Improvement of functional bloating by an enterovaccine: a preliminary study

Background: bloating is a fastidious symptom reported by many patients who also have other gastrointestinal functional dis orders. Bloating is more common in women, and it is often asso ciated with meals and improves or disappears overnight. No spe cific treatments are to date available for this disturbing symptom. Aims: to evaluate the effects of an oral enterovaccine (Colifag ina ® ) on bloating and other abdominal symptoms in patients with prevalent complaints of functional bloating. Patients and methods: one hundred and forty-eight patients with functional bloating according to Rome III criteria were re cruited. Questionnaires and a VAS scale on their symptoms were administered at baseline and after four weeks of therapy with Colifagina ® . Results: after treatment, a significant amelioration of bloating (p < 0.0001), abdominal pain (p < 0.0001) and flatus (p < 0.0001) was observed; nausea and vomiting scores were not sig nificantly different at the end of the treatment. Subjective wellbe ing was also generally improved (p < 0.001) in treated patients. Conclusion: treatment with an enterovaccine may help im prove symptoms in patients with functional bloating

Eosinophilic esophagitis: an Italian experience.

Background: eosinophilic esophagitis is an esophageal disor der characterized by esophageal and/or upper gastrointestinal tract symptoms, and by dense esophageal eosinophilia associated with a normal gastric and duodenal mucosa. Prevalently reported in children, eosinophilic esophagitis has recently been reported with increased frequency also in adults. Aims: the purpose of this study was to report our experience with eosinophilic esophagitis in Italy, since there are only very few series of such patients in our country. Patients and methods: we retrospectively reviewed the his tological data of consecutive patients with a diagnosis of esophagitis or reflux disease in the period September 2004-September 2008. Eosinophils were counted where they appeared most nu merous in the biopsy, with a cutoff > 15 eosinophils in more than one high-power field as diagnostic of eosinophilic esophagitis. Pa tients were excluded if gastric or duodenal biopsies showed a prominent eosinophilic infiltrate. Results: twenty two patients (14 adults, 8 children, age range 2-59 years) were identified according to the above criteria. The average eosinophil count was 86/ high-power field (range 31150), associated with other pathologic features (eosinophilic microabscesses eosinophil degranulation, basal zone hyperplasia, papillary elongation). The main clinical complaints were dyspha gia, food impaction, and heartburn, and endoscopic findings con sisted of mucosal thickening and inelasticity, longitudinal shearing, rings, and white specks, without difference between adults and children for both clinical and endoscopic variables. Conclusions: eosinophilic esophagitis is not rare in Italy, and displays clinical, endoscopic, and pathologic features similar to those described in other countries

Determining the directions and characteristics of underground water flow in karst for the purpose of traffic routes construction: The case of the new Diva\u10da-koper railway line (SW Slovenia)

The new railway line between Diva\u10da and Koper/Capodistria in south-western Slovenia is being built, a part of which crosses the southern outskirts of the Classical Karst plateaux. It will run through two tunnels, the northern tunnel T1 (6.7 km long) and the southern T2 (6 km long), which partially cross karst aquifer system. A multi-tracer test with injections of fluorescent dyes uranine and naphthionate, bypassing the karst vadose zone, was carried out to define the directions and dynamics of the underground water flow. The main goals were better understanding of the complex hydrogeological conditions in the area and assessment of possible environmental impacts on the nearby water sources. With tracing of uranine injected into a nearby cave stream, the direction of flow from the northern T1 tunnel mainly towards the Reka-Timavo aquifer system and further towards the Timava/Timavo springs was proved. The peak velocities, as determined from the peaks of the tracer breakthrough curves, range from 29 m/h to 36 m/h. Through the wider and well-connected conduits of the Reka-Timavo system, the peak velocities can reach up to 88 m/h. The recov-ery of uranine in an intermediate cave, i.e., Jama 1 v Kanjad-ucah, amounted to approximately 74 %. The northern section of the southern T2 tunnel is a part of a wider bifurcation zone between the Osapska Reka and the Boljunec/Bagnoli springs, where peak flow velocities between 10 and 13 m/h have been determined by tracing of naphthionate injected into a borehole located in the line of the planned tunnel. It has been estimated that about 25 % of the injected naphthionate flew out through the Osapska Reka spring and about 5 % through the Boljunec/ Bagnoli springs. Based on this research, proper monitoring of any potential negative impacts of the new railway line will be made possible. The study presents an approach to better plan-ning of hazard control of traffic routes in complex and highly karstified rock settings

Lymphoscintigraphy and radio-guided neck dissection in oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma

Purpose: The development of erratic distribution of cervical metastases from oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) bypassing the typical metastatic pattern can possibly challenge the role of the classic neck dissection. The purpose of this study was to assess the role of lymphoscintigraphy (LS) and radio-guided neck dissection as a simple and widely accessible method with a favorable cost/benefit ratio, able to improve the OSCC staging and possibly to tailor the surgical approach to cervical lymph node dissection. Methods: From June 2015 to December 2018, 16 patients (5 women, 11 men, median age 59.5±12.5 years) with cN0 (10) and cN+ (6) OSCC were enrolled. The day before surgery all patients underwent LS with acquisition of planar and SPECT (Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography)/CT images, after a peritumoral injection of 99mTc-Nanocoll® (median 74±1.2 MBq). Patients underwent tumor excision and a radioguided neck dissection, using a portable gamma camera. The sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) were isolated and separately analyzed in 200-micron sections and pancytokeratin immunohistochemistry assessment, looking for micrometastases. reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Results: A homolateral lymphatic spread on LS was observed in all cases, whereas in 5 cases (31.3%) lymphatic drainage was contralateral to the OSCC site. In one cN0 patient, a skip micrometastasis has been identified in a SLN. Conclusion: The results of the present study may suggest a role of LS and radioguided neck dissection in detecting the real lymphatic spread of OSCC, in order to improve the oncological assessment and to tailor the neck dissection

