ARUd’A (Università “G. d’Annunzio CHIETI -PESCARA)
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Altered breathing pattern of lowlanders sleeping at high altitude: Novel insights from home sleep apnoea tests procedures
Get PDFLowlanders sojourning at high altitude often experience sleep disturbances, which are driven by blood gases alterations and manifest as stress-related patterns, including frequent awakenings, apnoeas, reduction in sleep duration and possibly with the occurrence of periodic breathing. This study demonstrated clinical evidence of sleep disturbances at high altitude by using portable device during a Himalayan expedition. The home sleep apnoea test was conducted on 10 participants taking part in the "Lobuche Peak - Pyramid Exploration & Physiology". The longitudinal design included five assessments, before the expedition, at pre-expedition at Kathmandu (≈1400 m), at a peak altitude of ≈ 5000 m, upon return to Kathmandu and one month after return in Italy. Total sleep time was below 7 h of duration at the highest altitude in all participants. Nocturnal SpO2 dropped below daytime measurement and was greatly reduced at high altitude; conversely, heart rate increased. All participants experienced an increase in apnea-hypopnea index at high altitude, with seven out of 10 falling in moderate-to-severe grade. Periodic breathing pattern was clearly observed in two participants, of whom one developed acute mountain sickness and one did not. All the impairments were fully reversible once back at low altitude. Translationally, our findings underscore the importance of conducting home sleep apnoea tests at living altitude. Sleep-disordered breathing arises from a complex pattern that can be due to a wide range of responses, and the overall functions revealed by home sleep apnoea testing during a field expedition have the potential to increase the safety of high altitude sojourners, while advancing our knowledge of hypoxia as the red line linking respiratory and environmental physiology
Breaching Barriers: Microplastic Translocation into Human Body Through Food and Implications for Neurodegeneration
Get PDFIntroduction: Plastics are ubiquitous in modern life, widely used in food containers, packaging, and textiles. Micro- and nano plastics (MNPs), originating from environmental sources, agricultural practices, and packaging materials, can infiltrate the food chain, posing potential health risks. Results: Studies have demonstrated that MNPs leach into food from both the surrounding environment and plastic packaging, with factors such as low pH and elevated temperatures significantly enhancing their release. Upon ingestion, these particles traverse biological barriers, enter systemic circulation, and accumulate in organs, including neurons and brain regions, where they disrupt normal biological processes. Mechanistically, MNPs induce neuronal damage through oxidative stress, endoplasmic reticulum stress, lysosomal dysfunction, altered proinflammatory gene expression, and neurotoxicity, which can trigger pyroptosis and progressive neuronal loss, ultimately contributing to neurodegeneration. Methods: This systematic review synthesizes studies from the past fifteen years, documenting the presence of MNPs in food and beverages, quantifying their levels, and linking their occurrence to environmental plastic pollution and packaging materials. It also highlights the role of MNPs in neurotoxicity, elucidating potential biological mechanisms leading to neuronal damage, and their possible association with neurological disorders such as cognitive impairment, Alzheimer’s disease, and Parkinson’s disease. Conclusion: These findings underscore the urgent need for further research to track MNPs within the nervous system and to implement mitigation strategies aimed at reducing MNP contamination across the food supply chain
Raccontare la mascolinità, decostruire la mascolinità. Il caso letterario di Francesco Piccolo
No full textBy adopting a theoretical perspective, this paper examines the issue of masculinity
