Characterization and nutritional valorization of agricultural waste corncobs from Italian maize landraces through the growth of medicinal mushrooms.

The research investigates the potential use of maize cobs (or corncobs) from five genotypes, including the B73 inbred line and four locally cultivated landraces from Northern Italy, as substrate for implementing Solid State fermentation processes with four Medicinal Mushrooms (MMs). The corncobs were characterized based on their proximate composition, lignin, phenolics content (both free and bound), and total antioxidant capacity. Among the MMs tested, Pleurotus ostreatus and Ganoderma annularis demonstrated the most robust performance. Their growth was parametrized using Image Analysis technique, and chemical composition of culture samples was characterized compared to that of corncobs alone. In all culture samples, the growth of MMs led to a significant reduction (averaging 40%) in the total phenolics contents compared to that measured in corncobs alone. However, the high content of free phenolics in the cobs negatively impacted the growth of P. ostreatus. The final MM-corncob matrix exhibited reduced levels of free sugars and starch (≤ 2.2% DW, as a sum) and increased levels of proteins (up to 5.9% DW) and soluble dietary fiber (up to 5.0% DW), with a notable trend toward higher levels of ß-glucan compared to corncobs alone. This research paves the way for the use of this matrix as an active ingredient to enhance the nutritional value of food preparations.

Focusing of High-Brightness Electron Beams with Active-Plasma Lenses.

Plasma-based technology promises a tremendous reduction in size of accelerators used for research, medical, and industrial applications, making it possible to develop tabletop machines accessible for a broader scientific community. By overcoming current limits of conventional accelerators and pushing particles to larger and larger energies, the availability of strong and tunable focusing optics is mandatory also because plasma-accelerated beams usually have large angular divergences. In this regard, active-plasma lenses represent a compact and affordable tool to generate radially symmetric magnetic fields several orders of magnitude larger than conventional quadrupoles and solenoids. However, it has been recently proved that the focusing can be highly nonlinear and induce a dramatic emittance growth. Here, we present experimental results showing how these nonlinearities can be minimized and lensing improved. These achievements represent a major breakthrough toward the miniaturization of next-generation focusing devices.

A new H2 (+) source: Conceptual study and experimental test of an upgraded version of the VIS-Versatile ion source.

The versatile ion source is an off-resonance microwave discharge ion source which produces a slightly overdense plasma at 2.45 GHz of pumping wave frequency extracting more than 60 mA proton beams and 50 mA He(+) beams. DAEδALUS and IsoDAR experiments require high intensities for H2 (+) beams to be accelerated by high power cyclotrons for neutrinos generation. In order to fulfill the new requirements, a new plasma chamber and injection system has been designed and manufactured for increasing the H2 (+) beam intensity. In this paper the studies for the increasing of the H2 (+)/p ratio and for the design of the new plasma chamber and injection system will be shown and discussed together with the experimental tests carried out at Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare-Laboratori Nazionali del Sud (INFN-LNS) and at Best Cyclotron Systems test-bench in Vancouver, Canada.

Blunt splenic injury: authors' experience and comparison to literature.

AIM: Splenic injuries, like other blunt traumatic injuries, are very frequent, especially in case of traffic accident. The purpose of this study was to present the authors' experience of blunt splenic trauma and to compare it with the studies described in literature. METHODS: Over a 5-year period 512 injured patients were admitted to the trauma center, 57 of whom presented splenic injuries, and they were retrospectively analyzed. Data review included demographic information, trauma mechanism, admitting hemodinamic parameters, Injury Severity Score. The patients were classified in two groups, one composed by immediate operated injured because their initially hemodinamic instability (27 patients) and another where patients underwent planned nonoperative management (29 patients), which included strict bed rest, frequent physical examinations, serial hematocrits and repeated diagnostic images. The patients were compared to find which factors influence the choice of surgical treatment. RESULTS: There are statistically significant differences between the groups, concerning admitting hemodinamic parameters, as blood pressure and pulse rate, and the grade of anatomic splenic injury. Four patients failed nonsurgical management and required a splenectomy, because during the third day they suddenly presented clinical deterioration. CONCLUSIONS: Comparing these results with literature the authors try to improve spleen preserving program avoiding surgery when possible and using for example splenic embolization.

[Crush syndrome]. / Sindrome da schiacciamento.

Crush injuries and crush syndrome are common after natural (e.g. earthquake, land-slide, tornadoes, tsunami) or man-made catastrophes (e.g. wars, terrorist attacks), in fact the history of this disease is well reported both in earthquake rescue reviews and in military literature. However, there are instances due to conventional causes, such as building collapses, road traffic accident, accident at work or altered level of consciousness after stroke or drug overdose. These situations of ''big or small'' catastrophes can occur at any time and anywhere, for this reason every clinician should be prepared to address issues of crush syndrome quickly and aggressively. The treatment has to manage and to predict clinical conditions before they present themselves. In particular, acute renal failure is one of the few life-threatening complications that can be reversed. This article reviews the various evidences and summarizes the treatment strategies available. Fundamental targets in crush syndrome management are early aggressive hydration, urine alkalinization and, when possible, forced diuresis. Since electrolyte imbalance may be fatal due to arrhythmias secondary to hyperkalemia (especially associated with hypocalcemia), it's necessary to correct these abnormalities using insulin-glucose solution and/or potassium binders, and if nevertheless serum potassium levels remain high this serious disease will necessitate dialysis, which is often a vital procedure.

