On the Cementitious Mixtures Reinforced with Waste Polyethylene Terephthalate.

The last decade was dominated by a serious problem that now affects all the planet's natural ecosystems: the increasing growth of plastics and microplastics that are difficult to dispose of. One strategy to mitigate this problem is to close the life cycle of one of them-polyethylene terephthalate (PET)-by reusing it within the most common building materials, such as mortars and concretes. The reuse of PET waste as aggregates also allows us to limit the CO emissions released during the production of natural aggregates.

Direct breastfeeding: Predictive factors and possible effects on neurodevelopment in very preterm infants.

Background: the importance of sucking milk directly at the mother's breast is often underestimated and many aspects of direct breastfeeding of very preterm infants are not investigated.

Aim: The primary endpoint of the study was to identify maternal and infant clinical predictors of direct breastfeeding in a cohort of infants born at <32 weeks of gestation or weighing <1500 g. The secondary endpoint was to evaluate the possible effects of direct breastfeeding on infant neurodevelopment.

Evaluation of the Relationship between Pain Exposure and Somatosensory Evoked Potentials in Preterm Infants: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Background And Aim: First, to compare somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) in preterm newborns without major brain injury studied at term equivalent age (TEA) with a term historical control group. Second, to investigate the impact of pain exposure during the first 28 days after birth on SEPs. Third, to evaluate the association between SEPs and Bayley-III at 2 years corrected age (CA).

A structured programme to promote breastfeeding improved the rates in very preterm infants at discharge.

Aim: We developed the Promotion of Breastfeeding (PROBREAST) programme and evaluated what effect it had on the breastfeeding rate in infants born at less than 32 weeks of gestation or weighing ≤1500 grams.

Methods: We compared the breastfeeding rate in two cohorts of patients who were born before (n = 72; January 2017 to June 2018) and after (n = 80; July 2018 to December 2019) the application of the programme. Moreover, we compared the correlation between type of feeding at discharge and post-discharge breastfeeding rate, between exclusive breastfeeding, postnatal growth and neurodevelopment.

Outcome Comparison of Functional Laryngectomy for the Dysfunctional Larynx to Salvage Laryngectomy.

Objective: To compare functional outcomes of total laryngectomy (TL) with microvascular free tissue transfer (MVFTT) reconstruction in the treatment of dysfunctional larynx (DL) versus salvage therapy for locally recurrent disease in patients with a history of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC).

Methods: Retrospective review from a tertiary medical center between August 2015 and August 2022.

Results: Sixty-nine patients underwent TL with MVFTT following primary laryngeal radiation or chemoradiation; 15 (22%) patients underwent functional laryngectomy (FL) and 54 (78%) underwent a salvage laryngectomy (SL).

Considerations for Functional Nasal Surgery in the Obstructive Sleep Apnea Population.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and nasal obstruction are common in the general population and frequently treated by otolaryngologists and facial plastic surgeons. Understanding the appropriate pre-, peri-, and postoperative management of OSA patients undergoing functional nasal surgery is important. OSA patients should be appropriately counseled in the preoperative period on their increased anesthetic risk.

Cardiac Hypertrophy Associated with Insulin Therapy in Extremely Preterm Infants.

Background: In the neonatal period, cardiac hypertrophy (CH) has been commonly associated with hyperinsulinemic pathologies, and the first case of CH in an extremely preterm infant treated with insulin infusion has recently been reported. To confirm this association, we report a case series of patients who developed CH after insulin therapy.

Methods: Infants with gestational age < 30 weeks and birth weight < 1500 g, born from November 2017 to June 2022, were studied if they developed hyperglycemia requiring treatment with insulin and had echocardiographic diagnosis of CH.

Pediatric orbital fractures.

Purpose Of Review: The aim of this study was to summarize current evidence on the clinical presentation, evaluation, and management of pediatric orbital fractures. Recent trends in management strategies as well as emerging surgical techniques for pediatric orbital fracture repair are presented.

Recent Findings: Although somewhat limited, growing bodies of evidence support a conservative approach with close follow up in pediatric orbital fractures.

Morphine exposure and neurodevelopmental outcome in infants born extremely preterm.

Aim: To investigate the association between morphine exposure in the neonatal period and neurodevelopment at 2 and 5 years of age while controlling for potential confounders.

Method: We performed a retrospective, single-centre cohort study on 106 infants (60 males, 46 females; mean gestational age 26 weeks [SD 1]) born extremely preterm (gestational age < 28 weeks). Morphine administration was expressed as cumulative dose (mg/kg) until term-equivalent age.

Oxidative Stress Biomarkers and Early Brain Activity in Extremely Preterm Infants: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Early brain activity, measured using amplitude-integrated EEG (aEEG), is correlated with neurodevelopmental outcome in preterm newborns. F-isoprostanes (IPs) are early biomarkers predictive for brain damage. We aimed to investigate the relationship between perinatal IPs concentrations and quantitative aEEG measures in preterm newborns.

