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Isolation, in vitro expansion and preliminary characterization of mesenchymal stromal cells from adipose tissue of pond sliders (Trachemys scripta) obtained during routine neutering
No full textMesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are of strong clinical interest in veterinary regenerative medicine. Currently, there are no published studies about their isolation and characterization in reptiles. The aim of this work was to evaluate the feasibility of the isolation of adipose tissue-MSCs obtained from male and female pond sliders (Trachemis scripta) during a routine neutering. Five fat tissue samples (obtained from five animals) were collected during elective neutering. Fat fragments were processed, and the cell suspension was harvested and incubated at 28°C in a professional humidified incubator. Cell growth rate was characterized by direct cell counting. The cells were successfully differentiated into adipogenic, chondrogenic and osteogenic lineages. Cell phenotype was characterized by RT-PCR and amplicon sequencing of a panel of markers routinely used for mammalian MSCs characterization. Blood cells were used to validate primers for genes not expressed in MSCs. CFU forming ability was evaluated in low density cell cultures.
Cells exhibited the capacity to undergo differentiation into adipocytic, chondrogenic, and osteogenic lineages. The cells exhibited the expression of CD105, CD73, CD44, and CD90, while lacking the expression of CD34 and HLADRA. The sequence homology exceeded 98% with sequences reported for the Trachemys scripta genome. This is the first study regarding the isolation, in vitro expansion and characterization of reptile MSCs obtained from fat tissue. These preliminary data strongly suggest that the isolation of MSCs-like cells from chelonian fat tissue is feasible, opening new prospectives for their potential application in the field of regenerative medicine, for both pet and wild endangered reptile species
The influence of muscle fatigue and action observation in a motor learning task
No full textL'Action Observation Training (AOT) sfrutta il meccanismo mirror per facilitare l'acquisizione di abilità motorie e trova applicazione in diversi ambiti come quello clinico e sportivo. Un fattore comune ad entrambi i contesti è la fatica muscolare. Essa agisce sia a livello centrale modulando l’output corticale motorio, sia a livello periferico, producendo in ultima fase un peggioramento delle prestazioni motorie. In questa direzione, il presente studio ha investigato l’impatto della fatica muscolare sull'apprendimento motorio mediato dall'AOT.
A tal fine, abbiamo reclutato 49 soggetti sani e chiesto loro di eseguire un compito di destrezza manuale per 7 volte con la mano destra. Tra una ripetizione e la successiva i partecipanti osservavano il video o di un esperto mentre eseguiva il task o di un paesaggio, ed eseguivano una contrazione massimale tra pollice e mignolo della mano sinistra. L’affaticamento muscolare è stato monitorato e valutato tramite elettromiografia del muscolo opponente del pollice sinistro.
I risultati mostrano curve di apprendimento simili tra i due gruppi, a differenza di quanto riscontrato invece in un precedente lavoro di Nuara e colleghi (2023) dove, utilizzando lo stesso task in condizioni di riposo, l’AOT aveva prodotto un significativo miglioramento della performance motoria rispetto al gruppo di controllo. Inoltre, i partecipanti sottoposti a fatica muscolare presentano un apprendimento più rapido, che tuttavia si interrompe prima rispetto ai partecipanti dello studio di Nuara e colleghi che praticavano AOT.
La fatica muscolare sembrerebbe avere quindi un effetto negativo in un compito di apprendimento motorio mediato da AOT. Questo potrebbe essere dovuto ad una interferenza prodotta in aree corticali motorie attivate in contemporanea sia dall’osservazione dell’azione che dal compito di contrazione isometrica massimale della mano controlaterale. Ciononostante, la fatica muscolare produce inizialmente un miglioramento della performance motoria controlaterale, probabilmente dovuto ad un effetto di segregazione interemisferica. In conclusione, i dati riportati nel presente elaborato evidenziano chiaramente la necessità di tenere in considerazione l’effetto della fatica muscolare all’interno di contesti di apprendimento, prevenzione e riabilitazione motoria tramite AOT.Action Observation Training (AOT) exploits the mirror mechanism to facilitate the acquisition of motor skills and has applications in clinical and sport contexts. A common factor in both contexts is muscle fatigue. It acts both at the central level by modulating motor cortical output and at the peripheral level by ultimately producing a deterioration in motor performance. In this direction, the present study investigated the impact of muscle fatigue on AOT-mediated motor learning.
To this aim, we recruited 49 healthy subjects and asked them to perform 7 times a manual dexterity task with their right hand. Between each repetition, participants watched a video either of an expert performing the task or of a landscape and performed a maximal contraction between the thumb and little finger of their left hand. Electromyography was recorded on the Opponens Pollicis of the left hand to evaluate muscular fatigue.
Results showed similar a learning between the two groups, in contrast to a previous work by Nuara and colleagues (2023) where, using the same task at rest, AOT produced a significant improvement in motor performance compared to the control group. In addition, participants undergoing muscle fatigue exhibited faster learning, which, however, ceased earlier than participants in the study by Nuara and colleagues who practiced AOT.
