Archivio istituzionale della Ricerca - Università degli Studi di Parma
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Synthesis, structural characterisation, luminescence properties and DFT calculations of a new 2D polymeric network of cadmium (II)
No full textSex-specific cardiac electrophysiological remodeling influences the susceptibility to arrhythmias in elderly rats
No full text: Advanced age is a well-known risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD), with sex differences contributing significantly to age-dependent clinical heterogeneity. The incidence of CVD increases with age in both sexes, although men and women are predisposed toward different CVDs. However, the sex-specific arrhythmogenic alterations in aged individuals are still not described in depth. The present work aimed to analyze gross anatomical and relevant cardiac electrophysiological parameters in vivo in aged female and male rats, emphasizing sex-related disparities and their relationship with enhanced arrhythmia vulnerability. Studies were performed on healthy wild-type Groningen rats: 13 adult males (8.2 ± 1.2 mo), 13 aged males (25.6 ± 0.7 mo), 13 adult females (9.8 ± 3.2 mo), and 13 aged females (23.0 ± 1.4 mo). The adult female heart was hypertrophic compared with adult males, but aging was associated with cardiac hypertrophy only in male rats. Adult female rats had longer effective refractory period and QTc than males, but only male rats showed a significant increase in these parameters with age. Conversely, aged animals showed longer ventricular activation time than adults in both sexes. Although conduction velocity remained consistent across groups, phase map study during programmed electrical stimulation revealed prolonged activation time in the aged female compared with all other groups. Notably, although aged rats were more prone to spontaneous supraventricular extrasystoles, only aged males were more susceptible to spontaneous ventricular arrhythmias. In conclusion, sex strongly influences the cardiac electrical remodeling, with male who could experience more significant adaptations. Accordingly, when the heart is exposed to proarrhythmic stimuli, the susceptibility to arrhythmias differs between elderly males and females.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Aged heart is more prone to develop cardiovascular diseases including arrhythmias. The age-related electrical remodeling of the heart results in specific electrophysiological alterations in male and female rats. Males could experience more challenging adaptations as they age. They show prolongations of atrial and ventricular activation, ventricular repolarization, and refractoriness. Aged females display alterations in ventricular activation. Arrhythmias are more likely to occur in aged animals with males being more susceptible to spontaneous and induced arrhythmias
Systematic review on Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals in breastmilk and neuro-behavioral development: Insight into the early ages of life
No full textBreast milk (BM) is the main nutrition source for infants that plays a key role on growth and development. Human milk composition includes endogenous and exogenous substances, including endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). EDCs are man-made environmental chemicals present in everyday environment and food that can disrupt the programming of endocrine signalling pathways during development, resulting in adverse effects that may not be apparent until much later in life. The presence of single and/or mixtures of EDCs in BM has been shown to be associated with impairment of reproductive, metabolic, immunologic system and neurobehavioral developmental outcomes. This systematic review discusses the current knowledge about the presence of EDCs in BM, and their potential effects on infant outcomes during the first six years of life. Following PRISMA guidelines, we made a systematic evaluation of the literature on the effects of single and mixtures EDC on (i) mental and psychomotor development; (ii) socio-communicative and behavioral development. Negative association between EDC exposure and developmental areas considered emerged highlighting: (i) BM as a potential key matrix for the monitoring of EDC exposure (ii) the short- and long-term negative effect on infant neuro-behavioral outcomes, and (iii) the importance of public health efforts to reduce maternal and infant EDC exposure. However, heterogeneous results found emphasizes the need to further longitudinal studies to consider factors that can lower EDC exposure or exert a protective role on infant neurodevelopment, and to better understand the mechanism behind the EDCs and its effects on infant development
The European researchers' night: An example of community engagement in controlling vector-borne diseases
