Search

Purpose: Aim of this study was to analyse feasibility, safety and effectiveness of laparoscopic transperitoneal hernia repair (TAPP) approach to inguinal hernias in the emergency setting, with a longer follow-up than the studies present in literature. Methods: We retrospectively analysed all patients who underwent emergency TAPP hernia repair in San Marco Hospital (Zingonia, Italy), from September 2010 to June 2020. A prospectively collected database of 685 consecutive TAPP hernia repair was reviewed. Feasibility and safety were evaluated through operative time, conversion rate, perioperative mortality, morbidity and prosthesis infection rate. Effectiveness was assessed by recurrence and complication rate, acute (during admission) and chronic (during follow-up) pain by Visual Analogic Scale (VAS), and recovery to normal activity in a long-term follow-up (mean period 1718 days). Results: The final study group included 47 patients. The mean age was 59.6 years (range 22–89), 29 patients were male and 18 were female. The mean operation time was 64 min. Two cases were converted to open approach (4%). In four cases bowel resection became necessary (8.5%). Appendicectomy and omentectomy occurred once and twice, respectively (2% and 4%), and orchiectomy was required in two patients (4%). Seroma was the only postoperative complication that we registered in four patients. During a mean follow-up period of 1718 days, there was no recurrence of the hernia or other complications. Five patients referred mild occasional groin pain (VAS < 3), with quick relief without taking any pain killers. Conclusion: TAPP approach is a safe, feasible and effective therapeutic option for groin hernias in emergency setting. No recurrence or severe complications were reported in over 4 years of follow-up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents abstracts of several research papers on inguinal hernia including laparoscopic ventral hernia repair (LVHR), the outcomes of LVHR and open ventral hernia repair (OVHR) and the use of synthetic mesh. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Surveillance for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is recommended in patients with cirrhosis. As α-fetoprotein (AFP) is considered a poor surveillance test, we tested the performance of its changes over time.Methods: Eighty patients were diagnosed with HCC (cases) during semiannual surveillance with ultrasonography and AFP measurement were recruited and matched for age, gender, etiology and Child-Pugh class with 160 contemporary cancer-free controls undergoing the same surveillance training group (TG). As a validation group (VG) we considered 36 subsequent patients diagnosed with HCC, matched 1 : 3 with contemporary cancer-free controls. α-Fetoprotein values at the time of HCC diagnosis (T0) and its changes over the 12 (Δ12) and 6 months (Δ6) before cancer detection were considered.Results: In both TG and VG, >80% of HCCs were found at an early stage. In TG, AFP significantly increased over time only in cases. T0 AFP and a positive Δ6 were independently associated with HCC diagnosis (odds ratio: 1.031 and 2.402, respectively). The area under the curve of T0 AFP was 0.76 and its best cutoff (BC) was 10 ng ml(-1) (sensitivity 66.3%, specificity 80.6%). The combination of AFP >10 ng ml(-1) or a positive Δ6 composite α-fetoprotein index (CAI) increased the sensitivity to 80% with a negative predictive value (NPV) of 86.2%. Negative predictive value rose to 99%, considering a cancer prevalence of 3%. In the VG, the AFP-BC was again 10 ng ml(-1) (sensitivity 66.7%, specificity 88.9%), and CAI sensitivity was 80.6% with a NPV value of 90.5%.Conclusions: CAI achieves adequate sensitivity and NPV as a surveillance test for the early detection of HCC in cirrhosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Objectives:Restrictive Anorexia nervosa (ANR) is an eating disorder (ED) characterized by a low bone mineral content (BMC) and by an alteration in body composition (reduction and abnormal distribution of fat mass-FM and lean mass-LM). The aim of our study was to address whether bone and body composition changes could be influenced by hormonal status and sport in female adolescents with restrictive anorexia nervosa-ANR.Subjects/Methods:Prospective study on 79 adolescents with ANR submitted to Dual Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry-DXA at baseline-T0 and after 12 months-T12. Among the 46/79-58.2% patients that completed the study, we evaluated total and regional FM and LM%, as well as lumbar bone mineral density (BMD) and Z-score, linking them to clinical variables: menarche/amenorrhea/hormonal therapy and physical activity.Results:At T0: body mass index (BMI)=16.4±1.4 kg/m2 with low levels of FM% (21.7±5.7) low BMC in 12/46-26.0% (mean Z-score: −1.21±1.27, with higher values related to physical activity-P=0.001). At T12: a significant increase in BMI-P=0.001, with LM reduction and FM increase (more evident in the trunk-P<0.001); regarding bone, no significant changes were observed, though a tendency in terms of improvement associated with resumption of menses.Conclusions:After 1 year, weight recovery was not associated with a reestablishment of bone values; by contrast, it was associated with an increase and a distortion in FM distribution, more evident in trunk region (potential and adjunctive risk factor for the relapse of the psychiatric condition). The complexity of these clinical findings suggested DXA, a low-dose and low-cost technique, in long-term monitoring of ANR patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of La Radiologia Medica is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of La Radiologia Medica is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Objectives: Incidental diagnosis of vertebral fractures (VFs) may