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Showing papers by "University of Modena and Reggio Emilia published in 2005"


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) as mentioned in this paper have been proposed as a more scientifically correct nomenclature for the fibroblast-like cells, regardless of the tissue from which they are isolated.

1,702 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is observed that bifidobacteria grew by cross-feeding on mono- and oligosaccharides produced by primary inulin intestinal degraders, as evidenced by the high hydrolytic activity of fecal supernatants.
Abstract: The utilization of fructooligosaccharides (FOS) and inulin by 55 Bifidobacterium strains was investigated. Whereas FOS were fermented by most strains, only eight grew when inulin was used as the carbon source. Residual carbohydrates were analyzed by high-performance anion-exchange chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection after batch fermentation. A strain-dependent capability to degrade fructans of different lengths was observed. During batch fermentation on inulin, the short fructans disappeared first, and then the longer ones were gradually consumed. However, growth occurred through a single uninterrupted exponential phase without exhibiting polyauxic behavior in relation to the chain length. Cellular β-fructofuranosidases were found in all of the 21 Bifidobacterium strains tested. Four strains were tested for extracellular hydrolytic activity against fructans, and only the two strains which ferment inulin showed this activity. Batch cultures inoculated with human fecal slurries confirmed the bifidogenic effect of both FOS and inulin and indicated that other intestinal microbial groups also grow on these carbon sources. We observed that bifidobacteria grew by cross-feeding on mono- and oligosaccharides produced by primary inulin intestinal degraders, as evidenced by the high hydrolytic activity of fecal supernatants. FOS and inulin greatly affected the production of short-chain fatty acids in fecal cultures; butyrate was the major fermentation product on inulin, whereas mostly acetate and lactate were produced on FOS.

480 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the binding energies of single-walled carbon nanotubes with diameters between 6.8 and 9.4 were determined by ab initio calculations, based on photoluminescence excitation experiments.
Abstract: Excitonic effects in the linear and nonlinear optical properties of single-walled carbon nanotubes are manifested by photoluminescence excitation experiments and ab initio calculations. One- and two-photon spectra showed a series of exciton states; their energy splitting is the fingerprint of excitonic interactions in carbon nanotubes. By ab initio calculations we determine the energies, wave functions, and symmetries of the excitonic states. Combining experiment and theory we find binding energies of $0.3\char21{}0.4\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{eV}$ for nanotubes with diameters between 6.8 and $9.0\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{\AA{}}$.

471 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Positive clinical results obtained indicate that Hyalograft® C is a safe and effective therapeutic option for the treatment of articular cartilage lesions and a very limited complication rate was recorded in this study.
Abstract: The use of tissue engineering for cartilage repair has emerged as a potential therapeutic option and has led to the development of Hyalograft® C, a tissue-engineered graft composed of autologous chondrocytes grown on a scaffold entirely made of HYAFF® 11, an esterified derivative of hyaluronic acid.

448 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: MSI-H patients with hereditary non–polyposis colorectal cancer showed a better prognosis as compared with sporadic MSI-H; however, in multivariate analysis, this difference disappeared.
Abstract: Purpose Many studies have evaluated the role of high levels of microsatellite instability (MSI) as a prognostic marker and predictor of the response to chemotherapy in colorectal cancer (CRC); however, the results are not conclusive. The aim of this study was to analyze the prognostic significance of high levels of MSI (MSI-H) in CRC patients in relation to fluorouracil-based chemotherapy. Experimental design In three different institutions, 1,263 patients with CRC were tested for the presence of MSI, and CRC-specific survival was then analyzed in relation to MSI status, chemotherapy, and other clinical and pathologic variables. Results Two hundred and fifty-six tumors were MSI-H (20.3%): these were more frequently at a less advanced stage, right-sided, poorly differentiated, with mucinous phenotype, and expansive growth pattern than microsatellite stable carcinomas. Univariate and multivariate analyses of 5-year-specific survival revealed stage, tumor location, grade of differentiation, MSI, gender, and age as significant prognostic factors. The prognostic advantage of MSI tumors was particularly evident in stages II and III in which chemotherapy did not significantly affect the survival of MSI-H patients. Finally, we analyzed survival in MSI-H patients in relation to the presence of mismatch repair gene mutations. MSI-H patients with hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer showed a better prognosis as compared with sporadic MSI-H; however, in multivariate analysis, this difference disappeared. Conclusions The type of genomic instability could influence the prognosis of CRC, in particular in stages II and III. Fluorouracil-based chemotherapy does not seem to improve survival among MSI-H patients. The survival benefit for patients with hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer is mainly determined by younger age and less advanced stage as compared with sporadic MSI-H counterpart.

