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The key optical components of X-ray grating interferometry are gratings, whose profile requirements play the most critical role in acquiring high quality images. The difficulty of etching grating lines with high aspect ratios when the pitch is in the range of a few micrometers has greatly limited imaging applications based on X-ray grating interferometry. A high etching rate with low aspect ratio dependence is crucial for higher X-ray energy applications and good profile control by deep reactive ion etching of grating patterns. To achieve this goal, a modified Coburn&ndash, Winters model was applied in order to study the influence of key etching parameters, such as chamber pressure and etching power. The recipe for deep reactive ion etching was carefully fine-tuned based on the experimental results. Silicon gratings with an area of 70 &times, 70 mm2, pitch size of 1.2 and 2 &mu, m were fabricated using the optimized process with aspect ratio &alpha, of ~67 and 77, respectively.

Background Delayed diagnosis in case of acute appendicitis (AA) could lead to complicated intra-abdominal sepsis (IAS). Grading systems are not commonly employed in the clinical practice, because they are too complicated or too specific. Therefore, we suggest grading the severity of complicated IAS after AA with a simple system: TNM, an acronym borrowed by cancer staging where T indicates temperature, N neutrophils, and M multiple organ failure (MOF). This prospective observational study evaluates the predictive value of the TNM score on mortality of patients with complicated IAS after AA. Methods Sixty-eight patients with complicated IAS after AA were treated. Three classes of attributes were chosen: temperature (T), neutrophils count (N), and MOF (M). After defining the categories T (T0-T4), N (N0-N3) and M (M0-M2), these were grouped in stages (0-IV). Variables analyzed for their possible relation to death were age, sex, temperature, neutrophils count, preoperative organ failure, immunocompromised status, stage (0-IV). Odds ratios were calculated in a univariate and multivariate analysis. Results TNM staging was: one patient stage 0; 16 patients at stage I; 26 patients at stage II; 16 patients at stage III; nine patients at stage IV. Death occurred in 15 patients (22%). Neutrophil count, preoperative organ failure, immunocompromised status, stages III-IV were potential predictors of postoperative death in univariate analysis; only stage IV was significant independent predictor of postoperative mortality in multivariate analysis. Conclusions TNM classification is very easy to use; it helps to define the mortality risk and is useful to objectively compare patients with sepsis.

High-aspect-ratio silicon micro- and nanostructures are technologically relevant in several applications, such as microelectronics, microelectromechanical systems, sensors, thermoelectric materials, battery anodes, solar cells, photonic devices, and X-ray optics. Microfabrication is usually achieved by dry-etch with reactive ions and KOH based wet-etch, metal assisted chemical etching (MacEtch) is emerging as a new etching technique that allows huge aspect ratio for feature size in the nanoscale. To date, a specialized review of MacEtch that considers both the fundamentals and X-ray optics applications is missing in the literature. This review aims to provide a comprehensive summary including: (i) fundamental mechanism; (ii) basics and roles to perform uniform etching in direction perpendicular to the Si substrate; (iii) several examples of X-ray optics fabricated by MacEtch such as line gratings, circular gratings array, Fresnel zone plates, and other X-ray lenses; (iv) materials and methods for a full fabrication of absorbing gratings and the application in X-ray grating based interferometry; and (v) future perspectives of X-ray optics fabrication. The review provides researchers and engineers with an extensive and updated understanding of the principles and applications of MacEtch as a new technology for X-ray optics fabrication., Micromachines, 11 (6), ISSN:2072-666X

Highlights • Spigelian Hernia is a rare abdominal wall hernia. • Urgent presentation with small bowel obstruction is uncommon. • Laparoscopy could be an option in elective surgery but in emergent setting laparotomy is required. • Mesh repair is mandatory to avoid recurrence., Introduction Spigelian Hernia is an uncommon pathology of abdominal wall (0.12–2.4%), usually small sized and with vague symptoms. It rarely presents as Small Bowel Obstruction or reaches dimensions that becomes clinically remarkable. Presentation of case 84-year-old woman entered our Surgical Department for Small Bowel Obstruction due to a giant (8 × 7 cm) abdominal wall hernia, which was intraoperatively identified as Spigelian Hernia. We performed a minilaparotomy with reduction of viable small bowel and preperitoneal positioning of polypropilene mesh. Postoperative course was uneventfull. Discussion Due to its small dimensions and infrequence, the diagnosis could be challenging even if the patient undergoes a CT scan. The presentation with clear signs of small bowel obstruction associated with a large abdominal hernia is rare and suggests a urgent surgical approach with mesh repair to avoid recurrences. Conclusion Even if rarely symptomatic, the Spigelian Hernia is an entity to consider in the differential diagnosis of small bowel obstruction in a virgin abdomen. Preoperative diagnosis, when available, is mandatory to guide a correct surgical approach.

