Endoscopic Resection of a Large Colonic Lipoma: Case Report and Review of Literature

Colonic lipomas are uncommon, benign, submucosal adipose tumors that are usually asymptomatic. Large lipomas can cause symptoms such as constipation, abdominal pain, rectal bleeding and intussusception. We report the case of a 60-year-old man with a history of lower abdominal pain and pseudoobstructive symptoms. Colonoscopy revealed a large polypoid sessile lesion in the sigma. We used a standardized technique of polypectomy, preceded by submucosal injection of dilute 5 ml polygelin with epinephrine 1:10,000 solution, to fully resect large colonic lipomas. The lipoma size was 3.5 cm. No bleeding or perforation developed. Histology showed the polyp to be a submucosul lipoma. On follow-up, there was no residual lesion. Colonic lipomas larger than 2 cm can be safely and efficaciously removed using electrosurgical snare polypectomy technique. The technique of submucosal injection before resection and using an electrocautery snare appears to be safe and reduces the risk of perforation reported in the literature

Is Nasobiliary Tube Really Safe? A Case Report

A case of esophageal ulcer caused by nasobiliary tube is described. This tool is not routinely considered to be a cause of major complications in the literature and to our knowledge, this is the first report of this kind of complication in nasobiliary tube placement. A 72-year-old patient presented with Charcot's triad and was demonstrated to have cholangitis with multiple biliary stones in the common bile duct. Biliary drainage was achieved through endoscopic retrograde cholangiography, endoscopic sphincterotomy, biliary tree drainage and nasobiliary tube with double pigtail. The patient presented odynophagia, dysphagia and retrosternal pain 12 h after the procedure and upper endoscopy revealed a long esophageal ulcer, which was treated conservatively. This report provides corroboration of evidence that nasobiliary tube placement has potential complications related to pressure sores. In our opinion this is a possibility to consider in informed consent forms

Surgical Treatment of Coledochal Cyst Associated with an Aberrant Posterior Hepatic Duct: Report of a Case and Brief Literature Review

Choledochal cysts (CCs) are rare congenital cystic or fusiform dilatations of the biliary tree that can involve the extrahepatic and/or intrahepatic biliary tree. We report a case of huge type I CC associated with an aberrant posterior hepatic duct. A 52-year-old man presented with a 3-week history of upper right abdominal pain and jaundice and serologic sign of obstructive jaundice. Ultrasonography (US), magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography were performed with the diagnosis of CC type I according to the classification of Alonso-Lej and Todani-Watanabe. The indication for surgical resection was posed. The cyst was completely resected and the biliary tract was reconstructed with a double hepatico-jejunostomy using the same Roux limb, since during the surgical dissection a before unrecognized anatomical variation of the right biliary tree (aberrant posterior hepatic duct at VI–VII segment) was identified. The diagnosis of CC is often difficult and US and magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography are necessary to definite biliary dilatation. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography should be the most definitive and reliable procedure for the diagnosis and treatment of bilio-pancreatic disorders. Gold standard treatment is surgery (bilio-jejunostomy) and frozen-section histology should be performed to rule out the presence of cancer. In conclusion, surgery is the gold standard for the treatment of CC type I and does not depend on the age of patients, based on a substantial lifetime risk of developing cholangiocarcinoma. Preoperative study is mandatory to assess the biliary tree morphology and to research any anatomical variation

Electrocution and containment methods to reduce the activity of red palm weevil (Rhynchophorus ferrugineus, Ol.)

