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Unilateral non-hemorrhagic adrenal infarction (NHAI) is a very uncommon cause of acute abdomen in pregnancy. Diagnosis is highly challenging due to its rarity, heterogeneity of clinical presentation, and inconclusiveness of the initial workup. Timely recognition is pivotal to ensuring optimal outcomes. Here we describe a case of spontaneous unilateral NHAI diagnosed in a singleton pregnant woman at 32 weeks’ gestation at our centre and provide the findings of an extensive literature review on the topic. We identified 22 articles describing 31 NHAI cases in 30 obstetric patients: NHAI occurs more frequently on the right side and in the third trimester, and diagnosis is formulated more than 24 h after clinical presentation in 50% of cases; second-level imaging is always necessary to reach a definitive diagnosis and start appropriate treatment. A high degree of clinical suspicion is needed to promptly recognize NHAI in pregnancy, thus allowing appropriate multidisciplinary management and timely treatment initiation. Promotion of knowledge and awareness of NHAI as a potential cause of acute abdomen in pregnancy is mandatory to improve clinical practice and, ultimately, perinatal outcomes.

The present study aims to apply the principles of circular economy, using special inorganic waste (in particular, red gypsum muds from a TiO2 plant in Tuscany, Italy) to produce ceramic materials for the construction and building industries. Red gypsum (RG) muds produced during more than 10 years of industrial processing were chemically and mineralogically characterized by X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF), X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD), scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (SEM/EDS), and thermal analyses (TA). The analyses testify that RG waste production is chemically and mineralogically constant over time, and therefore suitable to be used as a secondary raw material in industrial ceramic production. Ceramic specimens have been realized using an extremely high amount of the RG waste (up to 70%) and characterized using the same chemical-mineralogical techniques, revealing that anhydrite, pyroxene, and Fe/Ti oxides are the main crystalline phases, embedded in a glassy compact matrix. Overall results indicate that the production of ceramic materials could represent a definitive and sustainable solution for the problematic management of the large volumes of RG waste deriving from TiO2 plants.

The recycling of cement asbestos slates (CASs) thermally treated in air at 1100 °C as secondary raw material in the production of Vitreous China (VC) sanitary wares has been investigated. Deactivated cement asbestos powder (DCAP) has been used in individual substitutions (5 wt%) of quartz and feldspar. The single raw materials, the ceramic technological properties before and after firing, and the phases and microstructure evolution during firing have been investigated with a variety of techniques, including those commonly used for production quality checks and instrumental methods for mineralogical analyses. DCAP acts as flux rather than as inert in the firing process, promoting greification. Although the substituted samples have some critical aspects that need to be addressed before processing, such as the presence of sulphate salts that increase the dispersant demand and the colour of the fired ceramic body, the overall technological properties are comparable to those of normal production, suggesting the possible reuse of DCAP powder in the production of sanitary wares.

In this study, we investigated flotation muds (FM) deriving from the recovery processes of precious metals contained in e-waste (wastes from electronics) and exhausted catalysts. FM consist of an amorphous phase, corresponding to a Ca- and Al-rich silicatic glass, potentially usable as a secondary raw material (SRM) to obtain a final ceramic product (CFM). A high FM amount was used in our ceramic tests, and suitably mixed with variable percentages of other phases. Chemical analysis, phase composition, microstructure, pore pattern and technological properties of the new ceramic products were determined using different analytical techniques, including bulk XRF, XRD, SEM-EDS and µCT. The CFM product predominantly consists of nepheline, pyroxene and wollastonite as the main crystalline phases, with a minor amorphous phase occurring as a compact interstitial matrix. The ceramic product has a porous interconnected microstructure. Nevertheless, this microstructure does not negatively affect the mechanical properties of the ceramic product, as testified by the geo-mechanical tests, revealing good properties in terms of bending and uniaxial strength. These preliminary results point out that FM recycling is feasible, at least at the laboratory scale.

Type 2 diabetes is increasingly recognized as a spectrum of metabolic disorders sharing chronic hyperglycaemia. In Europe, the continually growing number of migrants from developing countries could affect diabetes phenotypes. We evaluated a population of 426 Italians and 412 undocumented migrants. Using 17 variables (with the exclusion of ethnic origin) we performed a multiple component analysis to detect potential clusters, independently from ethnicity. We also compared the two groups to evaluate potential ethnicity associated differences. We found five clusters of patients with different disease phenotypes. Comparing Italians with undocumented migrants, we noted that the first had more often cardiovascular risk factors and neurologic involvement, while the latter had a higher frequency of diabetic ulcers and renal involvement. Metformin was used in a comparable percentage of patients in all clusters, but other antidiabetic treatments showed some differences. Italians were more often on insulin, due to a larger use of long acting insulin, and received a larger number of oral antidiabetics in combination. Pharmacological treatment of comorbidities showed some differences too. We suggest that type 2 diabetes should be considered as a spectrum of diseases with different phenotypes also in heterogeneous populations, and that this is not due only to ethnic differences.