Precisely aligned optical components are crucial prerequisites for X-ray tomography at high resolution.We propose a device with a fractal pattern for precise automatic focusing. The device is etched in a Si substrate by deep reactive ion etching and then filled by a self-terminating bottom-up Au electroplating process. The fractal nature of the device produces an X-ray transmission image with globally homogeneous macroscopic visibility and high local contrast for pixel sizes in the range of 0.165 μmto 11 μm, while the high absorption contrast provided between Au and Si enables its use for X-ray energies ranging from12 keV to 40 keV. ISSN:0003-6935 ISSN:1559-128X ISSN:2155-3165

High aspect ratio nanostructuring requires high precision pattern transfer with highly directional etching. In this work, we demonstrate the fabrication of structures with ultra-high aspect ratios (up to 10 000 : 1) in the nanoscale regime (down to 10 nm) by platinum assisted chemical etching of silicon in the gas phase. The etching gas is created by a vapour of water diluted hydrofluoric acid and a continuous air flow, which works both as an oxidizer and as a gas carrier for reactive species. The high reactivity of platinum as a catalyst and the formation of platinum silicide to improve the stability of the catalyst pattern allow a controlled etching. The method has been successfully applied to produce straight nanowires with section size in the range of 10–100 nm and length of hundreds of micrometres, and X-ray optical elements with feature sizes down to 10 nm and etching depth in the range of tens of micrometres. This work opens the possibility of a low cost etching method for stiction-sensitive nanostructures and a large range of applications where silicon high aspect ratio nanostructures and high precision of pattern transfer are required., Nanoscale Horizons, 5 (5), ISSN:2055-6756, ISSN:2055-6764

Uterine sarcomas are mesenchymal tumors; they are rare, representing less than 2-3% of all uterine malignancies. Among them, we can define four types: leiomyosarcoma (LMS), endometrial stromal sarcoma (ESS), Adenosarcoma and Carcinosarcoma. This last type was recently reclassified by FIGO as a Mullerian type of the endometrial adenocarcinoma. Therefore, today only the first three types are histologically considered.In this paper, we reported a case of simultaneous presence of three different rare neoplasms in the same surgical specimen, resulting from a hysterectomy of a premenopausal woman. The woman presented to the ED with a six-months history of vaginal bleeding. Given the complexity of the clinical picture, we suggested hospitalization in our Department of Gynecology, to perform appropriate diagnostic tests. Because of the persistent hemorrhage and the absence of required fertility preservation, a laparotomic hysterectomy with bilateral annessiectomy was performed.The postoperative histology of the specimen described the myoma at the fundus as a leiomyosarcoma. The myoma of the uterine anterior wall appeared as an endometrial stromal sarcoma of low-grade. Moreover, an intramural cavernous hemangioma of 3 cm in diameter was reported at the uterine corpus.All these described pathologies have no specific clinic characteristics; the most common symptom is abnormal uterine bleeding. To date, hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy are the standards of care in the management of all early stage uterine sarcomas. To our knowledge, cases of LMS, ESS and cavernous haemangioma coexisting in the same patient have not been reported in literature to date. The pathogenesis of this combination remains to be elucidated. Key words: Cavernous hemangioma, Endometrial stromal sarcoma, Leiomyosarcoma, Uterine sarcomas.I sarcomi uterini sono rari tumori mesenchimali e rappresentano meno del 2-3% di tutte le neoplasie uterine. Tra questi, possiamo definire quattro tipi: leiomiosarcoma (LMS), sarcoma stromale endometriale (ESS), adenosarcoma e carcinosarcoma. Quest’ultimo tipo è stato recentemente riclassificato dalla FIGO come sottotipo mulleriano di adenocarcinoma endometriale. Pertanto, oggi solo i primi tre tipi sono considerati da un punto di vista istologico. Nel nostro caso, riportiamo un caso di presenza simultanea di tre diverse neoplasie rare nello stesso campione chirurgico, risultante da un’isterectomia di una paziente in età pre-menopausale. La donna giungeva presso il nostro centro con un’anamnesi positiva per sanguinamento vaginale da sei mesi. Data la complessità del quadro clinico, abbiamo suggerito il ricovero nel nostro Dipartimento di Ginecologia, per eseguire test diagnostici appropriati. A causa della persistente emorragia e dell’assenza di necessità di conservare la fertilità, è stata eseguita un’isterectomia laparotomica con annessiectomia bilaterale. Esame anatomopatologico del pezzo chirurgico ha descritto il mioma del fondo uterino come leiomiosarcoma. Il mioma della parete anteriore è risultato essere un sarcoma stromale endometriale di basso grado. È stato inoltre riportato un emangioma cavernoso intramurale di 3 cm di diametro a livello del corpus uterino. Tali patologie descritte non hanno caratteristiche cliniche specifiche; il sintomo più comune è il sanguinamento uterino anomalo. Ad oggi, l’isterectomia con annessiectomia bilaterale rappresenta lo standard di cura per tutti i sarcomi uterini in fase iniziale. Per quanto noto, ad oggi non sono stati riportati in letteratura casi di LMS, ESS ed emangioma cavernoso coesistenti nella stessa paziente. La patogenesi di questa combinazione resta da chiarire.

The incidence of anal cancer has increased during the second half of the 20th century, with an incidence rate over 2.9% greater than in the decade of 1992–2001. Yet, it still constitutes a small percentage, about 4%, of all anorectal tumours. Its risk factors are human papillomavirus infection, a history of sexually transmitted diseases, a history of vulvar or cervical carcinoma, immunosuppression related to human immunodeficiency virus infection or after organ transplantation, haematological or immunological disorders, and smoking. The most frequent symptom is rectal bleeding (45%), followed by anal pain, and sensation of a rectal mass. The diagnosis requires clinical examination, palpation of the inguinal lymph nodes, high resolution anoscopy followed by fine-needle aspiration biopsy or core biopsy. Subsequent histologic diagnosis is necessary, as well as computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging evaluation of the pelvic lymph nodes. Since 1980, patients with a diagnosis of anal cancer have shown a significant improvement in survival. In Europe during the years 1983–1994, 1-year survival increased from 78% to 81%, and the improvement over 5 years was between 48% and 54%. Prior to 1974, patients with invasive cancer were routinely scheduled for abdominoperineal amputation, after which it was demonstrated that treatment with 5-fluorouracil and radiotherapy associated with mitomycin or capecitabine could be adequate to treat the tumour without surgery. Today, numerous studies have confirmed that combined multimodal treatment is effective and sufficient., Highlights • The incidence of anal cancer has increased during the second half of the 20th century. • The diagnosis requires clinical examination, high resolution anoscopy and fine-needle aspiration biopsy or core biopsy. • Histologic diagnosis is necessary. • Since 1980, patients with a diagnosis of anal cancer have shown a significant improvement in survival. • In Europe during the years 1983-1994, 1-year survival increased from 78% to 81%. • Today, numerous studies have confirmed that combined multimodal treatment is effective and sufficient.

