Widespread Type Research Articles

Microplastics induced ileum damage: Morphological and immunohistochemical study.

Microplastics (MPs) are small pieces of plastic that are widely distributed in the environment and accumulate within living organisms, so they are the most common types of pollutants at the present time. One of the most widespread types of MP in the environment is polyethylene (PE) MPs. There have been many published studies on the effect of PE MPs combined with other pollutants or chemicals such as benzoanthracene, emamectin benzoate, heavy metals and 4-nonylphenol, on some marine, amphibian, and mouse models. However, research has rarely been conducted on how single-use PE MPs affect the ileum of mammals. The current study is focused on the impact of PE MP exposure with different concentration (6, 60, 600 μg/mL PE/MPs) for 15 days, followed by 15 days of recovery on small intestine(ileum) of C57BL/6 murine model with precision and detail at the cell level by using different technique (histology, histochemistry, immunohistochemistry, and transmission electron microscope). Results demonstrated that the intestinal tissue exhibited nuclear pyknosis, villus deformation, shortness of villi, degeneration of lamina propria, hyperplasia of goblet cells, increase of goblet cells secretion, Alcian blue and Periodic acid-Schiff stain positivity of intact goblet cells, highly significance of P53 immunoreaction expression specially in high concentrations (600 μg/day of PE/MPs) and Ki-67 immunoreaction expression. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: Different doses of microplastics (MPs) induced sever morphological alternations and clinical observations. MPs were deposits in cells and were observed in ultrastructure study. Recovery period able to ameliorate to the most extent the alternations caused by MPs administration.

Context and perspectives of sub-orbital activities and transit through airspace/ground support activities

This paper provides some considerations on the current context and perspectives concerning the sub-orbital activities and transit through airspace/ground support activities issued in the frame of the IAF-IAA-IISL Working Group on Space Traffic Management (STM). The group brought together experts from different backgrounds and countries in order to analyze the different aspects of these activities, namely, technically, programmatically, and legally.The rise in space activities, both orbital and suborbital, increases the number of possible interactions with national airspace, inducing potential problems of traffic management. Spacecraft transiting through airspace (both international and national) involve different objects (satellites, launch vehicles, rocket bodies, suborbital vehicles, aircraft …) and missions with varied associated risks. These risks can be generally characterized by the time in airspace, the velocity of spacecraft, and its altitude. Despite the increase in space activities, there are currently no binding international rules specific for spacecraft traversing through airspace. However, there are guidelines, national frameworks, recommendations from organizations (e.g. UN-COPUOS, OSI) covering part of the interaction of space activities and transit through airspace. Additionally, some may argue customary international law exists in the current practice of preventing fallout during launch/re-entry activity into sovereign airspace.The rising number of spaceports, both for orbital and suborbital missions, contribute to increase of space traffic in terms of location of the launch sites and of widespread type of launch and re-entry missions.The working group focused on the identification of the objects to be considered for this interaction, the current available rules and guidelines, the recommendations issued by specific organizations on the subject, and the experts’ advice in order to have a global view of the context and summarize some general recommendations for future operations.

The influence of rehabilitation on the quality of life after radical treatment of endometrial cancer and atypical endometrial hyperplasia

