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Abstract Aims Several mechanisms have been identified in the aetiopathogenesis of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). Among these, coronary microvascular dysfunction (CMD) may play a key pathophysiological role. We performed a systematic review and meta‐analysis to investigate the prevalence, echocardiographic correlates, and prognostic implications of CMD in patients with HFpEF. Methods and results A systematic search for articles up to 1 May 2023 was performed. The primary aim was to assess the prevalence of CMD. Secondary aims were to compare key echocardiographic parameters (E/e′ ratio, left atrial volume index [LAVi], and left ventricular mass index [LVMi]), clinical outcomes [death and hospitalization for heart failure (HF)], and prevalence of atrial fibrillation (AF) between patients with and without CMD. Meta‐regressions according to baseline patient characteristics and study features were performed to explore potential heterogeneity sources. We identified 14 observational studies, enrolling 1138 patients with HFpEF. The overall prevalence of CMD was 58%. Compared with patients without CMD, patients with HFpEF and CMD had larger LAVi [mean difference (MD) 3.85 confidence interval (CI) 1.19–6.5, P

This study analyzed the past wave climate of the Black Sea region for the period from 1988 to 2021. The wave field has been simulated using the state-of-the-art, third-generation wave model WAVEWATCH III forced by the ECMWF reanalysis ERA5 winds, with the model resolution being the highest ever applied to the region in a basin-scale climate study. The surface currents provided by the Copernicus Marine Service have been included in the wave model to evaluate wave–current interactions. The wave model results have been validated with respect to satellite and buoy observations, showing that the simulation accurately reproduces the past evolution of the wave field, exceeding 0.9 correlation with respect to satellite data. The inclusion of wave–current interaction has been positively evaluated. Four statistics (significant wave height 5th and 95th percentiles, mean, and maxima) have been used to describe the wave field at seasonal timescale, showing a clear distinction between the Western (rougher sea conditions) and Eastern (calmer sea conditions) sub-basins. Furthermore, the intra-annual wave climate variability has been investigated using a Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and the Mann–Kendall test on significant wave height (SWH). This study represents the first time the PCA is applied to the region, identifying two main modes that highlight distinct features and seasonal trends in the Western and Eastern sub-basins. Throughout most seasons, the SWH trend is positive for the Eastern basin and negative for the Western basin. The PCA shows a regime shift with increasing eastward waves and decreasing north and north-eastward waves. Finally, SWH correlation (ρ) with four Teleconnection indexes (East Atlantic Pattern, Scandinavian Pattern, North Atlantic Oscillation, and East Atlantic/West Russia Pattern) revealed that the strongest ρ is observed with the Eastern–Atlantic–Western Russia teleconnection, with a peculiar spatial pattern of correlation, and is positive for the northwestern and negative for the southeastern sub-basin.

Sleep is assumed to be a unitary, global state in humans and most other animals that is coordinated by executive centers in the brain stem, hypothalamus, and basal forebrain. However, the common observation of unihemispheric sleep in birds and marine mammals, as well as the recently discovered nonpathological regional sleep in rodents, calls into question whether the whole human brain might also typically exhibit different states between brain areas at the same time. We analyzed sleep states independently from simultaneously recorded hippocampal depth electrodes and cortical scalp electrodes in eight human subjects who were implanted with depth electrodes for pharmacologically intractable epilepsy evaluation. We found that the neocortex and hippocampus could be in nonsimultaneous states, on average, one-third of the night and that the hippocampus often led in asynchronous state transitions. Nonsimultaneous bout lengths varied from 30 s to over 30 min. These results call into question the conclusions of studies, across phylogeny, that measure only surface cortical state but seek to assess the functions and drivers of sleep states throughout the brain.

Governance mechanisms along the agri-food supply chains are increasingly important in a scenario of ecological transition. Under the conceptual and analytical lens of the Neo Institutional Economics, we explored farmers’ preferences towards a variety of clauses usually adopted in production contracts. To this purpose, a discrete choice experiment among 190 durum wheat producers in Italy was conducted. Results from a latent class model showed that that producers were mainly interested in fixed prices formula and to join shared rules of production but revealed little or no interest for compelling sustainable cultivation techniques and the provision of technical assistance. However, these preferences are heterogenous across farmers and vary depending on their level of education and previous use of contractual arrangements, with relevant implications for contract design and management.

