Estrogen (ER) and progesterone (PgR) receptors are commonly represented on normal and neoplastic thyroid tissues, while a few data are available about their expression in Hürthle cells tumors. ...Seventeen patients who underwent thyroidectomy for a neoplasia that showed oxyphilic elements were studied by an immunohistochemical method and the presence of PgR in the 30% of them, was demonstrated, while no ER expression could be found. We tried, therefore, to establish a correlation between these proteins and age, sex or indexes of the supposed estro-progestinic concentration of our patients. None of these factors resulted significantly related to the receptors expression. Since PgR are expressed in the oxyphilic cells neoplasms, further studies on both ER, and PgR are needed in order to point out their possible biological importance.
Several improvements were made for Nuclear Track Detectors (NTDs) used for environmental studies and for particle searches. A new method was used to determine the bulk etch rate of CR39 and Makrofol ...NTDs. It is based on the simultaneous measurement of the diameter and of the height of etch-pit cones caused by relativistic heavy ions (158 A GeV Pb(82+) and In(49+) ions) and their fragments. The use of alcohol in the etching solution improves the surface quality of NTDs and it raises their thresholds. The detectors were used for the determination of nuclear fragmentation cross sections of Iron and Silicon ions of 1.0 and 0.41 GeV/nucleon. These measurements are important for the determination of doses in hadron therapy and for doses received by astronauts. The detectors were also used in the search of massive particles in the cosmic radiation, for the determination of the mass spectrum of cosmic rays and for the evaluation of Po(210) alpha decay and of natural radon concentrations.
In this paper we present the performance evaluation of an Ultra Wide Band (UWB) radio-frequency identification (RFID) system for ranging and tracking of passive tags. A UWB channel model is derived ...from antenna backscattering measurements. A specific physical layer is proposed. Based on this channel model and physical layer, a performance analysis is carried out through realistic simulations on both TOA estimations and tag location tracking.
In this paper we report a search for intermediate mass magnetic monopoles and nuclearites using CR39 and Makrofol Nuclear Track Detectors (NTDs) of the SLIM large area experiment, 440 m^2 exposed at ...the high altitude laboratory of Chacaltaya (Bolivia) and about 100 m^2 at Koksil, Himalaya (Pakistan). We discuss the new chemical etching and improved analysis of the SLIM CR39 sheets. Preliminary limits are based on 316 \(m^2\) of CR39 NTDs exposed for 3.9 y.
In 40 adult patients undergoing gamma camera renography, glomerular filtration rate (GFR) was measured using simplified 99Tc(m)-DTPA methods (i.e. a personal modification of the 'slope' method which ...does not require dose calibration, Gates' method and Carlsen's method) and compared to reference results (obtained using Sapirstein's formula and Russell's two-sample method with 51Cr-EDTA). Estimation of GFR from plasma creatinine (the Cockroft-Gault formula) was also carried out. Bias and imprecision of the simplified estimates were determined by the Bland-Altman method. The GFR values of the 'slope' method correlated best with the reference values (R2 = 0.88, S.E.E. = 11.3 ml min-1). Correlation of the two methods based on external determination with the gamma camera was no better at estimating GFR than that from plasma creatinine. Moreover, Gates' method underestimated GFR at all levels between 25 and 150 ml min(-1), while Carlsen's method overestimated at low levels and underestimated at high levels. The bias was as follows (ml): Cockroft-Gault 2.4; 'slope' -4.1; Carlsen 7.5; Gates 16.7. The imprecision was as follows (ml): 'slope' 11.8; Cockroft-Gault 16.4; Carlsen 20.5; Gates 22.8. We conclude that our modification of the slope method correlated best with the reference results, and would appear suitable for routine practice because of the small error involved. When performing sequential renal scintigraphy, it can also be used for a quick check of dubious data based on gamma camera methods.
Aim of the study was to assess the correlation between clinical stage of HCV-related liver disease and viraemia to immune response to different viral antigens.
We considered 1330 patients with HCV ...chronic infection followed up from 6 months up to 6 years divided into two groups according to RIBA 3 (Abbott) response: Group I, 1231 patients with positivity for at least two bands (83 subjects with asymptomatic infection, 941 with chronic hepatitis, 201 with cirrhosis and 6 with HCC); Group II, 99 patients with positivity at only one band (45 with asymptomatic infection, 53 with chronic hepatitis and 1 cirrhotic).
We noticed a major percentage of positive patients for at least three bands in more severe clinical forms (90% of chronic hepatitis or cirrhosis versus 60% of asymptomatics, p < 0.005, chi 2 test). Moreover we noticed a percentage increase of positivity for antibodies anti-c100 and anti-NS5 with the progression of liver damage, statistically significant differences between asymptomatics and patients with chronic forms. We also observed that viraemia is related neither to clinical stage nor to different reactivity to RIBA 3, albeit viraemia is usually detected more frequently among patients with liver damage, but unrelated to different reactivities.
Our results show a clear correlation between number of reactivities towards HCV proteins and progression of liver damage, pointing out that immune response plays a direct role in the long-term outcome of HCV infection.