Thus, muscle fatigue seems to have a negative effect in an AOT-mediated motor learning task. This could be due to an interference produced in motor cortical areas simultaneously activated by both action observation and the hand maximal isometric contraction task. Nevertheless, muscle fatigue initially produces an improvement in contralateral motor performance, probably due to an interhemispheric segregation effect. In conclusion, the data reported in this paper clearly highlight the need to consider the effect of muscle fatigue within learning, prevention, and motor rehabilitation contexts using AOT
Evaluation of the effect of high-pressure treatment conditions on pumpkin cubes: a multidisciplinary study
No full textABSTRACT
With the world’s increasing population, people mainly focus on nutritious, convenient, and sustainable foods that have “fresh-like’’ characteristics. Sustainable food processing necessitates the efficient use of natural resources to reduce energy consumption. In recent years, various innovative technologies have emerged that have the potential to replace traditional thermal methods employed in the food processing industry and reduce energy consumption. On the other hand, the food industry has embraced various efficient non-thermal methods including pulsed electric field (PEF), ultrasonication (US), cold plasma, high-pressure processing (HPP), and ultraviolet radiation. These methods have demonstrated their effectiveness in terms of energy efficiency and their ability to preserve the quality of food and mitigate nutrient loss compared to traditional systems.
High-pressure processing (HPP) is considered a substitute for thermal methods due to its ability to enhance food safety, extend shelf life, maintain the sensory, physiochemical, and nutritional properties of food, eliminate bacterial cells, yeasts, and molds without the use of heat. Another positive feature of HPP technology is considered to be the sustainability of the process in terms of environmental sustainability. This technology has the capability to achieve a form of "cold pasteurization" and has proven effectiveness in the preservation of fruits and vegetable juices, smoothies, as well as paste-based products such as guacamole, and jams. However, the effect of the application of HPP technologies depends on (i) the type of plant treated, (ii) the tissue subjected to treatment, (iii) the treatment times, and (iv) the temperature used. To better understand the effect of HPP technology on vegetables, it is advisable to study the best treatment conditions for each treated vegetable to obtain the best results.
The present Ph.D. thesis deals with the application of high-pressure processing (HPP) on fresh pumpkin cubes, and this work is carried out in two phases. Various approaches were explored to achieve the following goals:
i. Understanding the impact of high-pressure treatment on fresh pumpkin cubes
ii. Evaluation of the effect of different pressure-time combinations during high-pressure processing on fresh pumpkin cubes
In this work, pumpkins (Cucurbita moschata Duchesne ex.Poir. cv. Violina) have been chosen as a “model food” for a comprehensive multidisciplinary study on processing innovation. Pumpkins have a long shelf life and are good sources to investigate the process. Pumpkin is commonly consumed either in boiled or baked form or processed into products including puree, soup, jams, and baked goods. Pumpkin flesh is abundant in bioactive substances, particularly total phenolic, total flavonoid, total carotenoid, and mineral contents, which have various beneficial activities on human health. To better understand the effect of HPP on pumpkin cubes, a research program was set up aimed at evaluating the effect of the intensity of pressure and the treatment time.
During the three years of study, the research involved various steps, the results of which are represented by various scientific publications.
At first, we did an in-depth literature review analysis in order to obtain a scientific state of the art. From the literature overview, we reviewed the structural modifications of pumpkins after the high-pressure processing (paper 1). The focus of the review was to describe all the structural and histochemical changes that the different authors had described as a result of their experiments. This comprehensive review of the literature enabled us to pinpoint the objective or goal of the thesis: to understand the impact of high-pressure processing and the effect of time and pressure combination on several qualitative and quantitative parameters of fresh pumpkin cubes that could be useful for process optimization by maximizing positive attributes and by minimizing negative ones.
The first part of the doctoral activity involved the evaluation of the effect of high pressures on pumpkin cubes. In this case, the aim of the study was to understand the effect of different pressure intensities (from 100 MPa to 600 MPa) on the physico-chemical, microstructural and microbiological aspects of pumpkin cubes (paper 2). Pumpkin microstructure was studied in terms of change of cell arrangement, integrity of cells, cell elongation, cell perimetral segment, status of cell wall, and cell wall thickness. It was evident that the greatest microstructural changes in vegetable cells were found at higher pressure, greater than 300 MPa. The results also showed that high pressures play a key role in the cell-cell interaction process, in fact as the intensity of the treatment increases, a greater presence of calcium inclusions is observed. Calcium is responsible for binding between cells as it allows the interaction between pectin molecules of adjacent cells. An increase in calcium inclusions, after HPP treatment, indicates a breakdown of the pectin-calcium bond and, therefore, cell separation, and, consequently, loss of structure. The greatest loss of structure was observed on samples treated with pressures above 500 MPa. Also, the colorimetric and textural parameters decreased by increased pressure: a color and texture change in the treated samples was observed compared to untreated ones whereas the highest antioxidant availability was observed in high-pressurized samples. A longer shelf life was expected from HPP treatment at 400 to 600 MPa, indicating that much higher pressure is recommended to ensure microbial inactivation.
