Archivio istituzionale della Ricerca - Università degli Studi di Parma
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Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Occurrence Rate, Treatments, and Outcomes of Vascular Graft and Stent Infections in the Supra-aortic Trunks
No full textObjective: This study aimed to systematically review and synthesise the available evidence on the management of vascular graft and stent infections in the supra-aortic trunks (SATs). Data sources: MEDLINE, Scopus, Cochrane databases, and citation searching. Review methods: All study designs (case reports and series, cohort studies, and trials) addressing treatments for post-operative infections of prosthetic vascular grafts and stents in the SAT were included. GRADE methodology was used to assess the certainty of evidence. Results: Seventy one studies were included in this systematic review. Fifty four were case reports and case series (215 patients) describing SAT infections following surgery. Among these, 11 studies with 149 patients who initially underwent carotid endarterectomy (CEA) with patch closure were included in the meta-analysis. The estimated infection rate after CEA with patch closure was 0.7% (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.4 - 0.9%). Surgical treatment was mostly based on complete removal of the infected material and in situ arterial reconstruction (82.2%, 95% CI 71.4 - 92.9%). Post-operative complications occurred in 25.9% (95% CI 16 - 35.9%). Cranial nerve injury occurred in 12.5% (95% CI 5.7 - 19.4%), with 28.4% (95% CI 5.2 - 57.4%) of these being permanent. Re-infections during a mean follow up of 37.7 months occurred in 3.4% of patients. Seventeen studies were case reports documenting SAT infections in 21 patients following endovascular treatment. Stent explantation was performed in 18 of 21 cases. A reconstruction to restore SAT flow was performed in 11 of 18 cases. GRADE analysis determined the certainty of evidence for all outcomes to be very low. Conclusion: Vascular graft and stent infections in the SAT are uncommon. The preferred treatment was removal of the infected graft and autologous reconstruction. Alternatives included drainage, stent relining, and antibiotics. Cranial nerve injuries were common, with one third resulting in permanent damage
Enhanced Hybrid PWM for the Closed-Loop Control of Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor Drives
No full textIntegrating asynchronous pulsewidth modulation (PWM) and synchronous optimal PWM (SOPWM) in a hybrid PWM scheme has proven to be an effective modulation strategy for ac motor drives operating over a wide speed range. However, hybrid PWM is rarely used in permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) drives in traction applications due to the noise sensitivity issues associated with SOPWM and the complex PWM transition schemes. To overcome these drawbacks, this article introduces an enhanced hybrid PWM technique suitable for integration with the well-established field-oriented control (FOC) strategy. The proposed technique relies on an innovative robust SOPWM and simple smooth PWM transition schemes to improve the robustness of hybrid PWM against noise in the control loop introduced by the measured currents and rotor position. Experimental results are provided to validate the effectiveness of the proposed hybrid PWM technique used in the closed-loop control of a PMSM drive
The Role of Nutraceuticals and Probiotics in Addition to Lifestyle Intervention in the Management of Childhood Obesity—Part 1: Metabolic Changes
No full textChildhood obesity is a growing global health issue. Its rising prevalence is linked to genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors. Obesity in children could lead to different comorbidities and complications with an increased risk of metabolic disorders, such as insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). First-line treatment involves dietary modifications and lifestyle changes; however, adherence is often poor and remains a significant challenge. Pharmacotherapy, while a potential option, has limitations in availability and can cause side effects, leading to growing interest in alternative treatments, such as nutraceutical compounds. Derived from natural sources, these compounds have different anti-inflammatory, antiallergic, antioxidant, antibacterial, antifungal, neuroprotective, antiaging, antitumor, insulin-sensitizing, glucose, and lipid-lowering effects. This review describes commonly used nutraceutical compounds, such as omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D, polyphenols (such as resveratrol and curcumin), berberine, white mulberry leaves and others, and pre- and probiotics in the management of obesity, evaluating the evidence on their mechanisms of action and efficacy in metabolic comorbidities. The evidence suggests that the integration of nutraceuticals into the diet may positively influence body mass index, glucose metabolism, lipid profiles, and gut microbiota composition and reduce inflammation in obese individuals. These effects may provide future practical guidance for clinical practice, contribute to metabolic health improvement, and potentially prevent obesity-related complications. In this first part, we discuss the effects of nutraceutical compounds on insulin sensitivity and insulin resistance, T2DM, dyslipidemia, and MASLD in addition to diet and lifestyle interventions
