Smart Coatings Prepared via MAPLE Deposition of Polymer Nanocapsules for Light-Induced Release.

Herein, smart coatings based on photo-responsive polymer nanocapsules (NC) and deposited by laser evaporation are presented. These systems combine remotely controllable release and high encapsulation efficiency of nanoparticles with the easy handling and safety of macroscopic substrates. In particular, azobenzene-based NC loaded with active molecules (thyme oil and coumarin 6) were deposited through Matrix-Assisted Pulsed Laser Evaporation (MAPLE) on flat inorganic (KBr) and organic (polyethylene, PE) and 3D (acrylate-based micro-needle array) substrates. SEM analyses highlighted the versatility and performance of MAPLE in the fabrication of the designed smart coatings. DLS analyses, performed on both MAPLE- and drop casting-deposited NC, demonstrated the remarkable adhesion achieved with MAPLE. Finally, thyme oil and coumarin 6 release experiments further demonstrated that MAPLE is a promising technique for the realization of photo-responsive coatings on various substrates.

Drainage of a petrous apex cholesterol granuloma through an infracochlear approach.

The current video presents the surgical management of a cholesterol granuloma of the anterior petrous apex, through the infracochlear approach. The video contains patient's medical history, pre-operative radiological evaluation, surgical approach to the lesion and radiological follow up. Surgery was conducted by an otology and skull base team in a tertiary referral center. The patient is a 49-years-old male, who was referred to our center for a four months history of right tinnitus and fullness. The clinical evaluation was unremarkable and the audiometric testing showed a right sensorineural hearing loss with normal contralateral hearing. A high-resolution CT-scan of the temporal bone was performed showing a lesion occupying the right petrous apex and eroding the cochlea. In a subsequent MRI scan, the lesion appeared hyperintense in both T1- and T2-weighted images. Those radiological features prompted us to the diagnosis of a cholesterol granuloma, and the selected treatment was a drainage via infracochlear approach. The infracochlear approach, firstly described by Giddings et al. [1] in 1991, represents a direct route to the petrous apex, that can be chosen in selected cases with favorable anatomical conditions and that allows respecting of the hearing mechanism. After surgical drainage of the granuloma, no worsening of the pure tone threshold was confirmed by the audiological evaluation. The hospital stay was uneventful and the patient was discharge one day postoperatively. One-year postoperative MRI scan showed signal reduction of the cholesterol granuloma.

Upper critical magnetic field in NbRe and NbReN micrometric strips.

Non-centrosymmetric superconductors have recently received significant interest due to their intriguing physical properties such as multigap and nodal superconductivity, helical vortex states, as well as non-trivial topological effects. Moreover, large values of the upper critical magnetic field have been reported in these materials. Here, we focus on the study of the temperature dependence of the perpendicular magnetic field of NbRe and NbReN films patterned in micrometric strips. The experimental data are studied within the Werthamer-Helfand-Hohenberg theory, which considers both orbital and Zeeman pair breaking. The analysis of the results shows different behavior for the two materials with a Pauli contribution relevant only in the case of NbReN.

Coating of Flexible PDMS Substrates through Matrix-Assisted Pulsed Laser Evaporation (MAPLE) with a New-Concept Biocompatible Graphenic Material.

In this study, matrix-assisted pulsed laser evaporation (MAPLE) was used to deposit graphene-like materials (GL), a new class of biocompatible graphene-related materials (GRMs) obtained from a controlled top-down demolition of a carbon black, on silicone slices to test their potential use as functional coating on invasive medical devices as indwelling urinary catheters. Results indicate that the relevant chemical-physical features of the deposit (controlled by FTIR and AFM) were maintained after MAPLE deposition. After deposition, GL films underwent a biological survey toward target cellular lines (murine fibroblast NIH3T3, human keratinocytes HaCAT and the human cervical adenocarcinoma epithelial-like HeLa). Results indicate that the GL films did not lead to any perturbations in the different biological parameters evaluated. The presented results and the possibility to further functionalize the GL or combine them with other functional materials in a hybrid fashion to assure a tighter adhesion onto the substrate for use in harsh conditions open the door to practical applications of these new-concept medical devices (drug delivery, next generation flexible devices, multifunctional coatings) paving the way to the prevention of nosocomial infections driven by catheterization through antibiotics-free approaches.

High-Quality Ferromagnetic Josephson Junctions Based on Aluminum Electrodes.

