177,237 research outputs found
SARS-CoV-2-related deaths in routine forensic autopsy practice: histopathological patterns
No full textSevere acute respiratory syndrome” (SARS) due to coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) infection is a well-known cause of death. Sometimes, demise can occur unexpectedly in apparently previous healthy individual after a brief period of trivial flu-like symptoms. In these doubtful cases, the forensic pathologist could be requested to define the cause of death occurred outside the hospital. In this report, the authors describe two autopsied cases of SARS-CoV-2-related deaths which occurred suddenly at home and were not preceded by hospitalization, highlighting associated histopathologic patterns and correlating them to pathophysiology of viral infectio
Case report: Prader–Willi syndrome and inflammatory arthritis—An important consideration
No full textBackground: Prader–Willi syndrome (PWS) is a multisystemic genetically determined disorder. Musculoskeletal manifestations are common in most patients. We report the cases of two children with PWS who developed inflammatory arthritis, complicated with chronic anterior bilateral uveitis in one case. To our knowledge, no previous reports of such an association exist. Case presentation: Case 1 was of a 3-year-old girl diagnosed with PWS who developed arthritis of the right knee with morning stiffness, joint swelling, and limited range of motion. Other causes of arthritis were ruled out. Increased inflammatory markers, antinuclear antibody (ANA) positivity, and hypertrophic synovitis on ultrasound confirmed the diagnosis of inflammatory arthritis compatible with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). Despite the treatment with methotrexate, arthritis progressed, and etanercept was added. The patient reached and maintained articular remission while on combined MTX and etanercept treatment during 9 years of follow-up. Case 2 was of a 6-year-old boy diagnosed with PWS who developed arthritis of the right knee. Laboratory investigations showed mildly increased acute phase reactants, microcytic anemia, and ANA positivity at high titer (titer 1:1,280). Infectious and other causes of arthritis were excluded. Ultrasound confirmed the presence of joint effusion and synovial thickening, and synovial fluid analysis was consistent with inflammatory arthrosynovitis (white blood cell count of 14,200/μl) compatible with JIA. Shortly after the diagnosis, the ophthalmologic evaluation revealed the presence of bilateral anterior uveitis. Despite MTX and topical corticosteroid, ocular inflammation persisted and adalimumab was added. At the last follow-up, 9 months later, the child experienced inactivity of arthritis and uveitis with normal growth. Conclusions: We aim to raise awareness of this possible association among pediatricians since arthritis might be underestimated due to high pain tolerance, behavioral disturbances, and other musculoskeletal abnormalities in PWS patients. 2023 Marelli, Dallos, Miserocchi, Nucci, Tombolini, Lucia, Gattinara, Caporali and Marino
Per uno studio della biblioteca e delle pubblicazioni di Luigi Giussani
No full textAttraverso l’esame della biblioteca personale di Luigi Giussani, effettuato per la prima volta, sono stati messi in evidenza i molteplici legami con le pubblicazioni dell’autore edite sino ai primi anni Settanta, sia quelle di natura scientifica sia quelle rivolte al movimento di “Gioventù Studentesca”, in un rapporto che è più stretto di quanto possa apparire. La preoccupazione educativa si alimenta non a caso di temi e suggestioni che provengono da una produzione che non si può certo ridurre a una dimensione erudita, proprio perché legata agli aspetti essenziali che il messaggio del fondatore voleva trasmettere, quali il senso religioso, il significato dell’esperienza, il valore della comunità. La sua biblioteca personale si rivela uno strumento assai utile per comprendere più a fondo questo percorso, approdato nel 1964 all’insegnamento presso l’Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore. Vengono qui esaminati alcuni fra i nuclei più significativi di un patrimonio librario cospicuo (ricco di oltre duemila titoli) e di grande originalità, accompagnato da notazioni dell’autore e schede di lavoro. Ne emerge un quadro di notevole interesse, segnato dall’attenzione al rinnovamento teologico del dopoguerra e al confronto con il mondo protestante. Accanto a una molteplicità di testi letterari e di classici di spiritualità e storia ecclesiastica, un riferimento peculiare è alle voci della "nouvelle théologie", in un contesto che anticipa il rinnovamento conciliare, e alla riflessione sulla modernità di Romano Guardini e di Jacques Maritain. Centrale appare la consistenza di opere (fra testi di singoli autori, lavori storiografici, riviste specializzate) sul protestantesimo americano e in particolare su Reinhold Niebuhr, alla luce di un interesse maturato fin dal periodo degli studi. Si può così meglio documentare l'itinerario che avrebbe condotto Giussani ai suoi più significativi approfondimenti (fino alla monografia del 1969, Teologia protestante americana. Profilo storico), in cui si coglie l’interpretazione originale di una linea di pensiero che dalla reazione all’arminianesimo e dal “Grande Risveglio” del XVIII secolo giunge alla posizione di Niebuhr – protagonista indiscusso di una rivoluzione nel pensiero protestante americano in senso antiliberale – di matrice rigorosamente barthiana, ma aperta a ulteriori sviluppi
