Carcinoma sieroso papillare del peritoneo in paziente già operata di carcinoma mammario. Caso clinico

Il carcinoma sieroso papillare del peritoneo (PPSC) è un tumore raro che si riscontra più frequentemente nel sesso femminile. L?età media al momento della diagnosi è di 56 anni. Si diffonde coinvolgendo il peritoneo, la superficie delle ovaie e la pelvi. L?istologia è indistinguibile dall?analogo tumore ovarico, cioè il carcinoma sieroso papillare (PSCO). L?istogenesi del PPSC è probabilmente correlata all?epitelio celomatico embrionale. Sintomi e segni clinici tipici sono distensione addominale, costipazione, nausea, vomito, riduzione dell?appetito, malessere generale e perdita di peso. La chirurgia citoriduttiva, in aggiunta alla chemioterapia con cisplatino e ad altre terapie come l?immunoterapia e la radioterapia, aumenta la sopravvivenza dei pazienti affetti da PPSC. Viene descritto il caso di una paziente di 51 anni, già operata di carcinoma mammario, nella quale si manifestavano alcuni dei segni e sintomi descritti. L?intervento chirurgico dimostrò le localizzazioni sierose caratteristiche. Si fece una larga exeresi ma la malata morì 14 mesi dopo per la fatale progressione della malattia. English version The peritoneal papillary serous carcinoma (PPSC) is a rare tumor more frequently revealed in female. The onset mean age is 56 years. It implicate peritoneum, ovary?s surface and pelvis. The histology of this disease is similar to papillary serous carcinoma ovary (PSCO). The PPSC histogenesis is probably correlated to coelomatic embryonal epithelium. Clinical characteristics are abdominal swelling, constipation, nausea, emesis, inappetence, feel unwell, lose weight. The cytoreductive surgery and the cisplatinum chemotherapy, and other treatments like immunotherapy and radiotherapy, increase the PSCP patient survival. A case of a 51 years old patient with previous surgery for breast cancer is here described. She show some of the yet described clinical findings. At the surgery we found the typically serous peritoneal localizations. We performed a debulking, and the patient died 14 months after the operation due to the disease progression

Modeling cell populations metabolism and competition under maximum power constraints

Ecological interactions are fundamental at the cellular scale, addressing the possibility of a description of cellular systems that uses language and principles of ecology. In this work, we use a minimal ecological approach that encompasses growth, adaptation and survival of cell populations to model cell metabolisms and competition under energetic constraints. As a proof-of-concept, we apply this general formulation to study the dynamics of the onset of a specific blood cancer—called Multiple Myeloma. We show that a minimal model describing antagonist cell populations competing for limited resources, as regulated by microenviron- mental factors and internal cellular structures, reproduces patterns of Multiple Myeloma evo- lution, due to the uncontrolled proliferation of cancerous plasma cells within the bone marrow. The model is characterized by a class of regime shifts to more dissipative states for selectively advantaged malignant plasma cells, reflecting a breakdown of self-regulation in the bone marrow. The transition times obtained from the simulations range from years to decades consistently with clinical observations of survival times of patients. This irreversible dynamical behavior represents a possible description of the incurable nature of myelomas based on the ecological interactions between plasma cells and the microenvironment, embedded in a larger complex system. The use of ATP equivalent energy units in defining stocks and flows is a key to constructing an ecological model which reproduces the onset of myelomas as transitions between states of a system which reflects the energetics of plasma cells. This work provides a basis to construct more complex models representing myelomas, which can be compared with model ecosystems

The fiscal impact of immigration in the EU

The increasing flows of immigrants in Europe over the last decade has generated a range of considerations in the policy agenda of many receiving countries. One of the main considerations for policy makers and public opinions alike is whether immigrants contribute their "fair" share to their host country tax and welfare system. This paper seeks to answer this question based on an empirical assessment of the net fiscal contributions of immigrants in the 27 EU member states using EUROMOD, a EU-wide tax-benefit microsimulation model. In addition to the traditional view of the tax-benefit system, we add indirect taxation and in-kind benefits to the analysis of net contributions. Our findings highlight that migrants on average contributed about 250 euro per year more than natives to the welfare state in 2015. However, when we take an average age-specific life-cycle perspective, we find that natives generally show a higher net fiscal contribution than both, intra-EU and extra-EU migrants, while extra-EU migrants contribute on average less than intra-EU migrants.JRC.B.2 - Fiscal Policy Analysi

