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Glioblastoma is the most malignant primary brain tumor and is still in need of effective medical treatment. We isolated patient-derived glioblastoma cells showing high GD2 antigen expression representing a potential target for CAR T strategy. Data highlighted a robust GD2 CAR antitumor potential in 2D and 3D glioblastoma models associated with a significant and CAR T-restricted increase of selected cytokines. Interestingly, immunosuppressant TGF β1, expressed in all co-cultures, did not influence antitumor activity. The orthotopic NOD/SCID models using primary glioblastoma cells reproduced human histopathological features. Considering still-conflicting data on the delivery route for targeting brain tumors, we compared intracerebral versus intravenous CAR T injections. We report that the intracerebral route significantly increased the length of survival time in a dose-dependent manner, without any side effects. Collectively, the proposed anti-GD2 CAR can counteract human glioblastoma potentially opening a new therapeutic option for a still incurable cancer.

The original version of this Article contained an error in Affiliation 5, which was incorrectly given as ‘Department of Surgery, Oncology and Gastroenterology, University of Padova, Istituto Oncologico Veneto IRCCS, Padova, Italy’. The correct affiliation is listed below: Department of Surgery, Oncology and Gastroenterology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy In addition, the original version of this Article omitted an affiliation for Pierfranco Conte. The correct affiliations for Pierfranco Conte are listed below: Medical Oncology 2, Veneto Institute of Oncology IOV, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS), Padova, Italy Department of Surgery, Oncology and Gastroenterology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy These errors have now been corrected in the HTML and PDF versions of this Article, and in the accompanying Supplementary Information.

Resume Objectifs La presente etude a eu deux objectifs principaux : (i) explorer le vecu des equipes officinales face aux interventions pharmaceutiques et a l’utilisation du dossier pharmaceutique, lors d’une demande spontanee d’ibuprofene ou de pseudoephedrine per os (ii) connaitre la perception du dossier pharmaceutique et des interventions pharmaceutiques par les patients. Methodes L’etude s’est deroulee sur deux semaines entre fevrier et avril 2014 dans 482 officines de 8 facultes de pharmacie francaises. Elle a repose sur des focus group d’equipes officinales et des entretiens telephoniques de patients a l’aide de grilles d’entretien standardises. Les verbatim ont fait l’objet d’une analyse de donnees textuelles et d’une analyse thematique. Resultats Quatre focus groups et 49 entretiens telephoniques ont ete realises. L’analyse du vecu des equipes officinales a montre que l’intervention pharmaceutique, bien qu’insuffisamment tracee, fait partie du quotidien de l’exercice officinal et valorise l’acte de dispensation. L’analyse des entretiens telephoniques des patients appuie ce ressenti, en soulignant la demarche d’accompagnement du dispensateur. L’analyse thematique des resultats identifie un element essentiel du vecu des patients : ils ressentent positivement les interventions pharmaceutiques si le pharmacien est leur pharmacien habituel et si celui-ci formule des explications a visee educative. En outre, equipes officinales et patients s’accordent sur le fait que le dossier pharmaceutique est insuffisamment utilise. Conclusion Cette etude s’inscrit dans une perspective de renforcement de la securite d’emploi des medicaments d’automedication, en promouvant le recours systematique au dossier pharmaceutique, a l’appui du dialogue avec le patient.

Se presentan 12 casos de traumatismos hepáticos, sobre un total de 102 traumatismos abdominales, tratados en el Hospital Municipal de Morón, provincia de Buenos Aires, República Argentina, comprendidos en el período que va desde enero de 1989 a diciembre de 1992. Hemos utilizado la clasificación de Moore de lesiones hepáticas para su ordenamiento. Del total de los traumatismos hepáticos, 75% fueron abiertos y de éstos 80% se produjeron por arma de fuego. El mayor porcentaje de heridas se vio en el sexo masculino y el grupo etario predominante correspondió al rango que va de los 20 a 29 y de 30 a 39 años. La vía de abordaje predominante fue la mediana supra-infraumbilical y la simultaneidad de los segmentos hepáticos 11-111 fueron los más lesionados. Se explican las tácticas quirúrgicas y las lesiones asociadas. Se encontraron complicaciones, de mayor o menor importancia en 75% de los casos. La mortalidad fue de 16, 66%.

