8,867 research outputs found
Lung ultrasonography to diagnose community-acquired pneumonia in children
No full textAbstract Background Early diagnosis of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is essential to reduce the total burden of this disease. Traditionally, chest radiography (CR) is used to identify true CAP. However, CR is not a perfect diagnostic test for CAP. The use of lung ultrasonography (LUS) has been suggested as an alternative to overcome the problems associated with CR and increase the feasibility and accuracy of CAP diagnosis. LUS has largely been used for the diagnosis of several lung problems, including CAP, in adult patients with satisfactory results. Experience with LUS in children has grown over recent years. The main aim of this paper is to discuss the advantages and limits of LUS in the diagnosis of paediatric CAP. Discussion The presence of a consolidation pattern during LUS may represent pneumonia or atelectasis, although this conclusion is operator dependent. An overall agreement between LUS and CR was observed in most of the studies that were examined. In most reports where a disagreement between the two methods was found, CR was not able to identify the cases that were correctly diagnosed by LUS, particularly when CR was performed only with postero-anterior/antero-posterior projection and consolidation was observed in lung areas that are poorly visualized by CR. However, the lack of standardized LUS methods is problematic. Finally, the real advantage of LUS for the diagnosis of CAP in children remains unclear. Summary LUS is an interesting diagnostic modality that appears a useful first imaging test in children with suspected CAP. However, the methods used to perform LUS in children are not precisely standardized, and the diagnosis of interstitial CAP is inaccurate. Further studies are needed before LUS can be routinely used in everyday paediatric practice
Geographical classification of Italian saffron (Crocus sativus L.) based on chemical constituents determined by high-performance liquid-chromatography and by using linear discriminant analysis
No full textOne hundred and forty-four Italian saffron samples produced in the years from 2009 to 2015 in five distinct areas located in four different regions, Abruzzo (L'Aquila), Tuscany (Florence), Umbria (Cascia and Città della Pieve) and Sardinia, have been analysed by high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection. Intensities of the chromatographic peaks attributed to crocins, safranal, picrocrocin and its derivatives and flavonoids were considered as variables in linear discriminant analysis to attempt geographical classification. The results revealed that spices produced at different sites of the Italian territory can be discriminated with good accuracy. The differentiation of saffron cultivated in Sardinia from those produced in Central Italy was mainly attributed to different contents of the most abundant crocins. Good differentiation of spices produced in close sites of Central Italy was also observed, 88% of validation samples being correctly classified; some minor crocins are responsible for such discrimination
Andrea Bacová
No full textAndrea Bacová focuses on research and teaching in the field of residential architecture. Her work includes systematic research on residential buildings and their urban context. She actively participates in promoting Slovak architecture and is the author of several publications and exhibitions
Odontogenic keratocyst: imaging features of a benign lesion with an aggressive behaviour
No full textAbstract The latest (4th) edition of the World Health Organization (WHO) Classification of Head and Neck Tumours, published in January 2017, has reclassified keratocystic odontogenic tumour as odontogenic keratocyst. Therefore, odontogenic keratocysts (OKCs) are now considered benign cysts of odontogenic origin that account for about 10% of all odontogenic cysts. OKCs arise from the dental lamina and are characterised by a cystic space containing desquamated keratin with a uniform lining of parakeratinised squamous epithelium. The reported age distribution of OKCs is considerably wide, with a peak of incidence in the third decade of life and a slight male predominance. OKCs originate in tooth-bearing regions and the mandible is more often affected than the maxilla. In the mandible, the most common location is the posterior sextant, the angle or the ramus. Conversely, the anterior sextant and the third molar region are the most common sites of origin in the maxilla. OKCs are characterised by an aggressive behaviour with a relatively high recurrence rate, particularly when OKCs are associated with syndromes. Multiple OKCs are typically associated with the nevoid basal cell carcinoma syndrome (NBCCS), an autosomal dominant multisystemic disease. Radiological imaging, mainly computed tomography (CT) and, in selected cases, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), plays an important role in the diagnosis and management of OKCs. Therefore, the main purpose of this pictorial review is to present the imaging appearance of OKCs underlining the specific findings of different imaging modalities and to provide key radiologic features helping the differential diagnoses from other cystic and neoplastic lesions of odontogenic origin. Key Points • Panoramic radiography is helpful in the preliminary assessment of OKCs. • CT is considered the tool of choice in the evaluation of OKCs. • MRI with DWI or DKI can help differentiate OKCs from other odontogenic lesions. • Ameloblastoma, dentigerous and radicular cysts should be considered in the differential diagnosis. • The presence of multiple OKCs is one of the major criteria for the diagnosis of NBCCS