Background. Gynecological cancers in women are a widespread type of oncology. Among them, endometrial cancer (EC) is often highlighted as one of the most common diseases in this group. The analysis of publications showed insufficient effectiveness of rehabilitation in patients with EC and recurrent atypical endometrial hyperplasia (rAEH).Objective: to compare the state of patients with rAEH or EC after hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, depending on the recovery tactics.Material and methods. The study included 119 patients diagnosed with rAEH (n=58) or stage IA EC (n=61) after hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy. The group of women with rAEH was divided into two subgroups: 1A (“active” rehabilitation, n=27) and 1B (“passive” rehabilitation, n=31); two subgroups were also formed from the cohort of EC patients: 2A (“active” rehabilitation, n=29) and 2B (“passive” rehabilitation, n=32). “Active’ rehabilitation included a comprehensive, personalized program, “passive” one was based on standard rehabilitation protocols. Apart from standard clinical examination of patients, their quality of life (QoL), physical condition as well as the levels of cytokines and other biochemical blood parameters were assessed.Results. An analysis of the overall picture showed a high incidence of rAEH or EC in women aged 40–49 years. Comorbid pathologies, low QoL level and a number of significant changes in laboratory parameters were often observed. Regardless of the approach to rehabilitation, the patients' health improved over the course of 12 months. “Active” rehabilitation significantly improved psychological well-being, sexual function, overall QoL and a number of other objective health indicators of patients with rAEH or EC compared to standard rehabilitation course.Conclusion. The overall picture of rAEH or EC patients was presented, the main factors that reduce QoL in women with these diseases were identified. A system of integral QoL assessment in patients with rAEH or stage IA EC was developed including subjective and objective parameters obtained during general clinical examination, laboratory tests and analysis of questionnairing results, which should be used to adequately monitor the state of patients after surgery and the effectiveness of rehabilitation. The advantage of comprehensive rehabilitation over standard protocols in terms of efficiency and speed of recovery was shown.

An active & passive dual-targeting platform for the precise treatment, process monitoring and effective protection of central nervous system infection

Precise antibacterial activity and effective inflammatory response reduction are critical for successful treatment of Intracranial infection after craniocerebral surgery, which remains an unmet clinical challenge. Herein, an intracranial drug delivery liposome (AFAA-lipo) that possesses dual active&passive targeting capability, direct antibacterial ability, favorable inflammation regulation, and excellent biocompatibility is developed as an antibiotics-free and hardly bacterial-resistance-induced platform for the management of intracranial infection. The surface-anchored specific peptide sequence HRERMS (the oligopeptide designed sourced from β-amyloid precursor protein) makes AFAA-lipo actively penetrate the blood–brain barrier and then perforated and lysed under the stimulation of α-toxin secreted by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA, a severe and widespread intracranial infection type) in the infected site. Our results demonstrate that the AFAA-lipo can eliminate bacteria and biofilms, and reduce inflammatory response through mitochondrial function protection, DNA preservation from damage, TNFR1/NF-κB signaling pathway inhibition, and promotion of microglial polarization towards the anti-inflammatory subtype, ultimately improving post-infection prognosis and survival rate. More interestingly, the pre-intake of AFAA-lipo is capable to reduce MRSA infection risk and alleviate inflammatory response. Furthermore, the near-infrared (NIR) II region imaging fluorescence signal intensity variations of AFAA-lipo is proved the validation to monitor the course of the disease.

Развитие ночного туризма: преимущества и недостатки

The article is devoted to the analysis of the features of night tourism, as a recently emerged and not yet widespread type of tourism activity. The work analyzes approaches to the concept of night tourism, its origin, reasons for its growing popularity, foreign practice in implementing night tourism programs using the example of China, Taiwan, Vietnam and other countries. Various forms of nighttime entertainment are generalized, the advantages and disadvantages of night tourism are highlighted, and Russia's capabilities for forming a cluster of nighttime tourist sites are assessed. In conclusion, it is concluded that night tourism effectively complements daytime tourist routes, and has potential for development in Russian cities.

