194 research outputs found
Cacciola - Zappettini. Processo e metodo della pittura analitica
No full textAttraverso i saggi dei curatori e le testimonianze degli artisti, il volume restituisce l'importanza delle ricerche di Cacciola e Zappettini, rappresentati liguri della pittura analitica.
Structural Rearrangement Functional Desynchornization
No full textRepository for the data and codes used in the study of structural and functional networks in brain tumors and surgery.
Research conducted by Joan Falcó-Roget, Fabio Sambataro, Alberto Cacciola and Alessandro Crimi
Atrophy patterns of deep gray matter nuclei in Alzheimer's disease and frontotemporal dementia
No full textBackgroundWhile cortical atrophy has been widely studied in dementia, emerging evidence highlights the role of subcortical degeneration, particularly in deep gray matter structures such as the thalamus, claustrum, and basal nuclei, in both Alzheimer's disease (AD) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). However, disease-specific subcortical patterns remain undercharacterized.ObjectiveTo quantify deep gray matter atrophy across the AD continuum (mild cognitive impairment and AD) and three FTD subtypes (bvFTD, svFTD, PNFA), and to assess longitudinal atrophy, cognitive associations, and diagnostic classification.MethodsWe applied a novel segmentation pipeline (sTHOMAS) to T1-weighted MRI data from 380 participants in the ADNI cohort and 274 participants in the FTLDNI cohort, with longitudinal follow-up available for 237 participants. Group differences were assessed using ANCOVA (adjusted for age and sex), followed by post hoc comparisons and effect size estimation (Cohen's d). Neuropsychological associations were examined using partial correlations. A hierarchical Random Forest model was trained to classify diagnostic groups.ResultsPronounced atrophy was observed in the mediodorsal, anteroventral, pulvinar thalamic nuclei, and nucleus accumbens, and claustrum in both AD and FTD, but was significantly greater in bvFTD. Longitudinal analysis revealed the fastest progression in bvFTD. Classification achieved 96.8% accuracy (AUC = 0.99) for AD versus FTD and 77.7% accuracy (AUC = 0.83) for PNFA versus svFTD. Subcortical atrophy correlated to executive, language, and semantic deficits.ConclusionsAtrophy in the mediodorsal, pulvinar, anteroventral thalamic nuclei, nucleus accumbens, and claustrum distinguishes AD from FTD and differentiates FTD subtypes. These subcortical structures represent promising biomarkers for diagnosis and monitoring of neurodegeneration
Philadelphia chromosome-negative myeloproliferative chronic neoplasms: is clonal hematopoiesis the main determinant of autoimmune and cardio-vascular manifestations?
No full textIn this article, we reviewed the possible mechanisms linking the clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP) to chronic myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs), autoimmune diseases (ADs), and cardiovascular diseases (CADs). CHIP is characterized by the presence of clonal mutations with an allelic frequency >2% in the peripheral blood without dysplasia, overt hematological neoplasms, or abnormalities in blood cell count. The prevalence may reach 20% of elderly healthy individuals and is considered a risk factor for myelodysplastic neoplasms and acute leukemia. In MPNs, CHIP is often associated with mutations such as JAK2V617F or DNMT3A, TET2, or ASXL1, which exhibit a 12.1- and 1.7-2-fold increase in CADs. Specifically, JAK2-mutated cells produce excessive cytokines and reactive oxygen species, leading to proinflammatory modifications in the bone marrow microenvironment. Consequently, the likelihood of experiencing thrombosis is influenced by the variant allele frequency (VAF) of the JAK2V617F mutation, which also appears to be correlated with anti-endothelial cell antibodies that sustain thrombosis. However, DNMT3A mutations induce pro-inflammatory T-cell polarization and activate the inflammasome complex, while TET2 downregulation leads to endothelial cell autophagy and inflammatory factor upregulation. As a result, in patients with TET2 and DNMT3A-related CHIP, the inflammasome hyperactivation represents a potential cause of CADs. CHIP also occurs in patients with large and small vessel vasculitis, while ADs are more frequently associated with MPNs. In these diseases, monocytes and neutrophils play a key role in the formation of neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) as well as anti-endothelial cell antibodies, resulting in a final procoagulant effect. ADs, such as systemic lupus erythematosus, psoriasis, and arthritis, are also characterized by an overexpression of the Rho-associated coiled-coil containing protein kinase 2 (ROCK2), a serine/threonine kinase that can hyperactivate the JAK-STAT pathway. Interestingly, hyperactivation of ROCK2 has also been observed in myeloid malignancies, where it promotes the growth and survival of leukemic cells. In summary, the presence of CHIP, with or without neoplasia, can be associated with autoimmune manifestations and thrombosis. In the presence of these manifestations, it is necessary to consider a "disease-modifying therapy" that may either reduce the clonal burden or inhibit the clonally activated JAK pathway
Plant-parasitic nematodes of olive
No full textEditors: Schena L., Agosteo G.E., Cacciola S.O.Peer reviewe
