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Highlights • The authors present a rare case of multiple giant eccrine spiradenomas of the head and neck. • A young girl presented with multiple swellings over the head and neck. • The patient had a psychological trauma with a negative impact on her social life. • There is need to establish a surgical protocol for the treatment of adnexal tumors. • Our integrated surgical approach showed excellent aesthetic and functional results. Abstract Introduction The authors present a "four-step" integrated surgical protocol to treat a rare case of multiple giant eccrine spiradenoma (ES) of the head and neck in a young patient. Presentation of case An 18-year-old female patient presented with multiple swellings in the head and neck regions. The patient had a severe psychological trauma with a negative impact on her social life. Physical examination revealed multiple papulo-nodular swellings measuring between 5 cm × 8 cm and up to 10 cm × 20 cm in size with cerebriform aspect and soft consistency. Major lesions were located in the scalp, frontal area, neck, occipitotemporal, and retroauricular regions. Tissue biopsy found a benign composite adnexal neoplasm consisted in ES, trichoepithelioma, and cylindroma, a typical feature of Brooke-Spiegler Syndrome. A staged excision was planned, and available reconstructive options were considered. Scalp reconstruction included tissue expansions, advancement flaps, skin grafts, and dermal regeneration template (Integra®). All treatments were successful, and no recurrence was observed. The patient returned to a normal social life, and a radical excision with satisfying aesthetic results was achieved. Discussion Although adnexal tumors are benign in most of the cases, these lesions are prone to arise in the craniofacial region, thereby causing aesthetic discomfort associated with pain, hemorrhage, and infection to the patient every day. Furthermore, there is a potential risk of malignant transformation. These concerns demonstrate the need to establish a surgical protocol for the treatment of adnexal tumors. Conclusions Our integrated surgical approach showed excellent aesthetic and functional results with benefits to the patient's life and complete oncological excision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A room temperature spectroscopic investigation on KYF4:1.25at%Pr3+ is presented. The effects on the optical properties of the multisite-disordered nature of the sample are studied and discussed. In particular we report on the broadening of the 3P J absorption lines, at 10 and 300K, and the 450–770nm emissions as a function of observation and pump polarization. The evidence of a peculiar difference between emission under polarized excitation, parallel or orthogonal to the c axis, is shown. The 3P0 lifetime was 45μs in agreement with that measured in other fluoride hosts. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A spectroscopic investigation on the effect of Ce3+ co-doping in fluoride KY3F10:Pr3+ crystals is presented. In particular spectroscopic measurements of three different samples of KY3F10 crystal doped with 0.3at% Pr3+ and co-doped with 0at%, 0.17at% and 0.3at% Ce3+ are discussed. Details on the growth of the crystals are also reported. Measurements were performed in the temperature range 10–300K. Fluorescence and lifetime measurements have shown a cross relaxation between 3P0–1D2 levels of Pr3+ and 2F7/2–2F5/2 of Ce3+. Data exhibit that this effect is strictly related to the Cerium concentration. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Summary: Many local factors, yet to be investigated, can promote changes in tissue transferred by microsurgical technique into the recipient site. Several studies have attempted to assess the nature of modifications that occur in the vascular network of such a flap after transfer. Although these investigations have interesting conclusions, the majority of them were based only on indirect evaluations. The aim of this study was to detect, by histological and statistical analysis, the morphostructural changes that occurred in fasciocutaneous free flaps transferred to the cephalic region or to the lower limb. Patients were enrolled in this study only when neither local inflammatory reactions nor systemic diseases were observed at the time of biopsy. Six patients consented to undergo biopsy at both the donor and the recipient area of a previously transferred fasciocutaneous free flap. Three flaps were used for facial reconstruction, and three others for lower limb reconstruction. Standard staining and immunohistochemical investigations were performed. The sections were also analysed by specific software. Statistical analysis of the data was performed using the student''s t-test and Fisher''s test. In five out of six transferred flaps (83%), there was increased microvascularity compared to the donor area. It was correlated to the neoangiogenesis in the dermal layer of the flaps. In five recipient sites there were more new vessels. In particular, a higher score of angiogenesis was observed both in the cheek (one flap) and in the non weight-bearing area of the foot (two flaps) (P <0.001). Some differences in microvascularity between the donor and the recipient site in the same flap were related to the specific recipient site. This represents the first demonstration of adaptation of fasciocutaneous free flaps to the recipient area, as well as to their new function, at both the macroscopic and microscopic level. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Application of Precision Agriculture requires an accurate assessment of fine-resolution spatial variation. At present, advances in proximal sensing and spatial data analysis are available to characterize soil systems and detect changes in physical or chemical properties useful to understand and manage the variation within fields in a site-specific way. The objective of this work was to verify the suitability of geostatistical techniques to fuse data measured with different geophysical sensors for delineating homogeneous within-field zones for Precision Agriculture. A geophysical survey, using electromagnetic induction (EMI) and ground penetrating radar (GPR), was carried out at Montecorvino Rovella in the southern Apennines (Salerno, Italy). Both sensors (EMI and GPR) enabled the assessment of variation of soil dielectric properties both laterally and vertically. The study area is a 5 ha terraced olive grove under organic cropping. The sensor surveys were carried out along the terraces and over the entire field. The multi-sensor data were analyzed using geostatistical techniques to estimate synthetic scale-dependent regionalized factors. The results allowed the division of the study area into smaller areas, characterized by different properties that could impact agronomic management. In particular, a large area was delineated in the northern part of the grove, where apparent soil electrical conductivity and radar attenuation were greater. Through soil profiling it was shown that soils of the northern macro-area refer to deep, well developed, clayey Luvic Phaezem, whereas soils of the southern macro-area are shallower and less developed, sandy loam Leptic Calcisol. The proposed geostatistical approach effectively combined the complementary 2D EMI and 3D GPR measurements, to delineate areas characterized by different soil horizontal and vertical conditions. This within-olive grove partition might be advantageously used for site-specific tillage and fertilization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]