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Introduction Despite nurses representing the largest healthcare professional group, the number is not enough for global health coverage. Understanding Generation Z students’ intrinsic and extrinsic motivations, internal and external influences, and beliefs in choosing nursing education is crucial. This knowledge empowers universities to enhance nursing program enrollment through targeted promotion and recruitment strategies. Objective The aim was to understand why Italian students of Generation Z choose the Nursing Degree Course. Methods In this pilot study, a cross-sectional design was used. A survey with closed and open answers analyzing demographics, opinions, and motivations among new enrolled nursing students was administered on the first day of the Bachelor of Nursing Degree course. Descriptive statistics were used. Quantitative data were analyzed with Chi-square and ANOVA tests and qualitative data underwent content analysis and coding. Correlation analysis explored relationships between qualitative and quantitative results. Results Forty first-year students (85% female, average age 22) completed the questionnaire. The choice of the degree pathway, as the first or second option, is influenced by intrinsic and extrinsic motivations, the student's opinions, and family and social influences. Significant positive and negative associations were evidenced. Negative factors affecting choice included location and the responsibility for nursing care, while positive factors included role models, family advice, passion, curiosity for healthcare, the desire to help others, and family influences on decision-making. Conclusions Among Italian generation Z students, the choice of the nursing degree pathway is influenced by social models, family advice, passion, the desire to help others, and curiosity. Universities should be more proactive in their recruitment and promotion efforts, transforming these events into vibrant meeting points for professionals from diverse nursing specialties. They should also implement robust information policies that highlight career possibilities spanning clinical practice, management, education, and research areas within the field.

Background: There were described in veterinary literature the possibility of pneumothorax as a complication of laparoscopic surgery in dogs undergoing laparoscopic ovariectomy associated with total laparoscopic gastropexy. Aim: To assess if spontaneous pneumothorax secondary to pneumoperitoneum is a real risk in dogs undergoing total laparoscopic gastropexy. Methods: Dogs undergoing totally laparoscopic gastropexy received chest x-rays (CXR) in lateral (left and right) and ventro-dorsal projection before and after the surgery. Two veterinary radiologists reported the x-rays and indicated the presence or not of pneumothorax. Result: Postoperative pneumothorax was not detected on postoperative CXR in the total of 76 dogs of the study. Conclusion: The odds risk of pneumothorax after total laparoscopic gatropexy surgical procedure is low. [Open Vet J 2023; 13(2.000): 202-205]

Background: Diabetic foot is one of the major complications of diabetes, affecting 15% of patients with diabetes. This study aims to evaluate and compare the clinical and radiographic outcomes of patients with diabetes affected by forefoot plantar preulcerative or ulcerative lesions who have undergone minimally invasive distal metatarsal diaphyseal osteotomy (MIS-DMDO) to assess its efficacy in the prevention and treatment of chronic plantar diabetic foot ulcers (CPDFUs). Methods: The study included 60 patients, 38 with preulcers and 22 with ulcers, with at least 2 years of clinical and radiologic follow-up. Clinical outcomes were assessed using the European Foot and Ankle Society (EFAS) score, the Foot Function Index (FFI), and the Manchester-Oxford Foot Questionnaire (MOXFQ). The radiographic evaluation was performed according to the Maestro criteria. Results: Both groups improved in clinical and radiologic outcomes when comparing baseline measurements to those at the final follow-up. There were no statistical differences between preulcer and ulcer groups in terms of both clinical and radiologic outcomes, with the only exception being FFI, which was lower in the preulcerative group. In multivariate analysis, gender and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) were predictors of better outcomes. Specifically, FFI and MOXFQ (P <.05) exhibited larger improvements in females, while Maestro 1 and 2 were better in patients with lower HbA1c (P <.05). All patients were considered healed at the final follow-up. Conclusion: Carefully performed minimally invasive distal metatarsal diaphyseal osteotomy can be an effective approach to the care of impending or chronically present plantar diabetic foot ulcers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plantar adipose tissue is a connective tissue whose structural configuration changes according to the foot region (rare or forefoot) and is related to its mechanical role, providing a damping system able to adsorb foot impact and bear the body weight. Considering this, the present work aims at fully describing the plantar adipose tissue’s behaviour and developing a proper constitutive formulation. Unconfined compression tests and indentation tests have been performed on samples harvested from human donors and cadavers. Experimental results provided the initial/final elastic modulus for each specimen and assessed the non-linear and time-dependent behaviour of the tissue. The different foot regions were investigated, and the main differences were observed when comparing the elastic moduli, especially the final elastic ones. It resulted in a higher level for the medial region (89 ± 77 MPa) compared to the others (from 51 ± 29 MPa for the heel pad to 11 ± 7 for the metatarsal). Finally, results have been used to define a visco-hyperelastic constitutive model, whose hyperelastic component, which describes tissue non-linear behaviour, was described using an Ogden formulation. The identified and validated tissue constitutive parameters could serve, in the early future, for the computational model of the healthy foot.

