Spatio-temporal entanglement of twin photons: an intuitive picture

We draw an intuitive picture of the spatio-temporal properties of the entangled state of twin photons, where they are described as classical wave-packets. This picture predicts a precise relation between their temporal and transverse spatial separations at the crystal output. The space-time coupling described by classical arguments turns out to determine in a precise way the spatio-temporal structure of the quantum entanglement, analysed by means of the biphotonic correlation and of the Schmidt dimensionality of the entanglement.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figure

Analisi di variabili climatiche in funzione della comprensione della variabilit? planctonica (caso di studio: Golfo di Trieste)

No abstract available in english.Con questo lavoro si presenta il confronto fra le rianalisi ERA-40 e i dati osservati alla stazione meteo di Trieste, finalizzato all\u27individuazione delle variabili pi? appropriate per lo studio degli effetti del clima sul plancton. Per quello che riguarda pressione a livello del mare, i primi risultati indicano un accordo quasi completo (r=0,99) fra rianalisi e osservazioni. Si riscontra invece una generale sottostima della velocit? del vento da parte degli ERA-40 rispetto ai dati locali. Le rianalisi ERA-40, per via della loro omogeneit? spazio-temporale, restano appropriate per la costruzione di mappe di regressione temporale rispetto alla serie planctoniche. Sono indicati gli anni anomali rispetto a queste due variabili e alla SST

Body Processing in Children and Adolescents with Traumatic Brain Injury: An Exploratory Study

Dysfunctions in body processing have been documented in adults with brain damage, while limited information is available for children. This study aimed to investigate body processing in children and adolescents with traumatic brain injury (TBI) (N = 33), compared to peers with typical development. Two well‐known computerized body‐representation paradigms, namely Visual Body Recognition and Visuo‐spatial Imagery, were administered. Through the first paradigm, the body inversion and composite illusion effects were tested with a matching to sample task as measures of configural and holistic processing of others’ bodies, respectively. The second paradigm investigated with a laterality judgement task the ability to perform first‐person and object‐based mental spatial transformations of own body and external objects, respectively. Body stimuli did not convey any emotional contents or symbolic meanings. Patients with TBI had difficulties with mental transformations of both body and object stimuli, displaying deficits in motor and visual imagery abilities, not limited to body processing. Therefore, cognitive rehabilitation of body processing in TBI might benefit from the inclusion of both general training on visuo‐spatial abilities and specific exercises aimed at boosting visual body perception and motor imagery

Post-traumatic infection of the lower limb caused by rare Enterobacteriaceae and mucorales in a young healthy male.

Summary Enterobacter amnigenus and Leclercia adecarboxylata are Gram-negative aerobic bacilli of the family Enterobacteriaceae that have been isolated from water and, rarely, from various clinical specimens. Absidia is a filamentous fungus of the class Zygomycetes that is ubiquitous in nature and can cause infection, primarily in immunocompromised hosts. Here, we describe an infection of the left lower limb caused by E. amnigenus and L. adecarboxylata with subsequent isolation of Absidia spp. in a patient with multiple traumatic injuries after a major motor vehicle accident. The severity of the clinical picture made amputation necessary, despite aggressive anti-infective therapy with both antibacterial and antifungal agents. Prompt diagnosis and management are mandatory in order to minimize morbidity and even mortality, and reduce the social and economic cost

Spinal muscular atrophy with respiratory distress type 1: Clinical phenotypes, molecular pathogenesis and therapeutic insights

Spinal muscular atrophy with respiratory distress type 1 (SMARD1) is a rare autosomal recessive neuromuscular disorder caused by mutations in the IGHMBP2 gene, which encodes immunoglobulin \u3bc-binding protein 2, leading to progressive spinal motor neuron degeneration. We review the data available in the literature about SMARD1. The vast majority of patients show an onset of typical symptoms in the first year of life. The main clinical features are distal muscular atrophy and diaphragmatic palsy, for which permanent supportive ventilation is required. No effective treatment is available yet, but novel therapeutic approaches, such as gene therapy, have shown encouraging results in preclinical settings and thus represent possible methods for treating SMARD1. Significant advancements in the understanding of both the SMARD1 clinical spectrum and its molecular mechanisms have allowed the rapid translation of preclinical therapeutic strategies to human patients to improve the poor prognosis of this devastating disease

Feasibility of a home-based computerized cognitive training for pediatric patients with congenital or acquired brain damage: An explorative study

