Archivio istituzionale della ricerca - Università dell'Insubria
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Alle origini dell'ars gromatica: mito e diritto
No full textSe si vuole identificare una scienza che nell’antichità ebbe
caratteri profondamente e intimamente interdisciplinari, è
senz’altro l’ars gromatica a rappresentare un modello particolarmente
calzante dell’attitudine dell’uomo antico a non rinchiudersi
nelle maglie di una singola disciplina: competenze
agrarie, geometriche, matematiche, astronomiche si fondevano
con quelle giuridiche, culturali e, in origine, anche religiose
perché l’agrimensore potesse compiere il suo delicato operato
di misurazione e valutazione.
Per tale ragione, nell’applicazione delle pratiche agrimensorie,
così come sono variamente descritte in quel solo apparente
miscuglio di fonti racchiuse nel corpus gromaticum, accanto a nozioni di carattere giuridico, ve ne sono molte che riguardano
diverse altre discipline, oggi riconducibili anche alle cosiddette
hard sciences: i territori coltivati dai Romani, infatti, e, in particolare,
le aree centuriate e limitrofe, richiedevano una straordinaria
meticolosità nel calcolo e nella valutazione, abilità che,
nella scienza applicata, superavano quelle richieste in ambito
greco ed egiziano.
Di grande interesse è, quindi, l’indagine sull’origine di tale
specifica pratica, un’origine che, anche solamente in contesto italico,
risale a ben prima della fioritura dell’ars gromatica a Roma
Subacute 28-Day OECD-Guided Oral Toxicity Study of Escherichia coli 5C (LMG S-33222) in Wistar Rats and Immunocompromised Nude Mice
Full text linkEnsuring the safety of microbial strains intended for probiotic use is essential, particularly for species such as Escherichia coli (E. coli), which include both commensal and pathogenic lineages. E. coli 5C is a recently identified polyketide synthase (pks)-negative strain isolated from healthy infant feces and characterized as free of virulence factors, plasmids, and antimicrobial resistance, suggesting suitability as a probiotic. To confirm its in vivo safety, we evaluated the subacute oral toxicity of E. coli 5C in immunocompetent and immunocompromised rodent models. A GLP-compliant 28-day repeated-dose oral toxicity study was conducted in Wistar rats following OECD Test Guideline 407 (2008 edition), complemented by a parallel non-GLP study in athymic nude mice to assess safety under impaired immune function. Animals received purified water (control) or E. coli 5C at 500, 1000, or 2000 mg/kg/day (~0.5, 1, or 2 × 1011 CFU/kg/day), as low, mid, and high dose, respectively, daily for 28 days. Clinical signs, behaviour, body weight, feed intake, functional observations, haematology, biochemistry, urinalysis, organ weights, gross necropsy, and histopathology were evaluated. Across all treated groups in both species, E. coli 5C produced no mortality, morbidity, or adverse clinical effects. Haematological, biochemical, and behavioural parameters remained comparable to controls, and organ weights, gross pathology, and microscopic examinations revealed no test item-related abnormalities. No systemic infection was observed. No treatment-related adverse effects were observed at any dose level, and the highest tested dose of 2,000 mg/kg/day (2 × 1011 CFU/kg/day) was therefore identified as the No Observed Adverse Effect Level (NOAEL). These findings demonstrate the absence of subacute toxicity of E. coli 5C in both normal and immunodeficient hosts and provide a favourable preclinical safety foundation for its continued development as a candidate probiotic strain
Gianluca Sadun Bordoni, Guerra e natura umana. Le radici del disordine mondiale, il Mulino, Bologna, 2025, pp. 341.
No full text
Transcatheter Arterial Embolization (TAE) of Uterine Artery with Gelatin Sponge for Cesarean Scar Pregnancy: A Current State of the Art Review
No full textCesarean scar pregnancy (CSP) carries a high risk of severe hemorrhage and potential loss of fertility. This narrative review summarizes current evidence on uterine artery embolization (UAE) using absorbable gelatin sponge (GS), focusing on GS preparation, procedural approaches, and reported outcomes. PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, and Google Scholar were searched from January 2015 to 31 December 2024 for peer-reviewed studies reporting UAE with GS for CSP (GS alone or combined with intra-arterial methotrexate and/or adjunct particles). Fifty studies (N = 3139) were included. Technical success was 3133/3139 (~99.8%) and clinical success was 2975/3139 (~94.8%), with most cohorts reporting high clinical control. Severe complications were infrequently reported (typically ~2–4% in most series). Menstrual function, when assessed, generally recovered within ~1–2 months. Subsequent pregnancy outcomes were inconsistently reported and follow-up durations were heterogeneous, predominantly in retrospective designs. Overall, UAE with GS appears effective for hemostasis in CSP and may reduce escalation to hysterectomy in appropriately selected patients. Standardized reporting of GS preparation and outcomes, as well as prospective multicenter registries/studies, are needed to refine best practices
Maximum principle for higher order elliptic operators with inertia in general domains and any dimension
No full textIt is well known how the Maximum Principle (MP) in general fails to hold for uniformly elliptic operators of order higher than two, even in smooth convex domains. In D. Cassani and A. Tarsia (2022) it was shown in dimension N = 2, 3, by establishing a new Harnack type inequality, that the validity of the positivity preserving property can be restored when lower order derivatives are taken into account as a perturbation of the higher order differential operator. The restriction to the dimension was due to regularity issues which we develop here, extending the validity of the MP to any dimension and fairly general domains. Moreover, we show that the presence of inertial terms affects the range of the perturbation parameter, providing a balance between the positivity restoring effect of lower order derivatives and the mass energy. The method provided here is flexible with respect to the form of differential operators involved and thus suitable to be further extended to other classes of operators than just elliptic
