Cancer Risk Related to Uncommon Migration within Italy

Aims and background

Given the industrialization in Italy over this past century much migration has occurred within the country especially from southern to northern regions. Following repeated drainings of the pre-existing marsh area (Pontina plain) during the 1930s the Latina province received an unusual north-south immigration from the regions of Veneto, Friuli and Emilia Romagna. This consisted principally of manual workers, farmers and their families. Four new towns developed after a few years (Littoria, later renamed Latina, Sabaudia, Pontinia and Aprilia), and the whole province quickly reached a population of 60,000. The availability of a population-based Cancer Registry in the Latina province allowed us to assess the cancer risk in this migrant population.

Methods

Standardized Incidence Ratios (SIRs) according to cancer site and sex were computed for residents over the age of 55 years, born in northern Italy. Population data, by sex, age and region of birth were based on the 1981 census. The age-sex-site specific incidence rates for the 1983-1987 period for the entire population of the Latina province over 55 years of age were used as standard.

Results

A significant excess of cancer risk for subjects of both sexes born in northern Italy was found. In addition, a statistically significant higher risk was observed for the cancers of the lung, skin (non-melanomas) and prostate in males, and of the mouth-pharynx, lung and skin (non-melanomas) in females.

Conclusions

SIRs for all sites confirm the findings from other studies on migrants in Italy and strongly support the hypothesis that the place of birth has an important influence on the frequency of cancer. Some possible etiological factors are suggested for cancer sites with higher frequencies in northern-born subjects.

EXPLOITING SENTINEL-1 AMPLITUDE DATA FOR GLACIER SURFACE VELOCITY FIELD MEASUREMENTS: FEASIBILITY DEMONSTRATION ON BALTORO GLACIER

The leading idea of this work is to continuously retrieve glaciers surface velocity through SAR imagery, in particular using the amplitude data from the new ESA satellite sensor Sentinel-1 imagery. These imagery key aspects are the free access policy, the very short revisit time (down to 6 days with the launch of the Sentinel-1B satellite) and the high amplitude resolution (up to 5 m). In order to verify the reliability of the proposed approach, a first experiment has been performed using Sentinel-1 imagery acquired over the Karakoram mountain range (North Pakistan) and Baltoro and other three glaciers have been investigated. During this study, a stack of 11 images acquired in the period from October 2014 to September 2015 has been used in order to investigate the potentialities of the Sentinel-1 SAR sensor to retrieve the glacier surface velocity every month. The aim of this test was to measure the glacier surface velocity between each subsequent pair, in order to produce a time series of the surface velocity fields along the investigated period. The necessary coregistration procedure between the images has been performed and subsequently the glaciers areas have been sampled using a regular grid with a 250 × 250 meters posting. Finally the surface velocity field has been estimated, for each image pair, using a template matching procedure, and an outlier filtering procedure based on the signal to noise ratio values has been applied, in order to exclude from the analysis unreliable points. The achieved velocity values range from 10 to 25 meters/month and they are coherent to those obtained in previous studies carried out on the same glaciers and the results highlight that it is possible to have a continuous update of the glacier surface velocity field through free Sentinel-1 imagery, that could be very useful to investigate the seasonal effects on the glaciers fluid-dynamics.

CENTIMETER COSMO-SKYMED RANGE MEASUREMENTS FOR MONITORING GROUND DISPLACEMENTS

The SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) imagery are widely used in order to monitor displacements impacting the Earth surface and infrastructures. The main remote sensing technique to extract sub-centimeter information from SAR imagery is the Differential SAR Interferometry (DInSAR), based on the phase information only. However, it is well known that DInSAR technique may suffer for lack of coherence among the considered stack of images. New Earth observation SAR satellite sensors, as COSMO-SkyMed, TerraSAR-X, and the coming PAZ, can acquire imagery with high amplitude resolutions too, up to few decimeters. Thanks to this feature, and to the on board dual frequency GPS receivers, allowing orbits determination with an accuracy at few centimetres level, the it was proven by different groups that TerraSAR-X imagery offer the capability to achieve, in a global reference frame, 3D positioning accuracies in the decimeter range and even better just exploiting the slant-range measurements coming from the amplitude information, provided proper corrections of all the involved geophysical phenomena are carefully applied. The core of this work is to test this methodology on COSMO-SkyMed data acquired over the Corvara area (Bolzano – Northern Italy), where, currently, a landslide with relevant yearly displacements, up to decimeters, is monitored, using GPS survey and DInSAR technique. The leading idea is to measure the distance between the satellite and a well identifiable natural or artificial Persistent Scatterer (PS), taking in account the signal propagation delays through the troposphere and ionosphere and filtering out the known geophysical effects that induce periodic and secular ground displacements. The preliminary results here presented and discussed indicate that COSMO-SkyMed Himage imagery appear able to guarantee a displacements monitoring with an accuracy of few centimetres using only the amplitude data, provided few (at least one) stable PS’s are available around the monitored area, in order to correct residual biases, likely due to orbit errors.

