Clinical Impact of Sarcopenia in the Decision-Making Process for Patients with Acute Diverticulitis.

Acute diverticulitis (AD), an inflammatory complication of diverticulosis, affects around 4% of individuals with diverticulosis, with increased incidence in older populations. This study aims to assess the impact of sarcopenia, the age-related loss of muscle mass, on the clinical decision-making and outcomes of patients with AD. A retrospective study was conducted on 237 patients admitted to the Emergency Department (ED) between January 2014 and February 2022.

Use of Deproteinized Bovine Bone in Association with Calcium Sulphate for Alveolar Socket Preservation.

The aim of this retrospective study was to compare the histomorphometry of post-extractive sites previously grafted with deproteinized bovine bone, with or without the association of a calcium sulphate preparation. The retrospective evaluation comprehended patients previously selected and treated for the extraction of one or more mono-radicular teeth, followed by an implant-prosthetic rehabilitation. Post-extractive sites had been randomly assigned to test or control group, respectively, if deproteinized bovine bone was used in association with a calcium sulphate preparation or alone.

Exploring the Hearing Improvement and Parental Stress in Children with Hearing Loss Using Hearing Aids or Cochlear Implants.

This study aims to describe the stress levels experienced by parents of children with hearing loss who use conventional hearing aids or cochlear implants, and to assess the correlation between parental stress and the auditory skills acquired by the children. The study was conducted at the Policlinic "Gaetano Martino" in Messina, evaluating data from 42 pairs of parents of children using hearing aids or cochlear implants. Parents completed the LittlEARS Auditory Questionnaire (LEAQ) and the Parental Stress Scale (PSS) 18 months after the initial device (hearing aid or cochlear implant) had been activated.

Management of ERCP-Related Perforations: A Single-Center Experience.

Perforations represent rare but serious complications in ERCP. Although several therapeutic algorithms have been proposed to properly address these potentially life-threatening events, there is still no clear consensus on their management. We conducted a single-center retrospective study in order to assess the incidence of ERCP-related perforations and their management, as well as clinical outcomes.

Tendon Anomaly Identification in Prestressed Concrete Beams Based on an Advanced Monitoring MEMS and Data-Driven Detection of Structural Damage.

The growing importance of state assessments in civil engineering has led to intensive research into the development of damage identification methods based on vibrations. Natural frequencies and modal shapes have garnered great interest because modal parameters are invariant of structure. Moreover, thanks to the global nature of modal parameters, their variations are not limited to the location of the damage.

Characterization of Hazelnut Trees in Open Field Through High-Resolution UAV-Based Imagery and Vegetation Indices.

The increasing demand for hazelnut kernels is favoring an upsurge in hazelnut cultivation worldwide, but ongoing climate change threatens this crop, affecting yield decreases and subject to uncontrolled pathogen and parasite attacks. Technical advances in precision agriculture are expected to support farmers to more efficiently control the physio-pathological status of crops. Here, we report a straightforward approach to monitoring hazelnut trees in an open field, using aerial multispectral pictures taken by drones.

An Inverse FEM for Structural Health Monitoring of a Containership: Sensor Network Optimization for Accurate Displacement, Strain, and Internal Force Reconstruction.

In naval engineering, particular attention has been given to containerships, as these structures are constantly exposed to potential damage during service hours and since they are essential for large-scale transportation. To assess the structural integrity of these ships and to ensure the safety of the crew and the cargo being transported, it is essential to adopt structural health monitoring (SHM) strategies that enable real-time evaluations of a ship's status. To achieve this, this paper introduces an advancement in the field of smart sensing and SHM that improves ship monitoring and diagnostic capabilities.

Movement Disorders and Smart Wrist Devices: A Comprehensive Study.

In the medical field, there are several very different movement disorders, such as tremors, Parkinson's disease, or Huntington's disease. A wide range of motor and non-motor symptoms characterizes them. It is evident that in the modern era, the use of smart wrist devices, such as smartwatches, wristbands, and smart bracelets is spreading among all categories of people.

A Deep Learning-Based Framework Oriented to Pathological Gait Recognition with Inertial Sensors.

Abnormal locomotor patterns may occur in case of either motor damages or neurological conditions, thus potentially jeopardizing an individual's safety. Pathological gait recognition (PGR) is a research field that aims to discriminate among different walking patterns. A PGR-oriented system may benefit from the simulation of gait disorders by healthy subjects, since the acquisition of actual pathological gaits would require either a higher experimental time or a larger sample size.

Fiber Bragg Grating Thermometry and Post-Treatment Ablation Size Analysis of Radiofrequency Thermal Ablation on Ex Vivo Liver, Kidney and Lung.

Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is a minimally invasive procedure that utilizes localized heat to treat tumors by inducing localized tissue thermal damage. The present study aimed to evaluate the temperature evolution and spatial distribution, ablation size, and reproducibility of ablation zones in ex vivo liver, kidney, and lung using a commercial device, i.e.

Issues and Limitations on the Road to Fair and Inclusive AI Solutions for Biomedical Challenges.

Objective: In this paper, we explore the correlation between performance reporting and the development of inclusive AI solutions for biomedical problems. Our study examines the critical aspects of bias and noise in the context of medical decision support, aiming to provide actionable solutions. Contributions: A key contribution of our work is the recognition that measurement processes introduce noise and bias arising from human data interpretation and selection.

Cardiac Function and Fatigue During Exoskeleton-Assisted Sit-to-Stand Maneuver and Walking in People with Stroke with Moderate to Severe Gait Disability: A Pilot Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Wearable powered exoskeletons could be used to provide robotic-assisted gait training (RAGT) in people with stroke (PwST) and walking disability. The study aims to compare the differences in cardiac function, fatigue, and workload during activities of daily living (ADLs), while wearing an exoskeleton.