357 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Baseline weight loss expectations are independent cognitive predictors of attrition in obese patients entering a weight-losing program; the higher the expectations, the higher attrition at 12 months.
Abstract: Objective: To investigate the influence of weight loss expectations (expected 1-year BMI loss, dream and maximum acceptable BMI) on attrition in obese patients seeking treatment. Research Methods and Procedures: Obese subjects (1785; 1393 women; median age, 46 years; median BMI, 36.7 kg/m2) seeking treatment in 23 medical Italian centers were evaluated. Baseline diet and weight history, weight loss expectations, and primary motivation for seeking treatment (health or improving appearance) were systematically recorded. Psychiatric distress, binge eating, and body image dissatisfaction were tested at baseline by self-administered questionnaires (Symptom Check List-90, Binge Eating Scale, and Body Uneasiness Test). Attrition and BMI change at 12 months were prospectively recorded. Results: At 12 months, 923 of 1785 patients (51.7%) had discontinued treatment. Compared with continuers, drop-outs had a significantly lower age, a lower age at first dieting, lower dream BMI, a higher expected 1-year BMI loss, and a higher weight phobia. At logistic regression analysis, the strongest predictors of attrition at 12 months were lower age and higher expected 1-year BMI loss. The risk of drop-out increased systematically for unit increase in expected BMI loss at 12 months (hazard ratio, 1.12; 95% confidence interval, 1.04 to 1.20; p = 0.0018). The risk was particularly elevated in the first 6 months. Discussion: Baseline weight loss expectations are independent cognitive predictors of attrition in obese patients entering a weight-losing program; the higher the expectations, the higher attrition at 12 months. Unrealistic weight goals should be tackled at the very beginning of treatment.

293 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors explore the relationship between uncertainty and innovation, and develop some implications of ontological uncertainty for innovation processes at three levels of organization, by means of three theories: a narrative theory of action at the level of individual economic actors, the theory of generative relationships at the meso-level of agent interaction, and a theory of scaffolding structures at the macro level of market systems.
Abstract: This paper explores the relationship between uncertainty and innovation. It distinguishes three kinds of uncertainty: truth uncertainty, semantic uncertainty, and ontological uncertainty, the latter of which is particularly important for innovation processes. The paper then develops some implications of ontological uncertainty for innovation processes at three levels of organization, by means of three theories: a narrative theory of action at the level of individual economic actors; the theory of generative relationships at the meso-level of agent interaction; and the theory of scaffolding structures at the macro-level of market systems. These theories are illustrated by means of examples drawn from a prospective study on the emergence of a new market system around a technology for distributed control.

273 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
15 Oct 2005-Cancer
TL;DR: The expectation of improvement in patient survival with administration of new chemotherapy agents for metastatic breast carcinoma is not consistently supported by data from clinical trials, which are often underpowered and have not detected moderate survival advantage.
Abstract: BACKGROUND The expectation of improvement in patient survival with administration of new chemotherapy agents for metastatic breast carcinoma (MBC) is not consistently supported by data from clinical trials, which are often underpowered and have not detected moderate survival advantage. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of new agents on prognosis of MBC patients enrolled in clinical trials of first-line chemotherapy. METHODS Between 1983 and 2001, 640 MBC patients were entered into 6 consecutive trials; the present analysis was limited to patients. The date of diagnosis of metastatic breast disease was used to define 5 arbitrarily chosen 3-year time cohorts, 1983–1986, 1987–1989, 1992–1994, 1995–1997, and 1998–2001. Multivariate proportion of hazard (PH) models were used to evaluate changes in overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) over time and to detect changes associated with the use of taxanes, while adjusting for differences in baseline factors among 5 cohorts. RESULTS Patient characteristics were evenly distributed across the 5 cohorts. Median OS was 18 months, 17.2 months, 19.2 months, 26.1 months, and 23.6 months, respectively, in cohorts 1983–1986, 1987–1989, 1992–1994, 1995–1997, 1998–2001 (P < 0.0001). Age, performance status, relapse-free survival, type of adjuvant treatment, metastatic site, and taxane first-line chemotherapy were all associated with survival. These data failed to provide an indication of temporal trend and suggested a reduction in hazard of death in two cohorts (1995–1997 and 1998–2001) where taxane was added to first-line chemotherapy. CONCLUSIONS The analysis provided evidence of improvement in prognosis of MBC patients that was associated with use of modern chemotherapeutic agents independent of time. Cancer 2005. © 2005 American Cancer Society.

