Peliosis hepatis. Personal experience and literature review

Peliosis hepatis (PH) is a disease characterized by multiple and small, blood-filled cysts within the parenchymatous organs. PH is a very rare disease, more common in adults, and when it affects the liver, it comes to the surgeon’s attention only in an extremely urgent situation after the lesion’s rupture with the resulting hemoperitoneum. This report describes the case of a 29-year-old woman affected by recurring abdominal pain. CT scans showed a hepatic lesion formed by multiple hypodense areas, which showed an early acquisition of the contrast during the arterial phase. Furthermore, it remained isodense with the remaining parenchyma during the late venous phase. We decided on performing a liver resection of segment Ⅶ while avoiding a biopsy for safety reasons. The histopathologic examination confirmed the diagnosis of focal PH. PH should always be considered in the differential diagnosis of hepatic lesions. Clinicians should discuss the possible causes and issues related to the differential diagnosis in addition to the appropriate therapeutic approach. The fortuitous finding of a lesion, potentially compatible with PH, requires elective surgery with diagnostic and therapeutic intents. The main aim is to prevent the risk of a sudden bleeding that, in absence of properly equipped structures, may have a fatal outcome

The ecology of the cork-oark (Quercus suber L.) stands in NW Sicily

The uneven presence of the cork oak (Quercus suber L.) within its distribution range seems to be affected not only by its climatic requirements but also by rather specific edaphic needs. In fact, most of the known populations throughout the Mediterranean area thrive on acidic soils deriving from metamorphic or volcanic rock outcrops. However, some Italian populations of this species behave as if they were independent on the chemical and physical characteristics of the substrate, e.g. growing on calcareous soils, which are considered less suitable. This is the case of some populations in central Italy (Latium) and NW Sicily (Trapani Mts. and Palermo Mts.). A multidisciplinary investigation carried out on Palermo Mts. allowed: 1) to update the knowledge on the distribution of Q. suber in NW Sicily; 2) to verify that those populations are autochthonous; 3) to analyze and describe the soils and the plant communities linked with cork oaks; 4) to detect the ecological factors which could explain their local adaptation to calcareous soils; 5) to show the ecological, structural and dynamic role played by this species within the natural vegetation of Palermo Mts. The local presence of Q. suber stands may depend on three (perhaps synergic) factors: 1) the high fire frequency, which indirectly favours Q. suber by biasing the progressive succession towards the most common patterns of woodland, i.e. Q. ilex/Q. pubescens s.l. mixed forests; 2) the peculiar biogeochemistry of local soils; 3) the erosion that intermixed different parent materials

Characteristics and outcome of anti-hepatitis D virus positive patients with hepatocellular carcinoma

Background & aims: Chronic hepatitis D virus (HDV) often leads to end-stage liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Comprehensive data pertaining to large populations with HDV and HCC are missing, therefore we sought to assess the characteristics, management, and outcome of these patients, comparing them to patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Methods: We analysed the Italian Liver Cancer database focusing on patients with positivity for HBV surface antigen and anti-HDV antibodies (HBV/HDV, n = 107) and patients with HBV infection alone (n = 588). Clinical and oncological characteristics, treatment, and survival were compared in the two groups. Results: Patients with HBV/HDV had worse liver function [Model for End-stage Liver Disease score: 11 vs. 9, p < .0001; Child-Turcotte-Pugh score: 7 vs. 5, p < .0001] than patients with HBV. HCC was more frequently diagnosed during surveillance (72.9% vs. 52.4%, p = .0002), and the oncological stage was more frequently Milan-in (67.3% vs. 52.7%, p = .005) in patients with HBV/HDV. Liver transplantation was more frequently performed in HBV/HDV than in HBV patients (36.4% vs. 9.5%), while the opposite was observed for resection (8.4% vs. 20.1%, p < .0001), and in a competing risk analysis, HBV/HDV patients had a higher probability of receiving transplantation, independently of liver function and oncological stage. A trend towards longer survival was observed in patients with HBV/HDV (50.4 vs. 44.4 months, p = .106). Conclusions: In patients with HBV/HDV, HCC is diagnosed more frequently during surveillance, resulting in a less advanced cancer stage in patients with more deranged liver function than HBV alone. Patients with HBV/HDV have a heightened benefit from liver transplantation, positively influencing survival

2021 roadmap on lithium sulfur batteries

Abstract: Batteries that extend performance beyond the intrinsic limits of Li-ion batteries are among the most important developments required to continue the revolution promised by electrochemical devices. Of these next-generation batteries, lithium sulfur (Li–S) chemistry is among the most commercially mature, with cells offering a substantial increase in gravimetric energy density, reduced costs and improved safety prospects. However, there remain outstanding issues to advance the commercial prospects of the technology and benefit from the economies of scale felt by Li-ion cells, including improving both the rate performance and longevity of cells. To address these challenges, the Faraday Institution, the UK’s independent institute for electrochemical energy storage science and technology, launched the Lithium Sulfur Technology Accelerator (LiSTAR) programme in October 2019. This Roadmap, authored by researchers and partners of the LiSTAR programme, is intended to highlight the outstanding issues that must be addressed and provide an insight into the pathways towards solving them adopted by the LiSTAR consortium. In compiling this Roadmap we hope to aid the development of the wider Li–S research community, providing a guide for academia, industry, government and funding agencies in this important and rapidly developing research space

Discorso medico-chirurgico di Andrea Pasta intorno al flusso di sangue dall'utero nelle donne gravide; terza edizione, nella quale, oltre al Ragionamento del medesimo sopra gli sgravj del parto, e sopra il rattenimento e l'estrazione della secondina; si è aggiunta una nuova Dissertazione dello stesso sopra i mestrui: ... vol. 1

Università degli Studi di Triest

Linfoma cutaneo non Hodgkin a immunofenotipo B: clinica, orientamento diagnostico e chirurgico

L’esperienza relativa all’osservazione e al trattamento chirurgico di un paziente affetto da linfoma cutaneo non Hodgkin immunofenotipo B ha spinto gli Autori a riconsiderare le problematiche inerenti l’inquadramento nosologico, le difficoltà diagnostiche, il trattamento e il ruolo del chirurgo in tale patologia. KEY WORDS

L’università a distanza: dalla Open University alla Legge Moratti-Stanca

La storia dell’università a distanza nel mondo è caratterizzata dall’attenzione posta da parte di alcuni stati alle persone che si trovano in difficoltà nel frequentare un ateneo tradizionale. Questa attenzione si concreta in diverse azioni mirate a fornire un’istruzione qualificata e titoli di terzo livello a un numero sempre più elevato di studenti senza qualifica. Nella prima parte dell'articolo è riportato lo sviluppo di alcuni dei principali atenei a distanza a livello europeo e mondiale, analizzando le politiche di sviluppo e le fasi più importanti. Nella seconda parte è ricostruita l’affermazione delle università telematiche in Italia, richiamando come fin dall’Unità nazionale il sistema universitario tradizionale italiano sia contraddistinto da un ruolo marcato dello Stato. Il panoramo italiano è analizzato prima e dopo la lella legge Moratti-Stanca (2003), momento decisivo nella costituzione degli atenei telematici. Infine, il quadro italiano nell’ambito della distanza e dell’e-Learning viene descritto come in evoluzione a seguito della pandemia da Covid-19