Emotional experiences in male and female participants with schizophrenia spectrum disorders and healthy controls: an experience sampling method study
No full textAim: Schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD) are associated with disturbances in emotional experience, but sex differences and comparisons to healthy controls (HC) remain poorly explored. This exploratory study used Experience Sampling Method (ESM) to examine emotional variability, instability and daily/hourly patterns of positive and negative emotions across sexes in SSD and HC. Methods: A total of 103 SSD participants (47.9%) were compared to 112 HC (52.1%), matched for sex and age. Data on sociodemographics, clinical status, functioning and quality of life were collected. ESM assessed emotional experiences over one week. Results: For positive emotions, HC males reported higher levels on weekdays and morning-to-midday hours, whereas no sex differences emerged in SSD. Males with SSD showed greater weekly variability in positive emotions than HC males, while no significant differences were found among females. For negative emotions, females with SSD exhibited greater daily variability than female HC, with no significant sex differences within HC or SSD. Regarding emotional instability, female HC displayed higher instability than HC males, while no significant sex differences emerged in SSD. Conclusion: This study shows significant sex differences in emotional experiences among SSD and HC, with different sex patterns in SSD. Targeted, sex-specific interventions are crucial for improving emotional regulation and treatment outcomes in SSD. Trial registration:ISRCTN.org identifier: ISRCTN21141466
Scientific popularization for ecological awareness: when climate science meets comic art
No full textIl presente articolo si propone di esaminare come l'ecologia e le questioni di carattere ambientale vengano trattate all’interno dei fumetti di divulgazione scientifica. Nella società attuale, il cambiamento climatico rappresenta una realtà ormai ineludibile, le cui conseguenze toccano da vicino tutti gli esseri viventi. In questo contesto, la quantità illimitata e incontrollata di informazioni in rete, insieme alla rapida crescita del fenomeno delle fake news e della misinformazione, spinge scienziati, studiosi e istituzioni a ricercare percorsi alternativi per la corretta divulgazione di questi temi. Il mondo della scienza scende in campo per stimolare la sensibilità delle persone nei confronti di tali argomenti, al fine di consentire l’acquisizione di conoscenze scientificamente fondate, la comprensione delle relative problematiche e la maturazione di opinioni per affrontare in modo consapevole i processi decisionali individuali. I fumetti di scienza sono stati utilizzati solo recentemente per scopi divulgativi, e la ricerca accademica in materia è ancora scarsa. L'obiettivo di questo contributo è, quindi, quello di esplorare, da un punto di vista linguistico e discorsivo, le potenzialità che i fumetti di scienza offrono alla divulgazione delle tematiche legate al clima e all'ecologia. A tal fine, il presente studio utilizza un approccio retorico e linguistico, e sfrutta gli strumenti della linguistica dei corpora, quali liste di parole (wordlist), liste di parole chiave (keywordlists) e concordanze (concordance lines), per analizzare le tecniche impiegate per organizzare il discorso e trasmettere le informazioni. Vengono qui presi in esame due fumetti di divulgazione scientifica dedicati specificamente ai temi del cambiamento climatico e del surriscaldamento globale, ovvero Wild weather: Storms, Meteorology and Climate, pubblicato nel 2019 da First Second Publishers, e Understanding Global Warming with Max Axiom Super Scientist, pubblicato nello stesso anno da Capstone Press. I risultati derivanti dall’analisi congiunta delle liste di parole e delle frequenze osservate contribuiscono, in primo luogo, ad abbattere il pregiudizio, ancora molto diffuso, che considererebbe i fumetti come una discutibile forma d'arte, la quale “distorce” i contenuti scientifici. Inoltre, lo studio mette in luce le strategie linguistiche e retoriche impiegate per divulgare i concetti scientifici all'interno di questo specifico genere.The purpose of this article is to investigate how ecology and environment-related matters are discussed within science comic books. In the present-day society, climate change represents an unavoidable reality whose consequences affect all living beings. However, the unlimited and uncontrolled flow of information shared online, together with the rapid growth of fake news and misinformation channels, is now compelling practitioners, scholars and institutions alike to find alternative routes for the communication of such specialized issues: they thus work towards the improvement of people’s awareness and engagement with