Musculoskeletal diseases (MSDs) comprise a plethora of different disorders (more than 150 conditions) affecting the locomotor system [...]

Biomechanical studies are expanding across a variety of fields, from biomedicine to biomedical engineering. From the molecular to the system level, mechanical stimuli are crucial regulators of the development of organs and tissues, their growth and related processes such as remodelling, regeneration or disease. When dealing with cell mechanics, various experimental techniques have been developed to analyse the passive response of cells; however, cell variability and the extraction process, complex experimental procedures and different models and assumptions may affect the resulting mechanical properties. For these purposes, this review was aimed at collecting the available literature focused on experimental chondrocyte and chondron biomechanics with direct connection to their biochemical functions and activities, in order to point out important information regarding the planning of an experimental test or a comparison with the available results. In particular, this review highlighted (i) the most common experimental techniques used, (ii) the results and models adopted by different authors, (iii) a critical perspective on features that could affect the results and finally (iv) the quantification of structural and mechanical changes due to a degenerative pathology such as osteoarthritis.

L’articolo propone una riflessione sul profondo processo di mutazione avvenuto nella didattica universitaria della letteratura negli ultimi anni, interessata da un ricorso massiccio alla didattica digitale e da remoto (Giusti 2019). Si è osservato in particolare un’accelerazione marcata di tale processo di mutazione dovuta al diffondersi della pandemia da Covid-19. L’analisi, divisa in due sezioni, servendosi di una prospettiva sia psico-pedagogica, sia di uno sguardo didattico, vedrà nella prima parte una riflessione sulle nuove forme di insegnamento letterario universitario, con particolare riferimento al rapporto tra il mutato status culturale della letteratura, didattica da remoto e nativi digitali (Bertoni 2018); tenendo conto del contesto di una società post-moderna (Marone e Striano 2012). Nella seconda parte si analizzerà il case study di un corso universitario di letteratura inglese svolto attraverso lo strumento del questionario validato. L’efficacia della didattica da remoto verrà testata sulle risposte di un campione rappresentativo di studenti in età compresa tra i 20 e i 23 anni frequentanti il secondo anno di un corso di laurea di base in lingue. Sulla base dei dati raccolti si vaglieranno delle ipotesi di sviluppo per nuove prospettive epistemiche per la didattica delle discipline letterarie, con particolare riferimento alle letterature straniere e anglofone.

Abstract Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) are a heterogeneous population of immunosuppressive cells developing from myeloid progenitors, which are enriched in pathological conditions such as cancer, and are known to inhibit the functions of effector T cells. During aging, several changes occur both at the adaptive and innate immune system level, in a process defined as immunoscenescence. In particular, the low-grade inflammation state observed in the elderly appears to affect hematopoiesis. We previously demonstrated that the combination of GM-CSF and G-CSF drives the in vitro generation of bone marrow-derived MDSCs (BM-MDSCs) from precursors present in human bone marrow aspirates of healthy donors, and that these cells are endowed with a strong immune suppressive ability, resembling that of cancer-associated MDSCs. In the present work we investigated BM-MDSCs induction and functional ability in a cohort of pediatric versus elderly donors. To this aim, we analyzed the differences in maturation stages and ability to suppress T cell proliferation. We found that the ex vivo distribution of myeloid progenitors is similar between pediatric and elderly individuals, whereas after cytokine treatment a significant reduction in the more immature compartment is observed in the elderly. Despite the decreased frequency, BM-MDSCs maintain their suppressive capacity in aged donors. Taken together, these results indicate that in vitro induction of MDSCs from the BM is reduced with aging and opens new hypotheses on the role of age-related processes in myelopoiesis.

