Present and future self in memory: the role of vmPFC in the self-reference effect

Self-related information is remembered better than other-related information (self-reference effect; SRE), a phenomenon that has been convincingly linked to the medial prefrontal cortex. It is not clear whether information related to our future self would also have a privileged status in memory, as medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) regions respond less to the future than to the present self, as if it were an 'other'. Here we ask whether the integrity of the ventral mPFC (vmPFC) is necessary for the emergence of the present and future SRE, if any. vmPFC patients and brain-damaged and healthy controls judged whether each of a series of trait adjectives was descriptive of their present self, future self, another person and that person in the future and later recognized studied traits among distractors. Information relevant to the present (vs future) was generally recognized better, across groups. However, whereas healthy and brain-damaged controls exhibited strong present and future SREs, these were absent in vmPFC patients, who concomitantly showed reduced certainty about their own present and anticipated traits compared to the control groups. These findings indicate that vmPFC is necessary to impart a special mnemonic status to self-related information, including our envisioned future self, possibly by instantiating the self-schema

Analysis of the Complications in Patients Undergoing Orthognathic Surgery by Piezosurgery(R): A 13 Years Retrospective Study

Orthognathic surgery is a branch of maxillo-facial surgery increasingly in demand, which deals with the correction of skeletal deformities. The aim of the present study is to identify the most common post-operative complications following orthognathic bimaxillary surgery performed by means of Piezosurgery(R). Furthermore, through an examination of the available scientific literature, we wanted to establish whether the frequency of postoperative complications were consistent with those already reported. A retrospective study on 58 patients who underwent orthognathic surgery with a bilateral sagittal osteotomy (BSSO) of the mandibular bone branch, maxillary surgery with Le Fort I mono-segmented or multi-segmented approach, and genioplasty technique using Piezosurgery(R). The complications taken into consideration were disorders of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ), paraesthesia and hypoesthesia, asymmetries, nose enlargement, nasal septum deviation, nasal obstruction, dental discolorations, pulpal necrosis, occlusion and masticatory efficiency, gingival recession, periodontal problems, dysgeusia, nausea and vomiting, weeping alterations, hearing problems, delayed healing, superinfection, removal of synthesis means, reoperation, cicatricial outcome, and bilateral pneumothorax. It has been highlighted that a number and type of postoperative complications matched those reported by the most recent literature reviews. Temporomandibular disorders and paraesthesia were the most common ones. The only complication rate that differed from the literature was nerve damage, which was significantly lower. Post-surgical complications depend on the used surgical techniques, clinical work, and treatment methods. The use of piezoelectric devices in orthognathic surgery operations provides an innovative, safe, and effective technique compared to traditional methods

Mobile Daily Centre (Mdc) for Elder People with Cognitive Impairment: a Retrospective Observational Study

Introduction Trieste is a city characterized by a high mean age of the resident population, with 6,000 people with a cognitive impairment. Evidences show that is necessary to have a multidisciplinary approach, making alliances with the social network and families, while dealing with people with cognitive impairment. Because of this, the 3rd catchment district has developed a Mobile Daily Centre that aims to promote health, abilities and socialization giving the possibilities for these people to stay in a social context. Objectives Evaluating the impact of the Mobile Daily Centre on QoL of people with Cognitive Impairment. Aims Considering the rate of hospitalization and access to the first aid unit at the general hospital. Methods Retrospective Observational Study for the period between 01.01.2012 and 30.04.2014 on people in charge to the MDC. We have considered socio-demographic variables such as age, gender, care-givers; clinical variables such as psychopharmacotherapy and acetylcolinesterase-inhibitors drugs; rates of hospitalization, number of accesses to the first aid unit and of interventions of the MDC. Results in the period of the study 20 patients have been followed by the MDC; half of them had a psycho-pharmacological prescription. Very low rates of institutionalization have been detected. Conclusions MDC, in these small numbers, has shown to reduce the number of improper institutionalizations while guaranteeing to the elder people to maintain their abilities and socialization and to their care-givers periods of relief. Moreover, it promotes social inclusion and destigmatization. These results suggest that more territorial work and further studies should be done

Is post orthognathic maxillary sinusitis related to sino-nasal anatomical alterations?

Le Fort I osteotomies have been used for more than five decades, but their impact on nasal and paranasal cavities physiology, has not been studied deeply. In this paper we want to analyse the possible correlation between post-orthognathic findings and prevalence of sinusitis which require surgical treatment. A retrospective cohort study was designed in 2017; the study was designed and carried out in the Verona University maxillo-facial department, a referral centre for orthognathic surgery. The study population is made of 64 patients that underwent orthognathic surgery (To treat class II or III malocclusion) between 2010 and 2015. Inclusion criteria were the availability of a Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) before surgery and one between 12 and 24 months after orthognathic surgery. Exclusion criteria were smoking habit and previous orthognathic procedures. During follow-up time prevalence of sinusitis was 18.5% and some patients required a secondary surgery to treat sinusitis. Surgery induced anatomic alterations were frequent in patients with sinusitis, sings and symptoms of sinusitis show positive correlation with anatomic alterations

Experimental analysis about the evaluation of tungsten carbide-bur, piezoelectric and laser osteotomies.

