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DNA methylation alterations are early events during tumourigenesis, affecting genes involved in the crosstalk between cells and surroundings in colorectal cancer (CRC). Among these genes, GRIA4, Glutamate Ionotropic Receptor AMPA Type Subunit 4, displays hypermethylation in the promoter region, and is an early diagnostic biomarker. It is well known that methylation can also affect alternative transcription. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the expression, at transcript and protein level, of GRIA4 main isoforms (the canonical one and a short variant) in 23 CRC and matched normal samples, of which we previously verified the methylation status. We further predicted miRNA/transcript target interactions as a possible post-transcriptional regulation using bioinformatics tools. As expected, downregulation of both variants has been observed in tumours. Interestingly, in contrast to what observed at transcriptional level, the GluR4 protein short isoform displayed higher expression than the canonical one either in normal or tumoural tissues. This may be explained by miRNA specifically targeting the canonical isoform. Our study is the first one that shows the expression of both isoforms in colon tissues. To note, the evident expression of the short isoform suggests a functional role in intestinal cell biology.

This article aims to show how Dante Alighieri was ‘used’ in Renaissance Polish literature. Dante was known by Polish intellectuals first of all as a political theorist. Only in the second half of the 14th century did Polish writers start to refer to him as a great poet (Długosz). However, Dante was rather known than read and ‘used’ as a topic character to demonstrate the excellence of vernacular poetry. Andrzej Trzecieski the Younger, in fact, wrote in a couple of epigrams to his friend Mikołaj Rej, that Rej is to Polish literature, what Dante (and Petrarch) was to Italian literature; in addition to this, Trzecieski underlines, through intertextual allusions, that Dante (and Rej) had the same dignity of ancient Greek and Latin poets. This attitude that vernacular literature is on par with Greek and ancient literature is found also in the elegy III 8 by Jan Kochanowski, where Ronsard is presented as a “classic” poet. The final part of this work compares the situation in 15th and 16th-century Italian and Polish literature in terms of the relationship between ancient and vernacular poetry.

RIALE (Remote Intelligent Access to Lab Experiment) is a concept designed to supplement school science laboratories. Its multifunctional platform for innovative learning applications offers a multimodal approach of science. During Lab experiments Internet of Things (IoT) devices collect data, while an Artificial Intelligence (AI) tool is trained to recognize the tools, identify procedures and protocol phases, highlight the results of quantitative observations and tag collected data in a Timeline enriched with tagged additional educational contents (videos, external links, etc.). After remotely witnessing live the Lab experiment, students will access all educational contents from the platform to go deeper into single aspects of the experiment. A second AI tool will explore students’ approaches to learning, enabling us, in the long term, to obtain a user-friendly tool that will give information on students’ learning styles and help adapt teaching to their learning needs and styles. The first RIALE experiment deals with bioinformatics analysis. The educational scenario deals with exome sequencing and related scientific concepts (family tree, inheritance, genes…).

