Publications by authors named "Serra G"

I need to thank my colleagues for their valuable comments on the recently published paper entitled "Identification of Achille's Tendon Tears: Diagnostic Accuracy of Dual-Energy CT with Respect to MRI" [...

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The elevated plus maze (EPM) apparatus consists of two open arms that provide aversive spaces and two closed arms that provide protective and welcoming spaces. Here, we present a protocol to implement the classical EPM apparatus in a real-time optogenetic environment to address behavioral avoidance in mice. We describe steps for performing stereotaxic surgery, mouse manipulation, and experimental setup.

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Background And Objective: Currently, the management for pituitary apoplexy (PA) has been promoted toward a more conservative approach, particularly for patients with low-grade PA scores. Our aim was to investigate trends in PA management and compare clinical presentation, therapeutic approaches, and outcomes before and after 2017, additionally to evaluate long-term outcomes in conservatively treated patients.

Methods: Spanish multicenter, retrospective study.

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  • The study focuses on identifying genetic mutations in malaria parasites that confer drug resistance, essential for improving surveillance and target discovery in malaria treatment.
  • Researchers analyzed the genomes of 724 clones resistant to 118 different antimalarial compounds, uncovering 1,448 variants in 128 frequently mutated genes related to multidrug resistance.
  • The findings suggest that in vitro selected mutations are more diverse and significant than naturally occurring ones, providing insights into how these mutations can inform predictions of drug resistance in similar pathogens.
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Background Because of its ability to help assess the presence of subtle morphologic changes in bone and bone marrow edema, dual-energy CT (DECT) could be an alternative to MRI in the diagnosis of bone stress injury that includes a stress fracture (SF) and stress reaction (SR). Purpose To determine the diagnostic accuracy of DECT in identifying bone stress injury of the lower limb using MRI as the reference standard. Materials and Methods This prospective study, conducted between June 2021 and January 2024, included consecutive patients clinically suspected of having stress injury (SF or SR) of the lower limb (leg, ankle, or foot).

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Background: Iron deficiency and iron deficiency anemia represent global health issues, particularly during pregnancy and the postpartum. The present paper aims to summarize the appropriate management of these conditions in order to try to improve how clinicians perceive, diagnose and treat iron deficiency and iron deficiency anemia.

Methods: An expert panel of Italian obstetricians of Lazio region was convened to evaluate the available literature on iron deficiency and iron deficiency anemia during pregnancy and the post-partum in order to try to define a flow chart on the appropriate management of such conditions; aspects related to the patient blood management have also been investigated.

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There has been limited focus placed on exploring food insecurity within the UK-ex-Armed Forces population. The present study aims to build on initial work by investigating the prevalence and associated factors of food insecurity within UK veterans and their families and their current health status. 881 veterans (or a family member) who previously served in the Royal Navy and Royal Marines, Army and the Royal Air Force completed an online survey to explore health status, food insecurity and receipt of benefits.

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Due to their extraordinary qualities, including fire resistance, excellent crashworthiness, low thermal conductivity, permeability, non-toxicity, and reduced density, cellular materials have found extensive use in various engineering applications. This study uses a finite element analysis (FEA) to model the dynamic compressive behaviour of agglomerated cork to ascertain how its material density and stress relaxation behaviour are related. Adding the Mullins effect into the constitutive modelling of impact tests, its rebound phase and subsequent second impact were further examined and simulated.

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  • Metalloporphyrins with open-shell transition metals like Ni(II) have a fast excited-state relaxation mechanism, which is explored in a nanographene-Ni(II) porphyrin conjugate.
  • Using variable temperature transient absorption and global fit analysis, the study reveals that after photoexcitation, vibrational cooling occurs in 1.6 ps, followed by a brief 20 ps window where some excited states decay radiatively before intersystem crossing.
  • At low temperatures, two relaxation pathways from the lowest triplet state to the ground state are identified: a slow process over 1.6 ns and a faster route influenced by a conical intersection, important for applications in energy harvesting and optoelectronics.
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Background: Pituitary apoplexy (PA) is the paradigm of endocrine and neurosurgical emergency.

Objective: To evaluate the comorbidities, risk factors, clinical presentation, pituitary apoplexy score (PAS) and the outcomes of surgical vs. conservative management of PA in Spain.

