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Preface
No full textThe 29th International Conference on Implementation and Application of Automata (CIAA 2025) was organized by members of the University of Palermo. The conference took place from September 22–25, 2025, in Palermo, Italy
Marked dysregulation of mature 3p and 5p arms of miR-182 and miR-490 lacks prognostic value for 5-year survival in colorectal cancer
No full textIntroduction: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a leading cause of cancer mortality.
MicroRNAs are key regulators of gene expression implicated in carcinogenesis. While
miR-182 is an established oncomiR and miR-490 acts as a tumor suppressor, the
prognostic significance of their mature arms (−3p/−5p) remains unclear.
Objective: This study aims to validate these mature arms in CRC and assess their
association with 5-year overall survival.
Methods: We combined bioinformatics with experimental validation in 48 CRC
patients. Putative targets were analyzed for their involvement in biological pathways.
Expression levels were quantified in tumor and paired normal tissues using
quantitative PCR. Associations with survival were evaluated using Kaplan–Meier and
Cox proportional hazards models.
Results: Bioinformatics linked miR-182 targets to cell movement and miR-490 to
the mitotic cell cycle. In patient tissues, miR-182-5p (fold change [FC]: 16.19) and
miR-182-3p (FC: 3.38) were significantly upregulated (p<0.05). Conversely, miR490-5p (FC: 0.26) and miR-490-3p (FC: 0.76) were significantly downregulated
(p<0.05). Despite this dysregulation, multivariate Cox models showed no significant
association with 5-year survival. Hazard ratios (HR) lacked significance for both miR182-5p (HR = 0.858, 95% CI: 0.610–1.205, p=0.377) and miR-490-3p (HR = 0.665, 95%
CI: 0.357–1.239, p=0.198).
Conclusion: This study validates the opposing dysregulation of mature miR-182 and
miR-490 arms in CRC, reinforcing their respective oncogenic and tumor-suppressive
roles. However, these profound expression changes did not translate into prognostic
utility for 5-year survival in this cohort, suggesting that larger high-throughputbased studies are required to detect putative prognostic effects
The Trans-actional ocean. Excessive mobilities and immersive temporalities at sea
No full textIn the attempt to critically interrogate the relationship between critical ocean geographies and the situated knowledges of decolonial, postcolonial, Black, feminist, Indigenous, queer, posthumanist and new materialist studies, this special issue has instead become over time a deep immersion not only in the sea materiality and its structures of colonial power, but also on the positionalities and the production of academic knowledge. In other words, this engagement with multiple valences of critical ocean geographies, beyond opening up alternative ways of thinking about space, relationalities, perspectives, and especially the coloniality of geography, also opens up a breach in the very modes of academic knowledge production that obscures, erases, and selects which seas and which knowledges about the sea are recognized, but also in how we might talk with rather than about the sea. The articles in this special issue, even if from diverse point of views, engage with the sea as a pivotal space for understanding our contemporary world and its accumulation of an ever present past. This is a trans-actional ocean, an ocean whose excessive mobilities and immersive temporalities clash, witness, and interrogate
Eravacycline as Salvage Therapy for Severe Intra-Abdominal Infections Caused by Multidrug-Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii: A Case Series
No full textBackground/Objectives: Infections due to multidrug-resistant (MDR) Acinetobacter bau-
mannii represent a critical challenge in modern healthcare, with limited therapeutic options.
