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01 januari 2023, Item does not contain fulltext, Neuralgic amyotrophy (NA), also referred to as idiopathic brachial plexitis and Parsonage-Turner syndrome, is a peripheral nerve disorder characterized by acute severe shoulder pain followed by progressive upper limb weakness and muscle atrophy. While NA is incompletely understood and often difficult to diagnose, early recognition may prevent unnecessary tests and interventions and, in some situations, allow for prompt treatment, which can potentially minimize adverse long-term sequalae. High-resolution ultrasound (HRUS) has become a valuable tool in the diagnosis and evaluation of NA. Pathologic HRUS findings can be grouped into four categories: nerve swelling, swelling with incomplete constriction, swelling with complete constriction, and fascicular entwinement, which may represent a continuum of pathologic processes. Certain ultrasound findings may help predict the likelihood of spontaneous recovery with conservative management versus the need for surgical intervention. We recommend relying heavily on history and physical examination to determine which nerves are clinically affected and should therefore be assessed by HRUS. The nerves most frequently affected by NA are the suprascapular, long thoracic, median and anterior interosseous nerve (AIN) branch, radial and posterior interosseous nerve (PIN) branch, axillary, spinal accessory, and musculocutaneous. When distal upper limb nerves are affected (AIN, PIN, superficial radial nerve), the lesion is almost always located in their respective fascicles within the parent nerve, proximal to its branching point. The purpose of this review is to describe a reproducible, standardized, ultrasonographic approach for evaluating suspected NA, and to share reliable techniques and clinical considerations when imaging commonly affected nerves.

01 januari 2023, Item does not contain fulltext, Neuralgic amyotrophy (NA), also referred to as idiopathic brachial plexitis and Parsonage-Turner syndrome, is a peripheral nerve disorder characterized by acute severe shoulder pain followed by progressive upper limb weakness and muscle atrophy. While NA is incompletely understood and often difficult to diagnose, early recognition may prevent unnecessary tests and interventions and, in some situations, allow for prompt treatment, which can potentially minimize adverse long-term sequalae. High-resolution ultrasound (HRUS) has become a valuable tool in the diagnosis and evaluation of NA. Pathologic HRUS findings can be grouped into four categories: nerve swelling, swelling with incomplete constriction, swelling with complete constriction, and fascicular entwinement, which may represent a continuum of pathologic processes. Certain ultrasound findings may help predict the likelihood of spontaneous recovery with conservative management versus the need for surgical intervention. We recommend relying heavily on history and physical examination to determine which nerves are clinically affected and should therefore be assessed by HRUS. The nerves most frequently affected by NA are the suprascapular, long thoracic, median and anterior interosseous nerve (AIN) branch, radial and posterior interosseous nerve (PIN) branch, axillary, spinal accessory, and musculocutaneous. When distal upper limb nerves are affected (AIN, PIN, superficial radial nerve), the lesion is almost always located in their respective fascicles within the parent nerve, proximal to its branching point. The purpose of this review is to describe a reproducible, standardized, ultrasonographic approach for evaluating suspected NA, and to share reliable techniques and clinical considerations when imaging commonly affected nerves.

Host immune homeostasis as an independent prognostic indicator has been inadequately evaluated in aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (NHL). The present study addresses the prognostic significance in aggressive NHLs of the immunologic profile evaluated by pretreatment serum levels of immunoglobulins (Ig) and lymphocyte-monocyte ratio (LMR). In this series of 90 patients with aggressive lymphoma, the median level for IgG was 1,024mg/dl (range 436-2236), and for LMR was 2.2 (range 0.2-13.8). CR rate was higher with IgG levels ≥1,024mg/dL (91% vs 77% p=0.059). LMR ≤ 2.2 was associated with lower 1-year PFS (73% vs. 92%, p 0.016). Patients with good/very good R-IPI showed a reduced PFS if IgG or LMR was low, while patients with poor R-IPI did better if LMR or IgG levels were high. We combined both parameters with the R-IPI and produced a four-risk prognostic score showing one-year PFS of 95% (95% CI 68%-99%), 100% (95% CI 100%-100%), 73% (95% CI 52%-86%), and 59% (95% CI 31%-79%), in patients with zero, one, two and three risk factors, respectively. The results indicate for the first time the value of baseline serum Ig levels in the prognostic assessment of aggressive lymphoma.

