The aim of the present work was to investigate how the native signal observed in the electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectrum of tooth enamel and dentin is associated with the organic content ...of the two tissues. This was achieved by comparing the EPR native signal and the optical bands (Raman and infrared, IR) associated with organic components of tooth enamel and dentin, in natural and deproteinated samples. The main results were: (a) in natural samples, the organic optical bands are more intense in dentin than in enamel, in contrast with the EPR native signal which shows similar intensity in the two tissues; (b) after deproteination, the optical organic bands are completely suppressed in both dentin and enamel, while the EPR native signal is eliminated only in dentin. It is suggested that the IR and Raman organic bands are originated in the bulk of the organic matrix, while the paramagnetic centres associated with the EPR native signal are located in the organic-mineral interface.
Background. No established chemotherapeutic regimen exists for the treatment of recurrent malignant gliomas (rMGs). Herein, we report the activity and safety results of the bevacizumab (B) plus ...fotemustine (FTM) combination for the treatment of rMGs. Patients and Methods. An induction phase consisted of B 10 mg/kg days 1, 15 plus FTM 65 mg/m2 days 1, 8, and 15. Nonprogressive patients entered the maintenance phase with B 10 mg/kg plus FTM 75 mg/m2 every 3 weeks. The primary endpoint was response rate; secondary endpoints included safety, progression free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS). Results. Twenty-six patients affected by recurrent MGs (50% glioblastoma) were enrolled. Eight partial responses (31%) were observed. Median PFS and OS were 4 (95% C.I.: 2.8–5.1) and 6 months (95% C.I.: 4.2–7.8), respectively. Responses were significantly associated with both improved PFS and OS ( P = 0.002 and P = 0.001 , resp.). Treatment adverse events were mostly mild to moderate in intensity. Bevacizumab-related adverse events included grade 3 venous thromboembolic event (8%), grade 2 epistaxis (4%), hypertension (8%), and gastrointestinal perforation (4%). Conclusions. Bevacizumab plus FTM showed activity and good tolerability in pretreated MGs. Further investigations are needed in order to verify the benefits deriving from the addition of B to a cytotoxic in this clinical setting of patients.
Summary
Relative weight (Wr) is an important and commonly used condition index that provides a measure of the well‐being of a fish population by comparing the actual weight of a specimen with the ...ideal weight of a specimen of the same species and of the same length in good physiological condition, i.e. the standard weight (Ws). Two methods of calculating the standard weight are proposed in the literature: the RLP method and the EmP method. The aim of this study was to develop a standard weight equation for European perch by means of both methods, using length–weight data from 64 913 fish from 18 countries (across Europe and Oceania). The resulting equations were: log10 (Ws) = −3.1483 + 1.2663 log10 (TL) + 0.4291 log10 (TL)2 for the EmP method and log10 (Ws) = −5.3493 + 3.2152 log10 (TL) for the RLP method. The applicable length‐range of the two Ws equations was restricted to 80–460 mm. A further research aim was to compare the performances of RLP and EmP. The resulting quadratic EmP Ws equation did not exhibit length‐related biases, which suggests that it can be used to compute relative weight for European perch.
In recent years, the poorly remarkable goals achieved in terms of patients’ important outcomes for ovarian cancer have fueled our interest toward the study of its metabolic roots. Within this ...research pipeline, we assessed the association between the expression of the glucose transporter GLUT1, as expressed at the tumor tissue level, and circulating pre‐surgical levels of fasting glucose in a case series including data from 40 patients with high FIGO stage serous ovarian cancer. Patients who provided data to the current analysis were randomly selected from a larger cohort. To our purposes, the procedures related to serum and tissue collection, storage and biomarker assessment were highly standardized and centralized at the institutional laboratories. The GLUT1 antibody SPM498 SPRING (REF. E13810) was used at a 1:500 dilution in 2 µm slides. Staining for GLUT1 was observed at the cell membrane level in all the cases assessed, but strong staining was described in 29 (72.5%) of them. The agreement between the two independent reviewers was 100%. Strong GLUT1 staining was inversely associated with circulating levels of fasting glucose, with a particularly striking difference for patients in the lowest fasting glucose tertile (p = 0.044). These results support the biological plausibility of the association of interest. If confirmed in larger studies, our findings may help clarify the potentials of biomarkers related to energy metabolism in terms of prognosis definition, treatment assignment, and outcome interpretation for patients with high FIGO stage serous ovarian cancer.