Aim: Osteotomies are performed in oral surgery with five kinds of cutting instruments: 1) burs (Tungsten carbide cylindric burs), 2-3) ultrasound Piezosurgery (type I and II), 4-5) and lasers (Er:YAG; Er,Cr:YSGG). This study compares the quality of cutting of every single instruments, evaluating accuracy (length, thickness, depth and morphology), velocity (number of passages and time) and entity of damage. Methods: In vitro experiments with ten osteotomies were performed on one-hundred of cow ribs with each instrument. In vivo surgery was performed on New Zealand white rabbit: two osteotomies are made with all instruments on the mandible and on the shinbone, totalizing four osteotomies for each instrument. Samples are processed to be evaluated through histological exam at stereomicroscopy Discussion: Results show a statistically significant variability on "thickness" (p value=0.001), "time" (p value=0.001), "depth" and penetration speed (p-value=0.001; p-value=0.001) and the "number of passages" (p-value=0.001). No differences have been observed in "length" (p-value=0.078). Histological analysis reveals that osteotomy performed with laser and Piezosurgery II generates major damage to osteocytes near cutting surfaces. Conclusion: Currently, purchase and management elevated costs, minor versatility of use, and long training times for equipments such as Piezosurgery and laser limit their general use, but remain advantageous in case of risky interventions near noble structures. Choice of device depends on experience maturated by operator in time, characteristics of operation and patient's clinical conditions

Aneurysmal bone cyst of the nasal bone: case report

The aneurysmal bone cyst (ABC) is a solitary, expansile, non-neoplastic bone lesion, described as a distinct clinicopathological entity by Jaffe and Lichtenstein. We report a case of an ABC arising from the nasal bone in a adult male patient treated with complete surgical excision

A SAT-based System for Consistent Query Answering

An inconsistent database is a database that violates one or more integrity constraints, such as functional dependencies. Consistent Query Answering is a rigorous and principled approach to the semantics of queries posed against inconsistent databases. The consistent answers to a query on an inconsistent database is the intersection of the answers to the query on every repair, i.e., on every consistent database that differs from the given inconsistent one in a minimal way. Computing the consistent answers of a fixed conjunctive query on a given inconsistent database can be a coNP-hard problem, even though every fixed conjunctive query is efficiently computable on a given consistent database. We designed, implemented, and evaluated CAvSAT, a SAT-based system for consistent query answering. CAvSAT leverages a set of natural reductions from the complement of consistent query answering to SAT and to Weighted MaxSAT. The system is capable of handling unions of conjunctive queries and arbitrary denial constraints, which include functional dependencies as a special case. We report results from experiments evaluating CAvSAT on both synthetic and real-world databases. These results provide evidence that a SAT-based approach can give rise to a comprehensive and scalable system for consistent query answering.Comment: 25 pages including appendix, to appear in the 22nd International Conference on Theory and Applications of Satisfiability Testin

Reduction of precocious peri-implant resorption cone

Aim: After implant-insertion, bone tissue, newly-formed on peri-implant crest, undergoes to a mild marginal osseous readjustment due to build-up of inflammatory cell tissue (ICT). The present study verifies the possibility to limit bone resorption by placing implant fixtures 0.5 mm outside cortical bone edge. Methods: A clinically-controlled randomized study on 100 implants has been performed to compare early resorption process of implant fixtures placed 0.5 mm outside cortical bone edge with implant-fixtures inserted according to juxtacortical bone conventional protocols. Results: After 6 months, bone implant level was higher with emersion approach (-1.01\ub10.54 mm, mean\ub1SD) than with submerged treatment (-1.56\ub10.5 mm) (P<0.001). Conclusion: Factors to achieve an excellent result at mean-long term seem to be very good, even though the latter have to be confirmed by follow-up

Lingual frenectomy: a comparison between the conventional surgical and laser procedure.

Aim: Ankyloglossia, commonly known as tongue-tie, is a congenital oral anomaly characterized by a short lingual frenulum that may contribute to feeding, speech and mechanical problems. The purpose of this study is to compare the advantages of laser vis-à-vis conventional frenectomy in both intra- and post-surgical phases. Methods: This study took into consideration two patients, who were respectively 9 and 10-year-old. The first one underwent a common surgical procedure. A Nd:Yap laser device with a micropulsed wavelength of 1340 nm and power of 8 watts was used for the second. The postsurgical discomfort and healing characteristics were evaluated. Results: The results indicated that the Nd:Yap laser has the following advantages when compared to the conventional frenectomy: 1) soft tissue cutting was efficient, with no bleeding, giving a clear operative field; 2) there was no need to use sutures; 3) the surgery was less time-consuming; 4) there was no postsurgical infection and no need for analgesics or antibiotics; 5) wound contraction and scarring were decreased or eliminated; 6) despite the initial slowness of the healing process, the complete and final recovery was faster. Conclusion: Considering the above elements, it is possible to assert that the laser frenectomy has a series of unquestionable advantages if compared to the conventional surgical technique