Training the design skills based on the Agire educativo paradigm. The laboratories at the Sciences of Education Degree courses (L19)

The design is assumed as the ability to adapt the models learned to the context and the situations in an intelligent way and a complex competence within the Agire educativo (Perla & Riva, 2016) since it implies global-analytical approach, clinical intuition and know-how. The article deals with how to train this complex competence in view of the explanatory models – Terzo educativo (Perla, 2016a) and Finalità-Variabili-Percorso (F-V-P) (Rossi & Toppano, 2009) in the specific abductive component of them, and describes the organizational structure as well as the operating devices of the laboratories (EduLabo and Interventions on developmental disabilities) held at the Science of Education Degree courses, at the University of Bari and Giustino Fortunato Open University. In this way, some clarifications regarding the complex nature of the design ability, exemplifications of the didactically educational method as well as arguments on the didactic coordination of the Science of Education Degree courses are offered.Formare l’abilità progettuale alla luce del paradigma dell’agire educativo. I laboratori nei CdL-19 Il lavoro assume la progettazione come capacità di adattare in maniera intelligente modelli appresi in ragione del contesto e delle situazioni e la rilancia come competenza complessa dell’Agire educativo (Perla & Riva, 2016) che implica approccio globale e analitico, intuizione clinica e tecnicalità. L’articolo pone la questione su come formare tale competenza complessa attraverso la ripresa dei modelli esplicativi del Terzo educativo (Perla, 2016) e della Finalità-Variabili-Percorso (F-V-P) (Rossi & Toppano, 2009), nella specifica componente abduttiva, e descrive l’impianto organizzativo nonché i dispositivi operativi dei laboratori (EduLabo e Interventi nelle disabilità dello sviluppo) adottati nei CCdSS Scienze dell’educazione e della formazione dell’Università degli Studi di Bari e Scienze dell’Educazione dell’Università Telematica Giustino Fortunato. Vengono, così, offerti alcuni possibili chiarimenti circa il carattere complesso dell’abilità progettuale, un’esemplificazione di metodo didatticamente educativo nonché argomenti sulla necessità di una regia didattica dei CdL-19

Agire educativo e trasposizione didattica dei saperi della relazione educativa. Una ricerca co-costruita con gli studenti della L-19 dell’Università degli Studi di Bari Aldo Moro

There is a theoretical vacuum within the study of mediation and mediators that develop the educator’s manage skills regards educational and training relations and situational dynamics. However, these are learning outcomes rooted in the theoretical constructs founding pedagogical theory and in the core contents of the L-19 Course. The contri-bution is therefore divided into two parts. In the first part, the Authors reconstruct the reasons for the shortage of empirical research of didactic matrix concerning the transpo-sition of the knowledge of the relationship and educational communication. The second part discusses various aspects of the practice of teaching transposition within the uni-versity training of the socio-pedagogical educator refers to a chosen cultural object and in light of a collaborative research-training carried out in 2019-2020 at the Department of Education Science, Psychology, and Communication of the University Aldo Moro of Bari. The research, here shown in its methodological structure and outcomes, has been carried out with the second year students of L-19 Course, and it allowed to formalize some didactic mediation practices concerning Early Childhood 0-6 professional area. The paper intends to provide a contribution to the ongoing scientific debate on the construction of standards and profiles of competences referred the Law n. 205/2017.Esiste un vuoto teorico nello studio della mediazione e dei mediatori che formano l’edu-catore alle competenze di governo delle dinamiche relazionali e situazionali educative e formative: eppure, si tratta di learning outcomes radicati in costrutti teorici fondativi della teoresi pedagogica e in core contents fondamentali dell’ordinamento della L-19. Alla luce di queste premesse, il contributo è diviso in due parti. Nella prima, le Au-trici ricostruiscono le ragioni della penuria di ricerche empiriche di matrice didattica aventi a oggetto la trasposizione dei saperi della relazione e comunicazione educativa. Nella seconda parte vengono discussi diversi aspetti inerenti alla prassi della trasposizio-ne didattica “interna” nell’ambito universitario della formazione dell’educatore socio-pedagogico in relazione all’oggetto culturale scelto e alla luce di una ricerca-formazione collaborativa realizzata nell’a.a. 2019-2020 presso il Dipartimento di Scienze della for-mazione, Psicologia, Comunicazione dell’Università di Bari Aldo Moro. La ricerca, di cui vengono presentati impianto metodologico e risultati, è stata svolta con gli studenti e le studentesse del secondo anno del Corso L-19 e ha permesso di formalizzare alcune pratiche di mediazione didattica inerenti all’area professionale relativa all’infanzia 0-6. L’articolo intende fornire un contributo al dibattito scientifico in atto sulla costruzione di standard e profili di competenze discendenti dalla L. 205/2017

