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

Micromixing and microchannel design: Vortex shape and entropy

This paper was presented at the 2nd Micro and Nano Flows Conference (MNF2009), which was held at Brunel University, West London, UK. The conference was organised by Brunel University and supported by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, IPEM, the Italian Union of Thermofluid dynamics, the Process Intensification Network, HEXAG - the Heat Exchange Action Group and the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications.In very recent years microdevices, due to their potency in replacing large-scale conventional laboratory instrumentation, are becoming a fast and low cost technology for the treatment of several chemical and biological processes. In particular microfluidics has been massively investigated, aiming at improving the performance of chemical reactors. This is because of the fact that reaction is often an interface phenomenon where the greater the surface to volume ratio, the higher the reaction speed, and microscale mixing increases the interfacial area (in terms of mixing-induced-by-vortices generation). However, microfluidic systems suffer from the limitation that they are characterized mostly by very low Reynolds numbers, with the consequence that (i) they cannot take advantage from the turbulence mixing support, and (ii) viscosity hampers proper vortex detection. Therefore, the proper design of micro-channels (MCs) becomes essential. In this framework, several geometries have been proposed to induce mixing vortices in MCs. However a quantitative comparison between proposed geometries in terms of their passive mixing potency can be done only after proper definition of vortex formation (topology, size) and mixing performance. The objective of this study is to test the ability of different fluid dynamic metrics in vortex detection and mixing effectiveness in micromixers. This is done numerically solving different conditions for the flow in a classic passive mixer, a ring shaped MC. We speculate that MCs design could take advantage from fluidic metrics able to rank properly flow related mixing

Physico-chemical and sensory characterization of a fruit beer obtained with the addition of cv. Lambrusco grapes must

In 2015, Italian Grape Ale (IGA) beers have been included as a new provisional sub-category of special-type fruit beers by the Beer Judge Certification Program, including those products whose brewing process is carried out in presence of determined quantities of grape must. However, information on the effects of these additions on the composition of final beers are still scarce. This work is hence focused on the chromatic, volatile, phenolic and sensory characterization of IGA beers obtained with the addition of grape musts during brewing process. To this aim, different amounts of must (5, 10 and 20%) from cv. Lambrusco red grapes were added to a lager wort before primary fermentation. Beers were then characterized by HPLC-MS, GC-MS and sensory analysis in order to determine phenolic and aroma compounds along with their sensory attributes. Results confirmed the addition of must from cv. Lambrusco grapes capable to enrich beers in color, acids, phenolic (up to 7-folded increased) and volatile compounds, while giving complexity to beers. These results, which were confirmed by a trained sensory panel, are among the very first insights on the impact of red grape must in brewing, both from a compositional and sensory point of view

Effect of Kaolin/Defoliation Combined with Dry Ice on Lambrusco Red Wine Production to Constrain the Effects of Climate Change

Since viticulture is affected considerably by climate change, it is imperative to encourage research on newstrategies in order to constrain these critical effects on the composition of berries and the quality of wines.A multi-strategy approach composed of (i) kaolin application on foliage, (ii) late tree defoliation and (iii)cryomaceration of grapes with dry ice was evaluated in the production of Lambrusco Salamino wines.Physical, chemical and sensory analyses were carried out on the sample set, including the control wines.In general, cryomaceration with dry ice proved to be a winning choice to lower alcoholic strength (roughly5%). In addition, the wines showed an increase in anthocyanin content by approximately 17%, while thecontent of catechins, flavanols and hydroxycinnamic acids decreased. Consistent with the increase in theanthocyanin content, an increase in colour indices and sensory colour intensity scores was observed. As forthe aromatic profile, 2-phenylethanol showed an increase of approximately 18% in the treated wines while,in parallel, a lower content of C6 alcohols and volatile fatty acids was observed. The multiple adaptationstrategies put in place in the present study show an alternative way to mitigate the severe effects of climatechange on wine production, and to face changing consumer demands

Physico-chemical and sensory characterization of a fruit beer obtained with the addition of cv. Lambrusco grapes must

