University of Bari Aldo Moro
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Accuracy of VIDAS⃝R TB-IGRA in TB patients and individuals with different thresholds of exposure
No full textObjectives: To achieve global TB control, more sensitive and user-friendly diagnostic tools for tuberculosis infection (TBI) are necessary, as it is a potential transmission reservoir. VIDAS® TB-IGRA (bioMérieux) is a fully automated assay recently developed. We report here the results of a global, multi-center, cross-sectional, prospective study to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of the assay.
Methods: Patients with TB disease (n=200) or participants at varying levels of TB exposure risk (n=1460; mixed TB-exposure risk population) were tested with both the VIDAS® TB-IGRA and the QuantiFERON®-TB Gold Plus (QFT®-Plus, QIAGEN).
Results: In culture-confirmed TB cases, VIDAS® TB-IGRA had a sensitivity significantly higher than QFT®-Plus (97.5% vs. 80.7%, p<0.0001). Specificity evaluated in blood donors from a low-prevalence country (n = 125) was high for both VIDAS® TB-IGRA and QFT®-Plus (97.6% [93.1-99.5] vs. 95.2% [89.8-98.2]; p=0.083), respectively. In the whole mixed TB-exposure risk population, negative (NPA) and positive percent agreement (PPA) were 90.1% (1097/1217) and 92.1% (223/242), respectively. However, regression analyses revealed that VIDAS® TB-IGRA correlated better with the TB-exposure risk gradient than QFT®‐Plus.
Conclusions: Compared with QFT®-Plus, VIDAS® TB-IGRA was significantly more sensitive without a reduction in specificity, and it correlated better with an exposure gradient, suggesting that it is a valuable tool for TBI diagnosis
Il romanzo di formazione della nazione. Storia individuale e storia collettiva nelle «confessioni» di Nievo
No full textIl lavoro si propone di analizzare le «confessioni» di Ippolito Nievo come romanzo di formazione della nazione, come singolare esordio italiano nella storia più complessiva di un genere letterario maturato in Europa un secolo prima, sollecitato da più avanzati livelli di sviluppo dell’egemonia borghese. Una proposta di lettura fondata sull’analitica interpretazione della struttura narrativa del romanzo e delle sue coordinate storiche che attraversano il vissuto individuale dei protagonisti investendolo di significati politici e sociali oggettivi
Sigma-2 Receptor Antagonism Enhances the Neuroprotective Effects of Pridopidine, a Sigma-1 Receptor Agonist, in Huntington’s Disease
No full textPridopidine is a selective sigma-1 receptor (S1R) agonist in clinical development for Huntington’s Disease (HD) and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). Activation of the S1R by pridopidine is neuroprotective in multiple preclinical models of neurodegenerative disease. The sigma-2 receptor (S2R) is evolutionarily and structurally unique from the S1R. Nevertheless, the S1R and S2R share an overlapping yet distinct ligand binding profile. Inhibition of the S2R is neuroprotective and S2R antagonists are in clinical development for Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), ⍺-synucleinopathies, and dry age-related macular degeneration. In this study, we hypothesized that simultaneous activation of the S1R by pridopidine and inhibition of the S2R by the selective S2R antagonist FA10 might provide enhanced protection against mutant huntingtin (mHTT) expression in an in vitro model of neurodegeneration. Consistent with previous studies, pridopidine reduced neuronal cell death in a mouse primary neuron mHTT model. Similarly, we found that inhibition of the S2R by FA10 was also sufficient to protect against mHTT induced neurodegeneration in this model. The combination treatment of pridopidine and FA10 achieved greater efficacy than either compound alone, even at lower concentrations. The combination of these compounds may allow for lower efficacious doses leading to improved safety profiles and reduced off-target effects. This novel combinatorial approach, in which the S1R is activated while simultaneously inhibiting the S2R may prove to be a highly effective therapeutic strategy for HD and other neurodegenerative diseases