[Valuation on prognostic factors about secondary acute peritonitis: review of 255 cases]. / Considerazioni sui fattori prognostici della peritonite acuta secondaria su di una revisione di 255 casi.

Despite advances in diagnosis, surgical treatment, antimicrobial therapy and intensive care support, severe secondary peritonitis remains a potentially fatal affliction. The purpose of this study is to present our experience of postoperative mortality in 255 patients with secondary acute peritonitis between 1998 to 2002. The Mannhein Peritonitis Index score (MPI) was calculated for each patient to predict the peritonitis related in-hospital death. Both literature reviews and our results show a strong correlation between some etiopathogenetic elements (age, origin of sepsis, organ failure, ...) and prognosis. Our patients were classified in three groups according to MPI, one with a score less than 21, another with a score between 21 and 29 and the third one with a score greater than 29. There was no mortality in the first group and there was significantly less mortality in the second group than the third one (P<0.001). While prognosis is influenced by many factors, the intervention time was the same, greater than 24 hours, for all the patients regardless of MPI score. This study suggests that intervention time may be considered the main determinant of mortality in patients with peritonitis. This observation is especially relevant since intervention time is a modifiable prognostic factor whilst many other factors are not.

Familial dilated cardiomyopathy: a transverse and longitudinal clinical and echocardiographic study.

The familial occurrence of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is well known; familial dilated cardiomyopathy has so far received less attention. Ten families with two or more members affected by dilated cardiomyopathy were studied by echocardiography. In 3 out of 10 families, a transverse study extended to even apparently healthy subjects was carried out, which included a total of 45 subjects. In 19 out of the 45, dilated cardiomyopathy (either symptomatic or asymptomatic) was diagnosed at echocardiography. Three more relatives, already dead of the disease, were identified through hospital records. A clinical and echocardiographic longitudinal study, lasting up to 11 years, was carried out in 5 of the 10 families. During the follow-up, 8 out of 19 patients who, at first examination were affected by dilated cardiomyopathy, died, one improved, 3 remained in stable condition and 7 were lost at follow-up. One of two patients who presented echocardiographic findings suggestive of border-line dilated cardiomyopathy returned to normality and the other developed dilated cardiomyopathy. The clinical and echocardiographic findings in our patients, and in their relatives, suggest the possibility that idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy may be a multifactorial disease in which genetic factors might play a variable role.

[Diagnostic and prognostic problems of acute necrotizing herpetic encephalitis]. / Sui problemi diagnostici e prognostici della encefalite necrotizzante acuta herpetica.

The AA, study the case of patient presenting three relapses of severe herpetic encephalitic. These episodes were studied by TAC, RNM and EEG. The diagnostic and prognostic role of these examinations are stressed in discussion.

[Leukoencephalopathy in the elderly. Binswanger disease?]. / La leucoencefalopatia dei soggetti anziani. Malattia di Binswanger?

100 patients with cerebro-vascular disease, characterized by an acute episode, were explored by TC to examine the etiopathogenesis of cerebral damage of the periventricular white substance, correlated with Binswanger disease. Only 7 patients showed typical bilateral lesions of the periventricular white substance. All these patients, except for one, were over seventy. The same percentage was verified in patients more than 70 years old without cerebral vascular disease. In our series the only patient with mental impairment showed very serious lesions of the periventricular white substance.

[Various diagnostic problems in CAT in cerebral vascular lesions]. / Su alcuni problemi diagnostici della TAC nelle lesioni vascolari cerebrali.

Findings TAC are shown in some cases of vascular cerebral lesions. It is emphasized the patognomonic value in the cerebral hemorrhagy. In the cerebral hischemy TAC findings mass correlate for any case to neurologic, angiographic, Doppler findings. It is emphasized the evolution of the sintomatology. Then, it is shown the transitory fenomen of "fogging" who cause the TAC false negative findings.

[Transitory protracted blindness in hemicrania as a result of vasospasm caused by vertebral angiography]. / Cecità di lunga durata transitoria in emicrania da vasospasmo scatenato dall'angiografia vertebrale.

The arteriographic findings are described in a patient with classic migraine, who developed transitory neurologic complications, during vertebral arteriography by femoral cateterism. Serial films were taken during "comitata" migraine attack and show a progressive decrease in filling of the vertebral-basilar system and partial stenosis of vertebral artery.

[Complications of idiopathic chronic colitis]. / Le complicanze delle coliti croniche idiopatiche.

The Authors reviews the acute and chronic complications of chronic idiopathic colitis in a series of 112 cases of his own observation. He discusses perforation, toxic megacolon and massive hemorrhage in terms of their pathogenesis, diagnostic procedures and incidence in the course of ulcerative colorectitis (Crohn's disease). He deals to some length with surgical indications and the choice of operation, both being the subject of considerable controversy, and he outlines his own views in the matter. Among chronic local complications he lists benign stenosis, pseudopolyposis, and fistulization; all of which, unlike neoplastic complications, seldom require surgery.