VP30.01: Cell‐free DNA screening for 22q11.2DS by targeted method based on microarray quantitation in the average risk population: results from a single European laboratory

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Oltre l’era Covid-19: dall’emergenza alle prospettive di sviluppo professionale

The University was rapidly pushed into the era of distance teaching and learning (Dad) to cope with the imperative to ensure training for young people even in the lockdown period due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This necessity forced academics to a fast reconversion of traditional teaching into online learning environments for many still unknown and unusual. This has led to significant changes in the approaches and practices in use, favoring choices and solutions often not considered before. This research investigates the experience of distance teaching and learning (Dad), defining the concept, to investigate changes occurred in teaching practice, paying specific attention to the teaching mediation and to assessment, two areas considered foundational and emblematic in teaching-learning processes. 721 academics responded to an online questionnaire designed for this research; from the answers relevant changes in teaching and assessment methods emerged. Together with an increase of interest in the use of online practices, critical elements also emerged, such as the permanence of traditional models and innovation. Overall, the results seem to outline, although to different extents, the need to consider as central the professionalism of academics as a key factor to successfully reconvert the experience of Dad beyond the contingent moment.L’Università è entrata prepotentemente nell’era della didattica a distanza (DaD) per far fronte all’imperativo di garantire la formazione ai giovani anche nel periodo di lockdown imposto a seguito della pandemia del Covid-19. L’esperienza ha costretto la docenza ad una veloce riconversione della didattica tradizionale all’interno di modelli di azione on line per molti di loro sconosciuti e inusuali. Ciò ha determinato modificazioni significative negli approcci e nelle pratiche in uso, favorendo scelte e soluzioni spesso non considerate in precedenza. La ricerca indaga nello specifico l’esperienza della DaD, definendone il costrutto, per far emergere le modificazioni intervenute nella pratica didattica, ponendo un’attenzione particolare alla mediazione didattica e alla valutazione, due aree considerate fondative ed emblematiche nell’azione di insegnamento-apprendimento. Attraverso la somministrazione di un questionario on line a cui hanno risposto 721 docenti, si evidenziano le metamorfosi intervenute nell’azione di mediazione e di valutazione. Insieme ad un aumento di interesse verso l’utilizzo di pratiche on line compaiono elementi di criticità, connessi soprattutto al permanere di modelli tradizionali, e di innovazione, indotti dall’esigenza di offrire agli studenti un livello adeguato di qualità didattica per l’apprendimento. Nell’insieme gli esiti emersi sembrano profilare, sia pure con diverso grado di intensità, l’esigenza di considerare come centrale la professionalità del docente indicata quale fattore chiave per riconvertire positivamente l’esperienza della DaD oltre il portato contingente

Reducing mortality and morbidity in patients with severe COVID-19 disease by advancing ongoing trials of Mesenchymal Stromal (stem) Cell (MSC) therapy - Achieving global consensus and visibility for cellular host-directed therapies

As of May 17th 2020, the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused 307,395 deaths worldwide, out of 3,917,366 cases reported to the World Health Organization. No specific treatments for reducing mortality or morbidity are yet available. Deaths from COVID-19 will continue to rise globally until effective and appropriate treatments and/or vaccines are found. In search of effective treatments, the global medical, scientific, pharma and funding communities have rapidly initiated over 500 COVID-19 clinical trials on a range of antiviral drug regimens and repurposed drugs in various combinations. A paradigm shift is underway from the current focus of drug development targeting the pathogen, to advancing cellular Host-Directed Therapies (HDTs) for tackling the aberrant host immune and inflammatory responses which underlie the pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2 and high COVID-19 mortality rates. We focus this editorial specifically on the background to, and the rationale for, the use and evaluation of mesenchymal stromal (Stem) cells (MSCs) in treatment trials of patients with severe COVID-19 disease. Currently, the ClinicalTrials.gov and the WHO Clinical Trials Registry Platform (WHO ICTRP) report a combined 28 trials exploring the potential of MSCs or their products for treatment of COVID-19. MSCs should also be trialed for treatment of other circulating WHO priority Blueprint pathogens such as MERS-CoV which causes upto 34% mortality rates. It's about time funding agencies invested more into development MSCs per se, and also for a range of other HDTs, in combination with other therapeutic interventions. MSC therapy could turn out to be an important contribution to bringing an end to the high COVID-19 death rates and preventing long-term functional disability in those who survive disease