Revisiting COX-2 inhibitors for Alzheimer's disease as multitargeted ligands: Development of 4-hydrazono-pyrazolidinediones with tuned COX selectivity profile and improved cellular potency
No full textHerein, we expand on our previously synthesized 4-hydrazono-pyrazolidinedione COX-2 inhibitors as multitargeted
agents for Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Structural modifications of the 4-phenylhydrazono group led to the
identification of several highly potent COX-2 inhibitors, with compound 3 exhibiting the strongest COX-2 inhibition
(IC50 = 0.07 μM), with a balanced COX-2/COX-1 profile, suggesting lower cardiovascular risk. Compounds
2 and 9 showed high potency and selectivity shift toward COX-1 and displayed strong antiplatelet
activity. Several derivatives showed 4–7 times improved submicromolar cellular potency, significantly inhibiting
PGE2 release in LPS-stimulated THP-1 cells. Compounds 2, 3, 7, and 9 maintained the multitarget profile and
inhibited Aβ and tau aggregation. Compounds 2, 3, and 7 protected against Amyloid-beta (Aβ)- and H2O2-
induced cytotoxicity, confirming their neuroprotective activity with high potential for BBB permeability
demonstrated via PAMPA and MDCK-MDR1 assays. These results support the potential of multitargeted COX-2
inhibitors as AD therapeutics and suggest a re-evaluation of their role in neurodegenerative disease treatment
Sulle tracce della Socialdemocrazia l'altra storia dei socialisti italiani 1925-1964
No full textLa vicenda dei socialdemocratici italiani, sin dalla costituzione in partito, con la scissione di palazzo Barberini del gennaio 1947, è stata a lungo trascurata. Su questa damnatio memoriae ha pesato un insieme di pregiudizi ideologici, luoghi comuni storiografici, strumentale propaganda politica, accomunati in un giudizio liquidatorio che attribuiva al partito di Saragat (il PSLI, poi PSDI) la responsabilità di aver favorito la sconfitta del Fronte popolare nelle elezioni dell’aprile 1948 e, quindi, la pluridecennale egemonia democristiana e conservatrice. Secondo questa vulgata, i socialdemocratici, sostenendo il piano Marshall, promosso dagli Stati Uniti d’America, e collaborando al governo con De Gasperi, sin dal 1947, avrebbero operato un vero e proprio “tradimento” delle istanze dei ceti operai e popolari, con un “asservimento” alle politiche americane. Certo è che dopo le elezioni del 1948, e la successiva adesione al Patto atlantico nel 1949, la “scelta del campo occidentale” per l’Italia fu definitiva: Saragat e i socialdemocratici la sostennero con forza e convinzione, nonostante l’assenza dei socialisti di Nenni, schierati al fianco del PCI e dell’Unione Sovietica sino alla metà degli anni Cinquanta. Un legame, quest’ultimo, che – come è noto – impedì al PSI di partecipare al governo del paese negli anni della Ricostruzione e dell’integrazione europea (favorite, soprattutto, dagli aiuti statunitensi), quando l’Italia rialzò la testa dopo i drammi del fascismo e della guerra. Una valutazione superficiale e censoria ha riguardato le vicende dei socialdemocratici italiani anche negli anni Cinquanta e Sessanta, dall’incontro di Pralognan tra Saragat e Nenni (1956) sino alla partecipazione ai governi di centro-sinistra “organico” guidati da Moro (1963), in una vicenda politica che cominciò a delinearsi dalla seconda metà degli anni Cinquanta, avendo fra le sue premesse la scissione di palazzo Barberini.
