Morphological features of Spitz naevus as observed by digital videomicroscopy

A characteristic epiluminescence pattern of pigmented epithelioid and/or spindle cell naevus, or Spitz naevus, has been described previously. The aim of this study was (i) to evaluate the characteristic morphological features both of pigmented and non-pigmented epithelioid and/or spindle cell naevi observed employing a videomicroscope, (ii) to identify their histopathological correlates and (iii) to assess the improvement in diagnostic accuracy for epithelioid and/or spindle cell naevi obtained by means of this new instrumental device. Clinical, videomicroscopic and histopathological diagnoses were performed on 26 epithelioid and/or spindle cell naevi. Moreover, the videomicroscopic pattern of each lesion was described using appropriate morphological parameters. Based on their morphological aspect detected by digital videomicroscopy, epithelioid and/or spindle cell naevi can be subdivided into three main groups: (i) darkly pigmented lesions, (ii) red or light brown ESC naevi, and (iii) lesions with dark or brown areas on a light-brown background. Whereas most epithelioid and/or spindle cell naevi of the spindle cell type belonged to the morphological group I and group 3, most epithelioid cell lesions appeared as red or light-brown coloured naevi. Finally, instrumental observation by means of a videomicroscope enabled an improvement in diagnostic accuracy with respect to the naked eye observation, with an increase in sensitivity from 15% to 58%

Hidradenitis suppurativa: Surgical and postsurgical management

Background: Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic inflammatory disorder. Several medical treatments, with varying degrees of efficacy, have been developed. However, in most cases of advanced HS, the definitive treatment option is often represented by surgical excisions. Objective: Surgical techniques, reconstructive approach, and local wound care should be accurately designed in order to obtain the best result. In this review we analyze the possible surgical treatments and local wound care. Methods: A MEDLINE search was performed on the various surgical treatments, reconstructive techniques, and local wound care. Results: Surgical treatment is a common therapeutic modality for HS. Different surgical reconstructive techniques and post-surgical wound care approaches are described for the management of HS patients. Conclusions: There were few high-quality evidence-based studies evaluating the surgical management of HS. Many disparate HS severity scores were used in these studies, making comparisons between them difficult. Nonetheless, research on different surgical approaches and wound care management has increased substantially in the past decade and it has given patients more surgical therapeutic strategies. The description of the best combinations and timing of surgery, wound care, and medical therapies will be a matter of future research for the definition of the optimal management of the HS patient

Surgical and postsurgical wound care in hidradenitis suppurativa

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic inflammatory disorder. Several medical treatments, with varying degree of efficacy, have been developed. However, in most cases of advanced (HS), the definitive treatment option is often represented by surgical excisions. Surgical techniques, reconstructive approach, and local wound care should be accurately designed in order to obtain the best result. In this letter, we analyzed the possible surgical treatments and local wound care. A literature review was performed on the various surgical treatments, reconstructive techniques, and local wound care. Surgical treatment is a common therapeutic modality for HS. Different surgical reconstructive techniques and postsurgical wound care approaches are described for the management of HS patients. There were few high-quality evidence-based studies evaluating the surgical management of HS. Many disparate HS severity scores were used in these studies making comparison between them difficult. Nonetheless, research into different surgical approaches and wound care management has increased substantially in the past decade and has given patients more surgical therapeutic strategies. The description of the best combinations and timing of surgery, wound care and medical therapies, will be a matter of future research for the definition of the optimal management of HS patient

Mechanisms of Neuroprotection by Quercetin: Counteracting Oxidative Stress and More

Increasing interest has recently focused on determining whether several natural compounds, collectively referred to as nutraceuticals, may exert neuroprotective actions in the developing, adult, and aging nervous system. Quercetin, a polyphenol widely present in nature, has received the most attention in this regard. Several studies in vitro, in experimental animals and in humans, have provided supportive evidence for neuroprotective effects of quercetin, either against neurotoxic chemicals or in various models of neuronal injury and neurodegenerative diseases. The exact mechanisms of such protective effects remain elusive, though many hypotheses have been formulated. In addition to a possible direct antioxidant effect, quercetin may also act by stimulating cellular defenses against oxidative stress. Two such pathways include the induction of Nrf2-ARE and induction of the antioxidant/anti-inflammatory enzyme paraoxonase 2 (PON2). In addition, quercetin has been shown to activate sirtuins (SIRT1), to induce autophagy, and to act as a phytoestrogen, all mechanisms by which quercetin may provide its neuroprotection

