31 research outputs found
Development of a scale of Sense of Community in university online courses
No full textCreating a sense of community in online classes contributes to student retention and to their overall satisfaction with the course
itself. This study aimed to develop a scale of sense of community of students attending online university courses. A series of ordinal
exploratory factor analyses were conducted on data obtained from 839 students enrolled in Italian universities. Using an item analysis
method, we were able to select the 36 most valid items from an original set of 60 items we had previously defined. These items are
distributed across three related factors measuring membership, influence, and fulfillment of needs. This factorial structure replicates
the McMillan and Chavis’s model of sense of community, upon the basis of which this scale was developed. The three
factors presented good ordinal alpha and adequate convergent/divergent validity coefficients. The scale represents an efficient
tool for the design, monitoring, and evaluation of online courses
The novel CFTR haplotype E583G/F508del in CFTR-related disorder
No full textBackground CFTR-related disorder (CFTR-RD) is a clinical entity associated to complex diagnostic paths and newly upgraded standard of care. In CFTR-RD, CFTR genotyping represents a diagnostic surrogate marker. In case of novel haplotype, the diagnosis could represents an area of concern. We described the molecular evaluation of the rare CFTR variant E583G identified in trans with the F508del in a novel haplotype. Methods and results An adult woman was referred to our pulmonary unit for persistent respiratory symptoms. CFTR Next Generation Sequencing was performed to evaluate full-gene mutational status. The variant identified was evaluated for its pathogenicity integrating clinical evidences with dedicated bioinformatics analyses. Clinical evaluation of patient matched with a mono-organ CFTR-RD diagnosis. Genotyping revealed the novel CFTR haplotype F508del/E583G. Multiple evidences of a deleterious effect of the CFTR E583G rare variant emerged from the bioinformatics analyses performed. Conclusions Guidelines for CFTR-RD are available with the purpose of harmonizing clinical and molecular investigations. In such context, the identification of novel CFTR haplotype need to a deeper evaluation with a combination of skills. The novel E583G variant could be considered of clinical interest and overall a CFTR-RD Variants of Varying Clinical Consequences
Next-Generation Sequencing for Screening Analysis of Cystic Fibrosis: Spectrum and Novel Variants in a South–Central Italian Cohort
No full textThe incidence of cystic fibrosis (CF) and the spectrum of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene variants differ among geographic regions. Differences in CF carrier distribution are also reported among Italian regions. We described the spectrum of the CFTR variants observed in a large group of subjects belonging from central–southern Italy. We also provide a predictive evaluation of the novel variants identified. CFTR screening was performed in a south–central Italian cohort of 770 subjects. We adopted a next-generation sequencing (NGS) approach using the Devyser CFTR NGS kit on the Illumina MiSeq System coupled with Amplicon Suite data analysis. Bioinformatics evaluation of the impact of novel variants was described. Overall, the presence of at least one alternative allele in the CFTR gene was recorded for 23% of the subjects, with a carrier frequency of CF pathogenic variants of 1:12. The largest sub-group corresponded to the heterozygous carriers of a variant with a conflicting interpretation of pathogenicity. The common CFTR p.(Phe508del) pathogenic variants were identified in 37% of mutated subjects. Bioinformatics prediction supported a potential damaging effect for the three novel CFTR variants identified: p.(Leu1187Phe), p.(Pro22Thr), and c.744-3C > G. NGS applied to CF screening had the benefit of: effectively identifying asymptomatic carriers. It lies in a wide overview of CFTR variants and gives a comprehensive picture of the carrier prevalence. The identification of a high number of unclassified variants may represent a challenge whilst at the same time being of interest and relevance for clinicians
Retrospective evaluation of the effect of inhalant anesthesia on complications and recurrence rates in feline urethral obstruction
No full textObjectives:
The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of inhalant anesthesia vs sedation for urinary catheter placement in male cats with urethral obstruction. The primary outcome measures were the incidence of complications related to catheterization, the incidence of recurrent urethral obstruction (rUO; both during hospitalization and within 1 year) and survival. The secondary aim of this study was to evaluate the association between baseline serum biochemical concentrations and antispasmodic medications with complications and short-term rUO.
