Antiproton annihilation at rest in thin solid targets and comparison with Monte Carlo simulations.

The mechanism of antiproton-nucleus annihilation at rest is not fully understood, despite substantial previous experimental and theoretical work. In this study we used slow extracted antiprotons from the ASACUSA apparatus at CERN to measure the charged particle multiplicities and their energy deposits from antiproton annihilations at rest on three different nuclei: carbon, molybdenum and gold. The results are compared with predictions from different models in the simulation tools Geant4 and FLUKA.

Quantum view of Li-ion high mobility at carbon-coated cathode interfaces.

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are among the most promising power sources for electric vehicles, portable electronics and smart grids. In LIBs, the cathode is a major bottleneck, with a particular reference to its low electrical conductivity and Li-ion diffusivity. The coating with carbon layers is generally employed to enhance the electrical conductivity and to protect the active material from degradation during operation.

Use of rivaroxaban in patients with stroke.

Rivaroxaban, an inhibitor of Factor Xa, is a direct oral anti-coagulant that has been found to be non-inferior to warfarin in preventing cerebral ischemia in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation and in the subgroup of patients with a history of the previous stroke or transient ischemic attack. Vascular neurologists in daily clinical practice may encounter patients taking rivaroxaban or patients who may benefit from its use. In this paper, we review the current clinical indications, contraindications, and clinical management guidelines for rivaroxaban while providing a special focus on neurological aspects and expert opinions on rivaroxaban therapy management in various situations that a neurologist may encounter when treating patients with an ischemic stroke (including those requiring intravenous or intra-arterial reperfusion therapy) and patients with an intracerebral hemorrhage.

Mast cells control insulitis and increase Treg cells to confer protection against STZ-induced type 1 diabetes in mice.

Quantitative alterations in mast cell numbers in pancreatic lymph nodes (PLNs) have been reported to be associated with type 1 diabetes (T1D) progression, but their potential role during T1D remains unclear. In this study, we evaluated the role of mast cells in T1D induced by multiple low-dose streptozotocin (MLD-STZ) treatments, using two strains of mast cell-deficient mice (W/W(v) or Wsh/Wsh) and the adoptive transfer of mast cells. Mast cell deficient mice developed severe insulitis and accelerated hyperglycemia, with 100% of mice becoming diabetic compared to their littermates.

Differential effects of chemoattractants on mast cell recruitment in vivo.

Rats were injected with rat recombinant (rr) IL3, rrSCF, rrIL-3+rrSCF, rrRANTES and LTB4. Six hours after subcutaneous injection of rrIL-3 or rrIL-3+rrSCF, there was an increase in mast cell numbers in the skin and spleen. Peritoneal mast cells were recruited following i.

Recommendations for the use of new oral anticoagulants (NOACs) after TIA or stroke caused by atrial fibrillation (AF), after a consensus conference among Italian neurologists (the Venice group).

Vascular neurologists of Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia, north-east regions of Italy, have sought an agreement on the two following questions: (A) what prophylactic treatment should we recommend to patients with a stroke ascribed to atrial fibrillation (AF), who were not previously on antithrombotic treatment, to prevent further strokes? (B) What should we do in the event of an ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke associated with AF in patients who were already on antithrombotic treatment? There was a unanimous consensus for preferring the new oral anticoagulants (NOACs) in patients not taking any antithrombotics and in cases treated with antithrombotic drugs (coumadin and/or antiplatelets), due to a lower incidence of intracranial bleeding complications and a noninferiority for recurrent stroke or TIA. Even after intracranial bleeding complications, when it is useful or necessary to continue anticoagulant treatment, the group of experts preferred the NOACs, suggesting, however, to be very cautious in cases with widespread leukoaraiosis or microbleeds, practice frequent monitoring of creatinine clearance (CrCl) and avoid using NOACs when CrCl is <30 mL/min.

Rat embryonic mast cells originate in the AGM.

