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Barbara Badanta,1,* Isabel Álvarez-Pérez,2 Patricia Bonilla Sierra,3 María González-Cano-Caballero,4,* Giancarlo Lucchetti,5 Rocío de Diego-Cordero1,* 1Department of Nursing; Faculty of Nursing, Physiotherapy and Podiatry, University of Seville, Seville, Spain; 2Faculty of Nursing, Physiotherapy and Podiatry. University of Seville, Seville, Spain; 3Department of Health Sciences, Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja (UTPL), Loja, Ecuador; 4Department of Nursing; Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Granada, Granada, Spain; 5Department of Medicine; School of Medicine, Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, Juiz de Fora, Brazil*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: María González-Cano-Caballero, Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Granada, Av. de la Ilustración, 60, Granada, 18071, Spain, Email mariagcc@ugr.esAbstract: This study aims to investigate the current evidence for the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in fibromyalgia (FM). A systematic review was conducted searching for PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL, PsycInfo, and Web of Science databases. Randomized controlled trials published up to December 2023 in peer-reviewed journals were included. Methodological quality was assessed by the Quality Assessment of Controlled Intervention Studies tool. A total of 216 articles were identified and 15 constituted the final sample. The type of CAM most used was traditional Chinese medicine (60%), and the most common instrument used was the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (60%). Our review was grouped into four themes based on the origin of the therapies: 1) Traditional Chinese Medicine; 2) Japanese natural harmonization (eg, Reiki); 3) Ayurvedic Medicine; and 4) Other non-drug therapies. Our systematic review showed that there is a wide range of CAMs used to treat FM. Most of the clinical trials have shown significant results for the effectiveness of these interventions in both physical and mental health outcomes of FM as compared to control groups. However, the heterogeneity of the interventions and outcomes warrants further studies on this topic.Keywords: complementary therapies, fibromyalgia treatment, nonpharmacological interventions, traditional medicine

Abstract The Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART, NASA) spacecraft revealed that the primary of the (65803) Didymos near-Earth asteroid (NEA) binary system is not exactly the expected spinning top shape observed for other km-size asteroids. Ground based radar observations predicted that such shape was compatible with the uncertainty along the direction of the asteroid spin axis. Indeed, Didymos shows crater and landslide features, and evidence for boulder motion at low equatorial latitudes. Altogether, the primary seems to have undergone sudden structural failure in its recent history, which may even result in the formation of the secondary. The high eccentricity of Didymos sets its aphelion distance inside the inner main belt, where it spends more than 1/3 of its orbital period and it may undergo many more collisions than in the NEA region. In this work, we investigate the collisional environment of this asteroid and estimate the probability of collision with multi-size potential impactors. We analyze the possibility that such impacts produced the surface features observed on Didymos by comparing collisional intervals with estimated times for surface destabilization by the Yarkovsky-O’Keefe-Radzievskii-Paddack (YORP) effect. We find that collisional effects dominate over potential local or global deformation due to YORP spin up.

Cholesteric liquid crystals, also known as chiral nematics, possess a right-angle helicoidal structure with pitch in the submicrometer and micrometer range. Although the possibility of getting optical reorientation in this kind of materials has been considered since the discovery of giant optical nonlinearity in nematic liquid crystals, a significant light-induced modulation of the helical structure has shown to be a challenging task. The recent experimental realization of a chiral phase with an oblique helicoidal structure, identified as the heliconical phase predicted by Meyer and DeGennes in 1968, offers the opportunity to observe such an optical reorientation of the optic axis. This paper is a brief review of the nonlinear optical properties of these unconventional chiral nematic liquid crystals and is aimed at showing that the world of liquid crystalline phases can still amaze with new material properties and new physics.

