Urology practice during the COVID-19 vaccination campaign

2021

Introduction: The current scenario of the COVID-19 pandemic is significantly different from that of the first, emergency phase. Several countries in the world are experiencing a second, or even a third, wave of contagion, while awaiting the effects of mass vaccination campaigns. The aim of this report was to provide an update of previously released recommendations on prioritization and restructuring of urological activities. Methods: A large group of Italian urologists directly involved in the reorganization of their urological wards during the first and second phase of the pandemic agreed on a set of updated recommendations for current urology practice. Results: The updated recommendations…

Formation of translucent nanostructured zirconia ceramics

2021

Abstract In this work the mechanisms that affect the optical transparency of nanostructured translucent ZrO2 ceramics are studied. The translucent ceramic samples were obtained from a low agglomeration nanosized powder at low pressure and low temperature sintering. Even low pressures cause structural changes and defect creation in the nanocrystals. Annealing was used to study the grain formation, structure and impact of defects. Significant changes in translucency were observed with increase in pore size. In order to further understand the defect creation, the obtained ceramics were doped with Er3+ ions and studied optically. Photoluminescence studies revealed a change in the ratio of green…

Tear Osmolarity During the First Postoperative Month After Cataract Surgery

2021

Abstract The purpose of this study was to evaluate tear osmolarity changes in a healthy ocular surface in an eye that had been operated on within the first month after cataract surgery. This aim was achieved by forming two groups from the included patients. Patients with one eye exposed to cataract surgery formed the study group, while the eyes of the same patients with no cataract surgery were set as the control group. Both the operated and non-operated eye of each patient were scanned before surgery, the following morning, one week and one month after surgery. Tear osmolarity did not differ between the groups before the operation. On the first day after the surgery, tear osmolarity signif…

Comparison of Epidermal Barrier Integrity in Adults with Classic Atopic Dermatitis, Atopic Prurigo and Non-Atopic Prurigo Nodularis

2021

Simple Summary Atopic dermatitis, also called neurodermatitis, is one of the best-known chronic inflammatory skin diseases with eczema, strong itch and dry skin. It is based on an impaired skin barrier with changes in the fats and proteins of the horny layer, which leads to a disturbed water balance. Prurigo nodularis is a less common and intractable chronic skin disease with very itchy nodules. It can be associated with atopic dermatitis (so called atopic prurigo) or with many other diseases. The aim of this study was to compare these three skin diseases classic atopic dermatitis, atopic prurigo and non-atopic prurigo nodularis with healthy control subjects with regard to their skin barrie…

Evolución de la colaboración científica en la psicología española entre 1970 y 1989

2021

[EN]: The objective of this research is to analyse the evolution of scientific collaboration within Spanish psychology through papers signed by an author who belonged to a Spanish institution of psychology between 1970 and 1989. We analysed a total of 2891 papers published in 29 journals of psychology between 1970 and 1989, examining the scientific collaboration through network analysis, using the UCINET program and Netdraw software. The results indicated that there has been an increased number of papers, authors and signatures over the years, as well as an increased scientific collaboration. Between 1985 and 1989, co-authored papers overcame single-author papers. It is shown that the numbe…

La metodologia della ricerca in didattica

2021

Il testo descrive le tipologie di ricerca in campo didattico; segnala le aree più rappresentate nel panorama italiano degli ultimi anni e gli ambiti ritenuti prioritari per i prossimi anni; indica una metodologia capace di migliorare la pratica educativa già durante lo svolgimento delle azioni di ricerca; fornisce dei suggerimenti per assicurare la qualità delle ricerche di Didattica indipendentemente dal metodo di indagine adoperato. Le argomentazioni svolte sono animate dalla profonda convinzione che non sia possibile fare ricerca in Didattica senza la collaborazione e il confronto dei ricercatori universitari con gli insegnanti e con gli educatori in generale. The text describes the type…

Determination of albendazole and ivermectin residues in cattle and poultry-derived samples from India by micellar liquid chromatography

