Incidentally discovered enteric duplication cyst: a case report

Enteric duplications are rare congenital diseases with heterogeneous clinical pictures ranging from an asymptomatic course to life-threatening consequences, most commonly arising at the ileal and ileocecal region. The antenatal discovery is possible when it concerns a voluminous cystic form enabling an early management. The radiologic examinations are nonspecific and no diagnostic tools can allow a certain diagnosis on its own. Sometimes, the diagnosis of intestinal duplication is only made during the surgical exploration and confirmed after a histopathological examination. We report a 4 years old girl with antenatal diagnosed ovarian cystic mass of about 4 mm. She was admitted to our unit for abdominal pain and constipation. Abdominal ultrasonography showed a cystic mass in the right iliac fossa. MRI revealed a well-defined cystic mass (6 x 4.2 x 5.4 cm) in the right mid abdomen displacing the bowel to the left, likely to be strongly adherent to the last part of the ileum. 99mtc pertechnetate scan was negative for ectopic gastric mucosa. A laparoscopic approach was eventually necessary and the diagnosis of duplication cyst was confirmed. Children with antenatal diagnosis of abdominal mass need a close follow up and enteric duplication should be considered as potential diagnosis. The laparoscopic approach has an important role in differential diagnosis between intestinal duplications and other mass

Relevant but neglected habitat types by the Directive 92/43 EEC in southern Italy

The 92/43/EEC Habitats Directive is the main European Union legal tool concerning nature conservation. The habitat types listed in Annex I to the Directive are phytosociology-based. It is widely acknowledged that phytosociological analysis is a crucial approach for habitats characterization and for monitoring their conservation status. Based on bibliographic investigations and new field survey campaigns, a list of habitat types neglected by the Habitats Directive is here presented and described for southern Italy. In this paper, 8 new habitat types and 13 subtypes are proposed. For each of these proposed new habitat types, a wide range of information, including ecology, chorology, species composition, syntaxonomy, threats, and conservation status, is here provided. To supply more detailed phytogeographical and coenological information about the proposed new habitat types, distribution maps based on 10 x 10 km reference grids and phytosociological tables including unpublished releves were carried out

Role of NLRP3 in an experimental model of testicular ischemia and reperfusion in mice

Inflammasomes are multi-protein complexes composed of one of several leucinerich repeat receptors (NLRs) including NLRP1, NLRP3, NLRC4 and AIM2: NLRP3 is currently the most fully characterized inflammasome. Testicular torsion leads to tissue degeneration and, after reperfusion, results in production of reactive oxygen species and triggers the apoptosis machinery. To better understand the role of NLRP3 during testicular ischemia/reperfusion (TI/R), we investigated the morphological aspects of spermatogenesis underlying the effects of inflammasome in KO mice during TI/R. KO (Nlrp3tm1bhk) and wild-type (WT: C57Bl6) animals underwent 1h testicular-ischemia followed by reperfusion. The mice were killed after 1 day and 7 days of reperfusion and the determination of caspase-3 activity was executed. Furthermore, both the tubular (mean seminiferous tubule diameter and Johnsen’s scoring system [1]) and extratubular (edema, hemorrhagic extravasation, vessels dilation, and Leydig cells changes [2]) compartments were evaluated. The TUNEL assay for apoptosis was also performed. After 1 and 7 days of reperfusion in WT mice an increase of caspase-3 was observed. Structurally, marked histological damages characterized by altered spermatogenesis, evident extratubular changes and increased TUNEL activity were observed. In KO mice caspase-3 was inhibited. Histological damages were significantly decreased, TUNEL activity was reduced and extratubular changes were significantly milder. We suggest that NLRP3 inhibition might have a protective role on spermatogenesis and it can be proposed in patients with unilateral testicular torsion

Italian Vascular Flora: New Findings, Updates and Exploration of Floristic Similarities between Regions

The tradition of floristic studies in Italy has made it possible to obtain a good knowledge of plant diversity both on a national and regional scale. However, the lack of knowledge for some areas, advances in plant systematics and human activities related to globalization, highlight the need for further studies aimed at improving floristic knowledge. In this paper, based on fieldwork and herbaria and literature surveys, we update the knowledge on the Italian vascular flora and analyze the floristic similarities between the administrative regions. Four taxa, all exotic, were recorded for the first time in Italy and Europe. In detail, Elaeodendron croceum, Kalanchoe blossfeldiana, and Sedum spathulifolium var. spathulifolium were found as casual aliens, while Oxalis brasiliensis was reported as historical record based on some herbarium specimens. Furthermore, Kalanchoe laxiflora was confirmed as a casual alien species for Italy and Europe. Status changes for some taxa were proposed at both national and regional levels, as well as many taxa were reported as new or confirmed at the regional level. Currently the Italian vascular flora comprises 9150 taxa of which 7547 are native (of which 1598 are Italian endemics) and 1603 are exotic at the national level. The multivariate analysis of updated floristic data on a regional scale showed a clear distribution along the latitudinal gradient, in accordance with the natural geographical location of the regions in Italy. This pattern of plants distribution was not affected by the introduction of alien species. Despite some taxonomic and methodological issues which are still open, the data obtained confirm the important role of floristic investigations in the field and in herbaria, as well as the collaborative approach among botanists, in order to improve the knowledge of the Italian and European vascular flora