Planning an immediate and multidisciplinary rehabilitation is crucial to reduce the significant physical, cognitive, and psychosocial impact resulting from head trauma. This study highlights the importance of ongoing cognitive rehabilitation in conjunction with other rehabilitation therapies, such as motor, occupational, and speech therapy, for a 19-year-old woman who suffered an acquired traumatic brain injury in a high-energy vehicle accident. When the patient was admitted to the hospital, their cognitive functioning (LCF) was 4 (confused-agitated state), their Barthel index was 0, their Glasgow coma scale (GCS) was 7, and their disability rating scale (DRS) was 7. The patient’s cognitive functioning improved to LCF 8 (purposeful-appropriate), numerical rating scale: 0/10, Barthel index: 53, GCS:15, and DRS: 5 at the time of discharge from the neurorehabilitation unit. In conclusion, early cognitive intervention in a multidisciplinary rehabilitation program is essential to maximizing the patient’s potential and improving the rehabilitation’s outcome.

In this paper, we review the scientific aspects of planetary space weather at different regions of our Solar System, performing a comparative planetology analysis that includes a direct reference to the circum-terrestrial case. Through an interdisciplinary analysis of existing results based both on observational data and theoretical models, we review the nature of the interactions between the environment of a Solar System body other than the Earth and the impinging plasma/radiation, and we offer some considerations related to the planning of future space observations. We highlight the importance of such comparative studies for data interpretations in the context of future space missions (e.g. ESA JUICE; ESA/JAXA BEPI COLOMBO). Moreover, we discuss how the study of planetary space weather can provide feedback for better understanding the traditional circum-terrestrial space weather. Finally, a strategy for future global investigations related to this thematic is proposed.

Latest developments in acoustic research suggest that using surveying methods based on artificial intelligence (AI) could improve the effectiveness of underwater monitoring. Passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) has proven to be a cost-effective approach for gathering information about the acoustic behavior of dolphins and plays a crucial role in studying their vocalizations, particularly whistles. This study investigates the efficiency of a binary convolutional neural network (CNN) in detecting dolphin whistles amidst high-density vocalizations in an aquatic environment. Specifically, this analysis intends to determine whether a properly trained CNN can recognize a single whistle even in challenging condition, including situations where multiple dolphins vocalize simultaneously, resulting in overlapping whistles that may have different shapes and durations. To this aim, experimental trials were conducted at Oltremare marine park, Riccione, Italy, where underwater recordings of seven-dolphin vocalizations were collected over 22 consecutive hours. The CNN was trained on labeled whistle spectrograms. The model, comprising three convolutional layers followed by max pooling layers and rectified linear unit (ReLU) activation functions, was evaluated using a 10-fold cross-validation approach. Confusion matrix and performance metrics indicate that the proposed approach achieves results comparable to those reported in the literature, despite the more challenging working conditions. The study supports the potential of AI models in enhancing passive acoustic monitoring techniques.

Abstract In healthy individuals, the intestinal epithelium forms a tight barrier to prevent gut bacteria from reaching blood circulation. To study the effect of probiotics, dietary compounds and drugs on gut barrier formation and disruption, human gut epithelial and bacterial cells can be cocultured in an in vitro model called the human microbial crosstalk (HuMiX) gut-on-a-chip system. Here, we present the design, fabrication and integration of thin-film electrodes into the HuMiX platform to measure transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER) as a direct readout on barrier tightness in real-time. As various aspects of the HuMiX platform have already been set in their design, such as multiple compressible layers, uneven surfaces and nontransparent materials, a novel fabrication method was developed whereby thin-film metal electrodes were first deposited on flexible substrates and sequentially integrated with the HuMiX system via a transfer-tape approach. Moreover, to measure localized TEER along the cell culture chamber, we integrated multiple electrodes that were connected to an impedance analyzer via a multiplexer. We further developed a dynamic normalization method because the active measurement area depends on the measured TEER levels. The fabrication process and system setup can be applicable to other barrier-on-chip systems. As a proof-of-concept, we measured the barrier formation of a cancerous Caco-2 cell line in real-time, which was mapped at four spatially separated positions along the HuMiX culture area.