Objective To evaluate mid‐term radiographic and functional outcomes of tibial plateau fracture (TPF) patients treated with the open reduction internal fixation (ORIF) technique and to find predictive factors of clinical outcomes. Methods A retrospective, single‐center study was performed enrolling a consecutive series of patients with diagnosis of TPF. All subjects were treated by ORIF between January 2010 and December 2015 at our level‐1 healthcare trauma center. The inclusion criteria were: age between 18 and 75 years; ORIF technique used for articular TPF, type 41‐B and 41‐C, isolated or with associated injuries. The patients were divided in two groups, according to fracture patterns and compared. Their characteristics, radiographic and clinical outcomes were recorded. Radiographs 12 months after surgery were evaluated for reduction and alignment, and radiographs at 24 months to describe post‐traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA). Functional outcomes were assessed using the visual analog scale (VAS), the Short Form 36 (SF‐36), the knee injury and osteoarthritis outcome score (KOOS), and the American Knee Society score (AKSS) questionnaires. Return to work and sport activities were also investigated. Univariate and multivariate analysis were performed, and the statistical significance was defined as two‐tailed P

Several studies have investigated cartilage degeneration and inflammatory subchondral bone and synovial membrane changes using magnetic resonance (MR) in osteoarthritis (OA) patients. Conversely, there is a paucity of data exploring the role of knee ligaments, infrapatellar fat pad (IFP), and suprapatellar fat pad (SFP) in knee OA compared to post-traumatic cohorts of patients. Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyze the volumetric and morphometric characteristics of the following joint tissues: IFP (volume, surface, depth, femoral and tibial arch lengths), SFP (volume, surface, oblique, antero–posterior, and cranio–caudal lengths), anterior (ACL) and posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) (volume, surface, and length), and patellar ligament (PL) (volume, surface, arc, depth, and length). Eighty-nine MR images were collected in the following three groups: (a) 32 patients with meniscal tears, (b) 29 patients with ACL rupture (ACLR), and (c) 28 patients affected by end-stage OA. Volume, surface, and length of both ACL and PCL were determined in groups a and c. A statistical decrease of IFP volume, surface, depth, femoral and tibial arch lengths was found in end-stage OA compared to patients with meniscal tear (p = 0.002, p = 0.008, p < 0.0001, p = 0.028 and p < 0.001, respectively) and patients with ACLR (p < 0.0001, p < 0.0001, p = 0.008 and p = 0.011, respectively). An increment of volume and surface SFP was observed in group b compared to both groups a and c, while no differences were found in oblique, antero–posterior, and cranio–caudal lengths of SFP among the groups. No statistical differences were highlighted comparing volume, surface, arc, and length of PL between the groups, while PL depth was observed to be decreased in end-OA patients compared with meniscal tear patients (p = 0.023). No statistical differences were observed comparing ACL and PCL lengths between patients undergoing meniscectomy and TKR. Our study confirms that IFP MR morphometric characteristics are different between controls and OA, supporting an important role of IFP in OA pathology and progression in accordance with previously published studies. In addition, PL depth changes seem to be associated with OA pathology. Multivariate analysis confirmed that OA patients had a smaller IFP compared to patients with meniscal tears, confirming its involvement in OA.

