We present and discuss the results of an extensive observational campaign devoted to GRB 071010A, a long-duration gamma-ray burst detected by the Swift satellite. This event was followed for almost a ...month in the optical/near-infrared (NIR) with various telescopes starting from about 2 min after the high-energy event. Swift XRT observations started only later at about 0.4 d. The light-curve evolution allows us to single out an initial rising phase with a maximum at about 7 min, possibly the afterglow onset in the context of the standard fireball model, which is then followed by a smooth decay interrupted by a sharp rebrightening at about 0.6 d. The rebrightening was visible in both the optical/NIR and X-rays and can be interpreted as an episode of discrete energy injection, although various alternatives are possible. A steepening of the afterglow light curve is recorded at about 1 d. The entire evolution of the optical/NIR afterglow is consistent with being achromatic. This could be one of the few identified GRB afterglows with an achromatic break in the X-ray through the optical/NIR bands. Polarimetry was also obtained at about 1 d, just after the rebrightening and almost coincident with the steepening. This provided a fairly tight upper limit of 0.9 per cent for the polarized-flux fraction.
Mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) is the most common intraoral malignancy and is mainly located between hard and soft palate. Its surgical therapy could be difficult and depends on location, dimension, ...infiltration, and histologic grading.
The aim is to report the importance of a clinicopathologic protocol for microinvasive preoperative diagnosis, grading, and staging of MEC to sketch out a targeted surgical therapy in intraoral difficult locations.
In 64 cases of intraoral MEC treated between 2000 and 2019 at the Oro-maxillo-facial Surgery Unit of Policlinico-University-Hospital of Bari (Italy), the following preoperative protocol was performed: clinical examination, high-definition intraoral ultrasonography, radiological assessment (rxOPT, computed tomography/magnetic resonance imaging), microinvasive biopsy with fine-needle aspiration biopsy/fine-needle aspiration cytology with HeE, PAS+/−Alcian stains, and immunohistochemical panel (high-/low-molecular-weight cytokeratins, calponin, smooth muscle actin, S-100, Ki-67). Surgery was targeted for each patient and guided from histopathologic data and consisted of conservative excision with wide margins for low-grade MEC and demolitive resection with neck dissection for high-grade MEC.
Application of our protocol gave a 100% preoperative histologic diagnosis and grading. Forty-one cases were low-grade MEC (29 female and 12 male patients, mean age = 37; site: 33 palate, 4 cheek, 2 lip, and 2 tongue); 23 were high-grade MEC (16 female and 7 male patients, mean age = 41; site: 19 palate, 1 cheek, 2 lip, and 1 tongue), and 4 were clear cells.
Preoperative fine-needle aspiration biopsy/fine-needle aspiration cytology for histologic diagnosis of MEC is mandatory in order to make decisions on the type of surgical treatment to avoid over- or undertreatment.
Fibroblasts play a key role in tissue healing by producing the majority of extracellular matrix components, favouring granulation tissue formation, and stimulating re-epithelialization. Hyaluronan is ...a component of ECM and its anti-inflammatory effects and properties in enhancing wound closure are well known. In this study, we examined the effects of Aminogam® gel, a new pharmacological preparation suggested to improve wound healing, composed of hyaluronic acid, proline, lysine, glycine and leucine, on human fibroblasts. Results show that fibroblasts treated with hyaluronic acid plus aminoacid solution increased their proliferative activity, collagen I and III, and fibronectin synthesis. Moreover, HA plus aminoacid solution increased the expression of transforming growth factor beta, connective tissue growth factor, interleukin-6 and −8, assayed by RT-PCR. These results suggested that Aminogam® gel, involved in several stages of wound healing, as fibroblast proliferation, granulation tissue formation, ECM component deposition, and production of cytokines, may be a useful device to favour and accelerate wound closure.