ABSTRACTWe present the first highly detailed morphological analysis of three craters located in Mercury's north pole, characterized by permanently shadowed regions (PSRs). This study, which began with an initial sample of 14 craters, highlighted three morphological classes, based on the craters’ features: Complete complex morphology, Flat-floor morphology, and Immature complex morphology, presented here as maps of three representative craters, one for each class. As demonstrated by decades of studies, areas of PSRs within these craters could host water ice deposits, making them among the most interesting targets for future studies by the ESA/JAXA’s BepiColombo mission. Our mapping work aims to give a cartographic context to subsequent chronological, thermal, and compositional analyses, as well as to provide a support to the acquisition strategy of the BepiColombo mission upon its arrival on Mercury in late 2025. The mapping highlights landforms which might be related to volcanic, gravitational, and maybe periglacial events.

En partant de la question des différents paradigmes du rapport à la Terre, notamment dans le contexte de la théologie, qui conduit à un paradigme d’intégration complexe proposé par Laudato si’, cet article vise à comprendre le rapport à la Terre en partant de son impact sur la dimension de la corporéité, notamment à travers le travail. C’est précisément dans l’articulation entre corps, travail et Terre qui est proposée une approche de la pensée de Simone Weil.

Pots are traditional fishing gear type largely employed in Mediterranean Small Scale Fisheries (SSFs). Their often higher species selectivity and catch quality compared to other gear types such as passive set nets or trawls are appealing characteristics for reducing the impact on benthic communities and diversifying fishing effort in the region. Despite this, in some SSFs, pots are still rarely used as prevalent gear due to low landings and profits. The present study investigated if an experimental pot design of two different colours could improve the catch efficiency for mantis shrimp (Squilla mantis) in the Adriatic coastal SSF, compared to the traditionally used design. The experimental design in white colour increased the catch efficiency for S. mantis compared to the same design in black colour and the traditional pots, while the catch efficiency for black goby (Gobius niger, another commercial species) was higher in the experimental design regardless of the colour. Furthermore, the species composition in catches was not significantly affected with the use of the experimental design, neither in target nor in bycatch species, therefore not causing negative effect on the species community. Finally, the experimental pot design also led to some improvements in gear durability, ensuring a higher resistance to wear, sea currents and marine fouling. The promising results obtained with this new design could broaden the interest towards increased use of pots as alternative and low impact gear in other Mediterranean areas.

El presente articulo tiene por objeto informar sobre las actividades realizadas en el marco del III Congreso Nacional impulsado por la Società Italiana per lo Studio del Patrimonio Storico-Educativo (SIPSE), que tuvo lugar los días 14 y 15 de diciembre de 2023 en la Università del Sacro Cuore de Milán (Italia). Las dos jornadas fueron un importante momento de intercambio entre estudiosos de países europeos y no europeos, que se enfrentaron sobre el tema del patrimonio material e inmaterial como objeto de investigación histórico-educativa, y sobre la valiosa contribución que la Historia Pública ofrece en este campo.

Introduction Alcohol and illicit drug use are highly prevalent among the homeless population. Religiosity and spirituality (RS) have been widely associated with lower substance use. However, evidence of this relationship among the homeless is still scarce. Objectives To assess the association between RS and the use of alcohol and illicit drugs among the homeless population of a large Brazilian urban center. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted in São Paulo, Brazil. Aspects such as spirituality (FACIT-Sp12), religiosity (P-DUREL), religious-spiritual coping (Brief-RCOPE), and self-applied questions about current substance use (alcohol and illicit drugs) were evaluated. Adjusted Logistic Regression models were performed. Results A total of 456 homeless individuals were included, with an average age of 44.5 (SD=12.6) years. More than half of the participants used alcohol (55.7%) weekly and 34.2% used illicit drugs weekly. The adjusted Logistic Regression models identified that aspects of RS were associated with a lower propensity for alcohol and illicit drug use, whereas negative religious-spiritual coping strategies were associated with a higher propensity for the use of both. Conclusions The prevalence of alcohol and illicit drug use among participants was high. Positive RS and religious-spiritual coping were significant protective factors against the use of these substances. Conversely, negative religious-spiritual coping strategies were associated with risk factors. Disclosure of Interest None Declared

