The interest in the development of nanoscale plasmonic technologies has dramatically increased in recent years. The photonic properties of plasmonic nanopatterns can be controlled and tuned via their ...size, shape, or the arrangement of their constituents. In this work, we propose a 2D hybrid metallic polymeric nanostructure based on the octupolar framework with enhanced sensing property. We analyze its plasmonic features both numerically and experimentally, demonstrating the higher values of their relevant figures of merit: we estimated a surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) enhancement factor of 9 × 107 and a SPR bulk sensitivity of 430 nm/RIU. In addition, our nanostructure exhibits a dual resonance in the visible and near-infrared region, enabling our system toward multispectral plasmonic analysis. Finally, we illustrate our design engineering strategy as enabled by electron beam lithography by the outstanding performance of a SERS-based biosensor that targets the Shiga toxin 2a, a clinically relevant bacterial toxin. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that a SERS fingerprint of this toxin has been evidenced.
A discontinuous fed-batch fermenter was used to grow the oleaginous yeast Lipomyces starkey in the presence of hydrolysates of lignocellulosic wastes from Arundo donax (AD). The lignocellulosic ...materials were first steam-exploded and subsequently treated with commercial preparations of cellulases and ß- glucosidases, to obtain a mixture of fermentable sugar. The discontinuous fed-batch fermenter was adopted to maintain a lower concentration of the nitrogen sources, and consequently an higher C/N ratio, thus promoting the accumulation of triglycerides within the yeasts’ cells. Its use increased significantly the final concentration of biomass in comparison to that observed when using a batch fermenter. The composition of the biodiesel produced was compatible with a satisfactory performance as automotive fuel, in terms of both the resistance to oxidation and the cold performance.
Purpose
The aim of this study is to present our innovative robotic approach for the treatment of rectus diastasis with concurrent primary or incisional ventral hernias.
Methods
We performed 45 ...r-TARRD repairs for symptomatic rectus diastasis with concomitant associated ventral/incisional umbilical and/or epigastric hernias between January 2019 and January 2020. Data on patient demographics, type of hernia, operative time, complications, recurrence rate, and hospital stay were retrospectively analyzed. Follow-up was scheduled at 1, 6 months, and 1 year after surgery.
Results
45 patients (13 M, 32 F) underwent r-TARRD repair. Mean age was 54.8 years (range 31–68) and mean BMI was 26.74 kg/m
2
(range 21.1–31). Mean ASA was 2.2 (range 1–3). In all patients we used a polypropylene mesh 25 × 15 cm, properly shaped. Mean operative time was 192 min (range 115–260). Mean hospital stay 4.2 days (range 2–7). No conversion to laparoscopy or open surgery and no major complications occurred. At 1-month follow-up one mesh infection (2.22%) was observed and it was treated conservatively. Four recurrences (8.88%) were reported at 1-year follow-up.
Conclusions
Robot-assisted TARRD repair is conceived as a novel alternative minimally invasive procedure for RD with concurrent midline defects ensuring a primary fascial defect closure and mesh implantation in a sublay position with a wide overlap. It is important to better evaluate the suture that should be used to perform the repair, and multicenter studies with standardization of patient’s demographics, RD characteristics, and long-term follow-up outcomes are mandatory to assess the effectiveness and durability of r-TARDD repair.
Undeniably, in the last 2 decades, surgical approaches in the field of abdominal wall repair have notably improved. However, the best approach to provide a durable repair with low morbidity rate has ...yet to be determined. The purpose of this study is to outline our long-term results following the Transverse Abdominis Release (TAR) approach in patients with complex ventral hernias, focusing on the incidence of recurrence and overall patient satisfaction following surgery.
This is a retrospective study on 167 consecutive patients who underwent TAR between January 2015 and December 2021 for primary or recurrent complex abdominal hernias. Of these, 117 patients who underwent the open Madrid approach with the use of a double mesh (absorbable and permanent synthetic mesh) were selected and analyzed. A quality of life questionnaire (EuraHS QoL) comparing the preoperative and the postoperative status was administered.
Between January 2015 and December 2021, we successfully treated 117 patients presenting with complex ventral defects using the double mesh technique (absorbable and permanent synthetic mesh). Of these, 26 (22.2%) were recurrent cases. At a median follow-up period of 37.7 months, there had been 1 (0.8%) case of recurrence and 8 cases (6.8%) of bulging. The QoL score was significantly improved when compared to the preoperative status in terms of cosmesis, body perception, and physical discomfort.
