University of Bari Aldo Moro
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COVID-19 induces greater difficulty in blood pressure control due to increased arterial stiffness
Get PDF: COVID-19 infection induces widespread endotheliitis, with long-term effects on the vascular system and arterial hypertension that are still under investigation. This study verified the possible correlation between COVID-19 infection and blood pressure control. In the multicenter study presented here, we enrolled 185 hypertensive patients with a positive nasopharyngeal swab for SARS-CoV-2 in the 6 months prior to the follow-up visit (Group 1, 90F, age 63.38 ± 10.29 years) and 97 hypertensive patients consistently negative for SARS-CoV-2 (Group 2, 49F, age 64.20 ± 10.79 years), overlapping in terms of age, sex, weight, and Body Mass Index (BMI). We evaluated the follow-up visit within 12 months (T1) and the one prior to the infection (T0). Group 2 had a higher percentage of patients with dyslipidemia and a significantly lower percentage of patients with hypertensive cardiomyopathy (HTN-CM) compared to Group 1. In Group 1, we observed a significant decrease in the number of smokers and an increase in the diagnosis of HTN-CM at T1, with a significant increase in systolic values (134.30 ± 14.93 mmHg vs 132.40 ± 16.19 mmHg, p < 0.05) and a decrease in diastolic values (78.30 ± 8.77 mmHg vs 79.63 ± 8.41 mmHg, p < 0.05) compared to T0. Moreover, there was a significant increase in the number of antihypertensive drugs taken at T1 in Group 1, particularly angiotensin-receptor blockers, compared to T0. Finally, at T1 in Group 1, we observed a significant increase in pulse wave velocity (PWV) compared to T0. These findings were absent in Group 2. Patients who contracted the COVID-19 infection showed increased vascular stiffness, hence higher blood pressure values, and needed a greater number of medications for blood pressure control
À l’aube du roman. La fiction narrative au siècle d’Auguste
No full textLe cœur de notre documentation sur le roman grec et romain semble débuter de manière soudaine avec les premiers siècles après J.-C. ; mais une efflorescence si vaste et diversifiée ne peut pas avoir surgi ex nihilo. Le dossier tant papyrologique qu'iconographique, ainsi que d'autres éléments jusqu'ici sous-estimés, supposent une large circulation de formes romanesques variées et de procédés narratifs bien établis avant l'apparition des romans qui nous ont été livrés par les manuscrits médiévaux; et cette fiction hétéroclite a pris son essor à l'époque d'Auguste et de ses successeurs immédiats, soit approximativement entre le milieu du 1er siècle avant J.-C. et le milieu du 1er siècle après J.-C. Ces « Entretiens » abordent ce vaste cadre, pour mettre en lumière une étape fondamentale dans l'histoire de la littérature narrative occidentale
“Breaking Bread” with innovation: the challenge of product differentiation through alternative flours, fermentation, and traceability systems
No full textThe growing demand for more sustainable and healthier foods has stimulated innovation in the food sector, particularly in the bakery industry. However, market differentiation for products such as sliced bread is limited by consumers' marked resistance to certain innovations, such as the introduction of innovative ingredients and processing methods. To this end, a robust Discrete Choice Experiment methodology was used on a nationally representative sample of nearly 1600 Italian consumers. A Latent Class Modelling revealed two distinct preference profiles: an innovation-oriented majority (77.5 %) and a more conservative segment (22.5 %). All unconventional flours were associated with negative WTP, particularly insect flour, although the aversion was less pronounced in the innovation-oriented group. Conversely, characteristics related to sourdough fermentation and digital traceability received positive ratings in both segments. The segmentation according to innovation and conservative-oriented consumers is insightful. Although the novelty of ingredients generates resistance reliable characteristics such as fermentation, traceability, and national origin are able to improve product acceptability, justifying its better positioning. Targeted marketing strategies can be outlined based on these different behaviour: consumers who are open to innovation respond to greater transparency and health-related signals, while conservative consumers require reassurances based on tradition and familiarity. These findings support the promotion of market differentiation that combines innovation and trust in the context of industrial baking
Documenti reimpiegati in Puglia: le custodie per sigilli dell’archivio di S. Nicola di Bari
No full textNell’Archivio della basilica di S. Nicola si conservano trentadue custodie per sigilli di lettere regie e principesche dei secoli XIII-XVI realizzate riciclando documenti pergamenacei e pagine di registri cartacei. Nell’articolo si presentano riflessioni sull’epoca e sulla tecnica di manifattura nonché sulla scelta dei materiali da riutilizzare. Le custodie furono il frutto di una campagna di restauro promossa dal capitolo tra fine XV secolo e inizi XVI nell’ambito di un processo di miglioramento dell’amministrazione della chiesa. Nell’organizzazione dei lavori si ricorse alla confezione di involucri in materiali differenti studiando varie soluzioni, spesso drastiche, di protezione; per la preparazione delle custodie in pergamena si scelsero documenti, soprattutto privati, giudicati privi di interesse economico per la chiesa, ma anche testimoni di un passato recente (la dominazione in città del principe di Taranto cessata nel 1463) che si volle, forse scientemente, destinare all’oblio. Delle custodie restano inoltre tracce scritte in un cartulario commissionato dai canonici a fine XVI secolo a un notaio barese, prezioso strumento di accrescimento delle conoscenze sulla storia della chiesa e sulla consistenza del suo patrimonio documentario, sul vocabolario tecnico archivistico del tempo nonché sull’organizzazione pratica del lavoro in uno studio notarile di una città del Regno.Thirty-two seal cases of royal and princely documents of the 13th-16th centuries made by recycling parchment and paper documents are preserved in the St Nicholas Basilica’s Archives. The paper speculates on the period and technique of manufacture and on the choice of materials to be reused. The cases were made during a restoration campaign promoted by the Chapter between the late 15th and early 16th century to improve the administration of the church. In organising the work, enclosures were made of different materials, and various, often drastic, operations were carried out to protect the seals. Documents, mainly private ones, that had no economic interest for the church were used to make the parchment cases, but documents were also used testifying to the recent domination of the Prince of Taranto in the city, which ended in 1463 and was to be consigned to oblivion. Written traces also remain in a cartulary that the canons commissioned from a Bari public notary in the late 16th century. It is a valuable aid in increasing knowledge about St. Nicholas’ history and the quantity of its documentary heritage, the technical archival vocabulary in use and the organisation of work in a notary office in a city of the Kingdom