[Copper and copper alloys. Technology updates]

The correlations between copper and copper alloys and human health have been the subject of some recent and extensive scientific researches. The voluntary risks evaluation, which anticipated the EU REACH Directive application, has shown that copper is a "safe" product for human health and for environment. In addition, it could be of great help thanks to its antibacterial properties. Copper tube can contribute in a relevant way to the prevention of water systems pollution by Legionella. Also the spreading of nosocomial infections is significantly contrasted by the use of copper and copper alloys for the production of articles intended for being frequently touched by people. The Environmental Protection Agency of the United States has in fact "registered" as antibacterial over 350 of copper alloys.

Public awareness of risk factors and screening for colorectal cancer in Europe

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the commonest site for malignancy in Europe. The Commissioner for Health wishes to promote screening for colorectal, breast and cervical cancer in Europe. The aim of this study was to assess public knowledge of CRC in Europe and likely take up of free screening. To this end 20710 members of the public from 21 European countries were interviewed by means of a regular survey amongst consumers (Omnibus survey) using 13 stem questions. Forty-eight per cent thought the population were at equal risk of CRC, only 57% were aware of age and 54% of family history as risk factors. Although 70% were aware of dietary factors, only 30% knew that lack of exercise might be a risk factor. Only 51% had knowledge of CRC screening but 75% were 'very', or 'quite interested, in taking up faecal occult blood (FOB) screening if offered free. Barriers to screening were lack of awareness of risk (31%), youth (22%) and an un-anaesthetic test (19%). There was a big cultural difference in willingness of the public to discuss bowel symptoms: there was a major barrier in Finland (91%), Britain (84%), Luxembourg (82%), Poland (81%) and Portugal (80%); less of a barrier in Spain (49%), Italy (44%) and Iceland (39%). In conclusion, the challenge of achieving high compliance for CRC screening must be a major objective amongst EU member states and non-aligned countries of Europe in the next decade, because it is known that the non-compliant group are those at greatest risk of death from CRC. This study has shown that awareness of CRC is low in Europe and that an educational programme will be essential to achieve high compliance for CRC screening as a means of reducing deaths from bowel cancer.

Nodule initiation involves the creation of a new symplasmic field in specific root cells of medicago species

The organogenesis of nitrogen-fixing nodules in legume plants is initiated in specific root cortical cells and regulated by long-distance signaling and carbon allocation. Here, we explore cell-to-cell communication processes that occur during nodule initiation in Medicago species and their functional relevance using a combination of fluorescent tracers, electron microscopy, and transgenic plants. Nodule initiation induced symplasmic continuity between the phloem and nodule initials. Macromolecules such as green fluorescent protein could traffic across short or long distances from the phloem into these primordial cells. The created symplasmic field was regulated throughout nodule development. Furthermore, Medicago truncatula transgenic plants expressing a viral movement protein showed increased nodulation. Hence, the establishment of this symplasmic field may be a critical element for the control of nodule organogenesis.

Deep brain stimulation for the treatment of Parkinson's disease: the experience of the Neurosurgical Department in Monza

deep brain stimulation is a widely accepted surgical therapy for the symptomatic treatment of advanced parkinson's disease; high frequency chronic stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus proved its efficacy to control the major motor symptoms. In the neurosurgical department of Monza we treated 72 parkinsonian patients (November 1998-January 2003). One year follow-up results are: decrease of tremor 90%, hypertonous 56%, bradykinesia 70%, voice impairment amelioration 30%, mean total daily L-dopa intake reduced 58%. Freezing and balance did not ameliorate, some voice impairment and psychic derangement have been observed. Major surgical complications were: haemorrage (1 case - transient hemiparesis), infections (2 cases), pulmonary embolisation (1 case). To optimise the surgical results, careful clinical and instrumental selection of the patients are mandatory before surgery.

