An unusual delusion of duplication in a patient affected by Dementia with Lewy bodies

Background: Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) is the second most frequent diagnosis of progressive degenerative dementia in older people. Delusions are common features in DLB and, among them, Capgras syndrome represents the most frequent disturbance, characterized by the recurrent and transient belief that a familiar person, often a close family member or caregiver, has been replaced by an identical-looking imposter. However, other delusional conditions near to misidentification syndromes can occur in DLB patients and may represent a major psychiatric disorder, although rarely studied systematically. Case presentation: We reported on a female patient affected by DLB who presented with an unusual delusion of duplication. Referring to the female professional caregiver engaged by her relatives for her care, the patient constantly described the presence of two different female persons, with a disorder framed in the context of a delusion of duplication. A brain 99Tc-hexamethylpropyleneamineoxime SPECT was performed showing moderate hypoperfusion in both occipital lobes, and associated with marked decreased perfusion in parieto-fronto-temporal lobes bilaterally. Conclusions: An occipital hypoperfusion was identified, although in association with a marked global decrease of perfusion in the remaining lobes. The role of posterior lobes is certainly important in all misidentification syndromes where a natural dissociation between recognition and identification is present. Moreover, the concomitant presence of severe attentional and executive deficits evocative for a frontal syndrome and the marked global decrease of perfusion in the remaining lobes at the SPECT scan also suggest a possible dysfunction in an abnormal connectivity between anterior and posterior areas

EEG functional network topology is associated with disability in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is one of the most severe neurodegenerative diseases, which is known to affect upper and lower motor neurons. In contrast to the classical tenet that ALS represents the outcome of extensive and progressive impairment of a fixed set of motor connections, recent neuroimaging findings suggest that the disease spreads along vast non-motor connections. Here, we hypothesised that functional network topology is perturbed in ALS, and that this reorganization is associated with disability. We tested this hypothesis in 21 patients affected by ALS at several stages of impairment using resting-state electroencephalography (EEG) and compared the results to 16 age-matched healthy controls. We estimated functional connectivity using the Phase Lag Index (PLI), and characterized the network topology using the minimum spanning tree (MST). We found a significant difference between groups in terms of MST dissimilarity and MST leaf fraction in the beta band. Moreover, some MST parameters (leaf, hierarchy and kappa) significantly correlated with disability. These findings suggest that the topology of resting-state functional networks in ALS is affected by the disease in relation to disability. EEG network analysis may be of help in monitoring and evaluating the clinical status of ALS patients

Particle swarm optimization of GaAs-AlGaAS nanowire photonic crystals as two-dimensional diffraction gratings for light trapping

Semiconductor nanowire ordered arrays represent a class of bi-dimensional photonic crystals that can be engineered to obtain functional metamaterials. Here is proposed a novel approach, based on a particle swarm optimization algorithm, for using such a photonic crystal concept to design a semiconductor nanowire-based two-dimensional diffraction grating able to guarantee an in-plane coupling for light trapping. The method takes into account the experimental constraints associated to the bottom-up growth of nanowire arrays, by processing as input dataset all relevant geometrical and morphological features of the array, and returns as output the optimised set of parameters according to the desired electromagnetic functionality of the metamaterial. A case of study based on an array of tapered GaAs-AlGaAs core-shell nanowire heterostructures is discussed

"Sacra Tharrhica Project": Preliminary Results of 3D Virtual Reconstruction of the Punic-Roman Sacred Areas of Tharros, Sardinia

AbstractThe "Sacra Tharrhica Project" was started by the University of Bologna in cooperation with the University of Cagliari in 2017. The aim is to obtain a 3D virtual reconstruction of all temple structures of the Punic settlement of Tharros on the central west coast of Sardinia, starting from a systematic architectural and archaeological study of the Punic and Roman phases of the buildings. The project has firstly focused on the "Monumental Temple" or "Doric half-columns Temple". This Punic sacred area was probably monumentalized between the late 4th and 3rd centuries B.C. After the Roman conquest, it was rebuilt between the 1st century B.C. and the 1st century A.D

Novel mutations in c2orf71 causing an early onset form of cone-rod dystrophy: A molecular diagnosis after 20 years of clinical follow-up

Purpose: Cone rod-dystrophies (CRDs) are pigmentary retinopathies mainly involving cones. CRDs typically present with decreased visual acuity and loss of sensitivity in the central visual field, reflecting the primary dysfunction of cones associated with night blindness and concentric visual field loss due to rod dysfunction. We describe the phenotype, natural history, and molecular analysis results of an early onset form of CRD. Methods: An otherwise healthy 25-year-old man from Sardinia, Italy, initially presented with subacute visual loss and central scotoma in both eyes. He underwent a complete ophthalmic examination, electrophysiologic testing, and genetic counseling. We first applied a candidate gene approach on ABCA4 to detect mutations; then, we performed exome sequencing (WES) on all family members to identify causative mutations. Results: The ophthalmic examination was unremarkable except the fundus examination, which revealed a well-circumscribed ring-shaped area of choroidal and RPE atrophy surrounding the fovea in the left eye and small white patches of atrophy around the fovea in the right eye. The ocular features and medical history were consistent with a diagnosis of CRD. Twenty years later, he showed a marked impairment in visual function, secondary to severe atrophic maculopathy associated with sparse pigmentary deposits. Molecular analysis identified two novel frameshift mutations in C2orf71: c.3039dupC: p.Ser1014Leufs*93 and c.1804_1805delAG:p. His603Argfs*77