In 2015, Italian Grape Ale (IGA) beers have been included as a new provisional sub-category of special-type fruit beers by the Beer Judge Certification Program, including those products whose brewing process is carried out in presence of determined quantities of grape must. However, information on the effects of these additions on the composition of final beers are still scarce. This work is hence focused on the chromatic, volatile, phenolic and sensory characterization of IGA beers obtained with the addition of grape musts during brewing process. To this aim, different amounts of must (5, 10 and 20%) from cv. Lambrusco red grapes were added to a lager wort before primary fermentation. Beers were then characterized by HPLC-MS, GC-MS and sensory analysis in order to determine phenolic and aroma compounds along with their sensory attributes. Results confirmed the addition of must from cv. Lambrusco grapes capable to enrich beers in color, acids, phenolic (up to 7-folded increased) and volatile compounds, while giving complexity to beers. These results, which were confirmed by a trained sensory panel, are among the very first insights on the impact of red grape must in brewing, both from a compositional and sensory point of view

Superconducting properties of mesoscopic cylinders with enhanced surface superconductivity

The superconducting state of an infinitely long superconducting cylinder surrounded by a medium which enhances its superconductivity near the boundary is studied within the nonlinear Ginzburg-Landau theory. This enhancement can be due to the proximity of another superconductor or due to surface treatment. Quantities like the free energy, the magnetization and the Cooper-pair density are calculated. Phase diagrams are obtained to investigate how the critical field and the critical temperature depend on this surface enhancement for different values of the Ginzburg-Landau parameter \kappa. Increasing the superconductivity near the surface leads to higher critical fields and critical temperatures. For small cylinder diameters only giant vortex states nucleate, while for larger cylinders multivortices can nucleate. The stability of these multivortex states also depends on the surface enhancement. For type-I superconductors we found the remarkable result that for a range of values of the surface extrapolation length the superconductor can transit from the Meissner state into superconducting states with vorticity L > 1. Such a behaviour is not found for the case of large \kappa, i.e. type-II superconductivity.Comment: submitted to Phys. Rev.

Management of idiopathic epistaxis in adults: what's new? [Il trattamento dell’epistassi idiopatica nell’adulto: cosa c’è di nuovo?]

L’epistassi è uno dei disturbi più comuni per il quale il paziente si rivolge spesso al pronto soccorso. Questa revisione della letteratura sipropone di valutare sistematicamente e criticamente gli studi scientifici riguardo il trattamento dell’epistassi idiopatica al fine di ottenere utili spunti per la pratica clinica. La ricerca è stata eseguita nei database elettronici: PubMed, Embase, Cochrane e Central. I criteri di inclusione sono stati: studi clinici controllati retrospettivi o prospettici o randomizzati o studi su modelli animali che includevano i risultati nella gestione dell’epistassi idiopatica. Sono stati individuati 23 articoli che soddisfano i criteri di inclusione. Il tamponamento nasale rappresenta ancora l’approccio di prima linea all’epistassi, anche se è evidente dalla letteratura che sia il meno efficace ma il più associato a ricoveri ospedalieri di maggior durata rispetto alla chirurgia endoscopica basata sull’elettrocoagulazione. In conclusione appare sempre più evidente che la cauterizzazione dovrebbe essere l’approccio di prima linea per l’alto tasso di costo-efficacia e il basso rischio di complicanze. Tuttavia, ulteriori ricerche urgenti sono necessarie per validare l’efficacia dei nuovi biomateriali nel trattamento dell’epistassi.Epistaxis is one of the most common complaints presenting to emergency departments. The aim of this study is to systematically review and critically evaluate the evidence relating to treatment of idiopathic epistaxis for guiding best practice. A comprehensive review of the English language literature was performed using PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library and Central electronic databases. The inclusion criteria were: retrospective or prospective or randomised controlled clinical trials which included outcomes in the management of idiopathic epistaxis. Twentythree articles met inclusion criteria and were reviewed. Nasal packing still represents the first-line approach to epistaxis, although, at present, it appears that there is clear evidence in the literature to suggest that it is less effective and associated with more admissions and longer hospital stays than endoscopic electrocoagulation-based management of epistaxis. In conclusion, cauterisation should be the first-line approach for its high cost-effectiveness rate and low risk of complications. Further research is urgently needed to assess the efficacy of new biomaterials

