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Optimizing Femoral Access in EVAR: A Multicentric Comparison of Percutaneous and Surgical Approaches in Elective and Urgent Settings
No full textLa società di massa e la crisi politica. Intervista con Hannah Arendt
No full textLa riflessione arendtiana sulla società di massa, che assorbe l’esistenza nella logica del lavoro e del consumo, rivela l’impoverimento, avvenuto nella modernità, del concetto di mondo, non più considerato come lo spazio relazionale creato ‘tra’ gli uomini, dove realizzare la libertà politica agendo e parlando insieme. In seguito a tale erosione, avverte la Arendt, la società di massa non smette di esporre gli individui al conformismo e al rischio di manipolazione
Recent Advances in the Development of Immunoproteasome Inhibitors as Anti-Cancer Agents: The Past 5 Years
No full textThe immunoproteasome (iCP) is an isoform of the 20S proteasome that is expressed in response to cellular stress or inflammatory stimuli. The primary role of the iCP is to hydrolyze proteins into peptides that can be loaded into the MHC-I complex. Beyond its primary role in the adaptive immune response, it is also involved in the pathogenic mechanism of numerous disease states such as inflammatory conditions and cancer. In the last decade, a huge number of immunoproteasome-specific inhibitors have been described, allowing researchers to elucidate the role of the immunoproteasome as a potential therapeutic target for these diseases. The present manuscript summarizes the latest advances regarding immunoproteasome inhibitors tested against different cancer models. Specifically, it will focus on peptide and non-peptide analogs that have been reported in the last five years, together with their structure–activity relationship (SAR) studies. It aims to provide structural insights into this class of compounds pertaining to their favorable applicability as selective iCP inhibitors in the treatment of cancer
Ultrastrongly coupled light-matter systems: quantum phase transitions, spectral properties and effective models
No full textThe interaction of light and matter is a fundamental aspect in many fields of physics. In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the study of light-matter systems in the ultrastrong coupling (USC) regime, where the coupling strength between light and matter is comparable to the characteristic frequencies of the system, or even larger than them.
This regime has enabled the prediction, and subsequently their experimental exploration, of many new physical phenomena, such as the presence of virtual photons in the system's ground state, the modification of the system's spectral properties, and processes that do not conserve the number of excitations, which are forbidden in the weak and strong coupling regimes. These phenomena have potential applications in many fields, including quantum information, quantum technologies, as well as in the study of fundamental aspects of quantum mechanics. Nevertheless, many questions remain open, both from a theoretical and experimental perspective.
In this thesis, we investigate the properties of ultrastrongly coupled light-matter systems, focusing on quantum phase transitions, spectral properties, and effective models. We employ a combination of analytical and numerical techniques to study these systems, such as perturbative expansions, mean-field theory, and exact diagonalization.
These results are relevant for understanding the behavior of light-matter systems in the USC regime, especially in cavity and circuit quantum electrodynamics (QED) settings. Indeed, many of the results presented here concern the spectral properties of these systems, either weakly or strongly coupled to an external bath.
This thesis is structured as follows. In Chapter 1, we provide an overview of the current state of the art and introduce the necessary theoretical framework employed for describing light-matter interactions, with a particular focus on the USC regime and the models typically used to describe these systems. We also introduce the concept of quantum phase transitions (QPTs) and discuss their relevance in the context of light-matter systems.
After presenting these introductory topics, in Chapter 2, we explore in detail one of the most fundamental models in quantum optics, the quantum Rabi model (QRM) and its generalizations, both in cavity and circuit QED implementations. This model describes the interaction between a two-level system and a single mode of the electromagnetic field, and is commonly used to effectively describe light-matter interactions in the USC regime.
In particular, we analyze its spectral properties, such as coherent and incoherent emission spectra, in the USC regime and how they differ between various implementations.
We then investigate the influence of higher energy levels of the matter subsystem, which are obviously neglected in a two-level description of the matter subsystem (or qubit, in circuit QED systems), on the system's behavior in the USC regime. This will lead us to the derivation of an effective Hamiltonian, the renormalized QRM (RQRM), that incorporates the effects of these higher-energy levels into the system's parameters while still retaining a two-level description of the matter component (qubit).
Subsequently, in Chapter 3, this analysis is extended to the study of systems composed of multiple two-level emitters coupled to a single mode of the electromagnetic field, which can be described by an extended Dicke model and, in the thermodynamic limit, by the Hopfiled model.
We explore the evolution of the system properties, such as energy levels and emission spectra, as a function of the number of emitters, and how the results expected in the thermodynamic limit are effectively recovered.