2021

We have developed a method, based on micellar liquid chromatography, to determine albendazole and ivermectin in dairy products and biological waste from bovine, as well as edible tissues from poultry. Anthelmitics were resolved in less than 10 min using a C18 column and a mobile phase of 0.15 mol/L sodium dodecyl sulfate – 6% 1-pentanol at buffered at pH 7 with a 0.01 M phosphate salt, running under isocratic mode at 1 mL/min. Detection was by absorbance at 292 nm. Method was successfully validated following official validation guidelines, in terms of: selectivity, sensitivity, calibration range (0.0125−0.5 mg/kg to 25−50 mg/kg), linearity (r2 > 9990), trueness (86.3–105.6%), precision (<12…

¿Qué aporta la imagen tridimensional preoperatoria en la cirugía pancreática compleja?

2021

Resumen La posibilidad de modelizacion de imagenes diagnosticas en tres dimensiones (3 D) en cirugia pancreatica es una novedad que nos aporta multiples ventajas. Una mejor visualizacion de las estructuras nos permite una planificacion de la tecnica quirurgica mas precisa y nos facilita la realizacion de la cirugia en casos complejos. Presentamos el caso de un paciente diagnosticado de un adenocarcinoma de cabeza de pancreas borderline para ilustrar las ventajas de la modelizacion 3 D en cirugia pancreatica compleja. La ayuda de la tecnologia 3 D nos permitio planificar de manera optima la intervencion facilitando la reseccion quirurgica. El uso de esta herramienta podria traducirse en: men…

Quattro nodi maggiori del Sistema nazionale di istruzione in Italia

2021

Teacher training, professional qualification and recruitment. Rethinking of school autonomy as part of a more ambitious administration reform. The birth rate as an opportunity to use economies in challenging policies. The strengthening of post-secondary but not university higher technical training. There are four goals on which the Italian school needs urgent re- form measures to improve its performance. However, it is necessary not to pay attention only to the “internal voices”.

Quotidianità e virus: un diario semiotico

2021

Beyond health issues, we know that the pandemic has changed our daily lives. Accelerating socio-cultural trends that were already present in our contemporaneity, such as functionalism, the control of bodies, the fear of others, forced hygiene, the reduction of essential freedoms, work from home ... The semiologist, constantly on the hunt of signals and symbols to be interpreted, he thus tried to intercept some of these modulations of daily life, with a kind of diary in public, sprinkled with various insights proposed to readers of various kinds. The following text is a partial collection of these notes, which, read now, may perhaps change their meaning, and interest those who, out of desper…

Applicazione del metodo Failure Mode, Effects and Criticality Analysis (FMECA) in Tomoterapia: confronto tra approccio classico e metodologia fuzzy

2021

Le analisi di incidenti nel settore radioterapico hanno evidenziato ed evidenziano la necessità di incrementare le misure di garanzia della qualità (QA) a partire dall’identificazione di guasti/errori considerati rari, ma con conseguenze molto severe. In questo ambito, l’applicazione della tecnica Failure Mode, Effects And Criticality Analysis (FMECA) per la classificazione di eventi critici ha riscontrato un grande interesse. Lo scopo del presente lavoro è la comparazione dei risultati ottenuti nell’applicazione di due diverse metodologie FMECA (classica e fuzzy) per la valutazione dei rischi su pazienti sottoposti a trattamenti eseguiti con tomoterapia elicoidale. Il confronto è stato eff…

Epistemic independence and speaker roles: Highlighting the role of second speaker and mitigating the role of first speaker

2021

Abstract Definitions of attenuation tend to place their emphasis on different aspects of the communication process, especially facework, propositional content, illocutionary force and the roles of speech participants. This paper concentrates on the latter of these aspects. Although studies mention the possibility that attenuation applies to more than one participant, the analysis of particular examples within those studies shows that authors tend to refer mostly (or even only) to the speaker's role (e.g., Briz, 1998, 2003; Briz and Albelda, 2013; Villalba Ibanez, 2016). This study explores the possibility that attenuation of the role of another participant (i.e. a participant other than the…

