In this work we report a study on the influence of innovative pulsed stresses utilizing an UV laser and a homemade generator of magnetic field on radish seeds (Raphanus sativus L.) growth. We ...analysed the seed germination and seedling growth. The UV pulsed laser was an excimer KrF operating at 248 nm, 23 ns of pulse duration, with a laser fluence of about 40 mJ/cm2. The generator of pulsed magnetic field was realized by the electric discharge on a coil of a high voltage capacitor of 150 μF, 60 kV . The magnetic field pulse waveform exhibited damped oscillations at 215 kHz with a maximum intensity of 400 mT . Groups of uniform radish seeds were exposed to laser pulses at five different doses: 30000 shots (KrF/1), 80000 shots (KrF/2), 145000 shots (KrF/3), 225000 shots (KrF/4) and 275000 shots (KrF/5). Other groups were exposed to magnetic field at eight different doses: 3600 shots (MF/1), 7200 shots (MF/2), 10800 shots (MF/3), 14400 shots (MF/4), 18000 shots (MF/5), 21600 shots (MF/6), 32400 kshots (MF/7) and 36000 shots (MF/8). Simultaneously, untreated seeds were used as control. All treatments were performed at room temperature. Both untreated and treated seeds were transferred in Petri dishes and followed for their germination and seedling growth up to 96 h. The results showed that the stress induced by UV laser photons brought a significant stimulation on root growth which may contribute to improve the performance and the productivity of the plants. On the contrary, all physical stresses induced by magnetic fields did not have effect on seed germination, as well as on cell elongation growth and on hypocotyls in comparison to control seeds.
Summary Background Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease slowly progresses to end-stage renal disease and has no effective therapy. A pilot study suggested that the somatostatin analogue ...octreotide longacting release (LAR) could be nephroprotective in this context. We aimed to assess the effect of 3 years of octreotide-LAR treatment on kidney and cyst growth and renal function decline in participants with this disorder. Methods We did an academic, multicentre, randomised, single-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group trial in five hospitals in Italy. Adult (>18 years) patients with estimated glomerular filtration rate (GFR) of 40 mL/min per 1·73 m2 or higher were randomly assigned (central allocation by phone with a computerised list, 1:1 ratio, stratified by centre, block size four and eight) to 3 year treatment with two 20 mg intramuscular injections of octreotide-LAR (n=40) or 0·9% sodium chloride solution (n=39) every 28 days. Study physicians and nurses were aware of the allocated group; participants and outcome assessors were masked to allocation. The primary endpoint was change in total kidney volume (TKV), measured by MRI, at 1 year and 3 year follow-up. Analyses were by modified intention to treat. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov , NCT00309283. Findings Recruitment was between April 27, 2006, and May 12, 2008. 38 patients in the octreotide-LAR group and 37 patients in the placebo group had evaluable MRI scans at 1 year follow-up, at this timepoint, mean TKV increased significantly less in the octreotide-LAR group (46·2 mL, SE 18·2) compared with the placebo group (143·7 mL, 26·0; p=0·032). 35 patients in each group had evaluable MRI scans at 3 year follow-up, at this timepoint, mean TKV increase in the octreotide-LAR group (220·1 mL, 49·1) was numerically smaller than in the placebo group (454·3 mL, 80·8), but the difference was not significant (p=0·25). 37 (92·5%) participants in the octreotide-LAR group and 32 (82·1%) in the placebo group had at least one adverse event (p=0·16). Participants with serious adverse events were similarly distributed in the two treatment groups. However, four cases of cholelithiasis or acute cholecystitis occurred in the octreotide-LAR group and were probably treatment-related. Interpretation These findings provide the background for large randomised controlled trials to test the protective effect of somatostatin analogues against renal function loss and progression to end-stage kidney disease. Funding Polycystic Kidney Disease Foundation.
Vascular access dysfunction is one of the main causes of morbidity and hospitalization in hemodialysis patients. This major clinical problem points out the need for prediction of hemodynamic changes ...induced by vascular access surgery. Here we reviewed the potential of a patient-specific computational vascular network model that includes vessel wall remodeling to predict blood flow change within 6 weeks after surgery for different arteriovenous fistula configurations. For model validation, we performed a multicenter, prospective clinical study to collect longitudinal data on arm vasculature before and after surgery. Sixty-three patients with newly created arteriovenous fistula were included in the validation data set and divided into four groups based on fistula configuration. Predicted brachial artery blood flow volumes 40 days after surgery had a significantly high correlation with measured values. Deviation of predicted from measured brachial artery blood flow averaged 3% with a root mean squared error of 19.5%, showing that the computational tool reliably predicted patient-specific blood flow increase resulting from vascular access surgery and subsequent vascular adaptation. This innovative approach may help the surgeon to plan the most appropriate fistula configuration to optimize access blood flow for hemodialysis, potentially reducing the incidence of vascular access dysfunctions and the need of patient hospitalization.
Neoplastic dissemination to the leptomeninges is an increasingly common occurrence in patients with both haematological and solid tumors arising outside the central nervous system. Both refinement of ...diagnostic techniques (Magnetic resonance imaging) and increased survival in patients treated with targeted therapies for systemic tumors account for this increased frequency. Cerebrospinal fluid cytological analysis and MRI confirm clinical diagnosis based on multifocal central nervous system signs/symptoms in a patient with known malignancy. Overall survival in patients with leptomeningeal neoplastic dissemination from solid tumors is short, rarely exceeding 3-4 months. However, selected patients may benefit from aggressive therapies, Apart from symptomatic treatment, intrathecal chemotherapy is used, with both free (methotrexate, Thiotepa, AraC) and liposomal antitumor agents (liposomal AraC). Palliative radiotherapy is indicated only in cases of symptomatic bulky disease, surgery is limited to positioning of Ommaya recervoirs or C5F shunting. We report clinical data on a cohort of 26 prospectively followed patients with neoplastic leptomeningitis followed in Lombardia, Italy, in 2011. Prognostic factors and pattern of care are reported.
