Archivio Istituzionale della Ricerca- Università degli Studi di Foggia
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C-Reactive Protein to Albumin Ratio Predicts Early Mortality in Hospitalized Older Patients, Independent of the Admission Diagnosis
No full textBackground: Malnutrition and systemic inflammation are prevalent among
older hospitalized patients and are associated with increased morbidity and mortality. The
C-reactive protein to albumin (CRP/Alb) ratio reflects inflammatory and nutritional status
and may serve as a useful prognostic biomarker. Objective: To evaluate the prognostic
value of the CRP/Alb ratio in predicting early in-hospital mortality in a large cohort of
elderly patients, independent of the admission diagnosis. Methods: This retrospective observational
study examined the clinical data and serum values of serum C-reactive protein
(CRP), albumin, and the CRP/Alb ratio, detected at the time of admission, in a cohort of
2780 patients over sixty-five admitted to the Internal Medicine and Aging Department of
the “Policlinico Riuniti” University Hospital Trust in Foggia, between 2019 and 2024. The
predictive power of the CRP/Alb ratio for 7- and 30-day hospital mortality was evaluated
by ROC curve analysis, Cox regression, and Kaplan–Meier survival analysis. Results:
In total, 444 patients died (16%) during their in-hospital stay. The CRP/Alb ratio was
significantly higher among deceased subjects (p < 0.001) than in non-deceased patients. The
CRP/Alb ratio was strongly associated with mortality, particularly during the first 7 days
from admission (AUC = 0.888). A CRP/Alb ratio >8 was an independent and significant
predictor of mortality within 30 days (HR = 3.82, 95% CI: 2.91–5.01), but particularly within
the first 7 days from hospitalization (HR = 10.17, 95% CI: 6.05–17.08). Similar results were
observed among re-hospitalized patients. Conclusions: The CRP/Alb ratio is a significant
and independent predictor of early in-hospital mortality in elderly patients, regardless of
admission diagnosis. A threshold value >8 identifies individuals at high risk, particularly
within the first week of hospitalization. This simple, cost-effective biomarke
Growth and Yield of Two High-Density Tuono Almond Trees Planted at Two Different Intra-Row Spacings
No full textClimate change and the future of psychiatry: challenges and opportunities for the next three decades
No full textClimate change is an escalating global health threat with significant implications for the field of psychiatry. This narrative review explores the anticipated psychiatric consequences of climate change over the next three decades, highlighting emerging challenges and potential opportunities for mental health care. Evidence links extreme weather events, heatwaves, and environmental degradation to increased rates of anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and suicide. Vulnerable groups include rural women, youth, and individuals with pre-existing mental disorders. The rise of eco-anxiety and climate-related depression points to the emergence of new clinical presentations that may warrant future inclusion in diagnostic frameworks such as the DSM and ICD. The review emphasizes the urgent need to adapt psychiatric training, strengthen healthcare systems, and implement climate-informed policies. Digital solutions, especially telepsychiatry, are vital for maintaining care delivery amid climate disruptions. Concurrently, advances in stress-related biomarkers offer promising avenues for early detection and prevention. Psychiatry must engage proactively in climate change mitigation and adaptation, promoting climate justice and equitable access to care. Addressing the mental health dimensions of climate change is crucial to building resilient psychiatric services capable of responding to the evolving environmental and societal landscape
Development and characterization of brewers’ spent grain-based materials
No full textReceived 18 March 2025 Received in revised form
9 July 2025
Accepted 10 July 2025 Available online 5 August 2025
Keywords:
Brewing by-product Circular economy Compo-stability Disintegration Recycling Sustainability
1. Introduction
Packaging aims to enclose and protect a wide range of indus- trial and consumer goods, including agricultural commodities and food and drink products, during their distribution and storage and until their use. The global packaging market has been growing rapidly, reaching values of approximately 974 billion US dollars in 2018, with more than 15 billion related to food packaging (Bayram et al., 2021; FAO, 2014). Moreover, concerns about the environ- mental impacts of packaging waste are also increasing, stimulating more restrictive regulatory requirements aimed at reducing, reusing, or recycling packaging materials. Approximately 31 million tons of packaging waste were produced in the European Unit in 2017, which was made of paper/cardboard (41%) and plastic (19%) (Eurostat, 2020).