272 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The QFT-Gold test is feasible in routine hospital use for the diagnosis of tuberculosis infection, as with the TST, immunosuppression may negatively affect the test's performance, with a significant rate of indeterminate results in the most vulnerable population.
Abstract: Rationale: Interferon (IFN)- blood tests may improve the current level of diagnostic accuracy for tuberculosis infection. The QuantiFERON-TB Gold (QFT-Gold) has been used in selected populations and shows higher specificity than the tuberculin skin test (TST). Objective: To evaluate the QFT-Gold test in unselected patients and assess the level of agreement with the TST. Methods: The test has been routinelyperformed on wholeblood samples inour microbiology laboratory for 8 months. Demographic, clinical, and microbiological data have been collected and correlated to the QFT-Gold results. Measurements and Main Results: Of 318 patients tested, 68 (21.4%) gavean indeterminate (lowpositive mitogencontrol) QFTGold result. Indeterminate results were significantly overrepresented in patients with a negative TST (28.9% vs. 6.6% in TSTpositive patients; p 0.0001, 2 test) and were more frequent in patients receiving immunosuppressive therapies than in those who were not receiving such treatments (odds ratio, 3.35; 95% confidence interval, 1.84–6.08; p 0.0001). After excluding indeterminate results, the concordance between QFT-Gold and TST was sig

266 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
02 Feb 2005-Zootaxa
TL;DR: An updated list of tardigrade taxa is compiled, supplemented by a series of bibliographic references inherent in the synonymies and/or the amended diagnosis of the taxa occurred after 1983, and a list of the main characters used in the diagnoses of the species.
Abstract: Since the most recent monograph on Tardigrada by Ramazzotti & Maucci (1983), many changes have been introduced in the systematics of this phylum which has gone through different revisions and has been expanded by several new taxa. Moreover, the number of species is considerably increased (almost doubled to more than 960 species) and new families and genera have been created, while many taxa have been amended. The difficulty in finding a complete, updated list of taxa and the problems with putting together all the newly proposed taxonomic criteria, led us to compile an updated list of tardigrade taxa. This list is supplemented by a series of bibliographic references inherent in the synonymies and/or the amended diagnosis of the taxa occurred after 1983, and a list of the main characters used in the diagnosis of the species. These lists are aimed at helping not only the specialists studying this group, but also researchers interested in biodiversity and those who have to refer to this animal group.

261 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Patients with pure pulmonary LCNEC were reviewed to investigate their clinicopathologic features, therapeutic strategy, and immunohistochemical expression and the mutational status of the receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) KIT, PDGFRα,PDGFRβ, and Met.
Abstract: Purpose Pulmonary large-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC) is a relatively uncommon, high-grade neuroendocrine tumor sharing several features with small-cell lung carcinoma (SCLC) but currently considered as a variant of non-SCLC and accordingly treated with poor results. Little is known about the optimal therapy of LCNEC and the possible therapeutic molecular targets. Patients and Methods We reviewed 83 patients with pure pulmonary LCNEC to investigate their clinicopathologic features, therapeutic strategy, and immunohistochemical expression and the mutational status of the receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) KIT, PDGFRα, PDGFRβ, and Met. Results LCNEC histology predicted a dismal outcome (overall median survival, 17 months) even in stage I patients (5-year survival rate, 33%). LCNEC strongly expressed RTKs (KIT in 62.7% of patients, PDGFRα in 60.2%, PDGFRβ in 81.9%, and Met in 47%), but no mutations were detected in the exons encoding for the relevant juxtamembrane domains. Tumor stage and size (≥ 3 cm)...

