Lidocaine pretreatment for the prevention of propofol-induced transient motor disturbances in children during anesthesia induction: a randomized controlled trial in children undergoing invasive hematologic procedures.

Background: We examined the effect of lidocaine pretreatment before propofol administration on the incidence of transient motor disturbances and on propofol requirements for anesthesia induction in infants and children undergoing repeated painful diagnostic and therapeutic hematological procedures. Methods: A series of 358 children subgrouped according to the presence of a peripheral-vein or central venous catheter were randomly assigned to receive an intravenous dose of 2% lidocaine (2.0 mgÆkg)1) or an equivalent volume of saline, 1 min before propofol (1.5–3.5 mgÆkg)1) injected for anesthesia induction. Results: The incidence of spontaneous movements was significantly lower in patients pretreated with lidocaine than in those receiving placebo (2.5% vs 29%; P 0.001, by chi-square test), as was the propofol induction dose (1.6 ± 0.2 mgÆkg)1 vs (2.2 ± 0.3 mgÆkg)1; (P 0.001) and pain at the injection site in patients peripheral-vein catheter (12% vs. 54%; P 0.001). Lidocaine administration also improved children’s acceptance as reported by parents on the Observational Scale of Behavioral Distress administered 2 h after the procedure (6.5 ± 2.5 vs. 9.4 ± 3.3; P 0.001). Bouts of coughing developed significantly more frequently after lidocaine pretreatment than after placebo (62.5% vs. 17.5%; P 0.001). Conclusions: Because lidocaine pretreatment before the induction of propofol-based anesthesia decreases propofol-induced motor disturbances, lowers hypnotic requirements and reduces pain at the injection site, without inducing untoward events, thus improving children’s and parental acceptance, it should become standard practice in infants and children undergoing repeated painful diagnostic and therapeutic hematological procedures

A study of the deep structure of the energy landscape of glassy polystyrene: the exponential distribution of the energy-barriers revealed by high-field Electron Spin Resonance spectroscopy

The reorientation of one small paramagnetic molecule (spin probe) in glassy polystyrene (PS) is studied by high-field Electron Spin Resonance spectroscopy at two different Larmor frequencies (190 and 285 GHz). The exponential distribution of the energy-barriers for the rotational motion of the spin probe is unambigously evidenced at both 240K and 270K. The same shape for the distribution of the energy-barriers of PS was evidenced by the master curves provided by previous mechanical and light scattering studies. The breadth of the energy-barriers distribution of the spin probe is in the range of the estimates of the breadth of the PS energy-barriers distribution. The evidence that the deep structure of the energy landscape of PS exhibits the exponential shape of the energy-barriers distribution agrees with results from extreme-value statistics and the trap model by Bouchaud and coworkers.Comment: Final version in press as Letter to the Editor on J.Phys.:Condensed Matter. Changes in bol

Prospective phase II single-center study of the safety of a single very high dose of liposomal amphotericin B for antifungal prophylaxis in patients with acute myeloid leukemia.

Some preclinical and pharmacokinetic studies suggested the variable safety and the potential efficacy of an antifungal prophylaxis with a single high dose of liposomal amphotericin B (L-AmB) in high-risk patients. An open-label, prospective study was conducted with 48 adults receiving induction chemotherapy for acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Patients received a single infusion of 15 mg/kg of body weight L-AmB and, eventually, a second dose after 15 days of persistent neutropenia. The primary objective was tolerability and safety. Efficacy was also evaluated as a secondary endpoint. A pharmacokinetic study was performed with 34 patients in order to evaluate any association of plasma L-AmB levels with toxicity and efficacy. Overall, only 6 patients (12.5%) reported Common Toxicity Criteria (CTC) grade 3 hypokalemia, which was corrected with potassium supplementation in all cases, and no patient developed clinically relevant nephrotoxicity. Mild infusion-related adverse events occurred after 6 of 53 (11.3%) total infusions, with permanent drug discontinuation in only one case. Proven invasive fungal disease (IFD) was diagnosed in 4 (8.3%) patients. The mean AmB plasma levels at 6 h, 24 h, and 7 days after L-AmB administration were 160, 49.5, and 1 mg/liter, respectively. The plasma AmB levels were higher than the mean values of the overall population in 3 patients who developed CTC grade 3 hypokalemia and did not significantly differ from the mean values of the overall population in 3 patients who developed IFD. Our experience demonstrates the feasibility and safety of a single 15-mg/kg L-AmB dose as antifungal prophylaxis in AML patients undergoing induction chemotherapy

Holmium laser enucleation of prostate versus minimally invasive simple prostatectomy for large volume (≥120 mL) prostate glands. A prospective multicenter randomized study

