Laboratory and on-site tests for rapid runway repair

The attention to rapid pavement repair has grown fast in recent decades: this topic is strategic for the airport management process for civil purposes and peacekeeping missions. This work presents the results of laboratory and on-site tests for rapid runway repair, in order to analyse and compare technical and mechanical performances of 12 different materials currently used in airport. The study focuses on site repairs, a technique adopted most frequently than repairs with modular elements. After describing mechanical and physical properties of the examined materials (2 bituminous emulsions, 5 cement mortars, 4 cold bituminous mixtures and 1 expanding resin), the study presents the results of carried out mechanical tests. The results demonstrate that the best performing material is a one-component fast setting and hardening cement mortar with graded aggregates. This material allows the runway reopening 6 h after the work. A cold bituminous mixture (bicomponent premixed cold asphalt with water as catalyst) and the ordinary cement concrete allow the reopening to traffic after 18 h, but both ensure a lower service life (1000 coverages) than the cement mortar (10,000 coverages). The obtained results include important information both laboratory level and field, and they could be used by airport management bodies and road agencies when scheduling and evaluating pavement repairs

Pylephlebitis: A Systematic Review on Etiology, Diagnosis, and Treatment of Infective Portal Vein Thrombosis

Pylephlebitis, defined as infective thrombophlebitis of the portal vein, is a rare condition with an incidence of 0.37–2.7 cases per 100,000 person-years, which can virtually complicate any intra-abdominal or pelvic infections that develop within areas drained by the portal venous circulation. The current systematic review aimed to investigate the etiology behind pylephlebitis in terms of pathogens involved and causative infective processes, and to report the most common symptoms at clinical presentation. We included 220 individuals derived from published cases between 1971 and 2022. Of these, 155 (70.5%) were male with a median age of 50 years. There were 27 (12.3%) patients under 18 years of age, 6 (2.7%) individuals younger than one year, and the youngest reported case was only 20 days old. The most frequently reported symptoms on admission were fever (75.5%) and abdominal pain (66.4%), with diverticulitis (26.5%) and acute appendicitis (22%) being the two most common causes. Pylephlebitis was caused by a single pathogen in 94 (42.8%) cases and polymicrobial in 60 (27.2%) cases. However, the responsible pathogen was not identified or not reported in 30% of the included patients. The most frequently isolated bacteria were Escherichia coli (25%), Bacteroides spp. (17%), and Streptococcus spp. (15%). The treatment of pylephlebitis consists initially of broad-spectrum antibiotics that should be tailored upon bacterial identification and continued for at least four to six weeks after symptom presentation. There is no recommendation for prescribing anticoagulants to all patients with pylephlebitis. However, they should be administered in patients with thrombosis progression on repeat imaging or persistent fever despite proper antibiotic therapy to increase the rates of thrombus resolution or decrease the overall mortality, which is approximately 14%

Should severe monolateral asymptomatic carotid artery stenosis be treated at the time of coronary artery bypass operation?

n/

Diverticular Disease and Rifaximin: An Evidence-Based Review

There have been considerable advances in the treatment of diverticular disease in recent years. Antibiotics are frequently used to treat symptoms and prevent complications. Rifaximin, a non-absorbable antibiotic, is a common therapeutic choice for symptomatic diverticular disease in various countries, including Italy. Because of its low systemic absorption and high concentration in stools, it is an excellent medicine for targeting the gastrointestinal tract, where it has a beneficial effect in addition to its antibacterial properties. Current evidence shows that cyclical rifaximin usage in conjunction with a high-fiber diet is safe and effective for treating symptomatic uncomplicated diverticular disease, while the cost-effectiveness of long-term treatment is unknown. The use of rifaximin to prevent recurrent diverticulitis is promising, but further studies are needed to confirm its therapeutic benefit. Unfortunately, there is no available evidence on the efficacy of rifaximin treatment for acute uncomplicated diverticulitis

Digital reconstruction of the Ceprano calvarium (Italy), and implications for its interpretation