The Madrid approach for posterior component separation is associated with both a low perioperative morbidity and recurrence rate. In accordance with other studies, we demonstrated that the TAR with reconstruction according to the Madrid approach provides excellent results in the treatment of complex abdominal wall hernias, even at long-term follow-up.
Objectives
The aim of the study was to investigate whether the rs35761398 variants of the cannabinoid receptor 2 (CB2) gene may influence the acquisition of HIV infection and the clinical ...presentation of HIV/hepatitis C virus (HCV) coinfection.
Methods
We compared 166 HIV/HCV‐coinfected patients with 186 HCV‐monoinfected patients, all with biopsy‐proven chronic hepatitis (using the Ishak scoring system), naïve for anti‐HCV treatment and tested for the CB2 rs35761398 polymorphism (using the TaqMan assay).
Results
The HIV/HCV‐coinfected patients were more frequently male (P < 0.002), were younger (P < 0.001), and had lower median BMI (P < 0.001) and HCV RNA (P < 0.05) and higher median aspartate aminotransferase (AST; P < 0.001), alanine aminotransferase (ALT; P < 0.001) and gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT; P < 0.001) levels than the HCV‐monoinfected patients. The CB2 RR variant predominated in HIV/HCV‐coinfected patients (45.8% vs. 31.2% in HCV‐monoinfected patients; P < 0.001) and the CB2 QR variant in HCV‐monoinfected patients (57.5% vs. 38.6% in HIV/HCV‐coinfected patients; P < 0.00001), and the CB2 QQ variant was equally distributed. Focusing on patients with the CB2 QQ variant, the 26 HIV/HCV‐coinfected patients, compared with the 21 HCV‐monoinfected patients, showed less severe liver necroinflammation lower histological activity index (HAI) (P < 0.05). Of the patients with the CB2 RR variant, the 76 HIV/HCV‐coinfected patients, compared with the 58 HCV‐monoinfected patients, were more frequently male (P < 0.05), were younger (P < 0.001), and had a lower median body mass index (BMI; P < 0.001), a higher median AST level (P < 0.001), a higher mean HAI score (P < 0.05) and a higher rate of cases with severe steatosis (P = 0.05). In an analysis of variance (anova) of HCV/HIV‐coinfected and HCV‐monoinfected patient data, those with the CB2 RR variant (P = 0.003) and of male sex (P = 0.002) were more prevalent in the HCV/HIV‐coinfected group.
Conclusions
There is the suggestion of a positive effect of the CB2 RR variant on HIV acquisition and/or spread, which is in accordance with previous in vitro observations.
Purpose
Reinforced prosthetic crural repair is particularly indicated for giant hiatal hernias. The rationale is to reduce the recurrence rate in the long term. The aim of our study is to evaluate ...the outcomes of laparoscopic giant hiatal hernia repair using a biosynthetic mesh.
Methods
We retrospectively analyzed 44 patients who underwent laparoscopic mesh-reinforced hiatal closure and fundoplication using a biosynthetic material. Inclusion criterion was large hiatal defects (> 5 cm). Follow-up was scheduled at 6, 12 and 36 months after surgery.
Results
44 patients (29F) with a mean age of 62 years (range 14–85) and mean of BMI 24.5 kg/m
2
(range 21–29) underwent successful laparoscopic repair. Twenty-six (59.1%) patients had Nissen–Rossetti fundoplication, whereas 18 (40.9%) had Toupet fundoplication. Six-month questionnaire for the evaluation of symptoms was available for 43 patients (97.7%) and for 40 (90.9%) patients at 12 and 36 months. Mean preoperative symptoms score analysis was 1.68 ± 0.73. Mean scores at each follow-up time were significantly improved compared to baseline (
p
> 0.05). Barium swallow was available in 37 patients (84.1%) at 1 year after surgery. Radiologic recurrence was observed in two patients (4.5%). No patient had symptoms attributable to recurrence or required revisional surgery. There were no mesh-related complications at 3 years follow-up.