in reference to Francesco Piccolo’s hybrid novel L’animale che mi porto dentro
(2018). Piccolo’s novel here serves as a case study to demonstrate how masculinity
cannot be examined without considering it as a practice. Through the analysis
of both selected textual excerpts and paratextual elements of Piccolo’s novel, the
main aim of this contribution is to show that it is impossible to theorise masculinity without referring to a model of representation that serves not to validate it
as a paradigm, but to deconstruct it as such
Resilience and Operability in Post-Disaster Scenarios: Case Study of a Defined Set of Churches after the L'Aquila Earthquake
No full textThe digitization of built heritage is essential for safeguarding cultural and historical assets, particularly in the face of disruptive events. In this context, this paper assesses the resilience and operability of existing churches, supported by a comprehensive digitization workflow and a large dataset of data. Specifically, the work focuses on 26 churches of the Sulmona-Valva Diocese damaged during the 2009 L'Aquila earthquake. The proposed workflow integrates systematic data collection, the development of empirical and theoretical resilience curves, and the calculation of a Global Resilience Index. Unlike traditional methodologies, this study incorporates restoration funds as a weighting factor in resilience assessments, reflecting the cultural and historical importance of each structure. Additionally, the integration of data into a flexible digital platform enables real-time analysis and resilience planning, supporting informed decision-making for urban planning and resource allocation. These digital platforms significantly enhance the resilience assessment of cultural heritage by enabling the storage and processing of large datasets, thereby revolutionizing both academic research and operational practices. The findings highlight the potential of a data-driven framework to enhance the protection and conservation of heritage buildings in seismic-prone areas
Exploring the discourse on digital transformation in nonprofit organizations
No full textThis study explores digital transformation (DT) phenomena in nonprofit organizations (NPOs) through a bibliometric analysis of related literature, contributing to the examination of such organizations’ unequal development and digital presence. Unlike research predominantly focused on for-profit-based assumptions, this study inspects nonprofit-based elements linked to DT. The analysis identifies people-centered factors, nonprofit-related themes, and key dynamics of DT within NPOs, highlighting the need for conceptual models that reflect their specificities. By bridging insights from information systems and nonprofit studies disciplines, this research highlights distinct aspects linked to DT outcomes in the NPO context, designing targeted guidance for future research
3.1.1 Ruoli e responsabilità in materia di cultura del rischio del CdA (organo con funzione di supervisione strategica)
No full textOptimal Surveillance and Indemnity Policy for Eradicating Exotic Livestock Diseases
No full textWe present a theoretical model that identifies the optimal resource allocation between surveillance and intervention for eradicating exotic livestock diseases. We apply a game theory approach to analyse the strategic interaction between the Animal Health
Authority (AHA) and the stockbreeders. The model elucidates how the breeders' pay-offs depend upon the AHA's choices and
vice versa. We first model the stockbreeder reporting decision (passive surveillance) under uncertainty. Then, we analyse how the AHA should efficiently allocate resources between active surveillance (inspections) and intervention, and determine how
this trade-off is influenced by various economic factors, such as the operation size and breeders' risk attitudes. By explicitly considering the relationship between passive and active surveillance, the model reconciles the literature investigating the nexus
between compensation payments and reporting with the literature on the relationship between surveillance and intervention.
