Infestazione intestinale da Schistosoma mansoni: un caso emblematico di importazione

Viene descritto, sia dal punto di vista clinico che parassitologico, un caso di importazione di schistosomiasi intestinale da S. mansoni contratta durante un soggiorno in Tanzania. Dopo circa 50 giorni da un contatto casuale ma ripetuto con le acque del Lago Vittoria, al soggetto, giovane adulto in missione umanitaria, compare febbre elevata, accompagnata da astenia (presente da più giorni) cui segue un episodio di diarrea acuta. La comparsa anche di una ipereosinofilia, dapprima assente, spinge il curante ad eseguire immediatamente un esame coproparassitologico standard (in precedenza sempre negativo) che risulta positivo per uova di S. mansoni. La terapia condotta con praziquantel risolve il caso e porta a guarigione il soggetto, cui inizialmente era stata esclusa la malaria, allorché dopo circa 1 mese dal rientro aveva presentato rialzo termico con disturbi respiratori

Subjective memory complaints in Italian elderly with mild cognitive impairment: implication of psychological status

Subjective cognitive and memory complaints (SMC) are common in later life and are considered an indicator for progression to cognitive decline. The aim of the present study was to identify the relationship among SMC, neuropsychiatric symptoms and psychological aspects in elderly subjects with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) as well as to analyse the effect on SMC of a comprehensive cognitive training. Data from a sample of 94 patients enrolled in ‘My Mind Project’ (Grant No. 154/GR-2009-1584108) were collected. The study evidenced that depression was a significant predictor of SMC and that after the training, the number of subjects with SMC was significantly reduced in the experimental group in comparison to the control one. These results suggest that the participation in cognitive stimulation protocols may improve the perception of SMC in subjects with MCI

Reconstruction of primary vertices at the ATLAS experiment in Run 1 proton–proton collisions at the LHC

This paper presents the method and performance of primary vertex reconstruction in proton–proton collision data recorded by the ATLAS experiment during Run 1 of the LHC. The studies presented focus on data taken during 2012 at a centre-of-mass energy of √s=8 TeV. The performance has been measured as a function of the number of interactions per bunch crossing over a wide range, from one to seventy. The measurement of the position and size of the luminous region and its use as a constraint to improve the primary vertex resolution are discussed. A longitudinal vertex position resolution of about 30μm is achieved for events with high multiplicity of reconstructed tracks. The transverse position resolution is better than 20μm and is dominated by the precision on the size of the luminous region. An analytical model is proposed to describe the primary vertex reconstruction efficiency as a function of the number of interactions per bunch crossing and of the longitudinal size of the luminous region. Agreement between the data and the predictions of this model is better than 3% up to seventy interactions per bunch crossing

The Silver Agri Age project in Italy: a Montessori-inspired social intervention with older adults with mild cognitive impairment. Single-group pre-post pilot study protocol

IntroductionAccording to literature, an estimated percentage of 10–15% of people diagnosed with Mild Cognitive Impairment each year develop Alzheimer’s dementia. Prevention and non-pharmacological treatments play an important role in dealing with this emergency. In this regard, literature has highlighted how exposure to nature, participation in horticultural and cognitive activities, and adopting a Montessori approach are useful to counteract cognitive decline and promote well-being. Therefore, the Silver Agri Age pilot study will test a Montessori-inspired social intervention that will be carried out on farms of the Marche Region (Central Italy) authorized for social agriculture and aimed at an older adult population with mild cognitive impairment in order to improve their well-being and quality of life. This paper describes the pilot study protocol and main outcome.MethodsFour older adult people will be involved for each of the three farms participating in the study, for a total of 12 participants. The inclusion criteria will be age ≥ 55, Mini-Mental State Examination ≥ 24, ability and willingness to sign informed consent. The evaluation will focus on the assessment of the person’s emotional well-being, life quality, and cognitive status. To evaluate the feasibility of the pilot project, the quality of participants’ engagement in the activities and the satisfaction of the subjects and their caregivers with the project will also be assessed.Discussion and conclusionDuring each three-month phase of the project different social farming activities will be proposed. Activities will also include sensory and cognitive stimulation and socialization within the farm. Since according to literature, participation in Montessori-based programs and exposure to nature generate positive effects, the emotional well-being of participants will be assessed as a primary outcome and life quality as a secondary outcome. Additionally, we believe that promoting participation in progressively challenging activities and autonomy may help stabilize cognitive decline. Therefore, cognitive level will also be assessed as a secondary outcome. Ultimately, the pilot study will provide insights into the possibility of integrating a prototype non-pharmacological intervention aimed at improving the well-being and quality of life of people with MCI into the dementia prevention service system.Clinical trialClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT06754202

miR-132–3p is down-regulated in plasma and CD171+ extracellular vesicles isolated from patients with mild Alzheimer’s disease

Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the most prevalent neurodegenerative disorder in aging populations, demands minimally invasive biomarkers for early diagnosis and monitoring. Circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) show promise as such biomarkers. In this study, we examined the levels of five selected miRNAs, implicated in neurodegenerative processes, in plasma and neuron-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) from cognitively healthy controls (n = 5), and patients with mild (n = 10) and moderate AD (n = 10), stratified by Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). miR-23a-3p, miR-223a-3p, and miR-132–3p were significantly downregulated in both plasma and EVs of AD patients, with miR-132–3p emerging as the strongest biomarker candidate for mild AD. Plasma miRNA levels strongly correlated with EV cargo, supporting plasma-based assessments. To validate these findings, miR-132–3p levels were analyzed in expanded cohorts, including cognitively healthy subjects (n = 36), mild AD (n = 37), and moderate AD (n = 40), as well as a cohort of subjects with mild cognitive impairment (MCI, n = 31) and an additional external cohort of cognitively healthy subjects (CTR external, n = 37). Results confirmed miR-132–3p downregulation in AD patients and revealed a significant elevation in MCI individuals, suggesting a potential neuroprotective role in AD early stages. These findings highlight miR-132–3p as a promising, minimally invasive biomarker for early AD diagnosis and disease progression monitoring

Diabetes, sarcopenia and chronic kidney disease; the screening for CKD among older people across Europe (SCOPE) study

ackground:Sarcopenia may be more present in older adults with diabetes (DM). Accordingly, we evaluated the prevalence of sarcopenia and its associated risk factors among community‑dwelling older adults with DM.Methods:A cross‑sectional analysis of older people living in the community was carried out. Participants (aged 75 years and more) came from an European multicenter prospective cohort (SCOPE study). Global geriatric assess‑ment including short physical performance battery, handgrip strength test and bioelectrical impedance analysis was performed. Sarcopenia was defined by the updated criteria of the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP2). Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was calculated using Berlin Initiative Study (BIS) to define the stages of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Previous known DM was defined as physician‑diagnosed DM reg‑istered in the patient's medical record or the use of DM‑related medications. Hemoglobin A1c levels and specific DM therapies administered were collected. Time elapsed from the first diagnosis of DM was not collected and, therefore, was not included in the analyses.Results:A total of 1,420 subjects were evaluated with a median age of 79.0 (6.0) years, of which 804 (56.6%) were women and 615 (43.3%) men; 315 (22.2%) participants had prior DM diagnosis, with a median age of 80.0 (6.0), 146 (46.3%) were women. Using EWGSOP2 definition, 150 (10.6%) participants in the SCOPE study met diagnostic criteria for sarcopenia. Participants without diabetes had more often normal results in the 3 sarcopenia components than participants with diabetes [887 (80.31%) vs. 227 (72.1%), p=0.002], highlighting higher percentages of severe sarco‑penia in participants with diabetes [27 (8.6%) vs. 58 (5.2%), p=0.028]. Confirmed or severe sarcopenia was detected in 41 (13%) participants with diabetes and 109 (9.8%) participants without diabetes (p=0.108). According to BIS equa‑tion, sarcopenia was not significantly more prevalent in the more advanced stages of CKD (p=0.845). In multivariate analyses, older age (odds ratios [OR], 1.17; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.08-1.27), and lower body mass index (OR, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.71-0.89 were associated with the presence of sarcopenia.Conclusions:One tenth of all older community‑dwelling subjects have sarcopenia. Older age and being thinner, but not worse renal function, were associated with higher prevalence of sarcopenia in older older adults with diabetes

Search for dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks in √s = 13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search for weakly interacting massive particle dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks is presented. Final states containing third-generation quarks and miss- ing transverse momentum are considered. The analysis uses 36.1 fb−1 of proton–proton collision data recorded by the ATLAS experiment at √s = 13 TeV in 2015 and 2016. No significant excess of events above the estimated backgrounds is observed. The results are in- terpreted in the framework of simplified models of spin-0 dark-matter mediators. For colour- neutral spin-0 mediators produced in association with top quarks and decaying into a pair of dark-matter particles, mediator masses below 50 GeV are excluded assuming a dark-matter candidate mass of 1 GeV and unitary couplings. For scalar and pseudoscalar mediators produced in association with bottom quarks, the search sets limits on the production cross- section of 300 times the predicted rate for mediators with masses between 10 and 50 GeV and assuming a dark-matter mass of 1 GeV and unitary coupling. Constraints on colour- charged scalar simplified models are also presented. Assuming a dark-matter particle mass of 35 GeV, mediator particles with mass below 1.1 TeV are excluded for couplings yielding a dark-matter relic density consistent with measurements