Aim of study: To evaluate the susceptibility of the Rhynchophorus ferrugineus to electric discharges, to eventually use this application in synergy with other methods as part of an integrated control strategy.Area of study: Worldwide.Material and methods: Three different electric voltage intensities were applied to R. ferrugineus to investigate the insect’s susceptibility in both adult and larval stages. The transmission and diffusion of electricity within a portion of the palm tree was tested. In addition, the suitability of containment materials for handling and transportation of plant residues was tested.Main results: The results of adult test showed that the total number of eggs laid per mating couple and the number of larvae born were about 1.5 times higher in the control compared to the electrified samples. The duration of the electric discharge on larvae had a small impact on the mortality rate, while the electric voltage showed a strong impact on mortality (87% for 10 V and 99% for 15 V). The presence of a significant electric current was observed in a viable portion of stem (distance from the source of electricity 10 cm) providing a direct current with 250 V tension. Among the materials tested for the transportation of palm residues, the aluminium net sheet showed the best results in the containment of both larval and adult individuals.Research highlights: Electrocution has proven to be a system which can help in the control of red palm weevil reducing the use of synthetic chemicals

Whole animal freeze-fracture scanning electron microscopy: an easy-to-use method to investigate cell type morphology of marine embryos and larvae

Morphological and molecular characterization of cell types, organs and individual organisms is essential for understanding the origins of morphogenesis. The increased implementation of high throughput methods as a means to address cell type evolution, during the last decade, created the need for an efficient way to assess cell type morphology. Here in order to create a new tool to study cell type morphology, we optimized a fast and easy-to-use whole animal freeze-fracture scanning electron microscopy (WAFFSEM) method. This method was applied on marine experimental systems (echinoderms, mollusks, tunicates, and cephalochordates), that have been widely used to assess environmental, developmental, and evolutionary questions. Our protocol does not require any specialized equipment and the processed specimens are compatible with scanning electron microscopy. This protocol was able to successfully expose the internal cell types of all specimens in which it was tested and to reveal their cellular and subcellular characteristics. We strongly believe that the combination of our protocol with other methods (e.g., light microscopy and single cell transcriptomics) will be beneficial to further improve the way to classify and describe cell types

Investigation on Metal–Oxide Graphene Field-Effect Transistors With Clamped Geometries

In this work, we report on the design, fabrication and characterization of Metal-Oxide Graphene Field-effect Transistors (MOGFETs) exploiting novel clamped gate geometries aimed at enhancing the device transconductance. The fabricated devices employ clamped metal contacts also for source and drain, as well as an optimized graphene meandered pattern for source contacting, in order to reduce parasitic resistance. Our experimental results demonstrate that MOGFETs with the proposed structure show improved high frequency performance, in terms of maximum available gain and transition frequency values, as a consequence of the higher equivalent transconductance obtained

Acute dyspnea in Emergency Department: point of care ultrasound in the diagnosis of atrial sarcoma

We describe a rare case of a 65-year-old patient presented to Emergency Department for acute dyspnea. Traditional diagnostic work-up was done and the emergency physician promptly performed a bedside point-of-care ultrasound. A giant mass in the left atrium was detected with impairing of mitral valve function. The patient was then sent to cardiac surgery department with a final diagnosis of high-grade cardiac sarcoma

Level 2 processor and auxiliary data for ESA Version 8 final full mission analysis of MIPAS measurements on ENVISAT

High quality long-term data sets of altitude-resolved measurements of the atmospheric composition are important because they can be used both to study the evolution of the atmosphere and as a benchmark for future missions. For the final ESA reprocessing of MIPAS (Michelson Interferometer for Passive Atmospheric Sounding) on ENVISAT (ENViromental SATellite) data, numerous improvements were implemented in the Level 2 (L2) processor Optimised Retrieval Model (ORM) version 8.22 (V8) and its auxiliary data. The implemented changes involve all aspects of the processing chain, from the modelling of the measurements with the handling of the horizontal inhomogeneities along the line of sight to the use of the optimal estimation technique to retrieve the minor species, from a more sensitive approach to detecting the spectra affected by clouds to a refined method for identifying low quality products. Improvements in the modelling of the measurements were also obtained with an update of the used spectroscopic data and of the databases providing the a priori knowledge of the atmosphere. The HITRAN_mipas_pf4.45 spectroscopic database was finalised with new spectroscopic data verified with MIPAS measurements themselves, while recently measured cross-sections were used for the heavy molecules. The Level 2 Initial Guess (IG2) data set, containing the climatology used by the MIPAS L2 processor to generate the initial guess and interfering species profiles when the retrieved profiles from previous scans are not available, was improved taking into account the diurnal variation of the profiles defined using climatologies from both measurements and models. Horizontal gradients were generated using the ECMWF ERA-Interim data closest in time and space to the MIPAS data. Further improvements in the L2 V8 products derived from the use of the L1b V8 products, which were upgraded to reduce the instrumental temporal drift and to handle the abrupt changes in the calibration gain. The improvements introduced into the ORM V8 L2 processor and its upgraded auxiliary data, together with the use of the L1b V8 products, lead to the generation of the MIPAS L2 V8 products, which are characterised by an increased accuracy, better temporal stability and a greater number of retrieved species