Two vacuolar green fluorescent proteins (GFP) were stably inserted in Nicotiana tabacum and Nicotiana benthamiana genome, with unexpected difficulties, and compared with A. thaliana cv. Wassilewskaja ...transgenic plants expressing the same constructs. GFP fluorescence was strong in all tissues of A. thaliana but it was barely visible in Nicotiana. Confocal microscopy analysis revealed a variable distribution of the marker in those cells where GFP fluorescence was visible. The role of light dependent proteases was the variable pointing out more inter-species diversity. GFPs degradation was much higher in Nicotiana spp. than in A. thaliana. The version of GFP used appeared not to be a good vacuolar marker for Nicotiana differentiated tissues, although it can efficiently label vacuoles in protoplasts or calli. Nevertheless the sensitivity of the reporter protein can be used as an indicator of hidden characteristics of the plant vacuoles, revealing differences otherwise invisible. One of the markers in our system, GFP-Chi, evidenced a clear morphological difference in the vacuolar system of guard cells of the three species.
Abstract The FFCD 9402 multicentre phase III trial was designed to compare the effects of the combination of Transarterial Lipiodol Chemoembolisation (TACE) and tamoxifen with tamoxifen alone on ...overall survival and quality of life in the palliative treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma with cirrhosis. From 1995 to 2002, 138 patients were randomised between the two groups. One hundred and twenty three patients were eligible including 61 in the Tamoxifen group and 62 in the TACE group. Baseline characteristics were similar: Child-Pugh class A: 70%, alcoholic cirrhosis: 76%, Okuda stage I: 71%, multinodular tumour: 70% and segmental portal vein thrombosis: 10%. At 2 years, the overall survival was 22% and 25% in the Tamoxifen and TACE groups ( P = .68), respectively. Multivariate analysis identified four independent prognostic factors for survival: α-fetoprotein (AFP) > 400 ng/mL ( P = .008), abdominal pain ( P = .011), hepatomegaly ( P = .023) and Child-Pugh score ( P = .032). The Spitzer Index level assessing the quality of life during follow-up did not differ between the two groups ( P = .70). Amongst patients with stage Okuda I, the 2-year overall survival was 28% in the Tamoxifen group and 32% in the TACE group ( P = .58). In this subgroup, two prognostic factors were statistically significant for survival: AFP > 400 ng/mL ( P = .004) and Spitzer Index ( P = .013) as shown by multivariable analysis. In conclusion, this study suggests that TACE improves neither the survival nor the quality of life in patients with HCC and cirrhosis.
Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DWI) is a non-invasive method sensitive to local water motion in the tissue. As a tool to probe the microstructure, including the presence and ...potentially the degree of renal fibrosis, DWI has the potential to become an effective imaging biomarker. The aim of this review is to discuss the current status of renal DWI in diffuse renal diseases. DWI biomarkers can be classified in the following three main categories: (i) the apparent diffusion coefficient-an overall measure of water diffusion and microcirculation in the tissue; (ii) true diffusion, pseudodiffusion and flowing fraction-providing separate information on diffusion and perfusion or tubular flow; and (iii) fractional anisotropy-measuring the microstructural orientation. An overview of human studies applying renal DWI in diffuse pathologies is given, demonstrating not only the feasibility and intra-study reproducibility of DWI but also highlighting the need for standardization of methods, additional validation and qualification. The current and future role of renal DWI in clinical practice is reviewed, emphasizing its potential as a surrogate and monitoring biomarker for interstitial fibrosis in chronic kidney disease, as well as a surrogate biomarker for the inflammation in acute kidney diseases that may impact patient selection for renal biopsy in acute graft rejection. As part of the international COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology) action PARENCHIMA (Magnetic Resonance Imaging Biomarkers for Chronic Kidney Disease), aimed at eliminating the barriers to the clinical use of functional renal magnetic resonance imaging, this article provides practical recommendations for future design of clinical studies and the use of renal DWI in clinical practice.
Introduction
The epidemiology of lung cancer is changing worldwide, with smoking being the
key driver of lung cancer incidence and mortality. Our aim is to analyze the
incidence, survival and ...mortality trends in Italy in the framework of the
2017 survey on smoking behavior in Italy.
Methods
AIRTUM 2017 reports on cancer survival and incidence; 2017 survey on smoking
behavior in Italy.
Results
Men achieved progress in lung cancer control characterized by a decrease in
incidence and mortality and an increase in survival. The decreasing use of
tobacco in men (from 60% in the 1960s to 24% in 2017) was most likely
responsible for the decreasing incidence and mortality. Women showed no
progress: although survival improved slightly, the incidence and mortality
were both on the rise. This was most likely due to the increasing smoking
rates in women in the 1970s and 80s. Of major concern is the accelerated
rise in the number of smoking women from 4.6 million in 2016 to 5.7 million
in 2017 compared to the decrease observed in men (from 6.9 to 6
million).
Conclusions
The incidence and mortality trends in males clearly demonstrate that primary
prevention is the most effective way to reduce lung cancer mortality. By
contrast, a 24% increase in the prevalence of smoking among women in just 1
year is extremely worrying for the future, and calls for immediate action by
targeted strategies to reduce tobacco consumption in women and avert the
dreadful prospect of a lung cancer epidemic in Italy.
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