Age, gender, and territory of COVID-19 infections and fatalities

In this note we explore the main demographic differentials in the spread and impact of COVID-19 paying special attention to the combined effect of age and gender, and to the differences at territorial level where population density plays a large role in the diffusion and outcome of the disease in terms of morbidity and mortality. The information is important for designing an exit strategy from COVID-19 and anticipating the rebound for certain segments of the population with differential medical needs, particularly those living in high-density locations.JRC.E.6-Demography, Migration and Governanc

Territorial differences in the spread of COVID-19 in European regions and US counties

This article explores the territorial differences in the onset and spread of COVID-19 and the excess mortality associated with the pandemic, across the European NUTS3 regions and US counties. Both in Europe and in the US, the pandemic arrived earlier and recorded higher Rt values in urban regions than in intermediate and rural ones. A similar gap is also found in the data on excess mortality. In the weeks during the first phase of the pandemic, urban regions in EU countries experienced excess mortality of up to 68pp more than rural ones. We show that, during the initial days of the pandemic, territorial differences in Rt by the degree of urbanisation can be largely explained by the level of internal, inbound and outbound mobility. The differences in the spread of COVID-19 by rural-urban typology and the role of mobility are less clear during the second wave. This could be linked to the fact that the infection is widespread across territories, to changes in mobility patterns during the summer period as well as to the different containment measures which reverse the causality between mobility and Rt

Searching for a Stochastic Background of Gravitational Waves with LIGO

The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) has performed the fourth science run, S4, with significantly improved interferometer sensitivities with respect to previous runs. Using data acquired during this science run, we place a limit on the amplitude of a stochastic background of gravitational waves. For a frequency independent spectrum, the new limit is $\Omega_{\rm GW} < 6.5 \times 10^{-5}$. This is currently the most sensitive result in the frequency range 51-150 Hz, with a factor of 13 improvement over the previous LIGO result. We discuss complementarity of the new result with other constraints on a stochastic background of gravitational waves, and we investigate implications of the new result for different models of this background.Comment: 37 pages, 16 figure

Continuous enzyme-coupled assay of phosphate- or pyrophosphate-releasing enzymes

A coupled enzyme assay able to monitor the kinetics of reactions catalyzed by phosphate- or pyrophosphate-releasing enzymes is presented here. The assay is based on the concerted action of inorganic pyrophosphatase (PPase), purine nucleoside phosphorylase (PNPase), and xanthine oxidase (XOD). In the presence of phosphate, PNPase catalyzes the phosphorolysis of inosine, generating hypoxanthine, which is oxidized to uric acid by XOD. The uric acid accordingly formed can be spectrophotometrically monitored at 293 nm, taking advantage of a molar extinction coefficient which is independent of pH between 6 and 9. The coupled assay was tested using DNA polymerases as a model system. The activity of Klenow enzyme was quantitatively determined, and it was found in agreement with the corresponding activity determined by traditional methods. Moreover, the continuous coupled assay was used to determine K-m and V-max of Klenow enzyme, yielding values in good agreement with previous observations. Finally, the coupled assay was also used to determine the activity of partially purified DNA polymerases, revealing its potential use to monitor purification of phosphate- or pyrophosphate-releasing enzymes

Hastening Time to Ejaculation in Donkey Jacks Treated with the PGF2α Analog, Cloprostenol Sodium

Due to the long courtship needed to attain excitation and erection, donkey semen collection can take up to 90 min. ProstaglandinF2α (PGF2α) has been reported to hasten the onset of erection and ejaculation in domesticated mammals, presumably by inducing smooth muscle contractions in the internal genitalia. However, while it has been anecdotally used in donkeys, it has yet to be critically evaluated. This study aimed to compare behavioral and semen parameters in Catalan, Balearic, Amiata, and Miranda jacks treated with the PGF2α analogue cloprostenol sodium immediately prior to exposure to an estrus jenny. Nineteen donkeys were assigned in a crossover design to receive cloprostenol sodium (125µg, i.m.; n = 53 collections) or saline (1 mL, i.m.; n = 53 collections). There were no differences for erection (52/53 vs. 52/53) or ejaculation (52/53 vs. 48/53) for collection attempts assigned to saline or cloprostenol sodium, respectively. Cloprostenol sodium significantly hastened treatment-to-erection and treatment-to-ejaculation times from 12.0 ± 1.6 to 6.0 ± 1.6 min and from 14.0 ± 1.4 to 9.6 ± 1.4 min, respectively. Significant effects of breed and age were observed in behavioral and parameters, but there were no effects of cloprostenol sodium administration on semen parameters. In conclusion, cloprostenol sodium administration immediately prior to semen collection hastened time to collect semen in donkeys with no detrimental effects on semen quality and can be used by practitioners to circumvent long delays in donkey semen collection