We use the case study of a parasite of social bee colonies, the Small Hive Beetle, in Italy, which presents no moral hazard concerns, and hence limits the complexity of the analysis. However, the model can be adapted to other types of exotic diseases and
livestock. The model does not provide precise quantitative prescriptions of the optimal values to be assigned to indemnities and probability of monitoring. Rather, it contributes to the understanding of the economic factors that influence optimal surveillance
and intervention strategies
Evaluation of in vitro and in vivo release of recombinant human nerve growth factor from bioengineered human stromal lenticule
No full textIntroduction: Small incision lenticule extraction (SMILE)-derived lenticules have been repurposed as biocompatible scaffolds to incorporate and release therapeutic substances for ocular therapeutics. We aim to investigate the in vitro and in vivo release profiles of recombinant human nerve growth factor (rhNGF) from bioengineered human stromal lenticules prepared with microparticles incorporated with rhNGF (rhNGF-MPs) for up to 1 and 4 weeks, respectively. Methods: Upon bioengineered lenticule implantation, slit lamp, Anterior Segment Optical Coherence Tomography, and In Vivo Confocal Microscopy were performed to assess corneal biocompatibility, central corneal thickness (CCT), corneal nerve -fiber density (CNFD), -branch density, and -fiber length. Rabbit cornea, tears and aqueous humour were collected to quantify rhNGF release in vivo. Results: A rapid in vitro release of rhNGF was detected until day 2, and with sustained release over 7 days. The pattern remains comparable even with the presence of antibiotic-antimycotic, trypan blue or fluorescein. Throughout the in vivo follow-up, no signs of corneal haze, edema, infiltration, or pathological increase in CCT were observed. A significant increase in CNFD (p = 0.001) at week 4 was reported in rhNGF-MPs than in Blank-MPs group. Finally, significantly higher NGF content in rabbit cornea and tear was found in rhNGF-MPs group compared to the endogenous NC group (p = 0.035 and p = 0.043, respectively). Discussion: Bioengineered lenticules exhibit sustained rhNGF release for at least 7 days in vitro and up to 1 month in vivo. These results, together with absence of adverse effects, and significant increase in CNFD at 4 weeks after lenticule implantation suggest its promising potential for clinical use
Il Castello Tramontano di Matera. Le memorie graffite di una prigione
No full textIl Castello Tramontano di Matera, edificato nei primi anni del XVI secolo e rimasto incompiuto dopo l’uccisione del conte Giovan Carlo Tramontano (1514), rappresenta un esempio singolare di architettura fortificata della prima età moderna in Basilicata. Il progetto, riconducibile alla scuola di Francesco di Giorgio Martini, si distingue per l’impianto triangolare – schema raro, quasi sempre confinato ai bozzetti teorici – e per le soluzioni militari avanzate (fossato, basamento a scarpa, casematte, merlature), testimonianza dell’aggiornamento tecnico sulle nuove esigenze belliche. Documentando l’utilizzo dell’edificio come luogo di detenzione tra il 1547 e il 1574, la ricerca mette in luce un ricco corpus di graffiti che, attraverso l’indagine paleografica, iconografica e architettonica, restituisce le tracce di prigionieri comuni e nobili. Segni alfabetici e figurativi diventano così fonte storica diretta e potente, in grado di restituire voci, volti e stati d’animo dei detenuti. Questi segni, insieme agli stemmi degli Orsini e alle raffigurazioni simboliche, offrono una fonte inedita per la storia sociale, politica e architettonica della città di Matera, permettendo di ricucire le vicende del castello dopo l’interruzione dei lavori e di comprenderne il ruolo strategico e identitario nel contesto urbano.
Il lavoro si inserisce nel più ampio quadro degli studi sulla scrittura in contesti di reclusione, valorizzandone la funzione espressiva e testimoniale
Specialization for different memory dimensions in brain activity evoked by cued recollection
No full textCued recollection involves the retrieval of different features of the encoded event. Previous research has shown that the recollection of complex events jointly recruits the Default Mode and the Frontoparietal Control networks, but the degree to which activity within these networks varies as a function of the particular memory dimension (e.g., the “when-what-where” information) remains largely unknown. In the present functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) study, human participants retrieved specific information about a previously encoded TV show to assess the veracity of detailed sentences along four memory dimensions (i.e., object and character details, spatial layouts, temporal sequences, verbal dialogues). A common activity for all dimensions was observed in a left-lateralized network of regions that largely overlaps with the Frontoparietal Control Network (FPCN), including the lateral prefrontal, lateral superior parietal, and lateral temporal cortex. Instead, a larger degree of specialization for different memory dimensions was observed within the Default Mode Network (DMN), particularly in its posterior nodes. Dimension-related specificity in both networks was associated with memory performance across subjects. Finally, a clear leftward asymmetry was observed in the DMN for all dimensions except for the temporal one, whereas the FPCN showed a bilateral activation across dimensions. The present results generally support the view that specific memory information is processed by a mosaic of regions within large portions of the associative cortex involved in higher-order mnemonic functions