Mucoepidermoid carcinoma associated with osteosarcoma in a true malignant mixed tumor of the submandibular region

True malignant mixed tumor, also known as carcinosarcoma, is a rare tumor of the salivary gland composed of both malignant epithelial and malignant mesenchymal elements. Frequently carcinosarcoma arises in the background of a preexisting pleomorphic adenoma; however, if no evidence of benign mixed tumor is present, the lesion is known as carcinosarcoma "de novo." We reported the first case of true malignant mixed tumor of the submandibular gland composed of high grade mucoepidermoid carcinoma associated with osteosarcoma. Case Presentation. A 69-year-old Caucasian male came to our department complaining of the appearance of an asymptomatic left submandibular neoformation progressively increasing in size over 3 months. We opted for surgical treatment. Histological examination confirmed the diagnosis of carcinosarcoma with the coexistence of high grade mucoepidermoid carcinoma and osteosarcoma. Conclusion. To the best of our knowledge, in the true malignant mixed tumor of the submandibular gland, mucoepidermoid carcinoma associated with osteosarcoma has never been previously reported

Results and complications of facial reanimation following cerebellopontine angle surgery

The present study was undertaken to evaluate the results of a group of patients following treatment for cerebellopontine angle lesions who developed postoperative facial palsy and underwent facial nerve repair in order to reanimate the muscles of facial expression. A retrospective study was performed on 23 patients treated between 1988 and 1997 at the 2nd and 4th ENT chairs of University "La Sapienza" of Pome for facial palsy following cerebellopontine angle surgery. Tumors included acoustic neuromas (n = 3). Seventeen patients underwent hypoglossal-facial anastomoses [10 with end-to-end anastomoses, 4 with May's interposition "jump-nerve" grafts and 3 with partial (30%) use of the hypoglossal nerve plus a facial cross-over]. The remaining patients were operated on using a cable graft with the sural nerve (n = 2) and the great auricular nerve (n = 4). Postoperative facial function was determined by the House-Brackmann 6-scale classification The hypoglossal-facial anastomoses resulted in long-term grade III or IV findings. Cable grafts improved facial function from grade VI to grade III. None of the patients operated on with the modified VII-XII anastomosis developed swallowing disturbances. The ten patients having traditional hypoglossal-facial anastomoses showed different degrees of tongue disability and retention of residue in the oral cavity. Surgical recovery of postoperative facial palsy can be obtained with various techniques according to the availability of the proximal facial nerve stump at the brain stem. Since a traditional hypoglossal-facial anastomosis procedure can be a source of a separate disability for the patient: techniques are preferred that leave the hypoglossal nerve mostly intact and uncompromised

The lesson learnt after Emilia-Romagna earthquakes on precast RC structures: a case-study

During Emilia-Romagna earthquakes (Northern Italy) on May 2012 a huge number of existing precast RC one-story buildings was severely damaged. Most of these structures were reinforced concrete one-story buildings, hosting industrial and commercial activities. The presented paper aims at simulating the structural behavior of an existing precast RC building, damaged during the Emilia-Romagna earthquakes. The direct inspection showed that the most serious damage was related to the connection systems: relative displacements between the beams and the columns; significant dislocations between the roof elements and the beams and some cases of loss of support of the roof elements. Moreover, large rotations were also recorded at the base of the columns. The presented study defines a reliable modeling approach and the dynamic analyses demonstrate the capability of the proposed model in simulating the real response of the structure. The results confirm that the most of the damage was caused by the second seismic event and the numerical evidences agree with the real recorded damage. The numerical outcomes demonstrate the significant influence of the vertical action on the connections behavior/failure

Cyclic shear tests on RC precast beam-to-column connections retrofitted with a three-hinged steel device

Recent European earthquakes demonstrated that the seismic response of RC precast structures can be significantly influenced by the connection systems. Moreover, during past seismic events, many failures of the beam-to-column connections occurred due to their inadequate strength under seismic loads. The seismic safety of these connections has a crucial role in the overall seismic capacity of existing precast structures. A new connection system is employed as a retrofitting solution for a damaged beam-to-column connection and its cyclic shear performance is investigated by means of two cyclic shear tests on two different configurations. In both the experimental tests, the results demonstrate an efficient behavior of the retrofitted connections under horizontal cyclic loads. The comparison between the performance of the investigated connection and the response of a typical beam-to-column dowel connection allows to discuss the main critical features of the dowel connection system

Olfactory evaluation in obstructive sleep apnoea patients

The sense of smell has a high impact on the quality of life. The aim of the present study was to investigate olfactory dysfunction in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS) and correlate the severity of disease with olfactory dysfunction. The relationships between nasal obstruction, nasal mucociliary cleareance and olfactory tests were also evaluated. Sixty patients with a diagnosis of OSAS were enrolled and underwent olfactory function evaluation. In all patients olfactory performance was tested with the Sniffin’ Sticks method. Mucociliary transport times and anterior rhinomanometry were performed to identify eventual nasal obstruction and deficits in nasal mucociliary clearance. Olfactory dysfunction was present in 22 (36.6%) patients of the study group: of these, hyposmia was present in 19 (86.4%) and anosmia in 3 (13.6%). The mean TDI score in the study group was 30. A strong correlation between the olfactory dysfunction and severity of sleep apnoea measured using the AHI was found. Patients with OSA would seem to have a high incidence of olfactory dysfunction. The degree of olfactory dysfunction appears to be related to the severity of disease. However, other co-factors such as nasal obstruction and reduced mucociliary clearance might also play a role in of the aetiology of this condition