The second section of the PhD research evaluated the effects of the HPP process at different pressures on the chemical composition of samples (Paper 3). In particular, we evaluated the modifications on health-promoting constituents of this vegetable, namely the polyphenols, carotenoids, volatiles and sugar. The results showed that the levels of bioactive compounds decreased especially at higher pressures whereas moderate pressures ranging from 200 to 400 MPa, increased and maintained the amount of availability of bioactive compounds. Based on our assessment, HPP at moderate pressure levels seems to be suitable for retaining stability and concentration of all bioactive components and sugar molecules.
The third section of the research assessed the effect of selective pressure and time combinations on selected qualitative parameters of pumpkins (paper 4: submitted). High-pressure treatment negatively influenced the structure of pumpkins and showed slightly lower colorimetric values than untreated (UNTR) samples. A significant effect was observed for pressure and for interaction between pressure and time. Time alone didn’t result significantly in textural modifications. The combined effect of pressure and time demonstrated a significant effect on the alteration of pumpkin samples' microstructure and cell morphology and increased antioxidant activity by releasing active compounds from damaged tissues. Based on our assessment, HPP at moderate and high pressure-time levels we obtained varied outcomes and it appeared that certain pressure-time (400 and 600 MPa/1,3 and 5 min) levels seemed to be suitable for retaining stability, and concentration of all bioactive, volatiles and sugar components than untreated samples.
After carrying out this two-phase study we obtained two different results in each phase, these results could be useful for process optimization by enhancing positive traits and eliminating negative ones. In conclusion, the results obtained have allowed the understanding of the changes in plant tissues subjected to high-pressure treatments. It was also possible to evaluate the effect of the duration of the HPP treatment on the pumpkin cubes. The research therefore made it possible to understand the variations not only at the tissue level but also from the cellular and chemical composition point of view. Therefore, the results of this research could encourage and be useful to other researchers, specifically, this study offers the opportunity to strengthen knowledge related to this topic
Colonoids and cytokines: an in vitro model of drug absorption in the inflamed gut
No full textIntroduction and Aim
Despite advances in the diagnosis and treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), the incidence and prevalence continue to grow. Given the lack of human preclinical studies, reliable models that mimic the inflamed intestinal epithelium are increasingly explored. Patient-derived colonoids are a powerful tool that recapitulate many physiological features of the human colon in vitro. The aim of the present work was to establish an IBD in vitro model based on human colonoid-derived monolayers.
Methods
Colonic crypts, isolated from biopsies of healthy volunteers, were embedded in 70% Matrigel® and grown for 5-7 days. IntestiCultTM Organoid Growth Medium (OGM) was used to generate cystic-like colonoids, further expanded in suspension cultures. After dissociation, cells were seeded at 7.5x105 cells·cm-2 onto 24-well inserts coated with Matrigel® (1:50). The integrity of the epithelial barriers was monitored through transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER) measurements. When confluence was reached (TEER 3 100 W×cm2), IntestiCultTM OGM was switched to Organoid Differentiation Medium. Differentiated colonoid-derived monolayers (CDMs) were exposed for 24 hours to 25 ng·mL-1 TNF-a and 25 ng·mL-1 IFN-g. Changes in cell morphology and viability, IL-8, CCL20, and NF-kB p65 levels, and FITC-D4 apparent permeability (Papp) were evaluated. The Papp values of conventional compounds were determined.
Results
Over 5-15 days, CDMs showed increasing TEER values, confirming the gradual development of epithelial barriers and the strengthening of tight junctions. Immunocytochemical (ICC) staining for villin and MUC2 showed that the cells were polarised and differentiated. Exposure to TNF-a and IFN-g, although heterogeneously, impaired significantly the barrier integrity of CDMs and increased the secretion of IL-8 and CCL20. When the barrier damage was more severe, FITC-D4 Papp and NF-kB p65 levels were also increased, while cell viability was reduced. ICC images showed a large number of apoptotic cells near the basal side, and a decrease in the expression of villin and MUC2, suggesting that cell polarity and differentiation were impaired. While the steady-state flux and the Papp of atenolol increased significantly under inflammatory conditions, the transport of propranolol and budesonide was not affected.