"Goffred – Gerusalemme Liberata" XII 59–68. Interpretacja stylistycznaArtykuł skupia się na ściśle stylistycznej analizie epizodu śmierci Kloryndy z Jerozolimywyzwolonej w tłumaczeniu Piotra Kochanowskiego.Riccardo Picchio w 1977 r. opublikował nowatorski artykuł z punktu widzenia metodologicznego,pozostawiając na boku rozpowszechnione aż dotąd podejście do interpretacji polskiejwersji tego poematu, a mianowicie podejście za mocno uwarunkowane stosunkiem pomiędzydwoma tekstami, Tassa i Kochanowskiego. Włoski badacz postarał się przedstawićw nowym świetle arcydzieło polskiego poety: zamiast podkreślić domniemane usterki jegotłumaczenia, Picchio udowodnił, że bardzo często Kochanowski nie przełożył Tassa wedługnaszych oczekiwań nie z tego powodu, że nie umiał dorównać Tassowskiemu mistrzostwu,a raczej dlatego, że miał inne zamiary co do ogólnej koncepcji swojego poematu.Także w przypadku epizodu śmierci Kloryndy okazuje się, że poeta unikał najwyraźniejszychcech stylistycznych tekstu Tassa (ciągła i prawie obsesyjna obecność krwi oraz seksualnośćbohaterki), aby przedstawić czytelnikom raczej grę Losu/Szczęścia z postaciami, przedewszystkim z Tankredem, który walczy, nie będąc tego świadom, ze swoją ukochaną i w końcują zabija.Słowa kluczowe: Piotr Kochanowski, Tasso, Gerusalemme Liberata, Goffred, Klorynda,Tankred, stylistyka "Goffred – Gerusalemme Liberata" XII 59–68. A stylistical interpretationand some methodological observationsAbstractThe article focuses on the strictly stylistic analysis of the episode of Clorinda’s death inGerusalemme Liberata translated by Piotr Kochanowski.In 1977 Riccardo Picchio published an article that was innovative from the methodologicalpoint of view, leaving behind the prevalent approach to interpretation of Polish version ofthe poem, i.e. an approach too strongly conditioned by the relationship between two texts –Tasso’s and Kochanowski’s. Italian researcher attempted at presenting the masterpiece of thePolish poet in a new light: instead of highlighting the alleged faults of the translation, Picchioproved that Kochanowski did not translate Tasso according to our expectations most oftennot because he could not achieve Tasso’s perfection, but rather because he had a differentplan for a general concept of his poem.In the case of the episode of Clorinda’s death it turns out that the poet avoided the mostdistinct stylistic features of Tasso’s text (constant and almost obsessive presence of blood and the sexuality of the character). It was done to present to the readers the way Fate/Luckplays with the characters, most notably with Tancredi who, unknown to him, fights with hislove and finally kills her.Keywords: Piotr Kochanowski, Tasso, Gerusalemme Liberata, Goffred, Clorinda, Tancredi, stylistic

Colorectal cancer (CRC) develops through the accumulation of both genetic and epigenetic alterations. However, while the former are already used as prognostic and predictive biomarkers, the latter are less well characterized. Here, performing global methylation analysis on both CRCs and adenomas by Illumina Infinium HumanMethylation450 Bead Chips, we identified a panel of 74 altered CpG islands, demonstrating that the earliest methylation alterations affect genes coding for proteins involved in the crosstalk between cell and surrounding environment. The panel discriminates CRCs and adenomas from peritumoral and normal mucosa with very high specificity (100%) and sensitivity (99.9%). Interestingly, over 70% of the hypermethylated islands resulted in downregulation of gene expression. To establish the possible usefulness of these non-invasive markers for detection of colon cancer, we selected three biomarkers and identified the presence of altered methylation in stool DNA and plasma cell-free circulating DNA from CRC patients.

Several correlations between cognitive impairment (CI), radiologic markers and cognitive reserve (CR) have been documented in MS.To evaluate correlation between CI and brain volume (BV) considering CR as possibile mitigating factor.195 relapsing MS patients underwent a neuropsychological assessment using BICAMS. BV was estimated using SIENAX to obtain normalized volume of brain (NBV), white matter (NWV), gray matter (NGV) and cortical gray matter (CGV). CR was estimated using a previously validated tool.Pearson test showed a correlation between the symbol digit modality test (SDMT) score and NBV (r=0.38; p0.000) NGV(r=0.31; p0.000), CGV (r=0.35; p0.000) and CRI score(r=0.42; p0.000). Linear regression (dependent variable:SDMT) showed a relationship with CR scores (p=0.000) and NGV(p0.000). A difference was detected between cognitive impaired and preserved patients regarding mean of NBV(p=0.002), NGV(p=0.007), CGV(p=0.002) and CR Scores (p=0.007). Anova showed a association between the presence of CI (dependent variable) and the interaction term CRIQ × CGV (p=0.004) whit adjustment for age and disability evaluated by EDSS.Our study shows a correlation between cognition and BV, in particular gray matter volume. Cognitive reserve is also confirmed as an important element playing a role in the complex interaction to determine the cognitive functions in MS.

