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Abstract High salt intake and compliance to low-sodium (LS) diets are critical in hypertension. Salt reduction in processed foods can help to achieve the target sodium intake. To verify the hypothesis that an innovative LS formulation of a traditional bread could result in a reduction of sodium intake and blood pressure, we performed a 6-month randomized controlled pilot trial on hypertensive patients. We additionally explored the effects of sodium restriction on blood pressure and fecal cultivable bacteria. Fifty-seven patients were randomized in three groups. Group A (n = 19) followed a free diet using standard bread (750 mg Na/100 g), group B (n = 18) followed a LS diet (2300 mg Na/die) using standard bread, group C (n = 20) followed a LS diet (2300 mg Na/die) using LS bread (280 mg Na/100 g). We measured 24-h urinary sodium, blood pressure, routine parameters, fecal microbial counts (26 patients). After 6 months, as compared to group A, group C showed a reduction of 24-h urinary sodium excretion (-908 mg/24 h), diastolic pressure (-9 mmHg) and microbial counts of Bacteroides, Porphyromonas, Prevotella , Enterobacteriaceae, Staphylococcus, Micrococcus. These results suggest that LS bread could increase the adherence to a LS diet, reducing sodium excretion, diastolic pressure and abundance of some fecal cultivable bacteria. Trial registration Registration nr. NCT03127553, on 25/04/2017.

Abstract The EOS™2D/3D system is a low-dose, 3D imaging system that utilizes two perpendicular X-ray beams to create simultaneous frontal and lateral images of the body. This is a useful modality to assess spinal pathologies. However, due to the slow imaging acquisition time up to 25 s, motion artifacts (MA) frequently occur. These artifacts may not be distinguishable from pathological findings, such as scoliosis, and may impair the diagnostic process. The aim of this study was to design a method to detect MA in EOS X-ray. We retrospectively analyzed EOS imaging from 40 patients wearing a radiopaque reference device during imaging. We drew a straight vertical line along the reference device. We measured deviations from it to quantify MA, presenting these findings through descriptive statistics. For a subset of patients with high MA, acquisitions were repeated after giving specific instructions to stand still. For these patients, we compared MA between the two acquisitions. In our study, a substantial proportion of patients exhibited MA ≥ 1 mm, with 80% in frontal projections and 87.9% in lateral projections. In the subjects who received a second acquisition, MA was significantly lower in the second images. Our method allows for a precise detection of MA on EOS images through a simple, yet reliable solution. Our method may improve the reliability of spine measurements, and reduce the risk of wrong diagnosis due to low imaging quality.

Introduction: During the last year, the features of peritoneal dialysis patients have changed, and the cases in which there is a need to perform abdominal surgery are growing. Reports of abdominal surgery in patients who are able to continue peritoneal dialysis are increasing. The minimally invasive techniques represent the preferred and safest approach. Such techniques are associated with reduced hospitalization time, less invasiveness, peritoneal integrity preservation, and reduced intra-abdominal inflammation due to regenerative processes. Case Presentation: In this case report, we present a case of major abdominal surgery, in the form of hepatic metastasectomy, performed with the robotic-assisted technique, which allowed catheter and intracorporeal dialysis preservation. The patient showed a strong determination to continue with peritoneal dialysis as long as possible. During the switch to hemodialysis, he performed prophylactic antibiotic therapy to preserve the peritoneal catheter, and the patient was instructed to have a reduced water intake, avoiding excessive ultrafiltration potentially deteriorating the residual renal function. Special care was also taken to avoid any nephrotoxic drug. The peritoneal treatment was restarted after 3 weeks with low volume exchange for the first 10 days, and the pre-surgery dialysis volumes were then re-established. After surgery, the patient showed adequate clearance of solutes and ultrafiltration similar to the preoperative period. The patient did not encounter any wound complications. Conclusion: Robotic surgery represents a further aid in peritoneal dialysis preservation after abdominal surgery. A detailed communication with the patient before performing this kind of procedure and a strong will to preserve the peritoneal method are essential.

Il contributo intende ricostruire la vicenda umana, sociale ed economica di due esponenti della famiglia Malvica, il capostipite Giuseppe e il nipote di questi, Ferdinando. Vengono qui indagate le origini dello scaltro uomo d’affari che, partito umile da Ficarra, borgo dei Nebrodi in provincia di Messina, si affermò economicamente a Palermo creando, tra ‘700 e ‘800, una solida impresa operante in più campi industriali, ma dominando soprattutto nel settore della manifattura ceramica di lusso. Il declino della fabbrica emerge negli scritti del nipote di Giuseppe, Ferdinando, figura interessante se non unica dell’ Ottocento siciliano le cui idee si ritmarono sullo spartito di un altalenante conflitto personale tra posizioni liberali assolutistiche e borboniche conservatrici, che ne rendono interessante il pensiero e meritevole di approfondimento.

