Engineering strategies of microalgal cultivation for potential jet fuel production – A critical review

The aviation industry stands as a well-known "hard to electrify" sector, currently responsible for the consumption of massive amounts of fossil fuels, considerably contributing to global CO2 emissions. The need to reduce the aviation carbon footprint to comply with the European Green Deal objectives, has driven intensive research into the so-called bio-jet fuels (BJF) that can be obtained from different lipid-rich substrates, including microalgae among the most promising. Starting from the analysis of existing studies dealing with the selection of the strains more indicated for BJF production, this review examines the most recent breakthrough in microalgae cultivation techniques and lipid accumulation strategies, focusing on the approaches targeting the enhancement of the process environmental sustainability. The main bottlenecks in each phase of the production process are identified and critically reviewed. The most recent solutions are also thoroughly discussed to point out room for improvements in consolidated engineering strategies, as well as areas of further scientific research to advance the state of the art on micro-algal potential for BJF production

Effectiveness of biosimilar pegfilgrastim in patients with lymphoma after high-dose chemotherapy and autologous stem cell transplantation: a real-life study

ObjectivesTo evaluate the efficacy of biosimilar (BIO) pegfilgrastim (PEG) in lymphoma patients after autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT).Methods86 consecutive lymphoma patients who received BIO/PEG after ASCT were assessed. The primary endpoints of this study were the incidence of febrile neutropenia (FN) and time to neutrophil engraftment.ResultsMost patients were males (67.4%) with a median age of 48 years. FN occurred in 66 patients (76.7%), and most of the fever was grade 1-2. The median time to neutrophil engraftment was 9 days. The incidence of FN differs based on lymphoma type (p-value <0.01) and was higher in non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) than in Hodgkin Lymphoma (HL). No statistical difference was found between NHL and HL regarding the time to reach the neutrophil engraftment. Hospitalization lasted from a minimum of 9 to a maximum of 34 days. The restricted mean time to discharge was 15.9 days (95%CI 14-16), without differences based on lymphoma type.ConclusionAlthough the study has the significant limitation of not being randomized and not having a control arm, it highlights the efficacy and safety of a BIO-PEG formulation in patients with Lymphoma and undergoing ASCT

Outcomes of elective liver surgery worldwide: a global, prospective, multicenter, cross-sectional study

Background: The outcomes of liver surgery worldwide remain unknown. The true population-based outcomes are likely different to those vastly reported that reflect the activity of highly specialized academic centers. The aim of this study was to measure the true worldwide practice of liver surgery and associated outcomes by recruiting from centers across the globe. The geographic distribution of liver surgery activity and complexity was also evaluated to further understand variations in outcomes. Methods: LiverGroup.org was an international, prospective, multicenter, cross-sectional study following the Global Surgery Collaborative Snapshot Research approach with a 3-month prospective, consecutive patient enrollment within January–December 2019. Each patient was followed up for 90 days postoperatively. All patients undergoing liver surgery at their respective centers were eligible for study inclusion. Basic demographics, patient and operation characteristics were collected. Morbidity was recorded according to the Clavien–Dindo Classification of Surgical Complications. Country-based and hospital-based data were collected, including the Human Development Index (HDI). (NCT03768141). Results: A total of 2159 patients were included from six continents. Surgery was performed for cancer in 1785 (83%) patients. Of all patients, 912 (42%) experienced a postoperative complication of any severity, while the major complication rate was 16% (341/2159). The overall 90-day mortality rate after liver surgery was 3.8% (82/2,159). The overall failure to rescue rate was 11% (82/ 722) ranging from 5 to 35% among the higher and lower HDI groups, respectively. Conclusions: This is the first to our knowledge global surgery study specifically designed and conducted for specialized liver surgery. The authors identified failure to rescue as a significant potentially modifiable factor for mortality after liver surgery, mostly related to lower Human Development Index countries. Members of the LiverGroup.org network could now work together to develop quality improvement collaboratives

Approccio multidisciplinare alle difficolt\ue0 motorie dei bambini sportivi a sviluppo normo-tipico.