Toward a Unified Definition of Progression Independent of Relapse Activity in Multiple Sclerosis
No full textObjectivesProgression independent of relapse activity (PIRA) is the main driver of disability accumulation in relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS). We tested various PIRA definitions against the risk of long-term disability.MethodsPatients with relapsing MS, first visit >= January 1, 2000, >= 3 visits with Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS), and >= 5-year follow-up were extracted from the Italian MS and Related Disorders Register on September 29, 2023. Eighteen PIRA definitions were obtained combining fixed or roving baseline, 24-week, 48-week confirmed or sustained disability accrual, no relapses <= 90 days before/<= 30 days after the event (90d), <= 180 days before/<= 30 days after the event, or absence of relapses from baseline to confirmation score (ABS). Predictive performance against the reaching of EDSS = 6.0 was calculated.ResultsA total of 30,203 patients were included. After a follow-up of 11.3 +/- 4.3 years, PIRA ranged from 38.8% to 74.1%. EDSS = 6.0 was detected in 4,401 (15%) patients. Sensitivity of PIRA definitions against EDSS = 6.0 was higher using the 90d criterion (66.7%-69.4%), while the ABS criterion increased specificity (55.3%-62.2%).DiscussionThe definition of PIRA combining roving baseline, no relapses 90 days before and 30 days after the event and 24-week confirmation achieved the best predictive value and feasibility, supporting its use in routine practice and research
Contaminations entre phénomènes pragmatico-énonciatifs dans le discours politique français: analyse des tracts du RN (2018-2024)
No full textContamination between Pragmatic and Enunciative Phenomena in French Political Discourse: An Analysis of RN Flyers (2018-2024)
The present research deals with the analysis of strategies of reporting speech used by the French political party Rassemblement National (RN) and its leaders in 28 flyers published between 2018 and 2024. Its methodology is based on the pragma-enunciative tendency of the Analyse du Discours de l’école Française (ADF), namely on the works by J. Authier-Revuz about heterogeneity in discourse, by P. Charaudeau on French political discourse, namely populist discourse, and on D. Maingueneau about discourse genres and the flyer’s mise en scène. Reporting other people proposals will be analysed by considering two strategies: “modalisation du dire en assertion seconde” and “allusion” (Authier-Revuz 2012, 2020). It will be shown that, thanks to their iconotextual part, flyers allow to give more visibility to the elements which are put into evidence and that this objective is also reached by reported speech strategies which are used. The aim of this study will be to look at these strategies and at RN and Marine Le Pen’s purposes which lie behind them in order to confirm whether they prove that this party and its leaders show, apart from apparent changes, a right-far ideology which is enriched with a violent language
The role of probiotics in preventing dental caries: a systematic review of clinical evidence
No full textBackground: Probiotics have emerged as a promising adjunctive strategy for oral health, particularly in the prevention of dental caries, a multifactorial disease driven by ecological imbalances in the oral microbiome.
Methods: A systematic search of PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science was conducted for studies published between January 2014 and January 2025, focusing on the use of probiotics for caries prevention in children and young adults. Clinical trials and observational studies were included, and a qualitative synthesis was performed based on the extracted outcomes.
Results: Twenty-one studies met the inclusion criteria. Most clinical trials reported a significant reduction in Streptococcus mutans levels following administration of probiotic strains, particularly Lactobacillus paracasei, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, and Bifidobacterium lactis. Several studies also demonstrated a decreased incidence of new carious lesions and an improvement in salivary immune markers. However, a minority of studies found no significant effect, highlighting potential variability due to strain type, dosage, delivery method, and population characteristics.
Conclusion: The current evidence supports the potential of specific probiotic strains to reduce cariogenic bacterial loads and contribute to caries prevention. Further standardized, long-term trials are needed to clarify the most effective formulations and regimens for clinical application
L’emergenza dell’educazione scientifica in Italia: la necessità di un approccio storico-epistemologico
No full textIl saggio intende riflettere sulla necessità di ripensare l’educazione scientifica nell’ordinamento scolastico italiano, nella convinzione che rappresenti uno dei capisaldi della convivenza democratica degli Stati contemporanei
“She’s not the full shilling”: insanity and redemption in William Trevor’s Reading Turgenev"
No full textThroughout his œuvre, William Trevor frequently explores the disorders of the human mind, with his Irish writings often depicting deviance, mental illness, and madness as responses to suffering and loss. In Reading Turgenev (1991), this focus is embodied in Mary Louise Dallon’s presumed madness, which shapes both the novella’s themes and its narrative structure. Partly set in 1950s Ireland – a period marked by peak asylum confinement – the novella critiques institutionalisation through narrative delirium and multifocal storytelling, unfolding like a mosaic rather than following a linear chronology. Through an examination of how insanity disrupts the linear concept of time, the intertextual connections to Turgenev’s writings, and the influence of Mary Louise’s experiences on her perceptions and thoughts, this article suggests that Trevor’s novella slides between the phenomenological and the realist, presenting a heroine who oscillates between madness and redemption