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Blunt force injuries are produced by a variety of objects, including hands and feet (which is human strength) and many different weapons. Some of these objects produce distinctive patterns of injury of potential evidentiary value. This article presents a series of 53 homicides by blunt trauma along the period from 1982 to 2012, representing 16% of all homicides treated by the University Institute of Forensic Medicine in Brescia (northern Italy). Fifty-seven percent (30 cases) of the victims were male. The mean age of the victims was 47.9 years. The weapon most frequently involved was human strength. Not surprisingly, head trauma was the most common cause of death (66%). Forty-seven percent (25 cases) of the victims survived their assaults for varying periods. Homicides due to blunt trauma are still a relevant challenge for the forensic pathologist, who must obtain a complete and accurate history of the crime (including details regarding the crime scene), interpret patterns of injury and other findings at autopsy, and correlate all of the findings to make an accurate ruling of the cause and manner of death.

Antiprotons have been suggested as a possibly superior modality for radiotherapy, due to the energy released when antiprotons annihilate, which enhances the Bragg peak and introduces a high-LET component to the dose. However, concerns are expressed about the inferior lateral dose distribution caused by the annihilation products.We use the Monte Carlo code FLUKA to generate depth-dose kernels for protons, antiprotons, and carbon ions. Using these we then build virtual treatment plans optimized according to ICRU recommendations for the different beam modalities, which then are recalculated with FLUKA. Dose-volume histograms generated from these plans can be used to compare the different irradiations.The enhancement in physical and possibly biological dose from annihilating antiprotons can significantly lower the dose in the entrance channel; but only at the expense of a diffuse low dose background from long-range secondary particles. Lateral dose distributions are improved using active beam delivery methods, instead of flat fields.Dose-volume histograms for different treatment scenarios show that antiprotons have the potential to reduce the volume of normal tissue receiving medium to high dose, however, in the low dose region antiprotons are inferior to both protons and carbon ions. This limits the potential usage to situations where dose to normal tissue must be reduced as much as possible.

AbstractBackground: Chlorhexidine (CHX) 0.2% solution is still “the leading oral antiseptic” for controlling gingivitis. Side effects, however, limit the acceptability to users and the long‐term employment of a 0.2% CHX antiseptic in preventive dentistry. This stimulated the development of new formulations. The aim of the present study was to assess the effect on plaque inhibition and taste perception of two commercially available mouthrinses (0.12% CHX non‐alcohol base with 0.05% cetyl pyridinium chloride (Cpc) versus 0.2% CHX alcohol base).Methods: The study was designed as a single‐blind, randomized two group parallel experiment, to compare two different commercially available mouthrinses, during a 3‐day plaque accumulation model. Forty healthy volunteers were enrolled in the study and received a thorough dental prophylaxis at the beginning of the test period. Over a 72‐h experimental non‐brushing period, during which subjects abstained from all forms of mechanical oral hygiene, one group (test) used a 15 ml alcohol free 0.12% CHX (=18 mg) mouthrinse on a Cpc base (Perioaid®, CHX⊕Cpc), twice daily for 30 s. The other group (control) used a 10 ml 0.2% CHX (=20 mg) mouthrinse on an 11.8% ethanol alcohol base (Corsodyl®, CHX⊕Alc), twice daily for 60 s. After 72 h of plaque formation, the amount of plaque was evaluated. By the use of visual analogue scale, the subjects were asked for their appreciation of the taste of the mouthrinse they had used.Results: The mean plaque index for the CHX⊕Cpc group was 0.97 and for the CHX⊕Alc group 0.78. After 72 h of non‐brushing, there was no significant difference in plaque accumulation between the two groups. The answers to the questions (taste perception and after‐taste) showed a statistically significant difference between the two groups. The mean visual analogue scale (VAS) scores for taste appreciation on a scale from very bad to very good taste (0–10) were 5.92 for the CHX⊕Cpc group and 4.10 for the CHX⊕Alc group (p=0.02). The mean visual analogue scale (VAS) scores for the after‐taste on a scale from very short to very long (0–10) were 7.24 for the CHX⊕Cpc group and 5.38 for the CHX⊕Alc group.Conclusions: Within the limitations of the present study design, it can be concluded that rinsing with a 0.12% CHX mouthrinse on a non‐alcohol base with 0.05% Cpc (Perio‐Aid®) is not significantly different from rinsing with a 0.2% CHX mouthrinse on an alcohol base (Corsodyl®). It appears that the subjects appreciated the taste of the non‐alcohol CHX solution better but the after‐taste of the rinse remained longer in the mouth.

