282 research outputs found
Anterior-to-Posterior Migration of a Lumbar Disc Sequestration. Surgical Remarks and Technical Notes about a Tailored Microsurgical Discectomy
Extrusion of disc material within the spinal canal complicates up to 28.6% of lumbar disc herniations. Due to the anatomical "corridors" created by the anterior midline septum and lateral membranes, relocation occurs with an anterior and anterolateral axial topography. Posterior migration is an extremely rare condition and anterior-to-posterior circumferential migration is an even rarer condition. Its radiological feature can be enigmatic and since, in more than 50% of cases, clinical onset is a hyperacute cauda equina syndrome, it may imply a difficult surgical decision in emergency settings. Surgery is the gold standard but when dealing with such huge sequestrations, standard microdiscectomy must be properly modified in order to minimize the risk of surgical trauma or traction on the nerve roots
How SARS-Cov-2 can involve the central nervous system. A systematic analysis of literature of the department of human neurosciences of Sapienza University, Italy
Italy is currently one of the countries most affected by the global emergency of COVID-19, a lethal disease of a novel coronavirus renamed as SARS-CoV-2. SARS-CoV-2 shares highly homological sequence with the most studied SARS-CoV, and causes acute, highly deadly pneumonia (COVID-19) with clinical symptoms similar to those reported for SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV. Increasing evidence shows that these coronaviruses are not always confined to the respiratory tract and that they may also neuroinvasive and neurotropic, with potential neuropathological consequences in vulnerable populations. The aim of this study is to predict a likely CNS involvement by SARS-CoV-2 by studying the pathogenic mechanisms in common with other better known and studied coronaviruses with which it shares the same characteristics. Understanding the mechanisms of neuroinvasion and interaction of HCoV (including SARS-Cov-2) with the CNS is essential to evaluate potentially pathological short- and long-term consequences. Autopsies of the COVID-19 patients, detailed neurological investigation, and attempts to isolate SARS-CoV-2 from the endothelium of cerebral microcirculation, cerebrospinal fluid, glial cells, and neuronal tissue can clarify the role played by COVID-19 in CNS-involvement and in the ongoing mortalities as has been in the recent outbreak
Cover crops for managing weeds, soil chemical fertility and nutritional status of organically grown orange orchard in Sicily
Cover crops can offer significant advantages in the agronomic management of citrus orchards in Mediterranean environments. Therefore, a three-year research was conducted in eastern Sicily aimed at studying the effects of four cover crop sequences (Sinapis arvensis-Trigonella foenum-graecum-T. foenum-graecum; Medicago scutellata-Avena sativa-Lolium perenne; Vicia faba minor-A. sativa-A. sativa; A. sativa-V. faba. minor-L. perenne) on weeds, major soil chemical properties and nutritional status of an organically grown orange orchard. The results highlighted that, among the studied cover crop sequences, Vicia faba-Avena-Avena was the most beneficial for weeds control within the orchard (92%, of cover crop cover, and 586 and 89 g DW m–2 of cover crop aboveground biomass and weeds aboveground biomass, respectively). Overall, the chemical fertility of the soil was positively influenced. In particular, it was observed an increase of the content of total nitrogen and available phosphorus in the soil by both Sinapis-Trigonella-Trigonella (0.75 g kg–1 and 59.0 mg kg–1, respectively) and Vicia faba-Avena-Avena (0.70 g kg–1 and 56.0 mg kg–1, respectively) cover crop sequences. Medicago-Avena-Lolium sequence seemed to be the most useful to ensure a better nutritional status of the orange orchard
HST Observations of the Host Galaxies of BL Lacertae Objects
Six BL Lac objects from the complete 1 Jy radio-selected sample of 34 objects
were observed in Cycle 5 with the HST WFPC2 camera to an equivalent limiting
flux of mu_I~26 mag/arcsec^2. Here we report results for the second half of
this sample, as well as new results for the first three objects, discussed
previously by Falomo et al. (1997). In addition, we have analyzed in the same
way HST images of three X-ray-selected BL Lacs observed by Jannuzi et al.
(1997). The ensemble of 9 BL Lac objects spans the redshift range from z=0.19
to ~1. Host galaxies are clearly detected in seven cases, while the other two,
at z~0.258 (redshift highly uncertain) and z=0.997, are not resolved. The HST
images constitute a homogeneous data set with unprecedented morphological
information between a few tenths of an arcsecond and several arcseconds from
the nucleus, allowing us in 6 of the 7 detected host galaxies to rule out
definitively a pure disk light profile. The host galaxies are luminous
ellipticals with an average absolute magnitude of M_I~-24.6 mag (with
dispersion 0.7 mag), more than a magnitude brighter than L* and comparable to
brightest cluster galaxies. The morphologies are generally smooth and have
small ellipticities (epsilon<0.2). Given such roundness, there is no obvious
alignment with the more linear radio structures. In the six cases for which we
have HST WFPC2 images in two filters, the derived color profiles show no strong
spatial gradients and are as expected for K-corrected passively evolving
elliptical galaxies. The host galaxies of the radio-selected and X-ray-selected
BL Lacs for this very limited sample are comparable in both morphology and
luminosity.Comment: 23 pages, including 6 postscript figures and 3 tables (embedded).