Soil erosion risk in the Mocache Canton applying multicriteria analysis and geographic information systems

Soil erosion is one of the main and most widespread types of soil degradation, determined by environmental and anthropogenic factors, which significantly impact the physical, chemical and biological properties of the soil, favoring its degradation. Consequently, through this research we sought to evaluate the risk of soil erosion in the canton of Mocache through the application of multicriteria analysis techniques and the use of geographic information systems (GIS). The CORINE model included several criteria for the zoning of potential and actual erosion risk, including erosivity, defined by the Modified Fournier Index (MFI) and the Bagnouls-Gaussen Aridity Index (BGI); erodibility, composed of soil texture, stoniness and depth; soil occupation; slope-orientation; and vegetation cover, through the estimation of the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). An expert consultation supported by Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) was applied to define the contribution of each criterion to erosion risk. The resulting layers were combined using a weighted relationship (map algebra) within the GIS environment. It was obtained that slope-orientation and erosivity explain a large part of the erosion risk, with a weighting of 42.46% and 27.48% in order, according to the expert evaluation and the AHP. The high erosivity was contributed by the predominant climatic factors: intense precipitation and high temperatures. In addition, it was found that the potentialand current erosion risk represent 13.1% (7,244 ha) and 10.7% (5,905 ha) of the territorial extension. It is concluded that physical-natural, meteorological factors and anthropogenic activities contribute to the risk of potential and current soil erosion in Mocache canton

Boltzmann thermometry: Eu3+-doped monoclinic Y2O3 and Y2O3@SiO2 nanoparticles

During last decade optical thermometry has gained considerable attention due to the possibility to determine temperature remotely in cases when traditional contact methods fail. The most widespread type of optical temperature sensors is based on monitoring luminescence intensity ratio between transition originated from thermally coupled energy levels. Eu3+ ions own the largest energy gap between thermally coupled 5D1 and 5D0 energy levels among all lanthanides, which guarantees a high thermal sensitivity of Boltzmann-type thermometry. Here, uncoated m-Y2O3:Eu3+ and core-shell m-Y2O3:Eu3+@SiO2 nanophosphors have been successfully utilized as ratiometric thermal sensors within the 298–873 K range. It was shown that the calculation method (integral or peak intensities) only slightly affects thermal sensitivity. SiO2 coating significantly enhances emission intensity and increases lifetime, but has no noticeable effect on thermal sensitivity. m-Y2O3:Eu3+ nanophosphor has the best thermometric characteristics of Sr = 0.96 % K-1 at 373K and δT = 0.5 K.

ANALYSIS OF THE POSSIBILITIES OF MODERN RESEARCH METHODS FOR THE DIAGNOSTIC OF HEMORRAGE IN THE SUBSTANCE OF THE HUMAN BRAIN (LITERATURE REVIEW)

Traumatic brain injury is one of the most widespread and complex types of mechanical injury today, which involves many fields of medical practice, including neurosurgery, neurology, rehabilitation, forensic medicine, etc., and requires a multidisciplinary approach to its solution. Aim of the work: to analyse, on the basis of data from literary sources, the possibilities of modern research methods for the diagnosis of haemorrhages in the substance of the human brain and their genesis. Research results. The gold standard for verification of the diagnosis in forensic medicine is a forensic histological examination, however, the classical technique of histological differential diagnosis of the genesis and time of formation of a haemorrhage in the brain substance is not effective. The diagnosis of traumatic brain injury can be complicated in cases where there are no macroscopic signs of head trauma and little information is available about the circumstances of death. Therefore, a number of researchers have explored the possibility of using biomarkers to provide objective evidence of traumatic brain injury as the cause of death or to estimate the survival and post-mortem time of the deceased. Biophysical studies using a laser have shown potential success in the field of traumatic brain injury diagnostics. Preliminary conclusions regarding the possibility of differentiating the genesis of cerebral haemorrhage using the method of reconstructing distributions of the magnitude of linear dichroism fluctuations gave positive results. Conclusion. It was found that biochemical studies show significant success in the diagnosis of traumatic brain injury, some markers even make it possible to differentiate the genesis of brain haemorrhage, but forensic medical practice requires the development of easy-to-use, highly effective methods to verify the type of human brain injury. This role can potentially be fulfilled by physical-optical methods based on laser irradiation of biological objects followed by mathematical and statistical processing of the obtained data.

