Endoscopic papillectomy versus surgical ampullectomy for adenomas and early cancers of the papilla: a retrospective Pancreas2000/European Pancreatic Club analysis.

Objective: Ampullary neoplastic lesions can be resected by endoscopic papillectomy (EP) or transduodenal surgical ampullectomy (TSA) while pancreaticoduodenectomy is reserved for more advanced lesions. We present the largest retrospective comparative study analysing EP and TSA.

Design: Of all patients in the database, lesions with prior interventions, benign histology advanced malignancy (T2 and more), patients with hereditary syndromes and those undergoing pancreatoduodenectomy were excluded.

Multi-Junction Solar Module and Supercapacitor Self-Powering Miniaturized Environmental Wireless Sensor Nodes.

A novel prototype based on the combination of a multi-junction, high-efficiency photovoltaic (PV) module and a supercapacitor (SC) able to self-power a wireless sensor node (WSN) for outdoor air quality monitoring has been developed and tested. A PV module with about an 8 cm active area made of eight GaAs-based triple-junction solar cells with a nominal 29% efficiency was assembled and characterized under terrestrial clear-sky conditions. Energy is stored in a 4000 F/4.

A direct comparison of multi-energy x-ray and proton CT for imaging and relative stopping power estimation of plastic andphantoms.

Proton therapy administers a highly conformal dose to the tumour region, necessitating accurate prediction of the patient's 3D map of proton relative stopping power (RSP) compared to water. This remains challenging due to inaccuracies inherent in single-energy computed tomography (SECT) calibration. Recent advancements in spectral x-ray CT (xCT) and proton CT (pCT) have shown improved RSP estimation compared to traditional SECT methods.

Proton CT on biological phantoms for x-ray CT calibration in proton treatment planning.

To present and characterize a novel method for x-ray computed tomography (xCT) calibration in proton treatment planning, based on proton CT (pCT) measurements on biological phantoms.A pCT apparatus was used to perform direct measurements of 3D stopping power relative to water (SPR) maps on stabilized, biological phantoms. Two single-energy xCT calibration curves-i.

Halide Perovskites Films for Ionizing Radiation Detection: An Overview of Novel Solid-State Devices.

Halide perovskites are a novel class of semiconductors that have attracted great interest in recent decades due to their peculiar properties of interest for optoelectronics. In fact, their use ranges from the field of sensors and light emitters to ionizing radiation detectors. Since 2015, ionizing radiation detectors exploiting perovskite films as active media have been developed.

The INFN proton computed tomography system for relative stopping power measurements: calibration and verification.

. This paper describes the procedure to calibrate the three-dimensional (3D) proton stopping power relative to water (SPR) maps measured by the proton computed tomography (pCT) apparatus of the Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN, Italy). Measurements performed on water phantoms are used to validate the method.

Epitaxial SiC Dosimeters and Flux Monitoring Detectors for Proton Therapy Beams.

The exceptional optoelectronic properties and high radiation resistance of epitaxial silicon carbide make this material attractive for high-energy beam dosimetry and radiation monitoring, especially when strict requirements such as high signal-to-noise ratios, high time and spatial resolutions and low detectivity levels are required. A 4H-SiC Schottky diode has been characterized as a proton-flux-monitoring detector and dosimeter under proton beams for proton therapy. The diode was composed of an epitaxial film grown on 4H-SiC n-type substrate equipped with a gold Schottky contact.

Characterization of the INFN proton CT scanner for cross-calibration of x-ray CT.

. The goal of this study was to assess the imaging performances of the pCT system developed in the framework of INFN-funded (Italian National Institute of Nuclear Physics) research projects. The spatial resolution, noise power spectrum (NPS) and RSP accuracy has been investigated, as a preliminary step to implement a new cross-calibration method for x-ray CT (xCT).

Characterization of the Response of Magnetron Sputtered InO Sensors to NO.

The response of resistive InO sensing devices was investigated as a function of the NO concentration in different operative conditions. Sensing layers are 150 nm thick films manufactured by oxygen-free room temperature magnetron sputtering deposition. This technique allows for a facile and fast manufacturing process, at same time providing advantages in terms of gas sensing performances.

MyGood Trip, a Telemedicine Intervention for Physical Activity Recovery After Bariatric Surgery: Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Despite bariatric surgery showing significant weight loss trajectories for many patients, a substantial proportion regain weight after the first year following surgery. The addition of telemedicine to standard care could support patients with engaging in a more active lifestyle and thus improve clinical outcomes.

Objective: Our aim was to evaluate a telemedicine intervention program dedicated to the promotion of physical activity including digital devices, teleconsultation, and telemonitoring the first 6 months following bariatric surgery.

Outcomes of rescue procedures in the management of locally recurrent ampullary tumors: A Pancreas 2000/EPC study.

Background: Ampullary lesions are rare and can be locally treated either with endoscopic papillectomy or transduodenal surgical ampullectomy. Management of local recurrence after a first-line treatment has been poorly studied.

Methods: Patients with a local recurrence of an ampullary lesion initially treated with endoscopic papillectomy or transduodenal surgical ampullectomy were retrospectively included from a multi-institutional database (58 centers) between 2005 and 2018.

Surgeon eye lens dose monitoring in interventional neuroradiology, cardiovascular and radiology procedures.

Purpose: This study investigated the radiation dose to surgeon eye lens for single procedure and normalised to exposure parameters for eight selected neuroradiology, cardiovascular and radiology interventional procedures.

Methods: The procedures investigated were diagnostic study, Arteriovenous Malformations treatment (AVM) and aneurysm embolization for neuroradiology procedures, Coronary Angiography and Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty (CA-PTCA), Pacemaker and Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator implantation (PM-ICD), Endovascular Aortic Repair (EVAR) and Fenestrated Endovascular Aortic Repair (FEVAR) for cardiovascular and electrophysiology procedures. CT-guided lung biopsy was also monitored.