Latex requires aaspp4.sty and psfig.sty (not included). Accepted for
publication in the Astrophysical Journa
Exploitability of cultivated and wild cardoon as long-term, low-input energy crops
The potential ability in terms of biomass, achenes, oil and energy yield of two Cynara cardunculus L. genotypes (one cultivated cardoon and one wild cardoon) was evaluated along a 7-year experiment. It was carried out in a marginal farmland of Southern Italy, with low soil fertility and minimal external inputs. Under these conditions, they reached an annual harvestable biomass ranging from 0.74 (wild cardoon) to 1.46 kg m −2 (cultivated cardoon) and an energy yield ranging from 13.8 to 27.5 kJ m −2 . The lower heating value of biomass (including achenes) was on average 18.2 kJ kg −1 , while the oil yield from achenes varied between 25.1 and 25.7 g 100 g −1 of dry matter. The cultivated cardoon was able to produce high yields until the fifth season and therefore is prone for medium long-time cropping systems. Conversely, wild cardoon showed a most stable yield pattern and plant survival over seasons, suggesting its particular suitability for perennial cropping systems in Mediterranean marginal areas
Role of 1p/19q Codeletion in Diffuse Low-grade Glioma Tumour Prognosis
Background/Aim: In the latest 2021 WHO
classification of central nervous system tumours (CNS), gliomas
that present isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) mutations are
defined as diffuse low-grade gliomas (DLGGs). IDH mutations
are commonly observed in this tumour type. The Extent of
Resection (EOR) positively influence survival; however, it is still
debated whether the predictive value of EOR is independent of
the 1p/19q co-deletion. We carried out a retrospective analysis
on patients operated on for DLGG at the Sant’Andrea University
Hospital Sapienza University of Rome, correlating the outcome
with the presence of 1p/19q co-deletion and EOR. Patients and
Methods: The study examined 66 patients with DLGG who had
undergone surgery for tumour resection between 2008 and 2018.
Patients with DLGG were divided into two groups; diffuse
astrocytoma (DA) in which 1p/19q codeletion is absent and
oligodendroglioma (OG) in which 1p/19q codeletion is present.
According to EOR, both groups were divided into two
subgroups: subtotal resection (STR) and gross total resection
(GTR). Three end-point variables were considered: overall
survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS) and time to
malignant transformation (TMT). Results: In the DA group, the
GTR subgroup had an average OS of 81.6 months, an average
PFS of 45.9 months and an average TMT of 63.6 months. After
surgery, these patients had an average Karnofsky Performance
Score (KPS) of 83.4. The STR subgroup had an average OS of
60.4 months, PFS was 38.7 months, and TMT was 46.4 months,
post-operative KPS was 83.4. In contrast, in the OG group, the
GTR averagely had 101.7 months of OS, 64.9 months of PFS,
80.3 months of TMT and an average post-operative KPS of 84.2,
and the STR subgroup had an average of OS of 73.3 months,
PFS of 48.2 months, TMT of 57.3 and an average postoperative
KPS of 96.2. Conclusion: In patients affected by DLGGs, 1p/19q
codeletion is significantly associated with prolonged survival
and longer time-to-malignant transformation (TMT) compared
to the absence of 1p/19q codeletion. Also, the extent of surgical
resection (EOR) in DLGG patients has been confirmed as one
of the main prognostic factors. However, its predictive value is
substantially influenced by the presence of the 1p/19q codeletion
After the first lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic: Perceptions, experiences, and effects on well-being in Italian people
BackgroundSince the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent measures of containment, multiple studies have been conducted aimed at assessing the impacts on people’s psychophysical well-being; however, few studies have investigated the general population’s perceptions, experiences, and effects by adopting a mixed-method approach.MethodsA total of 855 Italian participants completed an online survey, conducted in the period following the first lockdown in Italy. Psychological well-being, perceived stress and COVID-19-related fears were assessed by standardized questionnaires (Psychological General Well-Being Index-Short version, Perceived Stress Scale 10, and Multidimensional Assessment of COVID-19-Related Fears). The process of sense-making of the experience during the lockdown period was also evaluated by means of an open-ended question.ResultsParticipants reported a lower level of general well-being, and a higher level of both perceived stress and COVID-19-related fear during the lockdown period compared to the time of the survey (1 month after the resumption of activities). The thematic analysis of responses to the open-ended question revealed two factors and five clusters, which explain the thematic variance among the narratives: the first factor refers to the type of experience (emotional states and feelings vs. objective descriptions of daily activities), while the second concerns positive or negative connotations of the experiences reported.ConclusionsThis study explored the psychological impact of the first lockdown on people’s well-being, and described the process of making sense of the experience during the lockdown 1 month after going back to previous habits. Results highlighted the effectiveness of the mixed-method approach for an in-depth and exhaustive investigation of people’s psychological condition during and after the first lockdown
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