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Diagnosis of rare sebaceous lesions warrants the search for associated internal malignant diseases: the peculiarity of skin lesions and their biomolecular characterisation with microsatellite instability analysis and immunohistochemistry could be used to identify familial Muir-Torre syndrome, allowing clinicians to tailor a personalised programme to screen for skin and visceral malignant Diseases in high-risk individuals.
Abstract: Muir-Torre syndrome is an autosomal-dominant skin condition of genetic origin, characterised by tumours of the sebaceous gland or keratoacanthoma that are associated with visceral malignant diseases. The cutaneous characteristics of Muir-Torre syndrome are sebaceous adenoma, epithelioma, carcinoma, or multiple keratoacanthomas, whereas visceral malignant diseases include colorectal, endometrial, urological, and upper gastrointestinal tumours. Although Muir-Torre syndrome has a striking familial association and features of autosomal-dominant transmission, it can arise in individuals without a family history or any known mutations. Clinical and biomolecular evidence has suggested that there are two types of Muir-Torre syndrome. The most common is a variant of hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer, which is characterised by defects in mismatch repair genes and early-onset tumours. The second type does not show deficiency in mismatch repair and its pathogenesis remains undefined. Diagnosis of these rare sebaceous lesions warrants the search for associated internal malignant diseases: the peculiarity of skin lesions and their biomolecular characterisation with microsatellite instability analysis and immunohistochemistry could be used to identify familial Muir-Torre syndrome, allowing clinicians to tailor a personalised programme to screen for skin and visceral malignant diseases in high-risk individuals.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Exogenous anandamide is formed on stimulation of metabotropic receptors coupled to the phospholipase C/inositol 1,4,5‐triphosphate pathway and then signals to TRPV1 channels, a novel intracellular function of an andamide that may precede its action at cannabinoid receptors, and might be relevant to its control over neurotransmitter release.
Abstract: The endocannabinoid anandamide is able to interact with the transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) channels at a molecular level. As yet, endogenously produced anandamide has not been shown to activate TRPV1, but this is of importance to understand the physiological function of this interaction. Here, we show that intracellular Ca2+ mobilization via the purinergic receptor agonist ATP, the muscarinic receptor agonist carbachol or the Ca2+-ATPase inhibitor thapsigargin leads to formation of anandamide, and subsequent TRPV1-dependent Ca2+ influx in transfected cells and sensory neurons of rat dorsal root ganglia (DRG). Anandamide metabolism and efflux from the cell tonically limit TRPV1-mediated Ca2+ entry. In DRG neurons, this mechanism was found to lead to TRPV1-mediated currents that were enhanced by selective blockade of anandamide cellular efflux. Thus, endogenous anandamide is formed on stimulation of metabotropic receptors coupled to the phospholipase C/inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate pathway and then signals to TRPV1 channels. This novel intracellular function of anandamide may precede its action at cannabinoid receptors, and might be relevant to its control over neurotransmitter release.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Characterization of confocal microscopy features of MMs and nevi seems to improve diagnostic accuracy for melanocytic lesions that are difficult to diagnose.
Abstract: Background In vivo confocal microscopy enables skin visualization with a quasihistopathologic resolution. Objective We sought to describe confocal features in melanocytic lesions and to evaluate their diagnostic significance for melanoma (MM) identification. Methods Thirty seven MMs, 49 acquired nevi, and 16 Spitz/Reed nevi, presenting equivocal clinicodermoscopic aspects were investigated by confocal microscopy. Results MMs and nevi significantly differed for some aspects. In multivariate analysis, the presence of nonedged dermal papillae, atypical cells, and isolated nucleated cells within dermal papilla, pagetoid cells, widespread pagetoid infiltration, and cerebriform clusters were strongly correlated with MM diagnosis. A receiver operating characteristic curve value of 0.952 was obtained. Limitations Spitz/Reed nevi represented a pitfall in confocal diagnosis, owing to the frequent observation of pagetoid infiltration, architectural disarray, and cytologic atypia, and to the impossibility of evaluating cell maturation with depth. Conclusion Characterization of confocal microscopy features of MMs and nevi seems to improve diagnostic accuracy for melanocytic lesions that are difficult to diagnose.