Methods:
We carried out a retrospective review of records from a university teaching hospital from 2009 to 2020. Cats were included if diagnosed with a urinary obstruction, based on the presence of a large, painful and non-expressible bladder, a urinary catheter was placed and hospitalization occurred for a minimum of 24 h. Collected baseline data included age, breed, weight, serum biochemical concentrations and if cats underwent sedation or inhalant anesthesia for urethral catheterization. For the comparison of inhalant anesthesia or sedation, univariate logistic regression was used.
Results:
There was no statistically significant difference in complications or the recurrence of obstruction in cats with urethral obstruction that underwent inhalant anesthesia compared with sedation. All serum biochemical concentrations were significantly associated with survival. Decreased serum ionized calcium was found to be statistically significantly associated with higher complication rates (P = 0.0086), as well as short-term recurrence of obstruction (P = 0.004). Increased serum potassium concentrations were found to be statistically significantly associated with the risk of short-term recurrent urethral obstruction (P = 0.0345). No significant difference was found between the use of antispasmodic medications with short-term recurrence.
Conclusions and relevance:
No significant difference was found between complications or recurrence rates when comparing the use of inhalant anesthesia to sedation protocols. Baseline serum biochemical data were significantly associated with complications, survival and short-term recurrence rates.This article is published as Perrucci, Jessica, Rebecca Walton, Chelsea Zorn, Lingnan Yuan, Jonathan P. Mochel, and April Blong. "Retrospective evaluation of the effect of inhalant anesthesia on complications and recurrence rates in feline urethral obstruction." Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery 25, no. 2 (2023): 1098612X221149348.
DOI: 10.1177/1098612X221149348.
Copyright 2023 The Author(s).
Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0).
Posted with permission
Clinical Implications of KRAS Mutations in Lung Cancer Patients Treated with Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors: An Important Role for Mutations in Minor Clones
No full textAbstractMutations inducing resistance to anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) therapy may have a clinical impact even if present in minor cell clones which could expand during treatment. We tested this hypothesis in lung cancer patients treated with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). Eighty-three patients with lung adenocarcinoma treated with erlotinib or gefitinib were included in this study. The mutational status of KRAS and EGFR was investigated by direct sequencing (DS). KRAS mutations were also assessed by mutant-enriched sequencing (ME-sequencing). DS detected KRAS mutations in 16 (19%) of 83 tumors; ME-sequencing identified all the mutations detected by DS but also mutations in minor clones of 14 additional tumors, for a total of 30 (36%) of 83. KRAS mutations assessed by DS and ME-sequencing significantly correlated with resistance to TKIs (P = .04 and P = .004, respectively) and significantly affected progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). However, the predictive power of mutations assessed by ME-sequencing was higher than that obtained by DS (hazard ratio [HR] = 2.82, P = .0001 vs HR = 1.98, P = .04, respectively, for OS; HR = 2.52, P = .0005 vs HR = 2.21, P = .007, respectively, for PFS). Survival outcome of patients harboring KRAS mutations in minor clones, detected only by ME-sequencing, did not differ from that of patients with KRAS mutations detected by DS. Only KRAS mutations assessed by ME-sequencing remained an independent predictive factor at multivariate analysis. KRAS mutations in minor clones have an important impact on response and survival of patients with lung adenocarcinoma treated with EGFR-TKI. The use of sensitive detection methods could allow to more effectively identify treatment-resistant patients
A platform for high-resolution immune liquid biopsy analysis to predict response in patients with renal cell carcinoma treated with nivolumab or cabozantinib: Preliminary data from I-RENE trial (Meet-URO 8 study)
