Anomalous origin of the right coronary artery from the pulmonary artery (ARCAPA): Echocardiographic diagnosis in a critically ill newborn.

ARCAPA echocardiographic diagnosis. A network of small multiple coronary vessels, a systo-diastolic jet of flow into the pulmonary artery and a retrograde inverted «blue» flow into the RCA are the key signs. CT-scan confirms the diagnosis .

Case Report: An unusual case of a transposition of the great arteries with a double aortic arch: a highly complex fetal diagnosis with an unpredictable outcome.

Published data estimate the prevalence of the vascular ring at approximately 7 per 10,000 live births. The association of a double aortic arch with a D-transposition of the great arteries has been rarely described in the literature. In this study, we report the prenatal diagnosis of a 28-year-old woman.

Assessing glyphosate and AMPA pesticides in the Ofanto River waters and sediments.

In the present study, we determined glyphosate (GPS) and aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA) in the water and sediments of the Ofanto River (Italy), evaluating their transport from the mouth to the sea. Sediments were collected twice in 2021 during low and high tide; waters were sampled on a seasonal basis. The results showed the prevalence of GPS and AMPA in the water with concentrations equal to 190 and 3053 ng/l, respectively.

A c.1775C > T Point Mutation of Sodium Channel Alfa Subunit Gene (SCN4A) in a Three-Generation Sardinian Family with Sodium Channel Myotonia.

Background: The nondystrophic myotonias are rare muscle hyperexcitability disorders caused by gain-of-function mutations in the SCN4A gene or loss-of-function mutations in the CLCN1 gene. Clinically, they are characterized by myotonia, defined as delayed muscle relaxation after voluntary contraction, which leads to symptoms of muscle stiffness, pain, fatigue, and weakness. Diagnosis is based on history and examination findings, the presence of electrical myotonia on electromyography, and genetic confirmation.

Dithiocarbamates: Properties, Methodological Approaches and Challenges to Their Control.

Dithiocarbamates (DTCs) are a group of chemicals used primarily as fungicides, although they are exploited for various other applications. DTCs represent one of the oldest classes of broad-spectrum fungicides employed worldwide to control fungal diseases on many crops. Due to their ease of synthesis, low production costs (cheap and readily available starting materials) and a fungicidal activity with a multi-site mode of action, they are still among modern agriculture's most extensively used pesticides.

Pediatric airway compression in aortic arch malformations: a multidisciplinary approach.

Background: Aortic arch malformations (AAMs) should be suspected in the presence of persistent respiratory symptoms despite medical treatment or feeding problems at the pediatric age.

Aim: We report a descriptive cohort of patients with AAMs and the local management protocol applied.

Methods: A total of 59 patients with AAM were retrospectively reviewed.

Development of Riluzole Analogs with Improved Use-Dependent Inhibition of Skeletal Muscle Sodium Channels.

Several commercially available and newly synthesized riluzole analogs were evaluated in vitro as voltage-gated skeletal muscle sodium-channel blockers. Data obtained from the patch-clamp technique demonstrated that potency is well correlated with lipophilicity and the introduction of a protonatable amino function in the benzothiazole 2-position enhances the use-dependent behavior. The most interesting compound, the 2-piperazine analog of riluzole (), although slightly less potent than the parent compound in the patch-clamp assay as well as in an in vitro model of myotonia, showed greater use-dependent Nav1.

Anti-Angiogenic Activity of Drugs in Multiple Myeloma.

Angiogenesis represents a pivotal hallmark of multiple myeloma (MM) that correlates to patients' prognosis, overall survival, and drug resistance. Hence, several anti-angiogenic drugs that directly target angiogenic cytokines (i.e.

Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy to Assess the Degree of Alteration of Artificially Aged and Environmentally Weathered Microplastics.

Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) is a spectroscopy technique widely used to identify organic materials. It has recently gained popularity in microplastic (MP) pollution research to determine the chemical composition of unknown plastic fragments. However, it could also be used to evaluate the degree of ageing of MPs collected from the environment.

Drug repurposing in skeletal muscle ion channelopathies.

Skeletal muscle ion channelopathies are rare genetic diseases mainly characterized by myotonia (muscle stiffness) or periodic paralysis (muscle weakness). Here, we reviewed the available therapeutic options in non-dystrophic myotonias (NDM) and periodic paralyses (PP), which consists essentially in drug repositioning to address stiffness or weakness attacks. Empirical use followed by successful randomized clinical trials eventually led to the orphan drug designation and marketing authorization granting of mexiletine for NDM and dichlorphenamide for PP.

Prenatal prediction of Shone's complex. The role of the degree of ventricular disproportion and speckle-tracking analysis.

Objectives: Shone's complex (SC) is characterized by sequential obstructions of left ventricular (LV) inflow and outflow. It can be associated with poor long-term prognosis when compared to Simple-Aortic Coarctation (S-CoA). We aimed to assess whether the degree of ventricular disproportion and 2D-speckle-tracking echocardiography (2D-STE) could improve the accuracy of prenatal prediction of SC.