scientific matters, in order to enable them to develop opinions, understand the related risks and gain reliable knowledge for their own decision-making processes. What is more, science comics have only recently started to be employed for scientific popularization purposes, and academic research on this matter is still scarce. In this light, the aim of this contribution is to explore, from a linguistic and discursive point of view, the potentialities that comic books offer to the communication of climate and ecology-related issues. To this end, the present study employs both a rhetorical and a linguistic approach, harnessing corpus linguistic tools such as wordlists, keyword lists and concordance lines to analyse the techniques employed for discourse framing and information tailoring purposes. Under scrutiny are two popular science comic books specifically devoted to the issues of climate change and global warming, namely Wild Weather: Storms, Meteorology and Climate, published in 2019 by First Second Publishers, and Understanding Global Warming with Max Axiom Super Scientist, published that same year by Capstone Press. The findings derived from the joint analyses of the retrieved list of words and of the observed frequencies, contribute, above all, to the dismantling of the still widely held misconception that sees comics as a “dubious” form of art distorting scientific content. What is more, the study also sheds light onto the linguistic and rhetorical strategies that are employed to popularize science within this specific medium
La chiesa dei SS. Felice e Tranquillino a Baselicaduce di Fiorenzuola d’Arda. Una inedita committenza di XI secolo tra Riprandini e Obertenghi
No full textNonostante l'ampio corpus di studi sull'architettura romanica della diocesi di Piacenza, la chiesa di Baselicaduce è rimasta fuori dal radar degli studiosi. Il contributo si propone di far entrare la chiesa dei Santi Felice e Tranquillino di Baselicaduce, nel comune di Fiorenzuola d'Arda, nel circuito della storia dell'arte medievale proponendo una prima ipotesi di cronologia attraverso l'analisi delle murature medievali superstiti. Si tratta di un primo passo, per un auspicabile avvio di indagini architettoniche e di indagini archeologiche ai fini di una piena conoscenza e valorizzazione del sito.Despite the large body of studies on Romanesque architecture in the diocese of Piacenza, the church of Baselicaduce has remained off the radar of scholars. The contribution aims to bring the church of Saints Felice and Tranquillino of Baselicaduce, in the municipality of Fiorenzuola d'Arda, into the circuit of medieval art history by proposing an initial hypothesis of chronology through the analysis of the surviving medieval masonry. This is a first step, for a desirable start of architectural surveys and archaeological investigations for the purpose of a full knowledge and enhancement of the site
Revisiting On-State Resistance as TSEP for Discrete SiC MOSFETs: Steps Towards the In-Circuit Approach
No full textRoger Planchon et ses théâtres (1949-1987). Enquête sur un metteur en scène, directeur et auteur de théâtre
No full textTracking enterovirus and poliovirus circulation in Parma: Environmental surveillance from 2019 to 2024
No full textLight-mediated activation/deactivation control and in vitro ADME-Tox profiling of a donepezil-like Dual AChE/MAO-B Inhibitor
No full textThe possibility to control the effects of drugs in time and space represents an ideal condition for developing safer and more personalized therapies against different disorders. In this context, photopharmacology has paved the way for the use of light in the modulation of drugs activity. Our interest is directed to photo-switchable molecules, capable of interconverting between two different isoforms upon light irradiation. We recently reported 1, a donepezil-like compound based on 2-benzylidenindan-1-one structure, as a dual AChE and MAO-B inhibitor, which can be converted into the E- (active form) and Z- (about tenfold less active form) diastereoisomers by irradiating with UV–vis light. Aiming at identifying compounds with remarkable activity in physiological conditions, we herein report a fine characterization of 1 in PBS solutions. First, we evaluated its ability to act as a photoswitch comparing PBS solution with organic solvents (e.g. methanol), demonstrating that a wavelength in the UV range (330 nm) can convert the E- into the Z-diastereoisomer, while the use of a visible light (400 nm) allows the interconversion from Z to E in both media. Along with its photoinducible behavior, we investigated the passive diffusion across cellular membrane with PAMPA experiments, plasma and microsomal stability, and binding to plasma proteins. Interestingly, the results of such studies suggested that 1 could persist in the blood circulation for a long time, which is desirable for application in photopharmacological therapies. Cytotoxicity studies highlighted the potential of our prototypic compound as a lead photodrug against neurodegenerative disorders, deserving to advance in molecular optimization studies and further in vitro and in vivo characterization