Conclusions
Exposure of CDMs to an inflammatory milieu altered cell morphology, compromised the epithelial barrier integrity, and increased chemotactic cytokine secretion, although to different extents in different patients. Inflammatory conditions significantly increased the paracellular transport of low permeable compounds, highlighting their damaging effect on intercellular proteins
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and executive functions : from diagnosis to intervention
No full textIl seguente elaborato, si prefigge l’obbiettivo di indagare il rapporto tra le funzioni esecutive, definite come un insieme di operazioni coordinate di vari processi volti a compiere un’azione in maniera flessibile ed in contesti non abituali, ed il disturbo da deficit d’attenzione ed iperattività ossia l’etichetta diagnostica utilizzata per rappresentare e delineare all’interno di una specifica categoria, una popolazione eterogenea di persone che manifesta una serie di difficoltà su diversi versanti, di cui i più noti sono l’attenzione, l’iperattività e l’impulsività secondo i criteri diagnostici dei moderni manuali DSM-V ed ICD-11. Partendo dal substrato neuroanatomico, il controllo esecutivo è riconducibile alle aree frontali, in particolar modo alla corteccia prefrontale che sembrerebbe svolgere una funzione fondamentale nel controllo esecutivo dei comportamenti. Anomalie a carico di questa ed altre regioni quali gangli della base, cervelletto e corpo calloso, suggeriscono la causa d’insorgenza dei disfunzionamenti tipici del disturbo. I casi clinici trattati, che indagano i differenti versanti del disturbo attentivo, iperattivo ed oppositivo-provocatorio in relazione alla funzione esecutiva deficitaria, delineano questa correlazione. Tramite la somministrazione del test WISCH-IV come strumento di valutazione delle capacità cognitive e come parte dell’iter per la diagnosi nei soggetti trattati, si delinea altresì la relazione tra il disturbo e l’intelligenza, definita come un processo mentale che permette di acquisire nuove idee e capacità che consentono di elaborare concetti, attingendo dati dall'esperienza per risolvere in modo efficace diversi tipi di problemi. I casi clinici presentati offrono, infine, una panoramica sulle strategie d’intervento. Un approccio multimodale farmaco-psicologico rappresenta ad oggi la strategia più efficace. Le categorie di farmaci somministrate, fanno riferimento alla natura stimolante (Metilfenilato) per quanto riguarda l’umore e non stimolante (Atomoxitina) al fine di inibire i comportamenti disfunzionali. L’approccio psicologico prevede sedute di psicoterapia, potenziamenti metacognitivi delle funzioni esecutive deficitarie, interventi sui caregivers, attraverso il Parent Training e sugli insegnanti attraverso attività di coinvolgimento.
Alterazioni e modulazione farmacologica del profilo lipidico funzionale del siero in pazienti con malattie cardiovascolari e neurodegenerative
No full textCirculating lipoproteins are currently considered to play a very important role in cardiovascular disease. In detail, High-density lipoproteins (HDL) are considered atheroprotective because their role to remove the excess of cholesterol from peripheral tissues by promoting the reverse cholesterol transport (RCT), in particular, by promoting cholesterol efflux from peripheral cells, especially from macrophage cells, which are the cells most involved in atherosclerotic plaque progression. Cholesterol efflux can occur by several pathways, including passive aqueous diffusion (AD) and active efflux, which is mainly mediated by two transporters, ATP-binding cassette G1 (ABCG1) and A1 (ABCA1). Low-density lipoproteins (LDL) are atherogenic because of their capacity to be loaded by macrophages, which may result in the formation of foam cells, a hallmark of atherosclerosis. In recent years, it has become clear that the function of lipoproteins may be more relevant to cardiovascular risk assessment than the quantification of their circulating levels. Another important factor modulating cholesterol homeostasis is Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) which acts by degrading the hepatic low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) increasing circulating LDL concentration. This underlines the importance of PCSK9 inhibitors (PCSK9-i) that by inhibiting the activity of PCSK9, reduce LDL-C levels and consequently cardiovascular (CV) risk.
These three main components, namely the HDL capacity to promote cell cholesterol efflux (HDL-CEC) and the serum lipoproteins capacity to promote cholesterol accumulation in macrophages (CLC), and the PCSK9 activity, constitute the serum functional lipid profile.
Based on these premises, the first aim of this study was to identify possible disturbances of the serum functional lipid profile in different clinical settings associated to a high cardiovascular risk, such Familial Hypercholesterolemia (FH) with Achilles Tendon Xanthoma presentation (ATX) and Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), by measuring the HDL-CEC and the serum CLC. In this study, we also included the evaluation of the serum functional lipid profile in a neurodegenerative disease, the Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) clinical setting, which shares many risk factors with CV, of which dyslipidaemia is the most interesting for this work. In addition, another objective of this study was to evaluate whether the possible alteration of serum functional lipid profile in these different clinical settings may be related or not to plasma levels and/or lipoprotein composition and to CV risk parameters. Secondly, the project aimed to evaluate how a pharmacological intervention in FH under PCSK9-i may have a beneficial impact on serum functional lipid profile.