Safety of third dose of COVID-19 vaccination in frail patients: Results from the prospective Italian VAX4FRAIL study

Importance: Despite people with impaired immune competence due to an underlying disease or ongoing therapy, hereinafter frail patients, are (likely to be) the first to be vaccinated, they were usually excluded from clinical trials. Objective: To report adverse reactions of frail patients after receipt of the third dose (booster) administered after completion of a two-dose mRNA vaccination and to compare with those reported after the receipt of the first two doses. Design: A multicenter, observational, prospective study aimed at evaluating both the safety profile and the immune response of Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines in frail patients. Setting: National Project on Vaccines, COVID-19 and Frail Patients (VAX4FRAIL) Participants: People consenting and included in the VAX4FRAIL trial. Exposure: A series of three doses of COVID-19 mRNA vaccination from the same manufacturer. Main outcome(s) and measure(s): Evaluation of a self-assessment questionnaire addressing a predefined list of eight symptoms on a five-item Likert scale. Symptoms were classified as severe if the patient rated them as severe or overwhelming. Results: Among 320 VAX4FRAIL participants diagnosed/treated for hematological malignancies (N=105; 32.8%), solid tumors (N=48; 15.0%), immune-rheumatological diseases (N=60; 18.8%), neurological diseases (N=107; 33.4%), and receiving the booster dose, 70.3% reported at least one loco-regional or systemic reactions. Adverse events were mostly mild or moderate, none being life-threatening. Only six of the 320 (1.9%) patients had their treatment postponed due to the vaccine. The safety profile of the booster compared to previously administered two doses showed a stable prevalence of patients with one or more adverse events (73.5%, 79.7% and 73.9% respectively), and a slightly increment of patients with one or more severe adverse events (13.4%, 13.9% and 19.2% respectively). Conclusions and relevance: The booster of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine was safely administered in the largest prospective cohort of frail patients reported so far. VAX4FRAIL will continue to monitor the safety of additional vaccine doses, especially systemic adverse events that can be easily prevented to avoid interruption of continuity of care. Clinical trial registration: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04848493, identifier NCT04848493

The unbalanced p53/SIRT1 axis may impact lymphocyte homeostasis in COVID-19 patients

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: A dysregulated inflammatory profile plays an important role in coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pathogenesis. Moreover, the depletion of lymphocytes is typically associated with an unfavourable disease course. We studied the role and impact of p53 and deacetylase Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) on lymph-monocyte homeostasis and their possible effect on T and B cell signalling. METHODS: Gene expression analysis and flow cytometry were performed on peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of 35 COVID-19 patients and 10 healthy donors (HD). Inflammatory cytokines, the frequency of Annexin+ cells among CD3+ T cells and CD19+ B cell subsets were quantified. RESULTS: PBMC from COVID-19 patients had a higher p53 expression, and higher concentrations of plasma proinflammatory cytokines (IL1β, TNF-α, IL8, and IL6) than HD. Deacetylase Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) expression was significantly decreased in COVID-19 patients and was negatively correlated with p53 (p = 0.003 and r = -0.48). A lower expression of IL-7R and B Cell linker (BLNK), key genes for lymphocyte homeostasis and function, was observed in COVID-19 than in HD. The reduction of IgK and IgL chains was seen in lymphopenic COVID-19 patients. A significant increase in both apoptotic B and T cells were observed. Inflammatory cytokines correlated positively with p53 (IL-1β: r = 0.5 and p = 0.05; IL-8: r = 0.5 and p = 0.05) and negatively with SIRT1 (IL1-β: r = -0.5 and p = 0.04; TNF-α: r = -0.4 and p = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: Collectively, our data indicate that the inflammatory environment, the dysregulated p53/SIRT1 axis and low expression of IL7R and BLNK may impact cell survival, B cell signalling and antibody production in COVID-19 patients. Further studies are required to define the functional impact of low BLNK/IL7R expression during severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 infection