The CAST experiment is being mounted at CERN. It will make use of a decommissioned LHC test magnet to look for solar axions through its conversion into photons inside the magnetic field. The magnet has a field of 9 Tesla and length of 10 m and is installed in a platform which allows to move it ~8 degrees vertically and ~40 degrees horizontally. According to these numbers we expect a sensitivity in axion-photon coupling ~5 x 10^-11 GeV^-1 for axion masses m < ~10^-2 eV, and with a gas filled tube 10^-10 GeV^-1 for m < ~2 eV. The CAST experiment is being mounted at CERN. It will make use of a decommissioned LHC test magnet to look for solar axions through its conversion into photons inside the magnetic field. The magnet has a field of 9 Tesla and length of 10 m and is installed in a platform which allows to move it ~8 degrees vertically and ~40 degrees horizontally. According to these numbers we expect a sensitivity in axion-photon coupling ~5 x 10^-11 GeV^-1 for axion masses m < ~10^-2 eV, and with a gas filled tube 10^-10 GeV^-1 for m < ~2 eV.

The new axion helioscope at CERN started acquiring data during September of 2002: CAST (Cern Axion Solar Telescope) employs a decommissioned LHC dipole magnet to convert putative solar axions or axion-like particles into detectable photons. The unprecedented dipole magnet intensity and length (9.5 T, 10 m) results in a projected sensitivity that surpasses astrophysical constraints on these particles for the first time, increasing the chance of discovery. The use of X-ray focusing optics and state-of-the-art detector technology has led to an extremely low background for an experiment above ground. A brief status report is given, with emphasis on the tracking and control system and possible future extensions., Comment: Presented at the SPIE conference on Astronomical Telescopes and Instrumentation, Waikoloa, Hawaii, 2002. 5 pages, 4 figures

On a global scale, climate plays the largest role in determining the structure of both vegetation and soil in natural ecosystems. Temperature and the balance between precipitation and evapotranspiration are particularly important, since they determine the rate at which plants grow and produce. Recent studies on the climate system allow to better understand the natural and human causes of warming trends and its effects on variability and likely changes in climate. The global surface air temperature record shows a gradually rising for the last 100 years, and more steeply in the past two decades. The last ten years are the warmest decade on record. The overall warming was about 0.5 °C during the present century. The records for Mediterranean areas show similar trends. More controversial seems to determine definite trends of rainfall. Le Houèrou reported on no changes in rainfall patterns in Europe. However, Gregory and Mitchell showed that the regionally averaged total annual rainfall increases at latitudes greater than 45° N, and decreases in middle latitudes (35-40° N) with a decrease in the number of rain-days. Climate change effects on natural vegetation will likely occur at a number of scales in time and space, influencing plant physiology, competition between species, and global distribution of major ecosystems. Several investigations were conducted on the impacts of climate change on different forest ecosystems, mainly focusing on the eco-physiological level. However, there is a lack of information on the potential effects of climate variability and changes on the Mediterranean forests. Plant response to climate change is a crucial aspect of monitoring programs, particularly in those areas where changes could occur. This is important in Mediterranean Basin where the structural and functional characteristics of ecosystems are determined by annual variability of temperature and precipitation. The objectives of this study are (i) to examine temperature and precipitation variations on decadal and local scales and (ii) to evaluate the effect of annual fluctuations of temperature and rainfall on phenological occurrence and physiological response of plants in a Mediterranean ecosystem.

The new axion helioscope at CERN started acquiring data during September of 2002: CAST (Cern Axion Solar Telescope) employs a decommissioned LHC dipole magnet to convert putative solar axions or axion-like particles into detectable photons. The unprecedented dipole magnet intensity and length (9.5 T, 10 m) results in a projected sensitivity that surpasses astrophysical constraints on these particles for the first time, increasing the chance of discovery. The use of X-ray focusing optics and state-of-the-art detector technology has led to an extremely low background for an experiment above ground. A brief status report is given, with emphasis on the tracking and control system and possible future extensions. The new axion helioscope at CERN started acquiring data during September of 2002: CAST (Cern Axion Solar Telescope) employs a decommissioned LHC dipole magnet to convert putative solar axions or axion-like particles into detectable photons. The unprecedented dipole magnet intensity and length (9.5 T, 10 m) results in a projected sensitivity that surpasses astrophysical constraints on these particles for the first time, increasing the chance of discovery. The use of X-ray focusing optics and state-of-the-art detector technology has led to an extremely low background for an experiment above ground. A brief status report is given, with emphasis on the tracking and control system and possible future extensions.