Da quel momento in poi, infatti, l’impegno di Saragat e dei suoi compagni di partito fu volto alla riunificazione del socialismo italiano – sul modello delle socialdemocrazie europee – per enucleare il PSI di Nenni dal “frontismo” con i comunisti e farlo approdare alle rive della cultura occidentale
e socialista-liberale. Un impegno di lungo periodo, quello di Saragat e dei socialdemocratici italiani, durato un quindicennio, con l’obiettivo – avviata la Ricostruzione, attraverso i processi d’integrazione europea (grazie al piano Marshall, ritenuto dal PSLI indispensabile per la creazione degli Stati Uniti d’Europa) e atlantica (con l’adesione dell’Italia al sistema militare difensivo della degasperiano” – di condurre il sistema politico italiano verso una nuova e duratura configurazione, coinvolgendo, nel governo della Repubblica, quelle altre forze riformiste di sinistra, espressione più diretta delle classi lavoratrici messe a dura prova dagli scompensi sociali generati dal “miracolo economico”. Così, nel biennio 1962-1963, come in quello 1947-1948, il sistema politico italiano segnò una svolta fondamentale – verso il consolidamento di libere istituzioni democratiche e di un’economia sociale di mercato, in direzione europeista e atlantista – nella quale i socialdemocratici di Saragat furono attivi protagonisti. L’“autonomismo” socialista, affermato, infine, da Nenni – con il sostegno alla formula del centro-sinistra e la partecipazione ai governi Moro –, era già nato e cresciuto da tre lustri fra le file del PSDI e il PSI lo faceva proprio, rompendo il legame con i comunisti e rendendosi disponibile al difficile governo di una società capitalistica avanzata. Questo processo di riavvicinamento fra le due anime del socialismo italiano culminò, poi, nell’elezione di Saragat a Presidente della Repubblica (1964), determinate per la successiva – seppur breve – riunificazione socialista del 1966. A quindici anni dalla scissione di palazzo Barberini, gran parte del PSI condivise le posizioni dei socialdemocratici di Saragat
AI in Pediatric Urology: Deep Learning-Based Approach Supporting Posterior Urethral Valves Diagnosis on VCUG Imaging
No full textPosterior Urethral Valves (PUV) are the leading cause of lower urinary tract obstruction in male infants. Diagnosis relies on Voiding CystoUrethroGraphy (VCUG) and invasive cystoscopy, which, despite being the gold standard, poses anesthesia and procedural risks, underscoring the need for a non-invasive, imaging-based screening tool. In this study, we investigate whether recent Deep Learning (DL) architectures can identify PUV directly from routine VCUG images, offering a non-invasive alternative. We present the design and implementation of a novel DL-based framework, trained and validated on a real-world multicenter dataset of 403 VCUG acquisitions, previously annotated by pediatric urologists. In the binary classification task (PUV vs. non-PUV), EfficientNet-B0 achieved the highest overall accuracy of . To promote clinical interpretability, we integrated Grad-CAM to generate attention maps, verifying that the model was indeed focusing on relevant discriminative features. This enhances the reliability of the system and supports its potential clinical adoption. The results demonstrate the feasibility of automated PUV classification from VCUG using DL, laying a solid groundwork for future development toward non-invasive screening tools in real-world clinical applications
De Finetti theorem on the infinte non-commutative torus
No full textThe set of spreadable states on an infinite non-commutative torus \mathbb{A}_\a^\bz is
determined for all values of the deformation parameter \a. If \frac{\a}{2\pi} is irrational, the canonical
trace is the only spreadable state. If \frac{\a}{2\pi} is rational, the set of all spreadable states is a Bauer simplex.
