100,574 research outputs found
Radiofrequency ablation of liver tumors: the role of microbubble ultrasound contrast agents
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Radiofrequency ablation of liver tumors: the role of microbubble ultrasound contrast agents.
Author(s): Meloni, Maria Franca; Livraghi, Tito; Filice, Carlo; Lazzaroni, Sergio; Calliada, Fabrizio; Perretti, Leonardo
Source: Ultrasound quarterly Volume: 22 Issue: 1 Pages: 41-7 Published: 2006-Mar
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Abstract: Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is currently indicated for the treatment of primary and metastatic hepatic malignancies. Real-time ultrasound (US) is generally used during the procedure to guide electrode placement, but for evaluating the results of treatment, contrast-enhanced computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging have traditionally been considered more effective. This view has changed, however, with the recent development of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) (eg, using sulfur hexafluoride microbubbles), which can provide valuable information on the effects of RFA more rapidly and economically than computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging without exposing the patient to ionizing radiation. In our center, CEUS is performed in patients with liver tumors before and immediately after RFA, in selected cases during the procedure as well, and in the follow-up. Between January 2003 and June 2005, we performed CEUS on 350 patients scheduled for RFA of primary or metastatic liver tumors. In 14 (13.4%) of the 96 patients whose disease was metastatic, CEUS revealed lesions that had been missed on the conventional US examination. In most of these cases, the result was a more complete treatment performed under CEUS guidance. In the remaining 2 (14%) of 14, the results of the examination allowed us to avoid subjecting the patient to useless treatment. In our experience, the use of CEUS also improved the management and follow-up of patients undergoing interstitial therapy
Indagine archeologica presso il settore M, area foro: dati preliminari
No full textPresentazione dei dati preliminari del settore M localizzato nell'angolo NE dell'area del Foro di Grumentu
Letter, [Author unclear] to Paulina T. Merritt
No full textHandwritten letter to Paulina Merritt from an unknown author, October 1, 1876.
Cultural Tourism in the Adriatic Ionian Macro Region: Understanding the Impact of COVID-19 and the Potential for a Sustainable Restart
No full textThis note presents an assessment of the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the Cultural Tourism sector in the Adriatic-Ionian region (ADRION) and discusses the strategies and policies for the restart. The analysis is based on a survey among stakeholders: entrepreneurs, representatives of local administrations, managers of cultural institutions, experts of the cultural tourism sector. The survey was conducted in six countries of the ADRION region: Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Albania, Serbia Greece. The unprecedented nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, in terms of economic impact, global scale and foreseeable duration, determined the choice of methodology. A direct dialogue with stakeholders was the only feasible methodology to deepen the understanding of the impact of the crisis, and carry out a preliminary assessment of the proposed strategies for the recovery. Among this note’s key findings, is that the impact of the pandemic on the cultural tourism sector could be very heterogeneous. One of the main risks could be an increase in inequalities, in the sectorial income, employment, investment, due to varying impact of the crisis and capacity to recover. Substantial differences of the impact of the crisis depend on the weight of tourism in the local economies, the share of small and micro firms, the share of tourist infrastructures offering free public services (not revenue generating bodies) on the side of those market oriented. Regarding the strategies for the recovery, stakeholders and experts are divided among those that consider the COVID-19 a factor of structural change to a more sustainable model, reducing the impact of overtourism, and others that bet on the resilience of the sector, that could return to a steady growth with the same business model which preceded the crisis. In all cases, the recovery and development of cultural tourism will depend not only on short-term measures, which are still necessary to avoid the bankruptcy of otherwise sustainable businesses and jobs, but also on long-term investments for the recovery on both the supply and demand side. In the long term, most of the interviewed agreed on the need for large, direct subsidies to mitigate the income loss produced by the crisis, especially among SMEs, and revenue generating institutions. Also, the urgent need of specific measures to support the preservation of the human capital in the cultural industries was mentioned. Further, investments to support the adjustment to the new health and safety measures, and to strengthen both the human capital and technology necessary to provide innovative instruments for cultural tourism. The instruments include innovative services to plan and manage tourists flows, like web platforms for the management of reservations, and the safety and sustainability of tourism activities, structural upgrading of tourist infrastructures to the new sustainability standards, as well as multimedia products and services to complement and enrich touristic services. New instruments for the regulation of the European principle of freedom of movement, are also considered. “Safe corridors” or an evolution of the initial proposals, could become instruments for an effective management of international tourism during geopolitical, environmental, or health crises.
