Numerical expressions in everyday language

This interesting volume was published by the Laterza in 2011 and is the product of fruitful collaboration between three internationally renowned scholars, each with different research perspectives. They are respectively Carla Bazzanella, who teaches General and Cognitive Linguistics at the University of Turin; Rosa Pugliese, who teaches Italian as a foreign language at the University of Bologna; Erdling Strudsholm, who teaches Italian linguistics at the University of Copenhagen

Methemoglobinemia Associated with Late-Onset Neonatal Sepsis: A Single-Center Experience

Objective â Methemoglobinemia (MetHb) is a rare congenital or acquired cause of infantile cyanosis. We examined the role of MetHb in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Study Design â A retrospective observational study was conducted reviewing blood gas analyses of hospitalized newborns over a 2-year period. MetHb-positive patients (MetHb >1.8%) were matched with a control group for gestational age, weight, disease, and illness severity at admission. Maternal, neonatal, clinical, and laboratory parameters were collected and analyzed in both groups. Results â MetHb incidence was 6%. The mean MetHb in the case group was 7.2%, and the first positive samples were observed at a mean of 22 days of life, 6 days prior to clinical or culture-proven sepsis. We identified low maternal age (31 vs. 34 years; p = 0.038), sepsis (90 vs. 45%; p = 0.022), and protracted parenteral nutrition (46 vs. 23 days; p = 0.013) as risk factors for MetHb, and early minimal enteral feeding as protective factor (12th vs. 9th day; p = 0.038). Conclusion â MetHb has a high occurrence in NICU and can be a helpful prognostic indicator of an infectious process. Understanding and prompt identification of MetHb can allow pediatricians to implement a life-saving therapy

Recognizable neonatal clinical features of aplasia cutis congenita

Background: Aplasia cutis congenita (ACC), classified in nine groups, is likely to be underreported, since milder isolated lesions in wellbeing newborns could often be undetected, and solitary lesions in the context of polymalformative syndromes could not always be reported. Regardless of form and cause, therapeutic options have in common the aim to restore the deficient mechanical and immunological cutaneous protection and to limit the risk of fluid leakage or rupture of the exposed organs. We aimed to review our institutional prevalence, comorbidities, treatment and outcome of newborns with ACC. Methods: We conducted a retrospective study including all newborns affected by ACC and admitted at the University Mother-Child Department from October 2010 to October 2019. Anthropometric and clinical characteristics of ACC1 versus a non-isolated ACC group were analyzed. Results: We encountered 37 newborns, 16 with ACC1 versus 21 with non-isolated ACC. The incidence rate of 0.1% in ACC1 was higher than expected, while 19% of cases showed intrafamilial autosomal dominant transmission. Higher birth weight centile, though lower than reference population, being adequate for gestational age, normal Apgar score and euglycemia characterizing ACC1 resulted associated to a rapid tissue regeneration. Non-isolated ACC, in relation to concomitant congenital anomalies and higher prematurity rate, showed more surgical and medical complications along with the risk of neonatal death. Specifically, newborns with ACC4 were characterized by the frequent necessity of abdominal wall defect repair, responsible for the occurrence of an abdominal compartment syndrome. Conclusion: Prompt carefully assessment of the newborn with ACC in order to exclude concomitant other congenital malformations, provides clues to the underlying pathophysiology, and to the short-term prognosis. Family should be oriented toward identification of other family members affected by similar pathology, while obstetric history should exclude initial multiple pregnancy with death of a co-twin, placental anomalies and drug assumption. Molecular-genetic diagnosis and genetic counseling are integrative in individualized disease approach

Photo-oxidative and soil burial degradation of irrigation tubes based on biodegradable polymer blends

Irrigation tubes based on biodegradable polymers were prepared via an extrusion-drawing process by Irritec and compared to conventional pipes made of high-density polyethylene (HDPE). A commercial polylactide/poly (butyleneadipate-co-butyleneterephthalate) (PLA/PBAT) blend (Bio-Flex®) and Mater-Bi® were used. The polymers were characterized from rheological and mechanical points of view. Irrigation pipes were subjected to photoaging with continued exposure to UV radiation up to 22 days. The degradability in the soil of irrigation tube samples was studied. The influence of temperature and UV irradiation on soil burial degradation was investigated. A soil burial degradation test was carried out at 30 °C and 50 °C for up to 70 days. The degree of degradation was evaluated from the weight loss percentage. The degradation rate of irrigation tube samples based on Mater-Bi® was higher at 30 °C and was stimulated after 14 days of UV irradiation. Higher temperatures or UV aging encouraged the disintegration in soil of Bio-Flex®-based irrigation tubes. Furthermore, tube samples, before and after UV and soil burial degradation, were analyzed by Attenuated Total Reflection-Fourier Transform Infra-Red (ATR-FTIR) spectroscop

