Benign Bone Tumors: An Overview of What We Know Today

Nonmalignant bone tumors represent a wide variety of different entities but maintain many common features. They usually affect young patients, and most can be diagnosed through imaging exams. Often asymptomatic, they can be discovered incidentally. Due to their similarities, these tumors may be challenging to diagnose and differentiate between each other, thus the need for a complete and clear description of their main characteristics. The aim of this review is to give a picture of the benign bone tumors that clinicians can encounter more frequently in their everyday work

Mid–Long-Term Outcomes of Surgical Treatment of Legg-Calvè-Perthes Disease: A Systematic Review

Background: Legg–Calvè–Perthes disease (LCPD) is a common childhood disease that usually occurs in 4- to 12-year-old children. Surgical treatment consists of femoral, pelvic, or combined osteotomies. This comprehensive review aimed to investigate the mid- and long-term outcome of the surgical treatment. Methods: A systematic review of PubMed, Science Direct, and MEDLINE databases was performed by two independent authors, using the keywords “outcome”, “surgical treatment”, “pelvic osteotomy”, “femoral osteotomy”, and “Legg–Calvè–Perthes disease” to evaluate studies of any level of evidence that reported the surgical outcome of LCPD. The result of every stage was reviewed and approved by two senior investigators. Results: A total of 2153 articles were found. At the end of the screening, we selected 23 articles eligible for full-text reading according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Our analysis showed that the main prognostic factors for surgical outcome in patients with LCPD are the age at onset and the degree of initial disease severity. Conclusions: Surgical treatment in patients older than 6 years has excellent results in Herring B and B/C hips and poor results in Herring C hips, with a slight advantage for patients between 6 and 8 years old

<i>Catha edulis</i> Leaves: Morphological Characterization and Anti-Inflammatory Properties in an In Vitro Model of Gastritis

Khat leaves, indigenous to eastern Africa, have been chewed for centuries for their stimulant effects, attributed to alkaloids such as cathinone and cathine. Although associated with gastric disorders like gastritis and gastro-oesophageal reflux disease, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear. This study aimed to examine the morpho-anatomy of khat leaves using light microscopy and histochemistry and to assess the effects of leaf extracts and alkaloids on human gastric epithelial cells (GES-1). The study identified specific cells in the palisade–spongy transition zone as storage sites for psychoactive alkaloids. Leaf extracts were prepared by mimicking the chewing process, including a prolonged salivary phase followed by a gastric phase. Cytotoxicity and cell viability were evaluated using LDH and MTT assays, respectively. Additionally, the impact on IL-8 secretion, a key chemokine in gastric inflammation, was analysed under normal and TNF-α-stimulated conditions. The results showed no increase in cytotoxicity up to 250 µg/mL. However, there was a significant decrease in cell metabolism and a reduction in both basal and TNF-α-induced IL-8 secretion, but cathinone and cathine were inactive. These findings suggest that khat may not directly cause the gastric issues reported in the literature, which would rather be attributed to other confounding factors, highlighting the need for further research to clarify its biological impacts

ON-Tech: from Roman mortars to green innovative solutions

ON-Tech project is based on the idea to produce modern and green restoration mortars according to the recipe of ancient mortars from the Trajan Aqueduct (Rome, II century AD), which showed high durability and resistance thanks to a synergic combination of raw materials, grain size and production technology. The main objective is to realize eco-friendly restoration mortars, not harmful to humans and compatible with ancient materials, with high performance and minimum CO2 production to make them more effective and sustainable, to preserve cultural heritage for future generations. First, a preliminary characterization of three typologies of Pozzolan materials from the surrounding of Bracciano Lake has been provided by means of optical microscopy (OM), X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM-EDS). The results showed differences in the matrix, leucite crystals (presence, dimension, typology), amount of phenocrystals (clinopyroxenes and feldspars) and porosity. After the preliminary investigations, the pozzolan materials compatible with ancient samples were chosen for the new formulations, which have been then analyzed from the mineralogical point of view by FTIR and XRPD and non-destructive tests (usb analysis, peeling tests, Karsten tube, sponge test) in order to assess physical and mechanical characteristics and durability of the new products