Many different aspects influence the motor development of the children. This project refers to Italian children aged between 7 and 12 years, who are practicing basketball at a competitive level for at least two years. The aim of this project is to identify which aspects influence the motor development. In particular we focus on cognitive, postural and kinematics variables. In the first part of this study we consider the postural attitude of the children; then, we highlight the importance of height and weight on the motor and the postural development. In the second part of the research, we investigate on the possible correlation between the motor and the cognitive skills. In this section we refer to motor skills -like manual dexterity, balance and aiming and catching- in correlation to the executive functions, in particular attention, working memory and motor memory. The third part of the project completes the assessment with a kinematic analysis of the countermovement vertical jump. In this section, we also investigate about the possible correlation of the working memory and the motor ability to jump. The results of the whole project support the importance of a multidisciplinary approach, in order to deeply understand the motor development and which aspects could impact on. The outcomes also suggest an early intervention on the motor difficulties in the pre-schooler population. In a context where there is little evidence about the assessment of the sporty typically developing children, this research we would be a contribution to support teachers, trainers and educators.Many different aspects influence the motor development of the children. This project refers to Italian children aged between 7 and 12 years, who are practicing basketball at a competitive level for at least two years. The aim of this project is to identify which aspects influence the motor development. In particular we focus on cognitive, postural and kinematics variables. In the first part of this study we consider the postural attitude of the children; then, we highlight the importance of height and weight on the motor and the postural development. In the second part of the research, we investigate on the possible correlation between the motor and the cognitive skills. In this section we refer to motor skills -like manual dexterity, balance and aiming and catching- in correlation to the executive functions, in particular attention, working memory and motor memory. The third part of the project completes the assessment with a kinematic analysis of the countermovement vertical jump. In this section, we also investigate about the possible correlation of the working memory and the motor ability to jump. The results of the whole project support the importance of a multidisciplinary approach, in order to deeply understand the motor development and which aspects could impact on. The outcomes also suggest an early intervention on the motor difficulties in the pre-schooler population. In a context where there is little evidence about the assessment of the sporty typically developing children, this research we would be a contribution to support teachers, trainers and educators

Kinematic assessment of the vertical jump in young basketball players

Problem statement Jumping is a Fundamental Movement Skill and a milestone for motor development. It is well known that this performance relates to the features of the considered population. In the sport practice, the jump is a component to assess physical abilities. Furthermore, basketball players are exposed to many injuries because of the jump rate, such as ankle or knee sprains. Approach Sixty young basketball players aged between 8.3 and 12.6 years (37 males, 23 females) participated in this study. An ecologic assessment protocol to investigate the specific vertical jump pattern of this sample was set up in the basketball gyms. An anamnestic questionnaire, BMI, and kinematic assessment were used. Purpose The aim of this cross-sectional study is to describe the specific kinematic jumping pattern in young basketball players. Results Data support the importance of a child-specific kinematics analysis of the vertical jump. The lower quadriceps strength and the larger flexibility of ankles in children justify the large involvement of this joint during the vertical jump (down 25.3\ub0, up 24.1\ub0, flight 7.4\ub0, landing 26.4\ub0). Multiple linear regression demonstrates that the movement of the hip during flight is significantly influenced by age (p-value=0.04), especially in males (p-value=0.02). In addition, the movement of the knee during flight is significantly related to BMI in males (p-value=0.01). Conclusions New data about the specific jumping pattern of young basketball players are provided to create adapted and appropriated prevention protocols. Young basketball players show a specific immature motor pattern during the vertical jump

The postural impact on the prevention of injuries in young basketball players: a longitudinal preliminary study

The competitive sport practice is a well-known risk factor for juvenile Low Back Pain and other common injuries. The present research aims to introduce a prevention protocol in the two-years training program of a young Italian basketball team. The results are encouraging and demonstrate the importance of supporting the motor development of the young athletes

Adaptation, Validity, and Reliability of the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq

Aim: The Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) is widely used for detecting and screening depression in Iraq. However, no psychometric assessment has been performed on any Iraqi version. This study aims at studying the reliability and validity of the Iraqi Kurdish version of the PHQ-9 as tool for identifying depression. Methods: A cross-sectional study design was used; data were collected from 872 participants (49.3% female and 51.7% male) at Primary Health Care Centers (PHCCs) in the host community as well as from Internal Displaced Persons (IDPs) and refugee camps. Sociodemographic information was obtained; PHQ-9 for the diagnosis and screening of depression and Self Reporting Questionnaire 20 items (SRQ-20) for the screening of common mental illnesses were administered. Validity and reliability analyses were performed. Results: In total, 19% of the participants had a PHQ-9 total score equal to or higher than the clinical cut-off of 10 for diagnosing depressive disorder. The internal consistency of the PHQ-9 was good (Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was 0.89). Good concurrent validity for PHQ-9 compared with SRQ-20 (71%, p < 0.001) was found. Conclusions: The PHQ-9 demonstrates good psychometric properties and proves to be a good tool for detecting and screening depression

Relation between Motor and Cognitive Skills in Italian Basketball Players Aged between 7 and 10 Years Old

There is evidence supporting a correlation between motor, attention and working memory in children. This present study focuses on children aged between 7 and 10 years, who have been playing basketball in the last two years. The aim of this study is to verify the correlation between cognitive and motor abilities and to understand the importance of this correlation in basketball practice. A total of 75 children who were 7.2&ndash;10.99 years old were assessed in terms of their attention, motor manual sequences and visuo-spatial working memory. A regression analysis was provided. In this sample, the motor abilities of children were found to be correlated with attention (denomination task, R2 = 0.07), visuo-spatial working memory (R2 = 0.06) and motor manual sequencing (aiming and catching task, R2 = 0.05; and manual dexterity task, R2 = 0.10). These correlations justify the suggestion to introduce deeper cognitive involvement during basketball training. The development of executive functions could have an important impact on basketball practice and the introduction of attention and memory tasks could help coaches to obtain optimal improvement in performance during the training sessions