Jan Kochanowski’s Amorous Foricoenia: Ovidian models. Part 1: The topoi in the little Ars Amatoria

This volume contains the critical edition of the Latin elegies written by the most important poet of the Polish Renaissance, as well as a philological commentary . The comment, in particular, does not only refer to the collection of similia, but also analyses Jan Kochanowski’s ways of “imitatio” (imitation), underlining his extraordinary poetic skills as well as his vibrant and lively relationship with classical texts, which he reuses cleverly to satisfy his own needs for meaning.Il presente volume contiene l’edizione critica con commento filologico delle elegie latine del piu importante poeta del Rinascimento polacco. Il commento in particolare non si limita alla raccolta di similia, ma s’interroga anche sui modi dell’imitatio di Jan Kochanowski, sottolineandone le straordinarie capacita poetiche nonche il suo rapporto vivo e vivace con i testi classici, che egli riutilizza abilmente per soddisfare le proprie esigenze di significazione.

Background: Telementoring is a real time telemedicine modality that allows a specialist to remotely assist a less expert operator. Videoconferencing is the main means for implementing telementoring applications and has been used in a wide range of clinical disciplines.; Long-distance communication can be affected by misunderstanding and misinterpretation, in particular when dealing with remote guidance. Videoconferencing can be enhanced using Augmented Reality (AR), which enriches video feeds with virtual objects like 3D models, pointers and annotations.; Objective: To evaluate through an exploratory study the impact of AR in remotely assisted ultrasound exams.; Material and Methods: In previous studies we developed a real time telementoring system (CRS4-TELEMED) for allowing a specialist to remotely guide the execution of an echocardiographic exam by an operator. The system manages three streams: the video from an IP cam, showing the exam scene; the sonographic video from the ultrasound machine; the bidirectional audio for allowing communication between the specialist and the operator. The system has been extended with a set of virtual telepointers, superimposed on the sonographic video and the keyboard of the ultrasound machine, in order to allow the remote specialist, which uses an Android tablet, to indicate regions of interests. The local operator wears Android smartglasses (Epson Moverio bt-200) that enable optical see through visualization of pointers.ARToolkit was used for implementing marker based AR.Results: Preliminary tests were conducted at the Pediatric Cardiology department of AOU Brotzu in Cagliari. Doctors and nurses with different skills and experience in ultrasound exams were involved. Participants judged the system positively, considering AR telepointers useful for improving remote assistance. The following issues emerged: optical alignment is suboptimal, some training is required to understand how smartglasses and AR work, smartglasses results uncomfortable, especially if the user wears glasses.Conclusions: AR based telepointers can be used for improving telementoring, allowing a remote specialist to indicate region of interests. Issues like comfort and alignment precision can be overcome with future evolution of smartglasses.Future works include: new pointers for indicating region on the patients and how to use the ultrasound probe; a user friendly in app calibration procedure for increasing AR precision on smartglasses; a field testing for evaluating the system.

Presenze omeriche e oraziane negli Elegiarum libri quattuor di Jan Kochanowski. L’Iliade e i Carmina oraziani nell’elegia 3.7Contrary to what critics have stated, the Polish poet Jan Kochanowski appears to be more interested in a direct imitation of the Homeric poems than an imitation of Latin poets such as Propertius or Ovid, who tried to “re‑write” Homer in their poems. This article discusses the connection between Kochanowski’s elegy 3.7 and Homer’s Iliad. It also shows how the imitation of Homer serves a specific purpose: by quoting Horace, Kochanowski reflects upon the ability poetry has to eternize its dedicatees. The Homeric heroes are still known thanks to Homer’s poems; Ossoliński, the dedicatee of this elegy, will be known forever thanks to Kochanowski’s verses.

