A new PCR based molecular method for early and precise quantification of parasitization in the emerging olive pest Dasineura oleae

BACKGROUND: Dasineura oleae (Angelini 1831) (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) was considered a minor pest in olive orchards, but in recent years severe outbreaks have been registered in several Mediterranean countries. Damage is caused by the feeding activity of larvae that induce gall formations and alters the physiological activity of the leaves. In Italy, this pest may be controlled by four Hymenoptera parasitoid species belonging to Platygaster and Mesopolobus genera such as Platygaster demades Walker 1835, Platygaster oleae Szelenyi 1940 (Hymenoptera: Platygastridae), Mesopolobus aspilus (Walker 1835) and Mesopolobus mediterraneus (Mayr 1903) (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae), but parasitization becomes evident only after gall dissection. RESULTS: In this study, we aim to: (i) design a primer for the detection of specimens belonging to Platygaster and Mesopolobus genera; (ii) develop a multiplex quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) protocol combined to a fast samples DNA extraction method; (iii) apply the developed protocol to field-collected specimens and compare this method with traditional techniques based on visual estimation of parasitism rate on larvae. Primers were designed to anneal with cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) sequences of Platygaster and Mesopolobus genera while protocols were developed to be fast and capable to process several samples at the same time. Molecular analyses demonstrated to provide almost double of the parasitism rate assessed by visual inspection. Furthermore, on second instar larvae the PCR-based method was able to detect ten-fold times the parasitization rate estimated by visual inspection. CONCLUSION: The application on a greater scale of this newly developed method could be fundamental in the determination of the biological control potential in olive orchards

Explaining varieties of corruption in the Afghan justice sector

© 2015 Taylor & Francis. Judicial reform in Afghanistan is seriously undermined by systemic corruption that has resulted in low legitimacy of the state and weak rule of law. This article reviews the main shortcomings in the Afghan justice system with reference to 70 interviews conducted in Kabul. Building on legal pluralism and a political economic approach, the shortcomings and causes and consequences of corruption in the Afghan justice sector are highlighted. These range from low pay, resulting in bribery; criminal and political intrusion into the judiciary; non-adherence to meritocracy, with poorly educated judges and prosecutors; and low funding in the judicial sector resulting in weak case tracking and human rights abuses in the countryside. This is followed by sociological approaches: understanding corruption from a non-Western approach and emphasis on religion, morality and ethics in order to curb it

PENGARUH PENGUMUMAN CORPORATE GOVERNANCE PERCEPTION INDEX (CGPI) TERHADAP ABNORMAL RETURN DAN VOLUME PERDAGANGAN SAHAM PERUSAHAAN PERAIH CGPI YANG TERDAFTAR DI BURSA EFEK INDONESIA 2011-2013

ABSTRAK Corporate Governance Perception Index adalah ajang pemeringkatan perusahaan yang telah menerapakan corporate governance dengan baik. Data salah satu perusahaan sampel menunjukan peningkatan harga 25 poin sesaat setelah pengumuman, tetapi tidak diikuti dengan peningkatan volume perdagangan saham, kemungkinan besar peningkatan harga dipengaruhi pengumuman CGPI, Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk membandingkan abnormal return saham dan volume perdagangan saham perusahaan peraih penghargaan corporate governance perception index periode 2011-2013, sebelum dan setelah pengumuman. Populasi dalam penelitian ini adalah perusahaan peserta Corporate Governance Perception Index periode 2011-2013, dengan jumlah sampel sebanyak 12 perusahaan. Return ekspektasi dihitung dengan teknik market adjusted model. Untuk mendapatkan kesimpulan signifikansi perbedaan abnormal return saham dan volume perdagangan saham sebelum dan sesudah pengumuman corporate governance perception index, digunakan tehnik analisis paired sample T test serta wilcoxon sign rank test. Hasil penelitian ini menunjukan terjadi peningkatan abnormal return pada tiga perusahaan tahun 2011, 2012, dan 2013 serta terjadi peningkatan volume perdagangan saham pada empat perusahaan pada tahun 2011, satu perusahaan pada tahun 2012, dan tiga perusahaan pada tahun 2013. Penelitian ini juga menunjukkan bahwa tidak terdapat perbedaan abnormal return saham pada perusahaan peraih peringkat most trusted company pada penghargaan corporate governance perception index sebelum dan sesudah pengumuman. Tetapi terdapat perbedaan signifikan volume pedagangan saham pada perusahaan peraih corporate governance perception index sebelum dan sesudah pengumuman. Disarankan untuk menentukan periode jendela dibawah lima hari, sebelum dan sesudah pengumuman. Kata Kunci: Corporate Governance Perception Index, Abnormal Return, volume perdagangan saha