Diffractive optics play a key role in hard X‐rays imaging for which many scientific, technological, and biomedical applications exist. Herein, high‐aspect‐ratio microfabrication of gratings for X‐ray interferometry is demonstrated using Pt as a catalyst for the metal assisted chemical etching of Si in a solution of HF and H2O2. The Pt layer is thermally treated to realize a porous catalyst layer that stabilizes the etching of a pattern with a pitch size from 4.8 to 20 μm in the direction perpendicular to the Si substrate and an aspect ratio up to 60:1. The superior etching performance of Pt as a catalyst and its stability in a solution with high HF content are reported in direct comparison with the Au catalyst for the same grating parameters. The Si structure is then used as a template for filling with Au, as a high absorbing X‐ray material. The Pt catalyst layer is used as a conductive seed for Au electroplating. The quality of the overall process is assessed by obtaining a visibility map using 30 μm‐thick Au grating in an X‐ray interferometric setup at 20 keV., Advanced Engineering Materials, 22 (10), ISSN:1438-1656, ISSN:1527-2648

Setting: Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) is gaining popularity as a bariatric option. Gastric leak (GL) is the most dreaded septic complication of LSG. Early detection and treatment of this complication may improve outcomes. Objectives: This study investigates biomarkers that might be useful to predict GL before its clinical presentation in patients who underwent LSG. Patients and Methods: This study, prospective observational, was carried out in 151 patients, who underwent LSG for morbid obesity between February 2014 and October 2019. Blood samples were collected before the operation and on post-operative days one, three and five to dose serum C-reactive protein (CRP), pro-calcitonin (PCT), fibrinogen, white blood cells (WBCs) count and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR). Results: GL occurred in 6 patients (3.97%). According to the receiver operating characteristics curve, NLR detected leak with remarkably higher sensitivity (100%) and specificity (100%) than CRP, fibrinogen, WBC on all the days and higher than PCT in post-operative days 3 and 5. Moreover, the area under the curve (AUC) of NLR (AUC = 1) was higher than the AUC of CRP, fibrinogen, WBC on all the days and higher than PCT in post-operative days 3 and 5, suggesting important statistical significance. Conclusions: Because NLR and PCT detected GL with remarkably higher sensitivity and specificity than CRP, fibrinogen and WBC, these two markers seem to be more accurate for the early detection of this complication.

Background: Laparoscopic anti-reflux surgery could be of benefit in a subset of elderly patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease. However, there are few reports that have evaluated the long-term results. This study examined the effects of age on the short- and long-term (for at least 5 years) outcomes after laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication (LNF). Patients and Methods: Patients were divided into four groups as follows: young (18–49); adult (50–69); and elderly (70–84), and very elderly (85–91). The database (recorded prospectively) included operating duration, conversion, intra- and early post-operative complication and late outcomes. Mean follow-up was 14.5 years (range 5–24 years). Results: Five hundred and sixty-nine patients met the inclusion criteria: young n = 219 (38.4%); adult n = 248 (43.5%); elderly n = 91 (16.0%) and very elderly n = 11 (1.9%). Hiatal hernia (type I and III) was significantly less frequent in young and adult patients (P < 0.0001). The operation was significantly longer in elderly and very elderly patients (P < 0.001); the use of drains (P < 0.001) and grafts (P < 0.0001) for hiatal hernia repair was less in young and adult patients. The hospital stay, conversion (5.4%), intra-operative and early post-operative complications were not influenced by age. Dysphagia was evenly distributed among the groups. Forty-eight (8.4%) patients had recurrence: 15 in the young group (6.8%), 18 in the adult group (7.2%), 11 in the elderly group (12%) and 4 in the very elderly group (36.3%) (P < 0.0001). Conclusions: Age does not influence short- and long-term outcomes following LNF. Control of reflux in the elderly is worse than adult patients. Therefore, ageing is a relative contraindication to LNF.

Background: The grading systems for intra-abdominal sepsis (IAS) are not employed commonly in clinical practice because they are too complicated or too specific. We propose to grade IAS with a simple grading system: the TNM system, which is an acronym borrowed from cancer staging, where T indicates Temperature, N indicates Neutrophils, and M indicates Multiple organ failure (MOF). The aim of this prospective observational study is to assess the predictive value of the TNM score on deaths of patients with complicated IAS. Patients and Methods: We considered 147 patients with complicated IAS. Three classes of attribute were chosen: Temperature (T), Neutrophil count (N), and MOF (M). After defining the categories T (T0-T4), N (N0-N3), and M (M0-M2), they were grouped in stages (0-IV). We analyzed specific variables for their possible relation to death: Age, gender, blood transfusion, causes of IAS, T, N, pre-operative organ failure, immunocompromised status, stage 0, I, II, III, and IV. Odds ratios were calculated in a uni-variable and multi-variable analysis. Results: This was the distribution in classes, based on TNM stages: One patient was in stage 0; 15 patients in stage I; 47 patients in stage II; 56 patients in stage III; 28 patients in stage IV. Death occurred in 45 (30.6%) patients. The N, pre-operative organ failure, immunocompromised status, stage III-IV were potential predictors of post-operative death in uni-variable analysis. Only pre-operative organ failure and stage IV were significant independent predictors of post-operative death in multi-variable analysis. Conclusions: The TNM classification is an easy system that could be considered to define the death risk of patients with IAS and to compare patients with sepsis.

