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Multisensory interactions can produce analgesic effects. In particular, viewing one's own body reduces pain levels, perhaps because of changes in connectivity between visual areas specialized for body representation, and sensory areas underlying pain perception. We tested the causal role of the extrastriate visual cortex in triggering visually induced analgesia by modulating the excitability of this region with transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). Anodal, cathodal, or sham tDCS (2 mA, 10 min) was administered to 24 healthy participants over the right occipital or over the centro-parietal areas thought to be involved in the sensory processing of pain. Participants were required to rate the intensity of painful electrical stimuli while viewing either their left hand or an object occluding the left hand, both before and immediately after tDCS. We found that the analgesic effect of viewing the body was enhanced selectively by anodal stimulation of the occipital cortex. The effect was specific for the polarity and the site of stimulation. The present results indicate that visually induced analgesia may depend on neural signals from the extrastriate visual cortex.

Results of different studies support the notion that obsessive activity is aimed at preventing misdeeds in the symptomatic domain and that OC patients judge the possibility of being guilty as unacceptable. These findings lead to the hypothesis that increasing acceptability of being guilty, even in non-symptomatic domains, reduces OC symptoms. This paper reports the outcomes of 4 patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder who were treated in a multiple-baseline across subjects design. The intervention was centred on acceptance of guilt in non-symptomatic domains. The dependent variable is the score recorded by the patients daily on a report that showed time occupied by obsessive activity and degree of interference with daily activities. Furthermore, each patient was administered the Y-BOCS, CORE-OM and QSC at the beginning and after twenty therapy sessions. Results confirmed that intervention centred on accepting guilt in non-symptomatic domains is able to produce a significant reduction of OC symptoms.

Le misure periodiche e permanenti di osservatorio geodetico, in continuita' con una serie più che ventennale di dati, hanno avuto lo scopo di determinare l’infrastruttura geodetica e di rilevare e monitorare la Terra Vittoria settentrionale. Viene presentata una sintesi delle principali attività condotte recentemente nell’ambito del Progetto di Geodesia del PNRA (Programma Nazionale di Ricerche in Antartide) e vengono presentati i risultati raggiunti nelle ultime campagne di misura pubblicati negli ultimi anni

L’intenso sfruttamento dei depositi di sale sottostanti la città di Tuzla (Bosnia & Herzegovina) a partire dalla metà degli anni ’50, ha indotto vistosi fenomeni di subsidenza ed episodi di collassamento del terreno. Il problema ha reso necessaria un'analisi del fenomeno mediante un approccio integrato tra geometica ed analisi multicriteri dei fattori in gioco e degli elementi vulnerabili al danno.

Please cite this paper as: Resveratrol regulates p66Shc activation in HaCaT cells. Experimental Dermatology 2010. Abstract: Skin is exposed to both endogenous and environmental oxidant agents, leading to the harmful generation of reactive oxygen species. Particular interest has been pointed on plant antioxidants, such as resveratrol, because of their wide-ranging biological activity and clinical potential. Resveratrol exerts antioxidant, metabolism-regulating and pro-apoptotic/anti-cancer effects on a variety of experimental models and has been suggested to protect skin from ultraviolet-induced photodamaging and photoaging. In parallel, also the biological significance of p66Shc, a member of the Src Homologue and Collagene homologue family with redox activity, is getting further attention. Because of the striking intersection among the activities of resveratrol with those of p66Shc, we investigated whether resveratrol would activate p66Shc in human immortalised keratinocytes (HaCaT cells), a well known and largely used model for skin keratinocytes. HaCaT cells were treated with resveratrol (10-150 mum) for different times. The effect of resveratrol on the proliferation of HaCaT cells and the activation of ERK1/2, AKT, and p66Shc was investigated by cell counting, fluorescence-activated cell sorting, and western blot analysis of total or immunoprecipitated cell extracts. In HaCaT cells, resveratrol induces dose- and time-dependent growth arrest, p66Shc-Ser36 phosphorylation, ERK1/2 phosphorylation and AKT dephosphorylation. Finally, we showed that resveratrol-induced p66Shc-Ser36 phosphorylation is dependent on ERK1/2 activation. Interestingly, these resveratrol-induced molecular effects were associated with reduced adhesion and reversible growth arrest rather than cell death pathways. This is the first evidence linking resveratrol with p66Shc and suggests that p66Shc may contribute to the effect of resveratrol on cell proliferation and function in the outermost layer of the skin.

An important parameter for the study of ice-streams is the evaluation of their velocity field: multi-temporal coverage of satellite images allows surface glacier movements to be measured tracking features on the moving glacier surface. Bindschalder and Scambos (1991) have developed and demonstrated a method of numerical cross-correlation for measuring velocities of crevasses and related features on repeated satellite imagery. In the paper we describe the application of the cross-correlation method in Scott Coast (Victoria Land, West Antarctica) and particular for Drygalski Ice Tongue and David Glacier; Landsat images from 1973 to 2001 have been used in this research.

Aim. The importance of vaginal pH and vaginal flora in maintaining a well-balanced vaginal ecosystem is well known and has been widely described. However, no systematic nationwide studies have been carried out concerning the correlation between vaginal pH, life style and different physiopathological conditions in women of different ages. Methods. SOPHY (Study on pH and Hygiene) collected data concerning the lifestyle, vaginal pH, and the presence of symptoms, stratified into different subgroups (prepuberal, fertile, pregnancy, postpartum, premenopause and menopause) in a representative sample of the Italian gynecological population (264 gynaecologists for a total of 2 641 women) with the aid of a specific Internet site for data entry. Results. A more acid vaginal pH was related to a better satisfactory sexual activity and to more healthy genital condition. A positive relationship was detected between education level and good perception of sexuality. Certain clothing habits and a higher frequency of candidiasis and bacterial vaginosis was shown. Conclusion. SOPHY revealed some interesting correlations between clothing and the frequency of candidiasis and bacterial vaginosis, between vaginal pH and satisfactory sexual activity, and between education and sexuality. SOPHY had a considerable educational impact, leading the physicians and women to consider vaginal pH as an important aspect of everyday life.