Comparing FH presenting ATX and FH without ATX no significant differences were found in terms of plasma lipid profile. However, a significant increase in ABCA1-mediated HDL-CEC (+ 18.6 %) was observed in ATX compared to no ATX patients. Furthermore, in ATX-presenting patients, ABCG1-mediated HDL-CEC was lower (− 11 %) and serum CLC was higher (+ 14 %) compared to patients without ATX. Considering all the patients together, ABCG1 HDL-CEC and serum CLC correlated with ATX thickness inversely (p = 0.013) and directly (p < 0.0001), respectively.
In AAA, ABCG1 HDL-CEC was lower (− 16 %; p < 0.001) and ABCA1 HDL-CEC was higher (+ 31.7 %; p < 0.0001) in AAA subjects compared to a control group, characterized by the same CV risk and no AAA. A stratification of the values suggests that smoking may partly contribute to these modifications. We found higher Lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) (+ 23 %; p < 0.0001) and cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) (+ 49 %; p < 0.0001) activity in AAA sera. HDL-CEC and CETP activity correlated with CLC only in AAA, suggesting the existence of a link between accelerated HDL function, intracellular cholesterol, and aneurysm formation.
In AD subjects compared to a cognitive normal control group, we observed normal plasma lipids levels but significantly reduced unesterified cholesterol and unesterified/total cholesterol ratio. Cholesterol efflux capacity mediated by the transporters ABCA1 and ABCG1 was reduced in AD patients’ plasma, in agreement with the reduced content of small discoidal pre-β HDL in AD. LCAT activity and cholesterol esterification rate (CER), two measures of the efficiency of the esterification process, were reduced by 29 % and 16 %, respectively, in the plasma of AD patients.
In another cohort of FH patients, that underwent 6-months treatment with PCSK9-i, total cholesterol and LDL-C significantly decreased (- 41.6 %, p < 0.0001 and - 56.7 %, p < 0.0001, respectively). Despite no changes in HDL-C levels between the groups, ABCG1 HDL-CEC significantly increased after treatment (+ 22.2 %, p < 0.0001) as well as HDL-CEC by AD (+ 7.8 %, p = 0.0008). Only a trend towards reduction of ABCA1 HDL-CEC was observed after treatment. PCSK9-i significantly decreased serum CLC (- 6.6 %, p = 0.0272). The latter effect was only partly related to the reduction of LDL-C levels (R2 = 0.091; p = 0.006).
In conclusion, the results observed in the three clinical settings, all potentially associated with high cardiovascular risk, generally showed a dysregulation of lipoprotein function, notably a reduced ability of HDL to mediate cholesterol efflux through the ABCG1 transporter, independently HDL-C levels, and an increased ability of serum lipoproteins to promote cholesterol accumulation in macrophage cells, independently LDL-C levels. Accordingly, in FH after pharmacological intervention with PCSK9-i, we observed an increase in ABCG1 HDL-CEC and a reduction in serum CLC, suggesting a beneficial effect of pharmacological treatment on lipoprotein function, which could contribute to the reduction in CV risk associated with this therapy. Overall, these results contribute to the identification of novel functional parameters, to be used together with the traditional one to better define the CV risk in these populations. In addition, these parameters may represent in the future new pharmacological targets for the treatment of cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases
Emotional Body Language nel disturbo di personalità : uno studio eye tracking
No full textIntroduction: Research indicates that biased visual attention in Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) may contribute to emotion recognition abnormalities and interpersonal dysfunctions. This study examines how BPD patients perceive emotions through body postures and evaluates visual attention using eye-tracking technology. Method: Twenty-seven BPD patients were compared with Cluster-C Personality Disorder (CCPD) patients and Healthy Controls (HC) in two bodily emotion recognition tasks: a detection task to identify emotional and neutral postures and a valence-estimation task to rate emotional valence and visual exploration. Results: BPD and CCPD patients were as accurate as HC in identifying emotional and neutral postures. Eye-tracking revealed longer fixation latency for BPD patients on the right hand of positive and neutral postures, and for CCPD patients on the left hand of negative, ambiguous, and neutral postures. In the valence-estimation task, CCPD patients rated angry stimuli as less negative than both BPD patients and HC. Both clinical groups showed fewer fixations on the left hand, and BPD patients also on the right hand, compared to HC. Conclusions: PD patients exhibit biased visual processing of emotional body language, allocating less attention to crucial body regions. BPD patients avoid focusing on positive and neutral postures, while CCPD patients avoid negative, ambiguous, and neutral postures.