Radiotherapy currently plays a key role in pelvic malignancies' management. Excellent outcomes have been reported on its association with chemotherapy for the treatment of the anal carcinoma. Despite that, the combined use of chemo- and radiotherapy and the high doses administered seem to be strongly associated with early and late onset side effects.We reported a case of a 72 years old woman, affected by anal squamous cell carcinoma. She underwent chemotherapy, and then radiotherapy, with good results.During a regular MR control, the patient developed anaphylactic reaction to Gadolinium, and after that a rectosigmoid ischemia with total necrosis of the posterior rectal wall was diagnosed and surgically treated with Hartmann procedure.In our case we faced with the rapid and severe degeneration of pelvic anatomy determined by the sum of vascular alterations following hypovolemic shock and pelvic tissues alteration after radiotherapy. It seems essential not to underestimate the exponential outcome of a similar unusual combination of events.Anal carcinoma, Hypovolemic shock, Pelvic radiotherapy, Rectal necrosis.La radioterapia svolge attualmente un ruolo chiave nella gestione delle neoplasie pelviche. In particolare, per il trattamento del carcinoma anale, sono stati riportati esiti notevoli riguardo la sua associazione con la chemioterapia. In questo articolo riportiamo il caso di una donna con diagnosi di carcinoma anale, trattata con chemioterapia e successivamente con radioterapia. La risposta al trattamento è stata soddisfacente, come evidenziato dalla TC di controllo che mostrava la completa regressione della massa. Durante un regolare controllo RM, la paziente ha però sviluppato uno shock anafilattico in risposta al Gadolinio, con arresto cardiaco della durata di circa mezz’ora. Dopo circa 50 giorni di ricovero in Terapia Intensiva, la paziente è stata trasferita in un reparto medico in condizioni emodinamicamente stabili. Durante la degenza, si è riscontrata presenza di feci in vagina; pertanto, assumendo la presenza di una fistola retto-vaginale, è stato disposto il trasferimento presso il nostro dipartimento chirurgico. La colonscopia ha rivelato un’ischemia rettosigmoidea con necrosi totale della parete rettale posteriore ed esposizione della fascia presacrale. Si è pertanto posta indicazione ad eseguire un intervento chirurgico secondo Hartmann. L’esame istologico dei frammenti rettali raccolti ha rivelato la presenza di tessuto di granulazione e diffusa reazione fibrosa, in assenza di tessuto neoplastico residuo. Il verificarsi dello shock ipovolemico e la conseguente ipoperfusione di un organo già sottoposto ad insulto attinico, ha evidentemente determinato una rapida e grave degenerazione dei tessuti pelvici ed il successivo sviluppo di una necrosi rettale completa. È noto come il tratto gastrointestinale sia altamente vulnerabile alle lesioni ischemiche a causa della vasocostrizione della circolazione mesenterica. Ciò che però appare degno di nota nel nostro caso è come un evento patogeno possa produrre due tipi molto diversi di lesioni nell’ambito dell’apparato gastroenterico: un’ulcera gastrica ischemica sanguinante che ha richiesto un trattamento endoscopico ed una proctosigmoidite ischemica con coinvolgimento dell’intero setto retto-vaginale, che ha imposto la necessità di un approccio chirurgico invasivo.

Perivascular epithelioid cell tumors are rare mesenchymal tumors composed of histologically and immunohistochemically distinctive perivascular epithelioid cells. They are considered ubiquitous tumors and have been described in different organs, but gastro-intestinal PEComas are diseases of extreme rarity.We report a case of a 51-year-old woman, without a medical history of tuberous sclerosis complex, affected by abdominal PEComa, adhering tightly to the jejunal loop and to the spleen.During the surgical operation, a large abdominal mass was found, and surgical resection was carried out. Definitive histologic and ultrastructural findings were consistent with PEComa.Given the rarity of GI-PEComas and the lack of cases reported in the literature, we want to emphasize the importance of conducting further studies in this regard, to better describe their biological behaviour.Gastro-intestinal tumor, PEComa, Perivascular epithelioid cell tumors.I tumori perivascolari a cellule epiteliodi (PEComa) sono definiti come “rare neoplasie mesenchimali composte da cellule con particolari e definite caratteristiche istologiche ed immunoistochimiche”. Questi tumori sono considerati ubiquitari, sebbene la localizzazione gastrointestinale sia rara: sembrano essere meno di 40 i casi attualmente descritti in letteratura. Nell’ambito del tratto gastrointestinale, la localizzazione più frequente è il colon sigmoideo. Nel nostro lavoro, descriviamo il caso di una paziente di 51 anni di età, giunta alla nostra attenzione per un dolore addominale aspecifico e diffuso, senso di pesantezza e nausea persistente. La TC total body con mezzo di contrasto evidenziava a livello addominale, tra i foglietti mesenteriali, una massa tondeggiante, lobulata, di dimensioni 6x5.8x8cm (APxLLxCC), in continuità con la parete della prima ansa digiunale; la massa appariva vascolarizzata perifericamente dopo acquisizione di mezzo di contrasto. La paziente è stata sottoposta ad intervento chirurgico in regime di elezione, durante il quale è stata confermata la presenza di tale voluminosa massa intra-addominale, strettamente adesa all’ansa digiunale. Eseguita la resezione del tumore, le caratteristiche istologiche e l’analisi immunoistochimica sono risultate compatibili con la diagnosi di PEComa. Il PEComa può essere sporadico, come in questo caso, oppure essere associato a Sclerosi Tuberosa. Istologicamente è caratterizzato da cellule epitelioidi e fusate con abbondante citoplasma eosinofilo granulare, tipicamente organizzate in nidi o lamine intorno ai vasi di piccolo e medio calibro. La chirurgia è attualmente il trattamento di scelta. Essendo tumori piuttosto rari, è ancora oggi difficile definirne il comportamento biologico.