Homologous recombination as a mechanism of genetic changes in bovine parainfluenza-3 virus

2021

Bovine parainfluenza-3 virus (BPIV-3) is one of the main viruses associated with bovine respiratory disease complex (BRDC) worldwide. BPIV-3 infect the bovine respiratory tract causing from subclinical infections to severe pneumonia with significant economic losses in the cattle industry. BPIV-3 is a RNA virus with high genetic variability, nevertheless, the contribution of recombination events to its variability has not been assessed so far. In this study the 25 complete genome sequences (CGS) reported so far and 215 partial sequences of different viral genes of BPIV-3 were analyzed to determine their genotypes and subgenotypes, distribution, and the existence of potential recombination ev…

Osteogenesis imperfecta type III : oral, craniofacial characteristics and atypical radiographic findings oral

2021

Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) is a disease characterized by decreased bone mineral density, causing susceptibility to bone fractures by mild trauma and bone deformities. The aim of this study was to describe an osteogenesis imperfecta type III clinical case, its craniofacial and oral changes as well as its atypical radiographic findings. An eighteen-year-old, male patient diagnosed with osteogenesis imperfecta type III was referred for dental evaluation; the clinical examination showed the craniofacial and oral changes of the disease such as triangular face, class III malocclusion, anterior open bite and posterior crossbite, dentinogenesis imperfecta presenting amber discoloration. The radio…

Surface Modification of Porous Polyethylene Implants with an Albumin-Based Nanocarrier-Release System

2021

Background: Porous polyethylene (PPE) implants are used for the reconstruction of tissue defects but have a risk of rejection in case of insufficient ingrowth into the host tissue. Various growth factors can promote implant ingrowth, yet a long-term gradient is a prerequisite for the mediation of these effects. As modification of the implant surface with nanocarriers may facilitate a long-term gradient by sustained factor release, implants modified with crosslinked albumin nanocarriers were evaluated in vivo. Methods: Nanocarriers from murine serum albumin (MSA) were prepared by an inverse miniemulsion technique encapsulating either a low- or high-molar mass fluorescent cargo. PPE implants …

Diagnosis of silent coronary ischemia with selective coronary revascularization might improve 2-year survival of patients with critical limb-threaten…

2021

Abstract Background Patients with critical limb-threatening ischemia (CLTI) have had poor long-term survival after lower extremity revascularization owing to coexistent coronary artery disease. A new cardiac diagnostic test, coronary computed tomography-derived fractional flow reserve (FFRCT), can identify patients with ischemia-producing coronary stenosis who might benefit from coronary revascularization. We sought to determine whether the diagnosis of silent coronary ischemia before limb salvage surgery with selective postoperative coronary revascularization can reduce the incidence of adverse cardiac events and improve the survival of patients with CLTI compared with standard care. Metho…

Comparative Analyses of Two Established Scores to Assess the Stability of Spinal Bone Metastases Before and After Palliative Radiotherapy

2021

Background and PurposeTo compare two validated spinal instability scores regarding the stabilizing effects and skeletal-related events (SREs) of palliative radiotherapy (RT) in patients with spinal bone metastases (SBM).Materials and MethodsTwo hundred eighty-two osteolytic SBM of lung or breast cancer patients were analyzed for stability before and following RT based on the Spinal Instability Neoplastic Score (SINS) or the Taneichi score. Score concordance was quantified by absolute agreement and Cohen’s kappa coefficient. SREs were defined as fractures or local progression after RT. OS was quantified as the time between the start of RT and death from any cause.ResultsAt 3 and 6 months aft…

Low contribution of Caribbean-based researchers to academic publications on biodiversity conservation in the insular Caribbean.