Aluminum Josephson junctions are the building blocks for the realization of superconducting quantum bits. Attention has been also paid to hybrid ferromagnetic Josephson junctions, which allow switching between different magnetic states, making them interesting for applications such as cryogenic memories, single-photon detectors, and spintronics. In this paper, we report on the fabrication and characterization of high-quality ferromagnetic Josephson junctions based on aluminum technology. We employed an innovative fabrication process inspired by niobium-based technology, allowing us to obtain very high-quality hybrid aluminum Josephson junctions; thus, supporting the use of ferromagnetic Josephson junctions in advanced quantum circuits. The fabrication process is described in detail and the main DC transport properties at low temperatures (current-voltage characteristic, critical current as a function of the temperature, and the external magnetic field) are reported. Here, we illustrate in detail the fabrication process, as well as the main DC transport properties at low temperatures (current-voltage characteristic, critical current as a function of the temperature, and the external magnetic field).

SARS-CoV-2 Gamma and Delta Variants of Concern Might Undermine Neutralizing Activity Generated in Response to BNT162b2 mRNA Vaccination.

The Delta variant raised concern regarding its ability to evade SARS-CoV-2 vaccines. We evaluated a serum neutralizing response of 172 Italian healthcare workers, three months after complete Comirnaty (BNT162b2 mRNA, BioNTech-Pfizer) vaccination, testing their sera against viral isolates of Alpha, Gamma and Delta variants, including 36 subjects with a previous SARS-CoV-2 infection. We assessed whether IgG anti-spike TRIM levels and serum neutralizing activity by seroneutralization assay were associated. Concerning Gamma variant, a two-fold reduction in neutralizing titres compared to the Alpha variant was observed, while a four-fold reduction of Delta virus compared to Alpha was found. A gender difference was observed in neutralizing titres only for the Gamma variant. The serum samples of 36 previously infected SARS-CoV-2 individuals neutralized Alpha, Gamma and Delta variants, demonstrating respectively a nearly three-fold and a five-fold reduction in neutralizing titres compared to Alpha variant. IgG anti-spike TRIM levels were positively correlated with serum neutralizing titres against the three variants. The Comirnaty vaccine provides sustained neutralizing antibody activity towards the Alpha variant, but it is less effective against Gamma and even less against Delta variants.

Bedside Surgical Tracheostomy in the Intensive Care Unit during Covid-19 Pandemic.

OBJECTIVES: To describe Otolaryngologists' perspective in managing COVID-19 patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) requiring tracheostomy in the ICUs during the pandemic peak in a dramatic scenario with limited resources. SETTING: Tertiary referral university hospital, regional hub in northern Italy during SARS CoV 2 pandemic peak (March 9th to April 10th, 2020). METHODS: Technical description of open bedside tracheostomies performed in ICUs on COVID-19 patients during pandemic peak with particular focus on resource allocation and healthcare professionals coordination. A dedicated "airway team" was created in order to avoid transportation of critically ill patients and reduce facility contamination. RESULTS: During the COVID-19 pandemic, bedside minimally invasive tracheostomy in the ICU was selected by the Authors over conventional surgical technique or percutaneous procedures for both technical and operational reasons. Otolaryngologists' experience derived from direct involvement in 24 tracheostomies is reported. CONCLUSIONS: Tracheostomies on COVID-19 patients should be performed in a safe and standardized setting. The limited resources available in the pandemic peak required meticulous organization and optimal allocation of the resources to grant safety of both patients and healthcare workers.

Mastoid Dermoid Cyst.

A case of mastoid dermoid cyst (DC) was presented, and differences with cases of other temporal bone DCs were analyzed. The mastoid DC was also compared with mastoid congenital cholesteatoma. We reported a case of a patient with mastoid DC, evaluating her clinical, radiological, and surgical findings. A review of the literature was performed to compare our findings with those reported. The preoperative radiological evaluation prompted us to plan a surgical approach to the lesion, suspecting the presence of a mastoid congenital cholesteatoma. The surgical findings were in line with the presence of a mastoid DC. Only two cases reported in the literature presented features that fulfilled the criteria of a true mastoid DC. A DC confined to the mastoid region is an extremely rare clinical entity, with asymptomatic and slow growth. Preoperative radiological differentiation between congenital cholesteatoma and DCs with atypical features can be difficult. However, surgical excision is the treatment of choice in both cases. Diagnosis is confirmed by the histological evaluation.

Bonebridge implantation for mixed hearing loss in a patient with Kabuki syndrome.

The high prevalence of middle ear disease with related hearing loss in Kabuki syndrome requires the diagnostic and treatment expertise of otologists. This case report describes outcomes and changes in the quality of life of a patient affected by Kabuki syndrome with a history of recalcitrant chronic otitis media and mixed hearing loss who had undergone several unsuccessful surgical procedures before solving his problems by means of subtotal petrosectomy and active middle ear implant.

