Spider Angioma of the Nasal Mucosa

Spider angioma is a benign vascular lesion reminiscent of a spider’s body characterized by peculiar dilatation of end vasculature. The lesion is characterized by a central spot and extensions which radiate outward like a spider’s body. Spider angiomas may appear as a solitary or multiple lesion that arises on the skin surface of the face, neck, chest, and arms; these lesions have been rarely observed in the sublingual mucosa and in the gut, and to date, they have never been reported in the nasal mucosa. In this article, we report a spider angioma of the nasal cavity found as an occasional finding during a narrow band imaging nasopharyngeal endoscopy in a 70-year-old male patient with hepatitis C virus-related liver cirrhosis and a history of total laryngectomy in 2013 due to laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma. The lesion was located in the mucosa of the pavement of the posterior portion of the left nostril; it was painless and asymptomatic

Parents and children during the COVID-19 lockdown: the influence of parenting distress and parenting self-efficacy on children’s emotional well-being

On March 10, 2020, Italy went into lockdown due to the Coronavirus Disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic. The World Health Organization highlighted how the lockdown had negative consequences on psychological well-being, especially for children. The present study aimed to investigate parental correlates of children’s emotion regulation during the COVID-19 lockdown. Within the Social Cognitive Theory framework, a path model in which parenting self-efficacy and parental regulatory emotional self-efficacy mediated the relationship between parents’ psychological distress and both children’s emotional regulation, and children’s lability/negativity, was investigated. A total of 277 parents of children aged from 6 to 13 years completed an online survey that assessed their psychological distress, regulatory emotional self-efficacy, and parenting self-efficacy. Parents reported also children’s emotional regulation and lability/negativity. A structural equation model (SEM) using MPLUS 8.3 was tested. Results showed that the hypothesized model exhibited excellent fit, chi-square (83) = 140.40, p < 0.01, RMSEA = 0.05, CFI = 0.97, TLI = 0.96, SRMR = 0.04. The influences of parents’ psychological distress and parents’ regulatory emotional self-efficacy on children’s emotional regulation and lability/negativity were mediated by parenting self-efficacy. The mediation model was invariant across children’s biological sex and age, and geographical residence area (high risk vs. low risk for COVID-19). Results suggested how parents’ beliefs to be competent in managing parental tasks might be a protective factor for their children’s emotional well-being. Implications for intervention programs are discussed

LNL irradiation facilities for radiation damage studies on electronic devices

In this paper we will review the wide range of irradiation facilities installed at the INFN Legnaro National Laboratories and routinely used for radiation damage studies on silicon detectors, electronic components and systems. The SIRAD irradiation facility, dedicated to Single Event Effect (SEE) and bulk damage studies, is installed at the 14MV Tandem XTU accelerator and can deliver ion beams from H up to Au in the energy range from 28MeV to 300 MeV. An Ion Electron Emission Microscope, also installed at SIRAD, allows SEE testing with micrometric sensitivity. For total dose tests, two facilities are presently available: an X-rays source and a 60Co γ-ray source. The 7MV Van de Graaff CN accelerator provides 1H beams in the energy range 2–7MeV and currents up to few μA for both total dose and bulk damage studies. At this facility, very high dose rates (up to ∼100 krad/s (SiO2)) can be achieved. Finally, also neutron beams are available, produced at the CN accelerator, by the reaction d + Be ⇒ n+B

Lithium ion-induced damage in silicon detectors

Silicon diodes processed by CNM on standard and oxygenated silicon substrates have been irradiated by 58 MeV lithium ions. The radiation-induced effects are very similar to the one observed after proton irradiation: substrate space charge sign inversion (SCSI), lower increase of the effective substrate doping concentration after SCSI for the oxygenated devices. The experimental radiation hardness factor has been determined to be 45.01, within 8.2% with the expected value. These results suggest that 58 MeV Li ions are a suitable radiation source for radiation hardness studies by ions heavier than protons for the future very high luminosity hadron colliders

Endoscopic resection of sinonasal inverted papilloma: a multivariate retrospective analysis of factors affecting recurrence and persistence