We report a case of successful implantation of a subcutaneous implantable cardioverter-defibrillator in a young patient with severe pectus excavatum presenting with out-of-hospital ventricular fibrillation arrest who was recently surgically repaired with a MIRPE–Nuss procedure. No complications in lead positioning were observed, and the device was tested to determine that it functioned properly.

In the context of water distribution networks (WDNs), researchers and technicians are actively working on new ways to transition into the digital era. They are focusing on creating standardized methods that fit the unique characteristics of these systems, with a strong emphasis on developing customized digital twins. This involves combining advanced hydraulic modeling with advanced data-driven techniques like artificial intelligence, machine learning, and deep learning. This paper begins by giving a detailed overview of the important progress that has led to this digital transformation. It highlights the potential to create interconnected digital water services (DWSs) that can support all aspects of managing, planning, and designing WDNs. This approach introduces standardized procedures that allow a continuous improvement of the digital representation of these networks. Additionally, technicians benefit from DWSs developed as QGIS software plugins. These services strategically enhance their understanding of technical decisions, improving logical reasoning, consistency, scalability, integrability, efficiency, effectiveness, and adaptability for both short-term and long-term management tasks. Notably, the framework remains adaptable, ready to embrace upcoming technological advancements and data gathering capabilities, all while keeping end-users central in shaping these technical developments. HIGHLIGHTS The paper explores the digital transformation in water distribution network management.; It emphasizes the opportunities offered by ICT/IoT and GIS/BIM tools, hydraulic modeling advancements, and AI algorithms for planning and management tasks.; The paradigm is implemented as digital water services, enhancing engineering awareness and supporting management activities.;

The Urban Data Space for Green Deal - USAGE - project is founded by the European Union (EU) to support the green transition of cities. Within USAGE, a series of geospatial, thematic and other datasets have been newly acquired or created to test and evaluate solutions (i) to better understand issues and trends on how our planet and its climate are changing and (ii) to address the role that humans play in these changes, e.g., with behaviour adaptation and mitigation actions. The paper aims to provide some relevant datasets collected in two urban areas, reporting processing methodologies and applications of analysis-ready and decision-ready geospatial data. The shared data are unique urban datasets due to their resolutions and sensors type and could boost progresses of geospatial procedures to create and use data useful for climate change adaptation, renewable energy monitoring and management, etc.

Digital transformation currently represents a clear opportunity for innovation in better management and planning of water distribution networks. Coupled with the increased investments in assets and the growing need of safe and high-quality water for the public, new opportunities are opening for digital tools that can help operators, consultant companies and researchers to support asset management tasks. This work presents the applications of a comprehensive digital water strategy on two real case studies with information provided by the Italian water company Acquedotto Pugliese. The proposed digital water strategy is based on the paradigm named digital water services. The strategy starts by improving the value of GIS and existing models' data. Then, advanced hydraulic modelling and topological analyses, using the complex network theory, along with artificial intelligence methodologies are the basis for the development of digital water services, which are the engineering apps that use the network digital twin to support the different stages of asset management, i.e., digital water strategy. HIGHLIGHTS Innovative digital water strategy to support asset management and leakage reduction exploiting digital transformation opportunities.; Demonstration of robustness and flexibility of the digital water workflow on two real networks.; Digital water services as a novel integration of advanced hydraulic modelling and digital twins.;

Essential oils are bioactive compounds, originating from the secondary metabolism of plants, recognized for their ability to modify rumen fermentation, gut health, and to function as antioxidant molecules in small ruminants. Indeed, small ruminant-derived products, such as milk, dairy, and meat can benefit from the utilization of essential oils, that have demonstrated antimicrobial, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory affects, in the animals’ diet. This review reports on the findings that demonstrates the possible role of essential oils in controlling greenhouse gas emissions from ruminants through the modulation of ruminal microbial populations, in sustaining animal health and welfare by affecting the gut microbiota, and in ameliorating animals’ products through enhancement of their nutritional composition from a human diet perspective. However, the current review highlighting the inconclusive findings related to the use of essential oils in small ruminant nutrition, supports the need of further studies to better understand the administration of how essential oils and to explore their specific actions at the molecular level.