Secondary acute myeloid leukemia (sAML) poorly responds to conventional treatments and allogeneic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). We evaluated toxicity and efficacy of CPX-351 in 71 elderly patients (median age 66 years) with sAML enrolled in the Italian Named (Compassionate) Use Program. Sixty days treatment-related mortality was 7% (5/71). The response rate at the end of treatment was: CR/CRi in 50/71 patients (70.4%), PR in 6/71 (8.5%), and NR in 10/71 (19.7%). After a median follow-up of 11 months relapse was observed in 10/50 patients (20%) and 12 months cumulative incidence of relapse (CIR) was 23.6%. Median duration of response was not reached. In competing risk analysis, CIR was reduced when HSCT was performed in first CR (12 months CIR of 5% and 37.4%, respectively, for patients receiving (=20) or not (=30) HSCT, p = 0.012). Twelve-months OS was 68.6% (median not reached). In landmark analysis, HSCT in CR1 was the only significant predictor of longer survival (12 months OS of 100 and 70.5%, for patients undergoing or not HSCT in CR1, respectively, p = 0.011). In conclusion, we extend to a real-life setting, the notion that CPX is an effective regimen for high risk AML patients and may improve the results of HSCT.

[EN] At present, there are certain generic abilities which are considered to be as important as professional abilities to perform properly at work. Among these abilities, we can mention the ability to communicate in the oral and written medium, to interact and work in teams, to evaluate others and evaluate themselves, to act in new situations, to take decisions, to search common goals and to commit to their sociocultural environment. The present study aimed to find out about the abilities in oral communication of undergraduate students of elective subjects in the programme of the Veterinary Medicine course at Universidad Nacional del Litoral. These abilities were explored by means of an online survey administered to these students. The survey was designed around different dimensions related to abilities in oral communication: the purpose of communication, the bilateral nature of the communicative process, being an empathic communicator, active listening, the combination of verbal and non-verbal abilities and strategic oral communication in formal situations. Our results showed that in general the students perceive that their abilities in relation to most dimensions are satisfactory. However, a significant number of them expressed that they have certain problems with strategic oral communication in formal situations. This study reveals the importance of conducting classroom interventions oriented towards the development and improvement of abilities in strategic oral communication in order to contribute to meet the demands of the professional world., [ES] En la actualidad, existen ciertas competencias genéricas que son consideradas tan importantes para el buen desempeño laboral como las competencias profesionales. Entre ellas se encuentran la capacidad de comunicación oral y escrita, de interactuar y trabajar en equipo, de crítica y autocrítica, de actuar en nuevas situaciones, de tomar decisiones, de motivar y conducir hacia metas comunes y de comprometerse con el medio socio-cultural. El presente estudio tuvo como objetivo conocer las competencias para la comunicación oral de los estudiantes de las asignaturas electivas de la carrera Medicina Veterinaria en la Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Se exploró acerca de estas competencias mediante una encuesta en línea administrada a dichos estudiantes. La misma fue diseñada en torno a distintas dimensiones relacionadas con las competencias para la comunicación oral: el propósito de la comunicación, el sentido bilateral o de intercambio del proceso comunicativo, la empatía del comunicador, el proceso de adaptación en la comunicación, la escucha activa, la combinación de habilidades de comunicación verbal y no verbal, y la comunicación oral estratégica en situaciones formales. Los resultados obtenidos revelaron que en términos generales los estudiantes perciben que las mismas son satisfactorias, aunque un número significativo manifestó tener ciertas dificultades en relación con la comunicación oral estratégica en situaciones formales. Esta investigación pone de manifiesto la importancia de realizar intervenciones didácticas afines al desarrollo y mejoramiento de competencias para la comunicación oral que contribuyan a cumplimentar con las exigencias de la futura actividad profesional de nuestros estudiantes.