TiO2 nanotubes demonstrated to be a versatile nanostructure for biomaterials, clean energy and water remediation applications. However, the cost of titanium and the poor mechanical properties of the nano tubes hinder their adoption at large scale. This work presents a straightforward and scalable method for transferring photoactive anodic TiO2 nanotubes from titanium foils to commodity thermoplastic polymers, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polycarbonate, and polymethylmetacrylate, allowing the reusing of the remaining titanium. The obtained flexible nanocomposites reach a maximum photonic efficiencies of 0.038% (ISO-10678:2010) representing the 93% of photonic efficiency of TiO2 nanotubes on titanium. In addition, the nanocomposites and TiO2 nanotubes on titanium present similar antibacterial properties under 1 mW cm(-2) UV-A, 60% of Escherichia coil survival after 1 h of exposition. The final objective of this work is to point out main concepts and key parameters for a low-cost fabrication of a photoactive nanocomposite material. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

As known, fractional CO2 resurfacing treatments are more effective than non-ablative ones against aging signs, but post-operative redness and swelling prolong the overall downtime requiring up to steroid administration in order to reduce these local systems. In the last years, an increasing interest has been focused on the possible use of probiotics for treating inflammatory and allergic conditions suggesting that they can exert profound beneficial effects on skin homeostasis. In this work, the Authors report their experience on fractional CO2 laser resurfacing and provide the results of a new post-operative topical treatment with an experimental cream containing probiotic-derived active principles potentially able to modulate the inflammatory reaction associated to laser-treatment. The cream containing DermaACB (CERABEST™) was administered post-operatively to 42 consecutive patients who were treated with fractional CO2 laser. All patients adopted the cream twice a day for 2 weeks. Grades were given according to outcome scale. The efficacy of the cream containing DermaACB was evaluated comparing the rate of post-operative signs vanishing with a control group of 20 patients topically treated with an antibiotic cream and a hyaluronic acid based cream. Results registered with the experimental treatment were good in 22 patients, moderate in 17, and poor in 3 cases. Patients using the study cream took an average time of 14.3 days for erythema resolution and 9.3 days for swelling vanishing. The post-operative administration of the cream containing DermaACB induces a quicker reduction of post-operative erythema and swelling when compared to a standard treatment.

Nanomaterials represent a possible solution to solve many of the current issues involving water quality, but several limitations exist for efficient applications, primarily concerning the dispersion of such nanomaterials in water, their recovery after water treatment and the resulting impact on human health and ecosystems. We present an approach based on the incorporation of several nanomaterials into polymeric composites as a valid solution to overcome these problems. We embedded active TiO2 nanostructures in poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), with the advantage of no need of recovery of the nanoparticles after water treatment. Furthermore, we combined titanium dioxide nanoparticles with single walled carbon nanotubes, as acceptor of electrons, and obtained a significantly higher photocatalytic efficiency under UV irradiation, compared to the systems with TiO2 only. Photoactive materials even under visible light were synthesized thanks to the functionalization of the TiO2 nanoparticle surface with meso-tetraphenylporphyrin-4,4',4",4"/-tetracarboxylic acid (TCPP) as dye sensitizer. We realized these polymeric nanocomposites by low-cost solution casting and evaluated their photocatalytic activity by degradation of some dyes and phenol in an aqueous medium. A significant antibacterial activity, measured through CFU (colony forming units) count using Escherichia coli as a model organism, is also reported. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

X-ray phase contrast imaging is a powerful analysis technique for materials science and biomedicine. Here, we report on laboratory grating-based X-ray interferometry employing a microfocus X-ray source and a high Talbot order (35th) asymmetric geometry to achieve high angular sensitivity and high spatial resolution X-ray phase contrast imaging in a compact system (total length µm) and a single-photon counting X-ray detector (75 µm pixel size). The performance of the X-ray interferometer was fully characterized in terms of angular sensitivity and spatial resolution. Finally, the potential of laboratory X-ray phase contrast for biomedical imaging is demonstrated by obtaining high resolution X-ray phase tomographies of a mouse embryo embedded in solid paraffin and a formalin-fixed full-thickness sample of human left ventricle in water with a spatial resolution of 21.5 µm.

Single-incision laparoscopic surgery (SILS) aims to minimize the surgical access trauma by reducing the number of abdominal incisions to a single site, potentially offering better cosmetic results and decreased postoperative pain. In this study, we compare the results of SILS ileocolic resection for Crohn’s disease (CD) to conventional laparoscopy and open surgery using a propensity score–matched analysis in a retrospective national multicentre study. All consecutive patients undergoing elective SILS ileocaecal or redo ileocolic resection for primary and recurrent CD from 1 June 2018 to 31 May 2019 were included. Patients were matched 1:1:1 with laparoscopy and open surgery according to perianal disease, recurrent disease, penetrating phenotype of CD, history of previous abdominal surgery, preoperative medical treatment with steroids and anti-TNF. Postoperative morbidity within 30 days of surgery was the primary endpoint. Fifty-eight patients were included in each group, for a total of 174 patients. The conversion rate for SILS and laparoscopy was 10.3% and 12%, respectively, with no difference in the incidence of postoperative complications (13.8% and 12%, p = 0.77), whilst open surgery demonstrated a worse morbidity profile, with a complication rate of 25.9% (p < 0.0001). Median length of hospital stay following SILS ileocolic resection was 5 days, significantly shorter compared to 7 days for laparoscopy and 9 for open surgery (p < 0.0001). SILS ileocolonic resection for CD demonstrated a comparable morbidity profile compared to laparoscopy in selected patients, with a reduced length of postoperative hospital stay.