New national and regional Annex I Habitat records: from #102 to #122

New Italian data on the distribution of the Annex I Habitats are reported in this contribution. Specifically, 9 new occurrences in Natura 2000 sites are presented and 34 new cells are added in the EEA 10 km × 10 km reference grid. The new data refer to the Italian administrative regions of Abruzzo, Apulia, Calabria, Latium, Lombardy, Marche, Sardinia, Sicily, Tuscany and Umbria

New national and regional Annex I Habitat records: from #45 to #59

New Italian data on the distribution of Annex I Habitats are reported in this contribution. Specifically, 8 new occurrences in Natura 2000 sites are presented and 27 new cells are added in the EEA 10 km × 10 km reference grid. The new data refer to the Italian administrative regions of Apulia, Campania, Calabria, Lazio, Tuscany, Umbria, Sardinia, and Sicily

Periprocedural outcome in patients undergoing left atrial appendage occlusion with the Watchman FLX device: The ITALIAN-FLX registry

IntroductionThe Watchman FLX is a novel device for transcatheter left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO) specifically designed to improve procedural performance in more complex anatomies with a better safety profile. Recently, small prospective non-randomized studies have shown good procedural success and safety compared with previous experiences. Results from large multicenter registries are needed to confirm the safety and efficacy of the Watchman FLX device in a real-world setting.MethodsItalian FLX registry is a retrospective, non-randomized, multicentric study across 25 investigational centers in Italy including consecutive patients undergoing LAAO with the Watchman FLX between March 2019 and September 2021 (N = 772). The primary efficacy outcome was the technical success of the LAAO procedure (peri-device flow ≤ 5 mm) as assessed by intra-procedural imaging. The peri-procedural safety outcome was defined as the occurrence of one of the following events within 7 days after the procedure or by hospital discharge: death, stroke, transient ischemic attack, major extracranial bleeding (BARC type 3 or 5), pericardial effusion with tamponade or device embolization.ResultsA total of 772 patients were enrolled. The mean age was 76 ± 8 with a mean CHA2DS2-VASc score of 4.1 ± 1.4 and a mean HAS-BLED score of 3.7 ± 1.1. Technical success was achieved in 772 (100%) patients with the first device implanted in 760 (98.4%) patients. A peri-procedural safety outcome event occurred in 21 patients (2.7%) with major extracranial bleeding being the most common (1.7%). No device embolization occurred. At discharge 459 patients (59.4%) were treated with dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT).ConclusionsThe Italian FLX registry represents the largest multicenter retrospective real-world study reporting periprocedural outcome of LAAO with the Watchman FLX device, resulting in a procedural success rate of 100% and a low incidence of peri-procedural major adverse events (2.7%)

The innovative Cherenkov camera based on SiPM sensors of the ASTRI-Horn telescope: from the T/M and electrical design to the full assembly and testing in a harsh environment

ASTRI-Horn is a prototypal telescope of an imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescope developed by the Italian National Institute of Astrophysics (INAF), proposed for the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) Observatory. The CTA Observatory represents the next generation of imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes and will explore the very highenergy domain from a few tens of GeV up to few hundreds of TeV. It will be composed of large-, medium-, and small sized telescopes; ASTRI-Horn is an end-to-end prototype proposed for the Small Sized array. The main scientific instrument of the ASTRI-Horn telescope is an innovative and compact Camera with Silicon- Photomultiplier based detectors and a specifically designed fast read-out electronics based on a custom peak-detector mode. The thermo-mechanical assembly is designed to host both the entire electronics chain, from the sensors to the raw data transmission system and the calibration system, and the complete thermoregulation system. This contribution gives a high level description of the T/M and electrical design of the Cherenkov Camera, it describes the assembling procedure of its different subsystems and their integration into the complete camera system. A discussion about possible design improvements coming from the problems/difficulties encountered during assembly is also presented. Finally, results from engineering tests conducted in-field are also presented