Archivio Istituzionale della Ricerca - Università degli Studi della Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli"
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Lower urinary tract symptoms and male sexual function: recommendations from the fifth international consultation on sexual medicine (ICSM 2024)
No full textIntroduction Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is an age-related condition affecting many men. Emerging evidence highlights a strong relationship between BPH, lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and sexual dysfunction, including erectile dysfunction (ED), reduced sexual desire, hormonal imbalances, and ejaculatory dysfunction, warranting a comprehensive approach to diagnosis and management. Objectives This report aims to provide recommendations for identifying and managing sexual dysfunction associated with BPH and LUTS. Methods Based on guidelines from the International Consultation on Sexual Medicine, a literature review was conducted. Recommendations were graded using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation system. Results The association between BPH, LUTS, and sexual dysfunction is significant, with ED, ejaculatory dysfunction, and hypogonadism being common complications. Lifestyle modifications, medical therapies, minimally invasive surgical therapies, prostate artery embolization, and surgeries (eg, Transurethral resection of the prostate, HoLEP, Aquablation) are among the recommended treatments. Each intervention carries varying risks of sexual dysfunction, requiring specific tailored treatment plans. Conclusions BPH/LUTS significantly affect sexual health, emphasizing the need for a multidisciplinary approach to management. Future research should refine diagnostic criteria and develop treatments that minimize sexual side effects. Enhanced education for patients and their partners could improve quality of life and coping mechanisms
Gellan gum electrohydrodynamic microencapsulation of probiotics for intestine-targeted delivery
No full textMicroencapsulation is a promising strategy to improve time-stability, viability and targeted delivery of probiotics, thus enhancing their beneficial roles in the intestine. However, areas of improvement persist, including optimal viability protection during storage and gastrointestinal (GI) transit, control over encapsulation and targeted release. Due to pH-responsiveness, gellan gum (GG) could be ideal to face some of these criticalities. In this study, we set-up a robust electrohydrodynamic (EHD) microdripping process to produce GG microparticles (GGMs) encapsulating Limolactobacillus fermentum . By varying GG concentration, flow rate and applied voltage, the optimized EHD parameters led to highly monodisperse microbeads with controlled morphology. Successful encapsulation of L. fermentum in GGMs was obtained at concentrations of 106 CFU/mL and 109 CFU/mL, leading to 300 ± 40 μm and 450 ± 100 μm particle sizes, with encapsulation efficiency of 94 ± 6 % and 99 ± 1 %, respectively. GGMs demonstrated post-encapsulation probiotic viability with lactic acid production. Freeze-dried formulations were lasting under storage until 3 months and resulted stable under GI-simulated conditions. Their bioactive properties were demonstrated by antimicrobial efficacy against Escherichia coli and enhanced defensin expression in Caco-2 intestinal cells. Overall, EHD microdripping was a versatile and robust platform useful in functional foods and gut microbiome engineering
Valutazione dei livelli di conoscenza della popolazione generale italiana in merito alle caratteristiche del disturbo dello spettro dell'autismo in ambito lavorativo
No full textIdentification of potential prognostic and predictive biomarkers in Head and Neck Carcinoma
No full textHead and neck cancer (HNC) represents the seventh most common malignancy worldwide and is a heterogeneous disease affecting the upper aerodigestive tract. The majority of cases (>90%) are squamous cell carcinomas (SCC), whereas a minority originate from salivary glands, lymphatic tissue, or other less common components. Among the subtypes, laryngeal carcinoma (LCa) is the most prevalent, accounting for approximately one third of all HNC cases, with around 189,000 new diagnoses each year. Advanced stages are frequently associated with cervical lymph node metastases, the primary sites of dissemination, whose involvement represents a crucial prognostic factor and significantly impacts patient survival.
Recent studies have highlighted that the combined analysis of gene expression and deregulated miRNAs is a powerful tool to better understand tumor progression and identify novel therapeutic targets, thereby improving diagnostic strategies and personalized treatments. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play a fundamental role in the post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression and the control of cell fate. In this study, a cohort of patients with laryngeal carcinoma was analyzed through transcriptomic profiling, leading to the identification of deregulated genes and miRNAs potentially associated with disease progression. NGS analyses revealed the Relaxin Family Peptide Receptor 1 (RXFP1) as a potential biomarker associated with advanced stages of the disease, suggesting that its upregulation in patients with lymph node metastases (N+) may reflect and predict tumor progression.
To further investigate the functional role of RXFP1, two stable models were generated in HNO-210 cell lines through third-generation lentiviral transduction: one carrying an empty backbone vector and one with constitutive receptor overexpression.