Journal ArticleDOI
05 May 2005-BMJ
TL;DR: Cochrane reviews fared better than systematic reviews published in paper based journals in terms of assessment of methodological quality of primary studies, although they both largely failed to take it into account in the interpretation of results.
Abstract: Objectives To describe how the methodological quality of primary studies is assessed in systematic reviews and whether the quality assessment is taken into account in the interpretation of results. Data sources Cochrane systematic reviews and systematic reviews in paper based journals. Study selection 965 systematic reviews (809 Cochrane reviews and 156 paper based reviews) published between 1995 and 2002. Data synthesis The methodological quality of primary studies was assessed in 854 of the 965 systematic reviews (88.5%). This occurred more often in Cochrane reviews than in paper based reviews (93.9% v 60.3%, P < 0.0001). Overall, only 496 (51.4%) used the quality assessment in the analysis and interpretation of the results or in their discussion, with no significant differences between Cochrane reviews and paper based reviews (52% v 49%, P = 0.58). The tools and methods used for quality assessment varied widely. Conclusions Cochrane reviews fared better than systematic reviews published in paper based journals in terms of assessment of methodological quality of primary studies, although they both largely failed to take it into account in the interpretation of results. Methods for assessment of methodological quality by systematic reviews are still in their infancy and there is substantial room for improvement.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A natural extension of analysis of Tikhonov regularization to the continuous (population) case and study the interplay between the discrete and continuous problems allows to draw a clear connection between the consistency approach in learning theory and the stability convergence property in ill-posed inverse problems.
Abstract: Many works related learning from examples to regularization techniques for inverse problems, emphasizing the strong algorithmic and conceptual analogy of certain learning algorithms with regularization algorithms. In particular it is well known that regularization schemes such as Tikhonov regularization can be effectively used in the context of learning and are closely related to algorithms such as support vector machines. Nevertheless the connection with inverse problem was considered only for the discrete (finite sample) problem and the probabilistic aspects of learning from examples were not taken into account. In this paper we provide a natural extension of such analysis to the continuous (population) case and study the interplay between the discrete and continuous problems. From a theoretical point of view, this allows to draw a clear connection between the consistency approach in learning theory and the stability convergence property in ill-posed inverse problems. The main mathematical result of the paper is a new probabilistic bound for the regularized least-squares algorithm. By means of standard results on the approximation term, the consistency of the algorithm easily follows.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the capabilities of L-band satellite SAR interferometry for the investigation of landslide displacements have been analyzed together with C-band ERS-1/2 SAR data and in situ information.
Abstract: This paper illustrates the capabilities of L-band satellite SAR interferometry for the investigation of landslide displacements. SAR data acquired by the L-band JERS satellite over the Italian and Swiss Alps have been analyzed together with C-band ERS-1/2 SAR data and in situ information. The use of L-band SAR data with a wavelength larger than the usual C-band, generally considered for ground motion measurements, reduces some of the limitations of differential SAR interferometry, in particular, signal decorrelation induced by vegetation cover and rapid displacements. The sites of the Alta Val Badia region in South Tyrol (Italy), Ruinon in Lombardia (Italy), Saas Grund in Valais (Switzerland) and Campo Vallemaggia in Ticino (Switzerland), representing a comprehensive set of different mass wasting phenomena in various environments, are considered. The landslides in the Alta Val Badia region are good examples for presenting the improved performance of L-band in comparison to C-band for vegetated areas, in particular concerning open forest. The landslides of Ruinon, Saas Grund, and Campo Vallemaggia demonstrate the strength of L-band in observing moderately fast displacements in comparison to C-band. This work, performed with historical SAR data from a satellite which operated until 1998, demonstrates the capabilities of future planned L-band SAR missions, like ALOS and TerraSAR-L, for landslide studies.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It has now become possible to show that A2A and D2 receptors also coimmunoprecipitate in striatal tissue, giving evidence for the existence of A 2A-D2 heteromeric receptor complexes also in ratstriatal tissue and giving evidence that these heteromers are constitutive.
Abstract: The existence of A2A-D2 heteromeric complexes is based on coimmunoprecipitation studies and on fluorescence resonance energy transfer and bioluminescence resonance energy transfer analyses. It has now become possible to show that A2A and D2 receptors also coimmunoprecipitate in striatal tissue, giving evidence for the existence of A2A-D2 heteromeric receptor complexes also in rat striatal tissue. The analysis gives evidence that these heteromers are constitutive, as they are observed in the absence of A2A and D2 agonists. The A2A-D2 heteromers could either be A2A-D2 heterodimers and/or higher-order A2A -D2 hetero-oligomers. In striatal neurons there are probably A2A-D2 heteromeric complexes, together with A2A-D2 homomeric complexes in the neuronal surface membrane. Their stoichiometry in various microdomains will have a major role in determining A2A and D2 signaling in the striatopallidal GABA neurons. Through the use of D2/D1 chimeras, evidence has been obtained that the fifth transmembrane (TM) domain and/or the I3 of the D2 receptor are part of the A2A-D2 receptor interface, where electrostatic epitope-epitope interactions involving the N-terminal part of I3 of the D2 receptor (arginine-rich epitope) play a major role, interacting with the carboxyl terminus of the A2A receptor. Computerized modeling of A2A-D2 heteromers are in line with these findings. It seems likely that A2A receptor-induced reduction of D2 receptor recognition, G protein coupling, and signaling, as well as the existence of A2A-D2 co-trafficking, are the consequence of the existence of an A2A-D2 receptor heteromer. The relevance of A2A-D2 heteromeric receptor complexes for Parkinson's disease and schizophrenia is emphasized as well as for the treatment of these diseases. Finally, recent evidence for the existence of antagonistic A2A-D3 heteromeric receptor complexes in cotransfected cell lines has been summarized.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Fluorescent and confocal microscopy studies showed that while PLGA Np are unable to cross the BBB, for the first time these solid Np surface-modified with peptides were shown to be able to crossThe BBB.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Prospective assessment of spontaneous language skills with a picture description task is useful to detect those subtle spontaneous language impairments caused by AD even at an early stage of the disease.
