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Computed tomography-guided percutaneous needle biopsy of the lung is a safe and effective procedure for removal of rustling of lung cancer in patients requiring histological diagnosis and to be able to carry out molecular biology studies, it does not require hospitalization and considerably limits the use of surgical biopsy. The purpose of our study is to assess the sensitivity and specificity of CT guided percutaneous procedure considering the best approach in order to obtain an acceptable number of withdrawals reducing patient exposure to ionizing radiation. Prior to the procedure we evaluate the best percutaneous approach studying the imaging features of the lung nodule. At the beginning of the procedure were performed a basic volumetric chest CT scan for the localization of the nodule to choose the point of access with bright laser pointer and successive CT scans of 3 cm thickness with a lowdose technique to follow the needle trajectory until the nodule of interest. Key point of this study is the use of 16-18 Gauge coaxial needle or introducer inch, to reach the target lesion; it allows multiple biopsies reducing the number of percutaneous accesses: in fact, reached the lesion, is possible to slide inside it the needle with semiautomatic shearing system of the Tru-Cut type and make multiple withdrawals. We performed 106 percutaneous CT-guided pulmonary needle biopsy on patients aged 41 to 89 years, 76 males and 30 females; in only 2 cases (1.88% of the patients) we not obtained an accurate withdrawal of bioptic specimens for histological characterization of target lesion, and in just 2 cases the development of pneumothorax required placement of percutaneous thoracic drainage. This approach has been shown to have sensitivity and specificity of 98,1% and 97,1% respectively, for a proper selection of specimens and a correct histological diagnosis. A standardized and repeatable protocol for performing CT-guided biopsies is of key importance in order to reduce patient’s exposure to ionizing radiation, to gain the highest possible number of appropriate withdrawals and to minimize procedural complications.

The authors report a retrospective study on surgical treatment of primary spontaneous pneumothorax (PSP). Surgical approaches by Videoassisted axillary mini-thoracothomy (VAMT) and three-port VATS (t-VATS) are compared. Mean post-operative stay (MPS) and ipsilateral recurrence rate (IRR) are assessed. Secondary endpoints were about complications, early post-operative pain and long term neurologic symptoms.From January 2009 to December 2011 we consecutively observed 85 cases of PSP. Treatment was represented by surgery in 52 patients: the approach was by VAMT in 39 instances and t-VATS in 13. Median follow up was 30 months.Patients submitted to surgery had a MPS of 6.62 ± 1.5 days for VAMT and 6.69 ± 3.4 days for t-VATS (p=0,94). The IRR was 0% in both surgical approaches, comparing to 7,2% for the group of patients treated by simple drainage. Complications were observed in VAMT group: 2 conversions to thoracothomy for technical difficulties (extensive pleural adherences) and one case of re-thoracothomy for hemothorax. Mean Visual Analogic Scale (VAS) score for early post-operative pain was: 2.10±0.71 for VAMT and 1.92±0.64 for t-VATS, p=0.42 at t-student test. Paresthesia complain rate was 33.3% (VAMT) vs 30.7% (t-VATS) for moderate symptoms (p=0.72 at chi square test). The remaining patients complained only slight symptoms or no symptoms at all.Our experience suggested that both surgical approaches to PSP are safe and effective. No differences were found for early post-operative pain and long term paresthesia rate, between the two approaches. No recurrence occurred during follow up.

This paper reports the purification and localization of a Tuber borchii Vittad, fruitbody protein (TBF-1) and the cloning of the encoding gene. TBF-1 is detectable by SDS-PAGE analyses only in this white truffle species and presents a molecular mass of 11,994 Da. TBF-1 was purified by one-step Reversed-Phase HPLC and its complete amino acid sequence was determined after digestion with trypsin and N-Asp endoproteinase. Polyclonal antibodies were produced and tested in immunofluorescence and immunogold experiments, providing information about the protein localization. It was detected mostly on the hyphal walls, where it was colocalized with beta-1,3-glucans and chitin. The sporal wall was not labeled. The encoding gene (tbf-1) was cloned using several techniques involving PCR. The coding region consists of a 360-bp open reading frame interrupted by an intron, with another intron following the stop codon. A putative signal peptide of 12 amino acids was found at the N-terminal. Northern blot analysis revealed that tbf-1 is highly expressed in unripe and ripe fruitbodies and was not detectable in culture mycelium or ectomycorrhizal roots.

Rhodiola rosea L. (Crassulaceae) is a plant that lives at high altitude in Europe and Asia, usually used for its high capacity to increase the organism resistance to different stress conditions. Although a few international literature supports these effects, today R. rosea has become a common component of many dietary supplements also in the Western world. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of the R. rosea roots aqueous extract on in vitro human erythrocytes exposed to hypochlorous acid (HOCl)- oxidative stress. Several damages occur in human erythrocytes exposed in vitro to HOCl, among these membrane protein and lipid modifications, shifting from the discocyte shape to the echinocyte one, and determining lysis ultimately. Therefore, in the present work, the evaluation of the antioxidant capacity of the Rhodiola extract has been carried out by means of scanning electron microscopy and of hemolytic behaviour on human erythrocytes exposed to HOCl in the presence of increasing doses of the aqueous extract in different experimental environments (co-incubation and subsequent incubations). The results obtained are consistent with a significative protection of the extract in presence of the oxidative agent, but a cautionary note emerges from the analysis of the data related to the cell exposition to the plant extract in the absence of any induced oxidative stress. In fact, the addition to erythrocyte of high doses of R. rosea extract always determines severe alterations of the cell shape.