Midfacial fractures: our experience.

Authors report their experience in the treatment of midfacial fractures in 201 patients, 177 of whom underwent surgery for reduction and fixation of the fracture. Since no functional or aesthetic deficits were present, surgery was not performed in the remaining 24 cases. Of the 177 patients, the maxillary complex was involved in 70 (classified as central and centro- lateral fractures), the zygomatic-maxillary-orbital complex in another 70, isolated fractures of the orbital floor blow-out in 18, and. isolated fractures of the zygomatic arch in 19. The re- sults obtained and the degree of satisfaction were evaluated in 90 patients with clinical visits, as well as by telephone inter- view. A total of 88 patients expressed complete satisfaction with the results of the surgical outcome, while the remaining 2 patients were not satisfied with the aesthetic outcome. All pa- tients were operated within 24-48 hours post-trauma in the case of incarceration of extrinsic ocular muscles, and within 10 days in other types of trauma, even in those patients in inten- sive care. The importance of clinical and radiological pre-op- erative diagnosis is stressed as well as the choice of the most suitable therapeutic approach for the different types of frac- tures, considering recent tendencies towards minimally inva- sive procedures to achieve better cosmetic results. The latest developments in fixation techniques with reference to titanium mini- and/or micro-plates that may eventually be substituted with absorbable materials are discussed

Multi-technique characterization of pictorial organic binders on XV century polychrome sculptures by combining microand non-invasive sampling approaches

A stony sculptural composition of the Nativity Scene is preserved in Altamura’s Cathedral (Apulia, Italy). This commonly called Apulian “presepe”, attributed to an unknown stonemason, is composed of polychrome carbonate white stone sculptures. While earlier stratigraphic tests have unveiled a complex superimposition of painting layers—meaning that several editions of the sculptures succeeded from the 16th to 20th century—a chemical investigation intended to identify the organic binding media used in painting layers was undertaken. Drawing on current literature, two strategies were exploited: a non-invasive in situ digestion analysis and an approach based on microremoval of painting film followed by the Bligh and Dyer extraction protocol. Both peptide and lipid mixtures were analyzed by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-mass spectrometry (MALDIMS) and reversed-phase liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry by electrospray ionization (RPLC-ESI-MS). Attenuated total reflectance Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) examinations were also performed on micro-samples of painting films before lipids and proteins extraction. While human keratins were found to be common contaminants of the artwork’s surfaces, traces of animal collagen, siccative oils, and egg white proteins were evidenced in different sampling zones of the sculptures, thus suggesting the use of non-homogeneous painting techniques in the colored layers

Atypical onset as predictor of poor outcome in Pediatric Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (pSLE)

Poster Presentation

Acute myocarditis as a revealing clue of complete Kawasaki disease.

Not availabl

PReS-FINAL-2232: Long-term follow-up in a national cohort of MKD patients: search for clinical predictors of a spontaneous improvement

No abstract availabl

Critical Overview of the Risk Scoring Systems to Predict Non-Responsiveness to Intravenous Immunoglobulin in Kawasaki Syndrome

Kawasaki syndrome (KS) is the most relevant cause of heart disease in children living in developed countries. Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) has a preventive function in the formation of coronary artery abnormalities and a poor strictly-curative action in established coronary damage. More than two decades ago, the Harada score was set to assess which children with KS should be subject to administration of IVIG, evaluating retrospectively a large cohort of patients with regard to age, sex and laboratory data. Nowadays, high dose IVIG is administered to all children with a confirmed diagnosis of KS, but a tool for predicting non-responsiveness to the initial infusion of IVIG has not been found. The prediction of IVIG resistance is a crucial issue, as recognising these high-risk patients should consent the administration of an intensified initial treatment in combination with IVIG in order to prevent coronary injuries. Few reports have focused on factors, referring to both clinical parameters and laboratory data at the onset of KS, in order to predict which patients might be IVIG non-responsive. We have analysed three different risk scores which were formulated to predict IVIG resistance in Japanese children with typical KS, but their application in non-Japanese patients or in those with incomplete and atypical patterns of the disease has been studied in a fragmentary way. Overall, our analysis showed that early and definite ascertainment of likely IVIG non-responders who require additional therapies reducing the development of coronary artery involvement in children with KS is still a challenge

Disease activity states, reasons for discontinuation and adverse events in 1038 Italian children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis treated with etanercept

The advent of biologic medications has increased considerably the potential for treatment benefit in juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), with clinical remission being now achievable in a substantial proportion of patients. However, there is a need of data from the real world of clinical practice to evaluate thoroughly the efficacy and safety profile of the biologic agents currently approved