956 research outputs found

    Angelo Lanzellotti

    No full text
    Breve profilo biografico del giurista Angelo Lanzellotti

    Vito Volterra

    No full text
    Vito Volterra (1860-1940) was one of the most famous representatives of Italian science in his day. Angelo Guerragio and Giovanni Paolini analyze Volterra’s most important contributions to mathematics and their applications, as well as his outstanding organizational achievements in scientific policy. Volterra was one of the founding fathers of functional analysis and the author of fundamental contributions in the field of integral equations, elasticity theory and population dynamics (Lotka-Volterra model). He delivered keynote lectures on the occasion of the International Congresses of Mathematicians held in Paris (1900), Rome (1908), Strasbourg (1920) and Bologna (1928). He became involved in the scientific development in united Italy and was appointed senator of the kingdom in 1905. One of his numerous non-mathematical activities was founding the National Research Council (Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, CNR). During the First World War he was active in military research. After the war he took a clear stand against fascism, which was the starting point for his exclusion. In 1926 he resigned as president of the world famous Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei and was later on excluded from the academy. In 1931 he was one of the few university lecturers who denied to swear an oath of allegiance to the fascistic regime. In 1938 he suffered from the impact of the racial laws. The authors draw a comprehensive picture of Vito Volterra, both as a great mathematician and an organizer of science

    Cytokines in the management of high risk or advanced breast cancer: an update and expectation

    No full text
    Some cytokines (interleukin (IL)-2, IL-11, transforming growth factor(TGF)beta) stimulate, while others (IL-12, IL-18, Interferons (IFNs)) inhibit breast cancer proliferation and/or invasion. So far IL-2, IFNalpha, IFNbeta and occasionally IFNgamma, IL-6, IL-12 have been used for the treatment of advanced breast cancer either to induce or increase hormone sensitivity and/or to stimulate cellular immunity. Only two long term pilot studies suggest that IL-2 and IFNbeta can improve clinical benefit and/or overall survival of metastatic breast cancer patients with minimal residual disease after chemotherapy or with disseminate disease non progressing during endocrine therapy. These results have been interpreted assuming that tumour microenvironment impairs the immune system of the host. Consequently, minimal disease or intense cytostatic effects following chemo or endocrine therapy, respectively, permit the patient's immune system to respond to the stimulatory effect of the cytokines. Therefore a prospective, phase III, randomised, simple blind trial has been planned. The aim is to assess whether the addition of IFNbeta and IL-2 to standard hormone therapy in postmenopausal patients with metastatic breast cancer and positive or unknown positive receptors prolongs the clinical benefit and survival since the metastatic diagnosis and the beginning of first line salvage antiestrogen therapy, compared with the results achieved with standard hormone therapy alone. If this immunotherapy prolongs survival of endocrine dependent metastatic breast cancer patients, IL-2 and IFNbeta can also be evaluated as adjuvant treatment of patients with positive estrogen receptors

    Immunotherapy prolongs the serum CEA-TPA-CA15.3 lead time at the metastatic progression in endocrine-dependent breast cancer patients: a retrospective longitudinal study

    No full text
    In metastatic breast cancer tumour markers' increase predicts, by a few months (lead time) disease progression. In breast cancer patients with endocrine dependent metastatic disease, we reported a prolonged clinical benefit and overall survival when first line conventional antiestrogen hormone therapy was started at the lead time and also when an immunotherapy schedule was added to the same conventional hormone treatment. Thirty-two of these last patients were considered (group a). In 27 (group b) of these 32 patients who progressed during first line salvage hormone plus immunotherapy the lead time at the progression of metastatic disease during therapy was compared with that at the onset of metastases when the same patients were without treatment and with that of a control group (group c) who did not receive immunotherapy. At disease progression, CEA-TPA-CA15.3 sensitivity was 92.5% in the group b (studied patients) and 88.5% in the group c (controls). At the progression in the group b, CEA-TPA-CA15.3 lead time (m+/-sd, months) was significantly longer than in group c (12.1+/-12.9 vs 2.4+/-4.0) (P=0.000). Besides, in group b the lead time was significantly longer at the progression than at the metastatic onset (P=0.003) while in the group c the difference was near to significance (P=0.05). The CEA-TPA-CA15.3 tumour marker panel accurately predicted metastatic disease progression and immunotherapy significantly prolonged the CEA-TPA-CA15.3 lead time. This can be used for anticipating salvage treatment in these patient
    corecore