Mast cells originate from pluripotent hematopoietic stem cells. Two mast cell specific antibodies, mAbsAA4 and BGD6, have previously been used to identify and study committed mast cell precursors (MCcps) in the bone marrow of adult mice and rats. However, the embryonic origin of MCcps is still not known.

The social and economic burden of stroke survivors in Italy: a prospective, incidence-based, multi-centre cost of illness study.

Background: The aim of this study was to estimate the one-year societal costs due to a stroke event in Italy and to investigate variables associated with costs in different phases following hospital admission.

Methods: The patients were enrolled in 44 hospitals across the country and data on socio-demographic, clinical variables and resource consumption were prospectively surveyed for 411 stroke survivors at admission, discharge and 3, 6 and 12 months post the event. We adopted a micro-costing procedure to identify cost generating components and the attribution of appropriate unit costs for three cost categories: direct healthcare, direct non-healthcare (including informal care costs) and productivity losses.

Expression of mast cell proteases correlates with mast cell maturation and angiogenesis during tumor progression.

Tumor cells are surrounded by infiltrating inflammatory cells, such as lymphocytes, neutrophils, macrophages, and mast cells. A body of evidence indicates that mast cells are associated with various types of tumors. Although role of mast cells can be directly related to their granule content, their function in angiogenesis and tumor progression remains obscure.

Variability of the clinical phenotype in an Italian family with dementia associated with an intronic deletion in the GRN gene.

Mutations in the progranulin gene (GRN) were recently identified as an important cause of familial frontotemporal dementia (FTD). More than 60 pathogenic mutations have been reported up to now and prominent phenotypic variability within and among affected kindreds has been described. We have studied an Italian family with clinical evidence of dementia, and here we report detailed clinical records, imaging, sequential neurological examinations, cognitive assessments, and genetic analysis of three affected members of the same generation.

Acute stroke admission and diagnostic procedures according to the hour and day of onset: the SIRIO collaborative data.

Background: Variations in stroke onset are related to stroke type and severity. We evaluated the impact of hourly and daily stroke onset variations on the pattern of patient hospital referral and on the time interval from stroke onset to hospital admission and brain neuroimaging investigations.

Methods: This multicenter observational study recorded all incident acute strokes within a 4-month period.

Depression after first-ever ischemic stroke: the prognostic role of neuroanatomic subtypes in clinical practice.

Background: The relationship between poststroke depression (PSD) and Oxford Community Stroke Project (OCSP) subtypes is uncertain.

Methods: 713 first-ever ischemic stroke patients recruited in a multicenter investigation to evaluate prevalence, onset time and severity of PSD. Stroke subtypes were considered as independent predictors of PSD occurrence by logistic regression.

The neurologist in the emergency department. An Italian nationwide epidemiological survey.

A nationwide survey has been undertaken to evaluate the resources and the activities of Italian hospital neurology units (NU) in the emergency setting. NU are widely disseminated throughout the entire country and 220 (84%) are located in hospitals with an emergency room (ER). Complete data about hospital setting, structural and functional characteristics of each NU and clinical activities were obtained from 159 (72.

Intravenous thrombolysis with rt-PA in acute ischemic stroke patients aged older than 80 years in Italy.

Background: Intravenous (i.v.) thrombolysis with rt-PA within 3 h from symptom onset is the only approved treatment of pharmacological revascularization in acute ischemic stroke.

The Italian multicenter observational study on post-stroke depression (DESTRO).

Despite growing information, questions still surround various aspects of post-stroke depression (PSD). The Italian multicenter observational study Destro was designed to help clarify in a large sample the frequency and clinical impact of PSD. A total of 53 centers consecutively admitted 1064 patients with ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke, assessing them periodically in the first 9 months after the event.

The Stroke in Italy and Related Impact on Outcome (SIRIO) study: design and baseline data.

The SIRIO study collected detailed information on the stroke care of patients treated in neurological departments in Italy. This report refers to the baseline profile of patients. Each centre recorded the incident cases of ischaemic and haemorrhagic stroke, excluding SAH, for 1-4 months.

