7,136 research outputs found
Ophthalmic complications of spina bifida and hydrocephalus
No full textThis thesis represents an attempt to further our knowledge of the ophthalmic complications of spina bifida and hydrocephalus by means of literature review and a long term clinical study, and to determine whether regular ophthalmic supervision can assist in the general management of affected children. The ophthalmic complications of spina bifida have often been reported in the literature and thought to merit regular supervision of affected children, yet few centres currently offer this service. In this study 322 children attending one regional centre were examined repeatedly over a six year period by one ophthalmologist. Ophthalmic complications were found to be very common. They frequently provided evidence of raised intracranial pressure due to shunt dysfunction even when other objective evidence was lacking. Every spina bifida and hydrocephalus clinic should have an ophthalmalogist in its medical team. Preservation of visual function and early diagnosis of raised intracranial pressure in these children should result from this arrangement
Lifestyle in adults aged 35 years who were born with open spina bifida: prospective cohort study.
No full textBACKGROUND AND METHODS: From 1963 to 1971, 117 babies with open spina bifida were treated non-selectively from birth. In 2002 we reviewed all the survivors by postal questionnaire and telephone call. The aims were to find out how many were living independently in the community or were in open employment or drove a car. In addition to these achievements we recorded health, medication and admissions to hospital and asked how much daily help they needed.
RESULTS: Ascertainment was 100%. There had been 63 deaths, mainly of the most severely affected. The mean age of the 54 survivors was 35 years. The outcome in terms of disability ranged from apparent normality to total dependency. It reflected both the neurological deficit, which had been recorded in infancy in terms of sensory level, and events in the CSF shunt history. Overall about 2 in 5 of the survivors lived independently in the community, 2 in 5 drove a car, 1 in 5 was in competitive employment and 1 in 5 could walk 50 metres.
CONCLUSION: Although those who survived to age 35 years tended to be less disabled, 2 in 5 continued to need daily care
Transition into adult healthcare services in Scotland –findings from a study concerning service users at the Scottish Spina Bifida Association
No full textBackground and Aims Literature on interventions that enable young people with Spina Bifida and/or Hydrocephalus to have smooth transition, into adult healthcare services, stress the need for the process to start early and to include all family members. The study reported here was set to quantify and articulate the experiences of service users who are or due to be going through the transition process in Scotland today. Methods and ResultsFocus group sessions, in the North of Scotland and in the ‘Central Belt’, captured rich qualitative data. A survey, sent to eligible participants on the Spina Bifida National database, offered complimentary data source. Despite the fact that the number of returned questionnaires was low (n=20) data analysis identified a number of core recurring themes. These include issues concerning Communications, Respect, Choice and Control. Findings suggest that there is a significant chasm between the political rhetoric and the reality faced by young people with Spina Bifida moving to adult healthcare services.ConclusionA possible way to facilitate successful transition of young people is using personal healthcare information as the locus for needed change. More research is needed to ascertain whether a ‘Person Centred Record’, which is set to empower young people on their transition pathway, is an appropriate transition tool. <br/
Spina e la ceramica greca: alcune considerazioni
No full textIl contributo affronta il tema dell'importazione di ceramiche greche nella città di Spina
Abnormal skull findings in neural tube defects
No full textThe human neural tube develops and closes during the third and fourth week after conception and is normally completed by 28 days post-conception. Malformations, knows as neural tube defects, occure, when the normal closure process fails. Several clinical types of neural tube defects are recognized, anencefaly and spina bifida being the most common. Such malformations are generally associated with cranial abnormlities
Continence advice by telehealth for young people
No full textChildren and young people operate in an advanced technological world where new, exciting opportunities exist for remote interactions. To engage with these service users, we set up a nurse-led telehealth facility that enabled young people with spina bifida to access specialist continence service from home. This article describes efforts to embed this innovation into practice and offer insight to some of the challenges we faced in the process. It offers practical guidance on setting up similar services.</p
Voci di esperienze vissute
