1,721,029 research outputs found
Tucci_M_et_al_CTC_Table_S1_R1 – Supplemental material for Dual-procedural separation of CTCs in cutaneous melanoma provides useful information for both molecular diagnosis and prognosis
No full textSupplemental material, Tucci_M_et_al_CTC_Table_S1_R1 for Dual-procedural separation of CTCs in cutaneous melanoma provides useful information for both molecular diagnosis and prognosis by Marco Tucci, Stella D’Oronzo, Francesco Mannavola, Claudia Felici, Domenica Lovero, Paola Cafforio, Raffaele Palmirotta and Franco Silvestris in Therapeutic Advances in Medical Oncology</p
Origin and gender determination of dried blood on a statue of the Virgin Mary
No full textIn Italy, blood exudation from objects of worship recurs frequently in ancient chronicles and literature, in popular beliefs, and even in morn mass- media reports. This phenomenon, that was associated with epochal or catastrophic events, has roots that reach classical antiquity. In the last few years, several events connected with the detection of bloody 'tears' on statues of the Virgin Mary required forensic medicine investigations. In the present report we describe genetic investigations conducted on dried blood of unknown derivation found on a statuette representing the Virgin Mary. To test the human or animal origin of the blood, we amplified Alu-specific sequences from DNAs obtained from the unknown sample and from humans, large apes, various Old and New World monkeys, a prosimian, mouse common domestic artiodactyls and chicken. This investigation restricted the range of possible origin of the statue blood to humans, apes and Old World monkeys. To test the male or female origin of the blood, we used a multiplex nested polymerase chain reaction method, that allows the simultaneous amplification of the X- specific locus DXZ4 and of the Y-specific locus SRY. Considering the unlikelihood of an origin from simian Old World primates, the exclusive amplification of the X-specific product from the unknown sample and from human female blood controls, compared to the amplification of distinct X- Y- specific bands from human male blood controls, strongly supports a human female origin of the statue blood
Reply to Cafiero et al. Comment on “Kopańska et al. Disorders of the Cholinergic System in COVID-19 Era—A Review of the Latest Research. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23, 672”
No full textWe have carefully read the Letter to the Editor by Concetta Cafiero, Alessandra Micera, Agnese Re, Beniamino Schiavone, Giulio Benincasa, and Raffaele Palmirotta related to our paper entitled “Disorders of the Cholinergic System in COVID-19 Era—A Review of the Latest Research” [...
PAI-1 4G/5G repeat is a target in gastric carcinomas with microsatellite instability
No full textBackground: The plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAL-1) plays an important role in the pathogenesis of cancer. The 4G/5G promoter polymorphism of PAI-1 is potentially involved in regulating gene transcription. Aims: To explore the role of the PAL-1 4G/5G repeat as target of microsatellite instability (MSI), 50 gastric carcinomas (GCs), characterized for MSI, were screened. Methods: PAI-1 4G/5G was analysed by direct sequencing. Results: Allelic imbalance was observed in 5 of the 50(10%) GCs. Specifically, 2 cases (40%) harboured a G deletion and 3(60%) a G insertion in tumour compared to normal DNA. These five cases were included in the subgroup of 20 GCs (25%) with high level of MSI (MSI-H). A statistically significant association emerged between PAL-1 mutations and MSI-H status (p = 0.0073). The frequency of PAL-1 mutations was also evaluated, together with other known target genes, by analysing MSI-H GCs for mutations at selected coding repeats within genes controlling cell growth, apoptosis and DNA repair. Overall, mutation frequency ranged from 56.3% to 5.3%. Conclusion: The frequency of PAL-1 mutations here reported in MSI-H GCs is, accordingly, comparable with values obtained for real targets. The relatively high incidence of PAL-1 mutations is suggestive of a positive pressure towards selection in MSI-H GCs. (C) 2010 Editrice Gastroenterologica Italiana S.r.l. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved
Prognostic significance of interleukin-6 measurement in the diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction in emergency department
No full textBACKGROUND: Markers of inflammation may predict both coronary artery disease (CAD) and adverse outcomes in patients with known CAD. Here, we investigated the role of interleukin-6 (IL-6) in the "triage" and risk assessment of patients admitted to emergency department (ED). METHODS: Serum IL-6 and high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels were prospectively evaluated in 88 patients with a history of precordial chest pain or shortness of breath of recent onset (<6 h). RESULTS: Of the 88 patients, 21% were discharged from the ED with diagnosis of non-ischemic chest pain (NICP), 39% had a final diagnosis of unstable angina (UA) and 40% experienced an acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Median IL-6 (p<0.001) and hs-CRP (p<0.01) levels on admission were significantly increased in patients with AMI compared with patients with NICP or UA. IL-6 levels correlated with hs-CRP (p<0.01). Multivariate analyses including known risk factors showed that elevated creatine kinase-MB (p<0.05) and IL-6 levels (p<0.01) were independently associated with a final diagnosis of AMI. Elevated IL-6 levels significantly predicted the risk of AMI (OR=2.47, p=0.006) in chest pain-enzyme negative patients. CONCLUSIONS: IL-6 may behave as an adjunctive diagnostic tool to assist in the risk assessment of enzyme-negative patients with precordial chest pain of recent onset
Taphonomy of the fossil hominid bones from the Acheulean site of Castel di Guido near Rome, Italy
No full textCastel di Guido near Rome is one of the few open air Middle Pleistocene European sites that has yielded hominid skeletal remains. associated with fossil fauna and Acheulean implements. The fossil hominid bones include two femoral shafts, respectively designated Castel Guido-1 (CdG-1) and CdG-2, an occipital fragment (CdG-3), a right maxilla lacking teeth (CdG-4), a portion of right parietal (CdG-5), a right temporal (CdG-6), and a fragment of left parietal vault (CdG-7). CdG-1 through CdG-4 were collected in 1979-1982 on the surface, together with fossil fauna, where ploughing incised fossiliferous tuffaceous sands. Excavations conducted in the same area from 1980 to 1990 led to the discovery of CdG-5, CdG-6 and CdG-7 within the tuffaceous sands, which were shown to overlay a bone-bearing paleosurface, with abundant evidence of hominid activities. The Castel di Guido hominid assemblage poses intriguing taphonomic questions. The analysis of the physical evidence offered by the bone surfaces, reported in the present study, indicates that the hominid skeletal remains were heavily fragmented before fossilization and exposed to carnivores and rodents, as well as to trampling and/or friction in abrasive sediment. Although definitive conclusions cannot be reached on the basis of the available evidene, it is possible that clusters of incisions localized on specific regions of the Castel di Guido fossil hominid bones might reflect deliberate human manipulations. (C) 2001 Academic Press
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
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