[EN] At present, there are certain generic abilities which are considered to be as important as professional abilities to perform properly at work. Among these abilities, we can mention the ability to communicate in the oral and written medium, to interact and work in teams, to evaluate others and evaluate themselves, to act in new situations, to take decisions, to search common goals and to commit to their sociocultural environment. The present study aimed to find out about the abilities in oral communication of undergraduate students of elective subjects in the programme of the Veterinary Medicine course at Universidad Nacional del Litoral. These abilities were explored by means of an online survey administered to these students. The survey was designed around different dimensions related to abilities in oral communication: the purpose of communication, the bilateral nature of the communicative process, being an empathic communicator, active listening, the combination of verbal and non-verbal abilities and strategic oral communication in formal situations. Our results showed that in general the students perceive that their abilities in relation to most dimensions are satisfactory. However, a significant number of them expressed that they have certain problems with strategic oral communication in formal situations. This study reveals the importance of conducting classroom interventions oriented towards the development and improvement of abilities in strategic oral communication in order to contribute to meet the demands of the professional world., [ES] En la actualidad, existen ciertas competencias genéricas que son consideradas tan importantes para el buen desempeño laboral como las competencias profesionales. Entre ellas se encuentran la capacidad de comunicación oral y escrita, de interactuar y trabajar en equipo, de crítica y autocrítica, de actuar en nuevas situaciones, de tomar decisiones, de motivar y conducir hacia metas comunes y de comprometerse con el medio socio-cultural. El presente estudio tuvo como objetivo conocer las competencias para la comunicación oral de los estudiantes de las asignaturas electivas de la carrera Medicina Veterinaria en la Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Se exploró acerca de estas competencias mediante una encuesta en línea administrada a dichos estudiantes. La misma fue diseñada en torno a distintas dimensiones relacionadas con las competencias para la comunicación oral: el propósito de la comunicación, el sentido bilateral o de intercambio del proceso comunicativo, la empatía del comunicador, el proceso de adaptación en la comunicación, la escucha activa, la combinación de habilidades de comunicación verbal y no verbal, y la comunicación oral estratégica en situaciones formales. Los resultados obtenidos revelaron que en términos generales los estudiantes perciben que las mismas son satisfactorias, aunque un número significativo manifestó tener ciertas dificultades en relación con la comunicación oral estratégica en situaciones formales. Esta investigación pone de manifiesto la importancia de realizar intervenciones didácticas afines al desarrollo y mejoramiento de competencias para la comunicación oral que contribuyan a cumplimentar con las exigencias de la futura actividad profesional de nuestros estudiantes.