We show that a system of spinless Fermi particles, localized on the sites of the Bethe lattice with coordination number z and interacting through a repulsive nearest-neighbor interaction, exhibits a phase transition to a charge-ordered state. The phase diagram in the n-T plane is derived. Relevant thermodynamic quantities, such as the free energy, the specific heat, the entropy and the compressibility are analyzed in detail., 7 pages, 9 figures

Il lavoro descrive l'utilizzo di immagini satellitari Landsat, disponibili su un periodo di oltre 30 anni (1972-2001), ai fini della determinazione del campo superficiale di velocità di alcuni ice-streams in Antartide (settore Pacifico). Vengono illustrate le tecniche di pre-trattamento dei dati satellitari precedenti l'analisi per correlazione, del tipo area based, che, applicata a coppie di immagini, consente di determinare le velocità superficiale di ice-streams e di altri corpi in movimento. Lo scopo del lavoro è quello di automatizzare, per quanto possibile, l'intera procedura e giungere alla messa a punto di una metodologia di monitoraggio in grado di fornire parametri relativi alla dinamica di aree glaciali del continente antartico, parametri utili nel contesto della ricerca sull'evoluzione delle calotte polari e quindi nel più ampio campo dello studio dei mutamenti globali.

L’intenso sfruttamento dei depositi di sale sottostanti la città di Tuzla (Bosnia & Herzegovina) a partire dalla metà degli anni ’50, ha indotto vistosi fenomeni di subsidenza ed episodi di collassamento del terreno. Le deformazioni del terreno conseguenti l’attività di estrazione vengono monitorate già dal 1956 grazie ai numerosissimi rilievi topografici con tecniche tradizionali effettuati su di una fitta rete topografica realizzata nell’area. Gli abbassamenti misurati nel periodo citato sono quantificabili, nelle aree maggiormente coinvolte, in una decina di metri con effetti catastrofici su buona parte dell’area storica della città e con gravi danni agli edifici, infrastrutture ed alle reti tecnologiche. A partire dal 2002, nell’ambito di una collaborazione tra municipalità di Tuzla e Provincia di Ravenna, è stato effettuato un riordino dell’enorme archivio di dati altimetrici unitamente all’introduzione di moderne tecniche di rilievo (GPS e Telerilevamento) a supporto del monitoraggio di fenomeni ancora intensi nell’area, correlati con l’attività estrattiva.

L'intenso sfruttameno dei depositi di sale sottostanti la città di Tuzla ha indotto vistosi fenomeni di subsidenza e di collassamento del terreno. A partire dal 2002 è stato effettuato un monitoraggio annuale DGPS e Remote Sensing

An exaggerated sense of responsibility is currently considered as the ground for the obsessive–compulsive disorder. Obsessive-like behaviors, such as hesitations and checks, may be induced in non-clinical subjects by increasing perceived responsibility (i.e., perceived personal influence on negative outcomes). In line with Salkovskis’ proposal [The cognitive approach to anxiety: threat beliefs, safety-seeking behavior, and the special case of health anxiety and obsessions, in: P.M. Salkovskis (Ed.), Frontiers of Cognitive Therapy, Guilford, New York], we tested the hypothesis that reduced coping abilities (i.e., an exaggerated expectation of failure) are another effectual factor contributing to obsessive-like behaviors. We examined 47 normal volunteers in a visuo-spatial memory task, and manipulated their perceived personal influence and expectation of failure by giving differential instructions and feedback about their performance. Increase of perceived personal influence induced slowness, hesitations and checks without enhancing performance. Expectation of failure exacerbated obsessive-like behaviors, again without affecting performance. These results confirm the role of responsibility in obsessive-like behavior and indicate that reduced coping abilities may contribute to worsen dysfunctional strategies.

Talos Dome is an ice dome on the edge of the East Antarctic plateau; because accumulation is higher here than in other domes of East Antarctica, the ice preserves a good geochemical and palaeoclimatic record. A new map of the Talos Dome area locates the dome summit using the global positioning system (GPS) (72°47′14″S, 159°04′2″E; 2318.5 m elevation (WGS84)). A surface strain network of nine stakes was measured using GPS. Data indicate that the stake closest to the summit moves south-southeast at a few cm a-1. The other stakes, located 8 km away, move up to 0.33 m a-1. Airborne radar measurements indicate that the bedrock at the Talos Dome summit is about 400 m in elevation, and that it is covered by about 1900 m of ice. Snow radar and GPS surveys show that internal layering is continuous and horizontal in the summit area (15 km radius). The depth distribution analysis of snow radar layers reveals that accumulation decreases downwind of the dome (north-northeast) and increases upwind (south-southwest). The palaeomorphology of the dome has changed during the past 500 years, probably due to variation in spatial distribution of snow accumulation, driven by wind sublimation. In order to calculate a preliminary age vs depth profile for Talos Dome, a simple one-dimensional steady-state model was formulated. This model predicts that the ice 100 m above the bedrock may cover one glacial-interglacial period.