57 research outputs found
An Atlas of Resilience. Sicily learning from...
No full textCreating a waterproof city requires intensive cooperation, public awareness and citizens involvement; everyone is deeply involved in making the city waterproof; the aim is to arrive at shared ambitions for climate proof urban development and to make specific concrete agreements about this. The topics of this research, in different ways connected to water, are mainly developed during the years of research and teaching at the Delft University of Technology, when the author experimented a pragmatic research, strongly focused on the urban project in resilient contexts characterized by an high hydraulic risk, and, in the last three years, at the Faculty of Engineering and Architecture of the University of Enna Kore, where He is analyzing, inside the activities of the Urban Planning Laboratory, the resilient project in various Sicilian contexts affected by floods
Does Mini Nutritional Assessment predict disability among elderly people?
No full textIntroduction: Nutritional status has been hypotesized to be a major predictor of functional ability in elderly people. Assessment of nutritional
status in clinical practice is obtained by the Mini-Nutritional Assessment (MNA) questionnaire. However, the reliability of MNA
for predicting functional decline and disability in older persons needs further evidence. The aim of this study was to assess whether MNA
(30-items) in subjects aged 80 and over correlates with functional status measured by the Activities of Daily Living (ADL) score.
Methods:We recruited 562 Sardinian subjects (227 men, 335 women, aged 80 and older). Age, ADL, Body Mass Index (BMI), MNA, Mini-
Mental State Examination (MMSE), Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) were collected in each participant. The association of predictors with
disability was performed by multiple linear regression analysis with ADL as dependent variable.
Results: Mean value of ADL score was 4.12 ± 2.0. Mean value of MNA score was 18.9 ± 5.6. Multiple regression analysis gave the following
coefficients: Age (r = −0.127, p = 0.043) BMI (r = −0.250. p < 0.0001); MNA (r = 0.352, p < 0.0001); MMSE (r = 0.299, p < 0.0001) and GDS
(r = −0.274, p < 0.0001). Conclusions: Nutrition is a key determinant of geriatric health, and MNA is useful for nutritional assessment. Our analysis in subjects over 80 confirmed that MNA score is among the strongest predictors of disability when compared to similar indicators. However, our data do
not allow to determine whether there is a real cause-effect releationship between nutritional status and ADL, and which one is the primary determinant
Role of ACE1, ACE2, and CCR5-Δ32 Polymorphisms in the Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 to Intimate Contacts
No full textBackground. Despite the high transmissibility of SARS-CoV-2, some individuals remain uninfected despite prolonged exposure to a high viral load, suggesting the involvement of an innate resistance mechanism, possibly underpinned by the host’s genetic factors. The angiotensin-converting enzyme-1 (ACE1), ACE2, and C-C Chemokine Receptor 5 (CCR5) polymorphisms have been shown to influence susceptibility to the infection. In this study, the role of ACE1, ACE2, and CCR5 gene polymorphisms in modulating susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection within the context of intimate contact was evaluated. Methods. A cohort of heterosexual couples from Northern Sardinia, characterized by a homogenous genetic background, was recruited during the initial pandemic wave (March–June 2020). In each couple, one partner (index case) tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 by at least two consecutive independent molecular tests (real-time polymerase chain reaction: RT-PCR) on nasopharyngeal swabs. Bed-sharing partners of SARS-CoV-2 positive index cases, resistant and susceptible to the infection, were genotyped for ACE1 287 bp Alu repeat insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism, ACE2 G8790A (rs2285666) variant, and a 32-base pair deletion (Δ32) of CCR5. Resistant and susceptible partners to the infection were compared for polymorphisms. Results. Out of 63 couples, 30 partners acquired SARS-CoV-2 infection, while 33 remained uninfected despite intimate exposure. Clinical history was minimal for current or past illnesses. SARS-CoV-2-infected index spouses and partners who acquired the infection developed a mild disease, not requiring hospitalization. The observed distribution of ACE1 I/D and ACE2 G8790A genotypes was consistent with previously reported frequencies in Sardinia and across European populations. None of the study participants carried the CCR5-Δ32 variant. No statistically significant differences (p > 0.05) in the allelic or genotypic frequencies of these polymorphisms were observed between the infected and resistant partners. Conclusions. No differences in the distribution of ACE1, ACE2, and CCR5 polymorphisms between the two groups were detected. These findings suggest that resistance is likely multifactorial, involving a complex interplay of genetic, immunological, and environmental factors
P206: Genetic and non-genetic factors associated with population longevity in Sardinia
No full textThe study of populations with exceptionally high longevity is a promising model in mortality research. So far, we identified several geographical areas called ‘Longevity Blue Zones’ (LBZ) around the world where a significant proportion of people reach oldest age. In the Mediterranean island of Sardinia the LBZ encompasses a cluster of mountain municipalities where the chance of a newborn of becoming a centenarian was as high as 526/100,000. Outside the LBZ the distribution of long-lived people shows a more spatially dispersed pattern and the probability of living to 100 is ‘only’ 195/100,000, suggesting that the lifetime mortality selection is lower in the LBZ than elsewhere in Sardinia
Polimorfismo -1131T/C del gene ApoA5 nel diabete di tipo 2. Confronto tra la popolazione sarda e quella africana
No full textLA NOSTRA ESPERIENZA SULL'USO DELLA NUTRIZIONE PARENTERALE NEI PAZIENTI CON IPERTENSIONE PORTALE.
