86,560 research outputs found
Jasmonate-induced ripening delay is associated with up-regulation of polyamine levels in peach fruit
No full textNeoadjuvant and adjuvant doxorubicin chemotherapy in a case of feline soft tissue sarcoma
No full textA 7-year old male neutered domestic shorthair cat was presented with a 2 month history of a slow-growing mass on the right zygomatic area. A CT scan revealed a soft tissue mass in the right zygomatic region with no alterations of the underlying bone and features of local invasiveness. Cytology was suggestive of a mesenchymal tumour and histopathology from an incisional biopsy was consistent with a soft tissue sarcoma (STS). The cat was treated with neoadjuvant intravenous doxorubicin chemotherapy at a dose of 25 mg/m2, every two weeks. The patient experienced a partial response and underwent surgical excision of the tumour. Doxorubicin was continued as an adjuvant treatment for three further chemotherapy sessions, at a dose of 25 mg/m2 every 21 days. Local tumour recurrence was detected on clinical examination and cytologically confirmed 259 days following surgery
Undifferentiated laryngeal carcinoma with hyaline bodies in a cat
No full textBackground Primary laryngeal neoplasms are rare in cats, with lymphoma and squamous cell carcinoma being the most commonly diagnosed tumour types. These tumours are usually highly aggressive, difficult to treat, and have a poor prognosis. Here an undifferentiated laryngeal carcinoma with hyaline bodies in a cat is reported. Case presentation A 13-year-old cat was presented for progressive respiratory signs. Diagnostic procedures revealed a partially obstructive laryngeal mass. Cytology was compatible with a poorly differentiated malignant tumour, with neoplastic cells frequently containing large intracytoplasmic hyaline bodies. After 1 month the patient was euthanised due to a worsening clinical condition and submitted for post-mortem examination, which confirmed the presence of two laryngeal masses. Histopathology confirmed the presence of an undifferentiated neoplasm with marked features of malignancy. Strong immunolabelling for pancytokeratin led to a diagnosis of undifferentiated carcinoma, however, histochemical and immunohistochemical investigations could not elucidate the origin of the large intracytoplasmic hyaline bodies observed in tumour cells, which appeared as non-membrane bound deposits of electron-dense material on transmission electron microscopy. Conclusion This is the first report of primary undifferentiated laryngeal carcinoma in a cat. Our case confirms the clinical features and the short survival that have been reported in other studies describing feline laryngeal tumours. Moreover, for the first time in feline literature, we describe the presence of intracytoplasmic hyaline bodies in neoplastic cells that were compatible with the so-called hyaline granules reported in different human cancers and also in the dog
ELECTROCHEMOTHERAPY: EXPERIENCE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF PISA
No full textElectrochemotherapy (ECT) is a local treatment for cutaneous and subcutaneous tumours, that
uses electric pulses (electroporation), combined with the administration (local or systemic) of
non- or poorly-permeable cytotoxic drugs. Electroporation causes a transient permeabilization of
cellular membranes in the treated tissue and allows the passage and accumulation of cytotoxic
drugs within the neoplastic cells. Once inside the targeted cells the drugs provoke cytotoxicity
(Mir et al., Eur J Cancer, Suppl., 2006; Mir et al., Adv Drug Deliv Rev., 1999; Tozon et al., J Vis
Exp., 2016). Currently only bleomycin and cisplatin have been proven effective combined with
ECT (Čemažar et al., J Vet
Intern Med., 2008; Serša et al., Eur J Surg Oncol., 2008). In addition,
ECT induces the so called vascular-lock and vascular disrupting mechanism, a rapid and
profound abrogation of local blood flow of exposed tissue that leads to ischemic cell death.
Finally, ECT studies showed a potential role of the immune system in anti-tumour effectiveness
(Jarm et al., Expert Rev Anticancer Ther., 2010; Calvet et al., Oncoimmunology, 2014).
Guidelines for ECT in veterinary medicine were published by Tozon and others in 2016. (Tozon
et al., J Vis Exp., 2016)
The experience at the University of Pisa is mostly based on retrospective studies.
The latest study was arranged to evaluate the feasibility of ECT in the treatment of non-tonsillar
squamous cell carcinoma (ntSCC). Twelve dogs with ntSCC were treated with ECT combined
with systemic bleomycin. The response rate was 92% and the overall recurrence rate was 27.3%.
All dogs with tumours smaller than 2 cm obtained complete response. Overall treatment toxicity
was very low (Simčič et al., ready for submission to VCO, 2019).
The first study was about the use of ECT with systemic bleomycin in canine mast cell tumour
(MCT) with or without surgical excision. A group of 51 dogs was divided in 4 groups based on
treatment modality (1-ECT only, 2-intra-surgery, 3-neoadjuvant ECT, 4-ECT recur). Complete
remission ranging from 64-93% and partial remission from 7-36% were observed. The group
where ECT was used intra-surgically obtained the best and longest disease-free interval. In
conclusion, ECT could be applied in small size MCTs as an alternative to surgery. However, for
larger tumours ECT should be applied intra- or post-surgery without causing high toxicity (Lowe
et al., Vet Comp Oncol., 2017).