Medicago truncatula plants overexpressing the early nodulin gene enod40 exhibit accelerated mycorrhizal colonization and enhanced formation of arbuscules

The mutualistic symbiosis between flowering plants and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi is extremely abundant in terrestrial ecosystems. In this symbiosis, obligately biotrophic fungi colonize the root of the host plants, which can benefit from these fungi by enhanced access to mineral nutrients in the soil, especially phosphorus. One of the main goals of research on this symbiosis is to find plant genes that control fungal development in the host plant. In this work, we show that mycorrhizal colonization is regulated by enod40, an early nodulin gene known to be involved in the nodule symbiosis of legumes with nitrogen-fixing bacteria. Medicago truncatula plants overexpressing enod40 exhibited stimulated mycorrhizal colonization in comparison with control plants. Overexpression of enod40 promoted fungal growth in the root cortex and increased the frequency of arbuscule formation. Transgenic lines with suppressed levels of enod40 transcripts, likely via a cosuppression phenomenon induced by the transgene, exhibited reduced mycorrhizal colonization. Hence, enod40 might be a plant regulatory gene involved in the control of the mycorrhizal symbiosis.

Current trends in screening and secondary prevention of colorectal cancer

Colorectal cancer is one of the most frequent neoplasms in Western countries with an estimated 400,000 deaths per year worldwide. Several randomized studies have demonstrated that screening programs with FOBT (Fecal Occult Blood Test) reduce mortality from 18 to 33%, whereas case-control and cohort studies with endoscopy have shown a mortality reduction ranging from 60 to 76%. The target population for secondary prevention is men and women aged more than 50 years and younger subjects in case first-degree relatives are affected or the family pedigree raises the suspicion of a genetic syndrome. This report summarizes the results of different screening strategies for average risk patients (FOBT, anamnestic risk questionnaire, sigmoidoscopy, colonoscopy and virtual colonoscopy) and the surveillance protocols applicable to high-risk patients, particularly for hereditary syndromes such as HNPCC and FAP.

Efficacy in standard clinical practice of colonoscopic polypectomy in reducing colorectal cancer incidence

BACKGROUND

Colorectal cancer is one of the leading causes of death from cancer in Western countries. Removal of adenomas is based on the assumption that it could lead to a reduction in the incidence of colorectal cancer, as demonstrated by the National Polyp Study in the USA. A critical issue is whether the benefit observed in clinical trials can also be observed in standard clinical practice. To address the issue, a multicentre Italian collaborative study was organised.

METHODS

The study cohort comprised 1693 subjects of both sexes, aged 40-69 years, enrolled between 1980 and 1987 following a total colon examination (TCE) (that is, total colonoscopy or colonoscopy and double contrast barium enema), with removal of at least one adenoma larger than 5 mm in diameter. Exclusion criteria were genetic syndromes, previous adenomas or colorectal cancer, previous colonic resection, inflammatory bowel disease, or sessile adenomas more than 3 cm in diameter. Follow up ended in December 1996 by TCE or telephone interview, and review of the medical records, clinical files, or death certificates. Incidence ratios for colorectal cancer were compared with expected age and sex specific incidences in the Italian general population.

RESULTS

Follow up data were obtained for 97.3% of cases for a total of 14 211 person/years. Mean follow up was 10.5 years. Six colorectal cancer cases (four in males, two in females) at various stages were ascertained (one at 29 months, two at five years, one at seven years, one at eight years, and one at 10 years from the index examination). The number of cancers expected in the reference population was 17.7 for an incidence ratio of 0.34 (confidence interval 0.23-0.63; p<0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

Colonoscopic polypectomy substantially reduced the incidence of colorectal cancer in the cohort compared with that expected in the general population. These results are of particular relevance considering that those with adenomas are at increased risk of colorectal cancer and that this retrospective study was performed on data obtained in standard clinical practice. This observation strengthens the concept of effective population screening in view of the fact that adenomatous polyps are the most frequent neoplastic outcome of screening and their removal is associated with a decrease in the incidence of colorectal cancer.

Negotiating ethical and legal mazes in the federal workplace

The mandates that control actions in the federal workplace often challenge academic principles of conduct. Particularly vulnerable is the anthropologists' image of themselves as champions of powerless and voiceless groups in an arena perceived as dominated by a hostile government. This is coupled with convictions that socially responsible anthropology respects individual privacy while disseminating data to encourage culturally informed public and federal decisions. Using examples involving federal cultural and natural resources, we show conflicts within this suite of perspectives and with the demands of the federal workplace. The need for legally defensible decisions, responses to publics with diverse agendas, and requirements for confidentiality and public access to government records test our anthropological convictions as well as available legal protections of individual privacy and the public's right to know. Perhaps the anthropological community will strategize about more effective remedies for the problems of meeting the concerns of the individuals and the publics it cares about.