Viewer-, Author-, and Ownership in the Work of Andrea Zittel
No full textAndrea Zittel invites others to collapse the distinctions between artist, viewer, and collaborator by interacting with her usable works. This thesis explores the process of interacting with Zittel\u27s works, and how it affects viewer-, author- and ownership
Clinical report of a parapharyngeal oncocytic carcinoma with parotid multinodular oncocytic hyperplasia
No full textTumors of the parapharyngeal space (PPS) account for only 0.5-1.5% of all head and neck neoplasms, but they represent both a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge. A 52-year-old man presented with a history of a right parotid nodule and a right parapharyngeal mass. At the fine-needle aspiration cytology the parotid nodule was compatible with a pleomorphic adenoma while no further investigations were performed for the parapharyngeal mass. The magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed a right prestyloid parapharyngeal tumor, and multiple nodules in the superficial lobe of the right parotid gland. The patient underwent a right superficial parotidectomy and parapharyngeal mass excision through a transparotid-trancervical approach. The histopathologic diagnosis of the parotid nodules was compatible with multinodular oncocytic hyperplasia (MNOH), while the parapharyngeal tumor was consistent with the diagnosis of oncocytic carcinoma associated with MNOH. Oncocytic carcinoma is a rare malignancy arising in the parapharyngeal space (PPS). An appropriate preoperative workup is crucial for a proper differential diagnosis
The Lettere of Andrea Calmo: authorial artifices and historical reality
No full textopenNonostante l’edizione di Vittorio Rossi del 1888, la raccolta di "ingegnosi cheribizzi" e di "fantastiche fantasie" di Andrea Calmo è ancora avvolta da un certo mistero. L’autore, dissimulando la propria identità dietro alla “maschera” dell’umile pescatore veneziano, è stato in grado di offrire uno spaccato della cultura e della società nella Venezia cinquecentesca.
In particolare, è il quarto libro delle Lettere ad aver suscitato maggiore interesse tra gli studiosi ed i lettori: pubblicato nel 1566, a diversi anni di distanza dai primi tre, questo libro si distingue per il fatto che tutte le epistole sono indirizzate a delle donne immaginarie o realmente esistite.
In questa sede si propone, in primo luogo, uno studio della biografia del Calmo accompagnata da un’analisi del contesto storico-culturale della Venezia cinquecentesca; in secondo luogo, invece, viene proposto un commento di alcune lettere dell’ultimo libro dell’opera calmiana, che cerchi di far luce principalmente sull’aspetto linguistico e contenutistico del testo.Despite Vittorio Rossi's 1888 edition, Andrea Calmo's collection of "ingegnosi cheribizzi" and "fantastiche fantasie" is still shrouded in a certain mystery. The author, dissimulating his own identity behind the "mask" of the humble Venetian fisherman, was able to offer a cross-section of culture and society in sixteenth-century Venice.
In particular, it is the fourth book of the Letters that has aroused greater interest among scholars and readers: published in 1566, several years after the first three, this book stands out for the fact that all the epistles are addressed to women imaginary or actually existed.
Here we propose, first of all, a study of Calmo's biography accompanied by an analysis of the historical-cultural context of sixteenth-century Venice; secondly, however, a commentary on some letters from the last book of Calmo's work is proposed, which seeks to shed light mainly on the linguistic and content aspect of the text
Trusted Tales: Creating Authenticity in Literary Representations from Ex-Yugoslavia
No full textThis research deals with questions of authority and authenticity and how they are expressed, constructed, and appropriated within the Anglophone book market. It considers the body of literature written about ex-Yugoslavia since the 1990s Balkan conflicts by exiled writers from the region which has entered the international literary canon. Books’ routes from original publishers into English translation are discussed through practices of trust, one of the crucial social devices underpinning their exchange. Within these cross-cultural processes, the role of cultural brokers is crucial. Symbolic and cultural resources are specifically mobilised through their powerful author brands.
By exploring authenticity in the context of book publishing, I further look at how ideas and practices of community are employed and negotiated by writers and those who promote their books. My field is multi-sited and fluid, reflecting how different individual and national positions are enacted and performed through strategies ranging from unconscious dispositions to deliberate intentions. This research thus brings together ideas of the author as an authentic, representative voice together with exile as a position that grants them a new lease of relevancy in the post-socialist context.
