University of Udine
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An Information System for Biblical Manuscripts Paratexts: Modeling, Implementation, and Future Directions
Full text linkParatexts-such as prologues, summaries, prefaces, and annotations-shape the presentation, interpretation, and transmission of texts across audiences and periods. Their study provides critical insights into the historical, philological, and socio-cultural dimensions of manuscript production, use, and dissemination. Yet, a comprehensive analysis of Latin biblical paratexts remains lacking despite notable efforts on specific subsets, such as Marilena Maniaci's researches on Atlantic Bibles and Chiara Ruzzier's studies on 13th-century portable Bibles. This article takes part at addressing such a gap presenting an information system for managing paratexts in medieval Latin biblical manuscripts. Our contribution is twofold: (1) we propose a conceptual model of the domain of medieval Latin biblical manuscripts paratexts to standardize the field and support future research; and (2) we implement such a model through a relational database, which acts as the core of an information system for documenting and analyzing paratexts. Its open access prototype, already available, facilitates data organization and analysis, enabling prospective advanced applications, including artificial intelligence techniques
Comparison of the sensitivity and specificity of bronchiolitis severity scores in infants: a systematic review and meta-analysis
No full textBackground: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) represents the most common cause of acute respiratory hospitalization in children <24 months of age. Several clinical scores have been proposed to estimate disease severity. Objective: This study aims to compare the sensitivity and specificity of clinical scores assessing the severity of bronchiolitis in children <2 years old. Methods: PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science databases were approached to identify all studies published before 31st December 2024 using bronchiolitis severity scores and providing data regarding their sensitivity and specificity. Results: At the end of the selection process, 18 studies evaluating 13 clinical severity scores were analysed. A total of 6552 children (weighted mean age 5.1 months – range 0–24 months) with a diagnosis of bronchiolitis were included. The summary ROC analysis demonstrated that the GRSS (Global Respiratory Severity Scale) performed better than other scores in discriminating children at risk for severe disease. In particular, the GRSS showed cumulative sensitivity and specificity values of 0.87 (95 %CI: 0.80–0.92) and 0.92 (95 %CI: 0.88–0.95) respectively, with elevated accuracy (0.90). Limits: We limited our analysis only to studies reporting specificity and sensitivity values, possibly excluding other validated scores, but we aimed to perform a balanced analysis involving the most possible homogenous population. Conclusions: There is limited but moderate-to-adequate evidence that the GRSS score has better sensitivity and specificity for clinically assessing the severity of bronchiolitis in infants and children <2 years old. However, further studies are needed to validate these results, ideally using larger datasets
Sinistre a confronto. Berlinguer e il suo tempo
No full textQuesto volume raccoglie gli esiti di un ciclo di lezioni e incontri organizzati presso
l’Università degli Studi di Milano all’interno del corso Produzione artistica e società
industriale, nell’ambito del progetto Berlinguer e gli altri. Comunicazione politica e
produzione visiva nel sistema delle sinistre italiane dagli anni Settanta agli anni Ottanta, cofinanziato dalla Fondazione di Studi Storici Filippo Turati e dalla Struttura di
missione anniversari nazionali della Presidenza del Consiglio dei Ministri.