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  • Precision graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) have unique properties influenced by their shapes, making them promising for carbon-based electronics.
  • The study introduces a new type of GNR, called wavy GNR (wGNR), which incorporates eight-membered rings and is created through a specific chemical process.
  • This new wGNR shows effective light emission and prevents unwanted aggregation, demonstrating potential use in organic light-emitting devices, which may enhance future technologies in optoelectronics.
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Background: Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is a major cause of sepsis and meningitis in newborns. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends to pregnant women, between 35 and 37 weeks of gestation, universal vaginal-rectal screening for GBS colonization, aimed at intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis (IAP). The latter is the only currently available and highly effective method against early onset GBS neonatal infections.

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The assistance to veterans in the UK is provided by the National Health Service and over 1800 military charities. These charities count services using different definitions and reporting systems, so to date a national registry of service usage does not exist. The aim of the Map Of Need Aggregation ResearCH study is to build a standardized registry of service usage data for the military charity sector.

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  • * Timely surgical intervention is crucial to reduce the risk of serious complications like endophthalmitis, which can affect visual outcomes.
  • * A review of 15 studies showed that repairs done within 24 hours significantly lowered the odds of endophthalmitis, but visual outcomes were similar regardless of repair timing.
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Cross-sectional imaging is widely used to characterize adrenal gland tumors in humans. In small animal veterinary medicine, while some studies have attempted to distinguish between types of adrenal gland neoplasia using CT, peer-reviewed studies investigating canine adrenal glands on MRI are scant. This prospective, pilot, single-center, method comparison, cadaveric study aimed to assess the agreement between ex vivo MRI findings and analogous histopathological findings of the adrenal glands in dogs.

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  • Efforts are being ramped up to find new biofuel sources to combat environmental issues, especially greenhouse gas emissions tied to global warming.
  • Algae and microalgae are highlighted as promising renewable energy options due to their low pollution impact.
  • The article reviews studies on using lignocellulosic waste to improve algae and microalgae growth, aiming to enhance biomass production and valuable compounds derived from these organisms.
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: The aim was to assess the diagnostic accuracy of DECT in diagnosing Achilles tendon tears, using MRI as the reference for diagnosis. : This feasibility study conducted prospectively at a single center included consecutive patients suffering from ankle pain who underwent DECT and MRI between April 2023 and October 2023. A total of three radiologists, blinded to the patient's clinical data, assessed the images.

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  • Influenza poses a significant public health risk, particularly for severe cases, prompting the need for effective vaccination strategies among pediatric populations in Palermo.
  • A study was conducted in two phases, starting with an educational intervention for family pediatricians (FPs), followed by monitoring the safety and acceptance of the qLAIV vaccine among children.
  • Results showed a vaccination coverage rate of 13.2%, much higher than the average rates in the Palermo LHA and throughout Sicily, with only mild adverse reactions reported, indicating that educational efforts can enhance vaccination rates effectively.
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Correct classification of irritability is extremely important to assess prognosis and treatment indications of juvenile mood disorders. We assessed factors associated with low versus high parent- and self-rated irritability using the affective reactivity index (ARI) in a sample of 289 adolescents diagnosed with a bipolar or a major depressive disorder. Bivariate analyses were followed by multilinear logistic regression model.

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Neuromodulation such as deep brain stimulation (DBS) is advancing as a clinical intervention in several neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders, including Parkinson's disease, dystonia, tremor, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) for which DBS is already applied to alleviate severely afflicted individuals of symptoms. Tourette syndrome and drug addiction are two additional disorders for which DBS is in trial or proposed as treatment. However, some major remaining obstacles prevent this intervention from reaching its full therapeutic potential.

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The relationship between the duration of major depressive disorder (MDD) and therapeutic response to standard antidepressant treatment (SAT) is unknown. -methyl-D-aspartate receptor uncompetitive antagonists are emerging drugs for MDD. We investigated whether the antidepressant effect of esmethadone (REL-1017) could be related to the duration of depression.

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Natural products derived from plants or microorganisms have been considered as eco-friendly herbicides with application in crop protection. Several natural cyclopeptides have been reported as herbicides, while others have been identified as inhibitors of cyanobacteria. In this work, the syntheses of cyclotetrapeptides and cyclopentapeptides analogues of natural products were successfully performed by solid-phase peptide synthesis of their linear precursor and solution-phase macrolactamization.

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