Sustainability is increasingly a priority for packaging manu- facturers, who are moving from traditional to more eco-friendly
* Corresponding author.
E-mail address: [email protected] (A. Baiano).
Brewers’ spent grain (BSG) is the main by-product of brewing processes. As a lignocellulosic material, BSG is suitable for producing disintegrable composite materials and packaging. Our research aimed to develop BSG-based formulations with and without corn starch that are suitable for producing objects through thermomoulding. The thermomoulding temperature was fixed at 200 ◦C, and the thermo- moulding time ranged from 4 to 30 min. The effects of the thickness (2, 5 and 10 mm), addition of corn starch and BSG type (W (wet), U (dried and unground), P (dried, unground and hot-water treated before use) and M (dried and milled)) on the physical and mechanical properties, absorption capacity, disin- tegration degree and solubility of the tray materials were investigated. All formulations were charac- terized by high water absorption (>71.73%), weight loss (46.73%—67.58%) and solubility (30.78% —44.68%). The density, breaking strength and resistance to penetration decreased as the thickness increased, whereas no differences in the flexural strength were detected. The addition of starch reduced both the density and water absorption percentage and increased the penetration strength. With respect to the BSG state, the use of W-BSG resulted in the highest resistance to flexion (0.11 N/mm2) and the lowest resistance to penetration (2.15 N/mm); the use of M-BSG resulted in the highest resistance to penetration (6.36 N/mm). Principal component analysis highlighted that most of the materials devel- oped had physical and mechanical characteristics that made them different from each other and therefore suitable for different uses
Evaluation of a digital remote extraction analysis and monitoring tool for key performance indicators (KPIs) in the blood culture process
No full textPurpose: Bloodstream infections (BSIs) pose a significant health threat, requiring effective diagnostic processes to ensure appropriate treatment. Monitoring the quality of blood cultures (BCs) process (the cornerstone of BSIs etiological diagnosis) is critical. This study aimed to describe an automated tool, BD DREAMTM (Digital Remote Extraction Analysis & Monitoring), designed for monitoring key performance indicators (KPIs) in the BCs process.
Methods: A multicenter study was conducted across six Italian hospitals, analyzing 234,978 BC bottles, associated with 55,819 episodes. The system monitored KPIs related to mean blood volume per bottle, rates of solitary episodes, rate of BCs from central venous catheter (CVC) unpaired with concomitant BCs from peripheral vein, and contamination rates.
Results: The findings highlighted significant variability in BC practices among centers and hospital services, with mean blood volume per bottle below recommended standards (6.45 mL vs. ≥ 8.0 mL), with 21.8% (range 3.2-62.9%) of episodes classified as solitary. The rate of BCs from CVC unpaired with concomitant BCs from peripheral vein was 14.9% (range 10.2-39.0%). Overall, contamination rates ranged from 4.2 to 4.7%, depending on the criteria adopted for definition. The setting with the more critical values was medical area.
Conclusion: The tool was useful for immediate visualization and identification of hospital services with critical performance. These results suggest that integrating BC digital monitoring tools into clinical microbiology workflows is possible. Further studies will be needed to demonstrate that the implementation of BD DREAMTM can lead to enhancement of diagnostic accuracy, optimization of resources allocation, and improvement of patient outcomes
Tuned–Linee guida per educatori: Un framework pedagogico su self-regulated learning e motivazione per l’apprendimento misto e a distanza.