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
No full textWe 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
Workers’ exposure assessment during the production of graphene nanoplatelets in r&d laboratory
No full textWidespread production and use of engineered nanomaterials in industrial and research settings raise concerns about their health impact in the workplace. In the last years, graphene-based nanomaterials have gained particular interest in many application fields. Among them, graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) showed superior electrical, optical and thermal properties, low-cost and availability. Few and conflicting results have been reported about toxicity and potential effects on workers’ health, during the production and handling of these nanostructures. Due to this lack of knowledge, systematic approaches are needed to assess risks and quantify workers’ exposure to GNPs. This work applies a multi-metric approach to assess workers’ exposure during the production of GNPs, based on the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) methodology by integrating real-time measurements and personal sampling. In particular, we analyzed the particle number concentration, the average diameter and the lung deposited surface area of airborne nanoparticles during the production process conducted by thermal exfoliation in two different ways, compared to the background. These results have been integrated by electron microscopic and spectroscopic analysis on the filters sampled by personal impactors. The study identifies the process phases potentially at risk for workers and reports quantitative information about the parameters that may influence the exposure in order to propose recommendations for a safer design of GNPs production process
"Closing the R&D Gap, Evaluating the Sources of R&D Spending"
No full textBoth spending and tax policies have been implemented in the United States with the goal of stimulating private sector research and development (R&D). Karier questions whether current R&D policy, especially the research and experimentation tax credit, can contribute to closing the gap between nondefense expenditures on R&D in the United States and such expenditures in other countries, such as Japan and Germany. He also explores possible changes to our current R&D policy to make it more effective.
Multiple bone metastases from glioblastoma multiforme without local brain relapse: A case report and review of the literature
No full textExtracranial metastases from glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) are a very rare event, even if an increasing incidence has been documented. We report the case of a young woman with primary GBM who developed bone metastases without local brain relapse. Because of persistent headache and visual disturbances, in March 2011 the patient underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) evidencing a temporoparietal mass, which was surgically resected. Histology revealed GBM. She was given concomitant chemoradiotherapy according to the Stupp regimen. After a 4-week break, the patient received 6 cycles of adjuvant temozolomide according to the standard 5- day schedule every 28 days. In December 2011 she complained of progressive low back pain, and MRI showed multiple bone metastases from primary GBM, confirmed by histology. Cases of metastatic GBM in concurrence with a primary brain tumor or local relapse are more common in the literature; only a few cases have been reported where extracranial metastases from GBM occurred without any relapse in the brain. Here we report our experience
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
No full textThe 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
Isolation and characterization of mutants of Rhizobium meliloti unable to synthesize poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (PHB)
No full textThe isolation and characterization of four mutants of Rhizobium meliloti unable to synthesize poly-β-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) are reported. The mutants were independently obtained via Tn5 transposon mutagenesis and exhibited physiological and cytomorphological characteristics similar to those of the parental strain, as well as overlapping DNA profiles. These were assessed at both the plasmid and total genome level, using for the latter the sensitive technique of pulsed-field gel electrophoresis in a contour-clamped homogeneous electric field. With respect to the parental PHB+ strain, the loss of PHB-synthesizing ability in the four mutants was demonstrated by gas chromatography, transmission electron microscopy, and enzymatic tests. Localization studies of Tn5 insertion showed that the PHB− phenotype had, in all mutants, a transposon insertion in the same region, although not in the same position. The symbiotic traits (nodule-inducing ability on Medicago sativa and acetylene-reducing activity of nodules) of the mutants did not differ significantly from those of the parental R. meliloti.Key words: Rhizobium meliloti, poly-β-hydroxybutyrate (PHB), PHB synthase
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