Background: Waiting lists in elective surgery are dynamical sets affected by complex interaction of many factors: explicit prioritizing algorithms are now considered as an important matter by most of public health care systems. In 2002... more
Background: Waiting lists in elective surgery are dynamical sets affected by complex interaction of many factors: explicit prioritizing algorithms are now considered as an important matter by most of public health care systems. In 2002 Italian government approved 4 urgency related groups (URGs) for admission to elective surgery but health personnel was not ready to adopt this new methodology and
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Research Interests: Algorithms, Distributed Computing, Computational Biology, Breast Cancer, Gene expression, and 16 moreDistributed Data Mining, Database Management Systems, Biological Sciences, Software, Computer Simulation, Mathematical Sciences, BMC Bioinformatics, Information Storage and Retrieval, Biological Process, Large Dataset Analysis, Internet, Microarray Data, Performance Test, Data Grid, Software Package, and Gene Expression Data
Background: Waiting lists in elective surgery are dynamical sets affected by complex interaction of many factors: explicit prioritizing algorithms are now considered as an important matter by most of public health care systems. In 2002... more
Background: Waiting lists in elective surgery are dynamical sets affected by complex interaction of many factors: explicit prioritizing algorithms are now considered as an important matter by most of public health care systems. In 2002 Italian government approved 4 urgency related groups (URGs) for admission to elective surgery but health personnel was not ready to adopt this new methodology and
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We describe an acquisition/processing procedure for image reconstruction in dynamic Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). The approach requires sliding window to record a set of trajectories in the k-space, standard regularization to... more
We describe an acquisition/processing procedure for image reconstruction in dynamic Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). The approach requires sliding window to record a set of trajectories in the k-space, standard regularization to reconstruct an estimate of the object and compressed sensing to recover image residuals. We validated this approach in the case of specific simulated experiments and, in the case of real measurements, we showed that the procedure is reliable even in the case of data acquired by means of a low-field scanner.
Operating room (OR) sessions planning is often critical, due to potential clinical consequences of errors, while access to surgery often follows non transparent prioritization. In previous projects we designed the Surgical Waiting List... more
Operating room (OR) sessions planning is often critical, due to potential clinical consequences of errors, while access to surgery often follows non transparent prioritization. In previous projects we designed the Surgical Waiting List InfoSystem (SWALIS) model to prioritize elective waiting lists. In the present study we present further modeling work, aiming at building instruments to plan OR session. Two new
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ABSTRACT
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In Paramecium primaurelia, an exconjugant cell can produce two lines with different mating capacities. Mating type II cells can form a higher food vacuole number and digest the nutrient taken up in a shorter time; thus, mating type II... more
In Paramecium primaurelia, an exconjugant cell can produce two lines with different mating capacities. Mating type II cells can form a higher food vacuole number and digest the nutrient taken up in a shorter time; thus, mating type II cells grow at a faster rate than do mating type I cells. The present study was done to determine whether cells that ingest more nutrients also have a larger amount of storage lipids. Quantitative and qualitative determinations of neutral lipids were obtained by means of cytofluorometry and fluorescence confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), respectively, by using nile red on cells in different physiologic states. Lipid droplet number and neutral lipid content were higher in mating type II cells than in mating type I cells in the early logarithmic growth phase (i.e., immature well-fed cells). These values were reversed during the middle and the late logarithmic phases and became equal in the stationary phase (i.e., mature starved cells). In well-fed cells maintained with food excess, differences in neutral lipid content between the two mating types also were present in mature cells. Although differences between mating type I and mating type II lines were not correlated to cell size, a relation was found between lipid content and food ingestion capacity. A depletion of bacteria in the culture medium could be responsible for the lack of differences in mature starved cells. CLSM allowed us to gather volume information about the lipid droplet distribution within the cell.