The application of superconformal Bi-catalyzed Au electrodeposition for void-free filling of recessed trenches in X-ray gratings used in phase contrast imaging is detailed. Filling of trenches with aspect ratio (height divided by width) up to 55 is demonstrated. Uniform bottom-up filling of patterned trench arrays across 100 mm (4 inch) diameter Si wafer is accomplished using a well-defined hydrodynamic flow field across the wafer surface. The filling process and microstructure are examined by scanning electron microscopy of cross-sectioned specimens. The importance of process optimization, from the design of potential (current) programming to electrolyte pH and concentrations of Na3Au(SO3)2 and Bi3+, for the filling of high aspect ratio trenches is demonstrated. X-ray phase contrast imaging is used to assay the quality and uniformity of the as-formed gratings as well as demonstrate their application to imaging biological tissue. Successful void-free Au filling of micrometer range pitch, high aspect ratio trenches in Si gratings promises to advance X-ray grating interferometry and its application to X-ray phase contrast imaging. © 2020 The Electrochemical Society. ISSN:0013-4651 ISSN:1945-7111

Background Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) has become a very frequent procedure in bariatric surgery. Despite its simplicity, it can have serious complications. Among these, gastric leak is one of the most feared complications. Numerous intraoperative maneuvers have been suggested in an attempt to decrease the incidence of leak. In our center, we decided to study one of the intraoperative measures proposed, which consists in positioning the suture machine to 1.5 cm from His corner. Methods This retrospective study reported 101 cases of LSG performed in our center from 2012 to 2017. The patients were divided into two groups, with comparable anthropometric parameters and comparable inclusion criteria. In the two groups the operative technique used was the same, except for a maneuver: in the second group, attention was paid to keep a distance from the angle of at least 1.5 cm. Results On a total of 101 procedures performed, the overall complication rate was 4,95%. In group 1 the rate of gastric staple line leak was 6.78%. In group 2 the rate was 2.38%. Conclusions The analyzed surgical technique seems to decrease the risk of leak without significantly impacting weight loss, and we have noticed in our clinical experience a decrease in the incidence of fistula from the time this measure was adopted. Also the statistical analysis encourage the continuation of experimentation.

Gastric leak remains the main complication after sleeve gastrectomy, but there are no standardized guidelines for its treatment. Good results have been reported using endoscopic double-pigtail stent. To estimate its effectiveness, we carried out this systematic review. Eleven eligible articles were identified by searching PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases. A total of 385 patients met the inclusion criteria. The pooled proportion of successful leak closures by using double pigtail drainage was 83.41%. The proportion of successful leak closures by using double pigtail drainage by experienced operators as first-line treatment was 84.71%. Our review suggested that double-pigtail stent could be a valid approach to manage the postbariatric gastric leak, with low rate of complications and a good tolerance by patients. More high-quality studies with large samples sizes should be undertaken to better evaluate and compare the variety of techniques available.

Indocyanine green (ICG) fluorescent angiography has been routinely applied for various laparoscopic procedures to evaluate the tissue blood supply. A promising branch for this technology is represented by bariatric surgery, especially to estimate the risk of gastric leak after laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG), which seems mainly related to ischemia of the stomach. 43 consecutive patients from January 2018 to March 2019 underwent in our institution LSG with intravenous injection of 5 ml ICG after the realization of gastric tube to evaluate the blood supply of the gastric tube. In all 43 cases, there have been no adverse events related to ICG. The vascular supply to stomach was estimated “satisfactory” along the stapled line in all cases. However, one patient showed signs and symptoms indicative of gastric leak in the fifth post-op day and diagnosis was confirmed by CT scan with Gastrografin. From our preliminary data, the intraoperative view of the blood supply of the stomach does not seem to represent a prognostic factor for the risk of gastric leak, suggesting a complex multifactorial etiology (intragastric hypertension? Abnormal inflammatory response?) which needs further data to be established.

Despite the fact that the resolution of conventional contact/proximity lithography can reach feature sizes down to ~0.5-0.6 micrometers, the accurate control of the linewidth and uniformity becomes already very challenging for gratings with periods in the range of 1-2 {\mu}m. This is particularly relevant for the exposure of large areas and wafers thinner than 300{\mu}m. If the wafer or mask surface is not fully flat due to any kind of defects, such as bowing/warpage or remaining topography of the surface in case of overlay exposures, noticeable linewidth variations or complete failure of lithography step will occur. We utilized the newly developed Displacement Talbot lithography to pattern gratings with equal lines and spaces and periods in the range of 1.0 to 2.4 {\mu}m. The exposures in this lithography process do not require contact between the mask and the wafer, which makes it essentially insensitive to surface planarity and enables exposures with very high linewidth uniformity on thin and even slightly deformed wafers. We demonstrated pattern transfer of such exposures into Si substrates by reactive ion etching using the Bosch process. An etching depth of 30 {\mu}m or more for the whole range of periods was achieved, which corresponds to very high aspect ratios up to 60:1. The application of the fabricated gratings in phase contrast x-ray imaging is presented.

