An Update on Spinal Dural Arteriovenous Fistulae: Case Series and Systematic Review.

Spinal dural arteriovenous fistulae (sDAVFs) are rare entities with delayed diagnosis, potentially dramatic clinical manifestations, and complex management. We aim to present our mini case series and perform an updated systematic review of the usual patient profile, to search for established prognostic factors, to compare the effectiveness and safety of surgical and endovascular intervention, and to discuss trends in therapeutic strategy. We retrospectively collected data from patients treated in our department in the last decade (2014-2024) and we systematically reviewed the literature according to the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) criteria and searched the PubMed database for relevant articles published in the same period.

Wastewater substrate disinfection for cyanobacteria cultivation as tertiary treatment.

Cultivation of microalgae or/and cyanobacteria in nutrient-rich wastewaters offers an opportunity for enhancing sustainability of tertiary wastewater treatment processes via resources/energy recovery/production, mitigation of emitted GHGs and provision of added value products. However, maintaining a monoculture in wastewater-media constitutes a significant challenge to be addressed. In this regard, the present work assesses the efficiency of the low-cost wastewater substrate disinfection techniques of filtration, use of NaClO, HO or Fe(VI), as a preliminary treatment stage upstream a cyanobacteria cultivation photobioreactor.

Breakthrough infections after COVID-19 vaccination: Insights, perspectives and challenges.

Vaccination programs against SARS-CoV-2 constitute the mainstay of public health interventions against the global COVID-19 pandemic. Currently available vaccines have shown 90% or better rates of protection against severe disease and mortality. Barely a year after vaccines became available, the Omicron variant and its unprecedented speed of transmission has posed a new challenge.

Enhancing Phenolic Content of Medicinal Aromatic Plants Extracts-Biofunctional Foods Preparation.

In this study, the assessment of TPC and antioxidant activity enhancement of medicinal and aromatic plant (MAP) aqueous extracts using natural sweeteners or encapsulation materials was carried out. MAP extracts fortified with polyphenols were used to produce biofunctional chocolate bites. Honey or erythritol added to concentrated aqueous extracts exhibited TPC at 19.

Assessment of Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942 as an option for sustainable wastewater treatment.

Industrial wastewaters are recognized as a valuable resource, however, their disposal without proper treatment can result in environmental deterioration. The associated environmental/operational cost of wastewater treatment necessitates upgrade of applied processes towards the goals of sustainability and mitigation of climate change. The implementation of cyanobacteria-based processes can contribute to these goals via resources recovery, production of high-value products, carbon fixation and green-energy production.

The challenging diagnosis and treatment of duodenal diverticulum perforation: a report of two cases.

Background: The duodenum is a common site for diverticulum formation. Most of the duodenal diverticula are asymptomatic, incidental findings. Perforation is a rare but potentially lethal complication of duodenal diverticular disease.

Biofilms facilitate cheating and social exploitation of β-lactam resistance in .

Gram-negative bacteria such as commonly resist β-lactam antibiotics using plasmid-encoded β-lactamase enzymes. Bacterial strains that express β-lactamases have been found to detoxify liquid cultures and thus to protect genetically susceptible strains, constituting a clear laboratory example of social protection. These results are not necessarily general; on solid media, for instance, the rapid bactericidal action of β-lactams largely prevents social protection.

Negative frequency dependent selection on plasmid carriage and low fitness costs maintain extended spectrum β-lactamases in Escherichia coli.

Plasmids may maintain antibiotic resistance genes in bacterial populations through conjugation, in the absence of direct selection pressure. However, the costs and benefits of conjugation for plasmid and bacterial fitness are not well understood. Using invasion and competition experiments with plasmid mutants we explicitly tested how conjugation contributes to the maintenance of a plasmid bearing a single extended-spectrum ß-lactamase (ESBL) gene (bla).

Greenhouse gas emissions from two hydroelectric reservoirs in Mediterranean region.

Water reservoirs are used for many purposes, such as water supply, irrigation, flood mitigation, and hydroelectric energy generation. Although hydroelectric energy is considered "green," many studies show that the construction of a reservoir enhances greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions at the transformed area. These emissions, mainly of CO, CH, and NO gases, depend on the age of the reservoir, landscape and soil composition, fauna and flora remnants of the impounded area, climatic conditions, and basin runoffs.

Comparative water quality assessment between a young and a stabilized hydroelectric reservoir in Aliakmon River, Greece.

