Accepting Educational Responsibility for an Inclusive University Campus: The Impact of the Diversity Ambassador Program

This investigation explored the benefits of a 4-year voluntary diversity professional development program for over 200 faculty and staff in an urban, private university. The research team engaged institutional stakeholders to examine, reflect, and expand a platform for research, practice, and policy centered on issues of diversity. The researchers investigated ways in which the diversity program impacted the institutional climate. Mixed-methods combined quantitative measurements of staff and faculty perspectives on growth through diversity professional development and qualitative analysis of perceptions of the programmatic impact. Findings indicate significantly increased commitment as a community to advocacy, personal and professional development, and creating a university-wide inclusive campus climate. This information will assist educators seeking more inclusive campuses through diversity professional development initiatives

Repeatability of dental shade by digital spectrophotometry in current, former, and never smokers

Cigarette smoking contributes to poor oral health and dental discoloration. Therefore, stopping smoking may translate into measurable amelioration of dental shade indices. We compared dental shade parameters by digital spectrophotometry among current, former, and never smokers and verified their repeatability at 7 and 30 days. Dental shade parameters (CIE L*a*b* and corresponding whiteness index for dentistry-WID) were measured in current, former, and never smokers with a digital spectrophotometer (Vita Easyshade V) on three separate study visits: at baseline (day 0), at day 7, and day 30. Dental shade parameters were analyzed in 18 current, 18 former, and 20 never smokers. The repeatability of shade parameters was consistent in current, former, and never smokers. L*, a*, b*, and WID show significant short and long-term repeatability (p < 0.0001, by regression analyses). The mean (± SD) WID score of 13.42 (± 4.9) in current smokers was significantly lower compared to the WID score of 20.38 (± 5.3) in never smokers (p = 0.001). No significant differences were observed between current and former smokers and between former smokers and former smokers. Dental shade measurements by digital spectrophotometry were highly reproducible and showed that teeth whiteness of current smokers is substantially inferior compared to never smokers. Objective discrimination of dental shade can be a valuable regulatory science endpoint for investigating oral hygiene and dental aesthetics of consumer care products, smoking cessation medications, and tar-free tobacco products (e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products, oral nicotine products) for cigarette substitution. Clinical trial registration: the study was not registered in ClinicalTrials.gov considering that it is a pilot study, parts of a larger project with ID: NCT04649645

Advanced olfactory neuroblastoma in a teenager: a clinical case and short review of literature

Background: Olfactory neuroblastoma, also called esthesioneuroblastoma (ONB), is a rare neuroectodermal neoplasm that originates from the olfactory epithelium of the nose-sinus tract. It generally occurs with epistaxis, nasal obstruction, diplopia, and anosmia. Methods: A 16-year-old female was admitted to our Unit with a complaint of nasal obstruction, recurrent epistaxis, anosmia, and intermittent headache of sixth month\u2019s duration. After the ENT consultation, physical examination, endonasal endoscopy, and multiple biopsies were performed. Instrumental images (CT, MRI) have been requested to stage the aforementioned pathology. Results: Instrumental images (CT, MRI) showed a mass filling the right nasal cavity and the maxillary bone and involving the cribriform plate without evidence of dural invasion. Craniofacial resection by means of a bifrontal craniotomy combined with a modified lateral rhinotomic transfacial route was performed. The reconstruction of the inferior and medial orbital walls with employing split-thickness calvarial grafts, pedicled galea-pericranium flap rotated downwards was performed. The patient received 56 Gy of external beam radiotherapy over a 6-week period. Conclusion: Early diagnosis and treatment coordinated by a multidisciplinary team of ENTs, neurosurgeons, oncologists, pathologists, and radiologists are a prerequisite for a good prognosis. An excellent surgical debulking, negative margins, and subsequent locoregional control of the pathology through radiotherapy is fundamental

Primary hemangiopericytoma of the infratemporal fossa

We describe a case of primary hemangiopericytoma of the infratemporal fossa

Territori dell'abusivismo. Un progetto per uscire dall'Italia dei condoni

Il volume fa il punto sul fenomeno dell’abusivismo edilizio nel Mezzogiorno, dopo un periodo di relativo silenzio degli studiosi sul tema, e avanza alcune proposte per l’innovazione dei progetti e delle politiche a esso rivolti. Alla base ci sono le riflessioni sviluppate nell’ambito di una rete di ricerca promossa e coordinata dai tre curatori con il sostegno della Società italiana degli urbanisti. I contributi ospitati nella prima parte del libro descrivono sotto angolature diverse lo sfondo in cui le pratiche dell’abusivismo e i suoi lasciti oggi si collocano. Uno sfondo per molti aspetti mutato rispetto al quadro entro il quale maturò la politica di condono edilizio nei primi anni ottanta, che richiede uno sforzo di rielaborazione critica degli assunti, delle possibilità e delle priorità dell’azione pubblica. Nella parte centrale, quattordici casi studio esplorano le articolazioni fisiche e sociali che l’edilizia non autorizzata ha prodotto nelle regioni meridionali. Un viaggio attraverso territori in cui si intrecciano problemi irrisolti, non di rado aggravatisi nel tempo, e nuove questioni riguardanti la transizione demografica, il dissesto idrogeologico, la crisi economica e ambientale. La terza parte del volume enuncia, infine, una serie di prospettive di lavoro coerenti con le questioni sollevate. Strategie urbanistiche, paesaggistiche, fiscali e sociali, che tracciano i lineamenti di un possibile programma di riforma in cui il rigore nel perseguimento dell’interesse pubblico sappia stare assieme alla piena consapevolezza del difficile contesto in cui si opera