Abstract: The objective was to collect normative data for a simple and a complex version of a picture description task devised to assess spontaneous speech and writing skills in patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and to test whether some aspects of spontaneous language can discriminate between normal and pathological cognitive decline. Two hundred and forty English-speaking healthy volunteers were recruited to participate in this normative study. Thirty patients with a clinical diagnosis of minimal to moderate probable AD were also recruited. Age and education influenced some aspects of spontaneous oral and written language whereas sex had no influence on any of the variables assessed. A high proportion (>70%) of AD patients performed below cut-off on those scales that measured semantic processing skills. Deficits were detected even amongst those in the very early stage of the disease when the complex version of the task was used. Prospective assessment of spontaneous language skills with a picture description task is useful to detect those subtle spontaneous language impairments caused by AD even at an early stage of the disease.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Coronary Atherosclerosis is more severe in patients with vascular ED; ED predicts the presence and extent of subclinical atherosclerosis independent of traditional risk factors for cardiovascular disease; Thus, ED may be considered an additional, early warning sign of coronary atheros sclerosis.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The study suggests that haplogroup K might confer a lower risk for PD in Italians, corroborating the idea that the mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation pathway is involved in the susceptibility to idiopathic PD.
Abstract: It has been proposed that European mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplogroups J and K, and their shared 10398G single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the ND3 gene, are protective from Parkinson's disease (PD). We evaluated the distribution of the different mtDNA haplogroups in a large cohort of 620 Italian patients with adult-onset (>50, 50 year old males. In spite of the common 10398G SNP, haplogroups J and K belong to widely diverging mitochondrial clades, a consideration that may explain the different results obtained for the two haplogroups in our cohorts. Our study suggests that haplogroup K might confer a lower risk for PD in Italians, corroborating the idea that the mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation pathway is involved in the susceptibility to idiopathic PD.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Older hospitalized patients frequently have impaired renal function despite normal serum creatinine levels and are exposed to an increased risk of ADRs to hydrosoluble drugs.
Abstract: Background Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are common causes of in-hospital complications for elderly people. The purpose of the present study is to verify whether concealed renal insufficiency, that is, reduction of the estimated glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in people with normal serum creatinine levels, is a risk factor for ADRs in elderly hospitalized patients. Methods We used data on 11 687 hospitalized patients enrolled in the Gruppo Italiano di Farmacovigilanza nell’Anziano study. The outcomes of the study were any ADR, ADR to hydrosoluble drugs, and ADR to any other drug during the hospital stay. We compared 3 groups: normal renal function (normal serum creatinine levels and normal estimated GFRs), concealed (normal serum creatinine levels and reduced estimated GFRs), or overt (increased creatinine levels and reduced estimated GFRs) renal insufficiency. The relationship between renal function and ADR was evaluated using contingency tables and multiple regression analysis including potential confounders. Results Concealed renal insufficiency was detected in 1631 (13.9%) patients and was frequently associated with male sex and poor nutritional status. Hydrosoluble drugs were responsible for 301 of the 941 recorded ADRs. After adjusting for potential confounders, both concealed (odds ratio [OR], 1.61; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.15-1.25) and overt (OR, 2.02; 95% CI, 1.54-2.65) renal failure were associated with ADR to hydrosoluble drugs, but not with ADR to other drugs (OR, 0.83 [95% CI, 0.65-1.08], and OR, 1.01 [95%CI, 0.83-1.23], respectively). Conclusion Older hospitalized patients frequently have impaired renal function despite normal serum creatinine levels and are exposed to an increased risk of ADRs to hydrosoluble drugs.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This paper presents a novel way to approach the interconnection of a continuous and a discrete time physical system in a way which preserves passivity of the coupled system independently of the sampling time T.
Abstract: In this paper, we present a novel way to approach the interconnection of a continuous and a discrete time physical system first presented in . This is done in a way which preserves passivity of the coupled system independently of the sampling time T. This strategy can be used both in the field of telemanipulation, for the implementation of a passive master/slave system on a digital transmission line with varying time delays and possible loss of packets (e.g., the Internet), and in the field of haptics, where the virtual environment should 'feel' like a physical equivalent system.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigated the evolution of intratumoral genetic heterogeneity during colorectal tumor progression and found that the heterogeneity was more often observed in early than in advanced stages, at 90 and 67%, respectively.
Abstract: Evolution of intratumoral genetic heterogeneity during colorectal tumor progression has not been investigated so far. Multiple sample areas in colorectal adenocarcinoma at early and advanced stages and in metastases were studied for the well-known genetic alterations: K-ras and p53 point mutations and loss of heterozygosity (LOH) on chromosomes 5q and 18q. In primary colorectal cancers (CRCs), intratumoral genetic heterogeneity was more often observed in early than in advanced stages, at 90 and 67%, respectively. All but one of the advanced CRCs were composed of one predominant clone and other minor clones, whereas no predominant clone has been identified in half of the early cancers. At the early stage, the last events that were produced, the p53 mutation and LOH of 18q, were also the most heterogeneous. At the advanced stage, the LOH of 5q and 18q were the most frequent heterogeneous events (67 and 58%, respectively). The intratumoral heterogeneity for mutations was significantly reduced, from the early to the advanced stages (from 60 to 20% for K-ras and from 70 to 20% for p53). On the other hand, a quasi absence of intratumoral genetic heterogeneity was observed for K-ras and p53 in distant metastasis. In conclusion, colorectal adenocarcinomas are characterized by marked intratumoral genetic heterogeneity. A reduction of the intratumoral genetic heterogeneity for point mutations and a relative stability of the heterogeneity for allelic losses indicate that, during the progression of CRC, clonal selection and chromosome instability continue, while an increase cannot be proven.