No full textThe European Researchers" Night (ERN) is the largest science outreach event in Europe. The ERN brings research and researchers closer to the public, promotes research projects across Europe and beyond, increases the interest of young people in science and research careers and shows how researchers" work affects our daily lives. On September 27, 2024, the University of Parma participated in the ERN as part of the "heaL thE plAnet"s Future" (LEAF) project, with the involvement of numerous Italian universities and research institutions and funded by the HORIZON-MSCA-Citizens-2022. Our contribution to the event was an interactive seminar titled Mosquitoes and the Monsters Inside Them, which was divided into three parts. The first part provided an introduction on how to distinguish mosquitoes from other insects (dipteri nematoceri), highlighting their main anatomical features and briefly touching upon mosquito ecology. This was followed by an in-depth exploration of the morphological identification of the most common mosquito species in Italy. The second part focused on the potential health risks associated with various pathogens transmitted by vectors (mosquito bites), with particular attention to the Dirofilaria spp. parasite. It also provided guidance on how to protect oneself and pets from mosquito bites, prevent ecological niches, and control mosquitoes during their larval and adult stages. Finally, the third interactive part consisted of quizzes, a coloring book with take-home messages, direct observation of Dirofilaria spp. adult worms and mosquitoes through a stereomicroscope.By providing basic knowledge and practical tips for prevention, this initiative led to empower citizens to protect themselves and their communities from mosquito-borne diseases, allowed the citizen scientist to have opportunities to create spaces to discuss, to communicate and build trust through interaction. These forms of citizen science communication and engagement need openness from all involved, the ability to accommodate the roles that all partners involved in a citizen science activity take, and commitment to the responsibilities and tasks that come with these roles (Hecker & Taddicken, 2022; Salmon et al., 2021). At the same time, acting together in citizen science projects allows researchers to rethink who they are in a scientific endeavor; not only what citizen scientists might be able to learn (Bela et al., 2016; Pandya & Dibner, 2018) but also what we can and have to learn.
Hecker & Taddicken, 2022 JCOM 21(01), A07
Salmon et al., 2021 Diversity 13(7), 309
Bela et al., 2016 Conservation Biology 30(5), 990-999 Pandya & Dibner, 2018 doi:10.17226/2518
Acute kidney injury and aorta-related mortality during open surgery of the abdominal aorta with suprarenal clamping using different renal protection strategies
No full textOBJECTIVES: The aim was to evaluate the incidence of acute kidney injury in patients treated with open surgical repair and suprarenal cross-clamp comparing no-perfusion strategy versus the renal perfusion with the histidine-tryptophan-ketoglutarate solution. METHODS: It is a physician-initiated, multicentre, retrospective observational study including patients treated with open surgical repair for abdominal aortic aneurysm between 1 January 2015 and 31 December 2021. Patients already on dialysis were excluded from the final analysis. A coarsened exact match identified 2 cohorts: no-perfusion strategy versus renal perfusion with the histidine-tryptophan-ketoglutarate solution. Primary outcomes were acute kidney injury incidence and survival at 30 day. Secondary outcomes were freedom from haemodialysis and survival at 1 year. RESULTS: We analysed 125 (28.7%) patients: 63 (14.5%) who did not receive renal perfusion and 62 (14.2%) who received the histidine-tryptophan-ketoglutarate perfusion. At 30 day, acute kidney injury rate (37.6%) was not different between the 2 groups [n = 24 (38.7%) vs 23 (36.5%); OR: 1.1, P = 0.855]. At 30 day, acute kidney injury development was associated with aneurysm extent (pararenal, OR: 2.28, 95% CI: 1.031-5.031, P = 0.042) and total time of intervention (threshold: 365 min, OR: 1.008, 95% CI: 1.003-1.012, P = 0.001). At 1 year, postoperative acute kidney injury did not impact mortality (OR: 3.4, P = 0.556), and freedom from haemodialysis was 100%. CONCLUSIONS: Postoperative acute kidney injury remains high at nearly 38%, but it did not impact on freedom from haemodialysis at 1 year as well as on overall survival
Improving the Sustainability of Tomato Production With Biochar and Biofertilizers in Emilia‐Romagna, Italy