Introduction: Despite nurses representing the largest healthcare professional group, the number is not enough for global health coverage. Understanding Generation Z students' intrinsic and extrinsic motivations, internal and external influences, and beliefs in choosing nursing education is crucial. This knowledge empowers universities to enhance nursing program enrollment through targeted promotion and recruitment strategies. Objective: The aim was to understand why Italian students of Generation Z choose the Nursing Degree Course. Methods: In this pilot study, a cross-sectional design was used. A survey with closed and open answers analyzing demographics, opinions, and motivations among new enrolled nursing students was administered on the first day of the Bachelor of Nursing Degree course. Descriptive statistics were used. Quantitative data were analyzed with Chi-square and ANOVA tests and qualitative data underwent content analysis and coding. Correlation analysis explored relationships between qualitative and quantitative results. Results: Forty first-year students (85% female, average age 22) completed the questionnaire. The choice of the degree pathway, as the first or second option, is influenced by intrinsic and extrinsic motivations, the student's opinions, and family and social influences. Significant positive and negative associations were evidenced. Negative factors affecting choice included location and the responsibility for nursing care, while positive factors included role models, family advice, passion, curiosity for healthcare, the desire to help others, and family influences on decision-making. Conclusions: Among Italian generation Z students, the choice of the nursing degree pathway is influenced by social models, family advice, passion, the desire to help others, and curiosity. Universities should be more proactive in their recruitment and promotion efforts, transforming these events into vibrant meeting points for professionals from diverse nursing specialties. They should also implement robust information policies that highlight career possibilities spanning clinical practice, management, education, and research areas within the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, infrapatellar fat pad (IFP) has been considered as a source of stem cells for cartilage regeneration in osteoarthritis (OA) due to their ability for differentiation into chondrocytes. However, stressful conditions, like that related to OA, may induce a pathogenic reprograming. The aim of this study was to characterize the structural and functional properties of a new population of stem cells isolated from osteoarthritic infrapatellar fat pad (OA-IFP). Nine OA patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty (TKA) were enrolled in this study [median age = 74 years, interquartile range (IQR) = 78.25-67.7; median body mass index = 29.4 Kg/m2, IQR = 31.7-27.4]. OA-IFP stem cells were isolated and characterized for morphology, stemness, metabolic profile and multi-differentiative potential by transmission electron microscopy, flow cytometric analysis, gene expression study and cytochemistry. OA-IFP stem cells displayed a spindle-like morphology, self-renewal potential and responsiveness (CD44, CD105, VEGFR2, FGFR2, IL1R, and IL6R) to microenvironmental stimuli. Characterized by high grade of stemness (STAT3, NOTCH1, c-Myc, OCT-4, KLF4, and NANOG), the cells showed peculiar immunophenotypic properties (CD73+/CD39+/CD90+/CD105+/CD44–/+/CD45–). The expression of HLA-DR, CD34, Fas and FasL was indicative of a possible phenotypic reprograming induced by inflammation. Moreover, the response to mechanical stimuli together with high expression level of COL1A1 gene, suggested their possible protective response against in vivo mechanical overloading. Conversely, the low expression of CD38/NADase was indicative of their inability to counteract NAD+-mediated OA inflammation. Based on the ultrastructural, immunophenotypic and functional characterization, OA-IFP stem cells were hypothesized to be primed by the pathological environment and to exert incomplete protective activity from OA inflammation.

In this article we examine a turn construction ("oh"+apology+solution) that speakers use to deal with the concomitant presence of a possible offense and a problem-to-be-solved in the immediately preceding interactional environment. We show that speakers collaborate in differentiating the offense aspect and the problem aspect of an emerging circumstance by treating the apology component as preliminary to and in the service of the primary function of the turn: treating the circumstance as a problem-to-be-solved and providing a solution for it. The "oh" prefacing, which treats the circumstance as something of which the speaker had not been previously aware, and the turn-medial positioning of the apology contribute to treating the matter at hand as a minor shortcoming or imposition rather than a major wrongdoing.

This document is an editorial from the journal Biomedicines titled "Musculoskeletal Diseases: From Molecular Basis to Therapy." It discusses the prevalence and impact of musculoskeletal diseases (MSDs), such as osteoarthritis, low-back pain, neck pain, rheumatoid arthritis, and gout. The editorial highlights the need for further research on the etiology, biomarkers, and therapeutic treatments for MSDs. The document includes various studies on topics related to MSDs, such as the effects of parathyroid hormone on muscle, the role of metalloproteinases in MSDs, the impact of antioxidants on motor function, and the treatment of hypogonadism and osteogenesis imperfecta. It also covers topics like osteoporosis, sarcopenia, intervertebral disc degeneration, temporomandibular dysfunctions, and carpal tunnel syndrome. The editorial emphasizes the importance of understanding the molecular basis of MSDs and developing effective therapies. [Extracted from the article]

