Some considerations on the WHO Histological classification of laryngeal neoplasms

A new edition of the World Health Organization (WHO) Histological classification of tumours of the hypopharynx, larynx, trachea and parapharyngeal space was published in 2017. We have considered this classification regarding laryngeal neoplasms and discuss the grounds for said revision. Many of the laryngeal neoplasms described in the literature and in the previous WHO edition from 2005 have been omitted from this current revision. Many are described elsewhere in the book but it may give the new generation of pathologists/surgeons/oncologists the false impression that these tumour entities do not exist in the larynx.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A computational and experimental investigation of the anchoring of organosilanes on the halloysite silicic surface

In this work, the effect of halloysite nanotubes alkali activation on its grafting efficiency with organosilanes was studied by Density Functional Theory and experimental investigations. In particular, computational analysis allowed to enlight the structural properties of the organic molecules attached to the silanol groups on halloysite outer surface. The energetics of the reactions showed that the pretreatment with a base is crucial for the modification of the surface due to the appearance of a high number of active sites which lead to thermodynamically favored exothermic processes. Experimental evidences are in good agreement with calculation hypothesis. For instance, the coating efficiency is higher after the alkali activation of the inorganic counterpart for both the investigated organosilanes. The findings here reported are important in order to improve any functionalization protocols for aluminosilicates without variations or loss of the hollow nanotubular morphological features and it paves the ground to halloysite based technological applications in many fields, from nanotechnology to catalysis

Body condition score (BCS) and metabolic status of shelter dogs

A group of 147 shelter dogs were weighted and assigned a body condition score (BCS) using a 9 point scale system, in order to evaluate the prevalence of obesity in the kennel. More than 60% of the animals showed a BCS³6 (overweight and obese) and this condition was mainly attributed to an excess of carbohydrates and fat in the diet. In 67/147 dogs, a blood sample was drawn and the effects of BCS, age and time spent in the shelter were evaluated on biochemical parameters. Obese dogs showed significantly higher levels of triglycerides (P<0.01), while increasing BCS determined only an increasing non significant trend on cholesterol values. Age influenced creatinine (P<0.05) and the oldest dogs scoring BCS³6 registered significant higher NEFA (P<0.05) and CK (P=0.01) levels. Time spent in the shelter did not affect any parameter. The dogs' metabolic condition reflects the need of taking more care of the quality of feed administered in the shelters to avoid the negative health effects caused by chronic obesity

The MEV project: design and testing of a new high-resolution telescope for Muography of Etna Volcano

The MEV project aims at developing a muon telescope expressly designed for the muography of Etna Volcano. In particular, one of the active craters in the summit area of the volcano would be a suitable target for this experiment. A muon tracking telescope with high imaging resolution was built and tested during 2017. The telescope is a tracker based on extruded scintillating bars with WLS fibres and featuring an innovative read-out architecture. It is composed of three XY planes with a sensitive area of \SI{1}{m^2}; the angular resolution does not exceeds \SI{0.4}{\milli\steradian} and the total angular aperture is about $\pm$\SI{45}{\degree}. A special effort concerned the design of mechanics and electronics in order to meet the requirements of a detector capable to work in a hostile environment such as the top of a tall volcano, at a far distance from any facility. The test phase started in January 2017 and ended successfully at the end of July 2017. An extinct volcanic crater (the Monti Rossi, in the village of Nicolosi, about 15km from Catania) is the target of the measurement. The detector acquired data for about 120 days and the preliminary results are reported in this work

Agroecological practices and agrobiodiversity. A case study on organic orange in southern Italy

7noopenThe integration of Agroecological Service Crops (ASCs) into agroecosystems can provide several ecological services, such as nutrient cycling and disease and weed management. A two-year experiment on an organic orchard was carried out to compare barley (B) and horse bean (HB) ASCs with a control without ASC (Cont) in combination with fertilizers. Their effects on soil fertility and weed- and soil-borne fungi communities were evaluated by direct measurements, visual estimation, and indicators computation. A Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was used to identify latent patterns and redundancy among variables, whereas a correlation analysis was used to discriminate the compared systems within the PCA matrix. The empirical results of this study put in evidence the correlation among soil, weed, and fungal variables. A slight contribution of fertilizers on the system’s variability was observed, whereas a clear effect of ASCs was highlighted. The systems differed in weed communities, with the lowest density associated to B and the highest to Cont. B showed the highest fungal diversity, with changes in community compared to HB. HB showed a contribution on soil fertility, being associated to organic matter increase and N availability, and evidencing mixed impacts on soil quality and ecosystem functioning. Overall, the above-ground diversity and below-ground community results were inter-correlated.openCiaccia C.; La Torre A.; Ferlito F.; Testani E.; Battaglia V.; Salvati L.; Roccuzzo G.Ciaccia, C.; La Torre, A.; Ferlito, F.; Testani, E.; Battaglia, V.; Salvati, L.; Roccuzzo, G