No full textValutare la vulnerabilità dei corpi idrici a scala locale
No full textIl progetto il progetto ha lo scopo di valutare la vulnerabilità delle risorse idriche potabili in funzione del cambiamento climatico e delle variazioni degli aspetti socio-economici della zona montana dell’Appennino della Regione Emilia Romagna. Tale vulnerabilità è intesa sia in termini quantitativi, come la disponibilità futura della risorsa idropotabile, che in termini qualitativi, intesa come futura potabilità della risorsa stessa.
Inoltre il progetto ha lo scopo di valutare la funzione dei servizi ecosistemici relativamente all’azione mitigatrice della vulnerabilità della risorsa idrica sotterranea e di fornire linee guida per una corretta regolamentazione dell’uso del suolo nelle zone di ricarica dei corpi idrici sotterranei in zone montane
Circulating fatty acids and endocannabinoidome-related mediator profiles associated to human longevity
No full textTo evaluate whether a peculiar plasma profile of fatty acids and endocannabinoidome (eCBome)-related mediators may be associated to longevity, we assessed them in octogenarians (Old; n=42) living in the east-central mountain area of Sardinia, a High-Longevity Zone (HLZ), compared to sexagenarian (Young; n=21) subjects from the same area, and to Olds (n=22) from the Northern Sardinia indicated as Lower-Longevity Zone (LLZ). We found significant increases in conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and heptadecanoic acid (17:0) levels in Old-HLZ with respect to younger subjects and Old-LLZ subjects. Young-HLZ subjects exhibited higher circulating levels of pentadecanoic acid (15:0) and retinol. Palmitoleic acid (POA) was elevated in both Young and Old subjects from the HLZ. eCBome profile showed a significantly increased plasma level of the two endocannabinoids, N-arachidonoyl-ethanolamine (AEA) and 2-arachidonoyl-glycerol (2-AG) in Old-HLZ subjects compared to Young-HLZ and Old-LLZ respectively. In addition, we found increased N-oleoyl-ethanolamine (OEA), 2-linoleoyl-glycerol (2-LG) and 2-oleoyl-glycerol (2-OG) levels in Old-HLZ group with respect to Young-HLZ (as for OEA an d 2-LG) and both the Old-LLZ and Young-HLZ for 2-OG. The endogenous metabolite of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), N-docosahexaenoyl-ethanolamine (DHEA) was significantly increased in Old-HLZ subjects. In conclusion, our results suggest that in the HLZ area, Young and Old subjects exhibited a favourable, albeit distinctive, fatty acids and eCBome profile that may be indicative of a metabolic pattern potentially protective from adverse chronic conditions. These factors could point to a suitable physiological metabolic pattern that may counteract the adverse stimuli leading to age-related disorders such as neurodegenerative and metabolic diseases
“Actus non facit reum nisi mens sit rea”. The Concept of Guilt in the Age of Cognitive Science
No full textAccording to a famous brocardo (i.e., an ancient legal maxim), “Actus non facit reum nisi mens sit rea”, culpability exists only when the author of a crime has committed it with a criminal intention. Nowadays it is commonly held that, barring some minor exceptions, this maxim states a necessary condition of culpability. From a philosophical point of view, however, two problems must still be discussed in regard to it. First, because of the so-called “deviant causal chain”, it can happen that a mens rea causes an actus reus, without producing culpability; however, no satisfactory criteria for distinguishing such cases from the ordinary ones has ever been individuated. Second, a growing number of scientists and philosophers suggest that our conscious mental states rarely (if ever) determine our decisions and actions. If this is correct, a mens rea causes an actus reus rarely (if ever), and, consequently, culpability should be seen as a rare condition – if it is ever real. After analyzing these issues, my conclusions will be that, even if it may be true that the cases in which we consciously control what we decide and do are more limited than we would like to think, they still do exist. The ancient brocardo, then, still holds its validity
Vulnerability of groundwater in fractured aquifers, under climate and land use change in northern Apennines
No full textVulnerability of groundwater in fractured aquifer
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