[EN] At present, there are certain generic abilities which are considered to be as important as professional abilities to perform properly at work. Among these abilities, we can mention the ability to communicate in the oral and written medium, to interact and work in teams, to evaluate others and evaluate themselves, to act in new situations, to take decisions, to search common goals and to commit to their sociocultural environment. The present study aimed to find out about the abilities in oral communication of undergraduate students of elective subjects in the programme of the Veterinary Medicine course at Universidad Nacional del Litoral. These abilities were explored by means of an online survey administered to these students. The survey was designed around different dimensions related to abilities in oral communication: the purpose of communication, the bilateral nature of the communicative process, being an empathic communicator, active listening, the combination of verbal and non-verbal abilities and strategic oral communication in formal situations. Our results showed that in general the students perceive that their abilities in relation to most dimensions are satisfactory. However, a significant number of them expressed that they have certain problems with strategic oral communication in formal situations. This study reveals the importance of conducting classroom interventions oriented towards the development and improvement of abilities in strategic oral communication in order to contribute to meet the demands of the professional world., [ES] En la actualidad, existen ciertas competencias genéricas que son consideradas tan importantes para el buen desempeño laboral como las competencias profesionales. Entre ellas se encuentran la capacidad de comunicación oral y escrita, de interactuar y trabajar en equipo, de crítica y autocrítica, de actuar en nuevas situaciones, de tomar decisiones, de motivar y conducir hacia metas comunes y de comprometerse con el medio socio-cultural. El presente estudio tuvo como objetivo conocer las competencias para la comunicación oral de los estudiantes de las asignaturas electivas de la carrera Medicina Veterinaria en la Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Se exploró acerca de estas competencias mediante una encuesta en línea administrada a dichos estudiantes. La misma fue diseñada en torno a distintas dimensiones relacionadas con las competencias para la comunicación oral: el propósito de la comunicación, el sentido bilateral o de intercambio del proceso comunicativo, la empatía del comunicador, el proceso de adaptación en la comunicación, la escucha activa, la combinación de habilidades de comunicación verbal y no verbal, y la comunicación oral estratégica en situaciones formales. Los resultados obtenidos revelaron que en términos generales los estudiantes perciben que las mismas son satisfactorias, aunque un número significativo manifestó tener ciertas dificultades en relación con la comunicación oral estratégica en situaciones formales. Esta investigación pone de manifiesto la importancia de realizar intervenciones didácticas afines al desarrollo y mejoramiento de competencias para la comunicación oral que contribuyan a cumplimentar con las exigencias de la futura actividad profesional de nuestros estudiantes.

[EN] At present, there are certain generic abilities which are considered to be as important as professional abilities to perform properly at work. Among these abilities, we can mention the ability to communicate in the oral and written medium, to interact and work in teams, to evaluate others and evaluate themselves, to act in new situations, to take decisions, to search common goals and to commit to their sociocultural environment. The present study aimed to find out about the abilities in oral communication of undergraduate students of elective subjects in the programme of the Veterinary Medicine course at Universidad Nacional del Litoral. These abilities were explored by means of an online survey administered to these students. The survey was designed around different dimensions related to abilities in oral communication: the purpose of communication, the bilateral nature of the communicative process, being an empathic communicator, active listening, the combination of verbal and non-verbal abilities and strategic oral communication in formal situations. Our results showed that in general the students perceive that their abilities in relation to most dimensions are satisfactory. However, a significant number of them expressed that they have certain problems with strategic oral communication in formal situations. This study reveals the importance of conducting classroom interventions oriented towards the development and improvement of abilities in strategic oral communication in order to contribute to meet the demands of the professional world., [ES] En la actualidad, existen ciertas competencias genéricas que son consideradas tan importantes para el buen desempeño laboral como las competencias profesionales. Entre ellas se encuentran la capacidad de comunicación oral y escrita, de interactuar y trabajar en equipo, de crítica y autocrítica, de actuar en nuevas situaciones, de tomar decisiones, de motivar y conducir hacia metas comunes y de comprometerse con el medio socio-cultural. El presente estudio tuvo como objetivo conocer las competencias para la comunicación oral de los estudiantes de las asignaturas electivas de la carrera Medicina Veterinaria en la Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Se exploró acerca de estas competencias mediante una encuesta en línea administrada a dichos estudiantes. La misma fue diseñada en torno a distintas dimensiones relacionadas con las competencias para la comunicación oral: el propósito de la comunicación, el sentido bilateral o de intercambio del proceso comunicativo, la empatía del comunicador, el proceso de adaptación en la comunicación, la escucha activa, la combinación de habilidades de comunicación verbal y no verbal, y la comunicación oral estratégica en situaciones formales. Los resultados obtenidos revelaron que en términos generales los estudiantes perciben que las mismas son satisfactorias, aunque un número significativo manifestó tener ciertas dificultades en relación con la comunicación oral estratégica en situaciones formales. Esta investigación pone de manifiesto la importancia de realizar intervenciones didácticas afines al desarrollo y mejoramiento de competencias para la comunicación oral que contribuyan a cumplimentar con las exigencias de la futura actividad profesional de nuestros estudiantes.