2021

11 pages; International audience; The insular Caribbean is among the most threatened global biodiversity hotspots, warranting urgent and effective action in conservation. However, the capacity of Caribbean-based researchers to address challenges in biodiversity conservation appears limited. To assess the latter, we used the contribution of Caribbean-based authors to the production of peer-reviewed journal papers on biodiversity conservation in the insular Caribbean as a proxy for research capacity. Moreover, because the insular Caribbean is a complex geopolitical system including sovereign states and overseas territories, we examined the contributions of these two groups to the number of pa…

Cambiamenti climatici e diritti umani. Il paradigma della Giustizia climatica e il ruolo delle climate litigations per la protezione dei diritti uman…

2021

In che misura i sempre più diffusi, pervasivi e drammatici impatti dei cambiamenti climatici, che interessano con geometrie variabili tutte le latitudini e longitudini del globo, mettono a rischio la tenuta del sistema dei diritti umani universalmente riconosciuti? La ricerca si pone l'obiettivo di rispondere a tale quesito ragionando su quali sfide essi pongano e su quali siano, nell'attuale panorama, gli strumenti giuridici utili a garantire la piena tutela dei diritti fondamentali nel nuovo contesto clima- alterato. La fondatezza e l’attendibilità delle ricerche scientifiche che avvalorano l’esistenza del cambiamento climatico antropogenico si pongono come presupposto fattuale dell'inter…

Anharmonicity modeling in hydrogen bonded solvent dimers

2021

Abstract Harmonic and anharmonic frequencies of dimers and mixed dimers of water, methanol and benzene were computed and the results were critically analysed to investigate the anharmonicity of the normal mode vibrations within density functional theory (DFT) with empirically included Grimme correction for dispersion (D3). From several options, the B3LYP-D3/6-31++G* level of theory was selected as a good compromise between accuracy and calculation speed, suitable for future modeling of larger solvent clusters. The obtained raw harmonic and anharmonic second-order perturbation theory of vibrational frequencies (VPT2) were additionally scaled using a two-range procedure (below and above 2000 …

New low-temperature phosphate glasses as a host for Europium Ions

2021

Abstract Artificial lightining, especially that of light emitting diodes, and telecommunications are penetrating every part of human lives daily. Different compositions phosphate glasses were suggested as a suitable host material for Eu3+ ions. Here rare earth metal ions act as luminescent centers also perturbing the bond order of phosphate glass network comprised of (PO4)3−, [−(O)PO3]2−, [−(O)2PO2]−, [−(O)3PO] structural units, which is indicated by Raman spectroscopy, confirming successful integration of aforementioned ions into the glass material. Glasses doped with Eu3+ ions show their typical photoluminescence spectra in low symmetry environment, consisting of the highest intensity 5D0…

Les animaux sont-il des travailleurs comme les autres ? 

2021

International audience

1088 Minimally-invasive pelvic exenteration: a survival analysis

2021

Minimally-invasive pelvic exenteration: a survival analysis. Introduction/Background* Pelvic exenteration for recurrent and persistent gynecological malignancies is traditionally performed with open approach (OA). Nevertheless, reports on the use of minimally-invasive surgical (MIS) approach to pelvic exenteration have been published with promising results in terms of peri-operative morbidity. However, oncological safety of this approach has been poorly investigated. The aim of the present study was to assess the disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) of patients undergoing minimally-invasive pelvic exenteration. Methodology All patients undergoing pelvic exenteration for gyn…

When in doubt, Google it: distress-related information seeking in Italy during the COVID-19 pandemic

2021

Abstract Background Psychological health has been one of the aspects affected by the recent COVID-19 pandemic. We aim to evaluate the patterns of Google search for mental distress symptoms of Italian citizens during the various phases of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods We assessed Google searches for psychological-health related words. We gathered and analyzed data on daily search queries on depression, anxiety, and insomnia from Google Trends, in a time ranging from the Pre-COVID phase (beginning 25th January 2020) up to the second wave phase (ending 17th October 2020). We performed three general linear models on search trends of the three words and tested whether and to what extent officia…

Evaluation of the Oxiris Membrane in Cardiogenic Shock Requiring Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Support: Study Protocol for a Single Center, Sin…

