The aim of the present study was to take a survey on Italian practitioners concerning the perceived risks of aerosol contamination in COVID-19 times and their attitude toward modifications of treatment protocols to reduce this risk.

Power analysis calculated a minimum sample size of 150 participants at 99% confidence level with a 5% margin of error. To homogenize responses elicited by different preventive measures by various national governments, only Italian dentists were included in the survey overall 500 responses were collected.

Of the 500 analyzed respondents, there were 266 females and 234 males; 379 practitioners were allocated in the more experienced groups, and the remaining 121 in the less experienced group based on less or more than 5 years of practice. The 70% of the dentists consider the dental practice more dangerous for the diffusion of COVID-19 than other social activities. The 5% consider dental practice more dangerous only for the patients. Aerosol contamination was perceived as a riskior could affect the perception of the safety of the operators, staff, and patient and this could also affect economically the dental office.

Airborne and waterborne infections are related with dental treatments and considered the preferred ways of diffusion for COVID-19. The risk of aerosol-related infections could interfere with the clinical practice of the dentist, during the COVID-19 pandemic; the limitations that provided changes to everyday behavior could affect the perception of the safety of the operators, staff, and patient and this could also affect economically the dental office.COVID-19 pandemic has strongly and rapidly affected routine lifestyle and consequently, dental business, practice, and education. During the pandemic period, most Governments worldwide made specific regulations or recommendations to close practices, to avoid non-urgent dental therapies and treat only dental emergencies. Some recent surveys1,2 showed how dentists perceived the COVID-19 risk and how they reacted by modifying their way of working, by reducing aerosol producing procedures, by improving staff and patient’s safety with the increased use of personal protective equipment, environmental disinfection and limited access to dental offices, increasing use of remote consulting and triage.The SARS-CoV-2 virus has created havoc in the world by causing the COVID-19 pandemic.1 The affected patients exhibit fever, cough, and apnea. Hospitalization is often due to progressive respiratory distress, which, in a proportion of patients, had led to fatalities.2 The geriatric population is at a higher risk, because of their reduced immunity and the presence of comorbid conditions like diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and cardiovascular diseases. Health authorities have advocated social distancing as a method to contain the spread of this contagious disease. A landmark study has shown that the SARS-CoV-2 virus can remain viable on various surfaces like cardboard, stainless steel, plastic, and copper for a long duration. The research conducted by van Doremalen et al.3 has created an aerosolized environment using SARS-CoV-2 (105.25 50% tissue-culture infectious dose [TCID50] per milliliter) in a Goldberg drum using a 3 jet collision nebulizer and has exposed various materials such as cardboard, paper, stainless steel, plastic, and copper to the virus. The SARS-Cov-2 virus was found to be viable in aerosol for only 3 hours, although its presence on material surfaces lasted significantly longer, especially in stainless steel and plastic surfaces, wherein the virus was detected for up to 72 hours.3.The design of optoelectronic devices made with ZnO superlattices requires the knowledge of the refractive index, which currently can be done only for films thicker than 30 nm. In this work, we present an effective medium approach to determine the refractive index of ZnO layers as thin as 2 nm. The approach was implemented by determining the refractive index of ZnO layers ranging from 2 nm to 20 nm using spectroscopic ellipsometry measurements in multilayers. For a precise control of morphology and thickness, the superlattices were fabricated with atomic layer deposition (ALD) with alternating layers of 2 nm thick Al2O3 and ZnO, labeled as N ZnO-Al2O3, where N = 10, 20, 30, 50, 75 and 100. The total thickness of all superlattices was kept at 100 nm. The approach was validated by applying it to similar superlattices reported in the literature and fitting the transmittance spectra of the superlattices.The SuperPulsed Thulium fiber laser has recently become available to the urologist. It can be safely and efficiently applied to humans for the purposes of laser lithotripsy. Particularly, this innovative technology overcomes the main limitations of HolmiumYAG lasers, which had been the principal source of energy for lithotripsy over the past decades. The SuperPulsed Thulium fiber laser allows a broader range of pulse energy (0.025 to 6.0 J), pulse frequency (up to 2000 Hz) and pulse duration (0.05 to 12 ms), as well as smaller operating laser fibers (50-150 μm core), compared to HolmiumYAG lasers. The laser emission at 1940 nm leads to a four-fold higher energy absorption in water, which ensures precise lithotripsy and a high degree of safety. Multiple comparative in vitro studies suggest a 1.5 to 4 times faster stone ablation rate in favor of the SuperPulsed Thulium fiber laser, when compared to HolmiumYAG lasers. It has also been shown to generate particularly fine stone dust, and electronic pulse modulation allows superior stone stabilization. The SuperPulsed Thulium fiber laser, like the HolmiumYAG laser, has been repeatedly reported thermodynamically safe, provided that a minimal irrigation flow (10-15 ml/min) and relatively low average power (≤ 25 W) is maintaining throughout the lithotripsy process. These new standards are particularly advantageous for fine and rapid ureteroscopic stone dusting, and open paths that were not been amenable to the HolmiumYAG laser.Holmium laser has been established asthe gold-standard for the ureteroscopic management of urinary stone disease. However the role of laser inpercutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) varies, as multiple energy sources and lithotripters are available. Currently, lasers are becoming more relevant with the development of several miniaturized PCNL techniques. The purpose of this article is to review the role of laser in percutaneous renal surgery, and whether or not it is the best option for this approach. Discussion points include the history and background of lasers in urologic surgery, PCNL and its outcomes in the literature, the positives and negatives of lasers versus other lithotripters in several different PCNL techniques, emerging laser technology such as thulium fiber laser, the use of lasers in establishing percutaneous renal access, and laser’s role in non-stone percutaneous renal surgery.