[EN] At present, there are certain generic abilities which are considered to be as important as professional abilities to perform properly at work. Among these abilities, we can mention the ability to communicate in the oral and written medium, to interact and work in teams, to evaluate others and evaluate themselves, to act in new situations, to take decisions, to search common goals and to commit to their sociocultural environment. The present study aimed to find out about the abilities in oral communication of undergraduate students of elective subjects in the programme of the Veterinary Medicine course at Universidad Nacional del Litoral. These abilities were explored by means of an online survey administered to these students. The survey was designed around different dimensions related to abilities in oral communication: the purpose of communication, the bilateral nature of the communicative process, being an empathic communicator, active listening, the combination of verbal and non-verbal abilities and strategic oral communication in formal situations. Our results showed that in general the students perceive that their abilities in relation to most dimensions are satisfactory. However, a significant number of them expressed that they have certain problems with strategic oral communication in formal situations. This study reveals the importance of conducting classroom interventions oriented towards the development and improvement of abilities in strategic oral communication in order to contribute to meet the demands of the professional world., [ES] En la actualidad, existen ciertas competencias genéricas que son consideradas tan importantes para el buen desempeño laboral como las competencias profesionales. Entre ellas se encuentran la capacidad de comunicación oral y escrita, de interactuar y trabajar en equipo, de crítica y autocrítica, de actuar en nuevas situaciones, de tomar decisiones, de motivar y conducir hacia metas comunes y de comprometerse con el medio socio-cultural. El presente estudio tuvo como objetivo conocer las competencias para la comunicación oral de los estudiantes de las asignaturas electivas de la carrera Medicina Veterinaria en la Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Se exploró acerca de estas competencias mediante una encuesta en línea administrada a dichos estudiantes. La misma fue diseñada en torno a distintas dimensiones relacionadas con las competencias para la comunicación oral: el propósito de la comunicación, el sentido bilateral o de intercambio del proceso comunicativo, la empatía del comunicador, el proceso de adaptación en la comunicación, la escucha activa, la combinación de habilidades de comunicación verbal y no verbal, y la comunicación oral estratégica en situaciones formales. Los resultados obtenidos revelaron que en términos generales los estudiantes perciben que las mismas son satisfactorias, aunque un número significativo manifestó tener ciertas dificultades en relación con la comunicación oral estratégica en situaciones formales. Esta investigación pone de manifiesto la importancia de realizar intervenciones didácticas afines al desarrollo y mejoramiento de competencias para la comunicación oral que contribuyan a cumplimentar con las exigencias de la futura actividad profesional de nuestros estudiantes.

[EN] At present, there are certain generic abilities which are considered to be as important as professional abilities to perform properly at work. Among these abilities, we can mention the ability to communicate in the oral and written medium, to interact and work in teams, to evaluate others and evaluate themselves, to act in new situations, to take decisions, to search common goals and to commit to their sociocultural environment. The present study aimed to find out about the abilities in oral communication of undergraduate students of elective subjects in the programme of the Veterinary Medicine course at Universidad Nacional del Litoral. These abilities were explored by means of an online survey administered to these students. The survey was designed around different dimensions related to abilities in oral communication: the purpose of communication, the bilateral nature of the communicative process, being an empathic communicator, active listening, the combination of verbal and non-verbal abilities and strategic oral communication in formal situations. Our results showed that in general the students perceive that their abilities in relation to most dimensions are satisfactory. However, a significant number of them expressed that they have certain problems with strategic oral communication in formal situations. This study reveals the importance of conducting classroom interventions oriented towards the development and improvement of abilities in strategic oral communication in order to contribute to meet the demands of the professional world., [ES] En la actualidad, existen ciertas competencias genéricas que son consideradas tan importantes para el buen desempeño laboral como las competencias profesionales. Entre ellas se encuentran la capacidad de comunicación oral y escrita, de interactuar y trabajar en equipo, de crítica y autocrítica, de actuar en nuevas situaciones, de tomar decisiones, de motivar y conducir hacia metas comunes y de comprometerse con el medio socio-cultural. El presente estudio tuvo como objetivo conocer las competencias para la comunicación oral de los estudiantes de las asignaturas electivas de la carrera Medicina Veterinaria en la Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Se exploró acerca de estas competencias mediante una encuesta en línea administrada a dichos estudiantes. La misma fue diseñada en torno a distintas dimensiones relacionadas con las competencias para la comunicación oral: el propósito de la comunicación, el sentido bilateral o de intercambio del proceso comunicativo, la empatía del comunicador, el proceso de adaptación en la comunicación, la escucha activa, la combinación de habilidades de comunicación verbal y no verbal, y la comunicación oral estratégica en situaciones formales. Los resultados obtenidos revelaron que en términos generales los estudiantes perciben que las mismas son satisfactorias, aunque un número significativo manifestó tener ciertas dificultades en relación con la comunicación oral estratégica en situaciones formales. Esta investigación pone de manifiesto la importancia de realizar intervenciones didácticas afines al desarrollo y mejoramiento de competencias para la comunicación oral que contribuyan a cumplimentar con las exigencias de la futura actividad profesional de nuestros estudiantes.