The main findings of this study highlight an increase in cAMP levels following RXFP1 activation mediated by RLN2. This increase is associated with modulation of the MAPK pathway and a concomitant reduction in the phosphorylation of downstream effectors of the PI3K/AKT pathway. These results suggest that cAMP activation mediated by RXFP1 may compensate for the decreased AKT activity through ERK activation, promoting a pro-migratory effect. This phenomenon favors a partial cellular plasticity phenotype, characterized by increased migration and invasion post-stimulation, associated with the modulation of matrix metalloproteinase 9 as the main downstream effector
Unilateral psoriasis mimicking erythema annulare centrifugum: a study with line-field confocal optical coherence tomography contribution
No full textIntegrative Meta-Analysis of Transcriptomic Networks Reveals Core Signatures and Master Regulators of Cellular Senescence
No full textCellular senescence appears as a stable, self-maintaining program rather than a transient stress reflex. To assess how this pattern persists across contexts, seven public human fibroblast RNA-seq datasets were assembled, encompassing both replicative and acute models. Raw count matrices from each dataset were batch-corrected with Surrogate Variable Analysis (SVA) to remove latent technical effects before differential expression modeling. DESeq2 was used to estimate differential expression with Wald statistics and Benjamini–Hochberg correction. Two complementary analytical routes tested the stability and depth of the signal.
In the first, each dataset was modeled separately, and resulting effects were combined through random-effects meta-analysis with restricted maximum likelihood (REML) in metafor. It yields pooled log2 fold changes and gene-level heterogeneity estimates. In the second, all count matrices were merged into a single batch-corrected dataset. DESeq2 contrasts were run for replicative and acute senescence within the same design. Only genes significant in both contrasts and moving in the same direction were retained as the consensus set. Primary inference relies on this unified, SVA-corrected analysis, while the meta-analysis provides an independent cross-study validation. Working in one corrected space standardizes size factors, dispersion trends, and surrogate variables, reducing nuisance variation and sharpening the common signal.
Both routes converge on the same architecture, a nuclear lock suppresses DNA replication and mitosis, with LMNB1, MCM2–7, CDK1, PLK1, and EZH2 as consistent regulators. An inflammatory amplifier remains active, centered on STAT3 and RELA with cytokine outputs. While TP53 and CDKN1A provide the bridge that ties amplifier activity to arrest. Enrichment tests and the network map point to STAT3 and RELA at the crossroads where cytokine signaling meets chromatin control and checkpoint cues. TP53 sits as the hinge between the two arms. Across studies the spread is modest (I2 ≈ 21.9 percent; τ2 ≈ 0.013). Overlap between models is strong. The same themes keep showing up: DNA damage response, cell-cycle arrest, and the senescence-associated secretory phenotype. The interactome view makes the case stronger, since the shared genes lie on high-traffic routes and often bridge the modules that govern arrest and cytokine output. Taken together, these results outline a conserved dual-circuit system that locks the nucleus while sustaining inflammatory signaling. The balance between the two modules captures the logic of senescence and helps explain how molecular stability, together with persistent cytokine output, maintains an irreversible fate. The approach also explains why the consensus holds: a single SVA-corrected matrix for both contrasts, a strict intersection rule, and a network view that confirms central positioning of the shared hubs. The resulting map offers a practical basis for prioritizing targets and shaping future senotherapeutic strategies
Hydro-Gen: Air-Port 2.0 Innovation. Trigeneration system powered by green hydrogen for a small-medium air-port
No full textThis Ph.D. thesis investigates the design, simulation, and performance of a modular trigeneration system powered by green hydrogen (produced by splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen through electrolysis, using only renewable electricity), named “Hydro-Gen”, specifically tailored for small- to medium-sized airport infrastructures. The overarching objective is to assess the technical feasibility, energy efficiency, and economic viability of integrating hydrogen-based energy systems into airport operations, with the aim of reducing primary energy consumption and operating costs. The study is motivated by the urgent need for sustainable energy solutions in critical infrastructures, particularly in light of global decarbonization targets and the increasing electrification of airport services. In particular, the operation of an advanced containerized modular trigeneration system, referred to as “Hydro-Gen” and based on green hydrogen-powered fuel cells, is numerically analysed by using the TRNSYS simulation software. The system is evaluated while supplying thermal, cooling and electric energy to a small-to-medium scale airport with the fuel cells running under thermal load-following control or electric load-following strategy. The energy and economic performance of the proposed “Hydro-Gen” system have been contrasted against a reference scenario that relies entirely on electricity supplied by the central grid in order to assess the potential benefits.
The research is structured around two core tasks. First, it develops a comprehensive simulation model capable of capturing the dynamic interactions between the “Hydro-Gen” system’s main components: Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFCs), lithium-iron-phosphate battery packs, sensible thermal energy storage (STES), and adsorption chillers. Second, it evaluates the “Hydro-Gen” system’s performance under two distinct control strategies (electrical load-following and thermal load-following), comparing their energy and economic outcomes against a conventional baseline system based on separate energy generation.
