534 research outputs found
Meta-analysis of anatomic resection versus non-anatomic resection for hepatocellular carcinoma: Are they comparing apples with oranges?
No full textN
Estimation of Spectral Notches from Pinna Meshes: Insights from a Simple Computational Model
No full textWhile previous research on spatial sound perception investigated the physical mechanisms producing the most relevant elevation cues, how spectral notches are generated and related to the individual morphology of the human pinna is still a topic of debate. Correctly modeling these important elevation cues, and in particular the lowest frequency notches, is an essential step for individualizing Head-Related Transfer Functions (HRTFs). In this paper we propose a simple computational model able to predict the center frequencies of pinna notches from ear meshes. We apply such a model to a highly controlled HRTF dataset built with the specific purpose of understanding the contribution of the pinna to the HRTF. Results show that the computational model is able to approximate the lowest frequency notch with improved accuracy with respect to other state-of-the-art methods. By contrast, the model fails to predict higher-order pinna notches correctly. The proposed approximation supplements understanding of the morphology involved in generating spectral notches in experimental HRTFs.Design Aesthetic
A novel method to allow noninvasive, longitudinal imaging of the murine immune system in vivo
No full textIn vivo imaging has revolutionized understanding of the spatiotemporal complexity that subserves the generation of successful effector and regulatory immune responses. Until now, invasive surgery has been required for microscopic access to lymph nodes (LNs), making repeated imaging of the same animal impractical and potentially affecting lymphocyte behavior. To allow longitudinal in vivo imaging, we conceived the novel approach of transplanting LNs into
the mouse ear pinna. Transplanted LNs maintain the structural and cellular organization of conventional secondary lymphoid organs. They participate in lymphocyte
recirculation and exhibit the capacity to receive and respond to local antigenic challenge. The same LN could be repeatedly imaged through time without the requirement for surgical exposure, and the dynamic behavior of the cells within the transplanted LN could be characterized. Crucially, the use of blood vessels as fiducial markers also allowed precise re-registration of the same regions for
longitudinal imaging. Thus, we provide the first demonstration of a method for repeated, noninvasive, in vivo imaging of lymphocyte behavior
Advancement in the clinical management of intestinal pseudo-obstruction
No full textIntestinal pseudo-obstruction is more commonly known in its chronic form (CIPO), a cluster of rare diseases characterized by gastrointestinal muscle and nerve impairment, so severe to result in a markedly compromised peristalsis mimicking an intestinal occlusion. The management of CIPO requires the cooperation of a group of specialists: the disease has to be confirmed by a number of tests to avoid mistakes in the differential diagnosis. The treatment should be aimed at relieving symptoms arising from gut dysmotility (ideally using prokinetic agents), controlling abdominal pain (possibly with non-opioid antinociceptive drugs) and optimizing nutritional support. Furthermore, a thorough diagnostic work-up is mandatory to avoid unnecessary (potentially harmful) surgery and to select patients with clear indication to intestinal or multivisceral transplantation
Presentation and book signing for A Face from Uranus: Correspondence Between Tedd Burr and Henry Bellamann 1943-1945.
No full textAuthor Lenny Pinna will give a presentation and book signing for A Face from Uranus: Correspondence Between Tedd Burr and Henry Bellamann 1943-1945. Lenny researched the Henry and Katherine Bellamann Collection to help produce this book. As part of the presentation he will donate all of the correspondence between Burr and Bellamann to the Archives.
A little bit about the book: It\u27s 1943. As World War II commands the world\u27s stage, nineteen year old Tedd Burr struggles with his own private battle-gender identity. After receiving a draft notice, Tedd reaches out in desperation to Henry Bellamann, author of the best-selling 1940 novel Kings Row, for advice. Tedd imagines that the author who wrote sympathetically in his novel about a boy who was too pretty for a boy might be able to help him in some way. And he\u27s right. Henry responds, initiating a warm correspondence that deepens into a relationship that lasts until Henry\u27s death in 1945. This book publishes for the first time all the letters from Tedd and Henry\u27s correspondence.
Rachael Price, Associate Professor of English at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College writes that the book “captures with poignant clarity the experiences of a young man struggling with his genderqueer identity in the 1940s Midwest.”
Later at 7pm, Lenny Pinna will screen his film Letters to Uranus: The Hidden Life of Tedd Burr in Archives and Special Collections
Homocysteine and cardiovascular risk in patients with intestinal transplantation.
No full textPLASMA TOTAL HOMOCYSTEINE (HCY) AS ADDITIONAL CARDIOVASCULAR RISK FACTOR IN PATIENTS WITH INTESTINAL TRANSPLANTATION
G Bianchi, E Pompignoli, A Lauro, G Passerini, R Chianese, A Pinna, M Zoli
Dipartimento di Medicina Interna, Cardioangiologia, Epatologia and Centro Trapianti, Università di Bologna
Transplanted patients show an increased rate of cardiovascular events, probably due to metabolic changes induced by immunosuppressive therapy. Among cardiovascular risk factors, high plasma homocysteine (HiHCY) has an indepedent role. No data are available about HiHCY prevalence in subjects with intestinal transplant (ITX) as effect of immunosuppressive drugs.
