Recovery of smell sense loss by mepolizumab in a patient allergic to dermatophagoides and affected by chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps

Background: Chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) frequently presents with dysfunction or loss of the sense of smell, resulting in a signifcant impairment in quality of life. The medical treatments currently available may improve the olfactory function in patients with CRSwNP, but such an outcome is generally only transitory. We report the case of a patient with CRSwNP who completely recovered from smell sense loss by treatment with mepolizumab. Case presentation: The patient was a 62-year-old female who has severe asthma induced by allergy to Dermatophagoides and concomitant CRSwNP. Any treatment for the latter, including oral and injective corticosteroids, was unsuccessful in the loss of smell. Due to the satisfaction of admission criteria to mepolizumab treatment for severe asthma, treatment was initiated on March 2018, resulting in good clinical control of both asthma and CRSwNP, and particularly in complete recovery of the smell loss after 4 months of treatment and still persisting. Conclusion: In this case report, the treatment with mepolizumab in a patient allergic to Dermatophagoides and afected by CRSwNP was associated with an improvement of anosmia. That fnding may be explained by a reduction of the nasal obstruction by nasal polyp

Is thyroid nodule location associated with malignancy risk?

PURPOSE: Nodules located in the upper pole of the thyroid may carry a greater risk for malignancy than those in the lower pole. We conducted a study to analyze the risk of malignancy of nodules depending on location. METHODS: The records of patients undergoing thyroid-nodule fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) at an academic thyroid cancer unit were prospectively collected. The nodules were considered benign in cases of a benign histology or cytology report, and malignant in cases of malignant histology. Pathological findings were analyzed based on the anatomical location of the nodules, which were also scored according to five ultrasonographic classification systems. RESULTS: Between November 1, 2015 and May 30, 2018, 832 nodules underwent FNAC, of which 557 had a definitive diagnosis. The prevalence of malignancy was not significantly different in the isthmus, right, or left lobe. Among the 227 nodules that had a precise longitudinal location noted (from 219 patients [155 females], aged 56.2±14.0 years), malignancy was more frequent in the middle lobe (13.2%; odds ratio [OR], 9.74; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.95 to 48.59). This figure was confirmed in multivariate analyses that took into account nodule composition and the Thyroid Imaging, Reporting, and Data System (TIRADS) classification. Using the American College of Radiologists TIRADS, the upper pole location also demonstrated a slightly significant association with malignancy (OR, 6.92; 95% CI, 1.02 to 46.90; P=0.047). CONCLUSION: The risk of thyroid malignancy was found to be significantly higher for mid-lobar nodules. This observation was confirmed when suspicious ultrasonographic features were included in a multivariate model, suggesting that the longitudinal location in the lobe may be a risk factor independently of ultrasonographic appearance

MISSEL: a method to identify a large number of small species-specific genomic subsequences and its application to viruses classification

Continuous improvements in next generation sequencing technologies led to ever-increasing collections of genomic sequences, which have not been easily characterized by biologists, and whose analysis requires huge computational effort. The classification of species emerged as one of the main applications of DNA analysis and has been addressed with several approaches, e.g., multiple alignments-, phylogenetic trees-, statistical- and character-based methods

Experimenting with Digital Palaeography: The First Application of the Handwriting Software Tool (HAT 3.5) to Indian Scripts

HAT (Handwriting Analysis Tool) is a software tool developed by Hussein Adnan Mohammed at the Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures (Universität Hamburg) that analyses and compares handwriting styles provided as input in the form of digital reproductions of handwritten texts. Thanks to some innovative features of the method on which it is based, HAT is easy to use autonomously, even by those with no particular digital expertise, and it is not tied to a specific script or a particular script typology. This paper presents the results of the first attempt at applying HAT to two Indian scripts, namely the Tamil and the Tamilian Grantha scripts, in the form in which they are attested in palm-leaf manuscripts from Tamil Nadu. Six tests were carried out, different in mode and objective from one another. The first four tests are aimed at verifying the ability of HAT to assess the similarity between writing styles and to use such an ability to establish or verify the identity of a particular scribe. The last two tests explore the possibility of exploiting HAT’s potential for studying the diachronic development of the two scripts in question

Utilizzo del reattore TAPIRO a supporto dello sviluppo dei sistemi LFR

Il reattore veloce TAPIRO è stato utilizzato per una campagna di irraggiamenti su tre campioni di materiale strutturale in acciaio 15 15 Ti, ricoperti con coating di diverso materiale. L’attività ha previsto il calcolo di fluenza e spettro attesi sulle targhette. Inoltre ha comportato la progettazione e realizzazione di un porta-campioni ad hoc strumentato con delle targhette di calibrazione al fine di confrontare, al termine dell’irraggiamento, la corrispondenza fra i flussi previsti e misurati, e l’estrazione delle targhette che saranno successivamente analizzate al fine di valutare eventuale cambiamenti dei materiali di coating

Studi di sostenibilità sui sistemi nucleari refrigerati a piombo

E’ stata eseguita l’analisi delle previsioni dei consumi elettrici per diversi gruppi di paesi all’interno della regione SEE (South Est Europe), aggiungendo l’Italia. In base alle prospettive dei consumi elettrici è stato ottenuto un mix energetico che partendo dallo stato attuale vede un’espansione/contrazione dell’apporto da nucleare in base ai rispettivi programmi delle singole nazioni ove reperibili, oppure ipotizzando un contributo in linea con gli obblighi di riduzione delle emissioni stabilito in sede europea. Sulla base di questa linea di azione si è ottimizzata per tutta la regione una flotta di diversi tipi di reattori considerando un rientro nel nucleare dell’Italia dal 2035 e l’introduzione di reattori veloci refrigerati al piombo liquido a partire dal 2040. In queste condizioni si sono calcolati i volumi di combustibile esaurito (U e Pu) confrontando tre diversi casi: Nessuna introduzione di reattori di IV generazione; Introduzione dei reattori di IV generazione in un macrosistema non cooperativo; Introduzione dei reattori di IV generazione in un macrosistema cooperativo