The emotional and behavioural response to the Cyberball paradigm in a group of patients with borderline personality disorder
No full textL’ostracismo è definito come la condizione in cui si è esclusi o ignorati dagli altri senza una motivazione esplicita. Etologicamente l’ostracismo può diminuire le possibilità di sopravvivenza, per cui è evoluzionisticamente fondamentale sviluppare un sistema che identifichi l’ostracismo come una minaccia e metta in atto comportamenti riparatori. Tali comportamenti, idealmente, dovrebbero incrementare i legami e ripristinare la condizione sicura di inclusione sociale. Il paradigma Cyberball è il task più studiato per valutare le risposte all’ostracismo. Cyberball è un gioco virtuale di tiro di palla in cui i partecipanti giocano con due confederati. Questi possono sia includere il partecipante, distribuendo equamente i tiri, sia escluderlo, tirandosi la palla solo tra loro. Esiste anche la condizione opposta all’esclusione, definita iperinclusione, in cui entrambi i giocatori tirano la palla al partecipante circa il 90% delle volte. Sono state poi sviluppate altre due condizioni parziali, adatte a studiare le risposte comportamentali dei partecipanti, in cui uno dei due confederati è includente e fair, mentre l’altro confederato è in un caso escludente (ostracismo parziale) e nell’altro iperincludente (iperinclusione parziale). Il disturbo borderline di personalità (BPD) è caratterizzato da una tendenza ad anticipare, percepire e rispondere in maniera maladattativa all’ostracismo (rejection-sensitivity hypothesis). Questo studio si propone di valutare come un gruppo di pazienti affetti da BPD, a confronto con un gruppo di controlli sani (HC), risponde emotivamente e comportamentalmente alle cinque condizioni di Cyberball: ostracismo, inclusione, iperinclusione, ostracismo parziale e iperinclusione parziale. In linea con la letteratura precedente, da un punto di vista soggettivo, i pazienti affetti da BPD riportavano livelli maggiori di emozioni negative rispetto agli HC in inclusione e minori livelli di emozioni nei confronti del confederato fair in iperinclusione parziale. Da un punto di vista comportamentale, in entrambe le condizioni parziali, i soggetti sani tendevano a reciprocare maggiormente il confederato più includente, cercando quindi di essere in possesso della palla per il maggior tempo possibile. I pazienti affetti da BPD si comportavano come i soggetti sani nell’ostracismo parziale ma tendevano, invece, a tirare maggiormente la palla al giocatore meno includente (ma fair) in iperinclusione parziale. Questo risultato suggerisce che i pazienti affetti da BPD, ma non gli HC, riconoscevano che in iperinclusione parziale il confederato iperincludente stava tirando più palle al partecipante a spese dell’altro confederato, che veniva quindi ostracizzato. Nel complesso, quindi, i nostri dati sembrano confermare che Cyberball è un task adatto a esplorare la tendenza ad anticipare, percepire e rispondere all’ostracismo sia in soggetti sani che in popolazioni cliniche.Ostracism is defined as the condition in which one is excluded or ignored by others without an explicit reason. Ethologically, ostracism can decrease the chances to survive, for it is evolutionarily fundamental to develop a system for identifying ostracism as a threat and implementing restorative behaviours. Such behaviours should ideally increase the bonds and repair the safe condition of social inclusion. The Cyberball paradigm is the most studied task to assess the responses to ostracism. Cyberball is a virtual ball-tossing game in which participants play with two confederates. These confederates can either include the participant, by tossing the ball fairly, or toss the ball only to each other. There is also a condition that is opposite to exclusion, where both players toss the ball to the participant about 90% of the time. Two other partial conditions were developed later, which are suitable to study participants' behavioural responses, in which one of the two confederates is inclusive and fair, while the other is either exclusionary (partial ostracism) or overinclusive (partial overinclusion). Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is characterized by a tendency to anticipate, perceive and response to ostracism in a maladaptive way (rejection-sensitivity hypothesis). This study aims to evaluate how a group of patients suffering from BPD, compared to a group of healthy controls (HC), respond emotionally and behaviourally to the five Cyberball conditions: ostracism, inclusion, overinclusion, partial ostracism and partial overinclusion. In accordance with previous literature, from a subjective point of view, the patients suffering from BPD reported higher levels of negative emotions than the HC in inclusion and lower levels of negative emotions towards the fair confederate in partial overinclusion. From a behavioural point of view, in both partial conditions, the healthy subjects tended to reciprocate the most inclusive confederate more, as an attempt to possess the ball most of the time. The patients suffering from BPD behaved like the healthy subjects in partial ostracism but tended to toss the ball to the least including (but fair) player in partial overinclusion instead. This result suggests that the patients suffering from BPD, but not the HC, realised that the overinclusive confederate was tossing more balls to the participant at the expense of the other confederate, which therefore was excluded, in partial overinclusion. Overall, then, our data seems to confirm that Cyberball is a proper task to explore the tendency to anticipate, perceive and respond to ostracism both in healthy subjects and clinical population
Crystalline and Anisotropic, Nonlinear or Nonlocal Curvature Flows
No full textQuesto lavoro di tesi è dedicato allo studio di flussi geometrici, con particolare attenzione data
al flusso per curvatura media. È diviso in due parti tematiche. La prima parte, Parte I, contiene i
Capitoli 2, 3 e 4, e riguarda risultati di convergenza per lo schema dei movimenti minimizzanti, che
è una procedura variazionale che estende lo schema implicito di Eulero a evoluzioni temporali con
una struttura simile ad un flusso gradiente. Implementiamo questo schema per flussi di curvatura
anisotropi o cristallini, non lineari, non locali o con curvatura non omogenea, e ne studiamo la
convergenza verso soluzioni deboli del flusso della curvatura media.