represent a key point in the assessment of bone health status. Our purpose was to retrospectively evaluate localisation sequences (MR-loc) of breast MRI as a potential tool to detect osteoporotic VFs.Methods: MR-loc sagittal images of 856 breast MRIs were reviewed by three expert musculoskeletal radiologists with a semiquantitative approach to detecting VFs. Anamnesis and data of patients were investigated. Official breast MRI and previous imaging reports were checked to understand if VFs or other relevant bone findings were known in patients' clinical history.Results: A total of 780/856 female patients (91.1 %) undergoing MRI for oncological reasons and 76/856 (8.9 %) with non-oncological aims were recruited into the study (54.7 ± 12.2 years old, 21-89 years); 57/856 MR-loc images (6.7 %) were considered inadequate for diagnostic purposes and were excluded from the analysis. MR-loc detected VFs in 71/799 patients (8.9 %). VFs were neither reported nor previously known in the clinical history of 63/71 patients (88.7 %; P < 0.001). No mention of VFs was found in any breast MR reports. In four patients MR-loc identified vertebral metastases.Conclusions: A systematic evaluation of MR-loc may offer additional clinical information to prevent unrecognised VFs. MR-loc may screen for VFs in other imaging settings.Key Points: Vertebral fractures are usually a hallmark of osteoporosis. Localisation sequences before breast MR examinations can identify vertebral fractures. MR localisers should be inspected for vertebral fractures in other clinical settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of La Radiologia Medica is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of La Radiologia Medica is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The article presents abstracts of several research papers on inguinal hernia including an unusual case of parastomal gallbladder herniation contributing to small bowel obstruction, sugarbaker with composite mesh in parastomal hernia repair and the importance of the laparoscopic key hole technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents abstracts of several research papers on pubic inguinal pain syndrome (PIPS) including laparoscopic treatment of sportsmen's groin hernia, laparoscopic preperitoneal treatment of sportsman's hernia and athletes with sportman's hernia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two experiments were carried out to assess if ozonated water used as a component of a soilless culture irrigation management plan can reduce the incidence of Verticillium wilt of eggplant caused by Verticillium dahliae Kleb. The assays were performed on eggplants grown in pots in a greenhouse either on vermiculite hydroponic culture or on sterilized compost. Plants were irrigated (twice daily) with ozonated water (at 5 mg/l) for the first 7 days after transplantation. Ozonated water was applied through an emitter inserted in the substrate so that it could reach directly the rhizosphere. The substrates were artificially inoculated with V. dahliae at concentration of 18 microsclerotia/g substrate. Non inoculated plants but treated with ozonated water and inoculated and non inoculated plants both untreated with ozonated water were used as controls. The severity of leaf wilting and vascular discoloration were assessed according to an empirical scale from 0 to 4. Some morphological parameters were also recorded. Plants grown in untreated vermiculite showed severity indices of leaf wilting and vascular discoloration of 3.1 and 2.8, respectively, whereas in untreated compost the severity indices of leaf wilting and vascular discoloration were 3.4 and 3.1, respectively. The application of ozonated water to vermiculite significantly reduced the severity of leaf wilting (65.7%) and vascular discoloration (72.6%). The reduction of severity of Verticillium wilt in compost was 45% for leaf wilting and 53% for vascular discoloration. The application of ozonated water had no effect on morphological parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Yellowing or bacteriosis is the most severe disease of Pleurotus eryngii (DC. : Fr.) Quél., the mushroom commonly called "cardoncello" that is particularly appreciated in Italy and in some foreign countries (Germany, Canada, etc.). Pseudomonas 'reactans' species complex, and P. tolaasii Paine, saprophytic bacteria inhabiting the mushroom hyphosphere, are reported, though with different importance, as the causal agents of the disease that sometimes causes huge losses to "cardoncello" cultivations. Control of the bacteriosis using white vinegar (6‰ acidity, pH 3.2), ozone (12-15 ppm) or 95.2 mM acetic acid was attempted. Two different cultivation cycles were carried out with P. eryngii strains "51" and "65" provided by Micotec (Gravina di Puglia, Italy) after incubation in standard substrate contained in thermoresistant polypropylene bags. The casing soil of each bag was inoculated with 10 ml of a suspension containing 1.7x108 CFU ml-1 of PR51 strain of P. 'reactans', previously isolated from "cardoncello" basidiomata affected by yellowing. Antibacterial treatments were carried out 13 times during the 43 days of each productive cycle. Substrate bags used as control were sprayed with tap water. For each bag, appearance and development of disease symptoms, ba-idioma shape and size, marketable mushroom yield and number of total bacteria, fluorescent Pseudomonads and total fungi presents in casing soil were recorded. Several basidiomata produced by control bags showed severe yellowing symptoms. Vinegar, ozone and acetic acid significantly prevented bacteriosis appearance and development and reduced the number of total bacteria, fluorescent Pseudomonads and total fungi present in casing soil of compost bags. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]