Tumor markers in breast cancer - European Group on Tumor Markers recommendations

Recommendations are presented for the routine clinical use of serum and tissue-based markers in the diagnosis and management of patients with breast cancer. Their low sensitivity and specificity preclude the use of serum markers such as the MUC-1 mucin glycoproteins ( CA 15.3, BR 27.29) and carcinoembryonic antigen in the diagnosis of early breast cancer. However, serial measurement of these markers can result in the early detection of recurrent disease as well as indicate the efficacy of therapy. Of the tissue-based markers, measurement of estrogen and progesterone receptors is mandatory in the selection of patients for treatment with hormone therapy, while HER-2 is essential in selecting patients with advanced breast cancer for treatment with Herceptin ( trastuzumab). Urokinase plasminogen activator and plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 are recently validated prognostic markers for lymph node-negative breast cancer patients and thus may be of value in selecting node-negative patients that do not require adjuvant chemotherapy. Copyright (C) 2005 S. Karger AG, Basel

Environmental Quality bOX (EQ-OX): A Portable Device Embedding Low-Cost Sensors Tailored for Comprehensive Indoor Environmental Quality Monitoring

The continuous monitoring of indoor environmental quality (IEQ) plays a crucial role in improving our understanding of the prominent parameters affecting building users’ health and perception of their environment. In field studies, indoor environment monitoring often does not go beyond the assessment of air temperature, relative humidity, and CO2 concentration, lacking consideration of other important parameters due to budget constraints and the complexity of multi-dimensional signal analyses. In this paper, we introduce the Environmental Quality bOX (EQ-OX) system, which was designed for the simultaneous monitoring of quantities of some of the main IEQs with a low level of uncertainty and an affordable cost. Up to 15 parameters can be acquired at a time. The system embeds only low-cost sensors (LCSs) within a compact case, enabling vast-scale monitoring campaigns in residential and office buildings. The results of our laboratory and field tests show that most of the selected LCSs can match the accuracy required for indoor campaigns. A lightweight data processing algorithm has been used for the benchmark. Our intent is to estimate the correlation achievable between the detected quantities and reference measurements when a linear correction is applied. Such an approach allows for a preliminary assessment of which LCSs are the most suitable for a cost-effective IEQ monitoring system

Characterization of an Italian founder mutation in the RING-finger domain of BRCA1

The identification of founder mutations in cancer predisposing genes is important to improve risk assessment in geographically defined populations, since it may provide specific targets resulting in cost-effective genetic testing. Here, we report the characterization of the BRCA1 c.190T>C (p.Cys64Arg) mutation, mapped to the RING-finger domain coding region, that we detected in 43 hereditary breast/ovarian cancer (HBOC) families, for the large part originating from the province of Bergamo (Northern Italy). Haplotype analysis was performed in 21 families, and led to the identification of a shared haplotype extending over three BRCA1-associated marker loci (0.4 cM). Using the DMLE+2.2 software program and regional population demographic data, we were able to estimate the age of the mutation to vary between 3,100 and 3,350 years old. Functional characterization of the mutation was carried out at both transcript and protein level. Reverse transcriptase-PCR analysis on lymphoblastoid cells revealed expression of full length mRNA from the mutant allele. A green fluorescent protein (GFP)-fragment reassembly assay showed that the p.Cys64Arg substitution prevents the binding of the BRCA1 protein to the interacting protein BARD1, in a similar way as proven deleterious mutations in the RING-domain. Overall, 55 of 83 (66%) female mutation carriers had a diagnosis of breast and/or ovarian cancer. Our observations indicate that the BRCA1 c.190T>C is a pathogenic founder mutation present in the Italian population. Further analyses will evaluate whether screening for this mutation can be suggested as an effective strategy for the rapid identification of at-risk individuals in the Bergamo area