In particolare, nei Capitoli 2 e 3 studiamo la convergenza dello schema dei movimenti mini mizzanti nei casi in cui, rispettivamente, le energie superficiali siano di tipo non omogeneo (ovvero
senza invarianza per traslazioni), oppure il moto per curvatura media sia modificato con una
nonlinearità. Ci interessiamo alla convergenza di questi schemi discreti in tempo verso soluzioni
deboli, di tipo viscoso in entrambi i capitoli, e di tipo distribuzionale nel Capitolo 2. Nel Capitolo
4, invece, consideriamo una seconda discretizzazione dello schema dei movimenti minimizzanti,
che quindi risulta essere discreto in spazio e in tempo. Il risultato principale di questo capitolo è
un limite discreto-continuo quando i parametri di discretizzazione tendono a zero.
La seconda parte, Parte II, è dedicata allo studio del comportamento asintotico di alcuni flussi
geometrici con vincolo di volume, sia in istanze discrete che continue nel tempo. Lo strumento
tecnico principale impiegato è una disuguaglianza di Łojasiewicz-Simon adatta allo studio di questi
tipi di evoluzioni. Nei Capitoli 5 e 6 ci si interessa al comportamento asintotico di discretizzazioni in
tempo del flusso per curvature media con vincolo di volume, nel caso, rispettivamente, periodico
oppure in cui l’energia di superficie considerata è frazionaria. L’ultimo capitolo, il Capitolo 7,
tratta invece flussi continui nel tempo. In questo caso mostriamo risultati di esistenza per tempi
lunghi e comportamento asintotico per il flusso di curvatura medio con vincolo di volume e il flusso
di diffusione superficiale, nel caso particolare in cui il dato iniziale sia una piccola deformazione
normale di un insieme periodico strettamente stabile
Identification of macroindicators of herd productivity and health in dairy cattle fed hay-based diets
No full textLo studio ha l’obiettivo di identificare dei macroindicatori di efficienza e salute di mandria in una cooperativa agricola situata nell'area produttiva del Parmigiano-Reggiano, con 305±6,9 vacche frisone in lattazione.
I dati raccolti mensilmente dal 2021 al 2024 sono stati analizzati in uno studio retrospettivo osservazionale. Sono stati analizzati l'ingestione (FI), la produzione lattea (MY), l'efficienza alimentare (FE) e il parziale reddito netto rispetto al costo dell'alimentazione (pIOFC) nelle quattro stagioni (1, 2, 3, 4) in quattro gruppi di animali (2, 3, 4, 6) basati sulla parità e sulla produttività. Il gruppo 2 comprende vacche primipare fresche, il gruppo 3 vacche pluripare fresche, il gruppo 4 vacche pluripare stanche e il gruppo 6 vacche primipare stanche. È stata utilizzata un'analisi statistica univariata, utilizzando i giorni in lattazione come covariata (valore p <0.005).
Gli ingredienti e la composizione chimica delle razioni dei due gruppi produttivi (alta e bassa produzione) durante le varie stagioni dal 2021 al 2024 sono stati organizzati in tabelle descrittive. Le circonferenze toraciche sono state misurate per un campione di 15 animali per gruppo per stimare il peso corporeo, e il punteggio di condizione corporea (BCS) è stato valutato rispettivamente a 3,1±0,2, 3±0,3, 3,1±0,3 e 3,6±0,3 per i gruppi 2, 3, 4 e 6. I dati meteorologici provenienti da Meteo.it sono stati utilizzati per calcolare l'indice di umidità e temperatura (THI) per ciascun mese nel corso dei quattro anni, con una media di 58,7±12,2.
I dati relativi a collasso puerperale, dislocazione dell'abomaso, chetosi, ritenzione placentare e metrite sono stati riportati mensilmente dal 2021 al 2024 in tabelle Excel come incidenza rispetto ai parti. I dati relativi a endometrite, piometra, cisti ovariche, mastite e diarrea sono state riportate come prevalenza. La loro correlazione con le variabili di efficienza e il THI è stata investigata tramite la correlazione di Spearman.