Sinonasal inverted papilloma (IP) is the most common benign epithelial tumor in the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses, with a worldwide incidence between 0.6 and 1.5/100 000 persons per year. However, only a few studies have investigated patient-dependent factors related to IP recurrence and persistence. According to available evidence, these factors are still debated, and results are contradictory. In this multicenter retrospective study, we analyzed the clinical records of 130 patients who were surgically treated for sinonasal IP to evaluate the factors affecting recurrence and persistence of IP and compared the curative rates of different surgical approaches. Our analysis showed that IP recurrence is strongly related to specific risk factors including incomplete surgical removal, stage of disease, site of the lesion, surgical technique, and malignancy rate. In conclusion, the recurrence of IP may be affected by several risk factors; these factors must be carefully considered during clinical evaluation and especially during the follow-up of patients with IP

Evolution of mating systems in Euplotes

Ciliates control their sexual phenomenon of conjugation (or mating) through a genetic mechanism of mating types, which may either be only two within a species (recalling the duality of sexes in animals), or multiple (recalling self/non-self compatibility systems in plants and fungi). The nearly one hundred species of the most ubiquitously distributed ciliate, Euplotes, all evolved multiple mating types. Based on analyses of Mendelian genetics, these mating types have for long been assumed to be determined by multi-allelic series of genes inherited at a single genetic locus (i.e., the mating-type or mat locus) and responsible for the synthesis of mating type-pecific signaling proteins. The chemical characterization of these signaling proteins (known as pheromones) from an array of Euplotes species has now permitted us to evolve in the study of Euplotes mating types from an approach of Mendelian genetics to an approach of molecular genetics. In this new experimental context, we have cloned and characterized structurally the pheromone (mating-type) gene families of Euplotes species that take different positions in the phylogenetic tree of the genus Euplotes. It appeared that, in accord with the prediction of the Mendelian genetics, early branching species (e.g., E. polaris, E. raikovi and E. nobilii) inherit their mating types at a single multi-allelic locus. However, in disagreement with the prediction of the Mendelian genetics, late branching species (e.g., E. crassus and E. focardii) inherit their mating types at two distinct loci that are likely the result of an event of gene duplication in the germinal (micronuclear) genome. One locus appears to be structurally and functionally homologous with the multi-allelic locus of the early branching species, while the second locus appears to be structurally homologous but functionally divergent

Pleomorphic adenoma of the parotid gland and ipsilateral thyroid incidentaloma: report of a rare case with review of literature

Background: Pleomorphic adenomas are benign tumors of the salivary glands that mainly affect the lower pole of the superficial lobe of the parotid gland. The term "pleomorphic" refers to the epithelial and connective origin of the mass. The clinical presentation is typically that of asymptomatic swelling which increases in volume. Therapy consists in surgical removal of the tumor mass by parotidectomy with nerve preservation. Case details: This clinical case describes an interesting case of pleomorphic adenoma of the parotid gland in a 62-year-old patient. The patient presented with a long history of an asymptomatic mildly worsening swelling of the left parotid region. The peculiarity of the clinical case is the dimension of the adenoma (9x5x9 cm) and the presence of a thyroid incidentaloma (TI), consisting of a thyroid multinodular goiter composed of nodules, the largest of which measured 8 cm in diameter. This mass dislocated the laryngotracheal axis, compressed the larynx and caused the reduction of the respiratory space, making orotracheal intubation difficult and determining the need to perform a tracheotomy. Conclusion: Benign pleomorphic adenomas can potentially reach large sizes if untreated. Socio-economic problems may be the reason for late diagnosis

Unequal effects of the national lockdown on mental and social health in Italy

With the exception of a few countries that chose a different approach, the worldwide reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic was a (longer or shorter) period of national lockdown. While the economic consequences of shutting down national economies were immediately evident, the sociopsychiatric implications of the social confinement of the entire population remain hidden and not fully understood. Italy has been the first European country to be severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, to which it responded through strict lockdown measurements. The results of a timely survey on mental and social health, carried out by students and teachers of a middle school in Rome, might help identify the most vulnerable groups of the population. This evidence could be crucial in conceiving and enacting targeted public health policies to mitigate the consequences of the pandemic on mental health and to prevent intolerance to containment measures in some population segments, which could hamper worldwide efforts in the fight against COVID-19

Semiconductor detectors for neutron flux measurements

Abstract Silicon detectors with 235U converter for neutron flux measurements over a wide energy range (from thermal up to epithemal neutrons) have been developed. The surface-barrier detectors with plastic converters were developed for fast neutron detection