Background. A totally laparoscopic right colectomy could be perceived as a more challenging procedure over a laparoscopic-assisted right colectomy owing to the difficulty of intracorporeal anastomosis and the closure of the enterotomy. The aim of this study is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the barbed auto-locking absorbable suture for the closure of an anastomotic stapler-access enterotomy during a totally laparoscopic right colectomy. Methods. From January 2010 to April 2016, data from patients who had undergone a laparoscopic right colectomy in 2 different departments of 2 institutions (the Department of General and Minimally Invasive Surgery, San Camillo Hospital in Trento and the Department of Surgical Specialties and Nephrology, University Federico II in Naples) were retrospectively analyzed. We compared the data of patients in whom the stapler-access enterotomy was closed through a conventional absorbable suture (Group A), with the data of patients in whom a stapler-access enterotomy was closed through a V-Loc 180 suture (Group B). Biometric features and intraoperative and postoperative data were collected and analyzed. Results. The 2 groups (Group A: 40 patients; Group B: 40 patients) were comparable for biometric features and postoperative outcomes. The anastomosing time was lower in Group B. A statistically significant difference was noted in the mean operative time between Groups A and B (Group A = 134.92 ± 34.17; Group B = 120.92 ± 23.27, P = .035). Only one anastomotic leakage per group was recorded, each treated with an anastomosis redo. During the reoperations, we find in both groups an intact stapler-access enterotomy. Conclusion. On retrospective analysis, barbed suture appears to be safe and efficient for closure of the stapler-access enterotomy during totally laparoscopic right colectomy.

Background: Recently, many studies have suggested a possible adjuvant role of aspirin in colorectal cancer, reporting a positive prognostic effect with its use in patients with established disease. The aim of this study was to investigate the anticancer effect of aspirin use during preoperative chemoradiation for rectal cancer. Methods: Two hundred and forty-one patients with stage II–III rectal cancer and candidates for chemoradiation (CRT) were selected and assigned to two groups: group 1, patients taking aspirin at the time of diagnosis, and group 2, all others. Treatment and oncological outcomes were explored. Results: Aspirin use was associated with a higher rate of tumour downstaging (67.6% vs 43.6%, P=0.01), good pathological response (46% vs 19% P

Background Oligoclonal bands of IgG (OB) are proposed as an early prognostic factor of the disease. Growing attention is directed towards brain volume evaluation as a possible marker of the severity of MS. Previous studies found that MS patients lacking OB have less brain atrophy. Aim to evaluate a possible relationship between OB and cerebral volume in a cohort of early MS patients. Methods Inclusion criteria were: diagnosis of relapsing-remitting MS; CSF analysis and MRI acquired simultaneously and within 12 months from clinical onset. A total of 15 healthy controls underwent MRI. Results In 20 MS patients, CSF analysis did not show OB synthesis (OB negative group). A control group of 25 MS patients in whom OB was detected was also randomly recruited (OB positive group). T test showed a significant difference in NWV between the OB positive and OB negative groups (P value = 0.01), and between the OB positive group and the healthy controls (P value = 0.001). No differences were detected between OB negative group and healthy controls. Multivariable linear regression showed a relationship between NWV and OB synthesis (P value = 0.02) controlling for age, gender, and EDSS. Conclusions Our preliminary results suggest that OB positive patients show more atrophy of white matter since early phases of the disease, supporting the role of CSF analysis as a prognostic factor in MS.

Lo scopo di questo articolo e di individuare gli imprestiti testuali clas­sici nei foricoenia amorosi del poeta polacco Jan Kochanowski (1530-1584); una volta individuate tali tessere testuali, proporro un’inter­pretazione delle scelte kochanoviane. Ritengo che il poeta dialoghi a distanza con l’Ars amatoria ovidiana e piu in generale con l’intera tradizione elegiaca latina, a volte negandola. Propongo qui un paio di esempi. L’epigramma XVI, da confrontare con Remedia amoris 501-502 e Ars amatoria I 45-48 (il cacciatore intrappolato nelle sue stesse reti); l’epigramma V In puellas venetas propone un Ulisse particolare, innamorato e simile piuttosto a un personaggio elegiaco che non a un eroe epico, esattamente quanto Ovidio insegno a fare con questo per­sonaggio. Inoltre, scrivendo l’epigramma LXIX all’amico Torquato, Kochanowski lo assicura di essere in grado di far ammalare d’amore, cosi come di curare il suo amico da una simile “malattia”. Ovidio, allo stesso modo, insegna a far ammalare d’amore (Ars a...