Grating-based X-ray phase-contrast interferometry has a high application impact in material science and medicine for imaging of weakly absorbing (low Z) materials and soft tissues. For the absorbing gratings, casting of highly x-ray absorbing metals, such as Au and Pb alloys, has proven to be a viable way to generate large area periodic high aspect ratio microstructures. In this paper, we review the grating fabrication strategy with a special focus on a novel approach of casting low temperature melting alloys (Au-Sn and Pbbased alloy) into Si grating templates using hot embossing. The process, similar to nanoimprint lithography, requires particular adjusting efforts of process parameters as a function of the metal alloy and the grating feature size. The transition between solid and liquid state depends on the alloy phase diagram, the applied pressure can damage the high aspect ratio Si lamellas and the microstructure of the solid metal can affect the grating structure. We demonstrate that metal casting by hot embossing can be used to fabricate gratings on large area (up to 70x70 mm2) with aspect ratio up to 50:1 and pitch in the range of 1-20 {\mu}m.

In this work, we present polymeric nanocomposites as valid systems for water treatment. This new class of materials has attracted extensive attention in the recent years in several fields of science and technology, because they join structural flexibility and relatively simple processing of the polymers with the properties of the nanomaterials, such as the photocatalytic activity of TiO2. We hence embedded in PMMA titanium dioxide nanotubes, synthesized by electrochemical anodization, obtaining very cheap materials for water purification. We realized these polymeric nanocomposites by sonication and solution casting method, and we evaluated their photocatalytic activity by the bleaching of Methylene Blue (MB) dye in aqueous medium. We also tested the antibacterial activity through CFU (Colony Forming Units) count using Escherichia coli as a model organism.

X-ray grating interferometry is an excellent technique for X-ray phase contrast imaging and X-ray wavefront sensing with applications in materials science, biology and medical diagnosis. Among other requirements, the method depends on the availability of highly X-ray absorbing metallic gratings. Here, we report on the fabrication and characterization of high aspect ratio iridium gratings with a period of one micrometer and a depth of 30 micrometer combining deep reactive ion etching of silicon and atomic layer deposition of iridium. The implementation of such structures can greatly enhance the sensitivity of grating-based X-ray phase contrast imaging and thus, expand further its broad range of applications.

Highlights • The most frequent and severe complication after laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy is gastric leak. • The endoscopic placement of a double-pigtail drain across the leak has been proven to be effective and minimally invasive. • Drain’s migration into the abdominal cavity is not common and its intrasplenic displacement is even more rare. • Pigtail drain migration involving the spleen may expose the patient to the risk of parenchymal abscess or haemorrhage., Introduction The most frequent and severe complication after laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy is gastric leak. Nowadays, there is no specific standard recommendation for its management, but the endoscopic placement of a double-pigtail drain across the leak has been proven to be effective and minimally invasive. Stent displacement into the abdominal cavity is not common and intrasplenic migration is even more rare. Case presentation We report a case of a 49-year-old woman with intrasplenic displacement of an endoscopic double-pigtail stent as a treatment for laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy leak. Discussion Pigtail drain migration involving the spleen is rare but may potentially expose the patient to the risk of parenchymal abscess or haemorrhage. Often the clinic does not indicate early this complication. Conclusion We underline the need for a close radiologic follow-up, regardless of clinical conditions, in all patients treated with double-pigtail drain and its early removal in case of migration.

We present an innovative device based on a nanoporous Ge electrode decorated by gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). A study aimed at obtaining the best AuNP deposition conditions, which allow the decoration of Ge walls with AuNPs, avoiding particles aggregation is reported.The performance of the electrode has been evaluated by the electrocatalytic reduction of iodoethane in acetonitrile solution, a model reaction in organic electrocatalysis. Keywords: Nanoporous Ge, Gold nanoparticles, Electrodeposition, Electrocatalysis

Wet etching is an essential and complex step in semiconductor device processing. Metal-Assisted Chemical Etching (MacEtch) is fundamentally a wet but anisotropic etching method. In the MacEtch technique, there are still a number of unresolved challenges preventing the optimal fabrication of high-aspect-ratio semiconductor micro- and nanostructures, such as undesired etching, uncontrolled catalyst movement, non-uniformity and micro-porosity in the metal-free areas. Here, an optimized MacEtch process using a nanostructured Au catalyst is proposed for fabrication of Si high aspect ratio microstructures. The addition of isopropanol as surfactant in the HF-H 2 O 2 water solution improves the uniformity and the control of the H 2 gas release. An additional KOH etching removes eventually the unwanted nanowires left by the MacEtch through the nanoporous catalyst film. We demonstrate the benefits of the isopropanol addition for reducing the etching rate and the nanoporosity of etched structures with a monotonic decrease as a function of the isopropanol concentration.

The electrical transport properties of n -type crystalline-Ge amorphized by ion implantation have been determined by resistivity and Hall effect measurements in the 64–255 K temperature range. Amorphous layer was realized by implanting Ge + ions in Ge single crystal maintained at ∼77 K at fluences above the amorphization threshold. The samples exhibited a surprising lower sheet resistance with respect of un-implanted crystalline Ge, resulting from positive charge carriers and very high mobility. Experimental observations are consistent with a p -type conduction induced by surface states and a high mobility channel at the amorphous-crystal interface.

In this work, we study the nanostructuring effects of nanosecond laser irradiations on 5 nm thick Au film sputter-deposited on Si. After deposition of Au on Si substrate, nanosecond laser irradiations were performed increasing the laser fluence from 750 to 1500 mJ/cm 2 . Several analyses techniques, such as Rutherford backscattering spectrometry, scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy were crossed to study the morphological evolution of the Au film as a function of laser fluence. In particular, the formation of Au nanoparticles was observed. The analyses allowed a quantitative evaluation of the evolution of the nanoparticles size, surface density, and shape as a function of the laser fluence. Therefore, a control the structural properties of the Au nanoparticles is reached, for example, for applications in Si nanowires growth or plasmonics.

