Italian healthcare workers' views on mandatory vaccination

Background  

Mandatory vaccination has contributed to the success of immunisation programmes but voluntary vaccination allows people to be responsible for their own health. There are benefits from both policies and the arguments between them remain subject to debate within and without the scientific community, both nationally and internationally. The aim of this study is to assess the opinions of those who actually work in the Vaccination Service.     

Age-Related Changes of the Orbit and Midcheek and the Implications for Facial Rejuvenation

Background Aging of the midface is complex and poorly understood. Changes occur not only in the facial soft tissues, but also in the underlying bony structure. Computed tomography (CT) imaging was used for investigating characteristics of the bony orbit and the anterior wall of the maxilla in patients of different ages and genders. Methods Facial CT scans were performed for 62 patients ranging in age from 21 to 70 years, who were divided into three age groups: 21–30 years, 41–50 years, and 61–70 years. Patients also were grouped by gender. The lengths of the orbital roof and floor and the angle of the anterior wall of the maxilla were recorded on parasagittal images through the midline of the orbit for each patient. Results The lengths of the orbital roof and floor at their midpoints showed no significant differences between the age groups. When grouped by gender, the lengths were found to be statistically longer for males than for females. The angle between the anterior maxillary wall and the orbital floor was found to have a statistically significant decrease with advancing age among both sexes. Conclusion Bony changes occur in the skeleton of the midcheek with advancing age for both males and females. The anterior maxillary wall retrudes in relation to the bony orbit, which maintains a fixed anteroposterior dimension at its midpoint. These changes should be considered in addressing the aging midface.     

Combined coliform and anaerobic infection of the lacrimal sac

A case is reported of combined coliform and anaerobic bacterial infection of the lacrimal sac, a condition of which there is only one other published case report. In addition, a literature review is presented of the bacteriology of acute dacryocystitis as it applies to this case. Recommendations for the microbiological investigation and management of acute dacryocystitis are made.     

Imprinting self-assembled patterns of lines at a semiconductor surface,using heat,light, or electrons

The fabrication of nano devices at surfaces makes conflicting demands of mobility for self-assembly (SA) and immobility for permanence. The solution proposed in earlier work from this laboratory involved pattern formation in physisorbed molecules by SA, followed by localized reaction to chemically imprint the pattern substantially unchanged, a procedure we termed molecular-scale imprinting (MSI). Here, as proof of generality we extended this procedure, previously applied to imprinting circles on Si(111)-7 × 7, to SA lines of 1-chloropentane (CP) on Si(100)-2 × 1. The physisorbed lines consisted of pairs of CP that grew perpendicular to the Si dimer rows, as shown by scanning tunneling microscopy and ab initio theory. Chemical reaction of these lines with the surface was triggered in separate experiments by three different modes of energization: heat, electrons, or light. In all cases the CP molecules underwent MSI with a Si atom beneath so that the physisorbed lines of CP pairs were imprinted as chemisorbed lines of Cl pairs.