well with changes in markers of dopaminergic system activity and increase in uric acid levels. The latter provides evidence of an Mn-induced oxidative stress mediated by xanthine oxidase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human antibodies to hepatitis C virus core, NS4A and NS3 were cloned in a prokaryotic vector and expressed as soluble Fab fragments and as phage-displayed Fabs. The recombinant Fabs were shown to be a suitable tool for immunohistochemistry, since they recognize the cognate antigen expressed in mammalian cells. The nucleotide sequence of the cDNA for the variable domains of these antibodies was determined and the V-gene usage was derived. On the basis of the deduced amino acid sequence, a structural model of the V domains of the Fabs was constructed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The results of open heart surgery in infants have steadily improved. The performance of corrective surgery very early in life has thereby been encouraged. We report four patients who underwent successful surgical correction within 24 h of birth. Two patients with total anomalous pulmonary venous drainage and one patient with pulmonary atresia and intact septum were corrected with the aid of profound hypothermia by the combined surface and bypass cooling technique. Cardiopulmonary bypass alone was used for the fourth patient with aortic stenosis. The usual surgical techniques can be applied successfully to infants even within 24 h of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present work shows that semistarvation (8-10 g of food for 10 days) increases net d-glucose, Na and water transport in the everted and perfused rat jejunum. A lincar and positive correlation between cell sugar concentration and transport was found in control and semistarved rats, but the phenomenon was more relevant only in semistarved animals. Membrane vesicle experiments showed that semistarvation increases sugar overshoot only in brush border membrane vesicles, while this situation does not occur in basolateral membrane vesicles. The effect of partial food deprivation seems to enhance net sugar transport by mereasing sugar entry across the apical membrane of enterocytes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hyperglycemia produced by intravenous infusion of glucose causes, in the everted jejunum of rat, an increase of net transintestinal transport of glucose, Na and water without modifying their cell concentration. The concentration of glucose in the fluid pouring out at the serosal side is higher than the calculated intracellular concentration, especially in the experiments in which the serosal compartment is initially empty. This fact could be explained by the possible existence of an active extrusion mechanism in the basolateral membrane of the enterocyte. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]