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Radiotherapy techniques deliver ionizing radiations (X-rays, photons, electrons, protons, etc.) inside cancerous tissues to kill the abnormal cells. Radiotherapy-related activities such as the optimization of the therapeutic radiation dose to patients, workers' radioprotection, linear accelerator commissioning, quality assurance processes and technical innovations of linear accelerators are strongly based on the ability to predict the dose distribution. Monte Carlo based simulations are so far the most accurate tool for the calculation of dosimetric parameters, with the drawback of requiring extensive computing resources to achieve statistically meaningful results in a reasonable time frame. In the last years, advanced cancer treatment clinical and research communities have used e-Infrastructures to support their activities. The present paper reports on the development of a computing facility for helping clinical researchers in using modern R&E networking and distributed computing and storage resources for a new radiotherapy technique: the Intra-Operative Electron Radiotherapy. The web application developed addresses some technical and clinical needs as the design of linear accelerators' collimation systems and the optimization of the patient therapeutic dose distribution. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: An improvement of prognostic models in primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is needed. In particular, inclusion of prognostic markers that are independent of the disease stage would be advantageous. We investigated whether HLA class II genes associated with PSC are also related to disease progression. Methods: The study included 265 PSC patients from five European countries with a median follow-up of 9.1 years. The end-points were death (n = 38) or liver transplantation (n = 52). Thirty patients developed cholangiocarcinoma during follow-up. Results: The DRB1*03,DQA1*0501,DQB1*02 (i.e. DR3,DQ2) heterozygous genotype was associated with an increased risk of death or liver transplantation (hazard ratio = 1.63; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.06-2.52). The presence of a DQ6 encoding haplotype (DQB1*0603 or DQB1*0602) in DR3,DQ2 negative individuals was associated with a reduced risk of death or liver transplantation (hazard ratio = 0.57; 95% CI = 0.36-0.88). There was a trend towards an increased risk of developing cholangiocarcinoma among DR4,DQ8 positive patients, but this did not reach significance (odds ratio = 2.27; 95% CI = 0.78-6.62). Conclusion: The DR3,DQ2 heterozygous genotype is associated with a more rapid progression of PSC, whereas HLA-DQ6 is associated with a retarded disease progression. It is possible that the DR4,DQ8 haplotype is related to cholangiocarcinoma development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The existence of a significant correlation between alcohol use and crime has long been acknowledged in the scientific literature. In order to ascertain the existence of significant relationships among alcohol use, delinquency and victimisation among young people, and to describe the nature and characteristics of such relationships, a database was set up to record the results of the “International Self-Report Delinquency Study 2”. This database was created by selecting a sample of young people (N=57,771) of both sexes, aged between 12 and 16 years, in 25 European countries. The research focused chiefly on the role of alcohol use and sought to analyse the influence exerted by different life situations (age, sex, lifestyle, friendships and personality traits). Alcohol consumption proved to be a very widespread phenomenon among young people, particularly among youths who commit crimes and those who are victims of crime. Moreover, it emerged that the abuse of alcohol was the consumption modality most closely associated with both delinquency and victimisation.Alcohol consumption was seen to correlate more closely with the involvement in violent crime than with property offences. The analyses conducted on the relationship between the involvement in alcohol use and various psychosocial factors yielded particularly significant results.The association between alcohol use and delinquency was confirmed in all geographical settings. In conclusion, alcohol, delinquency and victimisation are closely related with one another. The nature and characteristics of these relationships suggest that the associations between alcohol use and delinquency and between victimisation and alcohol consumption are reciprocal rather than one-directional. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rickettsia slovaca is a tick-borne zoonotic bacterium and is the etiological agent of SENLAT, Scalp Eschar and Neck Lymph-Adenopathy after Tick bite. Despite many human cases reported in Europe, its epidemiology is not completely understood. To further understand this neglected tick-borne pathogen, we collected ticks and wild boar blood samples in 2017 to evaluate R. slovaca prevalence. Due to the high prevalence detected in Dermacentor marginatus , we investigated archive tick and blood samples collected previously in 2010 monitoring activities. The research was conducted in Euganean Hills Regional Park, North-Eastern Italy. Sampling was performed in 2010 and 2017 and regarded both blood and ticks collected from wild boars at culling. In 2010, ticks were sampled from animals and from the vegetation using the dragging method. Ticks were identified using identification keys and processed for DNA extraction. Biological samples were screened by real-time PCR targeting Rickettsia gltA gene and positive samples were tested by classical PCR targeting gltA and ompB genes for species identification. Overall, 89 wild boar blood samples were collected, 75 in 2010 and 14 in 2017. All samples tested negative. In addition, 254 tick samples were analysed, 233 sampled in 2010 and 21 in 2017. Four different tick species were identified: Dermacentor marginatus (n=190), Ixodes ricinus (n=58), Rhipicephalus sanguineus (n=5), and Hyalomma marginatum (n=1). A difference in R. slovaca prevalence was recorded among tick species, i.e, 23.68±6.05% in D. marginatus and 3.45±4.70% in I. ricinus while R. sanguineus and H. marginatum tested negative. In addition, ticks collected by dragging were negative, while a prevalence of 18.68%±5.66 and 61.90±20.77 was detected in ticks from wild boars sampled in 2010 and 2017, respectively. D. marginatus showed the highest prevalence of R. slovaca , revealing its important vectorial role. Comparing the tick sampling methods, dragging seems less informative than tick collection from wild boars. Since wild boars tested negative, their role in R. slovaca epidemiological cycle needs more investigations, while they act as a maintenance host of D. marginatus populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Inhaled nitric oxide (iNO) has been used for treatment of acute respiratory failure and pulmonary hypertension since 1991 in adult patients in the perioperative setting and in critical care., Methods: This contribution assesses evidence for the use of iNO in this population as presented to a expert group jointly organised by the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine and the European Association of Cardiothoracic Anaesthesiologists., Conclusions: Expert recommendations on the use of iNO in adults were agreed on following presentation of the evidence at the expert meeting held in June 2004.