Current surgical concepts and indications in the management of the short bowel state: A call for the use of multidisciplinary intestinal rehabilitation programs

The mainstay of management for short bowel syndrome (SBS) is to promote access to the best quality of care provided by the intestinal rehabilitation program (IRP) in specialized centres. When treating SBS patients, the main goal is to minimize disease-associated complications, as well as achieve enteral autonomy. Surgical strategies should be selected cautiously upon the actual state of the bowel with respect to what it is clinically relevant for that specific patient. To this aim, a personalized and multidisciplinary approach for such a complex syndrome is needed

Neuronal Premotor Networks Involved in Eyelid Responses: Retrograde Transneuronal Tracing with Rabies Virus from the Orbicularis Oculi Muscle in the Rat

Retrograde transneuronal tracing with rabies virus from the right orbicularis oculi muscle was used to identify neural networks underlying spontaneous, reflex, and learned blinks. The kinetics of viral transfer was studied at sequential 12 hr intervals between 3 and 5 d after inoculation. Rabies virus immunolabeling was combined with the immunohistochemical detection of choline acetyltransferase expression in brainstem motoneurons or Fluoro-Ruby injections in the rubrospinal tract. Virus uptake involved exclusively orbicularis oculi motoneurons in the dorsolateral division of the facial nucleus. At 3-3.5 d, transneuronal transfer involved premotor interneurons of trigeminal, auditory, and vestibular reflex pathways (in medullary and pontine reticular formation, trigeminal nuclei, periolivary and ventral cochlear nuclei, and medial vestibular nuclei), motor pathways (dorsolateral quadrant of contralateral red nucleus and pararubral area), deep cerebellar nuclei (lateral portion of interpositus nucleus and dorsolateral hump ipsilaterally), limbic relays (parabrachial and Kölliker-Fuse nuclei), and oculomotor structures involved in eye-eyelid coordination (oculomotor nucleus, supraoculomotor area, and interstitial nucleus of Cajal). At 4 d, higher order neurons were revealed in trigeminal, auditory, vestibular, and deep cerebellar nuclei (medial, interpositus, and lateral), oculomotor and visual-related structures (Darkschewitsch, nucleus of the posterior commissure, deep layers of superior colliculus, and pretectal area), lateral hypothalamus, and cerebral cortex (particularly in parietal areas). At 4.5 and 5 d the labeling of higher order neurons occurred in hypothalamus, cerebral cortex, and blink-related areas of cerebellar cortex. These results provide a comprehensive picture of the premotor networks mediating reflex, voluntary, and limbic-related eyelid responses and highlight potential sites of motor learning in eyelid classical conditioning

Effectiveness of defatted seed meals from Brassicaceae with or without crude glycerin against black grass ( Alopecurus myosuroides Huds.)

Herbicide resistance has become an increasing problem, and at the same time pesticide usage is declining due to stringent EU pesticide legislation which aims to reduce the impact on environment and human health. For these reasons, new alternative integrated weed management approaches are becoming increasingly relevant. Formulations based on Brassica defatted seed meals (DSMs) and glycerin, have previously been shown to be effective in reducing the germination of lettuce seed. In this work five DSMs, formulated with and without crude glycerin, were chosen for in vitro and glasshouse experiments: i) Brassica nigra, ii) Brassica tournefortii, iii) Eruca sativa, iv) Rapistrum rugosum and v) Sinapis alba. Black-grass (Alopecurus myosuroides), a weed demonstrating extensive herbicide resistance, was used as a target, and the germination inhibition caused on this weed by Brassica defatted seed meals was assessed. In both in vitro and in vivo experiments, the most effective DSM for inhibiting germination of both lettuce and black-grass seeds was the sinigrin containing DSM, Brassica nigra. The aim of the manuscript was to suggest a new high value application for Brassicas derived DSM as a co-products from the vegetable oil production chain. The proposed treatments could represent an interesting and 100% novel natural alternative to the conventional herbicides

Preliminary approach on early post mortem stress and quality indexes changes in large size bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus)

Bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) is very appreciated on Japan and USA market for the preparation of sushi and sahimi. The market price of the fresh product can vary from 8 to 33 Euro/kg (gate farm/producers prices) according to size, shape, fat level, meat colour, consistency and freshness (absence of "hyake"), all parameters strictly connected to feeding quality and quantity, rearing and killing stress factors and refrigeration times and conditions after death. Excessive levels of stress during the slaughtering can affect meat quality, contributing to significantly decrease of tuna's price. The present trial was carried out to evaluate the possible harvesting/slaughtering stress effect on reared bluefin tuna meat quality, starting from the examination of the most important stress and quality parameters changes during the early post mortem period

Intestinal twin-to-twin transplant for short gut: Review of the literature and discussion of a complex case

Paediatric Intestinal Transplantation (IT) presents the highest mortality on the waiting-list due to anatomical disproportion. Living-Donor IT (LDIT) offers the best advantages and when performed among identical monozygotic twins, it also benefits from unique immunology. According to MEDLINE/Pubmed, twin-to-twin LDIT has been performed in seven cases (6:7 males, median age of 32 years). None of the patients received immunosuppression postoperatively. Only one paediatric twinto- twin LDIT was carried out with a 160-cm mid-ileum tract: an interposed 4/5-cm arterial graft was required to ensure a tensionfree anastomosis to the anterior wall of the infra-renal abdominal aorta. In contrast, venous anastomosis was done directly to the inferior cava vein. We present a case for debate of a 13- month-old SBS patient where a twin-LDIT was discussed with parents, who decided to wait after careful analysis and ethical considerations