Ultrasound-induced cavitation and passive acoustic mapping: SonoTran platform performance and short-term safety in a large-animal model.

Ultrasound-induced cavitation is currently under investigation for several potential applications in cancer treatment. Among these, the use of low-intensity ultrasound, coupled with the systemic administration of various cavitation nuclei, has been found to enhance the delivery of co-administered therapeutics into solid tumors. Effective pharmacological treatment of solid tumors is often hampered, among various factors, by the limited diffusion of drugs from the bloodstream into the neoplastic mass and through it, and SonoTran holds the potential to tackle this clinical limitation by increasing the amount of drug and its distribution within the ultrasound-targeted tumor tissue.

Platelet Count and Volume and Pharmacological Closure with Paracetamol of Ductus Arteriosus in Preterm Infants.

Low platelet count might promote resistance to pharmacological closure with indomethacin and ibuprofen of a hemodynamically significant patent ductus arteriosus (hsPDA). However, no studies have investigated if this occurs with paracetamol. We retrospectively assessed the correlation between platelet count, mean platelet volume (MPV), and plateletcrit (PCT), as well as the effectiveness of paracetamol in closing hsPDA in infants born at 23-31 weeks of gestation who were treated with 15 mg/kg/6 h of i.

The management of late preterm infants: effects of rooming-in assistance versus direct admission to neonatal care units.

Late preterm infants (LPIs) represent a significant percentage of all neonates (6-8%), but there are limited published data on their postnatal management. Our aim was to compare the frequency of neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admission and the breastfeeding rate of LPIs born at 35-36 weeks of gestation who were cared for by initial rooming in strategy rather than directly admitted to the special care unit (SCU) and, eventually, to the NICU. We carried out a retrospective study in the perinatal centers of Careggi University Hospital (CUH) and San Giovanni di Dio Hospital in Florence, Italy, where the first and second strategies were applied, respectively.

In vivo magnetic resonance imaging evidence of olfactory bulbs changes in a newborn with congenital Citomegalovirus: a case report.

Background: Citomegalovirus (CMV) infects approximately 1% of live newborns. About 10% of the infants affected by congenital CMV infection are symptomatic at birth and up to 60% of these infants will develop permanent neurological disabilities. Depending on gestational age (GA) at the time of infection, the involvement of central nervous system (CNS) can lead to malformations of cortical development, calcifications, periventricular white matter lesions and cysts, ventriculomegaly and cerebellar hypoplasia.

Cerebral and splanchnic oxygenation during automated control of inspired oxygen (FiO ) in preterm infants.

Objectives: Our aim in this study was to assess the effect of the Predictive Intelligent Control of Oxygenation (PRICO ) system on cerebral (rSO C) and splanchnic (rSO S) oxygenation in a cohort of preterm infants with frequent desaturations.

Methods: Twenty infants with gestational age <32 weeks (n = 20) were assigned in random sequence to 12 h of automated or manual adjustment of FiO . Over this period, they were studied continuously by near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS).

Incidence and risk factors of retinopathy of prematurity in an Italian cohort of preterm infants.

Objective: Non-negligible differences in retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) and its risk factors between different neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) are reported. Our aim was to assess the incidence and risk factors for ROP development in a large cohort of very preterm infants who were assisted in two Italian NICUs.

Methods: Preterm infants with gestational age between 23 and 29 weeks were stratified into subgroups of infants who developed ROP and those who did not; their clinical characteristics were compared with univariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses.

Erratum: Neonatal Cerebellar Hemorrhage and Facial Nerve Palsy: An Unusual Association.

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Isoprostanes as Biomarker for White Matter Injury in Extremely Preterm Infants.

Preterm white matter is vulnerable to lipid peroxidation-mediated injury. F2-isoprostanes (IPs), are a useful biomarker for lipid peroxidation. Aim was to assess the association between early peri-postnatal IPs, white matter injury (WMI) at term equivalent age (TEA), and neurodevelopmental outcome in preterm infants.

Improved therapeutic antibody delivery to xenograft tumors using cavitation nucleated by gas-entrapping nanoparticles.

Testing ultrasound-mediated cavitation for enhanced delivery of the therapeutic antibody cetuximab to tumors in a mouse model. Tumors with strong EGF receptor expression were grown bilaterally. Cetuximab was coadministered intravenously with cavitation nuclei, consisting of either the ultrasound contrast agent Sonovue or gas-stabilizing nanoscale SonoTran Particles.

Neonatal Cerebellar Hemorrhage and Facial Nerve Palsy: An Unusual Association.

Cerebellar hemorrhage is rare in term newborns and is most often seen after traumatic birth. Lifelong sequelae include motor and cognitive impairment. We report the uncommon case of a late preterm infant born by spontaneous delivery who showed right peripheral facial palsy at 24 hours of life.