Macromolecular crystallography often requires focused high-intensity x-ray beams for solving challenging protein structures from micrometer-sized crystals using current synchrotron radiation sources. The design of optical focusing schemes for hard x-rays showing high efficiency and flexibility in beam size is therefore continuously pursued. Here, we present an innovative solution based on a two-stage demagnification of the undulator source for photon energies from 6 keV to 19 keV, commissioned at the X10SA beamline of the Swiss Light Source, where a secondary source is imaged by two crossed silicon kinoform x-ray diffractive lenses with 75 nm outermost zone width. A source-size limited spot with a size of 4.8 μm×1.7 μm(h×v,FWHM) and flux of 7.5×1010 photons/s at 12.4 keV is demonstrated at the sample position.

In X-ray grating interferometry, dark-field contrast arises due to partial extinction of the detected interference fringes. This is also called visibility reduction and is attributed to small-angle scattering from unresolved structures in the imaged object. In recent years, analytical quantitative frameworks of dark-field contrast have been developed for highly diluted monodisperse microsphere suspensions with maximum 6% volume fraction. These frameworks assume that scattering particles are separated by large enough distances, which make any interparticle scattering interference negligible. In this paper, we start from the small-angle scattering intensity equation and, by linking Fourier and real-space, we introduce the structure factor and thus extend the analytical and experimental quantitative interpretation of dark-field contrast, for a range of suspensions with volume fractions reaching 40%. The structure factor accounts for interparticle scattering interference. Without introducing any additional fitting parameters, we successfully predict the experimental values measured at the TOMCAT beamline, Swiss Light Source. Finally, we apply this theoretical framework to an experiment probing a range of system correlation lengths by acquiring dark-field images at different energies. This proposed method has the potential to be applied in single-shot-mode using a polychromatic X-ray tube setup and a single-photon-counting energy-resolving detector., Scientific Reports, 6, ISSN:2045-2322

We report about the synthesis of rutile TiO2 nanowires (NWs) by thermal oxidation (700 degrees C for 4 h in a mixed flow of argon and oxygen) of a sputtered titanium thin film (325 nm) on glass substrate covered by a thin layer of gold as catalyzer. We studied the morphological and structural characteristics of the sample by scanning electron microscopy and Rutherford backscattering analyses. NWs are uniformly distributed on the surface with size up to 500 nm in length and up to 100 nm in diameter. We investigated the photocatalytic activity and the photonic efficiency in the degradation of the Methilene Blue (MB) dye. In order to remark the contribution of the NWs in the process, we compared the photocatalytic activity with the one of the annealed TiO2 thin film substrate without NWs. The photocatalytic rate per Unit area for the sample with and without NWs resulted to be (2.52 +/- 0.06).10(-3) cm(-2) min(-1) and (1.26 +/- 0.02). 10(-3) cm(-2) min(-1), respectively; the photonic efficiency (in %) of the MB degradation was estimated as 0.021 +/- 0.006 and 0.021 +/- 0.006, respectively. These results suggest an improvement of the photocatalytic properties due to the presence of the TiO2 NWs on the film. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Self-assembly gold nanostructured membranes are created to mechanically stabilize the catalyst movement during metal assisted chemical etching. This results in an improved vertical control of the etching profile for high aspect ratio silicon microstructures. The new method is a robust and cheap microfabrication for dense micro-patterns on a large area, such as diffraction gratings for hard X-ray phase contrast imaging and metrology.

For measuring fusion excitation functions, the activation technique with a stack of targets offers the considerable advantage that several reaction energies may be simultaneously measured by using one beam energy. However, its main drawback is the degradation of the beam quality as it passes through the stack due to statistical nature of energy loss processes and any non-uniformity of the stacked targets. If not taken properly into account, this degradation can lead to a wrong determination of the fusion excitation function. In this contribution some results of the investigation of this problem are reported.

Transmission Electron Microscopy was combined with Time Resolved Reflectivity to study the amorphous-crystalline (a-c) interface evolution during Solid Phase Epitaxy Regrowth (SPER) Of Si0.83Ge0.17 films deposited on Si by Molecular Beam Epitaxy and amorphized with Ge+ ion implantation. Starting from the Si/SiGe interface, a 20 nm thick layer regrows free of defects with the same SPER rate of pure Si. The remaining SiGe regrows with planar defects and dislocations, accompanied by a decrease of the SPER velocity. The sample was also studied after implantation with B or P. In these cases, the SPER rate raises following the doping concentration profile, but no difference in the defect-free layer thickness was observed compared to the un-implanted sample. On the other hand, B or P introduction reduces the a-c interface roughness, while B-P co-implantation produces roughness comparable to the un-implanted sample. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

In the present article we report enhanced light absorption, tunable size-dependent blue shift, and efficient electron hole pairs generation in Ge nanoporous films (np-Ge) grown on Si. The Ge films are grown by sputtering and molecular beam epitaxy; subsequently, the nanoporous structure is obtained by Ge+ self-implantation. We show, by surface photovoltage spectroscopy measurements, blue shift of the optical energy gap and strong signal enhancement effects in the np-Ge films. The blue shift is related to quantum confinement effects at the wall separating the pore in the structure, the signal enhancement to multiple light-scattering events, which result in enhanced absorption. All these characteristics are highly stable with time. These findings demonstrate that nanoporous Ge films can be very promising for photovoltaic applications.