A 10 year-old female spayed German Short-haired Pointer dog weighing 26.8 kg (59 lb) presented with a 2 week history of recurrent ascites. The dog had a 4 year history of idiopathic pericardial effusion causing sporadic episodes of cardiac tamponade and secondary ascites. A subtotal pericardiectomy was performed 3 months prior to presentation. The patient had done well for 2 months following this procedure, at which point the large-volume modified transudate ascites recurred, necessitating abdominocentesis every 10 days. Thoracic and abdominal computed tomography (CT) revealed no abdominal or vascular cause of ascites. Transthoracic echocardiography performed under general anesthesia showed constrictive epicarditis (visceral pericarditis) resulting in diastolic dysfunction and right-sided congestive heart failure. A sternotomy was performed for a pericardial waffle procedure or crosshatch pericardiotomy—scoring of crosshatched incisions into the thickened epicardium. Echocardiographic findings postoperatively were consistent with resolved constrictive epicarditis. At 8 months postoperatively, the dog was clinically normal and had only required one abdominocentesis one month after the waffle procedure. This case report describes the successful treatment of a dog with constrictive epicarditis using a novel surgical technique (waffle procedure) that has not yet been described in veterinary medicine.

Background Optimal steroid treatment at onset of idiopathic nephrotic syndrome is still debated. The aim of this study was to analyze the clinical outcome at 24 months of follow-up in patients admitted to our unit for the first episode of steroid-sensitive nephrotic syndrome comparing two different steroid regimens. Methods We collected data on patients treated from 1992 to 2007 with prednisone according to the International Study on Kidney Diseases in Children 8-week regimen and since 2008 according to the Arbeitsgemeinschaft fur Padiatrische Nephrologie 12-week regimen. The primary outcome was to evaluate cumulative prednisone dosage at 12 and 24 months of follow-up in the two groups. As secondary outcomes, we considered mean relapse rate per patient; number of children without relapses at 6, 12, and 24 months; and number of patients who developed frequent relapses and steroid-dependent disease. Results Data were collected on 127 patients. Sixty-one subjects received the 8-week regimen and 66 the 12-week regimen. The mean cumulative prednisone dose at 12 and 24 months was not different, and the rate of patients without relapses was lower at 6 and 12 months in patients treated with the 8-week course, while no difference was observed at 24 months. Conclusions Despite the limitations of a retrospective study with limited follow-up, our data indicate that switching treatment from a shorter to a longer scheme did not improve the clinical outcome at 24 months of observation. Graphical abstract, Author(s): Laura Lucchetti [sup.1] , Antonio Gatto [sup.2] , Alessandra Gianviti [sup.1] , Marina Vivarelli [sup.1] , Francesco Emma [sup.1] , Laura Massella [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.414125.7, 0000 0001 [...]

Abstract Background Machine-learning models may improve prediction of length of stay (LOS) and morbidity after surgery. However, few studies include fast-track programs, and most rely on administrative coding with limited follow-up and information on perioperative care. This study investigates potential benefits of a machine-learning model for prediction of postoperative morbidity in fast-track total hip (THA) and knee arthroplasty (TKA). Methods Cohort study in consecutive unselected primary THA/TKA between 2014–2017 from seven Danish centers with established fast-track protocols. Preoperative comorbidity and prescribed medication were recorded prospectively and information on length of stay and readmissions was obtained through the Danish National Patient Registry and medical records. We used a machine-learning model (Boosted Decision Trees) based on boosted decision trees with 33 preoperative variables for predicting “medical” morbidity leading to LOS > 4 days or 90-days readmissions and compared to a logistical regression model based on the same variables. We also evaluated two parsimonious models, using the ten most important variables in the full machine-learning and logistic regression models. Data collected between 2014–2016 (n:18,013) was used for model training and data from 2017 (n:3913) was used for testing. Model performances were analyzed using precision, area under receiver operating (AUROC) and precision recall curves (AUPRC), as well as the Mathews Correlation Coefficient. Variable importance was analyzed using Shapley Additive Explanations values. Results Using a threshold of 20% “risk-patients” (n:782), precision, AUROC and AUPRC were 13.6%, 76.3% and 15.5% vs. 12.4%, 74.7% and 15.6% for the machine-learning and logistic regression model, respectively. The parsimonious machine-learning model performed better than the full logistic regression model. Of the top ten variables, eight were shared between the machine-learning and logistic regression models, but with a considerable age-related variation in importance of specific types of medication. Conclusion A machine-learning model using preoperative characteristics and prescriptions slightly improved identification of patients in high-risk of “medical” complications after fast-track THA and TKA compared to a logistic regression model. Such algorithms could help find a manageable population of patients who may benefit most from intensified perioperative care.

