An area of untapped potential? The use of restorative justice in the fight against serious and organized crime : a perception study

This article presents the results of a perception study which examined the potential for deploying restorative justice (RJ) in the context of serious and organized crime (SOC) offending. This is a hitherto unexplored area of debate and the study sought to engage the key stakeholders in RJ processes – victims, offenders and practitioners – to gather their views as to the suitability and desirability of extending RJ in this way. Employing a mixed methods approach, the study engaged over 40 participants across the three stakeholder groups. The findings challenge existing, deeply embedded orthodoxies concerning the very nature of SOC offending and offenders’ motivations, as well confirming the multiplicity of SOC victims’ expectations. The findings also demonstrate the urgent need for further debate concerning how best to account for the complexity of SOC victims’ needs which are currently unmet by the systemic limits of the criminal justice system

Haptoglobin phenotype appears to affect the pathogenesis of American trypanosomiasis

In Latin America, 16 million-18 million people are thought to be infected with Trypanosoma cruzi, the parasite that causes American trypanosomiasis. The pathophysiology of this disease, particularly that of its chronic phase, has yet to be fully elucidated. The major function of haptoglobin, an acute-phase plasma protein found in three different phenotypes (Hp1-1, Hp2-1 and Hp2-2), is to bind to free haemoglobin and so prevent the accumulation of reactive hydroxyl radicals and renal damage. The haptoglobin phenotype present can influence the severity and progression of many diseases, including infectious ones. The aim of the present study was to see if any haptoglobin phenotype could be associated with any of the various clinical forms of American trypanosomiasis, and so explore the possibility that haptoglobin and iron metabolism have a role in the pathophysiology of this disease. The Brazilian subjects investigated were either suffering from the 'indeterminate' (N=16), chronic cardiac (N=34), chronic digestive (N=13) or chronic 'combined' (i.e. cardiac plus digestive; N=29) forms of the disease or were apparently healthy blood donors from the same region as the patients (N=197). Haptoglobin phenotypes were determined by polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis. Among the iron-related parameters investigated in the patients, only total iron-binding capacity and the serum concentration of haptoglobin differed significantly with haptoglobin phenotype. Compared with its frequency in the healthy controls, the Hp2-2 phenotype was much more frequent in the patients with any form of American trypanosomiasis, in the patients with the indeterminate form of the disease, and in the patients with the chronic combined form (P <= 0.0001 for each). It therefore appears that, in terms of the pathogenesis in those exposed to T. cruzi, possession of the 2-2 phenotype of haptoglobin may be detrimental.100321322

Seven-year institutional experience in the surgical treatment of orbito-zygomatic fractures

Introduction: Facial trauma is a common injury in the urban setting. Many studies have been published on the epidemiology of facial fractures, but few of them conducted in Brazil. The purpose of this study was to analyze the epidemiological characteristics of patients treated for orbito-zygomatic fractures at our institution. Methods: Retrospective analysis of 141 patients with orbito-zygomatic complex fractures who underwent surgical treatment between May 2001 and May 2008. Results: The population studied consisted mostly of males (86.5% of patients), with a male:female ratio of 6.4:1. A marked predominance of patients aged 21-30 years was observed (34.3%). Traffic-related causes were the most common, with motorcycle accidents as the most frequent aetiology (24.8% of patients), followed by car accidents (19.2%) and interpersonal violence (15.2%). Associated injuries accounted for 88 lesions in 65 patients, and their occurrence was statistically associated with traffic-related causes. All patients enrolled in the study were managed with operative treatment. The most utilized method for treatment was internal fixation with miniplates and screws (83.7% of the cases). The complication rate was 24.8%. Conclusion: Orbito-zygomatic fractures can cause significant morbidity and impairment in patients' quality of life. Despite recent improvements in legislation and educational campaigns, traffic remains the main cause of these injuries. More intensive efforts should be made in order to reduce its impact ill the aetiology of facial trauma. (C) 2010 European Association for Cranio-Maxillo-Facial Surgery.39859359

Does bronchopulmonary dysplasia change the postoperative outcome of herniorrhaphy in premature babies?