No full textQuali sono le motivazioni profonde che spingono un marito, un amante, un compagno, una fidanzata a trasformarsi in stalker? E perché la vittima alle prime avvisaglie di aggressività non allontana da sé la persona che la minaccia ma gli resta accanto negando l’evidenza dei fatti? Cosa si fa per incoraggiare la vittima a rompere il silenzio e a denunciare l’abuso? Partendo da questi cruciali interrogativi il testo intende contribuire all’individuazione e analisi dei fattori che principalmente motivano la violenza, focalizzando la relazione triadica molestia–vittima–paura, il quadro di personalità e gli aspetti comportamentali di ciascun membro della coppia stalker–vittima che caratterizzano il fenomeno stalking. In particolare, la disamina della normativa in previsione del delitto di “Atti persecutori” integra e definisce più precisamente i reali bisogni della vittima e l’atteggiamento ossessivo dello stalker, affrontando la fattispecie di reato prevista dall’art. 612-bis c.p., e, segnatamente, le esigenze di tutela sociale che hanno portato alla sua introduzione, la struttura del reato attraverso un’analisi dell’autore di condotte criminose e degli eventi necessari per la integrazione del delitto, la giurisprudenza in materia, le misure adottabili contro l’autore del reato e le misure a sostegno delle vittime, con evidenziazione delle relative criticità
Humanization of porcine pulmonary valvulated conduits after decellularization and repopulation with human endothelial cells
No full textIntroduction. In heart valve surgical replacement, the most suitable hemodynamic properties and mechanical performances depend on the preservation of cusp anatomical shape and stromal structure. In addition, post-operatory valve calcification can be avoided only after removing all native cells from bioprostheses. Previously, complete cell extraction was achieved from porcine valve leaflets with concurrent preservation of their extracellular matrix (ECM) (1). These acellular scaffolds allowed "in vitro" repopulation with homologous valve interstitial cells, which also re-differentiated into all four cell phenotypes existing in heart valves (2). Methods. Porcine pulmonary valvulated segments (PVCs) were decellularized using combined non -denaturating neutral detergents Triton X-100 and Cholate, followed by Benzonase® digestion. Acellular PVCs were (i) orthotopically implanted in recipient pigs for 1-2 months, or (ii) "in vitro" seeded with endothelial cells derived from human umbilical cord (HUVEC), and incubated for 1-2 weeks. Histological and TEM-SEM ultrastructural analysis was performed, also after histochemical reactions for glycosaminoglycan (GAG) localization and laminin immuno-localization. Results. The treated PVCs exhibited complete cell remotion, good ECM preservation and surface reactivity for laminin. (i) After 2-month implantation, "in vivo" cell colonization spontaneously occurred by two distinct cell populations: endothelial-like cells, adhering to PVC luminal areas, and mesenchimal-like cells, migrating through PVC interstitium. (ii) After cell seeding and 1-week incubation, monolayers of human endothelial cells completely covered PVC luminal surfaces. Cell adhesion to the retained basal "lamina" and cell junction formation were also observed. In addition, valve interstitium was enriched by newly secreted GAGs at the subendothelial aspects. After cell seeding and 2-week incubation, micropinocytotic activity by endothelium and increased GAG-reactivity were observed. Conclusions. The decellularized PVCs are propensive for both (i) "in vivo" homologous cell repopulation, and (ii) "in vitro" heterologous endothelization with HUVEC. In addition, PVC stroma acquired more and more hybrid character because human-endothelium-generated GAGs were added to the native ECM macromolecules retained within the treated porcine PVCs. Thus these engineered PVCs appear as promising autologous-like, glutaraldehyde-free, and anti-thrombogenic bioprostheses. 1. Spina M., Ortolani F., El Messlemani A., Gandaglia A., Bujan J., Garcia-Honduvilla N., Vesely I., Gerosa G., Casarotto D., Petrelli L., Marchini M.: Isolation of intact aortic valve scaffolds for heart valve bioprostheses: extracellular matrix structure, prevention from calcification and cell repopulation features. J. Biomed. Mater. Res., 67, 1338-1350, 2003. 2. Bertipaglia B., Ortolani F., Petrelli L., Gerosa G., Spina M.,, Pauletto P., Casarotto D., Marchini M., Sartore S.: Cell characterization of porcine aortic valve and decellularized leaflets repopulated with aortic valve interstitial cells. Ann. Thorac. Surg., 75, 1274-1282, 2003
La domanda di senso nella società contemporanea in La Spina, Argiroffi, Lo Verde (a cura di), Post-moderno e soggettività ..., pp. 15-27
No full textThe chapter briefly analyses the demand of meaning in contemporary societies, with regard to the process of sense-construction in pre-modern, modern and so-called post-modern societies. According to the author, the theorization of post-modernism is incomplete and exaggerates the distance from modernity
Did Hippocrates know spina bifida?
No full textThe historical medical reviews concerning the clinical detection, aetiopathogenesis, and symptoms of spina bifida rather hastily cite a passage of the Hippocratic treatise On Glands that seems to describe this condition in detail [ [1] ]. The work, that some consider pseudo-Hippocratic, dates back to the Hellenistic age; others place it between the end of the fifth and the beginning of the fourth century BCE. It proposes a description of the main glands of the body from an anatomical, physiological, and pathological point of view. The author gives the glands the function of absorbing an excess of fluids thus regulating the balance of humors
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