© 2017 Cignetti, Chabeauti, Menant, Anton, Schmitz, Vaugoyeau and Assaiante. The present study investigated the cortical areas engaged in the perception of graviceptive information embedded in biological motion (BM). To this end, functional magnetic resonance imaging was used to assess the cortical areas active during the observation of human movements performed under normogravity and microgravity (parabolic flight). Movements were defined by motion cues alone using point-light displays. We found that gravity modulated the activation of a restricted set of regions of the network subtending BM perception, including form-from-motion areas of the visual system (kinetic occipital region, lingual gyrus, cuneus) and motor-related areas (primary motor and somatosensory cortices). These findings suggest that compliance of observed movements with normal gravity was carried out by mapping them onto the observer's motor system and by extracting their overall form from local motion of the moving light points. We propose that judgment on graviceptive information embedded in BM can be established based on motor resonance and visual familiarity mechanisms and not necessarily by accessing the internal model of gravitational motion stored in the vestibular cortex.

The article presents the study TIscrivo (Today Written Composition, between Spoken Language and Computer Mediated Communication. Theoretical aspects, diagnosis and teaching methods, Swiss National Science Foundation funding Dore 13DPD3_136603), based on the largest corpus of texts written at school ever collected in Canton Ticino. Section 1 describes the context and the project's main goals. We will then outline some first results from corpus analysis, in particular about the use of punctuation in learners' writing, focusing firstly on primary school (section 2) and then on junior high school (section 3). Afterwards, the article investigates some uses and constructions difficult to teach and to learn properly, and examines them in a sample of schoolbooks (section 4). Finally, specific attention is given to some "stylistic uses" of punctuation (section 5), i.e. to the advanced and conscious insertion of expressive punctuation marks conflicting with the standard rules. We will argue that when this kind of punctuation is introduced in young students' texts, usually it has to be interpreted not as a stylistic, voluntary choice, but as the outcome of a still unsure management of the system.

Contains fulltext : 110120.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access), Motor abundance allows individuals to perform any task reliably while being variable in movement's particulars. The study investigated age-related differences in this feature when young adults (YA) and older adults (OA) performed challenging tasks, namely treadmill walking alone and while performing a cognitive task. A goal function for treadmill walking was first defined, i.e., maintain constant speed at each step, which led to a goal equivalent manifold (GEM) containing all combinations of step time and step length that equally satisfied the function. Given the GEM, amounts of goal-equivalent and non-goal-equivalent variability were afterwards determined and used to define an index providing information about the set of effective motor solutions relative to the GEM. The set was limited in OA compared to YA in treadmill walking alone, indicating that OA made less flexible use of motor abundance than YA. However, this differentiation between YA and OA disappeared when concurrently performing the cognitive task. It is proposed that OA might have benefited from cognitive compensation.