To assess current efficacyand safety of low power HoLEP (Holmium Laser Enucleationof the Prostate) for the treatment of obstructingand symptomatic prostatic adenomas and to identify themechanisms supporting the related clinical advantages.METHODS A systematic review was conducted usingrelevant databases (Ovid Medline, PubMed, Scopusand Web of Sciences), employing („low power” OR”high power”) AND („HoLEP” OR „holmium laser enucleationof the prostate”) as search terms. Inherent publicationswere selected according to the Preferred ReportingItems for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA)guidelines. Additionally, the reference lists of theselected papers were checked manually.RESULTS We included any kind of study (n=15) dealingwith low power HoLEP because of the scarcity of the resultsobtained with the bibliographic search. Low powerHoLEP seems to be fully comparable to the traditionalhigh power HoLEP in terms of feasibility, efficacy andsafety. An additional clinical advantage of the low powerapproach meportingItems for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA)guidelines. Additionally, the reference lists of theselected papers were checked manually. RESULTS We included any kind of study (n=15) dealingwith low power HoLEP because of the scarcity of the resultsobtained with the bibliographic search. Low powerHoLEP seems to be fully comparable to the traditionalhigh power HoLEP in terms of feasibility, efficacy andsafety. An additional clinical advantage of the low powerapproach might be the reduced incidence of postoperativedysuria, with limited intensity and duration, possiblydue to the decreased amount of energy delivered tothe capsular plane with a less aggressive modality, conjugatedwith appropriate technical enucleative choices.The physical rationale of low power HoLEP is discussed. CONCLUSIONS Low power HoLEP is feasible, safeand effective, and might play a not exclusive role in thereduction of incidence, intensity and duration of postoperative dysuria.

To review recent and relevant information regarding the use of high-power (HPL) and low-power (LPL) HolmiumYAG lasers (HoYAG) in retrograde intrarenal surgery (RIRS) for lithotripsy.METHODS A PubMed/Embase search was conducted and recent and relevant papers on HoYAG for RIRS were reviewed.

Settings for HoYAG are pulse energy (PE), pulse frequency (PF), and pulse width. Currently, the majority of LPL can also adjust pulse-width but cannot reach PF as high as HPL, however, the higher energy outputs reached by HPL are rarely useful in lithotripsy. Higher PE might enhance ablation but generates larger fragments and higher retropulsion. Pulse width does not affect energy output but delivers energy for a longer time-length.Dusting and basketing are complementary techniques. Dusting seeks to pulverize stones into particles ≤250 μm avoiding the use of instruments for stone retrieval, whereas in fragmenting, the stones are break into smaller pieces which are then retrieved. Dusting can prevent the use of supplies d-power laser to determine how powerful is enough for HoYAG in the years to come.

In recent years, there has been a rise concerning the research and development of focal prostate cancer therapies as a consequence of the high percentage of low-risk and localized prostatecancers. These focal therapies aim at preserving the gland in selected patients to avoid overtreatment. The application of lasers for focal ablation and photodynamic therapy has shown promising results in exchange for a minimal rate of adverse events compared to radical treatments.

An extensive review of the available literature on focal laser treatments for localized prostate cancer was conducted. A search in PubMed and Embase was carried out by the following keywords „Localised prostate cancer”, „Low-risk prostate cancer”, „Focal therapy”, „Magnetic Resonance in localized prostate cancer”, „Focal laser ablation” , „Photodynamic therapy” and „TOOKAD”.

Photodynamic therapy with TOOKAD is the only focal therapy evaluated in a phase III clinical trial,showing a lower rate of progression and a longer time to progression compared to active surveillance. Other studies carried out have revealed a percentage up to 80% of negative biopsies 6 months after TOOKAD. Likewise, the quality of life of patients treated using focal laser ablation techniques and photodynamic therapy has been minimally altered, as most adverse effects have been shown to be mild and transient, with dysuria and hematuria being the most frequent.

Despite the fact that focal therapies are still not recommended outside the context of clinical trials and the lack of comparative studies between the different techniques, laser focal therapies seem to havea future within the new approaches for localized prostate cancer.

Despite the fact that focal therapies are still not recommended outside the context of clinical trials and the lack of comparative studies between the different techniques, laser focal therapies seem to havea future within the new approaches for localized prostate cancer.