Mirror imaging of impacted and supernumerary teeth in dizygotic twins: a case report

Background: Mesiodens is the most common type of supernumerary tooth found in the premaxilla. It might be discovered during the clinical examination as a casual finding on a radiograph or as the cause of an unerupted maxillary central incisor. The genetic transmission of supernumerary and impacted teeth is poorly understood. Mirror imaging in twins has been reported frequently in relation to several unilateral dental anomalies including mesiodens. This phenomenon is the appearance of an asymmetrical feature or anomaly occurring on the right side of one twin but on the left side of the other twin. The event of mesiodens mirror imaging in monozygotic twins has been described in literature. Results: This is the first reported case of mesiodens mirror imaging in dizygotic twins. The described mesiodens caused the eruption failure of maxillary permanent incisors. The supernumerary teeth were removed to facilitate the spontaneous eruption of the impacted permanent maxillary incisors. Clinical Implications: Studies related to supernumerary teeth can be useful to clinicians in the early diagnosis of this anomaly. Clinical and radiographic examinations provide a correct therapeutic approach

Lumped model for the assessment of the thermal and mechanical response of LNG tanks exposed to fire

Fires may impact on liquefied natural gas (LNG) process and storage units causing severe damages and potential accident escalation. In the present work, a lumped model able to predict the thermal response of LNG tanks exposed to fire is presented. The model is based on a thermal nodes approach, solving heat and material balances on the equipment exposed to fire, contemplating boiling regime phenomena, heat-up and pressure build up. The model allowed obtaining key indications for the evaluation of the vessel resistance during fire exposure. The model was applied to reproduce the accident scenario occurred at Tivissa (Spain) in 2002 and applied to an industrial case study

Asset integrity in the case of Wildfires at Wildland-Industrial Interfaces

Wildfires are uncontrolled fires involving the combustion of wild vegetation. When a wildfire front approaches the Wildland-Industrial Interface there can be a serious threat for process and storage equipment items located at the plant boundary. Ensuring the integrity of such equipment prevents the fire from spreading inside the plant site and causing major accidents such as fire, explosion, and toxic gas dispersion. The provision of adequate clearance areas is paramount since the early stages of the plant design. Once the facility is built, the implementation of safety measures can protect industrial items and ensure tank integrity. A tailored methodology for the calculation of safety distances between wild vegetation and tanks accounting for the safety system was developed and applied to a case study. The outcomes provide useful information on the effectiveness of safety measures for the protection of industrial items exposed to wildfire

Phytochemical Characterization and Assessment of the Wound Healing Properties of Three Eurasian Propolis

Objectives: The objective of this study is to evaluate the wound healing potential of Eurasian propolis by analyzing the phytochemical profile and the biological effects of three representative propolis samples. Methods: Specific colorimetric assays were used to estimate the total phenolic and flavonoid contents and the triterpenoids content. Some of the main components of Eurasian propolis (pinocembrin, pinobanksin, CAPE, chrysin and galangin) were analyzed using HPLC-DAD. Scavenging activity and total antioxidant capacity were assessed through DPPH and ORAC assays, respectively. Human keratinocyte, fibroblast, and monocytic cell lines were used for the biological in vitro analyses. The direct wound healing properties were tested through scratching assays and ELISA kits for the assessment of the production of growth factors (FGF-7, Latency Associated Peptide-LAP), while the indirect effects were evaluated through the estimation of the levels of MMP9, IL-1β, IL-8, and TNF-α using ELISA kits together with a cell-free test on the inhibition capacity on collagenases. Network Pharmacology analysis was employed to further explore possible mechanisms of the action of propolis on the healing process. Results: The analyses confirmed the high phenolic content of Eurasian propolis (142.50–211.30 mg GAE/g), dominated by flavonoids (95.50–196.80 mg Galangin Equivalents/g), and terpenes (431.50–650.00 mg β-sitosterol Equivalents/g), while also verifying the significant antioxidant (4.9–8.9 mM/g Trolox Equivalents) and antiradical (DPPH IC50 26.1–54.4 μg/mL) activities. The samples showed indirect wound healing properties by mitigating inflammation and remodeling (reduced IL-1β and MMP9) and potentially modulating the immune response (upregulated IL-8). In vitro studies confirmed these effects, demonstrating decreased MMP9 production and collagenase inhibition when cells were co-treated with propolis and a stressor. Propolis also suppressed IL-1β release in fibroblasts, although its impact on TNF-α was inconclusive. Notably, co-treatment upregulated IL-8 in monocytes, suggesting a potential immunomodulatory role. Conclusions: Eurasian propolis may not directly stimulate cell proliferation during wound healing. Its anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory properties could indicate an indirect contribution in helping the process

Asset integrity in the case of wildfires at wildland-industrial interfaces

Wildfires are uncontrolled fires involving the combustion of wild vegetation. When a wildfire front approaches the Wildland-Industrial Interface there can be a serious threat for process and storage equipment items located at the plant boundary. Ensuring the integrity of such equipment prevents the fire from spreading inside the plant site and causing major accidents such as fire, explosion, and toxic gas dispersion. The provision of adequate clearance areas is paramount since the early stages of the plant design. Once the facility is built, the implementation of safety measures can protect industrial items and ensure tank integrity. A tailored methodology for the calculation of safety distances between wild vegetation and tanks accounting for the safety system was developed and applied to a case study. The outcomes provide useful information on the effectiveness of safety measures for the protection of industrial items exposed to wildfire.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Negative-Pressure Wound Therapy for Prevention of Sternal Wound Infection after Adult Cardiac Surgery : Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

The results of current studies are not conclusive on the efficacy of incisional negative-pressure wound therapy (NPWT) for the prevention of sternal wound infection (SWI) after adult cardiac surgery. A systematic review of the literature was performed through PubMed, Scopus and Google to identify studies which investigated the efficacy of NPWT to prevent SWI after adult cardiac surgery. Available data were pooled using RevMan and Meta-analyst with random effect models. Out of 191 studies retrieved from the literature, ten fulfilled the inclusion criteria and were included in this analysis. The quality of these studies was judged fair for three of them and poor for seven studies. Only one study was powered to address the efficacy of NPWT for the prevention of postoperative SWI. Pooled analysis of these studies showed that NPWT was associated with lower risk of any SWI (4.5% vs. 9.0%, RR 0.54, 95% CI 0.34-0.84, I-2 48%), superficial SWI (3.8% vs. 4.4%, RR 0.63, 95% CI 0.29-1.36, I-2 65%), and deep SWI (1.8% vs. 4.7%, RR 0.46, 95% CI 0.26-0.74, I-2 0%), but such a difference was not statistically significant for superficial SWI. When only randomized and alternating allocated studies were included, NPWT was associated with a significantly lower risk of any SWI (3.3% vs. 16.5%, RR 0.22, 95% CI 0.08-0.62, I-2 0%), superficial SWI (2.6% vs. 12.4%, RR 0.21, 95% CI 0.06-0.69, I-2 0%), and deep SWI (1.2% vs. 4.8%, RR 0.17, 95% CI 0.03-0.95, I-2 0%). This pooled analysis showed that NPWT may prevent postoperative SWI after adult cardiac surgery. NPWT is expected to be particularly useful in patients at risk for surgical site infection and may significantly reduce the burden of resources needed to treat such a complication. However, the methodology of the available studies was judged as poor for most of them. Further studies are needed to obtain conclusive results on the potential benefits of this preventative strategy.Peer reviewe