2021

Background: Veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) is the rescue treatment proposed to patients with refractory cardiogenic shock. The VA-ECMO implantation promotes inflammation and ischemia-reperfusion injuries through the VA-ECMO flow, causing digestive mucosa barrier disrupture and inducing translocation of bacterial wall components—Lipopolysaccharides (LPS) with further inflammation and circulatory impairment. LPS is a well-studied surrogate indicator of bacterial translocation. Oxiris membrane is a promising and well-tolerated device that can specifically remove LPS. The main study aim is to compare the LPS elimination capacity of Oxiris membrane vs. a non-absorban…

Genetic variants associated with human eye size are distinct from those conferring susceptibility to myopia

2021

Purpose: Emmetropization requires coordinated scaling of the major ocular components, corneal curvature and axial length. This coordination is achieved in part through a shared set of genetic variants that regulate eye size. Poorly coordinated scaling of corneal curvature and axial length results in refractive error. We tested the hypothesis that genetic variants regulating eye size in emmetropic eyes are distinct from those conferring susceptibility to refractive error.Methods: A genome-wide association study (GWAS) for corneal curvature in 22,180 adult emmetropic individuals was performed as a proxy for a GWAS for eye size. A polygenic score created using lead GWAS variants was tested for…

Distinctive Evasion Mechanisms to Allow Persistence of Borrelia burgdorferi in Different Human Cell Lines

2021

Lyme borreliosis is a multisystemic disease caused by the pleomorphic bacteria of the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex. The exact mechanisms for the infection to progress into a prolonged sequelae of the disease are currently unknown, although immune evasion and persistence of the bacteria in the host are thought to be major contributors. The current study investigated B. burgdorferi infection processes in two human cell lines, both non-immune and non-phagocytic, to further understand the mechanisms of infection of this bacterium. By utilizing light, confocal, helium ion, and transmission electron microscopy, borrelial infection of chondrosarcoma (SW1353) and dermal fibroblast (BJ) c…

Initial Biological Assessment of Upconversion Nanohybrids

2021

Nanoparticles for medical use should be non-cytotoxic and free of bacterial contamination. Upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) coated with cucurbit[7]uril (CB[7]) made by combining UCNPs free of oleic acid, here termed bare UCNPs (UCn), and CB[7], i.e., UC@CB[7] nanohybrids, could be used as photoactive inorganic-organic hybrid scaffolds for biological applications. UCNPs, in general, are not considered to be highly toxic materials, but the release of fluorides and lanthanides upon their dissolution may cause cytotoxicity. To identify potential adverse effects of the nanoparticles, dehydrogenase activity of endothelial cells, exposed to various concentrations of the UCNPs, was determined. Da…

Gli interessi giuridici sottesi agli strumenti di composizione delle controversie fiscali internazionali ed il (correlato) problema dell’effettiva tu…

2021

L’emanazione della Direttiva 2017/1852 del Consiglio ed il recepimento della stessa da parte del D.lgs. 10 giugno 2020, n. 49, hanno rinnovato ed accresciuto l’attenzione verso il tema degli interessi giuridici sottesi alle procedure di soluzione delle controversie fiscali internazionali. In particolare, proprio lo strumento unionale pone la questione del grado di intensità di tutela degli interessi del contribuente e del “ruolo” che deve essere riconosciuto allo stesso all’interno delle procedure. V’è, da un canto, l’interesse del contribuente a che gli Stati recepiscano quegli strumenti nella pienezza delle loro previsioni; ma v’è anche un interesse diverso e più pregnante che riguarda il…

Eracle e la cerva di Cerinea del Museo Archeologico “A. Salinas” di Palermo. Dall’originale ai calchi moderni per la didattica e l’arredo privato

2021

Il testo, partendo da un inedito calco in gesso patinato della prima metà del ‘900 rinvenuto sul mercato antiquario, analizza il gruppo bronzeo con Eracle e la cerva di Cerinea del Museo Archeologico “A. Salinas” di Palermo da cui è tratto (fine I sec. a.C. – I sec. d.C.), descrivendone il tipo iconografico e individuandone l’archetipo lisippeo, attraverso il raffronto con esempi di età imperiale, tardo-antica e medievale. L’opera, ritrovata a Pompei nel 1805, fu donata al Museo dell’Università di Palermo nel 1831 per la munificenza dei Borbón/Farnese, di cui si approfondiscono almeno due episodi di illuminata committenza artistica per la città durante il soggiorno di Ferdinando I re delle …