Chapter 4 is dedicated to the study of QPTs in ultrastrongly coupled light-matter systems. In particular, we focus on the role of the electrostatic interactions between the emitters, which are often neglected in simpler models, and the impact they have on the system's behavior. We show that these interactions can significantly alter the occurrence and nature of QPTs.
To this end, we investigate two realistic and specific arrangements of the emitters: a three-dimensional lattice of spatially separeted and highly localized dipoles and a two-dimensional layer of such dipoles embedded in a cavity.
We analyze how the geometry of the emitter arrangement influences the system's properties, and we identify the conditions under which a QPT can occur. This results can be placed in the context of a long-standing debate about the occurrence of a superradiant phase transition (SPT) in such systems, which has been the subject of much theoretical investigation in recent years.
Finally, Chapter 5 is devoted to the study of the open Dicke model, and specifically to the impact of external baths on the occurrence of the SPT in equilibrium conditions. We will find that our results differ significantly from previous works studying the open Dicke model in effective driven-dissipative systems. Specifically, we analyze how the presence of these baths modifies the critical point, as well as the macroscopic occupations in the superradiant phase. We also investigate the role of different types of baths, both ohmic and non-ohmic, and their influence on the system's behavior. In the end, we present coherent emission spectra for the open Dicke model for these types of baths and analyze their features in relation to the usual interpretations for systems that do not exhibit QPTs
Defense mechanisms in immune-mediated diseases: a cross-sectional study focusing on Severe Allergic Asthma and Hymenoptera Venom Anaphylaxis patients
No full textBackground: Chronic immune-mediated diseases, such as Severe Allergic Asthma
(SAA) and Hymenoptera Venom Anaphylaxis (HVA), significantly impact quality of life.
Defense mechanisms, as implicit emotion-regulation strategies, shape an individual’s
adaptation to chronic stressors. This cross-sectional study explored the relationship
among defensive functioning, psychological symptoms, and perceived physical and
mental health in patients with SAA and HVA.
Methods: To explore the role of defensive functioning in perceived physical and
mental health 34 patients with SAA and 32 with HVA were assessed with the Short-
Form Health Survey, the Beck Depression Inventory, the Hamilton Anxiety Rating
Scale, the Toronto Alexithymia Scale, and the Defense Mechanisms Rating Scales Self
Report-30; between-group differences, and mediation analyses were performed.
Results: Defensive functioning was positively associated with mental health
and negatively related to depressive symptoms, anxiety and alexithymia. Males
reported significantly higher physical and psychological health than females.
Patients with SAA exhibited significantly higher defensive functioning but worse
physical health than HVA patients. Mediation analysis revealed that defensive
functioning correlated with disease type and physical health, accounting for
39% of the explained variances. Moreover, defensive functioning independently
predicted mental health.
Conclusion: This study highlights the influence of implicit emotional regulation
on psychophysiological well-being in patients with chronic immune-mediated
disorders. Despite reporting lower perceived physical health, patients with SAA
OPEN ACCESS
EDITED BY
Ciro Conversano,
University of Pisa, Italy
REVIEWED BY
Mario Miniati,
University of Pisa, Italy
Omar Carlo Gioacchino Gelo,
University of Salento, Italy
*CORRESPONDENCE
Mariagrazia Di Giuseppe
[email protected]
RECEIVED 08 April 2025
ACCEPTED 02 June 2025
PUBLISHED 18 June 2025
CITATION
Martino G, Di Giuseppe M, Silvestro O,
Vicario CM, Giorgianni CM, Ruggeri P,
Sparacino G, Juli MR, Schwarz P, Lingiardi V,
Lo Coco G, Gangemi S and Ricciardi L (2025)
Defense mechanisms in immune-mediated
diseases: a cross-sectional study focusing on
Severe Allergic Asthma and Hymenoptera
Venom Anaphylaxis patients.
Front. Psychol. 16:1608335.
doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1608335
COPYRIGHT
© 2025 Martino, Di Giuseppe, Silvestro,
Vicario, Giorgianni, Ruggeri, Sparacino, Juli,
Schwarz, Lingiardi, Lo Coco, Gangemi and
Ricciardi. This is an open-access article
distributed under the terms of the Creative
Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The
use, distribution or reproduction in other
forums is permitted, provided the original
author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are
credited and that the original publication in
this journal is cited, in accordance with
accepted academic practice. No use,
distribution or reproduction is permitted
which does not comply with these terms.
