The use of surgical sealants in the repair of dural tears during non-instrumented spinal surgery

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Epilepsy-induced abnormal striatal plasticity in Bassoon mutant mice

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Broadband stimulated Raman imaging based on multi-channel lock-in detection for spectral histopathology

Spontaneous Raman microscopy reveals the chemical composition of a sample in a label-free and non-invasive fashion by directly measuring the vibrational spectra of molecules. However, its extremely low cross section prevents its application to fast imaging. Stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) amplifies the signal by several orders of magnitude thanks to the coherent nature of the nonlinear process, thus unlocking high-speed microscopy applications that provide analytical information to elucidate biochemical mechanisms with subcellular resolution. Nevertheless, in its standard implementation, narrowband SRS provides images at only one frequency at a time, which is not sufficient to distinguish constituents with overlapping Raman bands. Here, we report a broadband SRS microscope equipped with a home-built multichannel lock-in amplifier simultaneously measuring the SRS signal at 32 frequencies with integration time down to 44 μs, allowing for detailed, high spatial resolution mapping of spectrally congested samples. We demonstrate the capability of our microscope to differentiate the chemical constituents of heterogeneous samples by measuring the relative concentrations of different fatty acids in cultured hepatocytes at the single lipid droplet level and by differentiating tumor from peritumoral tissue in a preclinical mouse model of fibrosarcoma

DTT - Divertor Tokamak Test facility: A testbed for DEMO

The effective treatment of the heat and power exhaust is a critical issue in the road map to the realization of the fusion energy. In order to provide possible, reliable, well assessed and on-time answers to DEMO, the Divertor Tokamak Test facility (DTT) has been conceived and projected to be carried out and operated within the European strategy in fusion technology. This paper, based on the invited plenary talk at the 31st virtual SOFT Conference 2020, provides an overview of the DTT scientific proposal, which is deeply illustrated in the 2019 DTT Interim Design Report

Impact of gastrointestinal side effects on patients’ reported quality of life trajectories after radiotherapy for prostate cancer: Data from the prospective, observational pros-it CNR study

Radiotherapy (RT) represents an important therapeutic option for the treatment of localized prostate cancer. The aim of the current study is to examine trajectories in patients’ reported quality of life (QoL) aspects related to bowel function and bother, considering data from the PROState cancer monitoring in ITaly from the National Research Council (Pros-IT CNR) study, analyzed with growth mixture models. Data for patients who underwent RT, either associated or not associated with androgen deprivation therapy, were considered. QoL outcomes were assessed over a 2-year period from the diagnosis, using the Italian version of the University of California Los Angeles-Prostate Cancer Index (Italian-UCLA-PCI). Three trajectories were identified for the bowel function; having three or more comorbidities and the use of 3D-CRT technique for RT were associated with the worst trajectory (OR = 3.80, 95% CI 2.04–7.08; OR = 2.17, 95% CI 1.22–3.87, respectively). Two trajectories were identified for the bowel bother scores; diabetes and the non-Image guided RT method were associated with being in the worst bowel bother trajectory group (OR = 1.69, 95% CI 1.06–2.67; OR = 2.57, 95% CI 1.70–3.86, respectively). The findings from this study suggest that the absence of comorbidities and the use of intensity modulated RT techniques with image guidance are related with a better tolerance to RT in terms of bowel side effects

Disease-specific and general health-related quality of life in newly diagnosed prostate cancer patients: The Pros-IT CNR study