Pediatric brain damage is associated with various cognitive deficits. Cognitive rehabilitation may prevent and reduce cognitive impairment. In recent years, home-based computerized cognitive training (CCT) has been introduced in clinical practice to increase treatment opportunities for patients (telerehabilitation). However, limited research has been conducted thus far on investigating the effects of remote CCT for the juvenile population in contexts other than English-speaking countries. The aim of the present study was to investigate the feasibility of a home-based CCT in a group of Italian adolescents with brain damage. A commercially available CCT (Lumosity) developed in the English language was used due to the lack of telerehabilitation programs in the Italian language that allow stimulation of multiple cognitive domains and, at the same time, remote automatic collection of data. Thus, this investigation provides information on the possibility of introducing CCT programs available in foreign languages in countries with limited investment in the telerehabilitation field

Remote Technology-Based Training Programs for Children with Acquired Brain Injury: A Systematic Review and a Meta-Analytic Exploration

Introduction. Multidisciplinary rehabilitation interventions are considered to be a need for children with acquired brain injury (ABI), in order to remediate the important sequelae and promote adjustment. Technology-based treatments represent a promising field inside the rehabilitation area, as they allow delivering interventions in ecological settings and creating amusing exercises that may favor engagement. In this work, we present an overview of remote technology-based training programs (TP) addressing cognitive and behavioral issues delivered to children with ABI and complement it with the results of a meta-analytic exploration. Evidence Acquisition. We performed the review process between January and February 2019. 32 studies were included in the review, of which 14 were further selected to be included in the meta-analysis on TP efficacy. Evidence Synthesis. Based on the review process, the majority of TP addressing cognitive issues and all TP focusing on behavioral issues were found to be effective. Two meta-analytic models examining the means of either cognitive TP outcomes or behavioral TP outcomes as input outcome yielded a nonsignificant effect size for cognitive TP and a low-moderate effect size for behavioral TP. Additional models on outcomes reflecting the greatest beneficial effects of TP yielded significant moderate effect sizes for both types of TP. Nevertheless, consistent methodological heterogeneity was observed, pointing to cautious interpretation of findings. A subgroup analysis on visuospatial skill outcomes showed a smaller yet significant effect size of cognitive TP, with low heterogeneity, providing a more reliable estimation of overall cognitive TP effects. Conclusions. Promising results on remote cognitive and behavioral TP efficacy emerged both at the review process and at the meta-analytic investigation. Nevertheless, the high heterogeneity that emerged across studies prevents us from drawing definite conclusions. Further research is needed to identify whether specific training characteristics and population subgroups are more likely to be associated with greater training efficacy

Multimorbidity and Hospital Admissions in High-Need, High-Cost Elderly Patients

Objective: The aim was to clarify which pairs or clusters of diseases predict the hospital-related events and death in a population of patients with complex health care needs (PCHCN). Method: Subjects classified in 2012 as PCHCN in a local health unit by ACG\uae (Adjusted Clinical Groups) System were linked with hospital discharge records in 2013 to identify those who experienced any of a series of hospital admission events and death. Number of comorbidities, comorbidities dyads, and latent classes were used as exposure variable. Regression analyses were applied to examine the associations between dependent and exposure variables. Results: Besides the fact that larger number of chronic conditions is associated with higher odds of hospital admission or death, we showed that certain dyads and classes of diseases have a particularly strong association with these outcomes. Discussion: Unlike morbidity counts, analyzing morbidity clusters and dyads reveals which combinations of morbidities are associated with the highest hospitalization rates or death

Clinical Impact of Pretransplant Multidrug-Resistant Gram-Negative Colonization in Autologous and Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation

Abstract Multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (MDR-GNB) are an emerging cause of morbidity and mortality after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Three-hundred forty-eight consecutive patients transplanted at our hospital from July 2012 to January 2016 were screened for a pretransplant MDR-GNB colonization and evaluated for clinical outcomes. A pretransplant MDR-GNB colonization was found in 16.9% of allo-HSCT and in 9.6% of auto-HSCT recipients. Both in auto- and in allo-HSCT, carriers of a MDR-GNB showed no significant differences in overall survival (OS), transplant-related mortality (TRM), or infection-related mortality (IRM) compared with noncarriers. OS at 2 years for carriers compared with noncarriers was 85% versus 81% ( P  = .262) in auto-HSCT and 50% versus 43% ( P  = .091) in allo-HSCT. TRM at 2 years was 14% versus 5% ( P  = .405) in auto-HSCT and 31% versus 25% ( P  = .301) in allo-HSCT. IRM at 2 years was 14% versus 2% ( P  = .142) in auto-HSCT and 23% versus 14% ( P  = .304) in allo-HSCT. In multivariate analysis, only grade III to IV acute graft-versus-host disease was an independent factor for reduced OS ( P P P P  = .207). We conclude that in this extended single-center experience, a pretransplant MDR-GNB colonization did not significantly influence OS, TRM, and IRM both in auto- and allo-HSCT settings and that MDR-GNB attributed mortality can be controlled in carriers when an early pre-emptive antimicrobial therapy is started in case of neutropenic fever