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Research Interests: Italy, Clinical Practice, Library and Information Studies, Prospective studies, Humans, and 10 moreReal Time, Waiting lists, Public health systems and services research, Real-Time Data Processing, Process Model, Waiting Time, Ministry of Health, Test Bed, Performance Index, and Health Services Accessibility
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About 30% of patients with epilepsy are unresponsive to drugs and, in case of serious impairment, may undergo surgical resection of the epileptogenic zone (EZ). Positive surgical outcome depends on multiple factors which must be analyzed... more
About 30% of patients with epilepsy are unresponsive to drugs and, in case of serious impairment, may undergo surgical resection of the epileptogenic zone (EZ). Positive surgical outcome depends on multiple factors which must be analyzed in preoperative phase. Basic investigation includes clinical examination, video-EEG and high resolution MRI. Actually, invasive exploration by intracerebral electrodes may lead to positive outcome
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ABSTRACT
Research Interests:
The cellular acid phosphatase content, a marker enzyme for lysosomal activity, in Paramecium primaurelia mating type I and mating type II cells was determined by optical laser scanning microscopy. The naphthol AS-TR... more
The cellular acid phosphatase content, a marker enzyme for lysosomal activity, in Paramecium primaurelia mating type I and mating type II cells was determined by optical laser scanning microscopy. The naphthol AS-TR phosphatase-hexazotized pararosaniline method was used to visualize acid phosphatase activity by the light microscopy. Cell lines of both mating types were tested during culture life, from the early log phase to the death phase. The amount of acid phosphatase was higher in mating type II than in mating type I until the onset of the stationary phase, and then the values reversed. Indeed, during the log phase of growth, mating type II cells formed a higher number of food vacuoles, so that, by taking up a higher amount of bacteria, they sooner became deprived of food. It is suggested that, by lacking nutrients, their synthesis activities and acid phosphatase content were reduced as compared with mating type I cells.
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1. Eur J Histochem. 1997;41 Suppl 2:183-4. Lectin internalization and intracellular transport in Paramecium primaurelia cells blocked in phagocytic activity studied through CLSM. Ramoino P, Beltrame F, Diaspro A, Fato M. Istituto di... more
1. Eur J Histochem. 1997;41 Suppl 2:183-4. Lectin internalization and intracellular transport in Paramecium primaurelia cells blocked in phagocytic activity studied through CLSM. Ramoino P, Beltrame F, Diaspro A, Fato M. Istituto di Zoologia, Università di Genova, Italy. PMID: 9859840 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]. MeSH Terms. Animals; Concanavalin A/metabolism; Ferritins/metabolism; Lectins/metabolism*; Microscopy, Confocal; Paramecium ...
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Starting from MR and CT images for a given patient, a new single image representation of all parameters has been generated by using false-color techniques in a standard UNIX and X-11 environment. A transformation linking together the MR,... more
Starting from MR and CT images for a given patient, a new single image representation of all parameters has been generated by using false-color techniques in a standard UNIX and X-11 environment. A transformation linking together the MR, CT parameters and the RGB (red, green, blue) color components has been used. Moreover an unsupervised segmentation method based on a number of neural and fuzzy models may directly produce segmented image volumes. Each image of the various sequences has been interactively displayed by using a specifically designed application. The resulting images have been displayed on a stereo monitor allowing the three-dimensional rendering of visual data through LCD shuttered glasses. Moreover, a 3-D control system based on low frequency magnetic fields has been used, while a bandheld Polhemus stylus could be used as an electronic knife for dissecting the 3-D data set and for defining flaps and grafts. Bone or soft-tissue contour can be analyzed, and sections can be removed from the model to allow a view of the underlying structures. Flaps and grafts obtained utilizing the above-reported techniques can be fitted exactly, without repeated removal and recarving. Nuances of depth, tapering, and arc are carved directly into the bone, while chances of asymmetry are markedly diminished. In this way, moreover, anesthetic times are reduced by more efficient utilization of operative time, which usually offsets the increased cost of imaging.
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Trichocysts are secretory organelles located at the surface of several ciliates, docked at the plasma membrane. Their secretion is similar to other exocytic processes: the trichocyst membrane fuses with the plasma membrane, its content is... more
Trichocysts are secretory organelles located at the surface of several ciliates, docked at the plasma membrane. Their secretion is similar to other exocytic processes: the trichocyst membrane fuses with the plasma membrane, its content is released outside the cell, and the membrane is retrieved back into the cell. The fate of the trichocyst membrane in living Paramecium primaurelia was investigated by inducing massive synchronous exocytosis in the presence of fluorescein isothiocyanate-conjugated lectins or of cationized ferritin. The marker is trapped within the retrieved trichocyst membrane sac, and many regularly spaced, fluorescent ghosts are formed. As time proceeds, the number of labeled ghosts decreases, and few fluorescent vacuoles appear within the cell. The relationship between trichocyst ghosts and the vesicles of the phagosome-lysosome system was examined by labeling cells with Texas Red-conjugated bovine serum albumin, a fluorescent marker for phagocytosis. Starting from two confocal images of the same cell labeled with the two fluorescent probes, a new single image was generated by associating each image with a different red or green value. This multimodal analysis showed that trichocyst ghosts fuse with secondary lysosomes or are incorporated into digestive vacuoles. The vacuolar content is degraded and fluorescence is then found in the vesicles of the phagosome-lysosome system, and, at last, in small weakly labeled vesicles located on the cell surface.
