A problematic zygopleuroid gastropod Acanthostrophia revisited

SEM examination of the type series of Acathostrophia acanthica CONTI & FISCHER, 1984 from Middle Jurassic of Italy has shown that this gastropod most likely belongs to the family Protorculidae as previously suggested by NÜTZEL (1998). It is also similar to some Jurassic species of Polygyrinidae, which might also be related to Protorculidae. The supposition of KAIM et al. (2008) that Acanthostrophia is an early member of Abyssochrysidae could not be confirmed

Influenza della PEEP sull'emogasanalisi in corso di laparoscopia nel cane

OBIETTIVO: Valutazione dell’influenza della PEEP in cani sottoposti a chirurgia laparoscopica, attraverso l’emogasanalisi. MATERIALI E METODI: Questo studio ha previsto il reclutamento di 19 soggetti appartenenti alla specie canina di razze diverse, di cui 18 femmine e 1 maschio sopra i 10 kg, con stato ASA I/ASA II. Gli animali sono pervenuti in dipartimento per essere sottoposti a ovariectomia laparoscopica, ovarioisterectomia laparoscopica e orchiectomia laparoscopica per testicolo ritenuto. I soggetti sono stati suddivisi in 3 gruppi: gruppo Peep Post, gruppo Peep Pre e gruppo No Peep. Gli animali facenti parte del gruppo Peep Post sono stati ventilati con PEEP a 5 cmH2O impostata 5 minuti dopo lo pneumoperitoneo (PNP); ai cani appartenenti al gruppo Peep Pre è stata impostata la PEEP a 5 cmH2O 5 minuti prima dell’inizio dello PNP; infine ai pazienti del gruppo No Peep non è stata applicata PEEP. I soggetti sono stati premedicati con metadone a 0,2 mg/kg EV, indotti con propofol a 4-8 mg/kg e mantenuti con isofluorano in O2 al 100%. L’analgesia intraoperatoria è stata garantita dalla somministrazione di fentanyl in infusione continua a 3-10 mcg/Kg/h. Con il fine di una gestione ventilatoria interamente artificiale i cani sono stati trattati con 0,5 mg/kg di rocuronio prima dello pneumoperitoneo e subito dopo è stato effettuato un reclutamento alveolare per 15 sec a 30 cmH2O. Successivamente è stata impostata una baseline ventilatoria modificabile nel corso dell’anestesia in base ai valori dell’ETCO2. Dall’induzione al risveglio sono stati monitorati i valori di FC,FR,Pressione arteriosa (PAS, PAD, PAM), SpO2, EtCO2, end-tidal dell’isofluorano, T°. Inoltre sono stati effetuati 5 emogasanalisi arteriosi per paziente ai seguenti tempi: da sveglio, 5 min prima dello pneumoperitoneo, 20 minuti dopo lo pneumoperitoneo, 5 minuti dopo la fine dello pneumoperitoneo e l’ultimo 20 minuti dopo l’estubazione. RISULTATI: Non sono state rilevate differenze statisticamente significative tra i gruppi. Dai valori dell’F-shunt emerge un notevole aumento per il gruppo No Peep. Il valore della pressione di picco è più alto nel gruppo Peep post. CONCLUSIONI: L’applicazione della PEEP risulta meno stressante per il polmone se applicata prima dello pneumoperitoneo, contribuendo al miglioramento dell’ossigenazione impedendo l’aggravamento dell’atelettasia. Il rapporto PaO2/FiO2 risultando aumentato in tutti i gruppi non è concorde con il valore dell’F shunt, confermando la sua mancata attendibilità in pazienti esenti da aree estese di vero shunt. Concludendo la PEEP in corso di laparoscopia risulta più utile se applicata pre-insufflazione

AN OVERVIEW OF THE JURASSIC GASTROPODS FROM ROCCA BUSAMBRA (NORTH-WESTERN SICILY, ITALY)

This paper is an overview of the gastropods from the Toarcian to Lower Kimmeridgian fissure fillings of Rocca Busambra. They are the most diverse and richest Jurassic faunas known from the pelagic sediments of the western Tethys. 224 species, 137 of them new, were recognized. The main feature of the structure of these assemblages is the high number of new taxa and the concomitant presence of an archaic stock with Triassic affinities, and a group advancing the appearance of the modern caenogastropod taxa. These features give these assemblages an important place in the reconstruction of the evolution of the whole class

Oral mucosal lesions in electronic cigarettes consumers versus former smokers

Electronic cigarettes (ECs) have become very popular in recent years. However, many uncertainties remain about their side effects. This study aims to evaluate the prevalence and characteristics of oral mucosal lesions (OMLs) in former smokers compared to ECs consumers

Oral mucosal lesions in teenagers: a cross-sectional study

Aim The aim of this study was to evaluate the distribution of oral mucosal lesions (OMLs) in a wide sample of adolescents. Methods A retrospective cross-sectional study was carried out examining all medical records of adolescents (aged 13-18 years) treated at the Dental Clinic of the University of Brescia (Italy) in the period from 2008 to 2014. Cases with OMLs were selected. Data regarding age, gender, type of OML, bad habits, systemic chronic diseases were collected. Results A total of 6.374 medical records (mean age 15.2+-1.7 years) were examined. We found 1544 cases (31.7%) of oral mucosal lesions; 36 different types of mucosal alterations were detected and the most frequent were: aphthous ulcers (18%), traumatic ulcerations (14.3%), herpes simplex virus (11%), geographic tongue (9.6%), candidiasis (5.5%), and morsicatio buccarum (4.7%). Papilloma virus lesions (1.7%), piercing-related lesions (4%), multiform erythema (0.13%), oral lichen planus (0.13%) and granular cell tumour (0.06%) were also diagnosed. Conclusions The prevalence of OMLs in adolescents are different from those in children and, in some conditions, it could increase with age

