ARUd’A (Università “G. d’Annunzio CHIETI -PESCARA)
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Fat, flames and ultrasounds: the effects of obesity on pediatric joint inflammation
No full textThe association between childhood obesity and the early appearance of joint degeneration, particularly in the infrapatellar “Hoffa’s” fat pad, highlights the importance of early diagnosis and treatment. The purpose of this review is to describe the role of ultrasound imaging as a first-line imaging tool for the early detection, prevention, and follow-up of degenerative structural changes in children’s joints. By combining ultrasound findings with clinical assessments and indices, healthcare providers can gain a more comprehensive understanding of obesity-related joint alterations. This integrative approach enables early therapeutic interventions, improving outcomes for affected children. Proactive management of pediatric obesity will not only improve the long-term outcomes of obesity-related joint disorders but also reduce the burden of related complications, such as osteoarthritis, in adulthood
Short-long term near infrared spectroscopy patterns after different milk regimens olfactory stimuli in late preterms
No full textBackground: The aim of the study is to investigate the effects of olfactory stimuli from breast and formula milk on near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) cerebral and splanchnic patterns in late preterm infants. Methods: We conducted a multicenter prospective observational pretest-test study in 30 late preterm infants subjected to olfactory stimuli from breast and formula milk. Regional oxygenation status, tissue function in cerebral and splanchnic districts, and cerebral-splanchnic hemodynamic redistribution were recorded at four pre-determined time-points: before sniffing (30 min), during sniffing (30 s), short-term (30 min), and long-term after olfactory stimuli (180 min). Results: After olfactory stimuli from breast and formula milk we found: (i) a significant increase (p < 0.05) in cerebral oxygenation and cerebral-splanchnic hemodynamic redistribution after breast milk stimulus, (ii) a significant increase (p < 0.05) in splanchnic oxygenation and splanchnic-cerebral hemodynamic redistribution after formula milk stimulus. Conclusions: The present results show early changes in NIRS patterns in cerebral and splanchnic districts after breast and formula milk stimuli. Data opens the way to further studies using NIRS as a reliable tool for central nervous system and splanchnic development and response after olfactory stimuli
Impact assessment of Controlled Mechanical Ventilation systems for air quality in school buildings: a study protocol
No full textBackground: Indoor air is an important public health issue and the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted even more the importance of indoor air quality in schools. One of the main measures to preserve good indoor air quality is to maintain adequate indoor air exchange, and energy-efficient mechanical ventilation has been shown to be effective in improving indoor air quality and health of the occupants.
Methods: A pre-post study and trend analysis will be carried out. As the project involves the installation of Controlled Mechanical Ventilation (CMV) systems in schools, the primary aim of the study is to assess the perceived indoor air quality in classrooms in a population of primary and secondary school students without (pre-installation) and with (post-installation) CMVs. The secondary aim is the assessment of health outcomes, investigating the prevalence of dermatological, respiratory, ocular and general disorders reported before and after the intervention, and stratifying by sociodemographic variables. The evaluation of the effectiveness of CMV systems on air quality will be evaluated through chemical-physical and microbiological sampling after the installation of CMVs. The perceived air quality and health assessment will be performed through a survey, distributed before and after CMVs installation.
Conclusions: The present study protocol aims to highlight the importance of indoor air quality for students and school personnel, as well as propose new strategies and measures to deal with this raising issue, enacting measures and systems that will be sustainable from an environmental, energetical, and acoustic point of view, while still ensuring the best possible health outcomes
IL-7 promotes the formation of DNA double strand breaks and DNA repair in murine pro-B cells
No full textIn pro-B cells, VDJ recombination at the immunoglobulin heavy chain locus is impaired. B cell progenitor recombination implies the formation of DNA double strand breaks (DSBs) by the RAG recombinase, which are subsequently repaired by specific mechanisms. We cultured primary murine pro-B cells with IL-7 to evaluate H2AX histone phosphorylation, a well-established marker of DSB formation (γ-H2AX foci) and the expression of proteins involved in DNA repair. Our results indicated that IL-7 upregulated the expression of several molecules involved in homologous recombination, the most accurate DSB repair mechanism. Quantitative analyses of γ-H2AX foci revealed that IL-7 significantly increased DSB formation in a time-dependent manner. Furthermore, γ-H2AX expression was altered in RAG2-deficient pro-B cells and absent in RAG1-deficient pro-B cells treated with IL-7, demonstrating the requirement of both RAG1 and RAG2 recombinase subunits. CD43 expression inversely correlates with the degree of cell differentiation and its level is often evaluated to assess the B lymphoid developmental stage. We observed that IL-7 upregulated CD43 expression and the percentage of large CD43/γ-H2AX double-positive cells, suggesting an effect on less differentiated, immature cells. Notably, we also found that IL-7 increased radiation-induced DSBs, while simultaneously supporting cell survival. This study uncovers novel effects of IL-7 on B cell differentiation, DSB formation, and DNA repair. It is well established that IL-7 promotes the proliferation and survival of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) cells. Our data suggest that drugs targeting IL-7 could improve ALL therapeutic protocols
Changes in adrenomedullin in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid with chorioamnionitis in a sheep-based model