Matrix-assisted pulsed laser evaporation of ß-glucosidase from a dopa/quinone target.

ß-glucosidase (BG) plays a key role in determining the efficiency of the enzymatic complex cellulase for the degradation of cellulose into sugars. It hydrolyses the cellobiose, an inhibitor of the enzymatic complex. Therefore, the immobilization of BG is a great challenge for the industrial application of cellulases. Cellulases usually contains a BG amount insufficient to avoid inhibition by cellobiose. Here the BG was immobilized by matrix assisted pulsed laser evaporation (MAPLE) technique. The frozen matrix was composed of water, water/m-DOPA and water/m-DOPA/quinone. The effect of the excipients on the final conformation of the enzyme after the MAPLE processing was determined. The enzyme secondary structure was studied by FTIR analysis. The catalytic performances of the deposited films were tested in the cellobiose hydrolysis reaction. The results demonstrate that the presence of the oxidized form of m-DOPA, the O-quinone form, can protect the protein native structure, with the laser inducing little or no damage. In fact, only the samples deposited from this target preserved the secondary structure of the polypeptide chain and allowed a complete hydrolysis of cellobiose for four consecutive runs, showing a high operational stability of the biocatalyst.

Prevalence, clinical features and avoidability of adverse drug reactions as cause of admission to a geriatric unit: a prospective study of 1756 patients.

BACKGROUND: Drug use increases with advancing age, and in older patients it is associated with an increase in adverse drug reactions (ADRs). ADRs are a primary cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the prevalence, clinical characteristics and avoidability of ADR-related hospital admissions in elderly patients. METHODS: From November 2004 to December 2005, all patients aged >or=65 years consecutively admitted to the Geriatric Unit of the Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza Hospital, San Giovanni Rotondo in Italy, were evaluated for enrolment in the study. ADRs were defined according to the WHO Adverse Reaction Terminology system. Drugs were classified according to Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical classification system. The Naranjo algorithm was used to evaluate the relationship between drug use and the ADR (definite, probable, possible or doubtful) and Hallas criteria were used to evaluate the avoidability of the ADR (definitely avoidable, possibly avoidable or unavoidable). All cases of a suspected ADR were discussed by a team trained in drug safety, including three geriatricians, one clinical pharmacologist and one pharmacist. Only cases of an ADR with an agreement >or=80% were included. RESULTS: Of the 1756 patients observed, 102 (5.8%, 42 males, 60 females, mean age 76.5 +/- 7.4 years, range 65-93 years) showed certain (6.8%) or probable (91.2%) ADR-related hospitalization. Gastrointestinal disorders (48 patients, 47.1%); platelet, bleeding and clotting disorders (20 patients, 19.6%); and cardiovascular disorders (13 patients, 12.7%) were the most frequent ADRs. NSAIDs (23.5%), oral anticoagulants (20.6%), low-dose aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) [13.7%] and digoxin (12.7%) were the drugs most frequently involved in ADRs. Of the ADRs, 45.1% were defined as definitely avoidable, 31.4% as possibly avoidable, 18.6% as unavoidable and 4.9% as unclassifiable. Of 78 patients with definitely or possibly avoidable ADRs, 17 patients (21.8%) had received an inappropriate prescription, 29 patients (37.2%) had not received a prescription for an effective gastroprotective drug concomitantly with NSAID or low-dose aspirin treatment and 32 patients (41%) were not monitored during drug treatment. CONCLUSION: In the elderly, almost 6% of hospitalizations are ADR related. Most of these ADRs are potentially avoidable. Strategies that reduce inappropriate prescriptions and monitoring errors, as well as improving active prevention of ADRs, are needed in elderly subjects.

Synthesis and characterization of electrically conductive polyethylene-supported graphene films.

We describe a simple mechanical approach for low-density polyethylene film coating by multilayer graphene. The technique is based on the exfoliation of nanocrystalline graphite (few-layer graphene) by application of shear stress and allows to obtain thin graphene layers on the plastic substrate. We report on the temperature dependence of electrical resistance behaviors in films of different thickness. The experimental results suggest that the semiconducting behavior observed at low temperature can be described in the framework of the Efros-Shklovskii variable-range-hopping model. The obtained films exhibit good electrical conductivity and transparency in the visible spectral region. PACS: 72.80.Vp; 78.67.Wj; 78.66.Qn; 85.40.Hp.