Abstract Background A pivotal role of oestrogen receptor-beta has been suggested in colon carcinogenesis in humans. However, few data are available on oestrogen receptor-beta in colorectal ...pre-cancerous lesions. Aim In the present study, we evaluated oestrogen receptor-beta expression and its possible correlation with proliferative activity and apoptosis in colorectal adenomas and normal colon tissue. Patients/methods Adenomatous tissue from 25 patients with colonic polyps, and normal tissue from 25 controls were used. Oestrogen receptor-beta expression, colonocyte proliferation (expressed as PCNA positivity) and apoptosis were evaluated. Results In adenomatous tissue, a significant reduction of oestrogen receptor-beta was observed compared to normal mucosa (10.1 ± 5.5% vs. 44.2 ± 13.7; p < 0.03), while the expression of oestrogen receptor-alpha remained unvaried. Cell proliferative activity significantly increased in adenomatous tissue compared to normal mucosa (59.3 ± 7.1 vs. 18.5 ± 8.8; p < 0.0001), doubling the PCNA/apoptosis ratio. An inverse correlation was found between oestrogen receptor-beta and PCNA expression in adenomas ( r = −0.81), a datum confirmed by confocal microscopy evaluation. Conclusions Our data demonstrate, for the first time, a significant reduction of oestrogen receptor-beta expression already in the pre-cancerous phase of colon carcinogenesis. This suggests a role of selective oestrogen receptor-beta agonists in the prevention of colorectal cancer.
The authors reviewed the clinical records and the histopathological preparations of 78 cases of Warthin's tumours (WTs), treated at the Department of Dental Sciences, Centre for the Study of Oral ...Tumours, of the University of Bari. All the surgical specimens had been fixed in neutral buffered formalin, sampled according to the step-serial, whole-specimen sectioning technique, embedded in paraffin and stained with haematoxylin-eosin, periodic acid Schiff and Gomori's reticulin. The results showed that Warthin's tumours characteristically affect the parotid gland, and most frequently arise in adults (mean age=57 years) and in males (95%). Multiple tumours were detected in 16 cases (20.5%), and five of these were bilateral (6.5%). One of the multifocal tumours involved an intra-parotideal lymph node and the laryngeal piriform sinus. In addition, 13 cases (16.6%) were associated with other malignancies. These data indicate that multiple (synchronous or metachronous) WTs may occur more frequently than previously reported. The high rate of multiple WTs detected in the current study may result from extensive and accurate sampling of these neoplasms for histopathological evaluation. Consequently, complete preoperative work-up of patients harbouring parotideal tumours consistent with or suspicious for WT is necessary. The work-up should include CT scans and/or magnetic resonance imaging of both parotid glands, to exclude the occurrence of multiple tumours, which may be clinically undetectable. Also, fine needle aspiration biopsy may be an accurate tool for excluding malignant neoplasms and for better planning subsequent surgical procedures. These usually consist in (bilateral) superficial parotidectomy and should be followed by long term follow up of the patients, in view of possible metachronous WTs, even after prolonged time intervals.
We present new results from our optical spectrophotometric campaign ongoing at the Astronomical Observatory of Bologna in Loiano (Italy) on hard X-ray sources detected by INTEGRAL. We have observed ...spectroscopically the putative optical counterparts of four more INTEGRAL sources, IGR J12391 -1610, IGR J18406-0539, 2E 1853.7+1534 and IGR J19473+4452. These data have allowed us to determine their nature, finding that IGR J12391-1610 (=LEDA 170194) and IGR J19473+4452 are Seyfert 2 galaxies at redshifts z = 0.036 and z = 0.053, respectively, IGR J18406-0539 (=SS 406) is a Be massive X-ray binary located at 61.1 kpc from Earth, and 2E 1853.7+1534 is a type 1 Seyfert galaxy with z = 0.084. Physical parameters for these objects are also evaluated by collecting and discussing the available multiwavelength information. The determination of the extragalactic nature of a substantial fraction of sources inside the INTEGRAL surveys underlines the importance of hard X-ray observations for the study of background Active Galactic Nuclei located beyond the "Zone of Avoidance" of the Galactic Plane.
Context.