Translational and structural requirements of the early nodulin gene enod40, a short-open reading frame-containing RNA, for elicitation of a cell-specific growth response in the alfalfa root cortex

A diversity of mRNAs containing only short open reading frames (sORF-RNAs; encoding less than 30 amino acids) have been shown to be induced in growth and differentiation processes. The early nodulin gene enod40, coding for a 0.7-kb sORF-RNA, is expressed in the nodule primordium developing in the root cortex of leguminous plants after infection by symbiotic bacteria. Ballistic microtargeting of this gene into Medicago roots induced division of cortical cells. Translation of two sORFs (I and II, 13 and 27 amino acids, respectively) present in the conserved 5' and 3' regions of enod40 was required for this biological activity. These sORFs may be translated in roots via a reinitiation mechanism. In vitro translation products starting from the ATG of sORF I were detectable by mutating enod40 to yield peptides larger than 38 amino acids. Deletion of a Medicago truncatula enod40 region between the sORFs, spanning a predicted RNA structure, did not affect their translation but resulted in significantly decreased biological activity. Our data reveal a complex regulation of enod40 action, pointing to a role of sORF-encoded peptides and structured RNA signals in developmental processes involving sORF-RNAs.

Clean-up of a pesticide-lanolin mixture by gel permeation chromatography

In this study, the efficiency of a clean-up method by gel permeation chromatography (GPC) for the separation of pesticides from lanolin is analyzed. The pesticides analyzed belong to two different families, organophosphorous and synthetic pyrethroids. Lanolin, a standard mixture of the pesticides, and a lanolin-pesticides mixture are injected in a GPC column. The recoveries and elution times from the GPC column of lanolin (by a gravimetric method) and pesticides (by gas chromatography-electron capture detector) are determined. From this column, a good separation of the lanolin-pesticides mixture is observed.

Oxygen regulation of a nodule-located carbonic anhydrase in alfalfa

Control of the permeability to oxygen is critical for the function of symbiotic nitrogen fixation in legume nodules. The inner cortex (IC) seems to be a primary site for this regulation. In alfalfa (Medicago sativa) nodules, expression of the Msca1 gene encoding a carbonic anhydrase (CA) was previously found to be restricted to the IC. We have now raised antibodies against recombinant Msca1 protein and used them, together with antibodies raised against potato leaf CA, to demonstrate the presence of two forms of CA in mature nodules. Each antibody recognizes a different CA isoform in nodule tissues. Immunolocalization revealed that leaf-related CAs were localized primarily in the nitrogen-fixing zone, whereas the Msca1 protein was restricted exclusively to the IC region, in indeterminate and determinate nodules. In alfalfa nodules grown at various O(2) concentrations, an inverse correlation was observed between the external oxygen pressure and Msca1 protein content in the IC, the site of the putative diffusion barrier. Thus Msca1 is a molecular target of physiological processes occurring in the IC cells involved in gas exchange in the nodule.

Molecular Mechanisms in Root Nodule Development

Under nitrogen-limiting conditions, bacteria from the family Rhizobiaceae establish a symbiosis with leguminous plants to form nitrogen-fixing root nodules. These organs require a coordinated control of the spatiotemporal expression of plant and bacterial genes during morphogenesis. Both plant and bacterial signals are involved in this regulation in the plant host. Plant genes induced during nodule development, the so-called nodulin genes, have been extensively characterized. Products of several of these genes show homologies to known regulators of signal transduction pathways in other plant or animal systems. Initial functional analysis of the molecular mechanisms implicated in nodulation have been undertaken using model legumes. Insertion mutagenesis and transgenic technologies to modify nodulin gene expression, as well as pharmacologic approaches, have been used to analyze molecular mechanisms involved in morphologic responses induced by the bacterial symbiont in the plant. G protein-mediated transduction mechanisms have been implicated, and the nin transcription factor appears to be required for early steps in nodule development. ENOD40, a gene coding for an RNA that contains only short ORFs, seems to be closely tied to nodule primordium formation. In addition, a vascular-associated Krüppel-like transcription factor and small Rab type G-proteins affect bacteroid differentiation and the function of the nitrogen-fixing zone. These initial results presage a wealth of information that will be obtained from the application of genomic approaches to legumes.