Autonomous IoT Monitoring Matching Spectral Artificial Light Manipulation for Horticulture.

This paper aims at demonstrating the energy self-sufficiency of a LoRaWAN-based sensor node for monitoring environmental parameters exploiting energy harvesting directly coming from the artificial light used in indoor horticulture. A portable polycrystalline silicon module is used to charge a Li-Po battery, employed as the power reserve of a wireless sensor node able to accurately monitor, with a 1-h period, both the physical quantities most relevant for the application, i.e.

Magnetron Sputtered CsPbCl Perovskite Detectors as Real-Time Dosimeters for Clinical Radiotherapy.

The aim of this study is to investigate the feasibility of manufacturing thin real-time relative dosimeters for clinical radiotherapy (RT) with potential applications for transmission monitoring in vivo dosimetry and pre-treatment dose verifications. Thin (≈1μm) layers of a high sensitivity, wide bandgap semiconductor, the inorganic perovskite CsPbCl, have been grown for the first time by magnetron sputtering on plastic substrates equipped with electrode arrays. Prototype devices have been tested in real-time configuration to evaluate the dose delivered by a 6MV photon beam from a linear accelerator.

Electrical and Optical Characterization of CsPbCl Films around the High-Temperature Phase Transitions.

Large-area CsPbCl films in the range 0.1-1.5 μm have been grown by radio frequency (RF)-magnetron sputtering on glass substrates by means of a one-step procedure.

Non-contact ultrasonic inspection by Gas-Coupled Laser Acoustic Detection (GCLAD).

Gas-Coupled Laser Acoustic Detection (GCLAD) is an ultrasonic, non-contact detection technique that has been recently proven to be applicable to the inspection of mechanical components. GCLAD response raises as the intersection length between the probe laser beam and the acoustic wavefront propagating in the air increases; such feature differentiates the GCLAD device from other optical detection instruments, making it a line detection system rather than a point detector. During the inspection of structures mainly extending in two dimensions, the capability to evidence presence of defects in whichever point over a line would enable moving the emitter and the detector along a single direction: this translates in the possibility to decrease the overall required time for interrogation of components compared to point detectors, as well as generating simpler automated monitoring layouts.

Impact of laparoscopy on oncological outcomes after colectomy for stage III colon cancer: A post-hoc multivariate analysis from PETACC8 European randomized clinical trial.

Background: In colon cancer (CC), surgery remains the mainstay of treatment with curative intent. Despite several clinical trials comparing open and laparoscopic approaches, data on long-term outcomes for stage III CC are lacking.

Methods: This post-hoc analysis of the European PETACC8 randomized phase 3 trial included patients from 340 sites between December 2005 and November 2009, with long follow-up (median 7.

Gas sensing materials roadmap.

Gas sensor technology is widely utilized in various areas ranging from home security, environment and air pollution, to industrial production. It also hold great promise in non-invasive exhaled breath detection and an essential device in future internet of things. The past decade has witnessed giant advance in both fundamental research and industrial development of gas sensors, yet current efforts are being explored to achieve better selectivity, higher sensitivity and lower power consumption.

Gas-Coupled Laser Acoustic Detection technique for NDT of mechanical components.

The use of non-contact ultrasonic detection techniques is essential to develop an apparatus capable of inspecting components in service, operating in adverse environmental conditions or whose surfaces are challenging to access. Among these techniques, Gas-Coupled Laser Acoustic Detection (GCLAD) is based on measuring the deviation that a laser beam sustains when intersecting an ultrasonic wavefront. The method has been recently developed, being hence unestablished in the non-destructive testing (NDT) field.

Technical Note: CT calibration for proton treatment planning by cross-calibration with proton CT data.

Purpose: This study explores the possibility of a new method for x-ray computed tomography (CT) calibration by means of cross-calibration with proton CT (pCT) data. The proposed method aims at a more accurate conversion of CT Hounsfield Units (HU) into proton stopping power ratio (SPR) relative to water to be used in proton-therapy treatment planning.

Methods: X-ray CT scan was acquired on a synthetic anthropomorphic phantom, composed of different tissue equivalent materials (TEMs).

Relative stopping power measurements and prosthesis artifacts reduction in proton CT.

We present a set-up for proton computed tomography (pCT), composed of a microstrip silicon tracker and a YAG:Ce calorimeter, able to directly measure the relative stopping power (RSP) maps to be used in hadron therapy. The system, tested with an electron density phantom at the Trento proton Therapy Center, is able to correlate measured and expected RSP with discrepancies of the order of 1% or less. Furthermore, pCT tomographies of an anthropomorphous head phantom taken with our device, when compared with x-ray CT images of the same object, evidence a significant reduction of artifacts induced by titanium spinal bone prosthesis and tungsten dental filling.

Feasibility of a fetal anatomy 3D atlas by computer-assisted anatomic dissection.

Objective: To assess the feasibility of 3D modelisation of fetal anatomy by using the Computer-assisted anatomic dissection (CAAD) based on immunolabeled histologic slices and MRI slices with a specific 3D software.

Study Design: For pelvis and lower limbs, subjects came from legal abortion, medical pregnancy termination, or late miscarriage. Specimens were fixed in 10 % formalin, then embedded in paraffin wax and serially sectioned.

Fistulojejunostomy for Chronic Fistula After Sleeve Gastrectomy.

The most dreadful complication after sleeve gastrectomy (SG) is staple line leak. Its rate varies between 1 and 2%. With the development of interventional endoscopy, its treatment is currently fairly standardized and allows healing in the majority of cases without revisional surgery.