Book
01 Jan 2005
TL;DR: This book investigates the effects of corpus work on the process of foreign language learning in ESP settings and suggests that observing learners at work with corpus data can stimulate discussion and re-thinking of the pedagogical implications of both the theoretical and empirical aspects of corpus linguistics.
Abstract: This book investigates the effects of corpus work on the process of foreign language learning in ESP settings. It suggests that observing learners at work with corpus data can stimulate discussion and re-thinking of the pedagogical implications of both the theoretical and empirical aspects of corpus linguistics. The ideas presented here are developed from the Data-Driven Learning approach introduced by Tim Johns in the early nineties. The experience of watching students perform corpus analysis provides the basis for the two main observations in the book: a) corpus work provides students with a useful source of information about ESP language features, b) the process of "search-and-discovery" implied in the method of corpus analysis may facilitate language learning and promote autonomy in learning language use. The discussion is carried out on the basis of a series of corpus-based "explorations" by students and provides suggestions for developing new tasks and tools for language learners.


Proceedings ArticleDOI
11 Nov 2005
TL;DR: A short overview of the hot topics in multimedia surveillance systems is given and some research activities currently engaged in the world are introduced at VSSN05, co-located at ACM Multimedia Conference.
Abstract: The integration of video technology and sensor networks constitutes the fundamental infrastructure for new generations of multimedia surveillance systems, where many different media streams (audio, video, images, textual data, sensor signals) will concur to provide an automatic analysis of the controlled environment and a real-time interpretation of the scene. New solutions can be devised to enlarge the view of traditional surveillance systems by means of distributed architectures with fixed and active cameras, to enhance their view with other sensed data, to explore multi-resolution views with zooming and omnidirectional cameras. Applications regard surveillance of wide indoor and outdoor area and particularly people surveillance: in this case, multimedia surveillance systems can be enriched with biometric technology; the best views of detected persons and their extracted visual features (e.g. faces, voices, trajectories) can be exploited for people identification.VSSN05 is the third edition of the workshop, co-located at ACM Multimedia Conference, that embraces research reports on video surveillance and, since the edition of 2004, sensor networks. This paper gives a short overview of the hot topics in multimedia surveillance systems and introduces some research activities currently engaged in the world and presented at VSSN05.