[EN] The genus Xenanoetus Mahunka, 1969, only described by the hypopial stage, is characterised by an enlarged gnathosoma, the presence of double claws in legs I, II and III in addition to remarkably broadened femur and genu of legs I and II, particularly visible in lateral view. Only five species from this genus have been described and they are all from the northern hemisphere. Hypopi are generally found as phoretic on Sphaeroceridae flies and Hydrophilidae beetles. Until present, hypopi of the species Xenanoetus grandiceps have only been reported in Mongolia, described by Mahunka in 1973. Xenanoetus grandiceps is characterised by the presence of a pair of arches pointing anteriorly in the posterior part of the gnathosoma. Here we report for the first time X. grandiceps in Spain, and for the second time X. vestigialis. Both species were found in association with carcass remains, as phoretic on lesser dung flies (Sphaeroceridae), which were collected in a mixed deciduous forest near the Atlantic coast. Additional new information on morphological characteristics of these Xenanoetus species, as well as habitat requirements and biology are presented in this report.

Most humans carry mites in the hair follicles of their skin for their entire lives. Follicular mites are the only metazoans that continuously live on humans. We propose that Demodex folliculorum (Acari) represents a transitional stage from a host-injuring obligate parasite to an obligate symbiont. Here, we describe the profound impact of this transition on the genome and physiology of the mite. Genome sequencing revealed that the permanent host association of D. folliculorum led to an extensive genome reduction through relaxed selection and genetic drift, resulting in the smallest number of protein-coding genes yet identified among panarthropods. Confocal microscopy revealed that this gene loss coincided with an extreme reduction in the number of cells. Single uninucleate muscle cells are sufficient to operate each of the three segments that form each walking leg. While it has been assumed that the reduction of the cell number in parasites starts early in development, we identified a greater total number of cells in the last developmental stage (nymph) than in the terminal adult stage, suggesting that reduction starts at the adult or ultimate stage of development. This is the first evolutionary step in an arthropod species adopting a reductive, parasitic, or endosymbiotic lifestyle. Somatic nuclei show under-replication at the diploid stage. Novel eye structures or photoreceptors as well as a unique human host melatonin-guided day/night rhythm are proposed for the first time. The loss of DNA repair genes coupled with extreme endogamy might have set this mite species on an evolutionary dead-end trajectory.

Over the past few decades, there has been a growing demand for genome analysis of ancient human remains. Destructive sampling is increasingly difficult to obtain for ethical reasons, and standard methods of breaking the skull to access the petrous bone or sampling remaining teeth are often forbidden for curatorial reasons. However, most ancient humans carried head lice and their eggs abound in historical hair specimens. Here we show that host DNA is protected by the cement that glues head lice nits to the hair of ancient Argentinian mummies, 1,500-2,000 years old. The genetic affinities deciphered from genome-wide analyses of this DNA inform that this population migrated from north-west Amazonia to the Andes of central-west Argentina; a result confirmed using the mitochondria of the host lice. The cement preserves ancient environmental DNA of the skin, including the earliest recorded case of Merkel cell polyomavirus. We found that the percentage of human DNA obtained from nit cement equals human DNA obtained from the tooth, yield 2-fold compared with a petrous bone, and 4-fold to a bloodmeal of adult lice a millennium younger. In metric studies of sheaths, the length of the cement negatively correlates with the age of the specimens, whereas hair linear distance between nit and scalp informs about the environmental conditions at the time before death. Ectoparasitic lice sheaths can offer an alternative, nondestructive source of high-quality ancient DNA from a variety of host taxa where bones and teeth are not available and reveal complementary details of their history.

Background: Chronic airway diseases are prevalent and costly conditions. Interdisciplinary rehabilitation programs that include Acceptance and Commitment-based (ACT) components could be important to tackle the vicious circle linking progression of the disease, inactivity, and psychopathological symptoms. Methods: A retrospective evaluation of routinely collected data of an interdisciplinary rehabilitation program was performed. The program included group sessions including patient education, breathing exercise, occupational therapy and an ACT-based psychological treatment, and individual sessions of physical therapy. Demographic data, clinical characteristics of the patients and the values of outcome variables (health status, quality of life, anxiety, and depression) before treatment, at discharge, at 3 months, and at 6 months were extracted from medical records. Multiple imputation was employed to address missing data. Linear mixed models were employed to assess changes over time. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to assess predictors of a minimum clinically important change of health status from baseline to the 6-months follow-up. Results: Data from 31 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and 12 patients with bronchiectasis were extracted. Health status improved from baseline to discharge to the 3 months follow-up, but not to the 6 months follow-up. Anxiety and depression improved across all the time points. Quality of life did not improve over time. Having a worse health status at baseline and fewer depressive symptoms were significantly associated with achieving a minimum clinically important change of health status at 6 months. The effects of the interdisciplinary program were not different for patients with COPD or with bronchiectasis. Discussion: Interdisciplinary programs including ACT-based components are promising treatments for the rehabilitation of patients with chronic airway diseases.