Background: The aim of this study was to compare the perioperative and functional results between laparoscopic and robot-assisted simple prostatectomy (LSP and RASP) and Holmium laser enucleation of prostate (HoLEP) in prostate volumes ≥120 mL. The primary endpoint was to investigate and compare minimally invasive techniques in the management of large prostate gland volume, and the secondary endpoint was to evaluate the frequency and type of postoperative complications according to Clavien Dindo Classification. Methods: This multicenter study was conducted on male patients with LUTS associated with BPO candidates for surgical treatment. The surgery approach choice in relation to the prostatic volume ≥120 mL was HoLEP or minimally-invasive simple prostatectomy (LSP or RASP). All patients were prospectively randomized into three groups, according to a simple computed randomization: HoLEP, LSP and RASP groups. During the follow-up, all patients underwent postoperative control at 1, 3, 6, 12 and 24 months from the surgical procedure. Results: One hundred ten male patients were randomized in three homogeneous groups: 36 in LSP, 32 in RASP and 42 in HoLEP group. During the follow-up (mean 26.15 months), despite the significant improvement compared to baseline results, no significant differences were shown, between the groups in terms of functional and perioperative outcomes. The only statistically significant data was reported for catheterization time, that resulted longer in the LSP group than RASP and HoLEP groups (P=0.002). Furthermore, MISP resulted in longer hospitalization, and lower rate of patients with new-onset irritative symptoms. Conclusions: This prospective randomized study is the first to compare extraperitoneal LSP, RASP and HoLEP in the treatment of LUTS secondary to benign prostatic hyperplasia for prostate volumes ≥120 mL. Our findings confirm the safety and efficacy of MISP, demonstrating its equivalence in functional outcomes and perioperative morbidity in comparison to HoLEP

The Effect of Strength and Plyometric Training on Functional Dance Performance in Elite Ballet and Modern Dancers

Background: Ballet and modern dance are both art forms that require technique, artistry, grace and precision. Both dance forms require a degree of strength and muscular endurance for optimal performance. It is not known what value strength or plyometric training may have on functional dance performance. Objective: To systematically review the effects of strength and/or plyometric training on functional dance performance in elite ballet and modern dancers. Methods: A systematic review of literature indexed in the following databases: Medline, CINAHL, SportsDiscus, Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) and PubMed was conducted. The quality of the studies was graded using the PEDro Scale. Results: Eight studies satisfied the eligibility criteria and were included in this review. The studies\u27 population age range was 19?27?years. Methodological scores based on the PEDro scale were 4 to 6 out of 10. All of the included studies (100%) scored 4 out of 10 or higher on the PEDro scale. Strength training resulted in significant improvements in jump height (P? Conclusion: Moderate evidence indicates that supplementary strength training interventions via traditional resistance training or whole-body vibration methods and plyometric training interventions may increase certain dance-performance measures such as jump height and general aesthetic facility without changing certain anthropometric measures in elite ballet and modern dancers

Acute effects of static and dynamic stretching on jump performance after 15 min of reconditioning shooting phase in basketball players

2016-09-15. Effects of long term stimulation of textured insoles on postural control in health elderly. In JOURNAL OF SPORTS MEDICINE AND PHYSICAL FITNESS - ISSN:0022-4707 Annino, G; Palazzo, F; Alwardat, M; Manzi, V; Lebone, P; Tancredi, V; Sinibaldi Salimei, P; Caronti... Resp. del dato : GIUSEPPE ANNINO Identificativo : hdl:2108/164271 01 - Articolo su rivista validato errore 10/11/2016 12:37 Sito docente: Success

The Murchison Widefield Array: Design Overview

The Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) is a dipole-based aperture array synthesis telescope designed to operate in the 80-300 MHz frequency range. It is capable of a wide range of science investigations, but is initially focused on three key science projects. These are detection and characterization of 3-dimensional brightness temperature fluctuations in the 21cm line of neutral hydrogen during the Epoch of Reionization (EoR) at redshifts from 6 to 10, solar imaging and remote sensing of the inner heliosphere via propagation effects on signals from distant background sources,and high-sensitivity exploration of the variable radio sky. The array design features 8192 dual-polarization broad-band active dipoles, arranged into 512 tiles comprising 16 dipoles each. The tiles are quasi-randomly distributed over an aperture 1.5km in diameter, with a small number of outliers extending to 3km. All tile-tile baselines are correlated in custom FPGA-based hardware, yielding a Nyquist-sampled instantaneous monochromatic uv coverage and unprecedented point spread function (PSF) quality. The correlated data are calibrated in real time using novel position-dependent self-calibration algorithms. The array is located in the Murchison region of outback Western Australia. This region is characterized by extremely low population density and a superbly radio-quiet environment,allowing full exploitation of the instrumental capabilities.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures, 1 table. Accepted for publication in Proceedings of the IEE

Bound states in open coupled asymmetrical waveguides and quantum wires

The behavior of bound states in asymmetric cross, T and L shaped configurations is considered. Because of the symmetries of the wavefunctions, the analysis can be reduced to the case of an electron localized at the intersection of two orthogonal crossed wires of different width. Numerical calculations show that the fundamental mode of this system remains bound for the widths that we have been able to study directly; moreover, the extrapolation of the results obtained for finite widths suggests that this state remains bound even when the width of one arm becomes infinitesimal. We provide a qualitative argument which explains this behavior and that can be generalized to the lowest energy states in each symmetry class. In the case of odd-odd states of the cross we find that the lowest mode is bounded when the width of the two arms is the same and stays bound up to a critical value of the ratio between the widths; in the case of the even-odd states we find that the lowest mode is unbound up to a critical value of the ratio between the widths. Our qualitative arguments suggest that the bound state survives as the width of the vertical arm becomes infinitesimal.Comment: 11 pages, 19 figures, 3 table

Surgical activity in the COVID-19 era. Trend of slowdown from a multicentre observational study

COVID-19 outbreak represented an unprecedented event that led to a redefinition of health care systems worldwide. The impact of the emergency required a deviation of the care toward the assistance to COVID-19 patients, with reduction of resources for elective activities, including surgery. We aim to report the decrease of urological surgical activity during the first weeks from the beginning of the pandemic, aiming to highlight the prioritization we applied to select patients for surgery