Biliary Atresia in an Infant Presenting With Kabuki Syndrome: An Autopsy Report and Review of the Literature.

Biliary atresia (BA) is an inflammatory obliterative cholangiopathy which is very common during neonatal and infancy period. We present an autopsy report of a BA in an infant suffering from a genetic syndrome.

A case of fatal embolization during laser lithotripsy.

PURPOSE: To report in literature the first case of fatal multi-organ embolization of ureteral stones fragments during laser lithotripsy. CASE PRESENTATION: A tetraplegic 43-year-old woman was admitted to the hospital to undergo laser lithotripsy because of bilateral ureteral stones and right ureteral infected stent. During the removal of the right ureteral stent, the patient developed a sudden severe bradycardia followed by a reduction in the arterial oxygen saturation. In spite of a rapid and intensive medical intervention, the clinical picture did not improve; the woman was therefore transferred to the nearest Emergency Room where she was rescued but a cardiocirculatory arrest occurred. A claim of alleged medical malpractice was brought against the urologists. A complete autopsy was performed 8 days after death. AUTOPSY FINDINGS: The diagnosis was determined by the microscopic findings: they have unequivocally shown a massive embolization of calculus fragments in the lungs and in the heart. In the light of all these findings, the cause of death was attributable to a disseminated intravascular coagulation due to this unforeseeable embolization of calcified amorphous material. CONCLUSION: Embolization of calculus fragments represents an important challenge because it is extremely unpredictable. Indeed, a prompt diagnosis of non-thrombotic pulmonary embolism, during the urologic procedure, is extremely difficult because the condition presents with no specific clinical signs: this life-threatening pathology is often underestimated. For this reason, the autopsy and the subsequent histopathological examination are indispensable in order to prove lethal embolization: microscopic findings play a key role in the final diagnosis of death.

Successful management plan of COVID-19 in a pediatric hemato-oncology department: a single-centre experience.

COVID-19 pandemic raised concern about management of patients with paediatric cancer. We present the operating system that the Hemato-Oncology Department of the Santobono-Pausilipon Hospital applied. We divided our department in three zones: surveillance and screening; quarantine and COVID free, in order to screen admitted patients and to reduce the risk of cross infection. From 3 April until 29 May 2020 (56 days), 662 patients and caregivers underwent rapid serological tests for a total of 1397 assays. No patient or parent with SARS-CoV2 infection was found, demonstrating the effectiveness of COVID-19 screening process.

Rewetting in Mediterranean reclaimed peaty soils and its potential for phyto-treatment use.

A pilot experimental field combining rewetting of reclaimed peaty soils and water phyto-treatment was set up in the Massaciuccoli Lake basin (Tuscany, Italy) to reduce the water eutrophication and peat degradation caused by almost a century of drainage-based agricultural use. In this paper, we investigated the restoration process occurring consequently to the conversion of a drained area in a natural wetland system (NWS) (the partial top soil removal, the realization of a perimeter levee to contain the waters, the rewetting with the drainage waters coming from the of surrounding cultivated areas) and the capability of the spontaneous vegetation to catch nutrients acting as a vegetation filter. To follow the restoration process over time (2012-2016), we used a mixed approach merging phytosociological surveys with ortophotos taken by an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). During the last year of observation (2016), we performed destructive sampling on the most widespread plant communities in the area (Phragmites australis and Myriophyllum aquaticum community) to quantify the biomass production and the uptake of nitrogen and phosphorus. Stands of Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. ex Steud. yielded more than Myriophyllum aquaticum (Vell.) Verdc. (4.94 kg m-2 vs 1.08 kg m-2). M. aquaticum showed higher nutrient contents (2.04% of N and 0.35% of P), however P. australis was able to take up more nutrients within the NWS because of its larger cover and productivity. In the perspective of maximizing the plant development and consequently the amount of nutrients extracted from treated waters, the authors suggest 4-5 year-long-harvesting turns, better occurring in spring-summer.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicle to Estimate Nitrogen Status of Turfgrasses.

Spectral reflectance data originating from Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) imagery is a valuable tool to monitor plant nutrition, reduce nitrogen (N) application to real needs, thus producing both economic and environmental benefits. The objectives of the trial were i) to compare the spectral reflectance of 3 turfgrasses acquired via UAV and by a ground-based instrument; ii) to test the sensitivity of the 2 data acquisition sources in detecting induced variation in N levels. N application gradients from 0 to 250 kg ha-1 were created on 3 different turfgrass species: Cynodon dactylon x transvaalensis (Cdxt) 'Patriot', Zoysia matrella (Zm) 'Zeon' and Paspalum vaginatum (Pv) 'Salam'. Proximity and remote-sensed reflectance measurements were acquired using a GreenSeeker handheld crop sensor and a UAV with onboard a multispectral sensor, to determine Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). Proximity-sensed NDVI is highly correlated with data acquired from UAV with r values ranging from 0.83 (Zm) to 0.97 (Cdxt). Relating NDVI-UAV with clippings N, the highest r is for Cdxt (0.95). The most reactive species to N fertilization is Cdxt with a clippings N% ranging from 1.2% to 4.1%. UAV imagery can adequately assess the N status of turfgrasses and its spatial variability within a species, so for large areas, such as golf courses, sod farms or race courses, UAV acquired data can optimize turf management. For relatively small green areas, a hand-held crop sensor can be a less expensive and more practical option.

Organically vs conventionally grown winter wheat: effects on grain yield, technological quality, and on phenolic composition and antioxidant properties of bran and refined flour.

Since organic food is widely assumed to have a better nutritional quality than conventional food, our aim was to study the effects of organic vs conventional cropping systems on yield and the phenolic composition of winter wheat cv. 'Bologna'. Although organic wheat yielded less than conventional wheat, mainly due to the nitrogen shortage, and its bread-making quality was lower, the cultivation system did not affect the total amounts of phenolics and phenolic acids. Of the eight phenolic acids identified, only ferulic acid was influenced by the cultivation system. Phenolic composition and quantity were significantly affected by the milling fraction (bran or white flour): phenolics were more concentrated in the bran, which showed the highest antioxidant power. Under the conditions adopted in this study, an organic cropping system can maintain or even increase the health properties of the wheat milled products, provided a reduction in grain yield is accepted.

Preliminary investigation on the potential use of two C4 turfgrass species to reduce nutrient release in a Mediterranean drained peatland.

This study compared dry matter production, nutrient uptake and tissue nutrient concentration of two C4 turfgrass species (Cynodon dactylon × Cynodon transvaalensis Burtt Davy and Paspalum vaginatum Swartz) supplied with three different nutrient solutions in a sand and peat culture. The 8-week experiment was performed in mesocosms and simulated the conditions of an open-field phyto-treatment system located in a Mediterranean drained peatland (Tuscany, Italy). Peat was collected on the site, and one of the solutions mimicked drainage water flowing into it. Three hypotheses were tested: (i) the species chosen efficiently removed nutrients from both the solution and the substrate; (ii) peat contributed to the nutrient load; and (iii) the species chosen were suitable in the open-field system. Both species adapted well to the experimental conditions and demonstrated considerable ability to remove nutrients. P. vaginatum took up nitrogen more efficiently, mainly in conditions of high nutrient availability. We observed supplementary nutrient uptake by plants in the peat treatment. Performances of the two C4 turfgrasses extrapolated to the field scale seemed effective from a phyto-treatment perspective.