Serous ovarian cystoadenocarcinoma with intense positive staining for glucose transporter protein 1 (GLUT1). A. GLUT1 x20; B. GLUT1x10.
Abstract
It is widely believed that the bulk of the Galactic cosmic rays is accelerated in supernova remnants (SNRs). However, no observational evidence of the presence of particles of PeV energies ...in SNRs has yet been found. The young historical SNR Cassiopeia A (Cas A) appears as one of the best candidates to study acceleration processes. Between 2014 December and 2016 October, we observed Cas A with the MAGIC telescopes, accumulating 158 h of good quality data. We derived the spectrum of the source from 100 GeV to 10 TeV. We also analysed ∼8 yr of Fermi-LAT to obtain the spectral shape between 60 MeV and 500 GeV. The spectra measured by the LAT and MAGIC telescopes are compatible within the errors and show a clear turn-off (4.6σ) at the highest energies, which can be described with an exponential cut-off at
$E_c = 3.5(^{+1.6}_{-1.0})_{{\rm stat}} (^{+0.8}_{-0.9})_{{\rm sys}}$
TeV. The gamma-ray emission from 60 MeV to 10 TeV can be attributed to a population of high-energy protons with a spectral index of ∼2.2 and an energy cut-off at ∼10 TeV. This result indicates that Cas A is not contributing to the high energy (∼PeV) cosmic ray sea in a significant manner at the present moment. A one-zone leptonic model fails to reproduce by itself the multiwavelength spectral energy distribution. Besides, if a non-negligible fraction of the flux seen by MAGIC is produced by leptons, the radiation should be emitted in a region with a low magnetic field (B⪅180 μG) like in the reverse shock.
Data of 31496 specimens of cavedano chub Squalius squalus were collected in 89 different waterbodies distributed geographically throughout Italy and used to provide length–weight and length–length ...relationship for this species. The linear relationship between total length (TL) and standard length (SL) was described by the equation TL (cm) = 4.007 + 0.874 SL (cm). The resulting total length–weight equation for cavedano chub in Italy was: log₁₀ W = −2.121 + 3.083 log₁₀ TL (cm).
Squalius lucumonis (Bianco, 1983) is an endemic species restricted to three river basins in central Italy and listed as endangered according to IUCN Red List. The aim of this research was to increase ...the information on ecological preferences of this species and to focus on its differences with S. squalus (Bonaparte, 1837). Data collected in 86 different watercourses throughout Tiber River basin were analysed in the research. For each of the 368 river sectors examined, the main environmental parameters and the fish community were considered. The information were analysed by means of the Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) while the differences in ecological traits between S. lucumonis and S. squalus were compared by ANOVA. The results of the study showed significant differences in the ecological preferences of the two species: the S. lucumonis showed predilection for smaller watercourses characterised by a lower number of species and a higher degree of integrity of fish community than S. squalus This information allowed to increase the basic knowledge on population biology and ecology of S. lucumonis that could be very useful for the management and conservation of this Italian endemic species.
Squalius lucumonis (Bianco, 1983) est une espèce endémique limitée à trois bassins fluviaux de l’Italie centrale. Elle est dans la liste des espèces menacées selon la Liste Rouge IUCN. L’objectif de cette recherche était d’améliorer l’information sur les préférences écologiques de cette espèce et de se concentrer sur ses différences avec S. squalus (Bonaparte, 1837). Les données recueillies dans 86 différents cours d’eau tout au long du bassin de la rivière Tibre ont été analysés dans cette étude. Pour chacun des 368 secteurs fluviaux examinés, les principaux paramètres environnementaux et ceux de la communauté de poissons ont été pris en compte. Les informations ont été analysées au moyen de l’Analyse Canonique des Correspondances (ACC), tandis que les différences dans les caractéristiques écologiques entre S. lucumonis et S. squalus ont été comparés par analyse de variance. Les résultats de l’étude ont montré des différences significatives dans les préférences écologiques des deux espèces : S. lucumonis a montré une prédilection pour les petits cours d’eau caractérisés par un faible nombre d’espèces et un plus haut degré d’intégrité de la communauté de poissons que S. squalus. Ces informations ont permis d’accroître les connaissances de base sur la biologie des populations et l’écologie de S. lucumonis qui pourrait être très utile pour la gestion et la conservation de cette espèce endémique italienne.
