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Objectives: Antegrade sclerotherapy (Tauber's) procedure has been extensively used for the minimally-invasive treatment of varicocele; however, the results in the pediatric population are less defined. This systematic review evaluates the efficacy and safety of antegrade sclerotherapy for varicocele in the pediatric population. Evidence acquisition: The review was conducted following the PRISMA guidelines. Systematic research of available literature in English language from 1980 until May 2022 was conducted through EMBASE, MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, and NIH Registry of Clinical Trials. For each study, information was gathered regarding the study design, the inclusion/exclusion criteria, the indications for treatment, the success rate and the complications. When available, the details about sperm analysis were reported. Evidence synthesis: The 10 studies were included in the final sample (564 patients). Median age of patients ranged 13.3–15.3 years. The indications for scleroembolization varied in the different studies, while most studies included patients with clinical G2-G3 varicocele and clinical symptoms or testicular asymmetry. The treatment was successful in 88%–98% of the patients, while the complication rate was <5%. Conclusion: Tauber's sclerotherapy is a safe and effective treatment for varicocele also in the pediatric population. Further studies with standardized inclusion criteria are needed to provide higher level of evidence and compare the outcomes of antegrade sclerotherapy with the other available techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A multidisciplinary study, including geomorphological, stratigraphic, paleontological and archaeological methods and techniques, allowed for a detailed exploration of coastal landforms and environments in front of the ancient city of Pompeii (southern Italy). The famous site of Pompeii sits on a small volcanic hill in the alluvial-coastal plain of the Sarno River, very close to the ancient paleoshoreline. When the Roman city was buried during the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 CE, pyroclastic fall and flow deposits covered the urban centres and ancient coastal landforms. In this study, 83 new boreholes were carried out up to a depth of 10 m. Some of them (15) were analysed for their sedimentological, stratigraphical and paleontological characterisation, in order to reconstruct the sedimentary environments in 79 CE. The data collected allow for new hypotheses to be formulated regarding the paleoshorelines, as well as the 79 CE coastal landforms and environments. In particular, litho-stratigraphic and fossil assemblages highlight the presence of shallow marine environments in a large back-ridge depression, named Masseria Curati, that is located just outside the city walls. This hypothesis opens new insights on the unknown location of the harbour of the Roman city. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microalgae are photosynthetic microorganisms which may be employed in several fields. Amongst them, an emerging but promising sector of application is their usage for the remediation of wastewaters. They result particularly effective in treating municipal wastewaters, often resulting in nitrate concentrations exceeding the requirements for discharging treated wastewater into the sea. Furthermore, another advantage of using microalgae in civil wastewater treatment is the cooperation with heterotrophic bacteria which may naturally occur in the water or be introduced through sewage sludge in wastewater treatment plants (WTPs). Microalgae, in fact, produce oxygen which may be used by these bacteria reducing the overall operational costs of the WTP. The assessment of nitrogen compound concentrations in wastewater involves various techniques, with ionic chromatography (IC) and spectrometric methods being commonly used in laboratory settings. However, these methods have drawbacks such as the need for skilled personnel, time-consuming processes, and impracticality for in situ and real-time analysis. To address these issues, electrochemical sensors present a viable alternative. These sensors require portable instruments with low power requirements and can be miniaturized using nanotechnology. Electrochemical sensors operate by reducing/oxidizing the target analyte on the working electrode surface. The choice of electrode material is crucial for sensor sensitivity, and copper is found to exhibit excellent electrocatalytic properties for reducing nitrate ions in acidic media. In this study, a cost-effective electrochemical sensor made of copper was developed for quantifying nitrate in wastewater. The entire electrochemical cell was constructed from a common substrate used in Printed Circuit Boards (PCB). The whole fabrication procedure was optimized in order to obtain a reproducible fabrication procedure. The reference and counter electrodes were modified with graphite and Ag/AgCl paste, respectively. The results demonstrated that the sensor can effectively quantify nitrate ions in wastewater. Moreover, it can be employed during microalgal treatment to assess the in vivo reduction of nitrate, offering a practical and efficient solution for real-time monitoring of nitrogen compounds in wastewater treatment processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]