21 subjects, ageing 24 to 57, with ITX dating 6 months or more (median 29 months; range 6-69) were tested in 79 determinations. All patients received Tacrolimus (FK) as major immunosuppressive agent. Total Hcy was assayed on chromatography. Routine laboratory data, history of diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, overweight and cardiovascular events, occurred over 6 months from ITX, were recorded. Additional events were recorded during the study period.
ITX subjects showed increased Hcy levels (median 19 mmol/L, range 8.6 – 80.6). 75% of ITX patients had Hcy >15 μmol/L. The same prevalence was observed for patients with mild kidney failure (creatinine levels above 1.7 mg/dl). Patients with normal and increased creatinine did not differ significantly for HCY or prevalence of HiHCY, and no relation was present between the two variables. Total homocysteine plasma levels were related to tacrolimus serum levels (R = 0.305, P < 0.01).
One heart ischemic problem was observed in a patient with severe kidney failure; two patients had problems in abdominal and/or peripheral venous districts, with HiHCY and some signs of the metabolic syndrome. HiHCY is frequently found in ITX patients. Its role in the genesis of cardiovascular events and the usefulness of a HiHCY lowering therapy remains to verify
Introduzione. «Arti di pinna»: Leonardo Sciascia Saggista
No full textThe article presents the main theme of the XIV Sciascia Colloquium - the essay form explored by Leonardo Sciascia in his works - discussing each contribution and the focus each author chose to develop for this volume publication
Su alcune serie pluviometriche italiane. Questi irrisolti, incongruenze e qualche riflessione generale.
No full textAbout some Italian rainfall series. Doubts, unsolved questions and some general considerations
– In this paper the author discusses various problems emerged from the analysis of the rainfall data series
of the Collegio Romano (Rome) and of other Italian stations. The average (1942-2012) annual rainfall in
the Collegio Romano is lower by more than 15% if compared to that of all other stations in the area of
Rome. We can find a similar situation in the historic centre of Bologna, where the two stations of the
Servizio Idrografico show a difference of 100 mm in the average annual total over the period 1935-1978.
It was also noted that recent research on the temporal variations of the precipitation intensity in Italy
presents very doubtful results that are probably due to the presence of significant errors in the examined
series
Hepatocellular carcinoma locoregional therapies for patients in the waiting list. Impact on transplantability and recurrence rate
No full textSummaryThe practice of treating candidates for liver transplantation (LT) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), with locoregional therapies, is common in most transplant centers. However, for T1 tumors and expected waiting times to LT <6months, there is no evidence that these treatments are beneficial. For T2 tumors and for longer waiting times, neo-adjuvant treatments are usually performed with transarterial chemoembolization (TACE), ablation techniques and liver resection in selected cases. The treatment choice should be based on the BCLC staging system. At present, there is no evidence of the superiority of ablation/resection vs. TACE, but some studies showed better results of the former in achieving a complete response. The response to neo-adjuvant treatments should be evaluated through mRECIST criteria, but few studies adopted these criteria and properly analyzed factors affecting response. The simultaneous evaluation of the impact of neo-adjuvant therapies on dropout rate, post-LT HCC recurrence and patient survival is rarely reported. Tumor stage and volume, alpha-fetoprotein levels, response to treatments and liver function affect pre-LT outcomes. These same factors, together with vascular invasion and poor tumor differentiation, are major determinants of poor post-LT outcomes. Due to the low number of prospective studies with well-defined entry criteria and the variability of results, the role of downstaging is still to be defined. Novel molecular markers seem promising for the estimation of prognosis and/or response to treatments. With a persistent scarcity of organ donors, neo-adjuvant treatments can help identify patients with different probabilities of cancer progression, and consequently balance the priority of HCC and non-HCC-candidates through revised additional scores for HCC
Pinna nobilis genotype table (Occitan coast)
No full textThe fan mussel, Pinna nobilis, endemic to the Mediterranean Sea, is a critically endangered species facing mass mortality events in almost all of its populations, following the introduction of the parasite Haplosporidium pinnae. Such a unique pandemic in a marine organism, which spreads rapidly and with mortality rates reaching 100 %, could lead to the potential extinction of the species. Only few regions, involving lagoon habitats, remain healthy throughout entire Mediterranean Sea. This dataset was used to describes the genetic structure of P. nobilis across the Gulf of Lion, including confined locations such as lagoons and ports. This dataset contains the genotype, at 22 microsatellite loci, of total of 960 samples that were collected among 16 sites distributed at 8 localities.
The results of the study are available in Peyran et al. (2021).
Peyran, C., Boissin, E., Morage, T., Nebot-Colomer, E., Iwankow, G., & Planes, S. (2021). Genetic homogeneity of the critically endangered fan mussel, Pinna nobilis, throughout lagoons of the Gulf of Lion (North-Western Mediterranean Sea). Scientific reports, 11(1), 1-12.
Corresponding author: [email protected]
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