Clinical outcomes after palbociclib with or without endocrine therapy in postmenopausal women with hormone receptor positive and HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer enrolled in the TREnd trial

Currently, there is limited data regarding the effectiveness of standard subsequent line therapies such as endocrine therapy, chemotherapy, or targeted agents after progression on CDK4/6 inhibitor-based regimens. This paper describes time-to-treatment failure beyond progression on palbociclib or palbociclib+endocrine therapy in patients enrolled in the phase II, multicenter TREnd trial. Our results indicate that there is limited benefit from post-palbociclib treatment, regardless of the type of therapy received. A small population of long responders were identified who demonstrated ongoing benefit from a subsequent line of endocrine therapy after progression to palbociclib-based regimens. A translational research program is ongoing on this population of outliers

Analysis of italian BRCA1/2 pathogenic variants identifies a private spectrum in the population from the Bergamo Province in northern Italy

Germline pathogenic variants (PVs) in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes cause high breast cancer risk. Recurrent or founder PVs have been described worldwide including some in the Bergamo province in Northern Italy. The aim of this study was to compare the BRCA1/2 PV spectra of the Bergamo and of the general Italian populations. We retrospectively identified at five Italian centers 1019 BRCA1/2 PVs carrier individuals affected with breast cancer and representative of the heterogeneous national population. Each individual was assigned to the Bergamo or non-Bergamo cohort based on self-reported birthplace. Our data indicate that the Bergamo BRCA1/2 PV spectrum shows less heterogeneity with fewer different variants and an average higher frequency compared to that of the rest of Italy. Consistently, four PVs explained about 60% of all carriers. The majority of the Bergamo PVs originated locally with only two PVs clearly imported. The Bergamo BRCA1/2 PV spectrum appears to be private. Hence, the Bergamo population would be ideal to study the disease risk associated with local PVs in breast cancer and other disease-causing genes. Finally, our data suggest that the Bergamo population is a genetic isolate and further analyses are warranted to prove this notion

Using peripheral immune-inflammatory blood markers in tumors treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors: An INVIDIa-2 study sub-analysis

\ua9 2023 The AuthorsThe neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and systemic immune-inflammatory index (SII) have been reported as prognosticators in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), renal cell carcinoma (RCC), and melanoma. This analysis of the INVIDIa-2 study on influenza vaccination in patients with cancer treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) assessed NLR and SII on overall survival (OS) by literature-reported (LR), receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC)-derived (ROC) cutoffs or as continuous variable (CV). NLR and SII with ROC cutoffs of <3.4 (p < 0.001) and <831 (p < 0.001) were independent factors for OS in multivariate analysis. SII with LR, ROC, or CV significantly predicted OS in NSCLC (p = 0.002, p = 0.003, p = 0.003), RCC (p = 0.034, p = 0.014, p = 0.014), and melanoma (p = 0.038, p = 0.022, p = 0.019). NLR with LR and ROC cutoffs predicted OS in first line (p < 0.001 for both) and second line or beyond (p = 0.006 for both); likewise SII (p < 0.001; p = 0.002 and p < 0.001). NLR and SII are prognosticators in NSCLC, RCC, and melanoma treated with ICIs