[Repair of large vesical wall defects with lyophilized dura mater. Experimental research (author's transl)]

In order to evaluate whether and how far a fuller case documentation can contribute to a better knowledge of the real possibilities of the lyophilised human dura mater in the field of vesical alloplastic surgery, the Authors present and discuss the results they obtained during the course of experimental research. In the light of personal histological documents, they stress the absence of reject phenomena, a property which, together with the absence of precipitates, the complete re-epithelialisation of the transition epithelium and the possibility of ensuring good vesical capacity, evidence that lyophilised human dura mater has full rights to a place in repair surgery of large vesical wall defects.

[Repair of large defects of the abdominal wall with lyophilized dura mater. Experimental research (author's transl)]

In order to evaluate whether and how far lyophilised human dura mater deserves to be preferred in repair surgery of large defects of the abdominal wall, the Authors present and discuss the results they obtained during the course of experimental research. In the light of personal histological documents, they stress the absence of reject phenomena and the peculiar capacity of the prosthesis for substitution by cicatricial tissue, properties which, together with the complete re-epithelialisation of the peritoneal mesothelium and the resistance to mechanical stresses, evidence that lyophilised dura mater must rightly be given preference in plastic reconstruction of large defects of the abdominal wall.

[Esophageal stenosis caused by benign mucous pemphigoid]

The Authors report a case of benign mucous pemphigoid. The review of the literature has confirmed the rarity of this disease. After having discussed acquired diagnostic data, the Authors show reasons to justify the endoscopic surgical treatment. Furthermore, they underline the importance of associated medical therapy as well as follow-ups which patients must periodically undergo.

Mediterranean Diet and Lifestyle in Persons with Mild to Moderate Alzheimer's Disease

Due to the continuous aging of the population and consequent increase in dementia, focus on its prevention is of growing importance for public health. Since effective pharmacological treatments are not yet available, other determinants of cognitive decline have become fundamental. Several studies have indicated that the Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) is associated with reduced incident cognitive decline and dementia, but few studies have been conducted in persons already diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease (AD). We age-matched 73 patients with mild-moderate AD with 73 controls (mean age for the whole group = 76.5 ± 6.5; 67.5% women). The cases had a significantly lower adherence to the MedDiet and lower physical activity vs. controls, where only one participant (1.4%) had a high adherence to the MedDiet among cases compared to 5.5% among controls, while 52.5% of the cases had a moderate adherence to the MedDiet vs. 82.2% in controls. In multivariate analysis, only the presence of AD was significantly associated with a lower adherence to the MedDiet vs. controls. Other factors examined (gender, age, physical activity level, multimorbidity, and polypharmacy) were not significantly associated with adherence to the MedDiet. Thus, AD patients had a low adherence to the MedDiet and very low physical activity. Public health strategies aimed at promoting the Mediterranean diet and physical activity for older people should be a priority.

[Partial replacement of the ureter with lyophilized human dura mater. Experimental research (author's transl)]

In order to evaluate whether and how for lyophilized human dura mater deserves to be used in the field of ureteral alloplastic surgery, the authors present and discuss the results they obtained during the course of experimental research. In the light of their personal histological documents, they stress the absence of reject phenomena, a property which, together with the absence of precipitates, the complete reepithelialisation of the transition epithelium and the ability to ensure normal ureteral perviousness, evidences that lyophilised human dura mater has full rights to a place in substitutive surgery of a segment of ureter, in particular the lumbo-liiac segment.