Recently, we published a study on the safety and efficacy of ECT with systemic bleomycin in the
treatment on canine soft tissue sarcomas (STSs). Fifty-two dogs included in the study were
divided in three groups (1-ECT alone, 2-intra-operative, 3-adjuvant ECT). Recurrence rate
ranged 23-25% and disease-free interval ranged 81-243 days. Local treatment toxicity was mild
in 66.7% of the patients and higher toxicity was associated with higher pulse voltage. In
conclusion, ECT could be considered safe and efficient in treatment of canine STSs (Torrigiani et
al., Vet Comp Oncol., 2019).
In all three studies the results achieved after ECT treatment are good and, in the future, more
prospective studies should be performed to confirm the success of ECT as a treatment modality
for solid tumours in veterinary medicine
Pratiche digitali tra competenza e ingenuità. Le determinanti della consapevolezza delle pro-prie impronte digitali in un campione di studenti universitari
No full textIl contributo propone i risultati di un'analisi multivariata volta a interpretare in un campione di studenti universitari le determinanti individuali e strutturali dietro la consapevolezza e la valutazione del valoee dei propri dati personali circa i propri interessi e orientamentiThe chapter propose the results of a multivariate analysis aimed to interpret the individual and structural factors behind a conscious and significant evaluation of personal data regarding own interests and orientations among a sample of young peopl
Variations on the Author
No full text“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
Dalla valutazione del sistema alle retroazioni nei contesti: triangolazione, metodi misti e partecipazione per l’empowerment degli attori del sistema scolastico
No full textIl contributo delinea una breve ricostruzione dell'evoluzione dei metodi misti nella ricerca sociale e valutativa e ne sottolinea la rilevanza per favorire l'empowerment degli attori del sistema scolastico promuovendo la loro partecipazione attiva e consapevole ai processi di valutazione del sistema scolastico.The contribution outlines a brief review of the evolution of mixed methods in social and evaluative research and highlights its relevance to promote the empowerment of the actors of the school system by promoting their active and conscious participation in the evaluation processes of the school syste
Europa 2020 e le sfide per la Liguria
No full textIl capitolo, posto a conclusione del volume, analizza la posizione della Liguria rispetto ai “target” fissati dall’Unione Europea nella cosiddetta “strategia 2020”. Ispirandosi ad un modello di crescita “intelligente, sostenibile e inclusiva”, tale strategia individua precisi e misurabili obiettivi che dovrebbero essere raggiunti entro la fine del decennio in cinque distinti ambiti: occupazione, ricerca e sviluppo, ambiente ed energia, istruzione e povertà. L’analisi mostra che in alcuni casi (è il caso del tasso di occupazione e della quota di spesa in ricerca in sviluppo) la regione è ancora lontana dagli obiettivi fissati ma si trova comunque in una posizione migliore della media nazionale. La Liguria sconta un sensibile ritardo nel perseguimento degli obiettivi di sostenibilità ambientale ed efficienza energetica; se per alcuni specifici “target” (quali le emissioni di gas serra per abitante) i progressi ottenuti negli ultimi anni fanno sì che i valori regionali stiano quantomeno convergendo verso quelli medi nazionali, per altri indicatori (è il caso della quota di consumi di energia elettrica coperta da fonti rinnovabili) il “gap” si è in realtà ampliato. La Liguria presenta valori migliori della media nazionale sia in termini di numero di giovani che abbandonano prematuramente gli studi e sia in termini di tasso di istruzione universitaria (ma nel primo caso l’indicatore mostra a partire dal 2008 un sensibile peggioramento); con tutta probabilità la regione nel 2020 dovrebbe risultare in linea almeno con i “target” fissati per l’Italia nel campo dell’istruzione. Infine, i dati indicano che la crisi economica iniziata nel 2008 sta producendo serie ripercussioni sociali: il numero di persone a rischio di povertà o esclusione sociale è salito nel 2013 a circa un quarto della popolazione, mentre negli anni pre-crisi era di circa un quinto e quindi sostanzialmente in linea con gli obiettivi fissati (o comunque non distante da essi)
[Newspaper Clipping: Author Claims Evidence of Second JFK Assassin #1]
No full textNewspaper article titled "Author Claims Evidence of Second JFK Assassin." The article states that author Richard J. Whalen concluded "that there is circumstantial evidence to support the theory of a second assassin in the shooting of President John F. Kennedy.
Also By The Same Author: AKTiveAuthor, a Citation Graph Approach to Name Disambiguation
No full textThe desire for definitive data and the semantic web drive for inference over heterogeneous data sources requires co-reference resolution to be performed on those data. In particular, name disambiguation is required to allow accurate publication lists, citation counts and impact measures to be determined. This paper describes a graph-based approach to author disambiguation on large-scale citation networks. Using self-citation, co-authorship and document source analyses, AKTiveAuthor clusters papers, achieving precision of 0.997 and recall of 0.818 over a test group of eight surname clusters
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