Eravacycline, a novel fluorocycline antibiotic, demonstrates promising in vitro activity, but
real-world clinical data for complex intra-abdominal infections (IAIs) are scarce. We present
two cases of severe IAI caused by carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii (CRAB) successfully
treated with eravacycline. Methods: We describe the clinical course, microbiological find-
ings, and outcomes of two critically ill patients. Case 1 was a 75-year-old male with biliary
peritonitis following an endoscopic procedure. Case 2 was a 64-year-old male with infected
pancreatic walled-off necrosis. Both patients had cultures positive for CRAB and failed
multiple prior antibiotic regimens. Results: In both cases, the initiation of intravenous
eravacycline led to significant clinical improvement, including resolution of septic shock
and defervescence. A marked reduction in inflammatory markers (C-reactive protein and
procalcitonin) was observed, alongside microbiological clearance of CRAB. Eravacycline
was well tolerated, with no significant adverse events. Conclusions: These case reports
suggest that eravacycline can be an effective and safe salvage therapy for complex IAIs
caused by CRAB, even in scenarios of partial source control. It represents a valuable
addition to the antimicrobial armamentarium for managing infections caused by these extensively drug-resistant organisms
The Routledge Handbook of Music and Dance Performances in the Ancient Mediterranean: An Interpretive Approach
No full textThe Routledge Handbook of Music and Dance Performances in the Ancient Mediterranean: An
Interpretive Approach brings together research from the subdiscipline of archaeomusicology,
or music archaeology, with new perspectives from art history, the archaeology of performance,
and sensory studies, to provide a comprehensive overview of music and dance in the ancient
Mediterranean world. Through an archaeological approach to performance that places
musical and dance activities within an actual or symbolic space, the book utilizes the study
of instruments and sound objects to provide a valuable investigation that can shed light on
the ritual meaning and social function of sonic events, as well as on the role of musicians and
dancers in antiquity.
Including Egypt, the Near East, Greece, Etruria, and Rome, this handbook emphasizes
the evidence from material culture for both ritual and everyday contexts. Providing a useful
reference for anyone coming to this field of research for the first time, this volume introduces
the varied modes of inquiry that have directed the study of ancient music and dance, and
offers new possibilities for future study
Diabetes does not modify the renal-protective effect of intravenous amino acids infusion after cardiac surgery
No full textPurpose
Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common complication after cardiac surgery and is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Intravenous amino acids (AA) infusion reduces postoperative AKI. Given the high prevalence of patients with diabetes and their increased susceptibility to renal injury, this study aimed to assess whether the renal-protective effect of AA infusion is maintained in this population.
Methods
This post-hoc subgroup analysis examined patients with diabetes included in the multinational, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled PROTECTION trial. Participants were randomized to receive a continuous intravenous infusion of AA (2 g/kg of the ideal body weight per day; up to 72 h) or placebo during the perioperative period of cardiac surgery.
Results
Among 644 patients with diabetes (AA n = 309; placebo n = 335), the incidence of any-stage AKI was 43.3% in the AA group versus 47.8% in the placebo group, with no significant interaction observed compared to patients without diabetes (interaction p = 0.82). Similarly, stage 3 AKI occurred in 2.3% of patients in AA group versus 4.8% in the placebo group, with no interaction detected (interaction p = 0.65).
Conclusion
The beneficial effect of perioperative AA infusion has similar magnitude and direction among patients with or without diabetes. These findings support the use of AA infusion as a renal-protective strategy for all patients undergoing cardiac surgery
Comparison results for the fractional heat equation with a singular lower order term
No full textWe provide symmetrization results in the form of mass concentration comparisons for fractional singular parabolic equations in infinite cylinders of the type omega× (0,T), where omegaCRN (N ≥ 2) is a bounded, open set with Lipschitz boundary, and T > 0. The fundamental ingredients of the proof are an implicit time discretization procedure and a max/min argument, previously applied to nonlocal elliptic problems in the recent paper Brandolini et al. (2023)
Meso-Scale Topological Cues for Endothelial Cell Growth on Fibrous Biomaterials