CRYSTALLIZATION OF SOME ANORTHITE DIOPSIDE GLASS PRECURSORS

Anorthite and diopside have been obtained from complete devitrification of glasses belonging to the quaternary system MgO-CaO-Al2O3-SiO2. Microstructure, the natural trend of the nucleation mechanism and kinetic studies on the crystallization phenomenon have been investigated by means of optical and electron microscopies, thermal and thermomechanical techniques and X-ray powder diffractometry. All the glasses investigated show a complete crystallization starting from a simple surface nucleation process. The activation energy for the crystallization process proved to be higher than that for viscous flow, leading to an important aspect modification in the sample during ceramization. Thermal stability and physical properties of both glass and glass-ceramic materials have been tested, suggesting the possible use of these materials in industrial application

Primary Mandibular Condyle Xanthoma: Case Report and Literature Review

Bone xanthoma is a rare benign primary bone lesion histologically characterized by sheets of foamy cells which are macrophages with a cytoplasm filled with droplets of fat. It is usually associated with endocrine or metabolic diseases, in the absence of which the lesion is called primary xanthoma. Because of the lack of pathognomonic radiologic and clinical features, they require a differential diagnosis with a broad spectrum of lesions with a varying degree of malignant potential. We describe a case of primary mandibular xanthoma of a 16-year-old girl without typical cutaneous manifestations and alterations in lipid values. The temporomandibular joint involvement at the mandibular condyle is peculiar in the case described here. We present even a qualitative systematic review of the literature on primary xanthoma of the jaws in others to draw up treatment guidelines

Chemical Characterization and Temporal Variability of Pasta Condiment By-Products for Sustainable Waste Management

Sustainable waste management is an extremely important issue due to its environmental, economic, and social impacts. Knowledge of the chemical composition of the waste produced is a starting point for its valorization. This research focuses, for the first time, on the by-products of pasta condiment production, starting with their characterization. In particular, the presence of potential bioactive compounds and their variability over time have been studied. The latter aspect is crucial for the subsequent valorization of these by-products. In addition to acidity and total phenolic content, an untargeted strategy was adopted, using spectroscopic and chromatographic techniques coupled with chemometrics, to study waste samples coming from four single condiment production lines, i.e., Genoese pesto, tomato, ricotta, and rag & ugrave; sauces. The presence of lycopene, polyphenols, and several valuable volatile compounds was highlighted. Their presence and relative amounts vary mainly according to the presence of tomatoes in the sauce. The results obtained at different storage times (after 0, 7, 10, and 15 days) showed that the samples studied, despite having similar chemical characteristics, underwent changes after one week of storage and then presented a relatively stable chemical profile. A general decrease is observed after 7 days for almost all the chemical variables monitored, so careful planning within the first days is required to obtain a high recovery

The COVID-19 outbreak in dermatologic surgery: resetting clinical priorities

Emilia-Romagna was one of the Italian regions mostly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown measures were taken to slow the COVID-19 outbreak. All routine activities in Modena hospitals were suspended; however, urgent procedures were still to be performed. Setting the priority of procedures in oncological dermatology in the COVID-19 era is challenging

Porous silicon bragg reflector and 2D gold-polymer nanograting: a route towards a hybrid optoplasmonic platform

Photonic and plasmonic systems have been intensively studied as an effective means to modify and enhance the electromagnetic field. In recent years hybrid plasmonic–photonic systems have been investigated as a promising solution for enhancing light-matter interaction. In the present work we present a hybrid structure obtained by growing a plasmonic 2D nanograting on top of a porous silicon distributed Bragg reflector. Particular attention has been devoted to the morphological characterization of these systems. Electron microscopy images allowed us to determine the geometrical parameters of the structure. The matching of the optical response of both components has been studied. Results indicate an interaction between the plasmonic and the photonic parts of the system, which results in a localization of the electric field profile

Dynamic optical coherence tomography. a non-invasive imaging tool for the distinction of nevi and melanomas

Along with the rising melanoma incidence in recent decades and bad prognoses resulting from late diagnoses, distinguishing between benign and malignant melanocytic lesions has become essential. Unclear cases may require the aid of non-invasive imaging to reduce unnecessary biopsies. This multicentric, case-control study evaluated the potential of dynamic optical coherence tomography (D-OCT) to identify distinguishing microvascular features in nevi. A total of 167 nevi, including dysplastic ones, on 130 participants of all ages and sexes were examined by D-OCT and dermoscopy with a histological reference. Three blinded analyzers evaluated the lesions. Then, we compared the features to those in 159 melanomas of a prior D-OCT study and determined if a differential diagnosis was possible. We identified specific microvascular features in nevi and a differential diagnosis of melanomas and nevi was achieved with excellent predictive values. We conclude that D-OCT overcomes OCT´s inability to distinguish melanocytic lesions based on its focus on microvascularization. To determine if an addition to the gold standard of a clinical-dermoscopic examination improves the diagnosis of unclear lesions, further studies, including a larger sample of dysplastic nevi and artificial intelligence, should be conducted