Acute myocardial infarction after sumatriptan administration for cluster headache.

The pain of cluster headache attacks is severe, excruciating and selectively responsive to subcutaneous sumatriptan. Serious cardiovascular events attributed to sumatriptan are extremely rare and have most often been reported in patients at significant cardiovascular risk, or in overt cardiovascular disease. They also have occurred, however, in patients without evidence of cardiovascular disease.

Elevated plasma homocysteine in acute stroke was not associated with severity and outcome: stronger association with small artery disease.

Homocysteine increases in the acute phase of ischaemic stroke and from the acute to the convalescent phase, suggesting that hyper-homocysteinaemia may be a consequence rather than a causal factor. Therefore we measured homocysteine plasma levels in stroke patients in order to investigate possible correlations of homocysteine with stroke severity and clinical outcome. Further we looked for eventual differences in stroke subtypes.

Quantification of the risk of post stroke depression: the Italian multicenter observational study DESTRO.

Objective: The Italian multicenter observational study depression in stroke (DESTRO) aimed to identify risk factors for post stroke depression (PSD) and quantify the likelihood of it arising in various categories of patients.

Method: Mood evaluation was performed in 1064 consecutive stroke patients by means of Beck Depression Inventory and Visual Analog Mood Scale. Depressive symptoms were classified using the DSM-IV and revised WHO criteria for depression in the course of a neurological disorder.

Plasma cytokine levels in migraineurs and controls.

Background: The vasoactive peptide, calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), is released from primary afferent neurons in the trigemino-vascular circulation during migraine headache. CGRP at physiological concentrations and possibly via stimulation of its selective receptors on T-cells, triggers the secretion of cytokines. Cytokines play an important role in several physiological and pathological settings such as immunology, inflammation, and pain.

Measuring accuracy of discharge diagnoses for a region-wide surveillance of hospitalized strokes.

Background And Purpose: Measuring the impact of stroke through population-based stroke registers is complex and costly. The aim of the present study is to assess the validity of hospital discharge diagnoses (all ages) and to estimate the total number of hospitalized stroke events in the Veneto region (Northeastern Italy, 4,500,000 inhabitants).

Methods: All discharges covering a 1-year period (1999) from Veneto hospitals with International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision codes 342, 430 to 434, and 436 to 438 were identified.

Endogenous task shift processes in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis.

This paper reports a study that was aimed to evaluate executive functions in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis patients. The groups tested comprised 22 relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis patients, and 22 non-brain damaged controls. When one is engaged in two speeded tasks, not simultaneously but with some form of alternation, it is slower to respond to an item of task A if it was preceded by an item of task B, than when it was preceded by an item of task A.

Post-stroke depression: research methodology of a large multicentre observational study (DESTRO).

The heterogeneity of published data regarding post-stroke depression (PSD) prompted an Italian multicenter observational study (DESTRO), which took place in 2000-2003. The investigation involved 53 Italian neurology centers: of these, 50 treat acute patients and 3 provide rehabilitation care; 21 centres are in Northern Italy, 20 are in Central Italy, and 12 are in Southern Italy. The time schedule was articulated into three phases: registration of 6289 stroke patients; selection of 1817 cases and enrollment of 1074 patients; and follow-up for two years (1064 patients).

Temporal profile of serum anti-inflammatory and pro-inflammatory interleukins in acute ischemic stroke patients.

The presence of an inflammatory response in the pathophysiology of acute brain ischemia is relatively well established, but less is known about the anti-inflammatory mechanisms. The aim of the present study was to evaluate part of the immune response in acute stroke patients and to analyze a possible correlation with other hematological parameters, clinical outcome, size of infarct and subtypes of strokes. We prospectively studied 42 stroke patients, without signs of infections or inflammatory diseases, at days 0, 1, 3, 7 and 14, and 39 healthy control subjects.