Introduction. In the last decade, the significant expenditure and consumption increase of vitamin D in Italy led some regions to adopt strategies to improve prescribing appropriateness and contain expenditure. Materials and methods. Using the statistical analysis method of interrupted time series for consumption and expenditure of cholecalciferol, different types of interventions adopted in four Italian regions and their efficacy were evaluated. Results. Molise achieved the best results by adopting a health professionals’ education program in addition to a prescriber-sanction system. Emilia-Romagna also opted for a medical education strategy, but the results were less relevant due to the lack of penalties. Lazio obtained a slowdown in consumption growth by targeting on the utilization of lower-cost per defined daily dose (DDD) packs and adopting a therapeutic plan. Sardinia showed a decrease in expenditure by adopting a target threshold of lower-cost formulation. Conclusion. The reimbursement of the lowest-cost packs within the National Health Service (NHS) undoubtedly influences spending trend, but it does not solve prescriptive inappropriateness.

L’articolo riflette, nell’ambito dell’ampia prospettiva critica dell’antropologia culturale, con particolare riferimento alle antropologie medica, del lavoro e del genere, e con una ricerca sul campo condotta in un contesto sanitario, sull’esperienza di mobbing lavorativo vissuta da alcune donne utenti di un Servizio specialistico dell’ASL di Napoli. Dalle storie raccolte e analizzate con metodologia antropologica appare evidente che il fenomeno del mobbing lavorativo impatta non solo sulla carriera delle intervistate e sulla loro salute psicofisica, ma anche su quella sociale. Mettendo a repentaglio l’intera organizzazione relazionale delle stesse, il mobbing si configura, in alcuni casi, come un ‘omicidio’ della persona sul piano simbolico, in stretta connessione con specifiche dinamiche di potere e con un frame sociale e culturale che ancora oggi lo rende possibile.

Abstract Bowel dysfunctions (BD) in multiple sclerosis (MS) are under reported despite their clinical relevance. Scales usually applied do not thoroughly assess constipation and fecal incontinence. Instead, a proper qualitative and quantitative description of these symptoms might have relevant clinical and scientific consequences. The aim of this project is to study the prevalence of BD in a cohort of persons with MS (pwMS). Four-hundred and forty-seven pwMS (330 relapsing–remitting MS-RRMS and 117 progressive MS-PMS) were recruited. Three different questionnaires were administered: the neurogenic bowel dysfunction score (NBDS), the Wexner constipation scale (WexCon) and the Wexner incontinence scale (WexInc). All the scales were divided in subscores according to symptom severity. The prevalence of BD, considered as NBDS > 0, was 53.7%. Mean scores in pwMS group were as follows: NBDS 2.6 (SD 3.5), WexInc 1.1 (SD 2.4), WexCon 4.4 (SD 5.9). NBDS, WexCon and WexInc were significantly higher in PMS vs RRMS (p

Cascading landslides are specific multi-hazard events in which a primary movement triggers successive landslide processes. Areas with dynamic and quickly changing environments are more prone to this type of phenomena. Both the kind and the evolution velocity of a landslide depends on the materials involved. Indeed, rockfalls are generated when rocks fall from a very steep slope, while debris flow and/or mudslides are generated by fine materials like silt and clay after strong water imbibition. These events can amplify the damage caused by the initial trigger and propagate instability along a slope, often resulting in significant environmental and societal impacts. The Morino-Rendinara cascading landslide, situated in the Ernici Mountains along the border of the Abruzzo and Lazio regions (Italy), serves as a notable example of the complexities and devastating consequences associated with such events. In March 2021, a substantial debris flow event obstructed the Liri River, marking the latest step in a series of landslide events. Conventional techniques such as geomorphological observations and geological surveys may not provide exhaustive information to explain the landslide phenomena in progress. For this reason, UAV image acquisition, InSAR interferometry, and pixel offset analysis can be used to improve the knowledge of the mechanism and kinematics of landslide events. In this work, the interferometric data ranged from 3 January 2020 to 24 March 2023, while the pixel offset data covered the period from 2016 to 2022. The choice of such an extensive data window provided comprehensive insight into the investigated events, including the possibility of identifying other unrecorded events and aiding in the development of more effective mitigation strategies. Furthermore, to supplement the analysis, a specific finite element method for slope stability analysis was used to reconstruct the deep geometry of the system, emphasizing the effect of groundwater-level flow on slope stability. All of the findings indicate that major landslide activities were concentrated during the heavy rainfall season, with movements ranging from several centimeters per year. These results were consistent with numerical analyses, which showed that the potential slip surface became significantly more unstable when the water table was elevated.