Efficacy of the photobiomodulation therapy in the treatment of the burning mouth syndrome

This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of the photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT) - in terms of pain and of quality of life- in patients affected by burning mouth syndrome (BMS). This study was designed as a randomised double-blinded prospective study. Patients diagnosed with BMS in the period from June 2015 to June 2018 were recruited. The patients were randomised into two groups and each received treatment once a week for ten weeks: group A received laser therapy (K Laser Cube 3®) while group B was given sham therapy (placebo). Pain was evaluated through the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and quality of life was assessed with the short form of the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14). Assessment was done at baseline and after every therapy session. The researchers were blind to the randomised allocations. A total of 85 patients were analysed. Group A (laser treatment) was composed of 43 patients while group B (sham therapy) of 42 patients. Patients treated with PBMT showed a significant decrease in symptoms (p=0.0008) and improved quality of life related to oral health (p=0.0002). PBMT has demonstrated to have a positive effect in relieving BMS symptoms and in improving a patient?s overall quality of life

Timetable for oral prevention in childhood--developing dentition and oral habits: a current opinion

As most of the etiologic factors of malocclusion are of genetic origin and thus cannot be prevented, environmental causative factors have become the focus for correction. Early interception of oral habits may be an important step in order to prevent occlusal disturbances in children. The identification of an abnormal habit and the assessment of its potential immediate and long-term effects on the dentition and potentially on the craniofacial complex should be made at an early stage. This paper focuses on the most common oral habits influencing dentofacial growth in childhood and management of these habits in the developing dentition

Expanding Indian public health insurance above the poverty line

Since 2008 India’s public health insurance policy has covered the poorest quarter of the population, and the government wants to expand the policy to include households above the poverty line. Disentangling the health and financial effects of the policy is vital to establishing a cost-effective expansion of eligibility for this insurance

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Picture of Water Droplet Evaporation in Air

The study of droplet evaporation is applied to many and varied fields: the present approach is oriented to sprinkler irrigation. This paper examines a parametric study on the evaporation in air of a single droplet, with the aim of highlighting the influence of each parameter alone on the evaporative process. Four parameters are investigated:air temperature, droplet initial velocity, droplet initial diameter, diffusion coefficient of vapour in air. Droplet evaporation is studied through numerical-CFD simulation employing STAR-CCM+ version 5.04.012 software, which treats the evaporative phenomenon hypothesizing quasi-steady conditions, given the interface low liquid-gas vapour concentration gradients. The results are provided as time- and space-dependent in-percentage evaporation rates, the latter ones after defining a specific distance, from the injection point, to be covered. Apart from a qualitatively predictable effect of air temperature and diffusion coefficient of vapour in air, droplet initial velocity and above all droplet initial diameter prove not at all to be negligible when managing an irrigation process, the latter being inversely proportional to droplet mass evaporation. These results prove that droplet evaporation is a complicate fluid dynamic effect and cannot be simply regarded as a diffusive process. The final discussion provides some practical remarks useful to irrigation operators

Efficacy of ozonized water for the treatment of erosive oral lichen planus : a randomized controlled study

Management of erosive Oral Lichen Planus (eOLP) is challenging. Currently, topical corticosteroids are widely used as first-line therapy, but they might be associated with side-effects and incomplete clinical response. Among non-pharmacological strategies, ozone at low medical concentration has proven to induce a mild activation of protective anti-oxidant pathways, thus exerting therapeutic effects in many inflammatory diseases. The aim of this randomized controlled study was to investigate the effectiveness of ozonized water in association with conventional topical corticosteroids for the treatment of eOLP. Fifty-one patients were included in the study and randomized into 2 groups: study group (n=26) included patients receiving ozonized water treatment; control group (n=25) included patients receiving placebo treatment (i.e. double-distilled water). Treatment protocol consisted of 1-minute oral rinses, repeated for 4 times, twice a week for 4 weeks. All patients received conventional corticosteroid topical therapy (betamethasone soluble tablets, 2 rinses/day for 4 weeks). Assessment of size of lesions, sign and pain scores was performed before treatment, after 2 weeks of treatment (T1) and at the end of 4-week treatment (T2). Efficacy Index (EI) of treatment, candidiasis and relapse rates were also recorded. All patients experienced significant improvement of sign and pain scores with a higher rate of improvement in ozone-treated group (T1 improvement rates: Thongprasom 92.2% vs 28%; VAS pain 76.9% vs 32%; p<0.05). Pain and size reduction were significantly higher in ozone-treated group both at T1 and T2 (p<0.05). Ozone-treated group showed a higher EI at every time point (T0-T2: 72.77% vs 37.66%, p<0.01). Candidiasis (32% vs 11.5%) and relapse (40% vs 34.6%) rates were higher in control group, however the differences were not statistically significant. Within the limitations of this study, ozonized water seems to be effective as an adjunct therapy, in combination with topical corticosteroids, for the treatment of eOLP