No full textThe long-term success of blood-contacting medical devices critically depends on the establishment of a stable, functional endothelial lining that can prevent thrombosis and inflammation. However, current vascular grafts and implantable materials often fail to reproduce the hierarchical microstructure and anisotropy of the native basement membrane, which governs endothelial organization and function. This work addresses this limitation by developing a novel hybrid lithography-electrospinning biofabrication approach to create biomimetic fibrous scaffolds that replicate the structural and topographical features of the vascular intima layer.Initially, native vascular tissues from human, porcine, and ovine sources were analyzed to establish morphological and structural benchmarks of the native tissue substrate. Scanning electron microscopy revealed a well-organized, anisotropic endothelial monolayer oriented along the circumferential direction of blood flow. Multiple decellularization strategies, mechanical, chemical, and sonication-based, were tested to expose the native basement membrane. None achieved complete endothelial removal without damaging the underlying structure, confirming the technical challenge of isolating intact basement membrane layers and motivating the design of synthetic analogues.To replicate the native vascular basement membrane topography, a hybrid lithography-electrospinning technique was developed, combining the geometric precision and resolution of lithography with the versatility of electrospinning. This method enabled the transfer of micro-scale patterns (square, honeycomb, and groove geometries) onto polyurethane-based fibrous scaffolds. Compared to bulk substrates, which are limited by low surface-to-volume ratio and poor permeability, electrospun scaffolds offer a dramatically higher surface for cell adhesion enhances cellular infiltration and nutrients diffusion. Moreover, while bulk technologies are typically restricted to small, localized devices, the electrospinning process is scalable, enabling the fabrication of large-area coatings or surfaces suitable for extended blood-contacting applications, such as extracorporeal oxygenators. Optical and scanning electron analyses confirmed successful pattern transfer, with correlation coefficients between 50-60%, indicating reproducible and high-fidelity replication. Notably, increasing the pattern depth from 1 μm to 4 μm improved fiber alignment and feature definition, highlighting the influence of topography depth on the electrospinning process.Biological assays using endothelial cells demonstrated excellent scaffold biocompatibility. Cell viability and proliferation analyses revealed robust viability and adhesion, particularlyivon functionalized substrates. Morphological quantification showed that 4 μm groove patterns induced strong cellular alignment and elongation, closely mimicking the anisotropic organization of native endothelium. In contrast, square and honeycomb patterns promoted isotropic growth. Over 48 hours, cells developed a continuous monolayer while progressively depositing collagen IV and fibronectin, demonstrating active extracellular matrix remodeling. Interestingly, extracellular matrix accumulation gradually masked the underlying microtopography, suggesting that substrate geometry plays a dominant role in early alignment but is later superseded by self-secreted matrix cues.Collectively, these results confirm that topographical guidance alone can drive endothelial morphogenesis, even in static culture conditions. Groove depth emerged as a critical design parameter, controlling both fiber organization during fabrication and cell alignment during culture. The hybrid lithography-electrospinning method thus establishes a reproducible and scalable platform for fabricating engineered basement membrane analogues with tunable anisotropy.From a translational perspective, the proposed approach provides a pathway toward hemocompatible coatings and vascular scaffolds capable of supporting endothelialization in a physiologically relevant manner. By coupling microstructural precision with fibrous biomimicry, this study bridges the gap between fundamental endothelial biology and clinical device engineering. The findings offer design principles for next-generation cardiovascular implants and large-scale blood-contacting devices, emphasizing the importance of early-stage topographical cues in achieving long-term endothelial stability and function, while demonstrating the power of electrospinning-based microfabrication to extend basement membrane-inspired topological cues beyond small-scale graft to large, clinically relevant surfaces
Modelling of borehole thermal energy storages: A g-function approach with a novel load aggregation scheme
No full textBorehole Thermal Energy Storage systems can play a pivotal role in enhancing the energy efficiency of building heating, promoting the widespread adoption of heat pumps and solar thermal solutions especially at district-level. In this paper, a novel Python-based model for the analysis of these renewable systems is proposed employing a g-function approach and introducing a new thermal load aggregation scheme to enable accurate and efficient numerical simulations. The proposed model was applied to assess the operation of a recently constructed pilot-scale seasonal thermal storage at the University of Palermo campus, thus demonstrating the feasibility of deploying this technology for building heating in the Mediterranean region. For this case study, multiple g-functions were generated using both the Python pygfunction library and finite element models developed in COMSOL Multiphysics®, allowing investigation of how borehole hydraulic connections, undisturbed thermal profiles, soil thermophysical properties, and storage surface insulation conditions influence the thermal response of the borehole thermal energy storage. The results indicate that the novel load aggregation scheme markedly reduces the errors encountered by conventional algorithms, particularly during the sharp thermal load variations between charging and discharging phases. Moreover, simulations conducted with the new code confirmed a seasonal efficiency of approximately 70 % for the Palermo storage and revealed that perfect surface insulation could raise its thermal level by about 4 °C. The new modelling framework also paves the way for a future Digital Twin that will enable real-time optimization of charge/discharge cycles