I risultati dimostrano un effetto significativo (p <0.05) delle stagioni e dei gruppi su FI, MY, FE e pIOFC. FI segue una tendenza crescente dall'estate all'inverno per ciascun gruppo, con l'estate che mostra i valori minori di ingestione. I valori di FI (25,3±1,9 kg) sono compresi tra 19,9 e 26,2 kg/vacca/giorno rispettivamente per i gruppi 2 e 3. Il gruppo 2 mostra i valori più bassi di assunzione di mangime in ogni stagione, mentre il gruppo 3 presenta i valori più alti. MY (35,8±3,9 kg) è fortemente influenzato dall'effetto gruppo, con la produttività che aumenta nell'ordine 6, 4, 2, 3 in tutte le stagioni, con un intervallo compreso tra 28,9 e 43,7 kg/vacca/giorno. FE (1,4±0,1) è significativamente influenzata dalla stagione all'interno di ciascun gruppo, e dal gruppo all'interno di ciascuna stagione, con l'efficienza alimentare che aumenta nell'ordine 6, 4, 3, 2 con un intervallo di 1,2-1,8. pIOFC (17,2±1,9) è significativamente influenzato dal gruppo in ogni stagione, con pIOFC in aumento nell'ordine 6, 4, 2, 3 e un intervallo tra 13,3 e 21,5.
Attraverso l'analisi della correlazione di Spearman, è stata trovata una correlazione positiva tra FI e MY (p=0, ρ=0.614). È stata trovata una correlazione negativa tra i giorni in lattazione (DIM) e FI (p=0.015, ρ=-0.393), tra DIM e MY (p=0, ρ=-0.575), e tra il THI e FI (p=0, ρ=-0.758). Inoltre, è stata trovata una correlazione negativa tra l'incidenza di metrite e MY (p=0.008, ρ=-0.422), l'incidenza di metrite e FE (p=0.033, ρ=-0.346), la diarrea e MY (p=0.002, ρ=-0.546), mentre è stata trovata una correlazione positiva tra la diarrea e la prevalenza di piometra (p=0.036, ρ=0.367), e l'incidenza della diarrea e la metrite (p=0, ρ=0.672).The study aimed to identify macro-indicators of herd efficiency and health in a cooperative
farm located in the Parmigiano-Reggiano area, with 305±6.9 milking Holstein-Friesian cows.
Data collected monthly from 2021 to 2024 were analysed within a retrospective observational
study. Feed Intake (FI), Milk Yield (MY), Feed Efficiency (FE) and partial Income Over
Feed Cost (pIOFC) were examined across four seasons (1, 2, 3, 4) and four animal groups
(2, 3, 4, 6) based on parity and productivity. Group 2 includes fresh and mid-lactation
primiparous cows, group 3 fresh and mid-lactation multiparous cows, group 4 late-lactation
multiparous cows, and 6 late-lactation primiparous cows. Univariate statistical analysis was
used, with days in milk as a covariate (p value <0.005).
Ration ingredients and composition registered across different productive groups over
seasons and years were organised into descriptive tables. Thoracic circumferences were
measured for a sample of 15 animals per group to estimate body weight, and Body Condition
Score (BCS) was evaluated 3.1±0.2, 3±0.3, 3.1±0.3, and 3.6±0.3 respectively for groups 2,
3, 4, and 6. Meteorological data from Meteo.it were used to calculate the Temperature
Humidity Index (THI) for each month over the four years, with an average of 58.7±12.2.
Milk fever, displaced abomasum, ketosis, retained placenta, and metritis were reported
monthly from 2021 to 2024 in excel tables as incidence relative to calvings. Endometritis,
pyometra, ovarian cysts, mastitis, and diarrhoea were reported as prevalence. Their
correlation with efficiency variables and THI was investigated through Spearman's
correlation.
The results demonstrate a significant effect (p <0.05) of seasons and groups on FI, MY, FE,
pIOFC. FI follows an increasing trend from summer to winter for each group, with summer
showing lower values compared to the other seasons with FI values (25.3±1.9 kg) within the
range 19.9-26.2 kg/cow/day, respectively for group 2 and 3. Group 2 shows the lowest feed
intake values in each season, while group 3 exhibits the highest values. MY (35.8±3.9 kg) is
strongly influenced by the group effect, with productivity increasing in the order 6, 4, 2, 3
across all seasons in a range between 28.9-43.7 kg/cow/day. FE (1.4±0.1) is significantly
affected by season within each group, and by group within each season, with the FE
increasing in order 6, 4, 3, 2 within a range 1.2-1.8. pIOFC (17.2±1.9) is significantly affected
4
by group in each season, with pIOFC increasing in the following order: 6, 4, 2, 3 and a range
between 13.3-21.5.
Through Spearman's correlation analysis, a positive correlation between FI and MY (p=0,
ρ=0.614) is found. A negative correlation between Days in Milk (DIM) and FI (p=0.015, ρ=-
0.393), between DIM and MY (p=0, ρ=-0.575), and between the THI and FI (p=0, ρ=-0.758)
are found. Moreover, a negative correlation between metritis incidence and MY (p=0.008,
ρ=-0.422), metritis incidence and FE (p=0.033, ρ=-0.346), diarrhoea and MY (p=0.002, ρ=-
0.546), while a positive correlation between diarrhoea and prevalence of pyometra (p=0.036,
ρ=0.367), and diarrhoea-incidence of metritis (p=0, ρ=0.672) are found