No full textBackground: Adrenomedullin (AM) is a potent angiogenic, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory peptide protecting the developing lung from injury due to bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) of the preterm infant. At this stage, no data on the potential effects of chorioamnionitis (CA) occurrence and glucocorticoids (GC) administration on AM in developing lungs are still lacking. Objective: to investigate, in a sheep-based model, the positive/side-effects of combined exposure to CA and GC on AM concentrations measured in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). Methods: Time-mated ewes were randomly admitted to one of six treatment groups receiving injection: saline (controls); lipopolysaccharide (L) in intra-amniotic fluid treated alone at 7 or 14 d before delivery or associated with betamethasone (B) intramuscularly; B treated alone (7d) or associated with L (14d). Lambs were surgically delivered at 120 days gestation and euthanized. BALF was used for AM measurement in the studied groups. Results: AM BALF levels significantly (p 0.05) decreased at long-term. The former showed increased AM at short and decreased at long-term (p < 0.05, for all), respectively. Conclusions: the present results showing AM BALF changes in a sheep-based model support the AM role in the hemodynamic patterns due to CA and BPD occurrence and open the way to further studies investigating the role of vasoactive agents as trustable markers of lung development/damage
Knowledge Transfer between Academic Research and Industrial Policy: A Proximity Analysis of Italian Economic Research and the National Recovery and Resilience Plan
No full textThis paper investigates the relationship between economic research and industrial policy, while emphasizing the importance of a robust research base for effective policy design. It focuses on Italy’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan (nrrp), a comprehensive industrial policy document adopted in 2021 as part of the NextGenerationeu initiative. Using 20,420 scientific papers (2001-2024) from economic scholars affiliated with Italian universities, advanced text analysis techniques, including cosine similarity and sentence embedding models, were employed to evaluate alignment between academic research and the nrrp, as well as the individual missions of the nrrp. The analysis addresses three objectives: measuring proximity between research and policy; identifying gaps in alignment for specific policy priorities; and exploring the temporal evolution of proximity between research and policy documents. The results reveal limited alignment between research and policy, with significant gaps for certain priorities. The trend of the proximity does not seem to be contingent on the adoption of an industrial policy document. These findings underscore the need for targeted research policies to bridge knowledge gaps and enhance the integration of research into policymaking, ultimately supporting evidence-based decision-making and national priorities
The impact of religiosity, anxiety and depression on proneness to auditory hallucinations in healthy individuals
No full textBackground Auditory hallucinations (hearing voices in the absence of physical stimuli) are present in clinical conditions, but they are also experienced less frequently by healthy individuals. In the non-clinical population, auditory hallucinations are described more often as positive and not intrusive; indeed, they have received less attention. Aims The present study explores the phenomenology of non-clinical auditory hallucinations and their possible relationship with religiosity. Method Starting from previous findings suggesting that non-clinical auditory hallucinations are often described as a gift or a way to be connected with 'someone else', we administered standardised questionnaires to quantify proneness to experiencing auditory hallucinations, religiosity and anxiety/depression scores. Results Regression analysis carried out using an auditory hallucinations, index as the dependent variable on a final sample of 680 responders revealed that a total of 31% of the variance was explained by a five-steps model including demographic characteristics (i.e. being young, a woman and a non-believer) and negative (e.g. being afraid of otherworldly punishments) and positive (e.g. believing in benevolent supernatural forces) components of religiosity, anxiety and depression. Crucially, compared with believers, non-believers revealed higher scores in depression, anxiety and in a specific questionnaire measuring proneness to auditory hallucinations. Conclusions Results suggests that religiosity acts as a potential protective factor for proneness to paranormal experiences, but a complex relationship emerges between religious beliefs, mood alterations and unusual experiences
L'ombra di Medea nella narrativa francofona contemporanea
No full textIl contributo affronta la riconfigurazione del mito di Medea in epoca contemporanea attraverso le opere di due autrici francofone di spicco: Instruments des ténèbres di Nancy Huston et L’Événement di Annie Ernaux. Andando a indagare la valenza trasgressiva dell’aborto clandestino e dell’infanticidio, assimilati al nefas dalla società ma strumenti di emancipazione e di ritrovata “verginità” per donne che intraprendono il loro cammino di transfuges de classe, l’analisi si sofferma sugli elementi e gli echi del mito medeano – rivisitato in chiave moderna – che attraversano le due opere. Nei risvolti psicologici, sociali e politici che segnano il destino dei personaggi si delinea la complessità del femminile e si affaccia in filigrana l’ombra di Medea come modello euristico imprescindibile
Aspirin prevents metastasis by limiting platelet TXA2 suppression of T cell immunity
Get PDFMetastasis is the spread of cancer cells from primary tumours to distant organs and is the cause of 90% of cancer deaths globally. Metastasizing cancer cells are uniquely vulnerable to immune attack, as they are initially deprived of the immunosuppressive microenvironment found within established tumours3. There is interest in therapeutically exploiting this immune vulnerability to prevent recurrence in patients with early cancer at risk of metastasis. Here we show that inhibitors of cyclooxygenase 1 (COX-1), including aspirin, enhance immunity to cancer metastasis by releasing T cells from suppression by platelet-derived thromboxane A2 (TXA2). TXA2 acts on T cells to trigger an immunosuppressive pathway that is dependent on the guanine exchange factor ARHGEF1, suppressing T cell receptor-driven kinase signalling, proliferation and effector functions. T cell-specific conditional deletion of Arhgef1 in mice increases T cell activation at the metastatic site, provoking immune-mediated rejection of lung and liver metastases. Consequently, restricting the availability of TXA2 using aspirin, selective COX-1 inhibitors or platelet-specific deletion of COX-1 reduces the rate of metastasis in a manner that is dependent on T cell-intrinsic expression of ARHGEF1 and signalling by TXA2 in vivo. These findings reveal a novel immunosuppressive pathway that limits T cell immunity to cancer metastasis, providing mechanistic insights into the anti-metastatic activity of aspirin and paving the way for more effective anti-metastatic immunotherapies