Assessment of metals associated with virgin pre-production and freshwater microplastics collected by an Italian river.

Recently, microplastics (MPs) have been detected in almost all environmental matrices (water, soil, air, biota). Their presence is of concern due to high environmental persistence and their ability to release or bind pollutants. In light of this, the present work aimed to quantify a poorly studied pollutant category associated with MPs: metals.

Echocardiographic diagnosis of a large coronary artery fistula in a newborn.

Coronary artery fistula (CAF) is a rare cause of heart murmur in newborns, with a very heterogeneous clinical presentation and unpredictable natural history. We described the case of a large neonatal CAF in an asymptomatic newborn. The patient did not show any symptoms of heart failure during a three-month follow-up.

Underwater endoscopic submucosal dissection and hybrid endoscopic submucosal dissection as rescue therapy in difficult colorectal cases.

Colorectal endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is still not widely used due to its technical difficulty and the risk of complications. Rescue therapies such as hybrid ESD (H-ESD) have been proposed for very difficult cases, as has underwater ESD (U-ESD). This study evaluated the safety and efficacy of H-ESD and U-ESD in difficult cases.

Effects and Impacts of Different Oxidative Digestion Treatments on Virgin and Aged Microplastic Particles.

Although several sample preparation methods for analyzing microplastics (MPs) in environmental matrices have been implemented in recent years, important uncertainties and criticalities in the approaches adopted still persist. Preliminary purification of samples, based on oxidative digestion, is an important phase to isolate microplastics from the environmental matrix; it should guarantee both efficacy and minimal damage to the particles. In this context, our study aims to evaluate Fenton's reaction digestion pre-treatment used to isolate and extract microplastics from environmental matrices.

Development of a UHPLC-MS/MS method to enhance the detection of Glyphosate, AMPA and Glufosinate at sub-microgram / L levels in water samples.

Glyphosate is the best-selling herbicide worldwide. The toxicity on ecosystems and the possible effects on human health have long been at the centre of a complex controversy concerning the authorisation for its use. The peculiar chemical-physical properties of glyphosate, AMPA and glufosinate make their determination at trace levels in the water a real analytical challenge.

Protection of Water Resources from Agriculture Pollution: An Integrated Methodological Approach for the Nitrates Directive 91-676-EEC Implementation.

Nitrogen is a vital nutrient helpful to plants and crop growth. However, among the leading causes of water resources pollution is the excess nitrogen from agricultural sources. In European Union countries, the Nitrates Directive has been approved to reduce this problem monitoring of water bodies with regard to nitrate concentrations, designation of Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZs), and establishing codes of good agricultural practices and measures to prevent and reduce water pollution from nitrates.

Microplastics pollution in the terrestrial environments: Poorly known diffuse sources and implications for plants.

Research on microplastics (MPs) in the terrestrial environment is currently at a still embryonal stage. The current knowledge concerning poorly known diffuse sources of MPs pollution in terrestrial ecosystems have been considered in this work. In addition, a particular focus on the presence, mechanism of absorption and effects of MPs in plants has also been provided.

SARS-CoV-2 in a Neonate with Truncus Arteriosus: Management and Surgical Correction Timing.

Children seem to be less affected by SARS-CoV-2 infection. High risk categories should include patients with Congenital Heart Disease (CHD), both children and adults. We describe the case of a newborn with a postnatal diagnosis of Truncus Arteriosus (TA) type A1 without 22.

Integrated approach for legionellosis risk analysis in touristic-recreational facilities.

Legionellosis is a severe pneumonia caused by the inhalation of aerosols containing Legionella, Gram-negative bacteria present in the water systems of touristic-recreational facilities. The purpose of this study was to develop a scoring tool to predict the risk of both environmental contamination and Legionnaires' disease cases in such facilities in the Apulia region of southern Italy. We analyzed 47 structural and management parameters/risk factors related to the buildings, water systems, and air conditioning at the facilities.

The Role of Lung Function Testing in Newborn Infants With Congenital Thoracic Arterial Anomalies.

Congenital thoracic arterial anomalies (CTAAs), such as complete or incomplete vascular rings, pulmonary artery sling, and innominate artery compression syndrome, may cause severe tracheomalacia and upper airway obstruction. An obstructive ventilatory pattern at lung function testing (LFT) has been suggested in the presence of CTAA. The severity of obstruction may be evaluated by LFT.

Reliability of Fetal Echocardiography in Predicting Postnatal Critical Hypoxia in Patients with Transposition of Great Arteries and Intact Ventricular Septum.

Critical hypoxemia soon after birth is the most critical preoperative determinant of neurological outcomes and survival in newborns with Dextro Transposition of the Great Arteries and Intact Ventricular Septum (D-TGAIVS). Our study aimed to define fetal echocardiographic aspects that can better predict neonates with D-TGAIVS at risk for restricted interatrial communication after birth. 31 fetuses with a prenatal diagnosis of D-TGAIVS were included in our study.