In this work, a comparative study on the water quality characteristics of two in-line water reservoirs (artificial lakes) in Aliakmon River (Western Macedonia, Greece) is performed. Polyfytos Reservoir and Ilarion Reservoir were created in 1975 and 2012 respectively, in order to serve the homonymous hydroelectric stations. In young artificial lakes, severe deterioration of water quality may occur; thus, the monitoring and assessment of their water quality characteristics and their statistical interpretation are of great importance.

Complete solids retention activated sludge process.

In a slaughterhouse's full-scale extended aeration activated sludge wastewater treatment plant (WWTP), operating under complete solids retention time, the evolution of mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS) and mixed liquor volatile suspended solids (MLVSS) concentration, food to micro-organisms ratio (F/M) and substrate utilization rate (SUR) were studied for over a year. Biomass growth phases in correlation to sludge biological and morphological characteristics were studied. Three distinguished growth phases were observed during the 425 days of monitoring.

Particulate organics degradation and sludge minimization in aerobic, complete SRT bioreactors.

The study evaluates the assumption that in activated sludge processes and under specific operating conditions, the considered unbiodegradable particulate organic fractions of influent (XU) organic solids and biomass decay residues (cell debris, XE) are degraded. The evaluation was performed by comparing sludge observed yield (Yobs) evolution in two full scale, complete solids retention time (SRT), aerobic bioreactors, to the predictions of two activated sludge models. The results showed that in steady state operating conditions of complete solids retention AS processes very low solids accumulation occur.

Influence of wastewater treatment plants' operational conditions on activated sludge microbiological and morphological characteristics.

The effect of wastewater composition and operating conditions in activated sludge (AS) microbiological and morphological characteristics was studied in three AS wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs): (a) a high organic load slaughterhouse AS WWTP, operating at complete solids retention, monitored from its start-up and for 425 days; (b) a seasonally operational, low nitrogen load fruit canning industry AS WWTP, operating at complete solids retention, monitored from its start-up and until the end of the season (87 days); (c) a municipal AS WWTP, treating wastewater from a semi-combined sewer system, monitored during the transitions from dry to rainy and again to dry periods of operation. The sludge microbiological and morphological characteristics were correlated to nutrients' availability, solids retention time, hydraulic retention time, dissolved oxygen, mixed liquor suspended solids (MLVSS), organic load (F/M) and substrate utilization rate. The AS WWTPs' operation was distinguished in periods based on biomass growth phase, characterized by different biological and morphological characteristics and on operational conditions.

Net biomass production under complete solids retention in high organic load activated sludge process.

The effect of complete solids retention on net biomass production, at a slaughterhouse's activated sludge wastewater treatment process, was studied for 425 days. The process reached equilibrium after 150 days. In equilibrium phase, and until the end of the study, relative constant MLVSS to MLSS ratio, low food to microorganisms ratio (F/M), low substrate utilization rate (SUR) and negligible observed sludge yield (Y obs) were measured.

Evaluating sedimentation problems in activated sludge treatment plants operating at complete sludge retention time.

Zero net sludge growth can be achieved by complete retention of solids in activated sludge wastewater treatment, especially in high strength and biodegradable wastewaters. When increasing the solids retention time, MLSS and MLVSS concentrations reach a plateau phase and observed growth yields values tend to zero (Yobs ≈ 0). In this work, in order to evaluate sedimentation problems arised due to high MLSS concentrations and complete sludge retention operational conditions, two identical innovative slaughterhouse wastewater treatment plants were studied.

Personal health systems research--charting the European landscape.

Personal Health Systems (PHS) open new ways of providing continuous, quality controlled and personalized health services to empowered individuals and require the emergence of novel cross-disciplinary innovation partnerships. We analyzed the European PHS research and innovation landscape with the ultimate goal of a better understanding of mismatches between the potential of, and need for, PHS. The results of network analysis indicate a dynamic but fragmented PHS innovation landscape in Europe.

Uncertainty in spectrophotometric analysis--"error propagation break up", a novel statistical method for uncertainty management.

In this work, is given the Combined Standard Uncertainty (CSU) calculation procedure, which can be applied in spectrophotometric measurements. For the assessment of the computations, different approaches are discussed, such as the contribution to the Combined Standard Uncertainty of the reproducibility, the repeatability, the total bias, the calibration curve, and the type of the measurand. Results of inter-laboratory measurements confirmed the assumptions.