Rapporto di review sullo state di sviluppo dei reattori di piccola-media taglia di tipo modulare

Viene presentato I'attuale stato di sviluppo dei reattori rnodulari di piccola e media taglia ed iI potenziale di sviluppo per i prossirni 10-15 anni. I dati sono ricavati dalla letteratura più recente. L'investimento in ricerca e progettazione, fino alla produzione di reattori di piccola e media taglia quali quelli qui presentati appare di beneficlo per I'industrla nazionale per la varietà delle applicazioni, I'ampiezza del mercato internazionale, la possibilita di produrre autonomamente componenti di implanto

Psychological treatments and psychotherapies in the neurorehabilitation of pain. Evidences and recommendations from the italian consensus conference on pain in neurorehabilitation

BACKGROUND: It is increasingly recognized that treating pain is crucial for effective care within neurological rehabilitation in the setting of the neurological rehabilitation. The Italian Consensus Conference on Pain in Neurorehabilitation was constituted with the purpose identifying best practices for us in this context. Along with drug therapies and physical interventions, psychological treatments have been proven to be some of the most valuable tools that can be used within a multidisciplinary approach for fostering a reduction in pain intensity. However, there is a need to elucidate what forms of psychotherapy could be effectively matched with the specific pathologies that are typically addressed by neurorehabilitation teams. OBJECTIVES: To extensively assess the available evidence which supports the use of psychological therapies for pain reduction in neurological diseases. METHODS: A systematic review of the studies evaluating the effect of psychotherapies on pain intensity in neurological disorders was performed through an electronic search using PUBMED, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. Based on the level of evidence of the included studies, recommendations were outlined separately for the different conditions. RESULTS: The literature search yielded 2352 results and the final database included 400 articles. The overall strength of the recommendations was medium/low. The different forms of psychological interventions, including Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, cognitive or behavioral techniques, Mindfulness, hypnosis, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Brief Interpersonal Therapy, virtual reality interventions, various forms of biofeedback and mirror therapy were found to be effective for pain reduction in pathologies such as musculoskeletal pain, fibromyalgia, Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, Central Post-Stroke pain, Phantom Limb Pain, pain secondary to Spinal Cord Injury, multiple sclerosis and other debilitating syndromes, diabetic neuropathy, Medically Unexplained Symptoms, migraine and headache. CONCLUSIONS: Psychological interventions and psychotherapies are safe and effective treatments that can be used within an integrated approach for patients undergoing neurological rehabilitation for pain. The different interventions can be specifically selected depending on the disease being treated. A table of evidence and recommendations from the Italian Consensus Conference on Pain in Neurorehabilitation is also provided in the final part of the pape

Instability and softening in a continuous bi-rod

We present a continuous bi-rod structure composed of two flanges and a pleated web. The structure is characterised by an instability mechanism that couples axial contraction and twisting. In so doing, the latter can be controlled by the former. Moreover, a remarkable softening response is observed immediately after the critical state. A custom testing machine has been designed and manufactured in order to experimentally investigate the mechanical response of the continuous bi-rod. Full scale finite element simulations have been also performed to provide a deeper understanding of the relative contribution of the flanges and the pleated web to the observed mechanical response. The features exhibited by the continuous bi-rod pave the way for innovative technological applications in areas of growing interest (e.g., compliant mechanisms, morphing and deployable structures)

SARS-CoV-2 infection serology: a useful tool to overcome lockdown?

The outbreak of 2019 novel coronavirus disease (Covid-19) caused by SARS-CoV-2 has spread rapidly, inducing a progressive growth in infected patients number. Social isolation (lockdown) has been assessed to prevent and control virus diffusion, leading to a worldwide financial and political crisis. Currently, SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection in nasopharyngeal swab takes place by real-time PCR (RT-qPCR). However, molecular tests can give some false-negative results. In this context, serological assays can be useful to detect IgG/IgM antibodies, to assess the degree of immunization, to trace the contacts, and to support the decision to re-admit people at work. A lot of serological diagnostic kits have been proposed on the market but validation studies have not been published for many of them. The aim of our work was to compare and to evaluate different assays analytical performances (two different immunochromatographic cards, an immunofluorescence chromatographic card, and a chemiluminescence-automated immunoassay) on 43 positive samples with RT-qPCR-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection and 40 negative control subjects. Our data display excellent IgG/IgM specificities for all the immunocromatographic card tests (100% IgG and 100% IgM) and for the chemiluminescence-automated assay (100% IgG and 94% IgM); IgG/IgM sensitivities are moderately lower for all methods, probably due to the assay viral antigen's nature and/or to the detection time of nasopharyngeal swab RT-qPCR, with respect to symptoms onset. Given that sensitivities (around 94% and 84% for IgG and IgM, respectively) implicate false-negative cases and given the lack of effective vaccines or treatments, the only currently available procedure to reduce SARS-CoV-2 transmission is to identify and isolate persons who are contagious. For this reason, we would like to submit a flowchart in which serological tests, integrated with nasopharyngeal swab RT-qPCR, are included to help social and work activities implementation after the pandemic acute phase and to overcome lockdown