Escaping the evolutionary trap: Can size-related contest advantage compensate for juvenile mortality disadvantage when parasitoids develop in unnatur…

2021

Abstract The quality of hosts for a parasitoid wasp may be influenced by attributes such as host size or species, with high quality for successful development usually coincident with high quality for larger offspring. This is not always the case: for the Scelionid wasp Trissolcus basalis, oviposition in eggs of the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug, Halyomorpha halys, rather than of the normal host, the Southern Green Stink Bug, Nezara viridula, leads to lower offspring survival, but survivors can be unusually large. Adult female T. basalis engage in contests for host access. As larger contestants are typically favoured in contests between parasitoids, the larger size of surviving offspring may co…

Event Horizon Telescope observations of the jet launching and collimation in Centaurus A

2021

Full list of authors: Janssen, Michael; Falcke, Heino; Kadler, Matthias; Ros, Eduardo; Wielgus, Maciek; Akiyama, Kazunori; Baloković, Mislav; Blackburn, Lindy; Bouman, Katherine L.; Chael, Andrew; Chan, Chi-kwan; Chatterjee, Koushik; Davelaar, Jordy; Edwards, Philip G.; Fromm, Christian M.; Gómez, José L.; Goddi, Ciriaco; Issaoun, Sara; Johnson, Michael D.; Kim, Junhan; Koay, Jun Yi; Krichbaum, Thomas P.; Liu, Jun; Liuzzo, Elisabetta; Markoff, Sera; Markowitz, Alex; Marrone, Daniel P.; Mizuno, Yosuke; Müller, Cornelia; Ni, Chunchong; Pesce, Dominic W.; Ramakrishnan, Venkatessh; Roelofs, Freek; Rygl, Kazi L. J.; van Bemmel, Ilse; Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration.--This Open Access artic…

The taxonomic impediment:A shortage of taxonomists, not the lack of technical approaches

2021

Effectiveness of the Influence of Selected Essential Oils on the Growth of Parasitic Fusarium Isolated from Wheat Kernels from Central Europe

2021

The aim of the study was to determine the effectiveness of selected seven commercial essential oils (EsO) (grapefruit, lemongrass, tea tree (TTO), thyme, verbena, cajeput, and Litsea cubeba) on isolates of common Central European parasitic fungal species of Fusarium obtained from infected wheat kernels, and to evaluate the oils as potential natural fungicides. The study was conducted in 2 stages. At each stage, the fungicidal activity of EsO (with concentrations of 0.025

SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE MANAGEMENTS TO CONTROL SOIL EROSION

2021

[EN] High rates of soil erosion compromise sustainable agriculture. In rainfed agricultural fields, erosion rates several orders of magnitude higher than the erosion rates considered tolerable have been quantified. In Mediterranean rainfed crops such as vineyards, almonds and olive groves, and in the new sloping citrus and persimmon plantations, the rates of soil loss make it necessary to apply measures to reduce them to avoid collapse in agricultural production. Managements such as weeds, catch crops and mulches (straw and pruning remains) are viable options to achieve sustainability. This work applies measurements through plots, simulated rainfall experiments and ISUM (Improved Stock-Unea…

Comunicare la pandemia tra relazioni sociali, norme e vita familiare: un'analisi quali-quantitativa degli articoli Ansa durante il lockdown

2021

This paper presents the results of a double computer-assisted analysis of selected Ansa news agency texts during the domestic quarantine period (lockdown: 10 March 2020 - May 18 2020). More specifically, the research focuses on lexicon, concepts and interpretative sequences in the construction of three media metaphors: 1) “war-like and post-apocalyptic” (CBPA); 2) “segregationist and normative” (SN), 3) “reactive and participatory” (RP). Some aspects of the new social and family relations in the Covid Age thus emerge - also on the basis of the concept of ‘interactional anomie’.