Posted Content
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigate what factors are required in order to succeed in project-based cultural industries, focusing on the effects of relational stability and reputation on two key dimensions of movies' success: commercial success and artistic merit.
Abstract: We investigate what factors are required in order to succeed in project-based cultural industries. In particular, we focus on the effects of relational stability and reputation on two key dimensions of movies' success: commercial success and artistic merit. We combine the two dimensions of films' performance for a more accurate understanding of how authenticity and artistic merit are manufactured in the movie industry. We examine this question by analysing a sample of Italian films and focusing on the role of the film director. We argue that commercial success is favoured by a director's strong vertical ties (with producers and distributors) and economic reputation, while artistic merit is positively affected by a director's weak horizontal ties (with other creative partners) and artistic reputation. We propose an explanation in terms of varying degrees of task routineness and we use it to account for the divergence between our results and others in the cultural and organizational literature.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is hypothesized that the profile of the new marker of ovarian activity AMH may indicate that initial non-cyclic ovarian follicular activity during pregnancy is not abolished, and FSH, does not seem to play a direct role on AMH synthesis and secretion.
Abstract: Background In females, anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) is expressed only by the ovary. AMH is secreted by the granulosa cells of ovarian follicles and appears to regulate early follicle development. AMH is detected in serum from women of reproductive age and its levels vary slightly with the menstrual cycle, reaching the peak value in the late follicular phase. This study investigated serum AMH levels throughout gestation and after delivery in healthy pregnant women. Methods This cross-sectional study recruited pregnant women and healthy non-pregnant women, 84 in total. AMH, FSH and E2 were measured in the follicular phase, in the three trimesters of pregnancy and in early puerperium. Results Estradiol and FSH levels followed the expected patterns during gestation. During the follicular phase of the menstrual cycle AMH levels were 1.9 +/- 0.5 ng/ml. In the three trimesters of pregnancy and in early puerperium AMH levels were: 2.1 +/- 0.56, 2.4 +/- 0.64, 1.95 +/- 0.6 and 2.05 +/- 0.55 ng/ml respectively. No significant modifications were found in AMH levels during pregnancy and in the early puerperium. Conclusions This study has obtained information on AMH and on the possible relationship with FSH. We hypothesize that the profile of the new marker of ovarian activity AMH may indicate that initial non-cyclic ovarian follicular activity during pregnancy is not abolished. Moreover FSH, does not seem to play a direct role on AMH synthesis and secretion.