The Ceprano calvarium was discovered in fragments on March 1994 near the town of Ceprano in southern Latium (Italy), embedded in Middle Pleistocene layers. After reconstruction, its morphological features suggests that the specimen belongs to an archaic variant of H. heidelbergensis, representing a proxy for the last common ancestor of the diverging clades that respectively led to H. neanderthalensis and H. sapiens. Unfortunately, the calvarium was taphonomically damaged. The postero-lateral vault, in particular, appears deformed and this postmortem damage may have infuenced previous interpretations. Specifcally, there is a depression on the fragmented left parietal, while the right cranial wall is warped and angulated. This deformation afected the shape of the occipital squama, producing an inclination of the transverse occipital torus. In this paper, after X-ray microtomography (μCT) of both the calvarium and several additional fragments, we analyze consistency and pattern of the taphonomic deformation that afected the specimen, before the computer-assisted retrodeformation has been performed; this has also provided the opportunity to reappraise early attempts at restoration. As a result, we ofer a revised interpretation for the Ceprano calvarium’s original shape, now free from the previous uncertainties, along with insight for its complex depositional and taphonomic history

Diagnostic accuracy of sonohysterography vs hysteroscopy in benign uterine endocavitary findings

OBJECTIVE: To compare diagnostic accuracy of sonohysterography vs hysteroscopy in patients with benign uterine endocavitary findings. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This retrospective study evaluated 202 patients submitted to sonohysterography after transvaginal ultrasound examination suspicious for uterine endocavitary findings. Cytological sample was taken and analyzed from the fluid used to distend the uterine cavity. Of 202 patients enrolled for this study, 86 patients underwent gynaecological surgery, of whom 77 were treated with operative hysteroscopy and 9 with other gynaecological surgical techniques. Statistical analysis was performed to evaluate diagnostic agreement between sonohysterography vs hysteroscopy and cytology vs histology. RESULTS: Diagnostic concordance between sonohysterography and hysteroscopy was significant (k value 0.87). The correlation between cytological and histological findings had a moderate level of concordance (k value 0.49).CONCLUSIONS: Sonohysterography provides a diagnostic accuracy as well as hysteroscopy, therefore, it could be considered an alternative procedure in the diagnosis of benign uterine endocavitary findings

Learning from the past to improve the future-vaccine hesitancy determinants in the italian population: a systematic review

: WHO identifies vaccine hesitancy (VH) as one of the ten threats to global health. The authors bring to the international scientific community an Italian episode that offers the opportunity to renew the discussion on the extent of the VH matter. The purpose of this systematic review is to analyze the factors determining vaccine hesitancy in the Italian population, to understand its roots, and suggest potential strategies to mitigate it. A systematic review of the literature according to the PRISMA guidelines was carried out using the SCOPUS and Medline (via PubMed) databases, using the following strategy: (COVID-19 vaccines) AND (vaccination hesitancy) AND (Italy). After the selection process, 36 articles were included in this systematic review. The most frequently detected factors associated with VH in the Italian population can be grouped as vaccine-related factors, socio-cultural factors, and demographic factors. Currently, we are facing a gap between the population and science, governments, and institutions. To heal this breach, it is necessary to strengthen the trust of the population through the implementation of health communication and public education strategies, while scientific literacy must continue to support families and individuals in discerning evidence from opinions to recognize the real risks and balance them with the benefits

Phytochemical Responses to Salt Stress in Red and Green Baby Leaf Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) Varieties Grown in a Floating Hydroponic Module

Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) is one of the most popular leafy vegetables, appreciated globally as a low-calorie food with bioactive compounds. The application of a low dose of abiotic stress is considered a sustainable pre-harvest strategy to modify the nutraceutical value of horticultural products. In this work, we explored the response of two differently colored (red or green) baby leaf lettuce varieties to four NaCl concentrations in the nutrient solution (from 1 to 30 mM), using a full factorial design. We focused on leaf morphological parameters and possible phytochemical enhancement of the main polyphenols and anthocyanins, analyzed by LC-MS. The response to low-to-moderate salt stress exposure was affected mainly by salt concentration for leaf traits or by the cultivar for leaf color, with very limited factors' interactions. Multivariate analysis indicated a predominant role of the genotypic factor in shaping differences in the two weeks growing cycle for baby leaf lettuce. Phytochemically, different dose–response models to sub-optimal saline conditions may be applied to the various compounds. A significant hormetic stimulation was present only for cyanidin-malonyl glucoside, the main anthocyanin present in the red cultivar