Archivio istituzionale della ricerca - Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna
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Lipodystrophy Severity Score to Assess Disease Burden in Lipodystrophy
No full textContext: Lipodystrophy syndromes are rare disorders characterized by deficient adipose tissue, leading to insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, and organ system abnormalities. Objective: Our goal was to develop a lipodystrophy severity score (LDS) to holistically capture the diverse manifestations of lipodystrophy into a numerical score to aid in prediction of clinical outcomes and/or treatment impact. Design: An 8-domain LDS was developed by eight disease experts in consultation with patient organizations. The LDS was rated for feasibility and content validity by 28 additional clinicians and 9 patient representatives. LDS was compared to Clinical Global Impression (CGI) of severity for 20 putative patient profiles, each at two different time points, and by comparing change in LDS to global impression of change. For external validation, LDS was calculated in two cohorts of patients with lipodystrophy treated with metreleptin. Results: LDS domains include Diabetes/Insulin Resistance, Microvascular Complications of Diabetes, Lipids, Cardiovascular, Liver, Kidney, Reproductive, and Other. Each domain is assessed by one or more questions assessing both lifetime and recent complications of lipodystrophy. The LDS had high content validity and feasibility, and high reliability by intraclass correlation coefficients (>0.95). Global and domain-specific LDS were strongly correlated with CGI, as were changes in scores across visits (R=0.79-0.99, P<0.001 for all). In generalized lipodystrophy, metreleptin significantly reduced LDS (from 46 to 26 at 12 months, P<0.001). The reductions were smaller in partial lipodystrophy (from 65 to 61 at 12 months, P=0.04). Conclusions: The LDS can reflect the severity of diverse manifestations of lipodystrophy and monitor changes following interventions
Smartphone-based ECG assessment of heart rhythm at birth in healthy foals born after spontaneous or induced parturition: is there a potential difference?
No full textBackground– Subclinical electrophysiological derangements occur at birth in foals. Smartphone-based ECG (spECG) is
practical tools to assess heart rhythm and was recently validated in foals. Objectives–To assess the heart rate (HR) and
rhythm at birth in clinically healthy foals born after spontaneous and induced parturition using a spECG. Animals– Newborn healthy foals born after at term spontaneous (SF) or induced foaling (IF). Methods– Cohort study. In SF and IF
groups, a spECG was performed immediately at birth (T0) and after 5 min (T5). SpECG tracings were selected for quality.
HR was manually calculated and was compared between groups and time-points. Tracings were manually interpreted for
rhythm diagnosis. Results– Eighty-one spECG tracings owing to 42 healthy foals (36 SF, 6 IF) were of adequate quality.
There were no significant differences in HR between SF and IF and between T0 and T5 (p>0.05). Six foals were diagnosed with atrial fibrillation and 4 with sinus arrhythmia. Conclusions and clinical importance– The spECG was feasible
and detected subclinical arrhythmias at birth. A potential relationship with induced foaling warrants confirmation. Provided
good quality tracing is obtained, the device might assist in the clinical assessment at birth, especially in screening highrisk foals
Meta-analysis of treatment outcomes for patients with m.11778G>A MT-ND4 Leber hereditary optic neuropathy
Full text linkOur aim was to assess the visual outcomes of patients with Leber hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) harboring the m.11778G>A MT-ND4 mutation who had no treatment (natural history) or received idebenone or lenadogene nolparvovec. Efficacy outcomes included clinically relevant recovery (CRR) from nadir and final best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA). For the natural history and idebenone groups, we performed a systematic review of the literature and available clinical/regulatory reports. For the lenadogene nolparvovec group, all data from phase 3 studies were included. The overall effect and its 95 % confidence interval (CI) were estimated using a random effects model. For each meta-analysis, patients had a mean age of approximately 30 years at vision loss and were mostly (≥78 %) men. The CRR from nadir [95 % CI] at eye level was 17 % [7 %; 30 %] (n=316 eyes), 31 % [24 %; 40 %] (n=313) and 59 % [54 %; 64 %] (n=348) in untreated, idebenone-treated and lenadogene nolparvovec-treated patients, respectively. This gradient of efficacy was also observed with CRR at the patient level and final BCVA. There was a gradient of efficacy in all assessed visual outcomes, more marked for CRR than for final BCVA, with lenadogene nolparvovec gene therapy superior to idebenone treatment, and both superior to the natural history of the disease
Vaccine-Based Immunotherapy for Oropharyngeal and Nasopharyngeal Cancers
Full text linkViral infections such as human papillomavirus (HPV) and Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) play a critical role in the onset of oropharyngeal (OPC) and nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC), respectively. Despite advancements in targeted therapies and immunotherapies, in the recurrent/metastatic setting, these tumors remain incurable diseases with poor prognosis. The development of therapeutic tumor vaccines, utilizing either neoantigens or oncoviral antigens, represents a promising addition to the cancer immunotherapy arsenal. Research on vaccine-based immunotherapy for OPC and NPC focuses on targeting viral antigens, particularly HPV E6/E7 and EBV EBNA1/LMP2. The potential for vaccine platforms, including peptide-based, DNA, RNA, and viral vector-based vaccines, to induce durable immune responses against viral antigens is reported. The early-phase clinical trials evaluating vaccine-based therapies for HPV-related OPC and EBV-related NPC revealed safety and preliminary signs of efficacy; however, further clinical trials are crucial for validation. This review provides an overview of the current landscape of vaccine-based strategies for HPV-related OPC and EBV-related NPC, discussing their biological mechanisms and immune processes involved in anti-HPV and anti-EBV vaccine treatments, with a particular focus on the immune factors that influence these therapies
Awareness campaigns
