The OPERA neutrino experiment at the underground Gran Sasso Laboratory has measured the velocity of neutrinos from the CERN CNGS beam over a baseline of about 730 km. The measurement is based on data taken by OPERA in the years 2009, 2010 and 2011. Dedicated upgrades of the CNGS timing system and of the OPERA detector, as well as a high precision geodesy campaign for the measurement of the neutrino baseline, allowed reaching comparable systematic and statistical accuracies.An arrival time of CNGS muon neutrinos with respect to the one computed assuming the speed of light in vacuum of (6.5 ± 7.4 (stat.) +8.3 −8.0 (sys.)) ns was measured corresponding to a relative difference of the muon neutrino velocity with respect to the speed of light (v − c)/c = (2.7 ± 3.1 (stat.) +3.4 −3.3 (sys.)) × 10 −6 . The above result, obtained by comparing the time distributions of neutrino interactions and of protons hitting the CNGS target in 10.5 µs long extractions, was confirmed by a test performed at the end of 2011 using a short bunch beam allowing to measure the neutrino time of flight at the single interaction level.

review the design and construction of the detector and of its related infrastructures, and report on some technical performances of the various components. The construction of the detector started in 2003 and it was completed in Summer 2008. The experiment is presently in the data taking phase. The whole sequence of operations has proven to be successful, from triggering to brick selection, development, scanning and event analysis.

Background-Fabry disease (FD) has been recognized as the cause of left ventricular hypertrophy in 6% of men with late-onset hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). Although FD is considered a recessive X-linked disorder, affected women are increasingly reported. The aim of our study was to determine the prevalence of FD in female patients with HCM. Methods and Results-Thirty-four consecutive women (mean age, 50Ϯ13.6 years) who received an ECG and echocardiographic diagnosis of HCM were submitted to an invasive cardiac study that included a biventricular endomyocardial biopsy. Tissue samples were analyzed for histology and electron microscopy. Peripheral blood activity of ␣-galactosidase (␣-Gal) A was assessed in all patients. None of them had a family history of FD. Histology and electron microscopy showed in 4 patients (12%; mean age, 51.5Ϯ3.9 years) the presence of cell vacuoles characterized by the accumulation of glycolipid material organized in concentric lamellar structures, diagnostic for FD. In the remaining patients, histology was consistent with HCM. In all the female carriers, the heart was the only organ clinically involved in the disease, showing concentric hypertrophy in 2 patients, asymmetric hypertrophy in 1, and apical hypertrophy in 1. The ␣-Gal A enzymatic activity was 44Ϯ14% of control values. Genetic analysis showed the presence of ␣-Gal A gene mutation in all 4 cases. Conclusions-FD may account for up to 12% of females with late-onset HCM. Those heterozygous for FD with left ventricular hypertrophy are potential candidates for enzyme enhancement/replacement therapy.

This is an author version of the contribution published on:Questa è la versione dell 'autore dell'opera: J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2014 Oct;72(10):1890-7. doi: 10.1016/j.joms.2014 AbstractPurpose: The surgical removal of mandibular third molars is frequently accompanied by significant post-surgical sequelae, and different protocols have been described to improve such adverse events. The aim of this study was to investigate the performance of piezosurgery compared with traditional rotating instruments during mandibular third molar removal. Methods:A single-centre, randomized, split-mouth study was performed using a consecutive series of unrelated healthy Caucasian patients, attending the Oral Surgery Unit of the University of Turin, for surgical removal of bilateral mandibular third molar teeth. Each patient was treated, at the same appointment, using bur removal on one side of the mandible and a piezoelectric device on the contralateral side. The primary outcomes reported were postoperative pain, objective orofacial swelling and the duration of surgical time; secondary outcomes were sex, age and possible adverse events. Anova or paired t-test were used as appropriate to test any significant differences at baseline according to each treatment subgroups and categorical variables were analysed by χ2 test.Results: The study sample consisted of 100 otherwise healthy patients. The mean pain evaluation reported by patients who underwent surgery with the piezosurgery was significantly lower than that experienced after bur (conventional) removal, reaching a statistical difference after 4 days (P=0.043). The clinical value of orofacial swelling at 7th day, normalized to baseline, was lower in the piezosurgery group (P<0.005).The average time of surgery was significantly lower in the bur than piezosurgery group (P<0.05).Three patients having bur removal experienced short-term complications (two dry sockets and one temporary paraesthesia): both totally resolved by 4 weeks. Conclusions:To date, this prospective investigation is the largest reported split-mouth study on piezosurgery for lower third molar tooth removal, also comparing surgeons with different 3 degrees of experience. It is evident that using a piezoelectric device can enhance the patient experience and reduce post-operative pain and swelling.

No abstract

Topical application of nerve growth factor may be an effective therapy for patients with severe pressure ulcers.

No abstract

No abstract