TYPE Original Research
PUBLISHED 18 June 2025
DOI 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1608335
Martino et al. 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1608335
Frontiers in Psychology 02 frontiersin.org
exhibited higher defensive functioning, suggesting that chronic conditions may shape distinct psychological adaptation processes. These findings support the importance of defence mechanisms assessment to tailor psychological interventions promoting well-being in patients with chronic diseases
Synthesis of Pillar[5]arenes for the Development of Antibacterial and Antibiofilm Surfaces
No full textSynthesis of biocompatible polycationic pillararenes
with antibiofilm and reducing cell adhesion properties. Development of
functionalized textile surfaces with pillararene derivatives for applications in different
industrial sectors
Evaluating osteopontin as a biomarker of obesity related complications before and after metabolic and bariatric surgery: A systematic review and meta-analysis
No full textBackground/Objectives: Obesity is a major public health concern, significantly elevating the risk of developing comorbid conditions such as type 2 diabetes mellitus and cardio-vascular diseases, while also shortening life expectancy. Currently, metabolic and bariatric surgery (MBS) is one of the most effective long-term interventions for achieving substantial weight loss, alongside notable improvements in overall quality of life. However, evidence suggests that these procedures may negatively affect bone health, leading to an increased risk of fractures. This systematic review and meta-analysis aim to assess the role of Osteopontin (OPN) as a potential biomarker for predicting both persistent inflammation and bone deterioration following MBS. Methods: A comprehensive search of scientific databases including PubMed (MEDLINE), Embase (OVID), and Web of Science, covering literature up to January 31, 2024, identified 6 studies that met the inclusion criteria for the systematic review. For the meta-analysis, data from 5 studies measuring circulating OPN levels pre- and post-surgery were pooled. Results: The combined analysis revealed a significant increase in OPN levels after MBS compared to baseline (OR: 24.56; 95 % CI: 13.30–35.81; p < 0.0001). Conclusions: These findings suggest that OPN may serve as a valuable biomarker for monitoring inflammation and assessing the risk of bone-related complications in patients following MBS
Towards 1D supramolecular chiral assemblies based on porphyrin–calixarene complexes
No full textThe design of functional chiral nanostructures in aqueous solution represents one of the most exciting challenges in supramolecular chemistry, offering potential applications in catalysis, sensing, and materials science. In this scenario, it has already been shown that the hierarchical step-by-step addition of porphyrins to calix[4]arene aqueous solutions yields porphyrin-calixarene supramolecular complexes with exact and tuneable stoichiometries and defined dimensionality. The present study reports the formation of novel 1D porphyrin-calix[4]arene assemblies, achieved through a hierarchical and stoichiometrically controlled self-assembly process in water using host-guest interactions between the anionic trisulfonated porphyrin, H2DPPS3, and the cationic bis-calix[4]arene, BC4. In addition, to obtain chiral 1D noncovalent assemblies, the copper(ii) porphyrin, CuDPPS3, and the enantiomerically pure bis-calix[4]arenes, (R,R)- and (S,S)-BC4, were also used in aqueous solution. The stepwise formation of linear noncovalent and chiral assemblies, based on porphyrin-calixarene complexes, was demonstrated by a number of different techniques such as: UV-vis spectroscopy, circular dichroism (CD), resonance light scattering (RLS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), revealing precise stoichiometries, sequence, dimensionality and induction of chirality
Exploring the healing power of Pistacia lentiscus stems: insights into extraction methods, polyphenolic composition, and health-promoting activities
No full textThis work aimed to evaluate the effect of different extraction solvents on the polyphenolic content, antioxidant and antibacterial activity of Pistacia lentiscus stems. The results obtained show that the extraction yield depends strongly on the polarity of the solvent and the extraction method. The ethanolic extract had the highest yield in both extraction methods investigated, namely Soxhlet (R = 9.89%) and cold maceration (R = 9.20%). The free radical scavenging activity of the extracts showed that the ethanolic extract had the highest antioxidant activity in both extraction methods with an IC50 = 0.023 mg/mL (cold maceration) and an IC50 = 0.034 mg/ml (Soxhlet). The HPLC analysis of the extracts indicates that gallic acid and catechin are the major phenolic compounds. The FTIR results showed that the shift of the stretching is responsible for O-H and C-H bonding. The GC-MS analysis revealed the presence of stearic acid and palmitic acid methyl ester as main compounds. The bacterial analysis of the extracts showed that the aqueous extract represents the most active one against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa; on the other hand, no antifungal activity was appreciated. Overall, the results indicate that the investigated extracts might be considered valuable sources of bioactive compounds