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Total 3-D reconstruction of the tumor size, shape, and relations with surrounding structures using CT, MRI, sonography, and angiography images can make simulated radical resection of soft-tissue sarcomas possible, thus sparing normal... more
Total 3-D reconstruction of the tumor size, shape, and relations with surrounding structures using CT, MRI, sonography, and angiography images can make simulated radical resection of soft-tissue sarcomas possible, thus sparing normal tissues. With our approach, starting from three MR images for a given patient, a new single image representation of all three parameters is generated by using two different techniques on a workstation in a standard UNIX and X-11 environment. The first one is a transformation linking together the MR parameters and the RGB (red, green, blue) color components. The second one is an unsupervised segmentation method based on a number of neural and fuzzy models. We can dinamically render and update a stereo display using field sequential presentation of left and right eye views on the monitor, with Cristal Eyes LCD shutter eyewear (StereoGraphics Inc., San Rafael, CA) to view it. As 3D locating tool, a 3D locating control system based on low-frequency magnetic fields (Polhemus Fastrak) has been chosen. Simulations of soft-tissues excisions may be performed in this interactive environment with augmented-reality modalities. All this, in our experience, has greatly facilitated the simulation of soft-tissue sarcoma excisions.
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1. Eur J Histochem. 1997;41 Suppl 2:103-4. The use of CLSM to visualize the membrane flow during phagocytosis and exocytosis in Paramecium primaurelia. Ramoino P, Diaspro A, Beltrame F, Fato M. Istituto di Zoologia, Università di Genova,... more
1. Eur J Histochem. 1997;41 Suppl 2:103-4. The use of CLSM to visualize the membrane flow during phagocytosis and exocytosis in Paramecium primaurelia. Ramoino P, Diaspro A, Beltrame F, Fato M. Istituto di Zoologia, Università di Genova, Italy. PMID: 9859804 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]. MeSH Terms. Animals; Cell Membrane/physiology*; Exocytosis*; Microscopy, Confocal*; Paramecium/physiology*; Phagocytosis*.
Research Interests:
About 30% of patients with epilepsy are unresponsive to drugs and, in case of serious impairment, may undergo surgical resection of the epileptogenic zone (EZ). Positive surgical outcome depends on multiple factors which must be analyzed... more
About 30% of patients with epilepsy are unresponsive to drugs and, in case of serious impairment, may undergo surgical resection of the epileptogenic zone (EZ). Positive surgical outcome depends on multiple factors which must be analyzed in preoperative phase. Basic investigation includes clinical examination, video-EEG and high resolution MRI. Actually, invasive exploration by intracerebral electrodes may lead to positive outcome
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
ABSTRACT
1. Eur J Histochem. 1997;41 Suppl 2:183-4. Lectin internalization and intracellular transport in Paramecium primaurelia cells blocked in phagocytic activity studied through CLSM. Ramoino P, Beltrame F, Diaspro A, Fato M. Istituto di... more
1. Eur J Histochem. 1997;41 Suppl 2:183-4. Lectin internalization and intracellular transport in Paramecium primaurelia cells blocked in phagocytic activity studied through CLSM. Ramoino P, Beltrame F, Diaspro A, Fato M. Istituto di Zoologia, Università di Genova, Italy. PMID: 9859840 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]. MeSH Terms. Animals; Concanavalin A/metabolism; Ferritins/metabolism; Lectins/metabolism*; Microscopy, Confocal; Paramecium ...
Research Interests:
1. Eur J Histochem. 1997;41 Suppl 2:103-4. The use of CLSM to visualize the membrane flow during phagocytosis and exocytosis in Paramecium primaurelia. Ramoino P, Diaspro A, Beltrame F, Fato M. Istituto di Zoologia, Università di Genova,... more
1. Eur J Histochem. 1997;41 Suppl 2:103-4. The use of CLSM to visualize the membrane flow during phagocytosis and exocytosis in Paramecium primaurelia. Ramoino P, Diaspro A, Beltrame F, Fato M. Istituto di Zoologia, Università di Genova, Italy. PMID: 9859804 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]. MeSH Terms. Animals; Cell Membrane/physiology*; Exocytosis*; Microscopy, Confocal*; Paramecium/physiology*; Phagocytosis*.