No full textBackground: Nivolumab, an immune checkpoint inhibitor of PD-1, demonstrated a significant OS benefit in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC), in progression after a previous line of therapy with anti-VEGFR agents. However, the features of effective immune response and predictive biomarkers of clinical benefit to PD-1 blockade have not yet been recognized. Methods: I-RENE is a prospective translational multicenter Italian study of a real-life mRCC patients treated with nivolumab or cabozantinib after failure of therapy with anti-VEGFR agents. 82 patients were enrolled from December 2018 to August 2022 (nivo 60, cabo 22), with blood samples obtained at baseline and at different time points in both treatment groups. An extended concept of "immune liquid biopsy" is being applied to the study, consisting in the phenotypic and transcriptional profile of lymphoid and myeloid subsets, immune-related miRNA quantification, cyto/chemo-kinome and RNAseq of extracellular vesicle. Results: Multiparametric flow cytometry, performed to monitor the blood frequency and different myeloid and lymphoid cells, show that monocyte subsets (classical, intermediate and non-classical CD14+ cells), monocytic myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSC, such as CD14+HLA-DRneg and CD14+PD-L1+) and polymorphonucleate (PMN)-MDSC, remain either stable or increase during treatment; concomitantly, CD8+PD-1+ T cells (detected by anti-nivolumab IgG4) increment frequency, acquire the effector CD45RA-CCR7+ phenotype and express the proliferating marker Ki67. Patients receiving cabozantinib display instead a remarkable decrease of all myeloid cell subsets, paired by the boost of cytotoxic CD3-CD16+CD56dim NK cells and more marginally of CD8+PD1+ cells, Preliminary correlations indicate that clinical benefit of nivolumab seems to cluster with the lack of CD14+ cells and M-MDSC increase and blood frequency of total, and the boost in CD8+CD45RA-CCR7+Ki67+ effector T cells. In contrast, the cabozantinib-induced immune modulation occurring in patients treated with does not associate with clinical response Conclusions: This first set of data indicate blood as promising source of dynamic biomarkers for the development of algorithms predicting response to PD-1 blockade. Furthermore, the results so far collected suggest that the potent immunomodulation induced by cabozantinib on the immunosuppressive myeloid compartment may not lead to any tumor control in the absence of specific immune stimulation by checkpoint inhibitors. This study was supported by the Italian Ministry of health (RF-2016_02363001). Clinical trials.gov: NCT0489105
3D-printed microfluidics on thin poly(methyl methacrylate) substrates for genetic applications
No full textAdditive manufacturing techniques using three dimensional (3D) printing have been shown to be suitable for a wide range of applications. In this study, stereolithography (SLA) is applied to the field of microfluidic fabrication of lab-on-a-chip (LOC) devices. LOCs deal with different milli/microsized channels and chambers, which are the key features of the devices, so an appropriate manufacturing process should provide high precision as well as high versatility. In this work, the goal was to overcome the common drawbacks of 3D printing and multistep processes, by implementing multiple polymeric materials in the same printing process. Using a customized SLA machine, a novel process was developed to print microfluidic channels enclosed between two poly(methyl methacrylate) layers in a sandwichlike structure. For microfluidic walls, two distinct commercial resins with different properties were used. Once thermal and pressure resistance of the obtained LOCs were assessed, deoxyribose nucleic acid was amplified by polymerase chain reaction inside the microfluidic chambers. Test results indicated favorable mechanical and thermal resistance, as well as chemical compatibility with the assay reagents. Such observations suggest that this novel approach can be applied to 3D printing of customized microfluidics with embedded features
Sustainable Temporary Housing: Global Trends and Outlook