Background: Inguinal hernia is a common surgical condition in premature neonates. Because of physiological immaturity, they can present with lung-related diseases, such as bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), which may influence the time for operation and the postoperative outcome after hernia repair. The aim of this study was to analyze the role of BPD in the outcome of premature infants who underwent herniorrhaphy. Methods: Fifty-two premature infants who underwent hernia repair from 1996 to 2004 at CAISM-UNICAMP were included in this study. Seventeen babies had BPD and 35 did not. The features reviewed included: (i) associated preoperative morbidity; (ii) birth data and the hernia; and (iii) hernia diagnosis, surgery and postoperative outcome data. Three sets of analysis were undertaken. The first compared features with and without BPD. The second was an univariate analysis to detect associations between those features and postoperative complications. Finally, a multivariate analysis to determine the effect of BPD when adjusted for other factors. Results: Some features were different between the studied groups, such as birth weight, age at herniorrhaphy and time of preoperative mechanical ventilation. There was no statistical difference in weight at surgery, duration of postoperative ventilation and weight at discharge between those with BPD and those without. Univariate and multivariate analysis found no association between different studied variables, including BPD, and incidence of postoperative respiratory complications. Conclusion: These data suggest that all premature infants, with or without BPD, should be treated with equal concern regarding the possibility of postoperative pulmonary complications.17543143

Position Paper: The role of District Heating and Cooling (DHC) in the FitFor55 package – EC funded projects’ point of view

Heating and cooling accounts for 50% of the energy consumed in the European Union (EU) with over 75% coming from fossil fuels. Despite significant measures to reduce demand, buildings as well as industry will always need energy to cover heating and cooling demands. Energy efficiency and the deployment of renewables and waste heat in district heating and cooling (DHC) networks, together with extensive interoperability among energy vectors, contribute significantly to delivering sustainable heating and cooling and achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. It is estimated that increasing DHC networks to cover 20% of the EU heat market, compared to the current 13%, could save over 24 billion cubic meters of gas demand. On the 14th of July 2021, the European Commission published the Fit-For-55 package to make the EU’s climate, energy, land use, transport and taxation policies suitable for reducing net greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by at least 55% by 2030, compared to 1990 levels. With these proposals, the Commission presented the legislative tools to deliver the targets agreed in the Green Deal and European Climate Law. The key components having the highest impact on DHC are the revision of the Energy Efficiency Directive (EED, ratified in September 2023), the revision of the Renewable Energy Directive (RED, ratified in October 2023), the revision of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD, ratified in March 2024) and the revision and extension of the EU Emissions Trading System Directive (ETSD, ratified in June 2023). The new legislation has significant implications on the heating and cooling sector and strengthens the role of DHC and waste heat on the way to decarbonisation. The scope of the present document is to review the evolution of regulatory framework, highlighting margins for further improvement and suggesting channels towards the national implementation. In this section we report the main outcomes of the analysis, while a detailed assessment is reported in the continuation of the document

Influence of Kinesiologic Tape on Post-operative Swelling After Orthognathic Surgery

Introduction Orthognathic surgery involves making several osteotomies that lead to varying degrees of post-operative swelling. The use of KT may be beneficial for postoperative treatment after head and neck surgery, accelerating drainage of tissue reaction or haemorrhages. The goal of this study was to find out if the application of KT prevents or improves swelling, pain and trismus after orthognathic surgery, improving patients' postoperative quality of life.Materials and Methods In this double -blinded, randomized, control trial, 24 patients in whom bimaxillary orthognathic surgery was indicated, were included. Before surgery each patient alternatively was randomly included in the study group (treated with K-Taping and corticosteroid) or in the control group (treated with corticosteroid). In the present study a MakerBot Digitizer 3DTM was used to assess accurate volume measurements. All swelling measurements were expressed as total 3-D area of the landmarks (cm(2)) in TO pre-operative, T1 fourth day after surgery.Results The differences TO T1 are highly significant (p &lt; 0.01) between group 1 or study group (treated with K-taping) and group 2 (control group).Discussion The use of KT appears promising, because it is simple to carry out, less traumatic, economical, can be performed everywhere in the world, free from side effects on the body. Even when swelling persists, KT gives patients the impression of a minor swelling detracting them from their pain and morbidity. Further studies have to be performed to find out if KT can reduce or replace the need for additional medications such as the use of steroids

Experimental investigation of the mechanical performances of titanium cranial prostheses manufactured by super plastic forming and single-point incremental forming

In the present work, sheet-forming processes, i.e. super plastic forming and single-point incremental forming, have been adopted for the manufacturing of custom prostheses, instead of subtractive and additive techniques that are time- and cost-consuming for a single-piece production. Regarding concerns of the material, three different titanium alloys were used: pure titanium and two grades of the alloy Ti-6Al-4V (the standard one and the extra low interstitial one). Since no standard protocol exists to assess the mechanical performance of cranial implants, an experimental procedure has been designed and used in this work for producing polymethylmethacrylate supports, on which the cranial prostheses were firmly connected and subjected to impact puncture tests (drop tests). An experimental campaign could thus be conducted to investigate the effect on the mechanical response of (a) the titanium alloy, (b) the initial blank thickness and (c) the manufacturing process. Drop tests, carried out according to the proposed procedure, have shown no failure of the prostheses, neither in the area of the impact nor in the anchoring region and have revealed that, irrespective of the adopted manufacturing process, which does not alter the material, the amount of energy absorbed by the implants is always larger than 70%