Regarding the promotion of a new tourism model, the model of “proximity tourism”, which was introduced as a forced choice during the lockdowns, could become at least a component of a new sustainable cultural tourism. However, according to the stakeholders, this model cannot become a single choice in the ADRION area, that in large part depends on global demand. All these innovations will be critical factors for the future of cultural tourism. At the same time, the significant financial and human resources that will be needed for the structural adjustment could worsen the already dramatic inequalities within the ADRION region. Strong public sector support will be essential to mitigate these risks
Il tempio rotondo presso il settore M, area Foro, Grumentum: indagini archeologiche e risultati preliminari
No full textIndagini archeologiche presso il settore M localizzato nell'angolo NE dell'area del Foro di Grumentu
Handwritten biographical information on Paulina T. McClung Merritt
No full textA handwritten biography of Paulina T. McClung Merritt by an unknown author, 1892.
Heterogeneous and tissue-specific regulation of effector T cell responses by IFN-gamma during Plasmodium berghei ANKA infection.
No full textIFN-γ and T cells are both required for the development of experimental cerebral malaria during Plasmodium berghei ANKA infection. Surprisingly, however, the role of IFN-γ in shaping the effector CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cell response during this infection has not been examined in detail. To address this, we have compared the effector T cell responses in wild-type and IFN-γ(-/-) mice during P. berghei ANKA infection. The expansion of splenic CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells during P. berghei ANKA infection was unaffected by the absence of IFN-γ, but the contraction phase of the T cell response was significantly attenuated. Splenic T cell activation and effector function were essentially normal in IFN-γ(-/-) mice; however, the migration to, and accumulation of, effector CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells in the lung, liver, and brain was altered in IFN-γ(-/-) mice. Interestingly, activation and accumulation of T cells in various nonlymphoid organs was differently affected by lack of IFN-γ, suggesting that IFN-γ influences T cell effector function to varying levels in different anatomical locations. Importantly, control of splenic T cell numbers during P. berghei ANKA infection depended on active IFN-γ-dependent environmental signals--leading to T cell apoptosis--rather than upon intrinsic alterations in T cell programming. To our knowledge, this is the first study to fully investigate the role of IFN-γ in modulating T cell function during P. berghei ANKA infection and reveals that IFN-γ is required for efficient contraction of the pool of activated T cells
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
No full textWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
Analysis of the inflammatory response in HY-TCR transgenic mice highlights the pathogenic potential of CD4-CD8- T cells
No full textTransgenic mice expressing a rearranged T cell receptor (TCR)-αβ prematurely at the double-negative stage develop an abnormal population of peripheral T cells that lack CD4 and CD8 expression and are hyper-reactive to anti-TCR antibody stimulation. One such example is the HY-TCR transgenic mice. These mice express a TCR transgenic specific for the HY antigen that is expressed in male but not in female mice. As a result, male mice have an abnormal population of HY(+)/CD4(-)8(-) or HY(+)/CD4(-)CD8(low) T cells that are much lower in female mice. In this study, we investigated the potential patho/physiological function of these cells in vivo using a model of delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) reaction: the λ-carrageenan-induced paw edema. Interestingly, while both male and female HY-TCR mice develop a classical biphasic inflammatory response to λ-carrageenan, the degree of inflammation in the former was much higher than that in the latter. This was accompanied by a selective expansion of HY(+)/CD4(-)8(-) and HY(+)/CD4(-)CD8(low) T cells in male mice and by a markedly increased production of typical DTH cytokines compared with cells from female mice. These results were specific since analysis of the inflammatory response of HY-TCR transgenic mice subjected to zymosan-induced peritonitis showed no differences between male and female mice. Together, these findings provide novel evidence for the pathological role of self-reactive CD4(-)CD8(-) T cells, previously described in several autoimmune strains and recently identified in patients suffering from autoimmune diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus
Pelevin’s Trinity in the novel “t”: author – protagonist – reader
No full textThe article attempts to interpret Pelevin's artistic strategy in the novel "T" by exploring its subject organization and addressing the key problems of the author, the protagonist, and the reader as they are seen by the researcher. The article analyzes the peculiarities of constructing the narrative reality in the novel "T", and goes on to discuss Pelevin's philosophic models of the development of the humankind, and the emergence of his new anthropology
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