Nasal pathologies in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea

Nasal obstruction is a frequent condition in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). Nasal obstruction leads to mouth breathing, which is thought to destabilise the upper airway to aggravate the condition. Three conditions could be considered as the cause of the nasal breathing obstruction: anatomical conditions of the nose (septum deviation, hypertrophy of the inferior turbinates), chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) and chronic nasal inflammation caused by allergic rhinitis or non-allergic cellular rhinitis. In this prospective study, we present an evaluation of all these possible rhino-sinusal aspects in OSA patients to correlate different nasal pathologies with nasal obstruction. Fifty patients with a diagnosis of OSA were enrolled in the study. In 70% of OSA patients, nasal obstruction was confirmed by clinical evaluation and rhinomanometry testing. Normal rhino-sinus aspects were present in only 20% of OSAS patients, whereas one or more pathological rhino-sinus conditions were present in the remaining 80%. The percentage of OSA patients with a diagnosis of allergic rhinitis and non-allergic rhinitis was 18% and 26% respectively. Non-allergic rhinitis with neutrophils (NARNE) was the most frequent type of cellular rhinitis diagnosed in OSA patients (20% of cases). The results of the present study support and extend the observation that rhinitis is present in OSA patients. Mucosal inflammation caused by these conditions could be the cause of upper airway patency impairment inducing nasal mucosa swellin

Influence of infill panels on the seismic behaviour of a r/c frame designed according to modern buildings codes

It has been broadly shown that presence of infill panels as closing elements of R/C frame buildings has a significant influence on global structural behaviour. Nevertheless, infill elements are not usually considered in the modelling process during the design phase. The present work investigates the effect of infill masonry walls on the dynamic characteristics of a R/C MRF building, designed according to a modern seismic building code, and on its seismic performance at different levels of seismic intensity. An analytical investigation is carried out through eigenvalue analysis on both bare and infilled structure, in order to calibrate the elastic properties of the concrete and infills according to in situ tests; nonlinear static analyses are also performed to characterize the inelastic behaviour. The infill system considerably affects the behaviour of the examined structure, in agreement with earlier studies related to very simple and usually ¿unrealistic¿ structures. This result becomes more reliable due to the consistency between the results of the eigenvalue analysis and the experimental dynamic data

Tympano-mastoid cholesterol granuloma: case report and review of the literature

Cholesterol granuloma (CG) is a rare condition histological consisting of a foreign body, giant cell reaction to cholesterol crystals and haemosiderin derived from the ruptured of the erythrocytes. A 25-year-old man came to our Department presenting signs and symptoms of tympano-mastoid cholesterol granuloma. He showed all the specific sign and symptoms of the disease. However, considering the lack of literature regarding TMCG, this study was performed with the aim of presenting the main characteristics of tympano-mastoid CG, describing the case report and reviewing the literature

On the seismic design of one-story precast structures for P-Δ effects

P-Δ effects can reduce the seismic safety of structures under seismic actions and they can be vital for one-story precast buildings because of the large flexibility of columns. According to European building code, P-Δ effects can be taken into account by following some design requirements. Such requirements can significantly influence the design of the structures since they may provide the amplification of the seismic demand by means of the stability factor as well as the oversizing of the elements. This study investigates the influence of P-Δ effects on the seismic performance of precast one-story structures. An extensive parametric study is performed on one-story precast structures by varying some geometric features of the structure and the seismicity level of the site. Nonlinear dynamic analyses are performed by using Newmark’s method on all the case studies and the results of the first order and second order analysis are compared and discussed. Moreover, different design approaches are adopted in order to assess the Eurocode provisions for P-Δ effects. The results of the nonlinear dynamic analyses demonstrate that the overstrength, due to seismic detailing of columns and the materials overstrength, induces very low ductility demand for the structures. Indeed, even if P-Δ effects are totally neglected in the design phase, the overstrength due to other code prescriptions (e.g. minimum longitudinal reinforcement ratio) can still induce low ductility demand. Moreover it is demonstrated that the code prescriptions on P-Δ effects do not generally increase the structural safety and an alternative design approach is proposed, which gives both safer and cheaper structures than the ones currently designed according to Eurocodes

Effects of irrigation on n2o emissions in a maize crop grown on different soil types in two contrasting seasons

Crop management and soil properties affect greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from cropping systems. Irrigation is one of the agronomical management practices that deeply affects soil nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions. Careful management of irrigation, also concerning to soil type, might mitigate the emissions of this powerful GHG from agricultural soils. In the Mediterranean area, despite the relevance of the agricultural sector to the overall economy and sustainable development, the topic of N2O emissions does not have the same importance as N2O fluxes in temperate agricultural areas. Only some research has discussed N2O emissions from Mediterranean cropping systems. Therefore, in this study, N2O emissions from different soil types (sandy‐loam and clay soils) were analyzed in relation to the irrigation of a maize crop grown in two contrasting seasons (2009–2010). The irrigation was done using a center pivot irrigation system about twice a week. The N2O emissions were monitored throughout the two‐years of maize crop growth. The emissions were measured with the accumulation technique using eight static chambers (four chambers per site). Nitrogen fertilizer was applied in the form of ammonium sulphate and urea with 3,4 dimethylpyrazole phosphate (DMPP) nitrification inhibitors. In 2009, the N2O emissions and crop biomass measured in both soil types were lower than those measured in 2010. This situation was a lower amount of water and nitrogen (N) available to the crop. In 2010, the N2O fluxes were higher in the clay site than those in the sandy‐loam site after the first fertilization, whereas an opposite trend was found after the second fertilization. The soil temperature, N content, and soil humidity were the main drivers for N2O emission during 2009, whereas during 2010, only the N content and soil humidity affected the nitrous oxide emissions. The research has demonstrated that crop water management deeply affects soil N2O emissions, acting differently for denitrification and nitrification. The soil properties affect N2O emission by influencing the microclimate conditions in the root zone, conditioning the N2O production