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Low-level laser therapy (LLLT) is a therapeutic option that stimulates cellular function through intracellular photobiological and photochemical reactions, promoting better tissue repair and an anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and analgesic effect. Previous studies in human and veterinary medicine have shown the clinical efficacy of LLLT in many fields. In this study, the literature was reviewed using the critically appraised topic (CAT) method to determine the canine skin diseases for which LLLT is an advisable treatment. A meticulous literature search revealed 19 significant clinical trials, which were critically analyzed. The evaluation of the best accessible evidence in July 2022 suggests that fluorescence biomodulation (FBM), a type of LLLT, can, in combination with systemic antibiotic therapy, be a promising and effective adjunctive treatment for canine interdigital pyoderma and canine deep pyoderma. Furthermore, the evidence suggests that the use of LLLT is not recommended as a therapy for pedal pruritus secondary to canine atopic dermatitis. For other canine skin diseases included in the CAT, although LLLT appears to be a promising treatment, there is not yet good scientific evidence to recommend its use.

The MITICA experiment at Consorzio RFX Padova, within the framework of the European Magnetic Confinement Fusion effort, is a full-scale prototype of the Neutral Beam Injector (NBI) heating system envisioned for ITER, which will be required to produce 1MeV beams of deuterium with an ion current of 40 A for up to 1 hour. These specifications far exceed any current NBI devices with a compact electrostatic accelerator to operate at 1MV being double the voltage reached up to now. To achieve these conditions the entire beam source and accelerator of MITICA are insulated by a vacuum instead of the more commonly used insulating gas. This is to avoid radiation induced conductivity in the gas by radiation produced from fusion reactions. However, this serves to be an overall more complex system and vacuum insulation has its own substantial hurdles regards stability and voltage holding. The High Voltage Padova Test Facility (HVPTF) is a concurrent R&D project focused on understanding the physical processes behind breakdown and micro-discharges in high-voltage insulation, as well as developing new diagnostics, models, and operational modes to address these challenges and aid in the stable operation of MITICA. The highresolution charac-terization of the X-ray energy spectrum during the high voltage conditioning of a multi electrode vacuum insulated system such as HVPTF could be vital to understand the fundamentals behind voltage breakdowns and which stage is causing the micro discharge onset. This technique seems particularly promising for measuring small dark currents (< 10?A), which are generally difficult to be measured with standard techniques. The X-rays produced during HV experiments are mainly due to bremsstrahlung interaction between the electrons escaping from the HV electrodes (field emission effect) and the background gas or the chamber walls. The X-rays spectrum extends from low energy ( ? keV) up to several hundreds of keV depending on the maximum potential difference applied to the electrodes (up to 800 kV). During these events high photon flux (>106 photons/cm2s) is produced. This paper shows the development and preliminary results of a newly designed X-Ray diagnostic based on Gas Electron Multiplier (XR-GEM). This detector is able to stand very high rate (> MHz) in single photon counting mode and can cover the energy range from 3 - 50 keV. The XR GEM detector is equipped with anodic pads (256 pads 6x6 mm2) readout with a new data acquisition system called GEMINI, which gives the possibility to obtain a counting rate of several MHz and, thus, sub-ms time resolution together with mm spatial resolution.

The development of MITICA, the prototype for a neutral beam injector for ITER, drives the interest in investigating HV insulation in vacuum. The High Voltage Padova Test Facility (HVPTF) is an experimental device which has the double aim of studying the physical phenomena underlying the voltage holding in vacuum and testing technical solutions to increase the breakdown threshold. HVPTF features a vacuum chamber containing two stainless steel electrodes separated by an adjustable gap of few centimeters. Electrodes are available in different shapes and can achieve an HV difference up to 800 kV. Both the current and the voltage of the electrodes are sampled at a 100 Hz rate along with the vacuum pressure and the gas composition. Two scintillating crystals, a LYSO and a LaBr3, are installed to detect the hard X-ray bremsstrahlung radiation produced by the interaction of the free charges accelerated by the HV difference on the electrode surfaces. Both scintillators are coupled to photomultipliers and have small active volumes and fast electronics, resulting in very fast signals (40-100 ns); this minimizes the pile-up effect and enhances time resolution, allowing for the measurement of X-ray emission spectra to up to 500 keV with a time-width of few hundreds of ?s. The electrodes are subject to a conditioning process through which the breakdown voltage is gradually increased until the system reaches a saturation value. Between major breakdown discharges a series of current micro-discharges are observed, during which the number of bremsstrahlung photons drops almost to zero. A global increase in gas emission is measured in correspondence of such events, likely due to degassing induced by the discharges. The aim of this contribution is to expand the knowledge around the micro-discharge dynamics focusing on the bremsstrahlung spectra obtained through the scintillators. Different micro-discharge types will be characterized and put in relation with the different electrodes and the conditioning phase.

High voltage insulation across a single gap in vacuum and low-pressure gas is a critical issue in relation to the development and realization of the electrostatic accelerator for the ITER Neutral Beam Injector (NBI). The present paper describes and analyzes the recent experimental results obtained at the High Voltage Padova Test Facility (HVPTF), the laboratory aimed at supporting the development of the Beam Source of MITICA, the prototype of the ITER NBI now at the beginning of the commissioning phase, in Padova The high voltage conditioning procedure is an in situ treatment based on progressively increase of the voltage with frequent breakdown aimed at reaching the ultimate voltage holding, by eliminating the sources of breakdown located on the surface of the electrodes (microtips, particles, adsorbed gas) insulated by high vacuum (

Purpose: To evaluate the association of hepatitis B virus (HBV) genotypes, basal core promoter (BCP)/precore (PC) and S gene mutations with the clinical-epidemiological characteristics of acute hepatitis B (AHB) in Italy. Methods: During July 2005–January 2007, 103 symptomatic AHB patients were enrolled and prospectively followed up at 15 national hospitals. HBV genotypes, BCP/PC and S gene variants were determined by nested-PCR and direct sequence analysis. Results: Genotype D, A and F were detected in 49, 45 and 6% of patients, respectively. BCP, PC, and BCP plus PC variants were found in 3.1, 11.3 and 7.2% of patients, respectively. At enrollment, 68.3% of patients were hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-positive and 31.7% HBeAg-negative. BCP/PC mutations were more common in HBeAg-negative than in HBeAg-positive patients (p&nbsp

Drug dependence and abuse is a public health problem as revealed by reports of state police that account overdoserelated deaths for 305 during 2015. Most of the dead were caused by heroin. Despite evidence that methadone maintenance treatment is effective, it remains a controversial therapy because of its indefinite provision of a dependence-producing medication. The aim of this work is to evaluate clinically the effectiveness of Suboxone in maintaining abstinence and preventing relapse. Suboxone consists of buprenorphine and naloxone in the 4:1 ratio. The former is a partial agonist on the receptor and its absorption is rapid, while Naloxone is an antagonist on the receptor k and it is absorbed slowly. At SERT of Marsala 32 drugaddicted people were monitored. At the beginning of the monitoring, 23% of patients had already started Suboxone treatment, whereas the rest of the group was subjected to suboxone treatment for the first time. The monitoring activity included laboratory exams, questionnaires and weekly speeches. The evaluation were based on the patient’s response to Suboxone, possible side effects and degree of patient satisfaction. Even if 15% of patients have interrupted the suboxone treatment, the success of the therapy over time has been satisfactory at the time of the last report. In particular, 82% of patients who have tried both treatments with methadone and suboxone find the latter more effective. Study findings suggest that Suboxone treatment improves the ability of patients to remain abstinent, having fewer side effects with respect to methadone and reducing the risk of relapse.