BACKGROUND:The potential clinical impact of aspirin use beyond its canonical indications is a novel matter of scientific debate. In patients with metastatic colorectal cancer failing all available options, regorafenib and TAS 102 represent the only chance of treatment. Although effective, these therapeutic options bring along a not-negligible burden in terms of economic costs and toxicity. In this setting, the indication to use aspirin in combination with chemotherapy would potentially represent a medical revolution under the economic and toxicity profile.PATIENTS AND METHODS:We assessed the role of aspirin in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer who failed all previous treatments and were receiving capecitabine as a salvage option before the introduction of regorafenib and TAS-102.RESULTS:Sixty-six patients were eligible. Twenty patients (30%) were on incidental treatment with aspirin for cardiovascular diseases. Twelve (60%) partial responses were seen in patients on treatment with aspirin, compared with 3 (6%) partial responses in the remaining patients (P = .00007). Sixteen patients on aspirin (80%) obtained disease control versus 14 (30%) patients who were not on aspirin (P = .000377). The median progression-free survival for patients receiving treatment with aspirin was 6.5 months versus 3.3 months for patients who were not on aspirin (hazard ratio, 0.48; 95% confidence interval, 0.30-0.79; P = .0042). A significantly improved overall survival was also evident in aspirin users (median overall survival, 14.7 vs. 8.7 months, respectively; hazard ratio, 0.43; 95% confidence interval, 0.26-0.72; P = .0023).CONCLUSION:Aspirin may improve the clinical outcome of heavily pre-treated patients with metastatic colorectal cancer receiving chemotherapy. Further studies are necessary before application in the clinical practice.Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.KEYWORDS:Aspirin; Capecitabine; Chemotherapy; Colon cancer; Salvage treatment

Background The use of point-of-care ultrasonography (POC US) in paediatrics is increasing. This study investigated the diagnostic accuracy of POC US in children accessing the emergency department (ED) when performed by paediatricians under the remote guidance of radiologists (TELE POC). Methods Children aged 0 to 18 years accessing the ED of a third level research hospital with eight possible clinical scenarios and without emergency/severity signs at the triage underwent three subsequent US tests: by a paediatrician guided remotely by a radiologist (TELE POC); by the same radiologist (UNBLIND RAD); by an independent blinded radiologist (BLIND RAD). Tele-radiology was implemented using low cost “commercial off-the-shelf” (COTS) equipment and open-source software. Data were prospectively collected on predefined templates. Results Fifty-two children were enrolled, for a total of 170 ultrasound findings. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values of TELE POC were: 93.8, 99.7, 96.8, 99.4 when compared to UNBLIND RAD and 88.2, 99.7, 96.8, 98.7 when compared to BLIND RAD. The inter-observers agreement between the paediatricians and either the unblind or blind radiologist was excellent (k = 0.93). The mean duration of TELE POC was 6.3 minutes (95% CI 4.1 to 8.5). Technical difficulties occurred in two (3.8%) cases. Quality of the transmission was rated as fair, good, very good and excellent in 7.7%, 15.4%, 42.3% and 34.6% of cases respectively, while in no case was it rated as poor. Conclusions POC US performed by paediatricians in ED guided via tele-radiology by an expert radiologist (TELE POC) produced reliable and timely diagnoses. Findings of this study, especially for the rarer conditions under evaluation, need further confirmation. Future research should investigate the overall benefits and the cost savings of using tele-ultrasound to perform US “at children’s bedsides”, under remote guidance of expert radiologists.

Background Notoriously the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS) is based on the use of several different drugs, characterized by a diverse mechanism of action, efficacy and safety. Recently, progress has been made towards developing new oral immunotherapies, and dimethyl fumarate is the third oral agent approved for the treatment of relapsing-remitting forms. Case A 24-year-old patient, affected by relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis, started treatment in December 2014 with dimethyl fumarate. The common side effects (flushing and gastrointestinal events) of dimethyl fumarate occurred at the beginning of treatment, but resolved after 1 month. Six months later, the patient presented with serious recrudescence of the gastrointestinal event. In addition to this symptom, he had developed acute omphalitis–a very rare infection in adults. Conclusion The pathogenic role of dimethyl fumarate to induce this rare infection was probably related to changes in immunological surveillance as well as to the irritant effect of this agent on the gastrointestinal epithelium. Therefore, post-marketing studies in clinical practice are still needed to provide the necessary long-term safety data.