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UK PubMed Central (UKPMC) is an archive of life sciences journal literature.
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Molecular biology laboratories require extensive metadata to improve data collection and analysis. The heterogeneity of the collected metadata grows as research is evolving in to international multi-disciplinary collaborations and... more
Molecular biology laboratories require extensive metadata to improve data collection and analysis. The heterogeneity of the collected metadata grows as research is evolving in to international multi-disciplinary collaborations and increasing data sharing among institutions. Single standardization is not feasible and it becomes crucial to develop digital repositories with flexible and extensible data models, as in the case of modern integrated biobanks management. We developed a novel data model in JSON format to describe heterogeneous data in a generic biomedical science scenario. The model is built on two hierarchical entities: processes and events, roughly corresponding to research studies and analysis steps within a single study. A number of sequential events can be grouped in a process building up a hierarchical structure to track patient and sample history. Each event can produce new data. Data is described by a set of user-defined metadata, and may have one or more associated ...
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This paper reports the results of the first of the two systems developed by JUST, a collaborative project supported by the European Union under the Information Society Technologies (IST) Programme. The most innovative content of the... more
This paper reports the results of the first of the two systems developed by JUST, a collaborative project supported by the European Union under the Information Society Technologies (IST) Programme. The most innovative content of the project has been the design and development of a complementary training course for non-professional health emergency operators, which supports the traditional learning phase, and which purports to improve the retention capability of the trainees. This was achieved with the use of advanced information technology techniques, which provide adequate support and can help to overcome the present weaknesses of the existing training mechanisms.
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Starting from MR and CT images for a given patient, a new single image representation of all parameters has been generated by using false-color techniques in a standard UNIX and X-11 environment. A transformation linking together the MR,... more
Starting from MR and CT images for a given patient, a new single image representation of all parameters has been generated by using false-color techniques in a standard UNIX and X-11 environment. A transformation linking together the MR, CT parameters and the RGB (red, green, blue) color components has been used. Moreover an unsupervised segmentation method based on a number of neural and fuzzy models may directly produce segmented image volumes. Each image of the various sequences has been interactively displayed by using a specifically designed application. The resulting images have been displayed on a stereo monitor allowing the three-dimensional rendering of visual data through LCD shuttered glasses. Moreover, a 3-D control system based on low frequency magnetic fields has been used, while a bandheld Polhemus stylus could be used as an electronic knife for dissecting the 3-D data set and for defining flaps and grafts. Bone or soft-tissue contour can be analyzed, and sections can...
Research Interests:
Total 3-D reconstruction of the tumor size, shape, and relations with surrounding structures using CT, MRI, sonography, and angiography images can make simulated radical resection of soft-tissue sarcomas possible, thus sparing normal... more
Total 3-D reconstruction of the tumor size, shape, and relations with surrounding structures using CT, MRI, sonography, and angiography images can make simulated radical resection of soft-tissue sarcomas possible, thus sparing normal tissues. With our approach, starting from three MR images for a given patient, a new single image representation of all three parameters is generated by using two different techniques on a workstation in a standard UNIX and X-11 environment. The first one is a transformation linking together the MR parameters and the RGB (red, green, blue) color components. The second one is an unsupervised segmentation method based on a number of neural and fuzzy models. We can dinamically render and update a stereo display using field sequential presentation of left and right eye views on the monitor, with Cristal Eyes LCD shutter eyewear (StereoGraphics Inc., San Rafael, CA) to view it. As 3D locating tool, a 3D locating control system based on low-frequency magnetic...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Trichocysts are secretory organelles located at the surface of several ciliates, docked at the plasma membrane. Their secretion is similar to other exocytic processes: the trichocyst membrane fuses with the plasma membrane, its content is... more
Trichocysts are secretory organelles located at the surface of several ciliates, docked at the plasma membrane. Their secretion is similar to other exocytic processes: the trichocyst membrane fuses with the plasma membrane, its content is released outside the cell, and the membrane is retrieved back into the cell. The fate of the trichocyst membrane in living Paramecium primaurelia was investigated by inducing massive synchronous exocytosis in the presence of fluorescein isothiocyanate-conjugated lectins or of cationized ferritin. The marker is trapped within the retrieved trichocyst membrane sac, and many regularly spaced, fluorescent ghosts are formed. As time proceeds, the number of labeled ghosts decreases, and few fluorescent vacuoles appear within the cell. The relationship between trichocyst ghosts and the vesicles of the phagosome-lysosome system was examined by labeling cells with Texas Red-conjugated bovine serum albumin, a fluorescent marker for phagocytosis. Starting fro...