Outcome of cochlear implantation in children with congenital Cytomegalovirus infection: A retrospective case control study

Introduction: To date, cCMV represents the most frequent non-genetic congenital cause of permanent sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) in childhood and the leading infectious cause of developmental and neurologic disabilities. The aim of this paper is to describe the outcome of cochlear implantation in children affected by severe-to-profound sensorineural hearing loss, due to a symptomatic or asymptomatic cCMV infection, particularly comparing their performance results to that of matched mutated Connexin 26 (Cx26) implanted patients. Methods: Retrospective case control study. The clinical data of symptomatic cCMV and asymptomatic cCMV patients were collected and compared to those of Cx26 patients matched for age and pre-CI (cochlear implant) linguistic category; all subjects were affected by bilateral severe-to-profound SNHL and were treated by CI and speech therapy rehabilitation. The Speech Perception Category, the language stage and the linguistic level scores, at 6 months, 1 year, and 3–4 years after CI of the three groups (symptomatic cCMV, asymptomatic cCMV and Cx26 mutation) were collected and compared. Results: Statistical analysis did not show any significant difference in pre-CI perception category and linguistic level among the three groups; the symptomatic cCMV group showed a statistically worse performance of the language stage over time (p = 0.017). Conclusions: Our data support that children affected by cCMV have improved language abilities over time, although the symptomatic cCMV group achieved a lower language stage 3–4 years after CI compared to the asymptomatic cCMV and Cx26 mutation groups. Nonetheless, to date, CI supported by speech therapy can be considered an effective intervention for children affected by cCMV-related severe-to-profound hearing loss

Laboratory measurements of anhydrous minerals mixed with hyperfine hydrated minerals to support interpretation of infrared reflectance observations of planetary surfaces

Identification of water in our Solar System is a key point to understanding the formation and evolution of planetary bodies as well as for astrobiological studies. Scientists identified hydrated minerals as a prime source of H2O in our Solar System. Minerals such as clays, serpentines and other phyllosilicates were discovered by orbiter and lander spacecraft and ground observations on a large variety of rocky surfaces from Mars to small asteroids using InfraRed (IR) spectroscopy as primary technique. It has already been observed that in the presence of large amounts of hydrated minerals in mixtures with anhydrous minerals, the IR spectra can be dominated by the features of hydrated minerals. However, it is still poorly studied how the IR spectra change in presence of different grain size of the two components.The goal of this study was to investigate the infrared spectroscopic features of anhydrous mineral spectra in presence of low amounts of small grain size hydrated hyperfine particles. We prepared several mixtures using 1 wt% and 5 wt% of very small grain size (&lt; 10 mu m) hydrated minerals and 95 wt% and 99 wt% of larger grain size (200-500 mu m) anhydrous minerals. We measured the IR reflectance spectrum of these mixtures in the range 8000-400 cm-1 (1.25-25 mu m). Results presented here show how the presence of a very limited amount of hy-drated minerals with grain size one order of magnitude smaller than the anhydrous component is sufficient to change the IR spectrum, especially in the Near-InfraRed (NIR) region where some of the major hydrated features manifest. On the contrary, the Mid-InfraRed (MIR) part of the spectrum (also identified as thermal infrared) is definitely less affected and anhydrous mineral features continue to be dominant with slight modifications. This result is of pivotal importance for correctly interpreting the IR reflectance observations of planetary bodies such as Mars or asteroids where a mixing of anhydrous and hydrated minerals can be observed. The presence of strong spectroscopic features due to hydrated minerals can be misinterpreted as a large abundance of this material instead of a spectroscopic effect

Novel soy germ pasta improves endothelial function, blood pressure, and oxidative stress in patients with type 2 diabetes

OBJECTIVE - To compare the effects of a novel soy germ-enriched pasta, containing isoflavone aglycons, with conventional pasta on endothelial function and cardiovascular risk markers in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS - This randomized controlled double-blind crossover study compared one serving/day of soy germ pasta and conventional pasta for 8 weeks for effects on brachial artery flow-mediated vasodilation, blood pressure, plasma lipids, oxidized LDL cholesterol, 8-iso-PGF2\u3b1, total antioxidant capacity (TAC), glutathione (GSH), and homocysteine. RESULTS - Isoflavone-enriched pasta significantly improved arterial stiffness (P = 0.005) and reduced systolic (P = 0.026) and diastolic (P = 0.017) blood pressures. Plasma TAC increased (P = 0.0002), oxidized LDL cholesterol decreased (P = 0.009), 8-iso-PGF2\u3b1 decreased (P = 0.001), GSH levels increased (P = 0.0003), and homocysteine decreased (P = 0.009) consistent with a reduction in oxidative stress. No significant changes were observed with conventional pasta. CONCLUSIONS - Pasta enriched with biologically active isoflavone aglycons improved endothelial function and had beneficial effects on cardiovascular risk markers in patients with T2D