In medial tibial stress syndrome (MTSS) bone marrow and periosteal edema of the tibia on the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is frequently reported. The relationship between these MRI findings and recovery has not been previously studied. This prospective study describes MRI findings of 52 athletes with MTSS. Baseline characteristics were recorded and recovery was related to these parameters and MRI findings to examine for prognostic factors. Results showed that 43.5% of the symptomatic legs showed bone marrow or periosteal edema. Absence of periosteal and bone marrow edema on MRI was associated with longer recovery (P = 0.033 and P = 0.013). A clinical scoring system for sports activity (SARS score) was significantly higher in the presence of bone marrow edema (P = 0.027). When clinical scoring systems (SARS score and the Lower Extremity Functional Scale) were combined in a model, time to recovery could be predicted substantially (explaining 54% of variance, P = 0.006). In conclusion, in athletes with MTSS, bone marrow or periosteal edema is seen on MRI in 43,5% of the symptomatic legs. Furthermore, periosteal and bone marrow edema on MRI and clinical scoring systems are prognostic factors. Future studies should focus on MRI findings in symptomatic MTSS and compare these with a matched control group.

The European Project Semester (EPS) is a multicultural, multidisciplinary teamwork and project-based learning framework offered to engineering, business and product design undergraduates by a network of European Higher Education institutions, including the Instituto Superior de Engenharia do Porto (ISEP). In the spring of 2021, five EPS@ISEP students from distinct countries and fields of study joined efforts to address the smart and sustainable food production issue. This paper reports their research and development of Wormify, a solution based on vermicomposting. The main goal of the project was to design, simulate, test and build a prototype following ethical and sustainable practices. Wormify aims to minimize the problem of feeding the growing global population, and to prevent food waste from going to landfills. These objectives were pursued by designing a smart modular system for urban rooftops or small balconies. Several modules can be connected to form a place for residents to meet and socialize. The smart system allows monitoring through an app/website. This paper presents the background studies, the concept and design, the development and final results.

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Samples of two hundred finger‐ and toenails cultured after a 70% alcohol disinfection for 2 min were compared with non‐disinfected samples cultured on a classical way. Alcohol treatment caused a significant decrease in isolation of yeast and moulds. Both organisms were cultivated at 25.5 and 31%, respectively, when not treated with alcohol, whereas the isolation rate dropped to 10 and 17.5%, respectively, after alcohol treatment. Isolation of dermatophytes decreased from 27.5 to 23.5% when alcohol disinfection was used. In conclusion, although alcohol disinfection of nail samples in the laboratory effectively decreases the isolation rate of unwanted contaminants on Sabouraud glucose agar without cycloheximide, it hampers the isolation of dermatophytes and pathogenic yeasts on cycloheximide‐containing media.

Historically, the roots of alcoholism have been linked to either environment or heredity. However, the interaction between these factors is still largely unexplored. The evidence supports a link between alcohol consumption and the endogenous opioid system. We here studied the opioid genes expression in male and female Wistar rats derived from a short-term breeding program which selected -- at adolescence -- for high (ADHI line) or low (ADLO line) ethanol drinking. Specifically, in this work we analyzed central opioid gene expression in the rats of the second filial generation (S2-ADLO and S2-ADHI). Selective downregulation of pronociceptin (Pnoc) and its receptor (Oprl1) mRNA levels were observed in the prefrontal cortex of male S2-ADHI rats when compared to S2-ADLO, and for Oprl1 also in the nucleus accumbens. An increase in gene expression was instead observed for pro-opiomelanocortin (Pomc) in the nucleus accumbens of S2-ADHI males when compared to S2-ADLO, as well as for mu opioid receptor (Oprm1) but in females. The differences in mRNA levels may be due to the different alcohol consumption between the two groups of rats or may represent pre-existing differences between them. Moreover, we show a sex-specific modulation of the expression of these genes, thus pointing out the importance of sex on ethanol responses. The results might lead to more specific and effective pharmacological treatments for alcoholism.