Moreover, its boundary is the set of all infinite products of a single state
on C(\bt), which is invariant under all rotations
by -th roots of unity, where , with
being for even and for odd, if is the representation of \frac{\a}{2\pi} in lowest terms.\\
Finally, the simplex of all stationary states on \mathbb{A}_\a^\bz is proved to be the Poulsen simplex for all
values of the deformation parameter \a
Investigating students’ academic performance during the COVID-19 pandemic: a mixed-methods approach
No full textThe COVID-19 pandemic has forced universities to ensure continuity of learning through distance learning (DL). Students and faculty had to equip themselves with the resources to overcome the technical challenges and maintain a sense of normality. To examine the impact of DL on academic performance, this study analyses the trajectories of students at a large Italian university by comparing students’ careers using administrative data before and during the pandemic. The results showed that students responded proactively by maintaining or even improving their performance, regardless of the economic situation, assumed to be a contrasting factor, with only age and degree programme being significant predictors. To better interpret these results based on administrative data, 215 of these students were interviewed to identify the possible influence of personal factors (anxiety related to psychophysical health) and environmental factors (lack of social interaction) on their academic performance. Using multiple regression, the relationship between the 4 interpersonal factors, extracted through a factor analysis from 15 socio-psychological variables, and the changes in university performance was measured. The results showed that physical isolation led to an increase in average performance, while anxiety about psychophysical health had a negative impact on respondents’ performance. Students’ coping mechanisms, particularly those involving positive engagement with their studies, helped to maintain or improve learning during the crisis. However, anxiety about health significantly affected performance for some, highlighting the dual impact of emotional and environmental stressors on academic resilience. The original contribution of this study is the combination of administrative records with psychosocial data
Taraxacum officinale L. in leukemia and lymphoma: current knowledge and prospects for horticulture
No full textDandelion (Taraxacum officinale L.) is a globally distributed medicinal plant rich in phenolic acids, flavonoids, sesquiterpene lactones and pentacyclic triterpenoids. Preclinical studies indicate that dandelion extracts and isolated constituents exert selective cytotoxic and pro-apoptotic effects against various hematological malignancies, including leukemia and lymphoma, via mechanisms such as ROS generation, mitochondrial apoptosis, cell-cycle arrest and inhibition of oncogenic signaling (e.g., PI3K/AKT, STAT3). This mini-review synthesizes current in vitro and in vivo evidence on the antileukemic and antilymphoma potential of T. officinale, emphasizing the phytochemical classes most consistently implicated (notably triterpenoids like taraxasterol and pentacyclic acids) and highlighting methodological limitations of existing studies—dose relevance, lack of pharmacokinetic data and sparse safety profiling. Building on these pharmacological insights, horticultural strategies that can modulate bioactive profiles—controlled environment agriculture, hydroponics, elicitation, light spectral management and targeted nutrient fortification— are evaluated and a practical cultivation-to-clinic roadmap to produce standardized, high-value plant material suitable for translational research is proposed. Critical translational barriers, including standardization of extracts, potential interactions with anticancer drugs (notably tyrosine kinase inhibitors), and the need for rigorous toxicity and human pharmacology studies are also discussed. Finally, prioritized experimental and horticultural studies that would accelerate evidence-based development of dandelion-derived therapeutics for hematologic oncology are outlined, while cautioning against premature clinical use without controlled trials
Rheology and structure of gelatin-free jelly candies prepared with dry-fractionated pea and corn starches
No full textDry-fractionated (DF) starches are considered co-products of protein production and remain underutilized in food applications, where isolated starches are generally preferred. This study aimed to characterize DF pea starch, compare it with conventional corn starch, and evaluate their potential as sustainable alternatives to gelatin in jelly candies. Gelatin-based jelly candies were prepared as the control (G).
DF pea starch exhibited a higher amylose content and water solubility index compared to corn starch. Least gelling concentration (LGC) was determined to be 16 % for DF pea starch, 12 % for corn starch, and 6 % for gelatin. Based on these values, three jelly candy formulations were developed by increasing the starch content by 4 % and 8 % above the respective LGC. Microscale and macroscale structural behaviors were evaluated using rheological tests and texture profile analysis (TPA), respectively. All jelly candies demonstrated a solid-like structure, as evidenced by a predominance of storage modulus (G′) over loss modulus (G′′). DF pea-based jelly candies showed a significantly higher consistency index (1528 ± 58) than those made with corn starch (555 ± 158). However, DF pea starch candies had the lowest degree of structural recovery (mean value of 1.03 %), indicating a fragile gel network, as confirmed by the texture map and TPA results. DF pea-based jelly candies exhibited a more intense color compared to the other samples. These findings suggest that, despite some structural limitations that may require further optimization, DF pea starch is promising as a plant-based gelling agent in the formulation of vegan jelly candies