The new "Welding Machine" for the DUs integration in the KM3NeT experiment: Mechanical and Pneumatic parts

This note describes one of the tools used during Process-1 of the integration of the Detection Units (DUs) in the KM3NeT experiment. In particular, the device is designed to seal the Break-out-box (BOB). The BOB is a box interface between a Digital Optical Module (DOM) and the electro-optical cable (VEOC) for power and optical connection of each optical module (DOM) to the DU. The original manual version of the tool developed by NIKHEF was then automatized by INFN-LNS in order to guarantee a reproducible operation in the recursive process of the DU integration and two samples have been realized for the integration sites at LNS and Genova respectively

New national and regional Annex I Habitat records: from #60 to #82

New Italian data on the distribution of the Annex I Habitats are reported in this contribution. Specifically, 8 new occurrences in Natura 2000 sites are presented and 49 new cells are added in the EEA 10 km × 10 km reference grid. The new data refer to the Italian administrative regions of Campania, Calabria, Marche, Piedmont, Sardinia, Sicily, Tuscany and Umbria. Relevés and figures are provided as Supplementary material respectively 1 and 2

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

Notulae to the Italian alien vascular flora: 11

In this contribution, new data concerning the distribution of vascular flora alien to Italy are presented. It includes new records, confirmations, exclusions, and status changes for Italy or for Italian administrative regions. Nomenclatural and distribution updates published elsewhere are provided as Suppl. material 1

New national and regional Annex I Habitat records: from #83 to #101

New Italian data on the distribution of 17 Annex I Habitats are reported in this contribution. Specifically, 11 new occurrences in Natura 2000 sites are presented and 30 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, Sardinia, Sicily and Tuscany

Avoiding sternotomy in repeat coronary artery bypass grafting: Feasibility, safety, and mid-term outcome of the transabdominal off-pump technique using the right gastroepiploic artery.

Item does not contain fulltextOBJECTIVES: Repeat sternotomy is associated with a substantial risk of cardiovascular injury. We evaluated the feasibility and clinical outcome of a transabdominal approach without sternotomy and without cardiopulmonary bypass in repeat coronary artery bypass grafting, using the right gastroepiploic artery to graft vessels of the inferior wall of the heart. METHODS: From July 1999 to October 2010, 22 patients presenting with only right coronary artery disease underwent reoperation using the transabdominal approach and a skeletonized gastroepiploic artery graft. In all patients but 1, a patent graft to the anterior wall was present. The mean EuroSCORE was 6.4 +/- 2.5. RESULTS: All patients had adequate surgical exposure, and no conversion to sternotomy or the use of cardiopulmonary bypass was required. There was no in-hospital mortality. Hospital morbidity included pneumothorax in 1 patient and atrial fibrillation in 2 patients. The median hospital stay was 5 days. Follow-up was complete, and the median follow-up time was 6 years. There were 2 late deaths. Four patients experienced recurrence of angina, of whom three required percutaneous coronary intervention. The estimated freedom from major cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events rate was 70.2% at 6 years. Fourteen patients underwent an exercise stress test at a median interval of 2 years, with all showing no signs of myocardial ischemia. CONCLUSIONS: Transabdominal off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting using the right gastroepiploic artery is a safe and effective procedure with low in-hospital mortality and morbidity and favorable mid-term outcome. In redo operations, this technique excludes the risk of cardiovascular injury.1 juli 201

Noninvasive assessment of right gastroepiploic artery graft patency using transcutaneous color Doppler echocardiography

\u3cp\u3eBackground. Because the right gastroepiploic artery graft (GEA), when routed antegastrically, is situated just behind the abdominal wall, we investigated the possibility of evaluating graft patency and flow characteristics using transabdominal color Doppler echocardiography. Methods. The right GEA graft was evaluated in 71 patients who underwent complete arterial revascularization, 4 months (range, 2 to 17 months) postoperatively. Selective angiography of the right GEA was performed in the patients in whom the graft could not be visualized using color Doppler echocardiography. Results. Flow in the right GEA graft was detected in 65 (91.5%) of 71 patients using color Doppler echocardiography. In all visualized right GEAs, a biphasic flow pattern was observed, with higher peak velocity during systole. Mean (± standard deviation) peak systolic velocity was 76 ± 16 cm/s. Mean (± standard deviation) velocity was 41 ± 14 cm/s. Selective angiography of the right GEA in 5 patients in whom the graft could not be visualized using echocardiography showed four patent and functional grafts and one graft that was open but not functional ('slender sign'). One patient died before angiography could be performed. The sensitivity of noninvasive ultrasound assessment of the patency of the right GEA graft was 94% (65 of 69 patients). In this group of patients, an overall right GEA graft patency rate of 97% (69 of 71 patients) was found at mean follow-up of 4 months (range, 2 to 17 months). Conclusions. The right GEA graft is an adequate coronary artery graft with a good short-term patency rate, and transcutaneous color Doppler echocardiography is a useful tool for evaluating its patency and flow characteristics. Selective angiography of the right GEA can be avoided in most cases and is indicated only when the graft cannot be detected using Doppler echocardiography.\u3c/p\u3

Noninvasive assessment of coronary flow reserve in the right gastroepiploic artery graft

Background. To investigate the functional capacity of the right gastroepiploic artery graft (GEA) and its ability to adapt to provide adequate flow at peak myocardial demand, we investigated the feasibility of determining coronary flow reserve (CFR) provided by this vessel using transabdominal color Doppler echocardiography and the correlation between this noninvasive determination of flow reserve and nuclear stress scintigraphy. Methods. In 40 selected patients, who underwent complete arterial myocardial revascularization using the GEA and the internal thoracic arteries (ITAs), CFR of the GEA was measured at maximum coronary hyperemia induced by intravenous adenosine infusion, 7 months (range 3 to 20) after surgery. In the same period, in 31 of this group of patients, exercise thallium scintigraphy was performed. Results. We succeeded in measuring CFR in 37 of 40 patients with values ranging from 1.1 to 3.6 with an average of 2.1 ± 0.7. During adenosine infusion, mean velocity in the GEA significantly increased from 48 ± 20 to 89 ± 41 cm/sec (p ≤ 0.001), mean arterial blood pressure significantly decreased from 96 ± 11 to 87 ± 11 mm Hg (p ≤ 0.001), and heart rate significantly increased from 74 ± 11 to 87 ± 15 beats/min (p ≤ 0.001). In 8 of these 37 patients, the nuclear exercise test was positive (compatible with reversible ischemia in the distribution area of the GEA). Average CFR in these 8 patients with positive nuclear stress test was 1.46 ± 0.28 versus 2.27 ± 0.70 in those patients with a negative test (p ≤ 0.001). Conclusions. Noninvasive determination of CFR of GEAs is feasible, using transabdominal Doppler echocardiography. The present study shows that coronary vasodilator reserve and autoregulation is maintained in myocardium supplied by the GEA and that the CFR has a significant correlation with the results of noninvasive nuclear exercise testing. Therefore, noninvasive determination of CFR by transabdominal Doppler echocardiography might be a valuable contribution to functional assessment of GEAs

Global and Regional IUCN Red List Assessments: 16

In this contribution, the conservation status assessment of three vascular plants according to IUCN categories and criteria are presented. It includes the assessment of Aubrieta columnae subsp. sicula, Calligonum zakirovii and Santolina decumbens subsp. tisoniana at global level