University of Udine
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Reply to: “Managing PFIC 7 with odevixibat: Alleviation of pruritus and biochemical response”
No full text“Would you want to know?” Questions of utility and responsibility in Italian laypersons’ preferences about genetic risk communication
No full textWe surveyed the preferences of Italian laypersons (n = 609) regarding the communication of genetic risk information to and within families, presenting scenarios about three genetic conditions (Cystic Fibrosis, CF; Hereditary Cancer, HC; and early-onset Alzheimer’s disease, AD). We found that almost all of the participants (565/609, 93%) were interested in receiving genetic risk information about at least one of the diseases, and 95% of these also stated they would have genetic testing. Interestingly, 78% of participants in this subset wanted to be informed of their genetic risk and have testing for all the genetic conditions presented in the survey. The main motivating factors were prevention for HC, reproductive responsibility for CF, and life-planning and emotional preparedness for AD, covering a range of elements of clinical, health-related and personal utility. In addition, over a third of our study participants (198/565, 35.0%) indicated that both family members and healthcare professionals are morally responsible for communicating genetic risk information; over a fourth (148/565 26.2%) felt that the responsibility lies with everyone involved: family members, healthcare professionals and also themselves. Findings indicate that bringing into focus individual needs that go beyond medical care may help improve communication about genetic risk and informed choices about genetic testing. Moreover, the Italian public opinion may be open to the possibility of a proactive role for healthcare professionals in disseminating genetic risk information to family members, particularly within the frame of a collaborative effort
The Contamination Lab as a Possible Pathway to Make Agricultural Engineering Raise its Academic Prominence and Centrality in Italian Academia: Insights from a Case-Study
No full textComparative genome analysis and genetic variability in populations of ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma citri’, the causative agent of Witches’ broom disease of lime
No full textPhytopathogens represent a major threat to crop productivity. In the case of citrus, in particular Citrus aurantifolia (Christm.) Swingle, a major pathogen is ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma citri’, the causative agent of Witches’ broom disease of lime (WBDL). Although the taxonomy of this pathogen is established, molecular aspects of the disease it causes and its genetic variability have received little attention. Here, we use a draft genome to obtain insights into genomic features and pathogenicity factors of this phytoplasma. We also provide new information about genetic variability within ‘Ca. P. citri’ populations in Oman, a country that has been greatly affected by WBDL. Comparative analyses with other phytoplasma species show that the vast majority of protein coding genes, including the secretome, are shared between the WBDL phytoplasmas and ‘Ca. P. asteris’ strain AY-WB. A multi-locus sequence typing analysis in ‘Ca. P. citri’ strain populations from plants and insect vectors revealed substantial genetic homogeneity among ‘Ca. P. citri’ populations, suggesting a recent clonal replication of a phytoplasma strain in Oman. Our data add taxon sampling to genomic studies of phytoplasmas, as well as offering insights into the genetic variability of ‘Ca. P. citri’ populations of plant and insect hosts from different locations in Oman
Myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated disease (MOGAD): Practical recommendations for diagnosis and management
No full textMyelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated disease (MOGAD) is a distinct antibody-mediated disease characterized by heterogeneous manifestations. Despite some overlap with other demyelinating CNS disorders, specific clinical-MRI features of MOGAD have been identified that facilitate early diagnosis. Paediatric and adult populations can be similarly affected but differ in the predominant clinical phenotypes, which include optic neuritis, myelitis, acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, brainstem/cerebellar syndromes, and cerebral cortical encephalitis. Based on the recently international MOGAD panel proposed diagnostic criteria, a correct diagnosis of MOGAD relies on the detection of serum or CSF MOG antibodies (Abs) using cell-based assays in patients with compatible clinical-MRI phenotypes. Relapses occur in 40–80 % of cases with no single factor being able to reliably predict the disease course after onset, although monitoring antibody titers may offer some guidance. Intravenous steroids with subsequent tapering and rapid escalation to plasma exchange in case of incomplete recovery are usually administered in the acute stage, with intravenous immunoglobulins considered as a possible alternative. Chronic treatment should be administered in relapsing patients or in case of incomplete recovery from the presenting attack. In this review, we summarise the main features of MOGAD, with a focus on the clinical/imaging characteristics, diagnosis and treatment approach and propose practical recommendations for clinicians
Identification of fluid-borne and structure borne vibration sources from displacement measurements in immersed beams