Milk and its derivatives are included in a balanced diet of humans as excellent sources of proteins, vitamins, and essential minerals that are functional nutrients. Knowledge about the nutritional benefits or harms due to milk consumption has been expanding in recent years. We previously explored, in rodent models, the metabolic effects of isoenergetic intake of milk derived from cows, donkeys, or humans, while the impact of goat’s milk intake has remained unexplored. The aim of this work was to investigate, in an animal model, the effects of dietary supplementation with goat’s milk on energy homeostasis and inflammatory state, focusing on the modulation of mitochondrial functions in most metabolically active organs, such as skeletal muscle and the liver. In addition, we highlighted a link between nutrient intake, substrate metabolism, and the orexinergic system. Our results indicate that goat milk improves mitochondrial oxidative capacity and reduces inflammation and oxidative stress in both organs. Notably, goat milk lowers the circulating levels of Orexin-A, a neuropeptide that plays a crucial role in regulating peripheral energy balance and central nervous system mechanisms. These data provide the first evidence that the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects of goat milk are mediated by the modulation of mitochondrial functions and orexinergic signaling.

The impact of flaxseed and Ascophyllum nodosum supplementation in ewes during the summer season on the fatty acid and sensory profile and consumer preference for cheese was evaluated. Comisana ewes (n = 32) were divided into four groups: a control (CON) group fed (30 days) with pelleted concentrate, a flaxseed (FS) group fed with whole flaxseed supplementation (250 g/ewe per day), an A. nodosum (AN) group fed with 5% of A. nodosum (into 1 kg/ewe of pelleted concentrate), and an FS + AN group fed with a combination of algae and flaxseed. Pecorino cheeses were analysed after 1 day (curd) and after 45 days (cheese) of ripening. Curd from the FS and FS + AN groups registered higher contents of MUFA, n-3, and n-3/n-6, and lower levels of atherogenic and thrombogenic indexes than curd from the CON and AN groups, as well as a higher content of C18:3n-3, C18:2t9t12, and CLA9c11t, and n-3 and n-3/n-6 fatty acids. Consumers attributed the lowest scores for appearance attributes to AN Pecorino cheese; while Pecorino cheese from FS and FS + AN was judged to have a high-strength flavour attribute and a low rancid, mouldy, and piquant flavour, in comparison with cheese from AN. Flaxseed supplementation could be an effective strategy to improve the nutritional quality of the lipid fraction of cheese without having a detrimental impact on its sensory attributes, especially during the summer season.

Introducción: el manejo de la epilepsia en la paciente embarazada es un tema bastante controvertido por la presencia de los efectos teratogénicos de casi todos los fármacos existentes, igualmente la vía de atención al momento de la culminación de este genera preocupación en los facultativos a cargo de estas pacientes. Objetivo: evaluar la evidencia científica disponible al respecto del abordaje de la epilepsia durante la gestación. Metodología: revisión sistemática en la literatura basada en la evidencia científica disponible a través de estudios multicéntricos y metaanálisis, buscando responder a las interrogantes sobre cuáles son las indicaciones de manejo, ajuste de dosis, vía de atención al culminar el embarazo, efectos teratogénicos entre otras. Se discute el impacto del control de las convulsiones en el embarazo y de la farmacocinética de los fármacos antiepilépticos durante este. Esta información se usa para discutir cómo se puede optimizar el tratamiento durante el embarazo. Conclusiones: el desafío en el manejo de la epilepsia durante el embarazo es equilibrar los riesgos teratogénicos frente a un óptimo control de las crisis comiciales. El asesoramiento previo al embarazo es esencial para garantizar el tratamiento antiepiléptico más adecuado y la administración de dosis mayores de folatos, debe enfatizarse que la gran mayoría de las mujeres con epilepsia tendrán embarazos sin incidentes y darán a luz niños sanos. El objetivo de las recomendaciones de esta revisión es facilitar aún más estos resultados positivos en el embarazo y al culminar el mismo.

Senegalese Associationism in Italy: Social Practices and Territorialisation Dynamics. The article focuses on Senegalese associations in Italy, trying to identify the territorial factors that influenced its evolution, in particular the development of new projects and stronger, multi-located and institutionally recognized relational networks. The survey conducted in different Italian contexts brought out a diversified geography of Senegalese associations which offers some consideration about the possibility of considering these associations as real agents of territorial development, both in territories of origin than in those of destination, as well as evaluating the role that local policies, in the field of inter-culture, can play in encouraging the active participation of these organizations in local public life and in strengthening the territorial social capital.