No full textAbstractThe concept of sustainable housing can take many forms or definitions. The view embraced in this study for sustainable housing was a structure that is low-cost, energy efficient, and one that uses local renewable or recycled materials, while at the same time being safe and providing shelter to its occupants from the elements. Rather than focus on a few aspects of housing in isolation from spatial necessities or occupant demographics, the approach used in this study was to seek best practices for sustainable temporary housing that also accounts for local climatic conditions. The global need for temporary housing may be expected to increase due to multiple factors: increasing severity of natural disasters resulting in large number of displaced peoples; an increase in the number of climate refugees as a result of a changing climate; and the inability of developing countries to provide sufficient infrastructure in pace with their rapid population growth. Novel developments and promising products and methods in the field of temporary disaster relief housing have been reviewed in the study. To date, an engineered solution to the problem that is low-cost, quick to construct, environmentally and socially sustainable, takes into account the needs of the occupant, and accounts for local climatic conditions has not been found. On the contrary, every major disaster proved the inability of governments to cope with the challenges posed with providing for the large numbers of displaced peoples
Fisicofollia, quisquilie, pinzillacchere e varie diavolerie: il carnevale di Totò, principe-burattino
No full textIn Totò’s proletarian mask, in his incessant gesticulation, in the linguistic paradoxes that characterise it, the traces of a stratified comic culture are instinctively condensed: from Aristophanes and Plautus to the commedia dell’arte, from medieval jesters to jonglerie. All debts that have been variously indicated and investigated by scholars and that have as their common denominator the technique of improvisation codified in 1699 by the Palermitan jurist Andrea Perrucci, author of the treatise Dell’arte rappresentativa premeditata. Add to this the Marinettian allure that can be discerned in the mechanicalness of the movements and in the disarticulation of the body, which brings to mind the studies of Fortunato Depero who, in the 1910s, was interested precisely in the mechanical aspects of theatrical acting. The «physicofollia», with its examples of fast, irreverent and polyexpressive theatricality that Marinetti posed as a condition for a renewal of the theatre, provided multiple cues for overturning the modes and structures of traditional theatre and for introducing into contemporary dramaturgy those elements of estrangement that we will find in the work of Luigi Pirandello, Bertolt Brecht, Samuel Beckett, Eugène Ionesco and in surrealism.Nella maschera proletaria di Totò, nella sua gesticolazione incessante, nei paradossi linguistici che la caratterizzano, si condensano istintivamente le tracce di una cultura comica stratificata: da Aristofane e Plauto alla commedia dell’arte, dai buffoni medievali alla jonglerie. Tutti debiti che sono stati variamente indicati e indagati dagli studiosi e che hanno come comune denominatore la tecnica dell’improvvisazione codificata nel 1699 dal giurista palermitano, trapiantato a Napoli, Andrea Perrucci, autore del trattato Dell’arte rappresentativa premeditata. A questo si aggiunga l’allure marinettiana che si scorge nella meccanicità dei movimenti e nella disarticolazione del corpo che fanno pensare agli studi di Fortunato Depero che, negli anni Dieci, si era interessato proprio agli aspetti meccanici della recitazione teatrale. La «fisicofollia», con i suoi esempi di teatralità veloce, irriverente e poliespressiva che Marinetti poneva come condizione per un rinnovamento del teatro forniva molteplici spunti per ribaltare modi e strutture del teatro tradizionale e per introdurre nella drammaturgia contemporanea quegli elementi di straniamento che ritroveremo nell’opera di Luigi Pirandello, Bertolt Brecht, Samuel Beckett, Eugène Ionesco e nel surrealismo
Diagnostic use of contrast medium and the kidney: A challenge or a ghost?
No full text The global growing number of contrast-enhanced procedures highlights the risk of contrast media–induced renal damage. This review is an effort to define contrast-induced nephropathy and its pathogenesis, weigh its principal risk factors, give some clarifications about kidney function evaluation tools, acquire some clinical relevance prognostic concerns, and bring into focus preventive measures, with special regard to cancer patients. Our final purpose is focused on the request of diagnostic safety in high-risk patients, which may be achieved without unfair differences in this subgroup, too. A second reading of the scientific evidence may offer a chance to tear down the kidney damage ghost, replacing it with the consciousness of a still existing challenge that engages more than one specialty. </jats:p