Strutture e funzioni di una piattaforma online per gli attori della sicurezza

La presente pubblicazione riassume i risultati emersi nell’ambito del progetto di ricerca ID 19 “RLS OnLine e Picasso: la Rete per il Lavoro Sicuro italiano. Apertura al pubblico nazionale degli RLS della piattaforma informatica collaborativa per la salute e sicurezza sul lavoro per la generazione e lo scambio di nuove pratiche in materia di SSL, con l’apporto delle confederazioni comparativamente più rappresentative” finanziato dall’INAIL (Bando Bric 2019) e realizzato dall’Università degli Studi di Perugia, dall’Università degli Studi di Cagliari, dalla Fondazione Giuseppe Di Vittorio e da IAL Nazionale - Innovazione Apprendimento Lavoro s.r.l., con la partecipazione delle Organizzazioni Sindacali. Il lavoro, frutto del lavoro condiviso dell’ente finanziatore INAIL, della Fondazione Giuseppe Di Vittorio, di IAL Nazionale - Innovazione Apprendimento Lavoro s.r.l., di CGIL - Confederazione Generale Italiana del Lavoro, di CISL - Confederazione Italiana Sindacati Lavoratori, di UIL - Unione Italiana del Lavoro, e del Dipartimento di Giurisprudenza dell’Università degli Studi di Perugia, illustra la metodologia utilizzata nel corso della ricerca nonché i risultati emersi dalla stessa con particolare attenzione alle nuove esigenze degli attori della prevenzione

Increased nocturnal urinary cortisol levels in the elderly patients with depression, coexisting major geriatric syndromes and combined pathogenetic mechanisms

Background: The mechanisms at the basis of depression are still matter of debate, but several studies in the literature suggest common pathways with dementia (genetic predispositions, metabolic and inflammatory mechanisms, neuropathological changes) and other geriatric syndromes. Aims: To evaluate the role of cortisol (as marker of the HPA, hypothalamus–pituitary–adrenal axis hyperactivity) in elderly subjects with depressive symptoms (by the means of the AGICO, AGIng and COrtisol, study), in relationship to the presence of the major geriatric syndromes. Methods: The AGICO study enrolled patients from ten Geriatric Units in Italy. Every subject received a comprehensive geriatric assessment or CGA (including the Mini Mental State Examination or MMSE, Geriatric Depression Scale or GDS and Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia or CSDD), the neurological examination (with a computed tomography scan or magnetic resonance imaging of the brain), the assessment of the metabolic syndrome (MetS), the evaluation of the cortisol activity by two consecutive urine collections (diurnal and nocturnal), a CGA-derived frailty index (FI) and a modified measure of allostatic load (AL). Results: The MMSE scores were significantly and inversely related to the values of GDS (p < 0.001) and CSDD (p < 0.05), respectively. The patients with depressive symptoms (GDS/CSDD > 8) showed significantly increased disability, MetS, inflammation, FI and AL and significantly reduced MMSE and renal function. The diurnal and nocturnal urinary cortisol levels in the patients with depressive symptoms (GDS/CSDD > 8) were higher with respects to controls (p < 0.05 for nocturnal difference). Discussion: The AGICO study showed that the stress response is activated in the patients with depression. Conclusion: The depression in elderly patient should be reconsidered as a systemic disease, with coexisting major geriatric syndromes (disability, dementia, frailty) and combined pathogenetic mechanisms (metabolic syndrome, impaired renal function, low-grade inflammation, and allostatic load). Cortisol confirmed its role as principal mediator of the aging process in both dementia and metabolic syndrome

Ресурсоэффективные системы в управлении и контроле: взгляд в будущее (т. 2): сборник научных трудов VII Международной конференции школьников, студентов, аспирантов, молодых ученых, 8 -13 октября 2018 г., г. Томск

В сборнике представлены материалы VII Международной конференции школьников, студентов, аспирантов, молодых ученых "Ресурсоэффективные системы в управлении и контроле: взгляд в будущее". Более 500 авторов из 35 вузов, предприятий и научных исследовательских университетов России, ближнего и дальнего зарубежья представили тезисы своих докладов, в которых рассматриваются актуальные проблемы неразрушающего контроля и технической диагностики, внедрения систем менеджмента, качества образования, управления в современной экономике. Материалы предназначены для специалистов, преподавателей, аспирантов и студентов вузов, а также для всех интересующихся проблемами ресурсоэффективных технологий