Background: The traumatic diaphragmatic hernia (TDH) may appear acutely after a blunt or penetrating trauma, or it can remain missed also for many years. The discussion about the utility of a laparoscopic repair in acute and chronic TDH is controversial. Methods: In this paper, we present two cases of chronic TDH that were successfully treated with laparoscopy. The first patient was treated 1 year after a stab wound and the second one 10 years after a firearm injury. Results: In both cases, the diaphragmatic defects were easily laparoscopically detected and treated. The defects were repaired with a direct running suture owing to the acceptable dimensions of the tears. The mean operative time was 135 minutes (range, 75–195). The blood loss during the operations was unremarkable. No intraoperative complications occurred, and the conversion rate was null. The postoperative course was uneventful in the first patient, whereas the second patient, owing to the intraoperative respiratory problems, needed an accurate respiratory monitoring in the Intensive Care Unit. The mean length of stay after the operation was 7 days (range, 6–8). At follow-up, the clinical examination and the chest X-rays documented no recurrence. Conclusions: We recommend the use of laparoscopy in left chronic TDH repair, performing a direct suture of the diaphragm when possible.

The total or partial replacement of face-to-face teaching with distance teaching brings a number of problems for teachers, children and families. Recently. in our province in Southern Italy, in a seaside area. we conducted a survey to assess the experiences of high school teachers faced with distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the purpose of examining the real impact of these dramatic changes, both from social and health perspectives. From the preliminary aspects of this survey it emerges that it is difficult to univocally consider the effectiveness of distance learning in such a complex territory, especially in a seaside area. This experience will serve us to reflect in the future on a school tailored to the individual student by a permanent integration of face-to-face forms with distance learning.

And I would like to share my experience as an Italian andrologist working at the front line in Covid-19 wards in Valle d'Aosta, the Italian region with the highest rate of infection with coronavirus based on the number of residents. Since the middle of March 2020 our Hospital, (Umberto Parini Hospital, Aosta, Italy) has begun a gradual transformation into a "Covid-19 Unit" with the medical and surgical wards turned into COVID-19 wards at different care intensities. Our Department of Surgery has been transformed as well. In particular, the Urology/Andrology ward, that I lead, underwent a deep transformation: medical rooms, warehouses, the kitchen, the aisles have been transformed into rooms to allow the medical staff to adopt the safe procedures before and after visiting patients, single and double rooms to treat and isolate positive COVID-19 patients, areas for storage and disposal of specific COVID-19 equipment. At the same time the working life of physicians and nurses has been highly affected by the new policies and procedures of the hospital and the pandemic itself. Being a clinician, expert in elective surgery, I do believe that it has been extremely important to try to manage as soon as possible the stress. I took advantage of training courses in the hospital aiming at learning about mechanical ventilation, online trainings courses available on the website and, personally, I was lucky to have as my own teacher my wife, a specialist in Emergency Medicine. After a few days from the starting of emergency in our region, our Head of Department looked for volunteers from *

Nigerian Postgraduate Medical Journal, Nigeria