Research Interests:
The cellular acid phosphatase content, a marker enzyme for lysosomal activity, in Paramecium primaurelia mating type I and mating type II cells was determined by optical laser scanning microscopy. The naphthol AS-TR... more
The cellular acid phosphatase content, a marker enzyme for lysosomal activity, in Paramecium primaurelia mating type I and mating type II cells was determined by optical laser scanning microscopy. The naphthol AS-TR phosphatase-hexazotized pararosaniline method was used to visualize acid phosphatase activity by the light microscopy. Cell lines of both mating types were tested during culture life, from the early log phase to the death phase. The amount of acid phosphatase was higher in mating type II than in mating type I until the onset of the stationary phase, and then the values reversed. Indeed, during the log phase of growth, mating type II cells formed a higher number of food vacuoles, so that, by taking up a higher amount of bacteria, they sooner became deprived of food. It is suggested that, by lacking nutrients, their synthesis activities and acid phosphatase content were reduced as compared with mating type I cells.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
The XTENS (eXTensible Environment for NeuroScience) platform consists in an highly extensible environment for collaborative work that improve repeatability of experiment and provides data storage and analysis capabilities. The platform is... more
The XTENS (eXTensible Environment for NeuroScience) platform consists in an highly extensible environment for collaborative work that improve repeatability of experiment and provides data storage and analysis capabilities. The platform is divided in repository and application domains, branched in services with different purpose. The first domain is the central component of the platform and consists in a multimodal repository with a client-server architecture. The second one provides remote tools for image and signal visualization and analysis. The main issue for such a platform is not only to provide an extensible collaborative environment, but also to build a development platform for testing models and algorithms in neuroscience. For these reasons a Grid approach has been considered. Both computational and data Grids infrastructures can be exploited to analyze and share large datasets of distributed data. The architecture has been deployed to support surgical planning for patients ...
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ABSTRACT Aim of DECIDE (Diagnostic Enhancement of Confidence by an International Distributed Environment) is to design, implement, and validate a GRID-based e-Infrastructure building upon neuGRID and relying on the Pan-European backbone... more
ABSTRACT Aim of DECIDE (Diagnostic Enhancement of Confidence by an International Distributed Environment) is to design, implement, and validate a GRID-based e-Infrastructure building upon neuGRID and relying on the Pan-European backbone GEANT and the NRENs. Over this eInfrastructure, a service will be provided for the computer-aided extraction of diagnostic disease markers for Alzheimer’s disease and schizophrenia from multimodal medical images and patterns (PET, SPECT, MRI and EEG).
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We have developed two telecare applications based on mobile telephony (WAP) and WEB. The first can be used to request Basic Life Support (BLS) guidelines any time by using a WAP device and to teach people and non-professionals involved in... more
We have developed two telecare applications based on mobile telephony (WAP) and WEB. The first can be used to request Basic Life Support (BLS) guidelines any time by using a WAP device and to teach people and non-professionals involved in health care emergency situations. The second is a WEB-WAP based tool for medical data retrieval and at-home health care monitoring of chronically ill patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) or diabetes. Medical education content related to these diseases is available on the WEB and on the WAP device. The WAP application uses the features found in the last generation of mobile phones such as better multimedia information presentations, better interactivity capabilities, and enhanced ease of use. Based on these two applications, a promising platform is offered for developing applications in health care, home care, medical monitoring and health education ensuring continuity of care. In the paper we present the preliminary results of a pilot test ...
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Schematic drawing of phagocytic and endocytic pathways of internalization in Paramecium based upon WGA-FITC and dextran-TXR staining. Without phagocytosis inhibition the ingested material is directed by the oral membranelle beating into... more
Schematic drawing of phagocytic and endocytic pathways of internalization in Paramecium based upon WGA-FITC and dextran-TXR staining. Without phagocytosis inhibition the ingested material is directed by the oral membranelle beating into the buccal cavity (bc), the cytopharynx and, at last, into the nascent food vacuole (nfv). The newly formed food vacuole (I) is surrounded by acidosomes (ac) discharging their content into it. The vacuole reduces its size by eliminating water and membrane trough small pinocytic vesicles. The ...