Bayesian Profile Regression to Deal With Multiple Highly Correlated Exposures and a Censored Survival Outcome. First Application in Ionizing Radiation Epidemiology.

As multifactorial and chronic diseases, cancers are among these pathologies for which the exposome concept is essential to gain more insight into the associated etiology and, ultimately, lead to better primary prevention strategies for public health. Indeed, cancers result from the combined influence of many genetic, environmental and behavioral stressors that may occur simultaneously and interact. It is thus important to properly account for multifactorial exposure patterns when estimating specific cancer risks at individual or population level.

A Bayesian hierarchical approach to account for left-censored and missing radiation doses prone to classical measurement error when analyzing lung cancer mortality due to γ-ray exposure in the French cohort of uranium miners.

Epidemiological data on cohorts of occupationally exposed uranium miners are currently used to assess health risks associated with chronic exposure to low doses of ionizing radiation. Nevertheless, exposure uncertainty is ubiquitous and questions the validity of statistical inference in these cohorts. This paper highlights the flexibility and relevance of the Bayesian hierarchical approach to account for both missing and left-censored (i.

The Effect on Mental Health of Retiring During the Economic Crisis.

This paper investigates the causal impact of retirement on late-life mental health, a growing concern for public health, because major depressive disorders are the second leading cause of disability. We shed light on the role of economic conditions in shaping the effect of retirement on mental health by exploiting time and regional variation in the severity of the economic crisis across 10 European countries during 2004-2013. We use data from four waves of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe and address the potential endogeneity of the retirement decision to mental health by applying a fixed-effects instrumental variables approach.

Feeding behavior and crop damage caused by capybaras (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) in an agricultural landscape.

This study aimed to assess the yield loss caused by capybaras in rural areas of Dourados-MS, their feeding periods, crop preferences and the landscape characteristics of farms that may affect the occurrence of capybara's herds. Semi-structured interviews in 24 different farms were done during a period between April 2010 and August 2011. Field observations were held at different times of the day, and also during the night in order to record peaks of the feeding behavior in six farms.

Training and wages of older workers in Europe.

The financial deficits of many social security systems caused by ageing populations and stagnating economies are forcing workers to retire later from the labour market. An extended working life, combined with rapid technological progress in many sectors, is likely making older workers' skills obtained in school obsolete. In this context, lifelong investment in training is widely recognised among the international research and policy community as a key element to increase or at least limit the decline in productivity of older workers.

Phosphoproteome analysis reveals differences in phosphosite profiles between tumorigenic and non-tumorigenic epithelial cells.

Unlabelled: Oral cancer disease represents a significant fraction of all human cancer types and its poor early diagnosis contributes to reduced individual survival rate. The identification of proteins modulated in tumorigenic cells and its post-translational modifications may improve our understanding of tumor development in epithelial cells. We have analyzed the phosphoproteome of tumorigenic (SCC-9) and non-tumorigenic (HaCaT) cell lines using MS-based approach in order to identify phosphopeptides with differing patterns of modifications and/or abundance.

Novel processed form of syndecan-1 shed from SCC-9 cells plays a role in cell migration.

The extracellular milieu is comprised in part by products of cellular secretion and cell surface shedding. The presence of such molecules of the sheddome and secretome in the context of the extracellular milieu may have important clinical implications. In cancer they have been hypothesized to play a role in tumor growth and metastasis.

Ribosomal DNA organization before and after magnification in Drosophila melanogaster.

In all eukaryotes, the ribosomal RNA genes are stably inherited redundant elements. In Drosophila melanogaster, the presence of a Ybb(-) chromosome in males, or the maternal presence of the Ribosomal exchange (Rex) element, induces magnification: a heritable increase of rDNA copy number. To date, several alternative classes of mechanisms have been proposed for magnification: in situ replication or extra-chromosomal replication, either of which might act on short or extended strings of rDNA units, or unequal sister chromatid exchange.

Benign splenosis mimicking peritoneal seeding in a bladder cancer patient: a case report.

Introduction: Splenosis is a post-traumatic autotrasplantation and proliferation of splenic tissue in ectopic sites. These implants may mimic malignancy in healthy patients or peritoneal metastases in cancer patients. When a previous history of splenic injury is known, the finding of soft tissue nodules in many thoracic and abdominal locations might raise the suspicion of the benign condition of splenosis, in order to avoid unnecessary surgery or chemotherapy.

[A case of amputation neuroma of the bile duct following video-laparoscopic cholecystectomy].

We report a case of neuroma of the common hepatic duct arising five years after cholecystectomy (laparoscopic then converted in laparotomy). A 73-years-old patient was admitted for obstructive jaundice. Ultrasonography, TC and cholangiography showed a nodular lesion of the common hepatic of 1 cm in diameter, causing a regular and important stenosis of the main bile duct.

Increased production of soluble HLA-G molecules in stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells following extracorporeal photopheresis: is it a mechanism involved in the therapeutic effect of the procedure?

We hypothesized that the effects of extracorporeal photopheresis (ECP) are mediated by induction of immunosuppressive cytokines like IL-10, which enhances synthesis of HLA-G molecules. HLA-G products are expressed by CD14+ peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and play an important role in inhibition of cell mediated immunity. ECP induces apoptosis in lymphocytes but not in CD14+ cells.

Genetic evidence that nonhomologous disjunction and meiotic drive are properties of wild-type Drosophila melanogaster male meiosis.