To complete these tasks, this Ph.D. thesis adopts a rigorous simulation-based methodology. The “Hydro-Gen” system is modelled using the TRNSYS software environment (widely used in the scientific literature), enabling accurate modelling of system’s components under transient operation and high-resolution temporal analysis of energy flows and interactions. The simulation spans a full annual cycle and incorporates real-world climate data and load profiles derived from typical airport operations. Two control strategies are implemented, reflecting potential operational priorities in airport settings where energy needs vary significantly across seasons and time of day.
The analysis is performed with reference to the Seve Ballesteros-Santander Airport, assumed as reference case (based on its representative scale and the availability of detailed energy consumption data). The performance of the Hydro-Gen system is assessed using well-known key indicators, including Primary Energy Saving (PES) and Operating Cost Difference (ΔOC), where PES quantifies the reduction of primary energy consumption against to the baseline, while ΔOC evaluates the system’s economic competitiveness in terms of operating costs.
This Ph.D. thesis is organized into six chapters.
Chapter 1 introduces the context and motivation, emphasizing the strategic role of hydrogen technologies in the transition toward low-carbon airport infrastructures.
Chapter 2 provides a detailed analysis of airport energy requirements, explaining the rationale for selecting the Seve Ballesteros-Santander Airport as reference case as well as describing related energy demand profiles.
Chapter 3 presents the design of the “Hydro-Gen” system, detailing the operating scheme, the characteristics of its components and related control logics with reference to a modular containerized architecture serving the selected airport.
Chapter 4 outlines the simulation setup developed in the TRNSYS environment, including the models adopted for simulating the PEMFCs, the batteries, the thermal energy storages, the control logics, the climatic data, the energy demands, etc.
Chapter 5 defines the methodology for evaluating the system’s energy and economic performance (via the PES and ΔOC parameters) and compares two control strategies against a conventional scenario assumed as reference.
Chapter 6 presents the simulation results in terms of PES and ΔOC, highlighting that both control logics can provide significant savings in terms of primary energy consumption, while the difference in terms of operating cost is strongly dependent on the unit cost of green hydrogen.
The section “Conclusions” summarizes the key findings and discusses their implications for future airport energy systems. It emphasizes the potential of hydrogen-based trigeneration to enhance energy autonomy, reduce environmental impact, and support the integration of renewable energy sources. It also outlines recommendations for future research, including the development of hybrid control strategies, real-world pilot implementations, and life-cycle sustainability assessments.
In summary, this Ph.D. thesis contributes to the growing body of knowledge on hydrogen energy systems by demonstrating the feasibility and benefits of a modular, containerized trigeneration solution for airport applications. Through detailed simulation and performance analysis, it provides a robust framework for evaluating and optimizing such systems, paving the way for their adoption in the broader context of sustainable infrastructure development
Salt migration and export via subsurface irrigation in a saline reclaimed landscape of the Po River lowland (Italy)
No full textUpward saline groundwater seepage is provoking surface water canals to be salinized in a large, reclaimed area of the Po River lowland in Italy. The salinization is often exacerbated in agricultural fields sub-irrigated via tile drains, which create shortcuts among surface water and shallow groundwater bodies. To identify the causes of salinization and quantify the key sources of dissolved salts, a continuous monitoring of the vadose zone, surface water, and groundwater seepage contributions was established in two adjacent agricultural fields: A1 (≈5 ha) mildly saline cultivated with maize and crossed by a paleochannel and A2 (≈2 ha) saline, left uncultivated and covered by a salt tolerant weeds consociation with the prevalence of Genus Erigeron (Asteraceae). The vadose zone continuous monitoring allowed to identify capillary rise as the main driver of soil salinity in A1, while in A2 the capillary rise of groundwater is complicated by additional salt released by root decomposition after mowing, producing a clear ECpwincreases up to 20 mS/cm. This information was integrated with remote sensing data on vegetation health (SAVI) and water requirement (NDMI), accounting for the vegetation activity within the field. Piezometers and drainage ditch continuous monitoring allowed for the identification of the surface waters/groundwater relationships and the saline sources in the aquifer/aquitard lenses, revealing a general GW flow toward surface drains as the main source of salinization. EC abruptly increased to 6.5 mS/cm along the SW2 ditch draining A2, while it rose more gradually from 0.55 to 2 mS/cm in the SW1 ditch draining A1. Frequency domain analysis further highlighted internal salinity dynamics, such as increased porewater salinity after mowing in A2, which increased temporary the electrical conductivity up to 20 mS/cm also confirming strong correlations between VWC and ECpwat 60 cm below ground level. Finally, continuous monitoring of water discharge and solute concentrations in the drained ditch enabled the assessment of total salt export during the sub-irrigation period, which was 67.2 ± 6.5 tons (approximately 80 % of the monitoring period). These outcomes show how sub-irrigation can accelerate salinization in shallow groundwater systems under saline conditions
