Chapter Boccaccio erudito e il prologo del De viris illustribus petrarchesco

Giovanni Boccaccio used prologues and epilogues of his Latin works to discuss relevant topics such as the finding of reliable sources or the dissamination of the knowledge. Francesco Petrarca faced the same issues when he wrote his scholarly and historical works. This paper aims at enlightening the intertextuality between prologues and epilogues of Boccaccio’s Genealogia and De montibus and the prologue of Petrarca’s De viris illustribus, showing that the formers were probably inspired by the latter

Chapter «Leontius dicit»: l’utilizzo delle glosse a Omero nella Genealogia di Boccaccio

Among the many sources used by Boccaccio in his scholarly work Genealogia deorum gentilium, there are also the Homeric poems, made available to the author thanks to Leonzio Pilato’s Latin translation. What is interesting is that besides the Latin text of Iliad and Odyssey, he makes use also of Leonzio’s glosses written in the margins of his autograph manuscripts. In the wake of Agostino Pertusi’s pioneering study, this paper traces a link between Leonzio’s glosses on the Odyssey (Venezia, Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana, gr. IX 29) and many passages of the Genealogia where Leonzio is quoted as a source. The analysis is structured in three parts, i.e. the quotation of Boccaccio’s passage, the text of the source and a detailed commentary on its use

Il ‘corpo didattico’: l’attività motoria per l’empowerment degli apprendimenti curricolari

La pandemia e il conseguente overuse tecnologico hanno favorito una riduzione dei livelli di attività fisica nei soggetti di tutte le età, in particolare bambini e adolescenti. Proprio l’overuse tecnologico, ha conseguenze negative sul funzionamento cognitivo-motorio complessivo ed un’attività motoria ridotta in età dello sviluppo riduce l’attenzione, la capacità di linguaggio, di memoria e dell’emotività. Da qui la necessità di sottolineare, con questo contributo, il ruolo che il corpo può ricoprire nel potenziamento degli apprendimenti curricolari attraverso la realizzazione di protocolli didattici innovativi. In tal senso, viene presentata la DAF (Didattica Avanzata Funzionale), un protocollo didattico-motorio costruito a partire dalle embodied theories e dalla gamification theory, pensato per integrare armonicamente l’attività motoria nell’esperienza di apprendimento curricolare.The pandemic and the consequent technological abuse have favored a reduction in physical activity levels in subjects of all ages, especially children and adolescents. The excessive use of technology has negative consequences on the overall cognitive-motor functioning and the reduced motor activity in the developmental age reduces attention, language, memory and emotional capacity. Hence the need to underline, with this contribution, the role that the Organization can play in enhancing curricular learning through the creation of innovative teaching protocols. In this sense, the DAF (Advanced Functional Teaching) is presented, a motor-didactic protocol built starting from embodied theories and from the theory of gamification, designed to harmoniously integrate motor activity into the curricular learning experience.

Il ‘corpo didattico’: l’attività motoria per l’empowerment degli apprendimenti curricolari

La pandemia e il conseguente overuse tecnologico hanno favorito una riduzione dei livelli di attività fisica nei soggetti di tutte le età, in particolare bambini e adolescenti. Proprio l’overuse tecnologico, ha conseguenze negative sul funzionamento cognitivo-motorio complessivo ed un’attività motoria ridotta in età dello sviluppo riduce l’attenzione, la capacità di linguaggio, di memoria e dell’emotività. Da qui la necessità di sottolineare, con questo contributo, il ruolo che il corpo può ricoprire nel potenziamento degli apprendimenti curricolari attraverso la realizzazione di protocolli didattici innovativi. In tal senso, viene presentata la DAF (Didattica Avanzata Funzionale), un protocollo didattico-motorio costruito a partire dalle embodied theories e dalla gamification theory, pensato per integrare armonicamente l’attività motoria nell’esperienza di apprendimento curricolare

Healthcare Service Quality Evaluation in a Community-Oriented Primary Care Center, Italy

Community-oriented primary care (COPC) is an inclusive healthcare approach that combines individual care with a population-based outlook, striving to offer effective and equitable services. This study concentrates on assessing the perceived quality of a "Casa della Comunita" (CdC) implemented by the Romagna Local Health Authority, which embraces the COPC model. Through the examination of user experiences, the study aims to comprehend the influence of the CdC's care delivery model on the community's perception of service quality. From 13-18 March 2023, paper questionnaires were distributed by trained healthcare professionals and volunteers. The cross-sectional study enrolled participants aged 18 or older, capable of understanding written Italian, and willing to take part voluntarily. A total of 741 questionnaires were collected, resulting in an overall acceptance rate of 85.6%. Among the respondents, 37.9% were female, with an average age of 55.4 & PLUSMN; 16.2 years. While the respondents generally held a positive view of the quality, the results displayed varying levels of satisfaction across the different areas. Multivariate analysis revealed significant associations between factors such as gender, employment status, financial resources, education level, and distance from the healthcare center with the perceived quality of the facility in terms of accessibility, environment, staff, continuity of care, and overall satisfaction. The study yielded valuable insights, identifying strengths and areas for improvement and underscoring the importance of ongoing monitoring studies to enhance patient satisfaction continuously