No full textWe investigate an inverse source problem in a coupled fluid–structure interaction (FSI) framework, in which a compressible fluid occupies a rectangular domain bounded below by an elastic Euler–Bernoulli beam. The system is excited by two unknown spatial sources with known time dependence: one acting in the fluid, the other on the beam. We aim to determine both spatial components from partial measurements of the beam displacement over a finite time interval. The mathematical model consists of a coupled system of wave and beam equations with appropriate interface and boundary conditions. We establish a uniqueness result for the recovery of the source pair from restricted observations. Numerical simulations confirm the theoretical findings, highlighting the role of a minimal observation time and the sensitivity of the reconstruction to noise in the data. These results contribute to the mathematical understanding of inverse problems in vibroacoustics and provide a foundation for practical applications such as structural health monitoring and source localization
Ecolinguistics
No full textEcolinguistics is an expanding research field within the ecological and environmental humanities and social sciences. It belongs to the vast area of linguistics and applied linguistics, encompassing a variety of methodological approaches informed by unifying principles which view language use as constitutive, integral and intrinsic part of ecosystems. Our ‘languaging’, namely using language as embedded in ecological interaction, derives from and has an impact on bioecologies: humans act on ecosystems through language and communication. Ecolinguistics puts an ethical focus on investigating how humans construe and instantiate life-sustaining ecosystems in and through language; it critiques problematic usages that contribute to endangerment and offers perspectives in line with ecojustice. At the time of a human-inflicted devastating climate crisis, this discipline and its principles represent a fundamental area of theoretical and applied research both for academic communities and for society at large
Unmet needs in hepatology: The guidance of the Italian association for the study of the liver (AISF)
No full textIn the last decades, the world of hepatology has widely changed. Although relevant advances have be achieved (e.g. the way toward eradication of hepatitis C virus), many challenges are far to be won. Patients with liver disease continue to face noteworthy barriers to early diagnosis and effective disease management. In response to these tasks, the Italian Association for the Study of the Liver formed a multidisciplinary commission to address the unmet needs of people affected by liver diseases. We analyzed the state of the art of the following consolidated unmet needs: stigma (with particular attention to alcohol-related disease and obesity), specific criticisms of elderly, socioeconomic barriers that patients with liver disorders can face, gender gap in many aspects of liver disease and, finally, the complex issue of quality of life. For each unmet need, we proposed a key-message task and some concrete future perspectives. Preserving a holistic vision and using both multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary method, represent the only effective approach to take on the many unmet needs of patients with liver disorders
Evaluation of calcium alginate beads immobilization of Chlorella vulgari for biomass production in space life support systems
No full textAs space missions extend in duration and distance, there is an increasing need for autonomous life-support
systems capable of recycling resources and producing essential compounds in situ. In this context, alginateentrapped
microalgae were used to assess growth under reduced liquid conditions, testing two different
beads-to-volume ratios (1:1 and 1:2). In batch cultures conducted in flasks without aeration, the immobilized
microalgae using HEPES-Acetate-Phosphate (HAP) medium reached a maximum dry weight (DW) of
0.93 ± 0.03 g/L and 33.65 ± 1.19 x 10^6 cells/mL in the 1:2 configuration, compared to 1.01 ± 0.02 g/L and
37.44 ± 1.56 x 10^6 cells/mL in suspension. Biomass productivity peaked at 404 mg/(L⋅d) for suspension and
240 mg/(L⋅d) for 1:2 immobilized cultures. Biochemical analysis of immobilized biomass revealed high nutritional
value, with up to 32.5 % DW lipids, 23.6 % DW proteins, and 12.5 % DW carbohydrates. In the preprototype
column reactor with medium recirculation and air bubbling, microalgae showed lower productivity
than in batch tests indicating the need for further optimization of process configuration. Immobilized Chlorella
vulgaris offers a trade-off between reduced productivity and engineering advantages, such as ease of recovery
Barbara and Giulio Strozzi and the Visual Arts
No full textThis essay looks at the artistic patronage of the Strozzi’s and Widmann’s, who were connected not only through commerce, culture, but also through the relationship between Giovanni Paolo Widmann and Barbara Strozzi. Both Giulio and Barbara, as well as various members of the Widmann family, were painted by the leading artists active in Venice at that time, such as Tiberio Tinelli, Bernardo Strozzi (well known as Il Prete Genovese) and Nicolas Régnier.
Through the surviving documents and works of art, the dense intertwining of painting, music and poetry emerges, fostered by the Accademia degli Incogniti, the most famous literary circle flourished in Venice in the seventeenth century to which Barbara and Giulio Strozzi and the abovementioned artists were connected; furthermore, the essay sheds new light on the portrait genre and the role it plays in celebrating the individual's features and perpetuating personal memory