No full textConventional agriculture is mainly dependent on chemistry and energy to promote growth and yield and on pesticides to pro-tect crops from pests or pathogens. Biofertilizers as plant growth-promoting microbes (PGPM) and novel soil amendments, asbiochar, are considered sustainable alternatives to diminish the excessive use of chemicals in agriculture. The effects of bio-char, whether used alone or in combination with biofertilizers, are still not fully understood, and its potential benefits have yetto be thoroughly investigated. Additional field studies across various agronomic conditions are needed to confirm the impactof biochar–microbial consortia before they can be widely adopted in sustainable agricultural practices. Industrial tomato is aparadigmatic example of a culture requiring resources as well as fertilisers and energy. Results from field trials performed intwo different locations in Emilia-Romagna (Italy): Parma and Ferrara (two different fields), with both conventional and organicpractices, are here reported. Biochar, PGPM and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) were applied in field trials for two tothree consecutive years. Soil characteristics, both chemical and biological, revealed that the fields had features comparable tothe average European arable soils; specifically, the rhizospheric biological diversity indexes were similar in the three locations.The most interesting results were obtained in the Parma field location, where it was observed that biochar and PGPM treatmentdetermined a reduction in the number of not ripe fruits (average 65%). When biochar was combined with newly developed PGPMin the two conventional fields, the value of commercial production and the Brix index of the harvest increased. The biofertilizers,when combined with biochar, remarkably permitted saving 20% of chemical fertilisers with a consequent saving in greenhousegas (GHG) emissions. These results were also considered from an economic perspective, which revealed that PGPM and biocharincrease the gross margins while reducing the environmental impact of the tomato cultivation
Il linguaggio grafico della pianificazione urbanistica
No full textDall’entrata in vigore della Legge Regionale dell’Emilia-Romagna n. 24 del 21 dicembre 2017 Disciplina regionale sulla tutela e l’uso del territorio, i processi che guidano lo sviluppo del territorio sono profondamente cambiati nei principi, nella strutturazione tramite processi di partecipazione e nella modalità di espressione e rappresentazione dei contenuti. Il tema della governance del territorio delineato nella Legge 24/2017 prevede, infatti, sostanziali differenze rispetto agli strumenti del passato, a partire dal concetto di limitazione dell’uso del suolo, che deve tendere a zero entro il 2050. Concetti quali il con tenimento del consumo di suolo quale risorsa non rinnovabile, la rigenerazione dei territori urbanizza ti e il miglioramento della qualità urbana ed edili zia, la tutela e valorizzazione del territorio nelle sue
caratteristiche ambientali e paesaggistiche, la tutela e valorizzazione dei territori agricoli, il contributo alla tutela ed alla valorizzazione degli elementi storici e culturali del territorio regionale, la promozione di maggiori livelli di conoscenza del territorio e del patrimonio edilizio esistente sono i principi cardine della legge che attribuisce valore fondativo al pro cesso di formazione del Quadro Conoscitivo. Questo diviene la base su cui si fondano le azioni dei nuovi strumenti urbanistici e delle linee strategiche che strutturano i Piani Urbanistici Generali, che devono esprimere forma e contenuti tramite una nuova tipologia di cartografia di tipo ideogrammatico
Antimicrobial Therapies for Early-Onset Group B Streptococcal Sepsis: Insights from an Italian Multicenter Study
No full textBackground: Antimicrobial therapies used for treating group B streptococcus (GBS) early-onset sepsis (EOS) provide insight into clinicians’ adherence to antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) guidelines. Methods: We reviewed antimicrobial therapies given to treat newborns with GBS-EOS. Data were obtained from an Italian surveillance network (including 35 birthing centers) and were prospectively collected from 1 January 2003 to 31 December 2024. Empiric and definitive therapies were classified as adequate and inadequate. Results: There were 967,054 live births and 200 cases of GBS-EOS, of which 43 (21.5%) were preterm and 157 (78.5%) were full-term; 35 (17.5%) out of 200 showed no signs of illness. Fourteen (7.0%) died (one full-term and thirteen preterm newborns under 34 weeks of gestation). Based on the available information, antibiotics were adequate in 106/137 (77.4%) empiric and 48/119 (40.3%) definitive therapies. The duration of antibiotic courses did not differ between severe (median 10 days, IQR 8.0–14.0) and non-severe cases (median: 10 days; IQR: 10.0–12.5; p = 0.68). Antibiotic treatments lasted ≥ 15 days in 34 (20.1%) out of 169 cases with available information. Conclusions: In this large Italian multicenter study, deviations from international recommendations in antimicrobial therapies for GBS-EOS were critical. Our findings underscore the importance of timely antimicrobial de-escalation and the need to avoid excessively prolonged courses of antimicrobials