Earlier Prediction of Cardiovascular Risk with Epicardial Fat Assessment
No full textEpicardial adipose tissue is a distinct fat depot with local and systemic effects. Distinguished from other visceral fat depots by a number of anatomical and metabolic features, this tissue exhibits increased fatty acid metabolism and a unique transcriptome enriched for genes associated with inflammation and endothelial function. As epicardial fat and the heart share an unobstructed microcirculation, it is suggested that these tissues may interact. Under normal physiological conditions, epicardial fat exhibits metabolic and thermogenic properties similar to those of brown fat, as well as mechanical properties that provide cardioprotection. However, the development of pathological conditions could cause the phenotype of epicardial fat to become detrimental to the myocardium and coronary arteries. The balance between the protective and detrimental effects of this tissue is fragile. The expression of the epicardial fat-specific transcriptome is downregulated in severe and advanced coronary artery disease. Improved local vascularisation, weight loss and targeted drugs can restore the protective physiological functions of epicardial fat. Accurate measurement of epicardial fat thickness or volume has several important clinical applications, as it correlates with visceral adiposity, coronary artery disease, metabolic syndrome, fatty liver disease, cardiac changes, arrhythmias and ventricular dysfunction. Due to the simplicity of this clinical assessment, epicardial fat is a reliable marker of cardiovascular risk and an attractive surrogate for evaluating the efficacy of drugs that modulate adipose tissue. In this article, we review the rapidly emerging evidence suggesting a specific role for epicardial adipose tissue as a marker of cardiac risk and an active player in the development of cardiac pathology, as well as a potentially modifiable therapeutic target for new drugs, even in high-risk populations
The “useful” hindrance to flow: quantification of intraluminal valves effect on lymph flow driven by intrinsic mechanism in the diaphragmatic lymphatic network
No full textThe present study investigates the impact of intraluminal valves on lymph transport in rat diaphragmatic collecting vessels, with the aim of clarifying their role in intrinsically driven lymph flow. Using ex vivo fluorescent microsphere tracking and micropuncture techniques, lymph flow, pressure gradients, and hydraulic resistance were quantified in valved and nonvalved segments. Key findings revealed that valves significantly increased lymph velocity (approximately 1,617 μm/s) through their narrower functional section (∼14.4% of vessel cross section) compared with nonvalved segments (∼210 μm/s). The presence of valves required higher pressure gradients (4.15 ± 0.57 cmH2O vs. 2.16 ± 0.27 cmH2O in nonvalved segments) but markedly increased net lymph flow (68.0 ± 4.2% vs. 45.7 ± 3.7% of forward flow across valved and nonvalved tracts, respectively) by limiting reverse movement even if biased toward an open state. Despite increasing hydraulic resistance, lymph flow remained laminar, and valves optimized net lymph progression, particularly in larger vessels, where the ratio of net flow to forward flow was independent of vessel size. These results quantify and highlight the pivotal role of intraluminal valves in facilitating efficient, unidirectional net lymph transport, even under low-pressure, oscillatory flow conditions, by adapting to the unique hydraulic properties of the diaphragmatic lymphatic network.
NEW & NOTEWORTHY This work quantifies the effect that intraluminal valves exert onto the intrinsic lymph flow in an ex vivo preparation of rat diaphragm. By means of particle tracking analysis and intraluminal hydraulic pressure measurements, the added pressure gradient due to the valve, its functional section and the positive effect on net lymph flow have been carefully measured in a quasiphysiological state, revealing that the open-biased state of the valve is the key to net lymph progression
Exploring the correlation between pro-inflammatory dietary and lifestyle patterns and cognitive function: Cross-sectional results from the Moli-sani study
No full textBackground: Cognitive decline presents increasing global health challenges, with chronic low-grade inflammation emerging as a key contributing factor. The aim of this study was to explore the association between pro-inflammatory dietary and/or lifestyle patterns with cognitive functioning in the Italian adult population of the Moli-sani Study. Methods: Dietary Inflammation Score (DIS) and Lifestyle Inflammation Score (LIS) were used to reflect dietary/lifestyle contributions to inflammation. Cognitive decline was assessed with the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) test. Results: The DIS, LIS, and MoCA scores were available for 2474 individuals (mean age of 66.7 years, 55.2 % women). Approximately 42 % of the sample exhibited normal cognitive function (MoCA score ≥ 26), while 7 % of participants reported substantial cognitive decline (score ≤ 18). In multinomial-multivariable logistic analysis, the odds of having MoCA ≤18 (compared to ≥26) was 1.33 (95 % confidence interval: 1.11–1.59) and 1.16 (0.97–1.39) per 1 standard deviation (SD) increase of DIS and LIS, respectively. These findings remained unchanged even after further adjustment for biomarkers of inflammation. The association between DIS, but not LIS, and MoCA was more pronounced in individuals with a Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) score ≥ 10 (indicating moderate to severe depressive symptoms; 1-SD DIS OR = 2.36; 95 % CI: 1.36–4.11), compared to those with a PHQ-9 score < 10 (OR = 1.21; 0.99–1.47; P for difference = 0.0014). Conclusion: High dietary inflammatory potential contributes to cognitive decline in Italian adults, particularly when combined with depressive symptoms. These findings underscore the importance of nutrition-based primary prevention strategies against cognitive impairment, especially for individuals with concurrent depressive conditions