A Multi-Objective Non-Dominated Sorting Gravitational Search Algorithm for Assembly Flow-Shop Scheduling of Marine Prefabricated Cabins

Prefabricated cabin modular units (PMCUs) are a widespread type of intermediate products used during ship or offshore platform construction. This paper focuses on the scheduling problem of PMCU assembly flow shops, which is summarized as a multi-objective, fuzzy-blocking hybrid flow-shop-scheduling problem based on learning and fatigue effects (FB-HFSP-LF) to minimize the maximum fuzzy makespan and maximize the average fuzzy due-date agreement index. This paper proposes a multi-objective non-dominated sorting gravitational search algorithm (MONSGSA) to solve it. In the proposed MONSGSA, the ranked-order value is used to convert continuous solutions to discrete solutions. Multi-dimensional Latin hypercube sampling is used to enhance initial population diversity. Setting up an external archive to maintain non-dominated solutions while introducing an adaptive inertia factor and a trap avoidance operator to guide individual positional updates. The results of multiple sets of experiments show that Pareto solutions of MONSGSA have better distribution and convergence compared to other competitors. Finally, the instance of PMCU manufacturer is used for validation, and the results show that MONSGSA has better applicability to practical problems.

Геополитика как идеология

The article presents arguments in favor of interpreting geopolitics as one of the widespread types of “false consciousness,” i.e., ideology. The author shows that the revival of the concept of geopolitics, as well as the ideas about the world of politics associated with this concept, was associated with the actualization of the neo-imperial view of the world. The basis of these ideologized ideas about politics as an arena for the implementation of the “intraspecific” struggle of states is a social Darwinist view of the world, according to which all peoples are enemies, conflict between states is the main form of relations between them according to the principle of a “zero-sum game”, and all unions, alliances and blocs are just tactical ploys that do not cancel the immanent common hostile essence. In other words, the ideology of geopolitics is based on the concept of “looking at neighbors through a gun sight.” The article is of a scientific and analytical nature and does not imply a direct connection with current policy issues.

Assessment of Interleukin 10 (IL-10) Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) in Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Patients

Abstract Background Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is the most common functional gastrointestinal disorder characterized by the presence of abdominal pain, bloating and altered bowel habits. The pathophysiological mechanisms underlying IBS are unclear. The abnormalities of motility, visceral hypersensitivity, gut microbial alteration and psychological stress contribute to the clinical symptoms of IBS. The associations of IBS and its risk gene polymorphisms have been ascertained by many researchers. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) represent the most widespread type of sequence variations in genomes. It is known to be valuable genetic markers, because it may reveal the evolutionary history and common genetic polymorphisms that explain the hereditary risks for common diseases. Cytokines are involved in the pathogenesis of IBS. To date, only a few studies concerned the association of interleukin-10 (IL-10) gene polymorphism (rs1800871) -819 position to IBS. Objective We assessed interleukin 10 (IL-10) single nucleotide polymorphism rs1800871 (-819 C/T) in IBS patients. Method This was comparative case - control study for 40 participants, 20 cases and 20 controls, IL-10 rs1800871 (−819 T/C) single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) was done via real time polymerase chain reaction for both study groups to assess its relation with IBS. Results The studied participants were divided into two groups according to ROME IV _criteria. For the case group (n = 20), the mean age was 41.05 ± 17.45 years, with 50% being male and 50% being female. In the control group (n = 20), mean age was 39.80 ± 14.84 years, with 25% being male and 75% being female Compared to the controls subjects, the frequencies of the IL-10 -819 T/T genotype and T allele were observed to be overrepresented in patients with IBS (60%; odds ratio [OR] = 1.143; 95% confidence interval [CI]: (0.152 – 8.593) for the TT genotype; P = 0.897) and (72.5%; OR: 1.582; 95% CI: (0.615 – 4.066)for the T allele; P = 0.341, respectively). The results demonstrated that T/T genotype was the most common genotype in the case group (60%). T allele was the most prevalent in case group (72.5%), while the C allele was the least prevalent (27.5%). However, T/T polymorphism in cases was greater than in control with non- statistical significance (p = 0.157). Conclusion IL-10 polymorphism (rs-1800871) has no association with IBS, However, T/T genotype was shown frequently in cases, with strong association with IBS. Abbreviations: IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), IL-10 (Interleukin-10 cytokine), SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism)