Prevalence of low back pain and its effect on health-related quality of life in 409 scholar adolescents from the veneto region

Low back pain (LBP) is a common condition with profound effects on well-being. We aimed to define the prevalence and the characteristics of LBP and to investigate its impact on the quality of life (QoL) of 409 students (265 females and 144 males), all high-school adolescents from the Veneto region. LBP was measured with a structured, self-report questionnaire, while the SF-36 questionnaire was used to measure physical and mental QoL. 253 students (61.3%) reported one or more episodes of LBP, with female predominance. Adolescents with LBP treated with drugs and rehabilitation cares have significantly poor belief in pain resolution (p=0.005), but more belief in a prevention program (p=0.006) than the others. After adjustment for sex, a significant association between the SF-36 dimension of vitality and the presence of LBP in males was observed. All SF-36 domains except mental health were significantly higher in females with LBP. Our study confirmed that LBP is frequent in Italian scholar adolescents and has an impact on QoL. Strategies for reducing the effects of LBP on QoL should be an important purpose for clinicians and health policy makers

The Role of Early Revascularization and Biomarkers in the Management of Diabetic Foot Ulcers: A Single Center Experience

Diabetic neuropathy and Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD) are the main etiological factors in foot ulceration. Herein, we report our experience of diabetic foot ulceration (DFU) management, with an analysis of the relationship between the rate of lower extremity amputation, in persons with infected DFU, after revascularization procedures performed to prevent major amputation. This study highlights the role of different biomarkers, showing their usefulness and potentiality in diabetic foot ulcer management, especially for the early diagnosis and therapy effectiveness monitoring. A retrospective analysis, from September 2016 to January 2021, of diabetic patients presenting diabetic foot with DFU, was performed. All patients were treated with at least one vascular procedure (endovascular, open, hybrid procedures) targeting PAD lesions. Outcomes measured were perioperative mortality and morbidity. Freedom from occlusion, primary and secondary patency, and amputation rate were registered. A total of 267 patients, with a mean age of 72.5 years, were included in the study. The major amputation rate was 6.2%, minor amputation rate was 17%. In our experience, extreme revascularization to obtain direct flow reduced the rate of amputations, with an increase in ulcer healing

Universal newborn hearing screening in the italian region of sicily in 2018

Objectives. We have clarified the role of Universal Neonatal Hearing Screening (UNHS) for both early diagnosis and rapid treatment in order to improve the prognosis of the deaf child and reduce patient management costs. Although in Sicily UNHS has been progres-sively implemented, there is scarce data in the literature on this matter. Therefore, the main objective was to collect in the year 2018 the following data: number of newborns screened for hearing loss, number of infants “referred” to transiently evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAE), number of infants with pathologic auditory brainstem response (ABR) and number of infants affected by permanent hearing loss. Methods. UNHS monitoring was conducted through the collection of data through a ques-tionnaire, which was analysed evaluating the effectiveness and adherence to the screening program prepared by the Department for Health Activities and the Epidemiological Obser-vatory (DASOE). Results. In 2018, there were 40,243 newborns in Sicily. A total of 37,562 newborns were screened (93.3%). There were 1,328 “referred” infants with TEOAE (3.5%). On the 2nd lev-el, “referred” newborns examined were 1,080 of 1,328 expected (missing 248 “refer” new-borns, equal to 18.6%). The number of “referred” infants confirmed with TEOAE was 113 of 1,080, while “referred” infants confirmed with ABR were 71. On the 3rd level, 67 of 71 were infants examined: 28 infants were suffering from monolateral hearing loss (13 slight/ mild, 13 moderate, 1 severe and 1 profound) and 39 from bilateral hearing loss (1slight/ mild, 19 moderate, 13 severe and 7 profound). Excluding 7 infants from the NICU, 60 of 37,562 infants had hearing loss (1.5%). Conclusions. The monitoring of the UNHS in Sicily has allowed obtaining the data of individual centres, absent in the literature to date, to verify the effectiveness of the screening, according to JCIH criteria, to highlight some criticalities and, finally, to propose possible solutions