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Background: Head and neck tissue defects after ablative surgery often require complex and composite reconstructions. The superficial circumflex iliac artery perforator (SCIP) flap is an extremely versatile perforator‐based flap with minimal donor site morbidity, which may represent the optimal procedure in this setting. Over the last 5 years, we collected a large base of experience, including both simple and chimeric SCIP‐based reconstruction, making this flap our first choice for head and neck reconstructions. Patients and Methods: Seventy‐three patients undergoing ablative head and neck surgery for oncologic pathologies were treated by means of a SCIP flap reconstruction. Patients' mean age was 67 years old (range 37–89), 51 were males and 22 were females. Fifty‐eight flaps were simple and 15 were chimeric reconstruction patterns. Indocyanine green perfusion imaging was performed in all cases. Results: All the patients were successfully treated with no flap losses were encountered. Twelve patients encountered postoperative complications: in four cases revision surgery was required for venous congestion, while the remaining cases were managed conservatively (four wound dehiscence and three infections). No patients showed donor site complications. The mean follow‐up period was 11 months (range 3–24). Conclusions: Our case series demonstrates the reliability and versatility of the SCIP flap for different kinds of head and neck reconstructions. The chimeric options combined with bone, double skin paddle, and muscle offer a broad variety of functional reconstructive solutions for complex head and neck surgeries. Intraoperative indocyanine green perfusion examination provides a valuable tool to assess and ascertain proper vascularization and post‐anastomosis vessel patency in complex microvascular flap‐based reconstructions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To investigate the prevalence and clinical manifestations of reading, writing, and mathematics disorders in children with cerebral palsy (CP). We explored how the clinical profile of these children differed from those with specific learning disorders (SLDs), taking into account several factors, particularly IQ scores, neuropsychological aspects, and the presence of a visual impairment. Method: A prospective cross‐sectional study was conducted in 42 children with CP (mean age 9 years 8 months; SD = 2 years 2 months) and 60 children with SLDs (mean age 10 years; SD = 1 year 7 months). Clinical characteristics, neuromotor and cognitive profiles, neuropsychological aspects (speech performance, academic skills, visual attention, phonological awareness, working memory), and signs of visual impairment (visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, visual field, oculomotor functions) were assessed. A machine learning approach consisting of a random forest algorithm, where the outcome was the diagnosis and the covariates were the clinical variables collected in the sample, was used for the analyses. Results: About 59% of the children with CP had reading, writing, or mathematics disorders. Children with CP with learning disorders had a low performance IQ, normal phonological awareness, and working memory difficulties, whereas children with SLDs had normal performance IQ, impaired phonological awareness, and mild working memory difficulties. There were no differences in verbal IQ between the two groups. Interpretation: Learning disorders are frequently associated with CP, with different clinical characteristics, compared with SLDs. Assessment of academic skills is mandatory in these children, even if the IQ is normal. At school age, specific interventions to promote academic skills in children with CP could be a major rehabilitative goal. What this paper adds: Reading, writing, and mathematics disorders in cerebral palsy have specific clinical characteristics.Their underlying mechanisms differ from those described in specific learning disorders.Working memory impairment can be considered a hallmark of learning disorders in children with cerebral palsy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We tested whether a didactic and a narrative video (i.e. educational content and personal stories versus irrelevant information) could boost colorectal cancer (CRC) screening intention directly and through cognitive predictors of CRC screening behavior. We also tested whether exposure to a story changed participants' affective forecasting, reducing the perception of negative emotions associated with CRC screening (disgust, embarrassment, and fear). The study was conducted online with a between‐participants design and recruiting a convenience sample (N = 375). We found that, compared with watching the control video, being exposed to the narrative video about CRC screening was indirectly associated with greater screening intention via vicarious experience and positive attitudes, whereas watching the didactic video was positively associated with CRC screening intention only among participants who had received an invitation letter but did not get screened, and among those yet to receive an invitation to screen. In the latter group, screening intention was boosted through positive attitudes. Our findings do not confirm that stories change affective forecasting, but narration likely fosters messages acceptance through vicarious experience. We also found support for the effectiveness of physicians' recommendations in promoting CRC screening, an intervention that might be effectively administered through a generalized, cost‐effective video. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pregnant women have been identified as a potentially at-risk group concerning COVID-19 infection, but little is known regarding the susceptibility of the fetus to infection. Co-expression of ACE2 and TMPRSS2 has been identified as a prerequisite for infection, and expression across different tissues is known to vary between children and adults. However, the expression of these proteins in the fetus is unknown.Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of a single cell data repository. The data were then validated at both gene and protein level by performing RT-qPCR and two-colour immunohistochemistry on a library of second-trimester human fetal tissues.Findings: TMPRSS2 is present at both gene and protein level in the predominantly epithelial fetal tissues analysed. ACE2 is present at significant levels only in the fetal intestine and kidney, and is not expressed in the fetal lung. The placenta also does not co-express the two proteins across the second trimester or at term.Interpretation: This dataset indicates that the lungs are unlikely to be a viable route of SARS-CoV2 fetal infection. The fetal kidney, despite presenting both the proteins required for the infection, is anatomically protected from the exposure to the virus. However, the gastrointestinal tract is likely to be susceptible to infection due to its high co-expression of both proteins, as well as its exposure to potentially infected amniotic fluid.Tweetable Abstract: This work provides detailed mechanistic insight into the relative protection & vulnerabilities of the fetus & placenta to SARS-CoV-2 infection by scRNAseq & protein expression analysis for ACE2 & TMPRSS2. The findings help to explain the low rate of vertical transmission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To assess a three‐factor version of the Emotional Barriers to Bowel Screening (EBBS) scale; analyze the scale's psychometric properties; and investigate the associations of fecal disgust, embarrassment, and fear with colorectal cancer (CRC) screening avoidance. Methods: Retrospective design: We asked participants to rate negative emotions associated with CRC screenings as well as whether they had ever attended a fecal occult blood test. Sample: 268 Italian adults aged 45−74 years. Measures: negative emotions, screening knowledge, CRC risk perception, demographic and background data, and hypothetical medical help‐seeking. Analyses: Confirmatory factor analyses, correlations, logistic regressions. Results: The EBBS scale is a multidimensional instrument and, at least where fecal tests are of interest, can be used without the insertion disgust subscale. The analyzed negative emotions were negatively correlated with screening attendance and positively correlated with intention to delay seeking medical help. However, logistic regression models showed that, of the three analyzed emotions, fear about outcome was the only significant predictor of screening behavior and delaying medical care. Conclusions: Further studies can adopt the version of the EBBS scale that is most suitable for their research contexts. Interventions must be designed to reassure patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our paper investigates the intertwined relation among transparency, civic capital and political accountability in a large sample of Italian municipalities using a new indicator of institutional transparency. Firstly, we test the hypothesis that civic capital affects transparency of public administrations; secondly, we verify whether in municipalities where civic capital is high, citizens' attention toward government accountability is also high, making it politically unfeasible to disregard the demand for transparency. We find that civic capital positively affects transparency and the latter, in turn, is politically rewarding for the local administrators only conditional to the level of civic capital. Our findings are robust to different samples and endogeneity concerns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Right now the world is going through an unprecedented pandemic caused by a novel coronavirus. Recent papers pointed out the fatal outcome in most of the severe cases, in which a cytokine storm has been proven to be the cause of a systemic shock, acute respiratory syndrome, multiorgan failure and consequently death. Several explanations have been proposed trying to explain the pathophysiology of the cytokine storm, but viral proteins with a possible superantigen activity as a cause of immune dysregulation have not been addressed. If this hypothesis is proven, a different treatment approach might change the outcome in severe cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rationale: To increase the consumption of egg powder and its fractions a suitable quality control method is required to obtain more information on its nutritional composition. The proposed method enables the quantification of important elements for the functioning of the human organism, such as halogens and sulfur, in egg powder and its fractions. Methods: Up to 350 mg of egg powder or its fractions (egg white powder and egg yolk powder) were digested by microwave‐induced combustion using 20 bar pressure of oxygen. The analytes were absorbed in 100 mmol L−1 of NH4OH solution. The determination of halogens (chlorine, bromine, fluorine, and iodine) and sulfur was performed in a single analysis using ion chromatography with conductivity detection coupled to mass spectrometry. Results: Using the proposed method, spike recoveries between 99% and 104% for all analytes were obtained, and results agreed with certified values of reference materials (agreements were between 100% and 109%). The relative standard deviations were below 8%. The variation in elemental concentration over a wide range in different fractions (whole egg powder, egg white powder, and egg yolk powder) and different brands was also observed. Conclusions: The proposed method provides reliable information about minerals in whole egg powder and its fractions, contributing to better quality control of these products. Because these food products are widely consumed, these results suggest the safe ingestion levels of these elements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed at evaluating the physicochemical and microbiological quality, besides the occurrence of aflatoxins M1 and B1, in samples (229) of the whole, semi‐skimmed and skimmed milk processed by the ultra‐high‐temperature system, in the three Brazilian southern states (Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina and Paraná). After incubation at 37°C for 7 days, it was found, a sample that had protein precipitation, regarding microbiological standards, 19.7% did not comply with the legislation (102 CFU ml−1). The values of defatted dry extract and acidity were presented the highest occurrence of irregularities. AFM1 was found in 13.2%and AFB1 was found in seven samples. The principal component analysis (PCA) confirmed that defatted dry extract (PC 1) and fat (PC 2) were related to the contamination by aflatoxin. Key findings: The microbiological parameters were in no compliance in 20% of samples.The aflatoxins M1 and B1 was detected in 49 and 3% of samples, respectively.The PCA analyses verified irregularities in samples collected in spring and winter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]