A Tyrolean fire hood made from helmets of the late Middle Ages: recycling and reuse of pieces of armour from the 14th to 19th centuries

One has to wonder where all the armour from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance that is no longer preserved might have gone. The article presents some forms of repurposing discarded pieces of armour. The focus is on two helms of the fourteenth century, which were secondarily used in a fire hood. The new finds not only tell an interesting story, they are also rare representatives of a once widespread type.

Innovations in Skin Cancer Nanotechnology: A Comprehensive Review.

Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer among white people, according to the World Health Organisation. The incidence of melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers has increased to epidemic levels, making them the most widespread type of skin cancer. Melanoma is a very aggressive form of cancer, characterized by limited treatment choices due to multidrug resistance and an extremely low probability of patient survival. This article explores the various impediments and limitations associated with conventionally available treatments. Chemotherapy, radiation, immunotherapy, and targeted therapy are among the conventional treatments for melanoma; however, each of these approaches has several adverse reactions. Recently, there has been a focus on biological and pharmacological research on developing alternative, site-specific therapy approaches. Nanotechnology offers several benefits in this regard, with the potential to enhance the longevity of melanoma patients while minimizing adverse effects. Nanoparticles serve as effective drug carrier systems due to their capacity to improve the solubility of medications with low water solubility, modify pharmacokinetics, prolong drug half-life by reducing immunogenicity, boost bioavailability, and decrease drug metabolism. This article highlights recent advancements in utilizing several nanotechnological techniques, including solid lipid nanoparticles, nanostructured lipid carriers, liposomes, transferosomes, ethosomes, and nanoemulsion polymeric mixed micelles.

Application of immune checkpoint inhibitors and microsatellite instability in gastric cancer

In this editorial we comment on the article by Li published in the recent issue of the World Journal of Gastroenterology . We focus specifically on the application of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) and microsatellite instability (MSI) in gastric cancer (GC). The four pillars of GC management have long been considered, including surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and targeted therapy. However, immunotherapy has recently emerged as a ”fifth pillar”, and its use is rapidly expanding. There are four principal strategies for tumor immunotherapy: ICIs, tumor vaccines, adoptive immunotherapy and nonspecific immunomodulators. Of them, ICIs are the most advanced and widespread type of cancer immunotherapy for GC. Recent breakthrough results for ICIs have paved the way to a new era of cancer immunotherapy. In particular, inhibition of the PD-1/PD-L1 axis with ICIs, including nivolumab and pembrolizumab, has emerged as a novel treatment strategy for advanced GC. Unfortunately, these therapies are sometimes associated with often subtle, potentially fatal immune-related adverse events (irAEs), including dermatitis, diarrhea, colitis, endocrinopathy, hepatotoxicity, neuropathy and pneumonitis. We must be aware of these irAEs and improve the detection of these processes to prevent inappropriate discharges, emergency department revisits, and downstream complications. Recent studies have revealed that MSI-high or mismatch- repair-deficient tumors, regardless of their primary site, have a promising response to ICIs. So, it is important to detect MSI before applying ICIs for treatment of GC.

Anticancer Potential of Postbiotic Derived from Lactobacillus brevis and Lactobacillus casei: In vitro Analysis of Breast Cancer Cell Line.