Gitelman syndrome associated with chondrocalcinosis and severe neuropathy: a novel heterozygous mutation in SLC12A3 gene

Gitelman syndrome (GS) is an inherited salt-wasting tubulopathy characterized by hypocalciuria, hypokalemia, hypomagnesemia and metabolic alkalosis, due to inactivating mutations in the SLC12A3 gene. Symptoms may be systemic, neurological, cardiovascular, ophthalmological or musculoskeletal. We describe a 70 year-old patient affected by recurrent arthralgias, hypoesthesia and hyposthenia in all 4 limbs and severe hypokalemia, complicated by atrial flutter. Moreover, our patient reported eating large amounts of licorice, and was treated with medium-high dosages of furosemide, thus making diagnosis very challenging. Genetic analysis demonstrated a novel heterozygous mutation in the SLC12A3 gene; therefore, we diagnosed GS and started potassium and magnesium replacement. GS combined with chondrocalcinosis and neurological involvement is quite common, but this is the first case of an EMG-proven severe neuropathy associated with GS. Herein, we underline the close correlation between hypomagnesemia, chondrocalcinosis and neurological involvement. Moreover, we report a new heterozygous mutation in exon 23 (2738G>A), supporting evidence of a large genetic heterogeneity in this late-onset congenital tubulopathy

Building green infrastructure to enhance urban resilience to climate change and pandemics

The looming climate crisis and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic have highlighted the importance of green infrastructure in and around cities, prompting an urgent call for more functional and sustainable urban planning and design. A number of recent studies have shown that green infrastructure offers a wide range of ecosystem functions and services essential to human wellbeing and urban sustainability (O’Brien et al. 2017; Staddon et al. 2018) which are of particular relevance under climatic and health crises. In this editorial we stress the importance of the existing green infrastructure to withstand climate change-induced stresses, namely those related to increasing climate variability and extreme temperature and precipitation events, and to contribute to human physical and mental health of urban dwellers during lockdown periods. In both cases, green infrastructure plays a major role in providing urban areas with resilience capacity that is key to urban sustainability. We also highlight the need to expand and improve green infrastructure, in particular in regions that are more vulnerable, based on integrative and participatory processes. This editorial was motivated by a webinar organized by the IUFRO (International Union of Forest Research Organizations) Landscape Ecology Working Party (https://iufrole-wp.weebly.com/) held on November 17th, 2020.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Charge Management for Gravitational Wave Observatories using UV LEDs

Accumulation of electrical charge on the end mirrors of gravitational wave observatories, such as the space-based LISA mission and ground-based LIGO detectors, can become a source of noise limiting the sensitivity of such detectors through electronic couplings to nearby surfaces. Torsion balances provide an ideal means for testing gravitational wave technologies due to their high sensitivity to small forces. Our torsion pendulum apparatus consists of a movable Au-coated Cu plate brought near a Au-coated Si plate pendulum suspended from a non-conducting quartz fiber. A UV LED located near the pendulum photoejects electrons from the surface, and a UV LED driven electron gun directs photoelectrons towards the pendulum surface. We have demonstrated both charging and discharging of the pendulum with equivalent charging rates of $\sim$$10^5 e/\mathrm{s}$, as well as spectral measurements of the pendulum charge resulting in a white noise level equivalent to $3\times10^5 e/\sqrt{Hz}$.Comment: 5 pages, submitted to PR

Diagnostic testing for SARS-CoV-2 infection in HHT patients: nasopharyngeal versus oropharyngeal swab

On March 11, 2020, WHO has defined the novel coronavirus disease SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) outbreak as a pandemic that still today continues to affect much of the world. Among the reasons for the rapid spread of SARS-CoV-2 infection, there is the role of asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic carriers. Therefore diagnostic testing is central to contain the global pandemic. Up to now real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction-based molecular assays for detecting SARS-CoV-2 in respiratory specimens is the current reference standard for COVID-19 diagnosis. Based on current knowledge regarding the sensitivity of the molecular test, the highest positive detection rate is from lower respiratory tract specimens; alternatively it is possible to perform a nasopharyngeal or oropharyngeal swab. Nasopharyngeal swab is the preferred choice for SARS-CoV-2 testing since it seems to have a greater sensitivity; however the procedure is not always free of complications and an epistaxis can occur. Among patients with greatest risk of massive nosebleed there are HHT patients. Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia is an autosomal dominant disease that leads to multiregional mucocutanous telangiectases and visceral arteriovenous malformations. Clinically, the presence of telangiectases in nasal mucosa is the cause of recurrent epistaxis. In HHT patients the execution of the nasopharyngeal swab can determine from little or no consequences to a massive epistaxis leading to the necessity of nasal packing generally followed by hospital admission. In HHT patients undergoing a diagnostic test to evaluate the SARS-CoV-2 infection status, especially in those patients with frequent epistaxis with a history of anemia and repeated hospitalizations, it is therefore advisable to perform an oropharyngeal swab. This, compared to the nasopharyngeal swab, exposes to a lower risk of severe nosebleeds related treatments, such as blood transfusions or invasive procedures. According to the risk-benefit assessment and based on our experience, we consider that, despite a lower diagnostic sensitivity, oropharyngeal swab is preferable to nasopharyngeal swab for the diagnosis of SARS CoV-2 infection in patients with HHT