Extension and grading of osteomyelitis are not related to limb salvage in Charcot neuropathic osteoarthropathy: A cohort prospective study

Aims Charcot neuropathic osteoarthropathy (CN) represents a complication for diabetic patients which involves a progressive alteration of the osteoarticular apparatus with high risk of amputation. The aim of the study was to assess whether the localization of CN and the extent or grading of the osteomyelitis have an influence on the rate of limb salvage and the time to recovery. Methods We treated a diabetic population affected by CN complicated by ulceration and widespread osteomyelitic involvement. All patients were treated surgically to eliminate infected tissues, stabilize and correct the bone deformities. Histopathological and microbiological analyses were carried out on the bone specimens. Results Thirty-three patients affected by CN complicated by large osteomyelitic involvement of midfoot and/or ankle were treated between January 2010 and May 2014. The mean follow-up was 409,35 ± 154,06 days. Thirty patients had complete recovery (90.91%) at the end of follow-up. No difference in limb salvage rate and time to recovery was observed when stratifying the population according to CN localization, extent and grading of osteomyelitis. Conclusions In this cohort prospective study we observed a high percentage of limb salvage in patients affected by CN complicated by diffuse midfoot/hindfoot osteomyelitis. The localization of Charcot deformity and the extent/stage of osteomyelitis did not change the rate of limb salvage

On the overlap between bilingual language control and domain-general executive control

We explored the overlap between bilingual language control (bLC) and domain-general executive control (EC) by focusing on inhibitory control processes. We tested 62 bilinguals in linguistic and non-linguistic switching tasks for two types of costs, such as the n − 1 shift cost and the n − 2 repetition cost. In order to explore the involvement of inhibitory control in bLC and EC, we assessed the pattern of switch costs in the two tasks and then we correlated them between tasks. Results showed reduced n − 2 repetition costs as compared to n − 1 shift costs in the linguistic task only, suggesting that small amount of inhibition were deployed when switching between languages. Importantly, neither the n − 1 shift costs nor the n − 2 repetition costs were correlated between tasks. These results, supported by additional evidence from the ex-Gaussian analysis, suggest that inhibitory control is differently involved in bLC and in EC.This work was supported by grants from the Spanish Government (PSI2014-54500, PSI2008-01191, PSI2011-23033, PSI2011-23340, Consolider Ingenio2010 CSD2007-00012), the Catalan Government (Consolidat SGR 2009-1521and SGR 2014-1210) and by one grant from the European Research Council under the European Community’s Seventh Framework (FP7/2007-2013 Cooperation grant agreement 613465-AThEME). This research received partial financial assistance as a Severo Ochoa Center of ExcellenceSEV-2015-0490. Francesca M. Branzi was supported by a predoctoral fellowship from the Spanish Government (FPU-2009-2013) and by a postdoctoral fellowship from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme, under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement No 658341. Marco Calabria was supported by a postdoctoral fellowship from the Spanish Government (Ramón y Cajal Fellowship)

Pain Education in the Management of Patients with Chronic Low Back Pain: A Systematic Review

New prospective of chronic low back pain (CLBP) management based on the biopsychosocial model suggests the use of pain education, or neurophysiological pain education, to modify erroneous conceptions of disease and pain, often influenced by fear, anxiety and negative attitudes. The aim of the study is to highlight the evidence on the outcomes of a pain education-oriented approach for the management of CLBP. The search was conducted on the Pubmed, Scopus, Pedro and Cochrane Library databases, leading to 2673 results until September 2021. In total, 13 articles published in the last 10 years were selected as eligible. A total of 6 out of 13 studies support a significant reduction in symptoms in the medium term. Disability is investigated in only 11 of the selected studies, but 7 studies support a clear reduction in the medium-term disability index. It is difficult to assess the effectiveness of the treatments of pain education in patients affected by CLBP, due to the multimodality and heterogeneity of the treatments administered to the experimental group. In general, methods based on pain education or on cognitive-behavioral approaches, in association with physical therapy, appear to be superior to physiotherapeutic interventions alone in the medium term

Morphology, Electrical and Optical Properties of Cu Nanostructures Embedded in AZO: A Comparison between Dry and Wet Methods

Herein, Cu nanostructures are obtained by solid-state dewetting of 9 nm copper layer (dry) or by ablating copper target, using a nanosecond pulsed laser at 1064 nm, in acetone and isopropyl alcohol (wet). The Cu nanostructures are embedded in aluminum-doped zinc oxide layer. Then, the electrical, optical, and morphological properties of the two kinds of systems, as a function of their synthesis parameters, are investigated. The aim is to compare the two fabrication methods and select the main conditions to achieve the best system for photovoltaic applications. The main differences, exhibited by the wet and dry processes, were in the shape and size of the Cu nanostructures. Dewetting in nitrogen produces faceted nanoparticles, with an average size below 150 nm, while laser ablation originates spherical and smaller nanoparticles, below 50 nm. Dry system underwent to thermal annealing, which improves the electrical properties, compared to the wet system, with a sheet resistance of 103 vs. 106 Ω/sq, respectively; finally, the dry system shows a maximum transmittance of 89.7% at 697 nm, compared to the wet system in acetone, 88.4% at 647 nm, as well as in isopropyl alcohol, 86.9% at 686 nm. Moreover, wet systems show higher transmittance in NUV

Early Enteral Feeding Improves Tolerance of Parenteral Nutrition in Preterm Newborns

(1) Background: The tolerance of preterm newborns for the high nutritional intakes given by parenteral nutrition (PN) is still debated because of the risk of metabolic complications. Despite enteral nutrition (EN) being the preferred route of nutrition, an exclusive enteral feeding is not always possible, as in preterm newborns, the gut is immature and less tolerant of EN. We aimed to study the impact of a minimal enteral feeding (MEF) on the possible early metabolic complications of PN in a cohort of preterms with gestational age at birth GA ≤ 29 + 6/7 weeks of postmenstrual age. (2) Methods: We divided the study sample in two cohorts: 1) Late-Feeding (cohort 1), newborns who received MEF starting from the 8th day of age, and (2) Early-Feeding (cohort 2), newborns who received MEF, consisting of the administration of at least 4–5 mL/kg/day by the enteral route, in the first 7 days of age. The primary outcome of the study was the rate of at least one metabolic complication, including hyperglycemia, hypertriglyceridemia, or metabolic acidosis. (3) Results: We enrolled 80 newborns (Late-Feeding cohort 51 vs. Early-Feeding cohort 29). The rate of all metabolic complications was statistically higher in the Late-Feeding cohort compared to the Early-Feeding cohort. Binary logistic regression analysis showed that late administration of MEF negatively influenced the rate of all metabolic complications. (4) Conclusions: Early minimal administration of EN is associated with less frequent PN-related metabolic side effects and a higher rate of survival in critically ill newborns