Attraverso interventi di studiosi e testimoni diretti, il libro esplora la dimensione visuale della comunicazione politica nel periodo berlingueriano, intrecciando l’analisi
della grafica istituzionale del PCI con le istanze delle organizzazioni movimentiste,
giovanili e femministe. Dall’iconografia dei manifesti di partito alle pratiche serigrafiche ispirate al Maggio francese, dalla rilettura dei rapporti tra arte e femminismo al
racconto dei festival giovanili e delle loro contraddizioni, i saggi propongono un’indagine critica che illumina tensioni, convergenze e divergenze nella cultura politica
visiva degli anni Settanta. Muovendosi tra storia, arte e politica, il volume offre nuovi
spunti di riflessione sulle trasformazioni sociali e comunicative che hanno attraversato
la sinistra italiana nel secondo Novecento
A Pilot Study of Exosome Proteomic Profiling Reveals Dysregulated Metabolic Pathways in Endometrial Cancer
Full text linkBackground/Objectives: Endometrial cancer (EC) is the second most frequent gynecological malignant tumor in postmenopausal women. Pathogenic mechanisms related to the onset and development of the disease are still unknown. To identify dysregulated proteins associated with EC we exploited a combined in vitro/in silico approach analyzing the proteome of exosomes with advanced MS techniques and annotating their results by using Chymeris1 AI tools. Methods: To this aim in this pilot study, we performed a deep proteomics analysis with high resolution MS (HRMS), advanced computational tools and western blotting for proteomics data validation. Results: That allowed us to identify 3628 proteins in serum albumin-depleted exosomes from 10 patients with EC compared to 10 healthy controls. This is the largest number of proteins identified in EC serum EVs. After quantification and statistical analysis, we identified 373 significantly (p < 0.05) dysregulated proteins involved in neutrophil and platelet degranulation pathways. A more detailed bioinformatics analysis revealed 61 dysregulated enzymes related to metabolic and catabolic pathways linked to tumor invasion. Through this analysis, we identified 49 metabolic and catabolic pathways related to tumor growth. Conclusions: Altogether, data shed light on the metabolic pathways involved in tumors. This is very important for understanding the metabolism of EC and for the development of new therapies
Evaluation of survival and mortality in pelvic exenteration for gynecologic malignancies: a systematic review, meta-analyses, and meta-regression study
Full text linkObjective: Pelvic exenteration is a radical surgery for advanced or recurrent pelvic tumors, requiring careful patient selection and a multi-disciplinary approach. Despite advancements, it remains high-risk, with limited data on outcomes. The present meta-analysis evaluates survival, mortality, and trends to clarify its role in gynecologic oncology. Methods: A systematic search was conducted in January 2025 to identify studies on pelvic exenteration outcomes for gynecologic malignancies. Studies with at least 10 patients reporting 5-year overall survival or 30-day mortality were included. Data extracted included patient and surgical characteristics, and a scoring system based on study design, sample size, and center volume was used to include high-quality studies (score ≥3). Poisson regression models were used to analyze the associations between predictors and outcomes, with results expressed as incidence rate ratios and a 95% CI. Results: A total of 46 studies involving 4417 patients met the inclusion criteria. Most patients underwent pelvic exenteration for cervical cancer (N = 3183). Positive pelvic and aortic nodal involvement were key predictors of reduced 5-year overall survival, decreasing by 3.9% and 5.9% per 1% increase in nodal positivity, respectively. Pelvic wall involvement also significantly reduced survival by 15.9%. The 30-day mortality rate was 5.1%, with sepsis (27.2%) being the leading cause of death. Peri-operative mortality decreased significantly over time, with each year of publication associated with a 2.6% decrease in incidence rate. However, pelvic sidewall involvement and total exenteration increased 30-day mortality by 11.5% and 0.7%, respectively. Conclusions: Pelvic exenteration remains a viable but high-risk option for select patients with advanced gynecologic malignancies. Pre-operative assessment and multi-disciplinary planning are essential for optimizing outcomes
APE1 Attenuates ALK Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors Sensitivity in NPM1-ALK Positive Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma
Full text linkAnaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK), a tyrosine kinase receptor of the RTK insulin superfamily, was named after its initial identification in anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL). Following a reciprocal chromosomal translocation with nucleophosmin 1 (NPM1), ALK protein is abnormally expressed, promoting the malignant transformation of T cells into a more aggressive lymphoma. The inhibition of ALK activity could therefore benefit ALK+ ALCL patients. Despite the market availability and success of ALK tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), real-world ALK+ ALCL patients exhibit significant heterogeneity in terms of disease stage at first diagnosis, tumor progression, and responses to medication. This indicates a need for more detailed differentiation of ALK+ ALCL patients in clinical practice. Here, we discovered that apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease-reduction/oxidation factor 1 (APE1/REF1), an interacting partner of NPM1, could stabilize NPM1-ALK fusion protein oligomers and enhance ALK tumor-promoting activity and growth, decreasing cell sensitivity to ALK-TKIs. Our results also reveal that disruption of the interaction weakens cell growth and augments the therapeutic efficacy of crizotinib and alectinib, ALK-TKIs, against ALK+ ALCL. Thus, high expression of APE1 indicates a faster growth of ALK+ ALCL; targeting this interaction may potentially achieve improved therapeutic outcomes, providing a reference for more precise treatment of ALK+ ALCL patients in clinical practice
‘I Use ChatGPT, but Should I?’ A Multi-Method Analysis of Students' Practices and Attitudes Towards AI in Higher Education
Full text linkArtificial intelligence (AI) tools have the potential to revolutionise educational practices, but their use raises ethical and organisational concerns for higher education institutions (HEIs). We investigated Italian students' perception and usage of AI tools at the University of Udine using questionnaires (N = 531) with fixed and open-ended items and semi-structured interviews (N = 60). The findings reveal that while over two-thirds of students use ChatGPT for personal purposes, 40.9% employ it for academic tasks, primarily for summarisation, clarification and content generation. Most students (70%) expressed awareness of ethical concerns, and 55% saw the potential value in using AI, if regulated, for specific learning activities. Students generally did not perceive a direct threat to their studies or career prospects, although 60% voiced reservations about potential negative impacts on broader societal functions. These results underscore the need for HEIs to implement regulations for AI tool use to balance innovation with ethical challenges
Cystic Fluid Total Proteins, Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol, Lipid Metabolites, and Lymphocytes: Worrisome Biomarkers for Intraductal Papillary Mucinous Neoplasms
Full text linkObjectives: Pancreatic cystic neoplasms (PCNs), particularly intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (IPMNs), present a challenge for their potential malignancy. Despite promising biomarkers like CEA, amylase, and glucose, our study investigates whether metabolic indices in blood and cystic fluids (CFs), in addition to lymphocyte subsets and hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs), can effectively differentiate between high- and low-risk PCNs. Materials and Methods: A total of 26 patients (11 males, mean age 69.5 ± 9 years) undergoing Endoscopic Ultrasound-guided Fine Needle Aspiration were consecutively enrolled. Analyses included blood, serum, and CF, assessing glucose, CEA, cholesterol (total, HDL, and LDL), and total proteins. Flow cytometry examined immunophenotyping in peripheral blood and cystic fluids. Mass spectrometry was used for the metabolomic analysis of CF. Sensitivity, specificity, and ROC analyses evaluated discriminatory power. Results: A total of 25 out of 26 patients had IPMN. Patients were categorized as low or high risk based on multidisciplinary evaluation of clinical, radiological, and endoscopic data. High-risk patients showed lower CF total proteins and LDL cholesterol (p = 0.005 and p = 0.031), with a marked reduction in CF lymphocytes (p = 0.005). HSCPs were absent in CF. In blood, high-risk patients showed increased non-MHC-restricted cytotoxic T cells (p = 0.019). The metabolomic analysis revealed significantly reduced middle and long-chain acyl carnitines (AcCa) and tryptophan metabolites in high-risk patients. ROC curves indicated comparable discriminant abilities for CF lymphocytes (AUC 0.868), CF total proteins (AUC 0.859), and CF LDL cholesterol (AUC 0.795). The highest performance was achieved by the AcCa 14:2 and 16:0 (AUC: 0.9221 and 0.8857, respectively). Conclusions: CF levels of glucose, CEA, LDL cholesterol, and total proteins together with lymphocyte counts are easy translational biomarkers that may support risk stratification of PCNs in IPMN patients and might be endorsed by metabolomic analysis. Further studies are required for potential clinical integration