Introduction: Unlike the most common training approaches for bodybuilding, powerlifting programs are generally based on maximum and submaximal loads, putting enormous stresses on the lumbar spine. The flexion relaxation phenomenon evaluation is a clinical tool used for low back pain (LBP) assessment. This study aimed to evaluate the role of the flexion relaxation phenomenon in the analysis of LBP in the powerlifters. Methods: Healthy professional powerlifters participated in the study. In fact, we divided the participants into a LBP-low-risk group and a LBP-high-risk group, based on a prior history of LBP. Outcome measures included flexion relaxation ratio (FRR) and trough surface electromyography collected during trunk maximum voluntary flexion; furthermore, during a bench press lifting, we measured the height of the arched back (ARCH), using a camera and the Kinovea video editing software, to consider a potential correlation with the risk of LBP. Results: We included a group of 18 male (aged 24–39 y) powerlifters of 93 kg category. We measured a nonsignificant mean difference of ARCH between low-risk LBP group and high-risk LBP subjects. Curiously, maximum voluntary flexions were both above the threshold of 3.2 μV; therefore, with an absence of appropriate myoelectric silence, on the contrary, the FRR ratios were higher than 9.5, considering the presence of the phenomenon, exclusively for the low-risk group. The lumbar arched back measurement data did not report any association with the LBP risk, regarding the maximum voluntary flexion value, and even more than the FRR there is a relationship with the presence or the absence of LBP risk. Conclusions: FRR could be considered as a useful parameter for studying the risk of LBP in powerlifting. The FRR index not only refers to the possible myoelectric silence of the lumbar muscles in trunk maximum forward flexion but also takes into account the energy value delivered by the lumbar muscles during the flexion. Furthermore, we can indicate that the size of the powerlifter ARCH may not be a determining factor in the occurrence of LBP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current state-of-the-art thermal technologies for CO2 capture and concentration (CCC) from industrial emissions and air are energetically inefficient. In contrast, electrochemical CCC (eCCC) using redox carriers can theoretically approach 100% efficiency. However, there are currently few oxygen-stable redox carriers suitable for eCCC. Quinone derivatives have previously been studied as redox carriers as they have no affinity for CO2 in the fully oxidized state and an enhanced affinity for CO2 in their reduced states. Unfortunately, the quinones used in prior studies displayed an unfavorable tradeoff between their second reduction potential (E1/2) and CO2 binding constant (KCO2). As a result, reduced quinones that exhibit a sufficient KCO2 for flue gas or atmospheric CO2 capture have E1/2 values negative of the O2/O2•- reduction potential. To improve our understanding of the structural and electronic relationships that correlate KCO2 and E1/2, we report the largest set of quinones that have been experimentally evaluated for their KCO2 and E1/2 properties. The trends in the E1/2 and KCO2 properties were further investigated through extensive quantum chemical calculations to inform experimental carrier design. Notably, we identified structural handles to manipulate E1/2 and KCO2 properties of quinones; however, the altered steric and electronic effects did not disrupt their linear dependence.

Schizophrenia is a psychiatric disorder that affects over 20 million people globally. Notably, schizophrenia is associated with decreased density of dendritic spines and decreased levels of d-serine, a co-agonist required for opening of the N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor (NMDAR). We hypothesized that lowered d-serine levels associated with schizophrenia would enhance ion flux-independent signaling by the NMDAR, driving destabilization and loss of dendritic spines. We tested our hypothesis using the serine racemase knockout (SRKO) mouse model, which lacks the enzyme for d-serine production. We show that activity-dependent spine growth is impaired in SRKO mice, but can be acutely rescued by exogenous d-serine. Moreover, we find a significant bias of synaptic plasticity toward spine shrinkage in the SRKO mice as compared to wild-type littermates. Notably, we demonstrate that enhanced ion flux-independent signaling through the NMDAR contributes to this bias toward spine destabilization, which is exacerbated by an increase in synaptic NMDARs in hippocampal synapses of SRKO mice. Our results support a model in which lowered d-serine levels associated with schizophrenia enhance ion flux-independent NMDAR signaling and bias toward spine shrinkage and destabilization.

NMDA receptors play vital roles in a broad array of essential brain functions, from synaptic transmission and plasticity to learning and memory. Historically, the fundamental roles of NMDARs were attributed to their specialized properties of ion flux. More recently, it has become clear that NMDARs also signal in an ion flux-independent manner. Here, we review these non-ionotropic NMDAR signaling mechanisms that have been reported to contribute to a broad array of neuronal functions and dysfunctions including synaptic transmission and plasticity, cell death and survival, and synaptic alterations associated with neurological disorders.