• Title/Summary/Keyword: Florence

Search Result 119, Processing Time 0.022 seconds

Through-and-through Nasal Reconstruction with the Bi-Pedicled Forehead Flap

  • Agostini, Tommaso;Perello, Raffaella;Russo, Giulia Lo;Spinelli, Giuseppe
    • Archives of Plastic Surgery
    • /
    • v.40 no.6
    • /
    • pp.748-753
    • /
    • 2013
  • Background Nasal reconstruction is one of the most difficult challenges for the head and neck surgeon, especially in the case of complex full thickness defects following malignant skin tumor resection. Full-thickness defects require demanding multi-step reconstruction. Methods Seven patients underwent surgical reconstruction of full-thickness nasal defects with a bi-pedicled forehead flap shaped appropriately to the defect. Patients were aged between 58 and 86 years, with a mean age of 63.4 years. All of the tumors were excised using traditional surgery, and in 4 of the patients, reconstruction was performed simultaneously following negativity of fresh frozen sections of the margins under general anesthesia. Results Nasal reconstruction was well accepted by all of the patients suffering non-melanoma skin tumors with acceptable cosmetic outcomes. The heart-shaped forehead flap was harvested in cases of subtotal involvement of the nasal pyramid, while smaller defects were reconstructed with a wing-shaped flap. No cartilaginous or osseous support was necessary. Conclusions This bi-pedicled forehead flap was a valid, versatile, and easy-to-implement alternative to microsurgery or multi-step reconstruction. The flap is the best indication for full-thickness nasal defects but can also be indicated for other complex facial defects in the orbital (exenteratio orbitae), zygomatic, and cheek area, for which the availability of a flap equipped with two thick and hairless lobes can be a valuable resource.

Asia and Europe: So Distant So Close? The Case of Lipoptena fortisetosa in Italy

  • Andreani, Annalisa;Giangaspero, Annunziata;Marangi, Marianna;Barlaam, Alessandra;Ponzetta, Maria Paola;Roy, Lise;Belcari, Antonio;Sacchetti, Patrizia
    • Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
    • /
    • v.58 no.6
    • /
    • pp.661-668
    • /
    • 2020
  • In Europe, 5 Lipoptena species have been recorded, including Lipoptena fortisetosa. This species, native to Asian countries, was described as a parasite of sika deer and its appearance in Europe dates back to more than 50 years ago. Lipoptena fortisetosa has been recently reported in Italy, sharing its hosts with Lipoptena cervi. A morpho-molecular approach was developed to determine the phylogenetic interrelationship of Italian and Asian CO1 haplotypes sequenced from Lipoptena fly individuals collected in Italy, and their DNA sequences were compared with conspecifics available in GenBank; morphological key-characters (terminalia) of L. fortisetosa were compared with the original description. Two haplotypes were recorded from Italy and assigned to L. cervi and L. fortisetosa, respectively. The latter was part of the monophyletic clade L. fortisetosa, along with 2 Central European and 2 Korean haplotypes (100% identical to one of the Korean haplotypes); moreover, Italian L. fortisetosa female terminalia were consistent with the original description of Asian individuals. Pending more in-depth investigations, this study provides a first answer to the hypothesis of the recent colonization of Italy by L. fortisetosa from Asia as we did not detect any obvious and stable morphological and molecular differences in specimens from the 2 geographical areas. The presence of the sika deer in Europe was retraced and the possible route traveled by the parasite from Asia and the eco-biological factors that may have enhanced its settlement are discussed.

Torsional effects due to concrete strength variability in existing buildings

  • De Stefano, M.;Tanganelli, M.;Viti, S.
    • Earthquakes and Structures
    • /
    • v.8 no.2
    • /
    • pp.379-399
    • /
    • 2015
  • Existing building structures can easily present material mechanical properties which can largely vary even within a single structure. The current European Technical Code, Eurocode 8, does not provide specific instructions to account for high variability in mechanical properties. As a consequence of the high strength variability, at the occurrence of seismic events, the structure may evidence unexpected phenomena, like torsional effects, with larger experienced deformations and, in turn, with reduced seismic performance. This work is focused on the torsional effects related to the irregular stiffness and strength distribution due to the concrete strength variability. The analysis has been performed on a case-study, i.e., a 3D RC framed 4 storey building. A Normal distribution, compatible to a large available database, has been taken to represent the concrete strength domain. Different plan layouts, representative of realistic stiffness distributions, have been considered, and a statistical analysis has been performed on the induced torsional effects. The obtained results have been compared to the standard analysis as provided by Eurocode 8 for existing buildings, showing that the Eurocode 8 provisions, despite not allowing explicitly for material strength variability, are conservative as regards the estimation of structural demand.

Discussing Sexuality with Cancer Patients: Oncology Nurses Attitudes and Views

  • Oskay, Umran;Can, Gulbeyaz;Basgol, Sukran
    • Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
    • /
    • v.15 no.17
    • /
    • pp.7321-7326
    • /
    • 2014
  • Background: Sexual health and function frequently are overlooked by healthcare professionals despite being identified as an essential aspect of patient care. Patients with cancer have identified sexuality issues as being of equal importance to other quality-of-life issues. Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the views and attitudes of oncology nurses caring for cancer patients regarding sexual counseling. Participants and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on the web site of the Turkish Oncology Nurses Association. With the participation of 87 nurses from oncology departments, the study determined that most nurses do not evaluate and counsel patients regarding their sexual problems and many difficulties prevent them from focussing on sexual health. The most important reasons for ignoring sexual counseling were the absence of routine regarding sexual counseling in oncology departments, the belief that the patient may become ashamed and the nurses' self-evaluation that they have insufficient skills and education to counsel in this subject. Conclusions: The most important variables in sexual evaluation and counseling are long years of service in the profession and a postgraduate degree.

Effects of Geography, Weather Variability, and Climate Change on Potato Model Uncertainty

  • Fleisher, D.H.;Condori, B.;Quiroz, R.;Alva, A.;Asseng, S.;Barreda, C.;Bindi, M.;Boote, K.J.;Ferrise, R.;Franke, A.C.;Govindakrishnan, P.M.;Harahagazwe, D.;Hoogenboom, G.;Naresh Kumar, S.;Merante, P.;Nendel, C.;Olesen, J.E.;Parker, P.S.;Raes, D.;Raymundo, R.;Ruane, A.C.;Stockle, C.;Supit, I.;Vanuytrecht, E.;Wolf, J.;Woli, P.
    • Proceedings of The Korean Society of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology Conference
    • /
    • 2016.09a
    • /
    • pp.41-43
    • /
    • 2016
  • PDF