Contains fulltext : 110120.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access), Motor abundance allows individuals to perform any task reliably while being variable in movement's particulars. The study investigated age-related differences in this feature when young adults (YA) and older adults (OA) performed challenging tasks, namely treadmill walking alone and while performing a cognitive task. A goal function for treadmill walking was first defined, i.e., maintain constant speed at each step, which led to a goal equivalent manifold (GEM) containing all combinations of step time and step length that equally satisfied the function. Given the GEM, amounts of goal-equivalent and non-goal-equivalent variability were afterwards determined and used to define an index providing information about the set of effective motor solutions relative to the GEM. The set was limited in OA compared to YA in treadmill walking alone, indicating that OA made less flexible use of motor abundance than YA. However, this differentiation between YA and OA disappeared when concurrently performing the cognitive task. It is proposed that OA might have benefited from cognitive compensation.

Semaphorins are a large family of evolutionarily conserved morphogenetic molecules originally identified for their repelling role in axonal guidance. Intriguingly, semaphorins have recently been implicated in cancer progression (Neufeld, G., T. Lange, A. Varshavsky, and O. Kessler. 2007. Adv. Exp. Med. Biol. 600:118-131). In particular, semaphorin 3B (SEMA3B) is considered a putative tumor suppressor, and yet we found that it is expressed at high levels in many invasive and metastatic human cancers. By investigating experimental tumor models, we confirmed that SEMA3B expression inhibited tumor growth, whereas metastatic dissemination was surprisingly increased. We found that SEMA3B induced the production of interleukin (IL) 8 by tumor cells by activating the p38-mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway in a neuropilin 1-dependent manner. Silencing the expression of endogenous SEMA3B in tumor cells impaired IL-8 transcription. The release of IL-8, in turn, induced the recruitment of tumor-associated macrophages and metastatic dissemination to the lung, which could be rescued by blocking IL-8 with neutralizing antibodies. In conclusion, we report that SEMA3B exerts unexpected functions in cancer progression by fostering a prometastatic environment through elevated IL-8 secretion and recruitment of macrophages coupled to the suppression of tumor growth. © 2008 Rolny et al. The Rockefeller University Press.

Increased evidence suggests that cancer-associated infiammation supports tumor growth and progression. We have previously shown that semaphorin 4D (Sema4D), a ligand produced by different cell types, is a proangiogenic molecule that acts by binding to its receptor, plexin B1, expressed on endothelial cells (Conrotto, P., D. Valdembri, S. Corso, G. Serini, L. Tamagnone, P.M. Comoglio, F. Bussolino, and S. Giordano. 2005. Blood. 105:4321 - 4329). The present work highlights the role of Sema4D produced by the tumor microenvironment on neoplastic angiogenesis. We show that in an environment lacking Sema4D, the ability of cancer cells to generate tumor masses and metastases is severely impaired. This condition can be explained by a defective vascularization inside the tumor. We demonstrate that tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are the main cells producing Sema4D within the tumor stroma and that their ability to produce Sema4D is critical for tumor angiogenesis and vessel maturation. This study helps to explain the protumoral role of infiammatory cells of the tumor stroma and leads to the identification of an angiogenic molecule that might be a novel therapeutic target.

The article presents the study TIscrivo (Today Written Composition, between Spoken Language and Computer Mediated Communication. Theoretical aspects, diagnosis and teaching methods, Swiss National Science Foundation funding Dore 13DPD3_136603), based on the largest corpus of texts written at school ever collected in Canton Ticino. Section 1 describes the context and the project's main goals. We will then outline some first results from corpus analysis, in particular about the use of punctuation in learners' writing, focusing firstly on primary school (section 2) and then on junior high school (section 3). Afterwards, the article investigates some uses and constructions difficult to teach and to learn properly, and examines them in a sample of schoolbooks (section 4). Finally, specific attention is given to some "stylistic uses" of punctuation (section 5), i.e. to the advanced and conscious insertion of expressive punctuation marks conflicting with the standard rules. We will argue that when this kind of punctuation is introduced in young students' texts, usually it has to be interpreted not as a stylistic, voluntary choice, but as the outcome of a still unsure management of the system.