Functional and structural reorganization in brain tumors: a machine learning approach using desynchronized functional oscillations
No full textNeuroimaging studies have allowed for non-invasive mapping of brain networks in brain tumors. Although tumor core and edema are easily identifiable using standard MRI acquisitions, imaging studies often neglect signals, structures, and functions within their presence. Therefore, both functional and diffusion signals, as well as their relationship with global patterns of connectivity reorganization, are poorly understood. Here, we explore the functional activity and the structure of white matter fibers considering the contribution of the whole tumor in a surgical context. First, we find intertwined alterations in the frequency domain of local and spatially distributed resting-state functional signals, potentially arising within the tumor. Second, we propose a fiber tracking pipeline capable of using anatomical information while still reconstructing bundles in tumoral and peritumoral tissue. Finally, using machine learning and healthy anatomical information, we predict structural rearrangement after surgery given the preoperative brain network. The generative model also disentangles complex patterns of connectivity reorganization for different types of tumors. Overall, we show the importance of carefully designing studies including MR signals within damaged brain tissues, as they exhibit and relate to non-trivial patterns of both structural and functional (dis-)connections or activity
Striatal topographical organization: Bridging the gap between molecules, connectivity and behavior
No full textThe striatum represents the major hub of the basal ganglia, receiving projections from the entire cerebral cortex and it is assumed to play a key role in a wide array of complex behavioral tasks. Despite being extensively investigated during the last decades, the topographical organization of the striatum is not well understood yet. Ongoing efforts in neuroscience are focused on analyzing striatal anatomy at different spatial scales, to understand how structure relates to function and how derangements of this organization are involved in various neuropsychiatric diseases. While being subdivided at the macroscale level into dorsal and ventral divisions, at a mesoscale level the striatum represents an anatomical continuum sharing the same cellular makeup. At the same time, it is now increasingly ascertained that different striatal compartments show subtle histochemical differences, and their neurons exhibit peculiar patterns of gene expression, supporting functional diversity across the whole basal ganglia circuitry. Such diversity is further supported by afferent connections which are heterogenous both anatomically, as they originate from distributed cortical areas and subcortical structures, and biochemically, as they involve a variety of neurotransmitters. Specifically, the cortico-striatal projection system is topographically organized delineating a functional organization which is maintained throughout the basal ganglia, subserving motor, cognitive and affective behavioral functions. While such functional heterogeneity has been firstly conceptualized as a tripartite organization, with sharply defined limbic, associative and sensorimotor territories within the striatum, it has been proposed that such territories are more likely to fade into one another, delineating a gradient-like organization along medio-lateral and ventro-dorsal axes. However, the molecular and cellular underpinnings of such organization are less understood, and their relations to behavior remains an open question, especially in humans. In this review we aimed at summarizing the available knowledge on striatal organization, especially focusing on how it links structure to function and its alterations in neuropsychiatric diseases. We examined studies conducted on different species, covering a wide array of different methodologies: from tract-tracing and immunohistochemistry to neuroimaging and transcriptomic experiments, aimed at bridging the gap between macroscopic and molecular levels
Evaluation of a Simplified Model for the Estimation of Consumption in Small Electrical VTOL UAVs
No full textThe early stages of the design process of an electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing Unmanned Aerial System (VTOL UAS), requires robust, reliable, and simple models, to rapidly inquire relevant performance parameters for different configurations, and to determine the most promising development path, especially for innovative and untested geometry. This work aims to evaluate a simplified model for the estimation of consumption and, consequently, flight time and range for electric VTOL UAS by comparing simulation results for an innovative configuration and experimental data acquired during flight test on an existing prototype in real environmental conditions. Simulations, tests and comparison are related to a specific mission profile that includes: take off and transition from vertical to horizontal flight, cruise flight at constant speed, transition from horizontal to vertical flight and landing. In these conditions, electrical consumption [A] has been considered separately for each phase and maximum flight distance [m] and time [s] have been calculated consequently
Effects of diffusion signal modeling and segmentation approaches on subthalamic nucleus parcellation.
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