No full textIn un mondo in costante evoluzione digitale, TUNED – Linee guida per educatori. Un framework pedagogico su Self-Regulated Learning e motivazione per l’apprendimento misto e a distanza è una risorsa fondamentale per i docenti di lingua italiana impegnati nell’adattamento alle nuove sfide dell’insegnamento online e ibrido. Basato sul progetto europeo TUNED, il volume illustra le migliori pratiche per promuovere l’autoregolazione e la motivazione degli studenti in ambienti misti, dotando gli educatori degli strumenti essenziali per facilitare un apprendimento attivo e personalizzato. I quattro capitoli esplorano teorie e applicazioni concrete, dal self-regulated learning (SRL) al supporto digitale (scaffolding), fino all’uso di tecnologie come MOOC e serious games, offrendo un percorso dettagliato per migliorare l’autonomia studentesca. Completano l’opera due nuovi approfondimenti sull’integrazione del SRL nella didattica interculturale e nelle sfide universitarie, rendendo questo libro una guida armoniosa e ben strutturata per educatori alla ricerca di una didattica innovativa e inclusiva
Recent advances in Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances removal: Technologies, mechanisms and future prospects
No full text
Thalamocortical Structural Covariation Networks Are Related to Familial Risk for Schizophrenia in the Context of Lower Nuclei Volume Estimates in Patients: An ENIGMA Study
No full textBackground: Structural brain differences in the thalamus and the cortex have been widely reported in schizophrenia (SCZ) relative to neurotypical control individuals (NCs). Most previous studies examined the thalamus as a whole as a single region of interest. In addition, findings in individuals at familial high risk for SCZ (FHRs) remain inconclusive. Here, we investigated whether local and network-wide thalamic-related structural alterations vary as a function of familial risk for SCZ. Methods: Structural magnetic resonance imaging scans were obtained from 5197 participants (NC, n = 3409; FHR, n = 257; SCZ, n = 1531) across 32 cross-sectional samples within the ENIGMA (Enhancing Neuro Imaging Genetics through Meta Analysis) Consortium. Random-effects meta-analyses and network analyses were conducted on 1) local thalamic alterations (volume estimates of 7 thalamic subdivisions) and 2) network-wide thalamic alterations (thickness and surface-related thalamocortical/corticocortical covariation patterns) across groups (NC, FHR, SCZ). Results: Individuals with SCZ showed significantly lower gray matter volume estimates in the anterior, pulvinar, medial, posterior, and ventral thalamic subdivisions compared with NCs (false discovery rate–corrected q [qFDR] <.05). FHRs did not differ from NCs. At the network-wide level, thalamocortical covariations discriminated FHRs from NCs (qFDR <.05), with FHRs showing intermediate covariation between individuals with SCZ and NCs. Corticocortical covariation patterns revealed that individuals with SCZ and FHRs shared similarly disconnected clustering configurations, distinct from NCs (qFDR <.05). Conclusions: Results revealed lower thalamic volume estimates in individuals with SCZ but not in FHRs, hence yielding no evidence of a familial risk trait, whereas thalamocortical and corticocortical covariation estimates were associated with familial risk for SCZ. These findings suggest that, once the thalamus is parsed into subdivisions, network-wide thalamocortical features may identify trait-dependent, neurobiological correlates of genetic risk for SCZ
Convergence of disciplines: a systematic review of multidisciplinary development approaches in artificial intelligence
No full textThe integration of artificial intelligence (AI) across multiple disciplines is fostering a transformative shift in research and practice. This paper explores how multidisciplinary collaboration with AI is reshaping traditional methodologies and catalyzing innovation in diverse fields such as medicine, psychology, agriculture, mathematics, physics, and economics. A systematic review was conducted following the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. Relevant literature was identified through searches in PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar, covering publications from 2013 to August 2023. Inclusion criteria focused on English-language articles examining the intersection of AI and multidisciplinary applications. Additional studies were identified by screening reference lists of included articles. The analysis revealed that AI's multidisciplinary integration has significantly influenced practices across multiple domains. In medicine, AI supports diagnosis and treatment planning; in psychology, it enhances mental health interventions; and in agriculture, it contributes to addressing global food security challenges. The reviewed literature highlights how AI collaboration with fields such as physics, economics, and history is leading to innovative problem-solving strategies and paradigm shifts. The findings underscore the substantial potential of a multidisciplinary approach to AI. This convergence is not only accelerating technological advancement but also fostering more comprehensive and effective solutions to complex global issues. The results suggest that ongoing interdisciplinary collaboration will be critical in maximizing AI's societal impact and shaping its future development