Temporal and spatial order of events during the induction of cortical cell divisions in white clover by Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. trifolii inoculation or localized cytokinin addition

We examined the timing and location of several early root responses to Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. trifolii infection, compared with a localized addition of cytokinin in white clover, to study the role of cytokinin in early signaling during nodule initiation. Induction of ENOD40 expression by either rhizobia or cytokinin was similar in timing and location and occurred in nodule progenitor cells in the inner cortex. Inoculation of rhizobia in the mature root failed to induce ENOD40 expression and cortical cell divisions (ccd). Nitrate addition at levels repressing nodule formation inhibited ENOD40 induction by rhizobia but not by cytokinin. ENOD40 expression was not induced by auxin, an auxin transport inhibitor, or an ethylene precursor. In contrast to rhizobia, cytokinin addition was not sufficient to induce a modulation of the auxin flow, the induction of specific chalcone synthase genes, and the accumulation of fluorescent compounds associated with nodule initiation. However, cytokinin addition was sufficient for the localized induction of auxin-induced GH3 gene expression and the initiation of ccd. Our results suggest that rhizobia induce cytokinin-mediated events in parallel to changes in auxin-related responses during nodule initiation and support a role of ENOD40 in regulating ccd. We propose a model for the interactions of cytokinin with auxin, ENOD40, flavonoids, and nitrate during nodulation.

Minimal standard terminology for digestive endoscopy: results of prospective testing and validation in the GASTER project

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS

Standardization of the endoscopic report is a key issue for future research in the field of digestive endoscopy. The Minimal Standard Terminology (MST) has been proposed by the European Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ESGE) as a structured language for production of computerized endoscopic reports. The aim of this study was to validate version 1.0 of this terminology prospectively, by collecting cases in a multicenter, multilingual trial.

METHODS

Endoscopic cases (esophagogastroduodenoscopy [EGD], colonoscopy, endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography [ERCP]) were prospectively collected in nine university hospitals in Europe, using the same software. Reports were produced in the local language, but the software allowed comparison of reports between languages, and global analysis of the database. Outcome measures were the adequacy of terms proposed in the MST to describe "reasons for performing an endoscopy", "findings", and "endoscopic diagnoses", frequency of use and content of free-text fields, and types of lesions described.

RESULTS

A total of 6,232 reports were analyzed, including 3,447 gastroscopies, 1,743 colonoscopies, and 1,042 ERCPs. Overall, terms originally contained in the MST were adequate to describe fully 91.0% of all examinations where "reasons for endoscopy" were described, 99.5 % of examinations where "findings" were described, 95.8% of all examinations containing descriptions of "endoscopic diagnosis", 98.9% of examinations containing descriptions of "additional diagnostic procedures", and 94.8 % of examinations containing descriptions of "additional therapeutic procedures". Free-text fields were only used in the other cases (less than 5% of cases in average).

CONCLUSIONS

The MST appeared adequate to cover a large part of routine endoscopy reports, and could thus be used as a tool for standardization of endoscopic reports in clinical practice. The latter could be significantly improved by the use of a structured and standardized terminology for the production of endoscopic reports.

A Krüppel-like zinc finger protein is involved in nitrogen-fixing root nodule organogenesis

Mechanisms regulating plant host differentiation of the nitrogen-fixing root nodules remain mostly unknown. Sinorhizobium meliloti induces this process in Medicago sativa in which the Mszpt2-1 gene is expressed in vascular bundles of roots and nodules. This gene codes for a Krüppel-like zinc finger protein, a class of transcription factors involved in many animal developmental processes. Expression of Mszpt2-1 in yeast cells conferred osmotic tolerance. Antisense plants grew normally but developed nonfunctional nodules, in which differentiation of the nitrogen-fixing zone and bacterial invasion were arrested. Hence, a vascular bundle-associated Krüppel-like gene is required for the formation of the central nitrogen-fixing zone of the root nodule.

Alteration of enod40 expression modifies medicago truncatula root nodule development induced by sinorhizobium meliloti

Molecular mechanisms involved in the control of root nodule organogenesis in the plant host are poorly understood. One of the nodulin genes associated with the earliest phases of this developmental program is enod40. We show here that transgenic Medicago truncatula plants overexpressing enod40 exhibit accelerated nodulation induced by Sinorhizobium meliloti. This resulted from increased initiation of primordia, which was accompanied by a proliferation response of the region close to the root tip and enhanced root length. The root cortex of the enod40-transformed plants showed increased sensitivity to nodulation signals. T(1) and T(2) descendants of two transgenic lines with reduced amounts of enod40 transcripts (probably from cosuppression) formed only a few and modified nodulelike structures. Our results suggest that induction of enod40 is a limiting step in primordium formation, and its function is required for appropriate nodule development.