Gravitational wave (GW) astronomy has rapidly reached maturity, becoming a fundamental observing window for modern astrophysics. The coalescences of a few tens of black hole (BH) binaries ...have been detected, while the number of events possibly including a neutron star (NS) is still limited to a few. On 2019 August 14, the LIGO and Virgo interferometers detected a high-significance event labelled S190814bv. A preliminary analysis of the GW data suggests that the event was likely due to the merger of a compact binary system formed by a BH and a NS.
Aims.
In this paper, we present our extensive search campaign aimed at uncovering the potential optical and near infrared electromagnetic counterpart of S190814bv. We found no convincing electromagnetic counterpart in our data. We therefore use our non-detection to place limits on the properties of the putative outflows that could have been produced by the binary during and after the merger.
Methods.
Thanks to the three-detector observation of S190814bv, and given the characteristics of the signal, the LIGO and Virgo Collaborations delivered a relatively narrow localisation in low latency – a 50% (90%) credible area of 5 deg
2
(23 deg
2
) – despite the relatively large distance of 267 ± 52 Mpc. ElectromagNetic counterparts of GRAvitational wave sources at the VEry Large Telescope collaboration members carried out an intensive multi-epoch, multi-instrument observational campaign to identify the possible optical and near infrared counterpart of the event. In addition, the ATLAS, GOTO, GRAWITA-VST, Pan-STARRS, and VINROUGE projects also carried out a search on this event. In this paper, we describe the combined observational campaign of these groups.
Results.
Our observations allow us to place limits on the presence of any counterpart and discuss the implications for the kilonova (KN), which was possibly generated by this NS–BH merger, and for the strategy of future searches. The typical depth of our wide-field observations, which cover most of the projected sky localisation probability (up to 99.8%, depending on the night and filter considered), is
r
∼ 22 (resp.
K
∼ 21) in the optical (resp. near infrared). We reach deeper limits in a subset of our galaxy-targeted observations, which cover a total ∼50% of the galaxy-mass-weighted localisation probability. Altogether, our observations allow us to exclude a KN with large ejecta mass
M
≳ 0.1
M
⊙
to a high (> 90%) confidence, and we can exclude much smaller masses in a sub-sample of our observations. This disfavours the tidal disruption of the neutron star during the merger.
Conclusions.
Despite the sensitive instruments involved in the campaign, given the distance of S190814bv, we could not reach sufficiently deep limits to constrain a KN comparable in luminosity to AT 2017gfo on a large fraction of the localisation probability. This suggests that future (likely common) events at a few hundred megaparsecs will be detected only by large facilities with both a high sensitivity and large field of view. Galaxy-targeted observations can reach the needed depth over a relevant portion of the localisation probability with a smaller investment of resources, but the number of galaxies to be targeted in order to get a fairly complete coverage is large, even in the case of a localisation as good as that of this event.
THESEUS is a space mission concept aimed at exploiting Gamma-Ray Bursts for investigating the early Universe and at providing a substantial advancement of multi-messenger and time-domain ...astrophysics. These goals will be achieved through a unique combination of instruments allowing GRB and X-ray transient detection over a broad field of view (more than 1sr) with 0.5–1 arcmin localization, an energy band extending from several MeV down to 0.3 keV and high sensitivity to transient sources in the soft X-ray domain, as well as on-board prompt (few minutes) follow-up with a 0.7 m class IR telescope with both imaging and spectroscopic capabilities. THESEUS will be perfectly suited for addressing the main open issues in cosmology such as, e.g., star formation rate and metallicity evolution of the inter-stellar and intra-galactic medium up to redshift ∼10, signatures of Pop III stars, sources and physics of re-ionization, and the faint end of the galaxy luminosity function. In addition, it will provide unprecedented capability to monitor the X-ray variable sky, thus detecting, localizing, and identifying the electromagnetic counterparts to sources of gravitational radiation, which may be routinely detected in the late ’20s/early ’30s by next generation facilities like aLIGO/ aVirgo, eLISA, KAGRA, and Einstein Telescope. THESEUS will also provide powerful synergies with the next generation of multi-wavelength observatories (e.g., LSST, ELT, SKA, CTA, ATHENA).
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