Conclusions
The use of biosynthetic mesh for crural reinforcement is associated with a low incidence of mesh-related complications and with a reasonably low recurrence rate (4.5%) at 36 months. However, additional data with longer follow-up are needed to determine long-term safety and efficacy.
Background and purpose
Mutations in the small heat‐shock protein 22 gene (HSPB8) have been associated with Charcot‐Marie‐Tooth disease type 2L, distal hereditary motor neuropathy (dHMN) type IIa and, ...more recently, distal myopathy/myofibrillar myopathy (MFM) with protein aggregates and TDP‐43 inclusions. The aim was to report a novel family with HSPB8K141E‐related dHMN/MFM and to investigate, in a patient muscle biopsy, whether the presence of protein aggregates was paralleled by altered TDP‐43 function.
Methods
We reviewed clinical and genetic data. We assessed TDP‐43 expression by qPCR and alternative splicing of four previously validated direct TDP‐43 target exons in four genes by reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction.
Results
The triplets and their mother presented in the second to third decade of life with progressive weakness affecting distal and proximal lower limb and truncal muscles. Nerve conduction study showed a motor axonal neuropathy. The clinical features, moderately raised creatin kinase levels, selective pattern of muscle involvement on magnetic resonance imaging and pathological changes on muscle biopsy, including the presence of protein aggregates, supported the diagnosis of a contemporary primary muscle involvement. In affected muscle tissue we observed a consistent alteration of TDP‐43‐dependent splicing in three out of four TDP‐43‐target transcripts (POLDIP3, FNIP1 and BRD8), as well as a significant decrease of TDP‐43 mRNA levels.
Conclusions
Our study confirmed the role of mutated HSPB8 as a cause of a combined neuromuscular disorder encompassing dHMN and MFM with protein aggregates. We identified impaired RNA metabolism, secondary to TDP‐43 loss of function, as a possible pathological mechanism of HSPB8K141E toxicity, leading to muscle and nerve degeneration.
Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been reported to be involved in various human diseases, and increasing studies have revealed that lncRNAs can play a vital role in preeclampsia (PE). In our study, ...lncRNA hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha (HIF1A) antisense RNA 2 (HIF1A-AS2) was found to be significantly downregulated in placenta tissues of PE patients by quantitative real-time PCR analysis. Moreover, Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assays showed that downregulation of HIF1A-AS2 can impede cell proliferation of HTR-8/SVneo and JAR trophoblasts cells. Ectopic overexpression of HIF1A-AS2 can increase the function of trophoblasts cell migration and invasion in vitro. RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq), RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP), and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) experiments showed that HIF1A-AS2 can recruit lysine-specific demethylase 1 (LSD1) and epigenetically repress pleckstrin homology-like domain, family A, member 1 (PHLDA1) transcription in human trophoblasts cells. In summary, our findings suggest that downregulated HIF1A-AS2 may play a role in the pathogenesis and progression of PE, and has potential as a novel prognostic marker in PE.
Purpose
Laparoscopic transabdominal preperitoneal (TAPP) is a valid option for bilateral primary groin hernia and recurrent cases. Robotic approach for inguinal hernia is still debated. The aim of ...this study is to investigate the potential role of robotic-assisted single site-TAPP (RASS-TAPP) reporting our experience.
Methods
We performed 44 RASS TAPP in 32 patients from February 2016 to July 2018. Data on patient demographics, type of hernia, operative time, complications, recurrence rate and hospital stay were retrospectively analyzed. Follow-up was scheduled at 1 week, 4 months and 1 year after surgery.
Results
Forty-two hernias were treated in 32 patients (27 M). Mean age was 48.6 years (range 20–67), mean BMI was 26.49 kg/m
2
(range 16–34.9). Mean operative time was 54.8 min (range 28–150). In two cases (6%) a conversion to laparoscopy was necessary. At 1 week, two scrotal hematomas and four seromas were observed and treated conservatively. At 4 months follow-up, one patient (3.1%) complained temporary pain. No patient had inguinal recurrence or incisional umbilical hernia and chronic pain at 1-year follow-up.
Conclusion
RASS TAPP is feasible and safe with a high patient satisfaction. However, the surgeon experiences a technical discomfort due to the conflict of the instrumentation which influences negatively the choice of this approach, despite the better vision and augmented dexterity provided by the robot.
PDF