Abstract Dolphin–fishery interaction is a worldwide issue affecting dolphins through bycatch and fishers through catch or gear damages. Concerning the Mediterranean Sea, problematic interactions mainly occur between common bottlenose dolphin and small-scale fisheries. Acoustic Deterrent Devices such as pingers, are one of the most widespread measures used in attempts to face this issue. Therefore, the efficiency of interactive pingers (DiD01) in protecting the trammel nets from dolphin interactions was assessed in the Northern Tyrrhenian Sea. From March to October 2021, a total of 139 fishing trials using nets with pingers (TEST) and without pingers (CTRL), respectively n = 97 and n = 42, were carried out. Non-parametric statistic of the Catch per Unit Effort, comparing control and test nets, was not significantly different (p > 0.05) using catches weights (CPUEW) while it was significant (p

Abstract Background Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a lethal disease. This is due to its aggressive course, late diagnosis and its intrinsic drugs resistance. The complexity of the tumor, in terms of cell components and heterogeneity, has led to the approval of few therapies with limited efficacy. The study of the early stages of carcinogenesis provides the opportunity for the identification of actionable pathways that underpin therapeutic resistance. Methods We analyzed 43 Intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (IPMN) (12 Low-grade and 31 High-grade) by Spatial Transcriptomics. Mouse and human pancreatic cancer organoids and T cells interaction platforms were established to test the role of mucins expression on T cells activity. Syngeneic mouse model of PDAC was used to explore the impact of mucins downregulation on standard therapy efficacy. Results Spatial transcriptomics showed that mucin O-glycosylation pathway is increased in the progression from low-grade to high-grade IPMN. We identified GCNT3, a master regulator of mucins expression, as an actionable target of this pathway by talniflumate. We showed that talniflumate impaired mucins expression increasing T cell activation and recognition using both mouse and human organoid interaction platforms. In vivo experiments showed that talniflumate was able to increase the efficacy of the chemotherapy by boosting immune infiltration. Conclusions Finally, we demonstrated that combination of talniflumate, an anti-inflammatory drug, with chemotherapy effectively improves anti-tumor effect in PDAC.

Background: Mental health problems are very common among medical students, becoming a concern for health care professionals and educators. Despite the fact that there is a growing body of literature supporting the role of religiosity and spirituality (RS) on mental health and on positive psychology outcomes, little evidence is available among medical students, a population subjected to important distress. Aims: This study aimed to investigate the role of RS on the levels of optimism, pessimism, and happiness among Brazilian medical students. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study including medical students from the first to the eighth semester of a private medical school. The instruments used were: TOT-R for optimism and pessimism, Lyubomirsk and Lepper subjective happiness scale, and sociodemographic profile. The independent variables were Brazilian Portuguese Duke University Religiosity Scale for religiosity, Brief Spiritual Religious Coping (SRC) for negative and positive SRC; and Facit-Sp for spiritual well-being. Results: A total of 353 medical students were included (response rate 97.51%). Higher levels of intrinsic religiosity and peace were associated with greater happiness and optimism. However, negative SRC was associated with lower levels of happiness and optimism and higher levels of pessimism. Conclusion: Medical students tend to use their RS as a resource for dealing with the challenges of medical school, influencing their happiness and optimism. In this context, it seems that religiousness acts in two different ways, not only have positive but also negative outcomes among the participants.