Italian Norms for the Stanford Hypnotic Susceptibility Scale,Form C1

This paper presents norms for an Italian translation of the Stanford Hypnotic Susceptibility Scale, Form C (SHSS:C; Weitzenhoffer & Hilgard, 1962). Archival data on hypnosis research subjects recruited over a 10-year period of research on hypnosis were pooled, resulting in an aggregate sample of 356 participants (263 female and 93 male). Score distribution, item difficulty levels, and reliability of the SHSS:C were computed. Of this group, 218 subjects were administered the Harvard Group Scale of Hypnotic Susceptibility approximately 3 weeks prior to administration of the SHSS:C. The remaining 138 subjects received only the SHSS:C. Results suggest that the Italian version of the SHSS:C is a reliable and valid measure.     

Extracellular truncations of h beta c, the common signaling subunit for interleukin-3 (IL-3), granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), and IL-5, lead to ligand-independent activation

The hypothesis that extracellular truncation of the common receptor subunit for interleukin-3 (IL-3), granulocyte-macrophage colony- stimulating factor, and IL-5 (h beta c) can lead to ligand-independent activation was tested by infecting factor-dependent hematopoietic cell lines with retroviruses encoding truncated forms of h beta c. A truncation, resembling that in v-Mpl, and retaining 45 h beta c-derived extracellular residues, led to constitutive activation in the murine myeloid cell line, FDC-P1. However, infection of cells with retrovirus encoding a more severely truncated receptor, retaining only 7 h beta c- derived extracellular residues, did not confer factor independence on these cells. These experiments show that truncation activates the receptor and define a 37-amino acid segment of h beta c (H395-A431) which contains two motifs conserved throughout the cytokine receptor superfamily (consensus Y/H XX R/Q VR and WSXWS), as essential for factor-independent signaling. The mechanism of activation was also investigated in less severe truncations. A receptor that retains the entire membrane-proximal domain (domain 4) also conferred factor independent growth on FDC-P1 cells; however, a retrovirus encoding a truncated form of h beta c having two intact membrane proximal domains did not have this ability, suggesting that domain 3 may have an inhibitory role in h beta c. The ability of these receptors to confer factor independence was cell specific as demonstrated by their inability to confer factor-independent growth when introduced into the murine IL-3-dependent pro-B cell line BaF-B03. These results are consistent with a model in which activation requires unmasking of an interactive receptor surface in domain 4 and association with a myeloid- specific receptor or accessory component. We suggest that in the absence of ligand intramolecular interactions prevent inappropriate signaling.     

Subcortical motor plasticity in patients with sporadic ALS: An fMRI study

OBJECTIVE: To address the potential contribution of subcortical brain regions in the functional reorganization of the motor system in patients with sporadic ALS (sALS) and to investigate whether functional changes in brain activity are different in sALS patients with predominant upper motor neuron (UMN) or lower motor neuron (LMN) dysfunction. METHODS: We studied 16 patients with sALS and 13 healthy controls, using BOLD-fMRI, while they performed a simple visually paced motor task. Seven patients had definite clinical UMN signs while nine patients had prevalent clinical and electrophysiological LMN involvement. fMRI data were analyzed with Brain Voyager QX. RESULTS: Task-related functional changes were identified in motor cortical regions in both patients and healthy controls. Direct group comparisons revealed relatively decreased BOLD fMRI responses in left sensorimotor cortex, lateral premotor area, supplementary motor area and right posterior parietal cortex (p < 0.05 corrected) and relatively increased responses in the left anterior putamen (p < 0.001 uncorrected) in sALS patients. Additional analyses between the two patients subgroups demonstrated significant BOLD fMRI response differences in the anterior cingulate cortex and right caudate nucleus (p < 0.001 uncorrected) with more robust activation of these areas in patients with greater UMN burden. Importantly, there were no significant differences in performance of the motor task between sALS patients and controls as well as between sALS patient subgroups. CONCLUSIONS: Our data demonstrate a different BOLD fMRI pattern between our sALS patients and healthy controls even during simple motor behavior. Furthermore, patients with sALS and greater UMN involvement show a different reorganization of the motor system compared to sALS patients with greater LMN dysfunction.     