Breast cancer has emerged as the most widespread and dangerous type of malignancy among women worldwide. Postbiotics have recently emerged as a promising novel adjunct in breast cancer therapy, due to their immunomodulatory effects and the potential to mitigate the adverse effects of conventional treatments. This study aims to investigate the therapeutic effects of postbiotics derived from Lactobacillus brevis (CSF2) and Lactobacillus casei (CFS5), specifically examining their ability to inhibit cell proliferation and induce apoptosis in MCF-7 breast cancer cells. In the current study, the anticancer activity of the cell-free supernatant of L. brevis and L. casei was investigated against MCF-7 cells using MTT assay, flow cytometry, and qRT-PCR technique. Both bacteria showed a high potential for the induction of cell death in MCF-7 cells. However, CFS2 cytotoxicity was significantly higher than CFS5. Flow cytometry results showed significant induction of early apoptosis in cells treated with both CFS2 and CFS5 within 48h. The induction was notably higher in cells treated with CFS2 compared to CFS5. Overall, CFS2 therapy resulted in a greater increase in BAX and CASP9 gene expression, as well as an elevated BAX/BCL2 ratio within 48h. These findings indicate that the CFS2 treatment showed a higher level of apoptotic activity than the CFS5 treatment. High biocompatibility was demonstrated following treatment with CFS2 and CFS5. These CFSs may serve as adjunctive medications for suppressing the proliferation of cancer cells. The results of the current study highlight the potential of postbiotics in cancer treatment and suggest that supernatants may serve as effective agents for suppressing cancer cell growth and viability.

Time-Resolved Ion Mobility Mass Spectrometry to Solve Conformational Changes in a Cryptochrome.

Many biological mechanisms rely on the precise control of conformational changes in proteins. Understanding such dynamic processes requires methods for determining structures and their temporal evolution. In this study, we introduce a novel approach to time-resolved ion mobility mass spectrometry. We validated the method on a simple photoreceptor model and applied it to a more complex system, the animal-like cryptochrome from Chlamydomonas reinhardtii (CraCRY), to determine the role of specific amino acids affecting the conformational dynamics as reaction to blue light activation. In our setup, using a high-power LED mounted in the source region of an ion mobility mass spectrometer, we allow a time-resolved evaluation of mass and ion mobility spectra. Cryptochromes like CraCRY are a widespread type of blue light photoreceptors and mediate various light-triggered biological functions upon excitation of their inbuilt flavin chromophore. Another hallmark of cryptochromes is their flexible carboxy-terminal extension (CTE), whose structure and function as well as the details of its interaction with the photolyase homology region are not yet fully understood and differ among different cryptochromes types. Here, we addressed the highly conserved C-terminal domain of CraCRY, to study the effects of single mutations on the structural transition of the C-terminal helix α22 and the attached CTE upon lit-state formation. We show that D321, the putative proton acceptor of the terminal proton-coupled electron transfer event from Y373, is essential for triggering the large-scale conformational changes of helix α22 and the CTE in the lit state, while D323 influences the timing.

Orbea variegata (L.) Haw in skin carcinogenesis: insights from an in vivo male Swiss mouse model study

ABSTRACT Skin cancer is the most widespread type of malignant tumor representing a major public health concern. Considering the numerous side effects associated with conventional treatments, phytotherapy may be regarded as a viable medicinal alternative. This study aimed to investigate the therapeutic potential of Orbea variegata (L.) Haw, an ornamental plant, in treating skin cancer using an animal model induced by a combination of ultraviolet (UV) irradiation and sulfuric acid treatment. The hydroethanolic extract of Orbea variegata underwent phytochemical characterization, identifying the presence of reducing sugars, coumarins, alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, and saponins through qualitative screening. Quantitative analysis demonstrated significant amounts of phenolic compounds (29.435 ± 0.571 mg GAE/g of dry extract), flavonoids (6.711 ± 0.272 mg QE/g of dry extract), and tannins (274.037 ± 11.3 mg CE/g of dry extract). The administration the hydroethanolic extract in two concentrations (1 or 2 g/kg) to male Swiss mice exhibited no marked adverse effects, as evidenced by serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) enzyme activity levels. In addition, the extract significantly reduced skin hyperplasia and inflammation induced by UV/sulfuric acid treatment as noted in tissue analyses and decreased protein expression of nuclear proliferation marker (Ki-67). This improvement was associated with a marked decrease in oxidative stress, as indicated by diminished lipid peroxidation levels, and restoration of the activity of endogenous antioxidant enzyme catalase (CAT) to control levels. Our findings demonstrated the potential of Orbea variegata hydroethanolic extract to be considered as a treatment for skin cancer, exhibiting its apparent safety and efficacy in reducing inflammation and carcinogenesis in a UV/sulfuric acid-induced Swiss mouse model, attributed to its phytochemical content and associated antioxidant activities.