Interferon-α Improves Phosphoantigen-Induced Vγ9Vδ2 T-Cells Interferon-γ Production during Chronic HCV Infection

In chronic HCV infection, treatment failure and defective host immune response highly demand improved therapy strategies. Vγ9Vδ2 T-cells may inhibit HCV replication in vitro through IFN-γ release after Phosphoantigen (PhAg) stimulation. The aim of our work was to analyze Vγ9Vδ2 T-cell functionality during chronic HCV infection, studying the role of IFN-α on their function capability. IFN-γ production by Vγ9Vδ2 T-cells was analyzed in vitro in 24 HCV-infected patients and 35 healthy donors (HD) after PhAg stimulation with or without IFN-α. The effect of in vivo PhAg/IFN-α administration on plasma IFN-γ levels was analyzed in M. fascicularis monkeys. A quantitative analysis of IFN-γ mRNA level and stability in Vγ9Vδ2 T-cells was also evaluated. During chronic HCV infection, Vγ9Vδ2 T-cells showed an effector/activated phenotype and were significantly impaired in IFN-γ production. Interestingly, IFN-α was able to improve their IFN-γ response to PhAg both in vitro in HD and HCV-infected patients, and in vivo in Macaca fascicularis primates. Finally, IFN-α increased IFN-γ-mRNA transcription and stability in PhAg-activated Vγ9Vδ2 T-cells. Altogether our results show a functional impairment of Vγ9Vδ2 T-cells during chronic HCV infection that can be partially restored by using IFN-α. A study aimed to evaluate the antiviral impact of PhAg/IFN-α combination may provide new insight in designing possible combined strategies to improve HCV infection treatment outcome

Early expansion of myeloid-derived suppressor cells inhibits SARS-CoV-2 specific T-cell response and may predict fatal COVID-19 outcome

The immunological mechanisms underlying the clinical presentation of SARS-CoV-2 infection and those influencing the disease outcome remain to be defined. Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC) have been described to be highly increased during COVID-19, however, their role remains elusive. We performed an in depth analysis of MDSC in 128 SARS-CoV-2 infected patients. Polymorphonuclear (PMN)-MDSC expanded during COVID-19, in particular in patients who required intensive care treatments, and correlated with IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-α plasma levels. PMN-MDSC inhibited T-cells IFN-γ production upon SARS-CoV-2 peptides stimulation, through TGF-β- and iNOS-mediated mechanisms, possibly contrasting virus elimination. Accordingly, a multivariate regression analysis found a strong association between PMN-MDSC percentage and fatal outcome of the disease. The PMN-MDSC frequency was higher in non-survivors than survivors at the admission time, followed by a decreasing trend. Interestingly, this trend was associated with IL-6 increase in non-survivors but not in survivors. In conclusion, this study indicates PMN-MDSC as a novel factor in the pathogenesis of SARS-CoV2 infection, and open up to new therapeutic options

Prophylactic heparin and risk of orotracheal intubation or death in patients with mild or moderate COVID-19 pneumonia

Prophylactic low molecular weight heparin (pLMWH) is currently recommended in COVID-19 to reduce the risk of coagulopathy. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the antinflammatory effects of pLMWH could translate in lower rate of clinical progression in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia. Patients admitted to a COVID-hospital in Rome with SARS-CoV-2 infection and mild/moderate pneumonia were retrospectively evaluated. The primary endpoint was the time from hospital admission to orotracheal intubation/death (OTI/death). A total of 449 patients were included: 39% female, median age 63 (IQR, 50–77) years. The estimated probability of OTI/death for patients receiving pLMWH was: 9.5% (95% CI 3.2–26.4) by day 20 in those not receiving pLMWH vs. 10.4% (6.7–15.9) in those exposed to pLMWH; p-value = 0.144. This risk associated with the use of pLMWH appeared to vary by PaO_{2}/FiO_{2} ratio aHR 1.40 (95% CI 0.51–3.79) for patients with an admission PaO_{2}/FiO_{2} ≤ 300 mmHg and 0.27 (0.03–2.18) for those with PaO_{2}/FiO_{2} > 300 mmHg; p-value at interaction test 0.16. pLMWH does not seem to reduce the risk of OTI/death mild/moderate COVID-19 pneumonia, especially when respiratory function had already significantly deteriorated. Data from clinical trials comparing the effect of prophylactic vs. therapeutic dosage of LMWH at various stages of COVID-19 disease are needed