Chromophobe renal cell carcinoma: a clinicopathologic study of 203 tumors in 200 patients with primary resection at a single institution

Despite multiple studies, many clinicopathologic issues about chromophobe renal cell carcinoma (RCC) remain contentious; for example, its biological behavior-whether better or similar to papillary RCC, the incidence of sarcomatoid features, and whether pathologic features such as necrosis, nuclear grade, and tumor stage predict worse outcome. We studied 203 consecutive primary chromophobe RCCs resected at our institution in an attempt to answer these and other questions. The tumors showed significant progressive decrease in size and stage (P=0.047 and 0.001) from 1980 to 2000. Five patients had metastasis at presentation, and further disease-specific events (recurrence/metastasis/death due to disease) occurred in 8 more. Only 4 of 203 tumors had sarcomatoid features. Over median follow-up of 6.1 years (range, 0.1 to 18 y), 5-year and 10-year disease-specific events occurred in 3.7% (95% CI, 1.5%, 7.4%) and 6.4% (95% CI, 2.7%, 12.2%) patients. Outcomes showed significant association with tumor size, small-vessel invasion, sarcomatoid features, and microscopic necrosis (P≤0.05 each). pT stage or nodal metastasis tended to show some association, without reaching statistical significance (P=0.05 and 0.06, respectively). A modified tumor grading scheme, somewhat similar to that proposed recently, mitotic index, cytologic eosinophilia, and architecture, were not significantly associated with outcome. In conclusion, sarcomatoid differentiation is quite uncommon in chromophobe RCC. Tumor size, small-vessel invasion, sarcomatoid differentiation, and microscopic necrosis are the only features that are significantly associated with adverse outcome. On the basis of this long follow-up on a large number of cases, chromophobes seem to have better clinical outcomes than those reported for clear cell and papillary RCCs.     

Sutureless Skin Closure in Varicose Vein Surgery: Preliminary Results

OBJECTIVE: To describe the preliminary results of a special method of wound closure in varicose vein surgery using the tissue adhesive butyl-2-cyanoacrylate. METHODS: Eighteen consecutive young women (mean age 23 years) underwent partial stripping of the greater saphenous vein for varicose veins of the lower limbs by an external phleboextractor. Their wounds were closed without sutures by means of the adhesive butyl-2-cyanoacrylate. The cutaneous edges were drawn together by linear traction between forceps and the adhesive was applied and allowed to set. Less than 0.5 ml of adhesive was required to complete the entire procedure. Wounds were evaluated at 7 days for infection, dehiscence, and tissue reactions. At 6 months all wounds were rated for cosmesis using a validated visual analog scale, that is, a 100 mm line with "worst scar" at the right end of the line and "best scar" at the left end. All patients were interviewed about their acceptance of tissue adhesive skin closure. RESULTS: The mean time required to close the epidermis with the adhesive was 117 seconds. All patients were followed up for 6 months. At 7 days no adverse outcomes had occurred. Results of wound evaluation at 6 months by the visual analog scale showed scores of 22.2 +/- 13.8 mm (optimal). The percentage of optimal scores was 94.4%, and only one patient (5.6%) had a suboptimal score. Inquiry into the patient's opinions suggested that this procedure was very acceptable. CONCLUSION: Preliminary results with sutureless skin closure in varicose vein surgery have been very encouraging. This fast and cosmetic method of wound repair can replace the need for skin sutures in varicose vein surgery.     

Algorithm for prioritization of patients on the waiting list for liver transplantation

Prioritization of patients on the waiting list (WL) for OLT is still a critical issue. Numerous models have been developed to predict mortality before and after OLT. AIM: The aim of the study was to prospectively evaluate cirrhotics with and without hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) undergoing orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) severity of liver disease on the WL and at transplant, mortality on the WL and after OLT, and their correlations. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An algorithm based on seven patient variables (MELD, CTP, UNOS, HCC, BMI, waiting time, age) was created by software dedicated to prioritize patients on the waiting list. RESULTS: We evaluated 118 patients including 75 men and 43 women of age range 19 to 66 years, who underwent OLT from July 2004 to June 2006. Mean CTP and MELD at listing were 8.44 (range 6-12) and 13 (range 2-24), respectively. Overall mortality on the WL at 24 months was 13%, which was significantly higher among patients with MELD > 25 compared to patients with MELD 0 to 15 (P < .0001) or MELD 16 to 25 (P = .0007) at listing. Mean MELD at OLT was 15 (range 7-36), which was significantly lower in patients with than without HCC (MELD 12 vs 16; P = .0003). Six hundred-day patient survival was significantly lower among patients with MELD > 25 compared to patients with MELD < 25 at OLT (P = .017), whereas no difference in survival was observed between patients with and without HCC. CONCLUSIONS: The sickest patients are characterized by high mortality both on the waiting list and after liver transplantation. Patients with HCC are transplanted in better condition compared to patients without HCC with the same survival.