Circulating microRNA (miRNA) expression profiling in plasma of patients with gestational diabetes mellitus reveals upregulation of miRNA miR-330-3p

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is characterized by insulin resistance accompanied by low/absent beta-cell compensatory adaptation to the increased insulin demand. Although the molecular mechanisms and factors acting on beta-cell compensatory response during pregnancy have been partially elucidated and reported, those inducing an impaired beta-cell compensation and function, thus evolving in GDM, have yet to be fully addressed. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small endogenous non-coding RNAs, which negatively modulate gene expression through their sequence-specific binding to 3'UTR of mRNA target. They have been described as potent modulators of cell survival and proliferation and, furthermore, as orchestrating molecules of beta-cell compensatory response and function in diabetes. Moreover, it has been reported that miRNAs can be actively secreted by cells and found in many biological fluids (e.g., serum/plasma), thus representing both optimal candidate disease biomarkers and mediators of tissues crosstalk(s). Here, we analyzed the expression profiles of circulating miRNAs in plasma samples obtained from n = 21 GDM patients and from n = 10 non-diabetic control pregnant women (24-33 weeks of gestation) using TaqMan array microfluidics cards followed by RT-real-time PCR single assay validation. The results highlighted the upregulation of miR-330-3p in plasma of GDM vs non-diabetics. Furthermore, the analysis of miR-330-3p expression levels revealed a bimodally distributed GDM patients group characterized by high or low circulating miR-330 expression and identified as GDM-miR-330highand GDM-miR-330low. Interestingly, GDM-miR-330highsubgroup retained lower levels of insulinemia, inversely correlated to miR-330-3p expression levels, and a significant higher rate of primary cesarean sections. Finally, miR-330-3p target genes analysis revealed major modulators of beta-cell proliferation and of insulin secretion, such as the experimentally validated genes E2F1 and CDC42 as well as AGT2R2, a gene involved in the differentiation of mature beta-cells. In conclusion, we demonstrated that plasma miR-330-3p could be of help in identifying GDM patients with potential worse gestational diabetes outcome; in GDM, miR-330-3p may directly be transferred from plasma to beta-cells thus modulating key target genes involved in proliferation, differentiation, and insulin secretion

Update of the Genetic Variability of Monkeypox Virus Clade IIb Lineage B.1

From 1 January 2022 to 31 May 2024, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported 97,745 laboratory-confirmed Mpox cases, including 203 deaths, across 116 countries. Despite a 2.3% decrease in new cases in May 2024 compared to April 2024, significant regional variations persist. The African Region reported the highest proportion of new cases, while other regions experienced mixed trends. Phylogenomic analyses of the Mpox virus Clade IIb lineage B.1 reveal stable genetic variability with minimal diversification. The Bayesian Skyline Plot indicates a generally stable viral population size with a modest peak in late 2023, followed by a decline. In general, the data indicate that the MPXV outbreak is primarily localized within a few consistent geographic clusters. The virus’s evolution is relatively slow, as indicated by its stable genetic variability, and Clade IIb lineage B.1 does not currently show signs of rapid genetic changes or population growth. The current low level of genetic diversity should not lead to complacency. Ongoing genomic surveillance is essential for effective outbreak management and understanding. This monitoring is crucial for identifying any shifts in the virus’s behavior or transmission, allowing for prompt public health responses and adjustments. In addition, continued vigilance is necessary to detect any new variants that might influence the outbreak’s trajectory

Autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation versus low-dose immunosuppression in secondary-progressive multiple sclerosis

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Effectiveness of autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHSCT) in relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis (MS) is well known, but in secondary–progressive (SP)‐MS it is still controversial. Therefore, AHSCT activity was evaluated in SP‐MS using low‐dose immunosuppression with cyclophosphamide (Cy) as a comparative treatment. METHODS: In this retrospective monocentric 1:2 matched study, SP‐MS patients were treated with intermediate‐intensity AHSCT (cases) or intravenous pulses of Cy (controls) at a single academic centre in Florence. Controls were selected according to baseline characteristics adopting cardinality matching after trimming on the estimated propensity score. Kaplan–Meier and Cox analyses were used to estimate survival free from relapses (R‐FS), survival free from disability progression (P‐FS), and no evidence of disease activity 2 (NEDA‐2). RESULTS: A total of 93 SP‐MS patients were included: 31 AHSCT, 62 Cy. Mean follow‐up was 99 months in the AHSCT group and 91 months in the Cy group. R‐FS was higher in AHSCT compared to Cy patients: at Year 5, 100% versus 52%, respectively (p < 0.0001). P‐FS did not differ between the groups (at Year 5: 70% in AHSCT and 81% in Cy, p = 0.572), nor did NEDA‐2 (p = 0.379). A sensitivity analysis including only the 31 “best‐matched” controls confirmed these results. Three neoplasms (2 Cy, 1 AHSCT) and two fatalities (2 Cy) occurred. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides Class III evidence, in SP‐MS, on the superior effectiveness of AHSCT compared to Cy on relapse activity, without differences on disability accrual. Although the suppression of relapses was observed in the AHSCT group only, AHSCT did not show advantages over Cy on disability, suggesting that in SP‐MS disability progression becomes based more on noninflammatory neurodegeneration than on inflammation