Massimo Gioseffi (ed.), Uso, riuso e abuso dei testi classici. Colloquium. Milano: LED Edizioni Universitarie di Lettere Economia Diritto, 2010. Pp. 417. ISBN 9788879164283

La definizione \u201cmiscellanea\u201d si adatta in senso stretto al volume presente: esso contiene lavori molto diversi, per metodo e qualit\ue0, uniti da un filo conduttore. L\u2019idea sottostante la pubblicazione \ue8 dichiarata nella prefazione: \u201cnella storia della cultura occidentale due fattori sembrano avere assunto un peso decisivo. Il primo \ue8 l'adozione, fino alla nostra pi\uf9 stretta contemporaneit\ue0, della lettura diretta degli autori \u2013 gli auctores \u2013 all'interno della scuola, accanto, e qualche volta addirittura al posto, dei \uabmanuali\ubb nati per le specifiche esigenze didattiche. Il secondo \ue8 la mancata sostituzione del canone degli autori.\u201

290 surgical procedures for ulnar nerve entrapment at the elbow: Physiopathology, clinical experience and results

Ulnar nerve entrapment at the elbow is an important and relatively frequent pathological condition that may be related to diffent causes depending on individual or external factors. The cause of the nerve lesion is also idiopathic in about one-quarter to one-third of cases. This variable aetiopathogenetic presentation has often suggested different diagnostic and clinical approaches and, moreover, various surgical procedures. We present our 8-years surgical experience with 290 cases of ulnar nerve entrapment at the elbow analysing the salient clinical features and the results of the surgical treatment in the light of the relevant literature available on this topic

Salvatore Nicosia, Ephemeris: scritti efimeri. Soveria Mannelli: Rubbettino Editore, 2013. Pp. 514. ISBN 9788849834741

Salvatore Nicosia ha insegnato lingua e letteratura greca dal 1965 al 2012 ed è stato Preside della Facoltà di Lettere, Direttore di Dipartimento (per due volte), membro del Senato Accademico. Questo volume segna l’ingresso nel ruolo di “professore emerito”. Agli “scritti minori” di grecista sono affiancati “scritti vari”

Superoxide reductase from Giardia intestinalis: structural characterization of the first sor from a eukaryotic organism shows an iron centre that is highly sensitive to photoreduction

Superoxide reductase (SOR), which is commonly found in prokaryotic organisms, affords protection from oxidative stress by reducing the superoxide anion to hydrogen peroxide. The reaction is catalyzed at the iron centre, which is highly conserved among the prokaryotic SORs structurally characterized to date. Reported here is the first structure of an SOR from a eukaryotic organism, the protozoan parasite Giardia intestinalis (GiSOR), which was solved at 2.0 Å resolution. By collecting several diffraction data sets at 100 K from the same flash-cooled protein crystal using synchrotron X-ray radiation, photoreduction of the iron centre was observed. Reduction was monitored using an online UV-visible microspectrophotometer, following the decay of the 647 nm absorption band characteristic of the iron site in the glutamate-bound, oxidized state. Similarly to other 1Fe-SORs structurally characterized to date, the enzyme displays a tetrameric quaternary-structure arrangement. As a distinctive feature, the N-terminal loop of the protein, containing the characteristic EKHxP motif, revealed an unusually high flexibility regardless of the iron redox state. At variance with previous evidence collected by X-ray crystallography and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy of prokaryotic SORs, iron reduction did not lead to dissociation of glutamate from the catalytic metal or other structural changes; however, the glutamate ligand underwent X-ray-induced chemical changes, revealing high sensitivity of the GiSOR active site to X-ray radiation damage

Sarcopenia: What a Surgeon Should Know

Sarcopenia is an increasingly frequent syndrome characterized by generalized and progressive loss of muscle mass, reduction in muscle strength, and resultant functional impairment. This condition is associated with increased risk of falls and fractures, disability, and increased risk of death. When a sarcopenic patient undergoes major surgery, it has a higher risk of complications and postoperative mortality because of less resistance to surgical stress. It is not easy to recognize a sarcopenic patient preoperatively, but this is essential to evaluate the correct risk to benefit ratio. The role of sarcopenia in surgical patients has been studied for both oncological and non-oncological surgery. For correct surgical planning, data about sarcopenia are essential to design a correct tailored treatment

Osteoarthritis: What does imaging tell us about its etiology.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common joint disorder and a leading cause of disability. Due to an aging population and increasing obesity, the incidence of OA is rising. The etiology of OA is multifactorial and complex; thus prevention of OA remains challenging. Risk factors can be divided into person-level factors such as age, sex, obesity, genetics, race/ethnicity, and diet, and joint-level factors including injury, malalignment, and abnormal loading of the joints. This review provides a brief overview of the person-level risk factors and a more in-depth analysis of those at the joint level. It is only through an improved understanding of risk factors for the disease that we may be able to intervene meaningfully and prevent its occurrence