Malignant otitis externa in the antibiotic resistance era: key to successful treatment

Malignant otitis externa in the antibiotic resistance era: key to successful treatment. Objective: Malignant otitis externa (MOE) is a rare aggressive, necrotizing infection of the external auditory canal and the temporal bone. MOE may have a poor prognosis when it is not treated promptly and adequately. It is most commonly reported in males, older individuals, patients with diabetes, or patients that are immunocompromised. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is the main pathogenic agent involved. This study aimed to evaluate a clinical series of patients with MOE and discuss the current literature on the topic. Methodology: This retrospective study included 8 patients with MOE that were evaluated and treated, medically and/ or surgically, at the University Hospital of Ferrara between January 2012 and December 2016. We retrieved data from medical records on the clinical history, imaging, and treatment. Results: In all cases, a microbiological examination disclosed the presence of P. aeruginosa. The infection was eventually controlled in all cases, after a median of 6 months of therapy. All patients were followed-up for an average of 12 months after infection resolution. Conclusion: Currently, no specific guidelines for MOE treatment are available in the literature. Based on our findings, we proposed a diagnostic and therapeutic flow-chart for managing this infection

Some remarks about Eurocode and Italian Code about piled foundations in seismic area

In 2008 a new Building Code (Norme Tecniche per le Costruzioni, D.M. 14/01/2008) was introduced in Italy following the in-troduction of Eurocodes 7 (part 1) and 8 (part 5). Apart from some changes due to the need of adapting the content of the Eurocodes to local practice, the main structure of the latter was held. In the paper some comments are reported reference to the design of piled foundations in seismic areas. Some specific topics are developed, with particular reference to kinematic and inertial interaction, with the aim of pointing out questions which may be worthy of discussion in light of a possible re-examination and updating of Codes

A practical method to design thermally stressed piles

The paper deals with the analysis and design of energy piles subjected to a cyclic temperature variation under constant mechanical axial load. The problem is first investigated through fully coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical analyses using the finite-element code ABAQUS. A single pile, whose head is either free or restrained, is embedded in a normally consolidated clay obeying different constitutive models. Numerical results are reported and discussed with emphasis on the role of the different constitutive assumptions on the development of the pile axial force due to the thermal load. Further, a design procedure is proposed to derive the maximum thermally induced axial load by using recently developed analytical solutions, worked out to obtain explicit formulae that can be readily employed in a spreadsheet for the direct computation of axial force in a multilayer soil. The method consists of employing these expressions after identifying some rules to: (a) select the soil stiffness profile as a function of the mechanical load and (b) establish the effect of the actual restraint condition at the pile head as a function of the stiffness ratio between the inactive and the active pile subgroups. The main advantage of the proposed procedure is that it requires only the load-settlement curve under the mechanical axial load, which is always assessed in pile design, through analytical, numerical or experimental means. After a comparison with the results of the finite-element analyses, the procedure is also applied to a number of field tests on groups of energy piles available in the literature, and provides a satisfactory match between measurements and predictions

Alcune considerazioni sull'importanza relativa tra effetti cinematici e inerziali per fondazioni profonde

Nell’articolo vengono esposte alcune considerazioni sul rapporto relativo tra momenti di natura cinematica e inerziale per fondazioni profonde, alla luce delle prescrizioni normative italiane ed europee. Tra i risultati di maggiore rilevanza, viene mostrato come per terreni scadenti, anche se caratterizzati da rigidezza costante con la profondità, i momenti di natura cinematica sono spesso maggiori di quelli inerziali. Vengono quindi discussi i contenuti delle NTC dell’Eurocodice 8 in materia di interazione cinematica

Momenti di interazione cinematica di pali immersi in terreni stratificati

L’articolo indaga la risposta di pali, immersi in sottosuoli a due strati, soggetti a carichi di natura cinematica. Sulla base di risultati di analisi numeriche agli elementi finiti, viene proposta una nuova interpretazione del meccanismo di flessione generato in corrispondenza dell’interfaccia tra gli strati. Si giunge inoltre a definire una superficie caratteristica rappresentativa di combinazioni di valori di profondità d’interfaccia, rapporto di rigidezza palo-terreno e contrasto di rigidezza tra gli strati, che provocano momento nullo all’interfaccia. Viene quindi proposta una formula semplificata per la valutazione di tali momenti

Design of Axially-loaded Piles: Experimental evidence from 400 field tests

This work is aimed at furnishing an experimental support to the design of axially-loaded piles, taking advantage of an extensive database of pile load tests carried out in different sites nearby Napoli, in South Italy. Experimental data consist of nearly 400 full-scale pile load tests, some of them reaching large values of settlement. Different construction methods, including Non-Displacement, CFA and Displacement piles, have been used. The main results of the work consist in furnishing experimentally-derived rules and indications for pile design. With regards to failure loads, mobilization curves relating properly normalized values of load and settlement are proposed as function of the installation technique; indications on the bearing capacity of piles as function of geometry and technology are also provided. Initial stiffness of piles is investigated, identifying a rule of thumb for a rapid assessment, function solely of pile diameter and valid regardless of length and specific properties of pile and soil material