The composition of fish populations in lake Piediluco has undergone significant changes in recent years, mainly as a result of environmental deterioration due to the eutrophication of its waters and ...the introduction of some alien species. Lake Piediluco is a natural, regulated lake, which has been used for the production of hydroelectric power since 1908. Over the years, the trophic status of the lake has been profoundly modified: until 1980 it was mesotrophic; by 1989 it had become eutrophic, and now it is deemed to be hyper-eutrophic. The aim of this research was to analyze variations in the composition of fish populations in relation to the trophic evolution of the lake and the introduction of alien species. The data on fish populations were gathered during four monitoring campaigns carried out in 1988, 1996, 1999 and 2004. To estimate the abundance of the various species, catches were standardized in terms of catch per unit effort (CPUE). The results of the research reveal that the increase of the trophic status of the lake has been accompanied by a qualitative and quantitative change in the composition and structure of the fish community, which is being increasingly dominated by omnivorous cyprinids, such as Scardinius erythrophthalmus and the alien Rutilus aula. This is taking place at the expense of species that are ecologically less resilient and commercially more interesting, supported by provincial management policies as annual repopulation programs and deployment of artificial spawning substrates. Moreover, in more recent years the presence of some new alien species has been recorded, such as Rutilus rutilus and Gymnocephalus cernuus. These species, which were not previously found, pose a further threat to commercial fishing in the lake.
The purpose of this study was to provide reference data on the growth and population structure of brown trout Salmo (trutta) trutta Linnaeus, in Central Italy. Standards for growth (percentiles and a ...standard growth model) were developed from the von Bertalanffy growth model by using length-at-age data obtained from 122 sampling sites in the River Tiber basin. Length-frequency indices provide a numeric estimation for deviations of the population structure from a balanced population. We adapted the traditional North American Relative Stock Density (RSD) and Proportional Stock Density (PSD) indices to brown trout populations in Central Italy by means of two methods. In the first method, the benchmarks of length categories were established by using percentages applied to the largest individual in the dataset. In the second method, asymptotic length and size at maturity were used to define the length categories for index calculation. Both methods were tested on length-frequency data from 263 sampling sites in the River Tiber basin. The results showed that the PSD calculated by the first method provided a better insight into the population structures of brown trout. These results provide tools that will help ichthyologists and fish managers to compare the growth and population structure of brown trout throughout Central Italy.
Le but de cette étude a été de fournir des données de référence sur la croissance et la structure de population de la truite brune Salmo (trutta) trutta Linnaeus, en Italie Centrale. Des critères de croissance (percentiles et un modèle de croissance standard) ont été développés à partir du modèle de croissance de von Bertalanffy en utilisant les données taille-âge obtenues à partir de 122 sites échantillonnés dans le bassin de la rivière Tibre. Les indices taille-fréquence fournissent une estimation numérique des écarts de la structure d’une population par rapport à une population équilibrée. Nous avons adapté les indices traditionnels nord-américains Relative Stock Density (RSD) et Proportional Stock Density (PSD) aux populations de truite brune en Italie Centrale selon deux méthodes. Dans la première méthode, les références des catégories de longueur ont été établies par des pourcentages appliqués par rapport à la longueur maximale du jeu de données. Dans la seconde méthode, la longueur asymptotique et la taille de première maturité ont été utilisées pour définir les catégories de longueur du calcul d’indice. Les deux méthodes ont été testées sur les données de fréquences de longueur des 263 sites échantillonnés dans le bassin de la rivière Tibre. Les résultats montrent que le PSD calculé par la première méthode fournit une meilleure appréciation des structures de populations de truite brune. Ces résultats constituent un outil qui peut aider les ichtyologistes et les gestionnaires de pêcheries à comparer la croissance et la structure des populations de truite brune en Italie Centrale.
PDF