Background: The National Research Council (CNR) prostate cancer monitoring project in Italy (Pros-IT CNR) is an observational, prospective, ongoing, multicentre study aiming to monitor a sample of Italian males diagnosed as new cases of prostate cancer. The present study aims to present data on the quality of life at time prostate cancer is diagnosed. Methods: One thousand seven hundred five patients were enrolled. Quality of life is evaluated at the time cancer was diagnosed and at subsequent assessments via the Italian version of the University of California Los Angeles-Prostate Cancer Index (UCLA-PCI) and the Short Form Health Survey (SF-12). Results: At diagnosis, lower scores on the physical component of the SF-12 were associated to older ages, obesity and the presence of 3+ moderate/severe comorbidities. Lower scores on the mental component were associated to younger ages, the presence of 3+ moderate/severe comorbidities and a T-score higher than one. Urinary and bowel functions according to UCLA-PCI were generally good. Almost 5% of the sample reported using at least one safety pad daily to control urinary loss; less than 3% reported moderate/severe problems attributable to bowel functions, and sexual function was a moderate/severe problem for 26.7%. Diabetes, 3+ moderate/severe comorbidities, T2 or T3-T4 categories and a Gleason score of eight or more were significantly associated with lower sexual function scores at diagnosis. Conclusions: Data collected by the Pros-IT CNR study have clarified the baseline status of newly diagnosed prostate cancer patients. A comprehensive assessment of quality of life will allow to objectively evaluate outcomes of different profile of care

DTT - Divertor Tokamak Test facility - Interim Design Report

The “Divertor Tokamak Test facility, DTT” is a milestone along the international program aimed at demonstrating – in the second half of this century – the feasibility of obtaining to commercial electricity from controlled thermonuclear fusion. DTT is a Tokamak conceived and designed in Italy with a broad international vision. The construction will be carried out in the ENEA Frascati site, mainly supported by national funds, complemented by EUROfusion and European incentive schemes for innovative investments. The project team includes more than 180 high-standard researchers from ENEA, CREATE, CNR, INFN, RFX and various universities. The volume, entitled DTT Interim Design Report (“Green Book” from the colour of the cover), briefly describes the status of the project, the planning of the design future activities and its organizational structure. The publication of the Green Book also provides an occasion for thorough discussions in the fusion community and a broad international collaboration on the DTT challenge

Comparison of minimally invasive surgery with standard open surgery for vertebral thoracic metastases causing acute myelopathy in patients with short- or mid-term life expectancy. surgical technique and early clinical results

Object Spinal metastasis is common in patients with cancer. About 70% of symptomatic lesions are found in the thoracic region of the spine, and cord compression presents as the initial symptom in 5%–10% of patients. Minimally invasive spine surgery (MISS) has recently been advocated as a useful approach for spinal metastases, with the aim of decreasing the morbidity associated with more traditional open spine surgery; furthermore, the recovery time is reduced after MISS, such that postoperative chemotherapy and radiotherapy can begin sooner. Methods Two series of oncological patients, who presented with acute myelopathy due to vertebral thoracic metastases, were compared in this study. Patients with complete paraplegia for more than 24 hours and with a modified Bauer score greater than 2 were excluded from the study. The first group (n = 23) comprised patients who were prospectively enrolled from May 2010 to September 2013, and who were treated with minimally invasive laminotomy/laminectomy and percutaneous stabilization. The second group (n = 19) comprised patients from whom data were retrospectively collected before May 2010, and who had been treated with laminectomy and stabilization with traditional open surgery. Patient groups were similar regarding general characteristics and neurological impairment. Results were analyzed in terms of neurological recovery (American Spinal Injury Association grade), complications, pain relief (visual analog scale), and quality of life (European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer [EORTC] QLQ-C30 and EORTC QLQBM22 scales) at the 30-day follow-up. Operation time, postoperative duration of bed rest, duration of hospitalization, intraoperative blood loss, and the need and length of postoperative opioid administration were also evaluated. Results There were no significant differences between the 2 groups in terms of neurological recovery and complications. Nevertheless, the MISS group showed a clear and significant improvement in terms of blood loss, operation time, and bed rest length, which is associated with a more rapid functional recovery and discharge from the hospital. Postoperative pain and the need for opioid administration were also significantly less pronounced in the MISS group. Results from the EORTC QLQ-C30 and QLQ-BM22 scales showed a more pronounced improvement in quality of life at followup in the MISS group. Conclusions In the authors’ opinion, MISS techniques should be considered the first choice for the treatment for patients with spinal metastasis and myelopathy. MISS is as safe and effective for spinal cord decompression and spine fixation as traditional surgery, and it also reduces the impact of surgery in critical patients. However, further studies are needed to confirm these findings