No full textThis entry examines awareness campaigns as communication tools used in migration management to the aim of shaping potential migrants’ behavior toward desirable social outcomes. Often funded by migrant-receiving countries and implemented by intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, awareness campaigns are interpreted here as a way to deter irregular migration by highlighting its dangers. However, their effectiveness is widely debated, as economic and social factors play a greater role in migration decisions. Critics argue that such campaigns primarily serve as symbolic bordering practices rather than genuine information efforts. In contrast, pro-migrant campaigns promote alternative narratives focused on mobility justice and human rights
Euroscetticismo 'hard' e 'soft': un'analisi del caso italiano
No full textNel corso delle crisi multiple che hanno attraversato l’Europa durante gli ultimi anni, il cammino dell’integrazione europea è stato intralciato da numerosi ostacoli, di cui uno dei più insidiosi è rappresentato dall’euroscetticismo. Obiettivo di questo articolo è quello di esplorare l'andamento di tale fenomeno in Italia nelle sue declinazioni "hard" e "soft", per cogliere appieno il mutamento delle opinioni dei cittadini rispetto a diverse tematiche europee dal 2017 al 2023
The extent of the hip bone sexual dimorphism in two Italian coeval modern skeletal samples
Full text linkThe rate of sexual dimorphism in the human hip bone is primarily due to the structural demands of childbirth. Genetic, environmental, and socio-cultural factors can also influence pelvic shape variations across populations. This study examines intra-population sex variation within the Italian population based on regional differences of 280 coxal bones from two documented human osteological collections (Bologna and Sassari) coming from different geographical areas, the northern continental and island regions. Nineteen metric variables were used to evaluate sexual dimorphism and population differences. Most of the variables showed sexual dimorphism, particularly the hip height and ischio-pubic measures within both populations, and accurately predicted sex for each population (Bologna: 100%; Sassari: 91.2%). Results show the Bologna sample have larger dimensions for most of the measurements than the Sassari one, especially when considering the longitudinal ones. Some female traits of the Bologna sample are larger than the correspondent ones in the Sassari males. The rate of sexual dimorphism between the populations shows significant differences, with better sex distinction for Bologna than Sassari. This study aims at interpreting these intra-population differences, considering the effect of environmental (physical and social milieu) and genetic factors, underscoring the importance of this local differences for accurate diagnostic criteria
Redefining respeakers’ training: A practical approach to diamesic translation tactics and respeaking skills
No full textRespeaking is a technique bridging simultaneous interpreting (SI) and subtitling for the D/deaf and hard of hearing (SDH), making live events accessible to diverse audiences. Respeakers use a speech recognition software to repeat or rephrase the original speech, generating live subtitles (Marsh, 2006). This study seeks to identify the essential skills to teach students in a respeaking course, thus contributing to the advancement of respeaking training and improving the accessibility of live events for a wider audience. Firstly, this chapter will draw on the similarities of respeaking with the nearing fields of SI and SDH. Then, the effort model of respeaking will be defined to guide us through the set of abilities a respeaker needs in his profession. An analysis of a subtitle excerpt from the conference Les Assises Régionales de l’Accessibilité (‘The Regional Accessibility Conference’) available in Bruno (2023) will be conducted using the Diamesic Translation taxonomy proposed by Eugeni & Gambier (2023) to determine the strategies respeakers use, and that needs to be part of a respeaking course. Finally, the Understanding Strategies derived from Kohn & Kalina (1996) and the Processing Strategies found in Eugeni (2008) will open the path for a comprehensive didactic proposal focused on the Production Strategies and the Exit Strategies (LTA, 2018) respeakers need in order to navigate the various cognitive, textual and translating challenges of the respeaking task
Photometric Stereo Techniques for the 3D Reconstruction of Paintings and Drawings Through the Measurement of Custom-Built Repro Stands
Full text link"In the digital 3D reconstruction of the shapes and surface reflectance of ancient paintings and drawings using Photometric Stereo (PS) techniques, normal integration is a key step. However, difficulties in locating light sources, non-Lambertian surfaces, and shadows make the results of this step inaccurate for such artworks. This paper presents a solution for PS to overcome this problem based on some enhancement of the normal integration process and the accurate measurement of Points of Interest (PoIs). The mutual positions of the LED lights, the camera sensor, and the acquisition plane in two custom-designed stands, are measured in laboratory as a system calibration of the 3D acquisition workflow. After an introduction to the requirements and critical issues arising from the practical application of PS techniques to artworks, and a description of the newly developed PS solution, the measurement process is explained in detail. Finally, results are presented showing how the normal maps and 3D meshes generated using the measured PoIs’ positions, and further minimized using image processing techniques, which significantly limits outliers and improves the visual fidelity of digitized artworks.
Dall'origine al destino
No full textTra arte, scienza e tecnologia, la mostra esplora la trama del progresso della cultura umana, nella sua dimensione sia universale che soggettiva. Un viaggio affascinante attraverso i momenti più significativi dell’evoluzione culturale e tecnologica, dalla comparsa dell’uomo sulla Terra all’avvento dell’Intelligenza Artificiale, ponendo l’accento sulle nostre capacità di orientamento rispetto alla velocità dello sviluppo della tecnica.
Una riflessione profonda sul passato, sul futuro e sul nostro rapporto con il tempo e la tecnologia, con l’invito a mettere in pratica un esercizio di umanità per riconciliare la dimensione personale e quella collettiva che il concetto di destino tiene insieme