First insights into the age of the giant ice deposits in the Eisriesenwelt cave (Austria)

Frozen water is the most widespread type of ice present in ice caves and forms ice stalagmites and stalactites as well as floor ice, which is often several meters thick. Organic macroremains are commonly rare in this type of cave ice, which makes it difficult to establish a chronology and severely limits the use of such ice deposits as paleoenvironmental archives. Here, the chronology of such ice deposits in the inner part of the glaciated Eisriesenwelt, one of the world’s largest ice caves located in the European Alps of Austria, is determined by a combination of radiocarbon and 230Th dating of cryogenic calcite. The data suggest that this cave ice has formed over the last three millennia, with a marked increase in the average accumulation rate during the thirteenth century, coinciding with the onset of the Little Ice Age in the Alps. Data from a second site closer to the entrance suggests that large parts of this tourist cave were likely ice-free during the Medieval Warm Period and that a substantial part of the ice is probably a relic of the Little Ice Age. The current warming has already penetrated deeper into the cave than during the Medieval Warm Period, although air exchange during the warm season is restricted by a door at the cave entrance.

Skin-directed therapy and biologic response modifiers in mycosis fungoides.

The most common and widespread type of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma is mycosis fungoides (MF), and it has a multiphasic clinical and biological course, with early stages being indolent for many years and later stages being faster and more aggressive. The clinical stage has a significant impact on the management and course of treatment: in the early stages, skin-directed therapies (SDT) plus/or biologic response modifiers (BRM); in the later stages, radiotherapy and/or systemic therapies. Even though national and international societies and groups periodically update their clinical recommendations, there is still no universally accepted approach. This paper reviews and discusses the various SDT and BRM options, either separately or in combination.

“All employees are equal … but some are more equal than others”. Role identity and nonfamily member discrimination in family SMEs

PurposeThis paper aims to investigate if, under which conditions, and with which consequences, nonfamily members have the perception of being discriminated against as a consequence of nepotism and adverse selection practices. This research also aims to investigate whether the carried-out role influences the perception of being discriminated against among nonfamily member employees.Design/methodology/approachA quantitative approach was carried out by adopting a structural equation model (SEM) analysis. The survey investigated a sample of Italian family SMEs (participating companies N = 186, total questionnaires collected N = 838).FindingsDrawing on the multiple identities theory, findings show that role salience (RS) effectively contributes to reducing the unwanted effects of perceived discrimination (PD) among nonfamily member employees. In doing so, this study deepens the knowledge of nonfamily member employment conditions and their consequences on strategic outcomes such as organizational commitment (OC), organizational justice (OJ) and intention to quit (ITQ).Research limitations/implicationsBy adopting a self-categorization approach, this study also advances current theoretical literature, as this methodological lens could help scholars further understand diversity in family business.Practical implicationsThis study suggests it would be advisable to implement human resource management practices based on job rotation to promote cohesion and reduce perceived distances.Social implicationsSMEs are the most widespread type of firm in the world; as a consequence, avoiding PD among nonfamily member employees has general ethical relevance.Originality/valueThis study expands current literature by showing that RS plays an important role in determining levels of PD. This study also advances current literature by focusing on the impact of multiple identities on fairness and commitment at individual and group levels of analysis of family businesses.