Plantar adipose tissue is a connective tissue whose structural configuration changes according to the foot region (rare or forefoot) and is related to its mechanical role, providing a damping system able to adsorb foot impact and bear the body weight. Considering this, the present work aims at fully describing the plantar adipose tissue's behaviour and developing a proper constitutive formulation. Unconfined compression tests and indentation tests have been performed on samples harvested from human donors and cadavers. Experimental results provided the initial/final elastic modulus for each specimen and assessed the non-linear and time-dependent behaviour of the tissue. The different foot regions were investigated, and the main differences were observed when comparing the elastic moduli, especially the final elastic ones. It resulted in a higher level for the medial region (89 ± 77 MPa) compared to the others (from 51 ± 29 MPa for the heel pad to 11 ± 7 for the metatarsal). Finally, results have been used to define a visco-hyperelastic constitutive model, whose hyperelastic component, which describes tissue non-linear behaviour, was described using an Ogden formulation. The identified and validated tissue constitutive parameters could serve, in the early future, for the computational model of the healthy foot. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: Different arthroscopic procedures are used for partial-thickness rotator cuff tears (PT-RCTs), but there is still no evidence on the superiority of one procedure over the other. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical outcomes and the rate of complications of a tear completion repair (TCR) technique. Materials and Methods: Patients who had undergone arthroscopic TCR technique for PT-RCTs with a follow-up of at least 2-years after surgery were included. The TCR technique involved the removal of the “critical zone” and creating microfractures to biologically support tendon healing. Functional outcomes were assessed prospectively by the Constant score (CS) and active and passive range of movement (ROM). Pain and patient satisfaction were measured using a visual analog scale (VAS). Complication rates were recorded, and tendon integrity was assessed with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or ultrasound performed at least 2-years after surgery. Results: Eighty-seven patients with a median age of 57 years were followed-up for a median of 5 years. The CS score improved from 53.5 preoperatively to 94.0 postoperatively (p < 0.001). Median VAS score decreased from 8.6 to 1.0 (p < 0.0001). Median patient satisfaction was 9.3. The overall complication rate was 14.9%. Conclusions: Patients with PT-RCTs of the supraspinatus tendon treated by the TCR technique with “critical zone” removal and biological stimulation by microfractures showed good functional results with excellent strength recovery, a high degree of patient satisfaction, and resolution of painful symptoms at mid-term follow-up.

Total hip arthroplasty (THA) with metal-on-metal (MoM) bearings have shown problems of biocompatibility linked to metal ion release at the local level causing an adverse reaction to metal debris (ARMD) and at a systemic level. The aim of this study was to evaluate clinical and radiological outcomes, and metal ion concentrations in the blood and urine of patients who underwent THA with the LIMA Met-Met hip system. Patients with ceramic-on-ceramic (CoC) bearings were included as a control group. In this study, 68 patients were enrolled: 34 with MoM THAs and 34 with CoC THAs. Patients were evaluated clinically (Harris Hip Score, SF-36) and radiologically at a median of 7.4 years after surgery. Whole blood and urinary cobalt and chromium levels were also assessed. Both types of implants were comparable in terms of clinical and functional results. Ion levels were significantly higher in the MoM group compared with CoC group 7 years after surgery. No correlations were found between metal ion levels and patient demographics, functional and radiological outcomes, and prosthesis features. Patient monitoring is thus advised to establish if prosthesis revision is necessary, especially in the case of MoM THA.

Aim Tissue engineering is a rapidly expanding field with regard to the use of biomaterials and stem cells in the orthopedic surgery. Many experimental studies have been done to understand the best characteristics of cells, materials and laboratory methods for safe clinical applications. The aim of this study was to compare the ability of 2 different human demineralized bone matrices (DBMs), the one enriched and the other not enriched with hyaluronic acid, to stimulate in vitro the proliferation and the osteogenic differentiation of human adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) seeded onto an osteoconductive scaffold. Materials and Methods ADSCs were isolated, by enzymatic digestion, from abdominal adipose tissue of 5 patients undergoing cosmetic lipoaspiration surgery. ADSCs were then seeded onto a 3D scaffold in the presence of the two different osteoinductive matrices of human demineralized bone and evaluated for proliferation and osteogenic differentiation. The safety of the methods was verified using array-Comparative Genomic Hybridization (array-CGH). Results ADSCs were able to differentiate in osteogenic sense. Both DBMs showed the ability to induce osteogenic differentiation of the cells. Conclusion array-CGH showed no changes at genome level, thus confirming the safety of materials and methods.

Biomechanical studies are expanding across a variety of fields, from biomedicine to biomedical engineering. From the molecular to the system level, mechanical stimuli are crucial regulators of the development of organs and tissues, their growth and related processes such as remodelling, regeneration or disease. When dealing with cell mechanics, various experimental techniques have been developed to analyse the passive response of cells; however, cell variability and the extraction process, complex experimental procedures and different models and assumptions may affect the resulting mechanical properties. For these purposes, this review was aimed at collecting the available literature focused on experimental chondrocyte and chondron biomechanics with direct connection to their biochemical functions and activities, in order to point out important information regarding the planning of an experimental test or a comparison with the available results. In particular, this review highlighted (i) the most common experimental techniques used, (ii) the results and models adopted by different authors, (iii) a critical perspective on features that could affect the results and finally (iv) the quantification of structural and mechanical changes due to a degenerative pathology such as osteoarthritis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]