We have followed sex and second chromosome disjunction, and the effects of these chromosomes on sperm function, in four genotypes: wild-type males, males deficient for the Y-linked crystal locus, males with an X chromosome heterochromatic deficiency that deletes all X-Y pairing sites, and males with both deficiencies. Both mutant situations provoke chromosome misbehavior, but the disjunctional defects are quite different. Deficiency of the X heterochromatin, consonant with the lack of pairing sites, mostly disrupts X-Y disjunction with a decidedly second-level effect on major autosome behavior.

ABO-incompatible bone marrow transplantation: a GITMO survey of current practice in Italy and comparison with the literature.

ABO incompatibility is not considered a contraindication for allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) despite its association with several immunohaematological complications. At present, there is no general agreement concerning the best methods to reduce these problems. To survey current practice related to ABO-incompatible HSCT in Italy, a questionnaire was sent to all GITMO centres.

Does Stellate cause meiotic drive in Drosophila melanogaster?

Drosophila melanogaster males deficient for the crystal (cry) locus of the Y chromosome that carry between 15 and 60 copies of the X-linked Stellate (Ste) gene are semisterile, have elevated levels of nondisjunction, produce distorted sperm genotype ratios (meiotic drive), and evince hyperactive transcription of Ste in the testes. Ste seems to be the active element in this system, and it has been proposed that the ancestral Ste gene was "selfish" and increased in frequency because it caused meiotic drive. This hypothetical evolutionary history is based on the idea that Ste overexpression, and not the lack of cry, causes the meiotic drive of cry(-) males.

Endoscopic ultrasound and Computed Tomography in gastric stromal tumours.

Purpose: Gastric stromal tumors (GIST) have no well defined biological characteristics, from either the pathological or immunohistochemical point of view, which can make their definition by imaging techniques difficult. We evaluated CT and EUS morphologic characteristics and signs of malignancy of eleven cases of GIST and compared the findings to the pathological classification.

Material And Methods: EUS was performed with a 100 degrees, 5-7.

Detection of Chlamydophila pneumoniae DNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of blood donors in the north-east of Italy.

Recent studies have implicated Chlamydia pneumoniae (now Chlamydophila pneumoniae) in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and demonstrated its presence within human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). In this study the presence of C. pneumoniae DNA was assessed, using nested PCR, in PBMCs from 169 active blood donors as a function of age, of specific antibodies and C-reactive protein.

A multicentre evaluation of a new filtration protocol for leucocyte depletion of high-haematocrit red blood cells collected by an automated blood collection system.

Background And Objectives: A multicentre trial was set up to evaluate the performance of a new leucodepletion protocol.

Materials And Methods: Filtration at high haematocrit was started during collection of red blood cell (RBC) products by apheresis with Trima. SAG-M was added after filtration through the filter.

A simulation study for the design of a control system for the blood concentration process in autotransfusion.

Autotransfusion is the process in which a patient serves as his or her own blood donor; its most important application is the intraoperative blood salvage, in which the blood collected during a surgical operation is filtered, concentrated, washed, and then reinfused. In an automatic autotransfusion device, such as the DIDECO Compact Advanced, red blood cells (RBCs) are separated from the other unwanted components and concentrated by using a rotating bowl and the effect of centrifugal force. An important characteristic of concentrated RBCs is their hematocrit (Hct), i.

Distribution and kainate-mediated induction of the DNA mismatch repair protein MSH2 in rat brain.

DNA repair is one of the most essential systems for maintaining the inherited nucleotide sequence of genomic DNA over time. Repair of DNA damage would be particularly important in neurons, because these cells are among the longest-living cells in the body. MSH2 is one of the proteins which are involved in the recognition and repair of a specific type of DNA damage that is characterized by pair mismatches.

Induction of two DNA mismatch repair proteins, MSH2 and MSH6, in differentiated human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells exposed to doxorubicin.

The MutS homologues MSH2 and MSH6 form a heterodimeric protein complex that is involved in the recognition of base/base mismatches and insertion/deletion loops, as well as some other types of DNA damage. We investigated the expression of these proteins in undifferentiated and retinoic acid-differentiated human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells by immunocytochemistry, western blot analysis, and RT-PCR. Nuclei from undifferentiated SH-SY5Y cells were found to be immunoreactive to anti-MSH2 and anti-MSH6 antibodies.

[Splanchnic aneurysms: 10 treated cases and review of the literature].

The splanchnic aneurysms, which are complicated by rupture in 25% of cases with a mortality of 25-70%, are usually a surprise during diagnostic tests for other abdominal pathologies or emergency laparotomies. 10 cases treated (8 in elective and 2 in emergency surgery) are presented here: the aneurysm was in celiac trunk (1 patient), common hepatic artery (1 pt.), hepatic artery (2 pts.

Induction of tumour-suppressor phosphoprotein p53 in the apoptosis of cultured rat cerebellar neurones triggered by excitatory amino acids.

We found that primary cultures of rat cerebellar granule cells, although definitely postmitotic and terminally differentiated, express the tumour-suppressor phosphoprotein p53. In particular, granule cells both expressed significant levels of p53 mRNA and positively reacted to an anti-p53 antibody, from the first day of culturing. During neurone differentiation, p53 mRNA content did not significantly change, at least up to 12 days in vitro, while p53 immunoreactivity increased gradually.

[Carotid endarterectomy in patients with neurological non-side related (NSRS) symptoms].

Out of 970 carotid endarterectomies (CE) performed for high-grade (> 80%) stenosis of the internal carotid artery (ICA) until 1995, 147 patients with neurological non side-related symptoms (NSRS) and without any cardiac, ocular or vestibular significant pathology have been evaluated, analyzing the medium and long-term functional results (mean follow-up 37.6 months) related to the morphological status of the ICA contralateral and the vertebral arteries. NSRS disappeared in 126 pts (85.