The upper gastrointestinal surgery represented one of the first applications of laparoscopy. Since the early 1990s, benign esophageal disorders like gastroesophageal reflux, achalasia, or hiatal hernia became indications for the laparoscopic approach (LA) [1, 2].

The uptake of laparoscopic colorectal surgery is increasing annually. The first laparoscopic colon resection was reported in 1991. In the United Kingdom data show that 22 % of colon resections were performed laparoscopically by 2008–2009 [1, 2].

It is unclear who is the first surgeon to perform the first laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) [1]. However, Mouret reported, in March of 1987, a “laparoscopy, gynecological adhesiolysis, and cholecystectomy” for a 50-year-old woman [2].

HL7 version 2 is the most popular messaging standard for clinical systems interoperability. Most of the tools for messaging management are Java or .NET based, while Python programming language lacks of comparable solutions. This paper describes HL7apy, an open-source HL7 v2 compliant messaging library, written in Python. The library offers means to create, parse, navigate and validate messages. As an example application, we present a full implementation of the IHE Patient Demographics Query ITI-21 transaction. The resulting module has been integrated in GNU Health, a popular open-source Hospital Information System.

A positive effect of aspirin against colorectal cancer (CRC) was suggested for the first time by Kune et al . in 1988, who noticed a significant lower rate of aspirin users among new cases of colon and rectal cancer in Melbourne (Australia) metropolitan area [relative risk (RR), 0.49; 95% CI: 0.40–0.71] (1). Since then, the chemo-preventive potential of aspirin has been confirmed by different large cohort studies, in particular through analysis of data from large cardiovascular prevention trials (2).

Minimally invasive techniques have been introduced to reduce morbidity related to standard laparoscopic procedures. One such approach is laparoendoscopic single-site surgery. The aim of the study was to present our initial clinical experience of using this technique for elective splenectomy. We carried out single access laparoscopic splenectomy (SALS) for an 8 cm cystic lesion of the spleen, involving the hilum, on a 38-year-old woman. The procedure was performed with a single-port device (4-channel) via a 2.5-cm umbilical incision. A flexible 5-mm optic and straight laparoscopic instruments were used. The operative time was 75 min. There was no blood loss. No complications were observed. The postoperative period was uneventful. Although substantial development of the instruments and skills is needed, this SALS technique appears to be feasible and safe. Nevertheless, further experience and observations are necessary.

Single-incision surgery is an evolution of conventional laparoscopy. It reduces not only the invasiveness of the access but also the surgical procedure itself.

Accurate preoperative staging is the key to correct selection of rectal tumors for local excision. This study aims to assess the accuracy of endorectal ultrasound (ERUS) at our institution. Retrospective analysis was carried out of patients treated by transanal endoscopic microsurgery (TEM) from 1996 to 2008. TEM was considered the treatment of choice for uT0-1/N0 lesions located between 2 and 12 cm from the anal verge. It was also proposed in selected uT2-3 patients. Preoperative staging was compared with histopathologic findings. Eighty-one patients (46 males, mean age 66 years) underwent TEM. Mean distance of the tumor from the anal verge was 6.6 cm (range 2–12 cm). ERUS staged 15 of 27 adenomas (55%) as uT1. Of 54 carcinomas, 5 were pT0 because TEM was performed to remove resection margins of a malign polyp already snared. Five of 19 pTis (26%) were overstaged uT1, while 7 of 17 pT1 (41%) were understaged. Overall, ERUS enabled distinction between early and advanced rectal lesion with 96% sensitivity and 85% specificity, giving accuracy of 94% (65/67). Thirteen patients had advanced lesions (eight pT2 and five pT3). Only in two of them (15%) was depth of invasion underestimated by ERUS (one uT0, one uT1) and thus was subsequent salvage surgery necessary. ERUS is useful to confirm the diagnosis of adenoma and predict depth of mural invasion in early rectal cancer. Differentiation between T0/is and T1 lesions remains challenging, however this does not usually influence surgical strategy.