Although ex-Yugoslav books occupy a ‘high end’ niche of the UK market, constrained by commercial as well as political, cultural, and institutional forces, in public discourse ideas of the ‘free market’ and ‘free speech’ are mobilised to produce various types of modernisation narratives. The (post)socialist production of literature is perceived as having to ‘evolve’ into a capitalist model: this would allow not only healthy competition and consumer choice but guarantee an individual writer ‘free speech’ as a basic human right. Therefore, the most general question this research raises is what kind of foreign literature gets translated into English, under what socio-cultural conditions and which politics of representation it serves within the project of world literature
Circumferential pharyngeal reconstruction after total laryngopharyngectomy: a systematic review and network meta-analysis
No full textObjective: To compare the functional outcomes of different reconstructive techniques for circumferential pharyngeal reconstruction.
Methods: A comprehensive electronic search was performed on PubMed/MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar databases. Retrospective and prospective studies were included. Two independent reviewers extracted thirty-four studies after applying the eligibility criteria. An arm-based network analysis was conducted using a Bayesian hierarchical model. The main outcomes were pharyngo-cutaneous fistula (PCF) incidence, stenosis incidence and feeding tube dependence (FTD) incidence. Network estimates from outcome variables were presented as absolute risks, odds ratio [OR] with 95% credible intervals (CIs), and ranking probability.
Results: A total of 1357 patients were included for 5 different interventions (tubed pectoralis muscle myocutaneous flap, t-PMMCF; tubed anterolateral tight flap, t-ALTF; tubed radial forearm free flap, t-RFFF; free jejunal flap, FJF; U-shaped pectoralis muscle myocutaneous flap, u-PMMCF). FJF showed a 92.8% chance of ranking first in terms of pharyngo-cutaneous fistula prevention (absolute risk: 10%), while the highest PCF incidence (42%) was measured for t-PMMCF. u-PMMCF showed the lowest absolute risk (11%) of stenosis incidence (62.2% chance of ranking first). t-PMMCF (5%), FJF (8%), and u-PMMCF (8%) showed similar results in terms of feeding tube dependence, with a 53.2%, 23.1% and 18.9% chance of ranking first, respectively.
Conclusions: FJF seems to be the best reconstructive choice after total laryngo-pharyngectomy in terms of PCF, stenosis and FTD incidence. If this reconstructive method is not feasible, a u-PMMCF should be favored over tubed free and pedicled flaps. Further comparative studies are needed to confirm these results
Diffusion-weighted MRI for recurrent/persistent head and neck squamous-cell carcinoma after radiotherapy: systematic review and meta-analysis
No full textObjectiveTo evaluate the accuracy of diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DWI-MRI) in diagnosing persistent/recurrent head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCCs) after primary chemoradiotherapy (CRT).Data SourcesScopus, PubMed/MEDLINE, and Cochrane Library databases were searched for relevant publications until April 18, 2023.Review MethodsA systematic review and meta-analysis was performed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses of Diagnostic Test Accuracy statement. The search was conducted independently by 2 investigators. Methodological quality of included studies was assessed using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Studies-2 questionnaire. Extracted data were used to calculate the pooled DWI-MRI sensitivity, specificity, diagnostic odds ratio, and positive and negative likelihood ratio.ResultsA total of 618 patients from 10 studies were included for calculation of diagnostic accuracy parameters. At the level of the primary tumor, the pooled sensitivity and specificity were, respectively, 0.96 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.89-1.00) and 0.81 (95% CI: 0.54-0.98) in the case of qualitative analysis, and, respectively, 0.79 (95% CI: 0.66-0.89) and 0.88 (95% CI: 0.77-0.96) for quantitative analysis. At the level of the neck, the pooled sensitivity and specificity were, respectively, 0.87 (95% CI: 0.75-0.95) and 0.84 (95% CI: 0.74-0.93) when images were analyzed qualitatively, and 0.79 (95% CI: 0.60-0.94) and 0.90 (95% CI: 0.82-0.97) when analyzed quantitatively.ConclusionDWI-MRI showed high diagnostic accuracy and should be considered if persistent/recurrent HNSCCs is suspected after primary CRT. No significant differences were found between qualitative and quantitative imaging assessment
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