Methods: Five PwST were recruited in this pilot cross-sectional study.

AI-Enhanced IoT System for Assessing Bridge Deflection in Drive-By Conditions.

The increasing traffic on roads poses a significant challenge to the structural integrity of bridges and viaducts. Indirect structural monitoring offers a cost-effective and efficient solution for monitoring multiple infrastructures. The presented work aims to explore new sensing strategies based on digital MEMS sensors integrated into an intelligent IoT infrastructure to predict the bridge deflection behaviour for indirect Bridge Structural Health Monitoring purposes.

An Ultrasound Prototype for Remote Hand Movement Sensing: The Finger Tapping Case.

In the context of neurodegenerative diseases, finger tapping is a gold-standard test used by clinicians to evaluate the severity of the condition. The finger tapping test involves repetitive tapping between the index finger and thumb. Subjects affected by neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson's disease, often exhibit symptoms like bradykinesia, rigidity, and tremor.

Three-Dimensionally Printed Mini Air Scrubbing Cartridges Based on Nano-Graphite for Air Pollution Monitoring.

Ecosystems and environments are impacted by atmospheric pollution, which has significant effects on human health and climate. For these reasons, devices for developing portable and low-cost monitoring systems are required to assess human exposure during daily life. In the last decade, the advancements of 3D printing technology have pushed researchers to exploit, in different fields of applications, the advantages offered, such as rapid prototyping and low-cost replication of complex sample treatment devices.

Room Temperature NO-Sensing Properties of N-Doped ZnO Nanoparticles Activated by UV-Vis Light.

Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) with varying levels of nitrogen (N) doping were synthesized using a straightforward sol-gel approach. The morphology and microstructure of the N-doped ZnO NPs were examined through techniques such as SEM, XRD, photoluminescence, and Raman spectroscopy. The characterization revealed visible changes in the morphology and microstructure resulting from the incorporation of nitrogen into the ZnO lattice.

A New Catalogue and Insights into the 2022 Adriatic Offshore Seismic Sequence Using a Machine Learning-Based Procedure.

This paper presents a new catalogue of the 2022/2023 Adriatic Offshore Seismic Sequence obtained by machine learning-based processing. The procedure performs the automatic picking and association of phases starting from the analysis of the continuous waveforms recorded by 40 seismic stations of the Italian National Seismic Network and 5 stations of the SISMIKO emergency group network. The earthquakes were detected over a 3-month period, between 1 November 2022 and 31 January 2023.

Understanding Cyclists' Visual Behavior Using Eye-Tracking Technology: A Systematic Review.

Eye-tracking technologies are emerging in research aiming to understand the visual behavior of cyclists to improve their safety. These technologies gather real-time information to reveal what the cyclists look at and how they respond at a specific location and time. This systematic review investigates the use of eye-tracking systems to improve cyclist safety.

FFL-IDS: A Fog-Enabled Federated Learning-Based Intrusion Detection System to Counter Jamming and Spoofing Attacks for the Industrial Internet of Things.

The Internet of Things (IoT) contains many devices that can compute and communicate, creating large networks. Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) represents a developed application of IoT, connecting with embedded technologies in production in industrial operational settings to offer sophisticated automation and real-time decisions. Still, IIoT compels significant cybersecurity threats beyond jamming and spoofing, which could ruin the critical infrastructure.

Learning from Other Tumors: Pathways for Progress and Overcoming Challenges in Cholangiocarcinoma.

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a group of complex and heterogeneous tumors originating from the epithelial cells of bile ducts that can occur in intrahepatic, perihilar, or distal localizations [...

Robotic Versus Laparoscopic Adrenalectomy for Adrenal Tumors: An Up-to-Date Meta-Analysis on Perioperative Outcomes.

Minimally invasive surgery (MIS) for adrenal glands is becoming increasingly developed worldwide and robotic surgery has advanced significantly. Although there are still concerns about the generalization of outcomes and the cost burden, the robotic platform shows several advantages in overcoming some laparoscopic shortcomings. A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted using the PubMed, MEDLINE and Cochrane library databases of published articles comparing RA and LA up to January 2024.

Glioblastoma: Clinical Presentation, Multidisciplinary Management, and Long-Term Outcomes.

Glioblastoma, the most common and aggressive primary brain tumor in adults, presents a formidable challenge due to its rapid progression, treatment resistance, and poor survival outcomes. Standard care typically involves maximal safe surgical resection, followed by fractionated external beam radiation therapy and concurrent temozolomide chemotherapy. Despite these interventions, median survival remains approximately 12-15 months, with a five-year survival rate below 10%.

Menin Inhibitors: New Targeted Therapies for Specific Genetic Subtypes of Difficult-to-Treat Acute Leukemias.

Menin (MEN1) is a well-recognized powerful tumor promoter in acute leukemias (AL) with KMT2A rearrangements (KMT2Ar, also known as MLL) and mutant nucleophosmin 1 (NPM1m) acute myeloid leukemia (AML). MEN1 is essential for sustaining leukemic transformation due to its interaction with wild-type KMT2A and KMT2A fusion proteins, leading to the dysregulation of KMT2A target genes. MEN1 inhibitors (MIs), such as revumenib, ziftomenib, and other active small molecules, represent a promising new class of therapies currently under clinical development.

A Digital Phenotypic Assessment in Neuro-Oncology (DANO): A Pilot Study on Sociability Changes in Patients Undergoing Treatment for Brain Malignancies.

Background: The digital phenotyping tool has great potential for the deep characterization of neurological and quality-of-life assessments in brain tumor patients. Phone communication activities (details on call and text use) can provide insight into the patients' sociability.

Methods: We prospectively collected digital-phenotyping data from six brain tumor patients.