Level 2 processor and auxiliary data for ESA Version 8 final full mission analysis of MIPAS measurements on ENVISAT

High quality long-term data sets of altitude-resolved measurements of the atmospheric composition are important because they can be used both to study the evolution of the atmosphere and as a benchmark for future missions. For the final ESA reprocessing of MIPAS (Michelson Interferometer for Passive Atmospheric Sounding) on ENVISAT (ENViromental SATellite) data, numerous improvements were implemented in the Level 2 (L2) processor Optimised Retrieval Model (ORM) version 8.22 (V8) and its auxiliary data. The implemented changes involve all aspects of the processing chain, from the modelling of the measurements with the handling of the horizontal inhomogeneities along the line of sight to the use of the optimal estimation technique to retrieve the minor species, from a more sensitive approach to detecting the spectra affected by clouds to a refined method for identifying low quality products. Improvements in the modelling of the measurements were also obtained with an update of the used spectroscopic data and of the databases providing the a priori knowledge of the atmosphere. The HITRAN_mipas_pf4.45 spectroscopic database was finalised with new spectroscopic data verified with MIPAS measurements themselves, while recently measured cross-sections were used for the heavy molecules. The Level 2 Initial Guess (IG2) data set, containing the climatology used by the MIPAS L2 processor to generate the initial guess and interfering species profiles when the retrieved profiles from previous scans are not available, was improved taking into account the diurnal variation of the profiles defined using climatologies from both measurements and models. Horizontal gradients were generated using the ECMWF ERA-Interim data closest in time and space to the MIPAS data. Further improvements in the L2 V8 products derived from the use of the L1b V8 products, which were upgraded to reduce the instrumental temporal drift and to handle the abrupt changes in the calibration gain. The improvements introduced into the ORM V8 L2 processor and its upgraded auxiliary data, together with the use of the L1b V8 products, lead to the generation of the MIPAS L2 V8 products, which are characterised by an increased accuracy, better temporal stability and a greater number of retrieved species

Fogli 609-596, Termini Imerese-Capo Plaia

Il Servizio Geologico Nazionale ha unificato i Fogli 609 "Termini Imerese" e 596 "Capo Plaia" in un unico Foglio denominato 609/596 "Termini Imerese-Capo Plaia" allo scopo di uniformare i rilievi e raccoglierne la descrizione in un unico volume delle Note Illustrative. Il Foglio 609/596 "Termini Imerese-Capo Plaia" della Carta Geologica d’Italia in scala 1:50.000 è stato realizzato nell’ambito del Progetto CARG con i fondi della Legge 67/88 - Legge 226/99 con una convenzione tra Servizio Geologico Nazionale ora ISPRA) e Regione Siciliana. Le aree ricadono interamente nella Provincia di Palermo, comprendono la fascia marina del Golfo di Termini Imerese fino al promontorio di Capo Plaia, la regione dei Monti di Termini Imerese e Trabia ad ovest e il settore occidentale del gruppo montuoso delle Madonie ad est. Tra questi rilievi si sviluppa un’ampio settore collinare inciso dai fiumi Torto e Imera settentrionale (o Fiume Grande)