Seasonal variability of the HO.RE.CA. food leftovers employed as a feeding substrate for black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens L.) larvae and effects on the rearing performance

The SCALIBUR project (Horizon, 2020) aimed to explore innovative solutions, including the use of black soldier fly larvae, for the bio-urban waste management. This research work describes the evaluation of the variability in water, proteins, fat, ashes, and carbohydrates present in the HO.RE.CA. food leftovers which were withdrawn from a local canteen over a 12-month period and the relationship with (i) the growth parameters of the larvae, (ii) the percentage of substrate reduction and the percentage of frass separated through the mechanical sieve at the end of the rearing process. HO.RE.CA. food leftovers are overall a suitable feeding substrate for larval rearing. Water contained in the HO.RE.CA. food leftovers was sufficient for larval rearing without resorting to further addition. As for water content, a seasonal trend was not observed, on the contrary, it was proved to be totally random. However, high amount of water (>80%) was correlated with higher larval mortality rate. The larval weight was significantly correlated to the amount of protein (r = 0.80; p ≤ 0.001) present in the substrate, and to a lesser extent to the amount of fat (r = 0.43; p ≤ 0.05). The feed conversion rate and bioconversion rate were both in agreement with literature data. The statistical test did not show any significant correlation between the amount of water contained in the initial fresh HO.RE.CA. food leftovers and the percentage of substrate reduction and the percentage of frass separated through the mechanical sieve at the end of the rearing process

Tracking long-distance migration to assess marine pollution impact

Animal tracking provides new means to assess far-reaching environmental impacts. In the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon explosion in the Gulf of Mexico, a long-distance migrant, the northern gannet (Morus bassanus) suffered the highest oiling among beach-wrecked birds recovered. Analysis of bird-borne tracking data indicated that 25 per cent of their North American population from multiple colonies in eastern Canada migrated to the pollution zone. Findings contrasted sharply with available mark-recapture (band recovery) data. The timing of movement into and out of the Gulf indicates that immature birds would have absorbed most oil-induced mortality. Consequently, one of two outcomes is likely: either a lagged (likely difficult to assess) population decrease, or an undetectable population response buffered by age-related life-history adaptations. Tracking research is especially useful when little information on animal distributions in pollution zones is available, as is the case in the Gulf of Mexico. Ongoing research highlights current risks and conservation concerns

Palatal surgery in a transoral robotic setting (TORS): preliminary results of a retrospective comparison between uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP), expansion sphincter pharyngoplasty (ESP) and barbed repositioning pharyngoplasty (BRP)

Negli ultimi anni si è diffusa lopinione che la chirurgia multilivello nel trattamento della sindrome delle apnee ostruttive garantisca risultati pià soddisfacenti. Lobiettivo del nostro lavoro è quello di confrontare tre tecniche palatali associate alla TORS: luvulopalatofaringoplastica (UPPP), lexpansion sphincter pharyngoplasy (ESP) e la barbed repositioning pharingoplasty (BRP). Trenta pazienti, trattati con TORS, tonsillectomia e settoturbinoplastica e chirurgia palatale sono stati retrospettivamente studiati. I seguenti valori pre e post-operatori sono stati presi in considerazione: AHI, ESS, VAS per la valutazione del dolore, tempi operatori palatali, data di dimissione e complicanze (tipi ed incidenza). Sia la BRP che lESP hanno garantito dei valori postoperatorio di AHI inferiori rispetto allUPPP con un maggior tasso di successo chirurgico. Dallaltra parte non è stato possibile dimostrare una superiorità della BRP sullESP. I tempi operatori più lunghi sono stati registrati nel gruppo ESP mentre i più brevi sono stati riscontrati nel gruppo BRP. Riassumendo, ESP e BRP sono risultate più efficaci dellUPPP in un setting robotico multilivello. Inoltre, essendo una tecnica rapida, di facile apprendimento e dal basso tasso di complicanze, la BRP si presenta come una valida opzione chirurgica nel trattamento dellOSAS