Emergent dwelling. Requests for designing a human-scale and climate-proof lifetime house

This contribution presents part of the results produced by the University of Naples Federico II in the project PRIN 2017 TECH-START. The research investigates how the challenges of the circular economy and climate mitigation, combined with digital technologies, require new organisations for contemporary dwelling, including the need for healthy and safe environments. The contribution studies the concept of emergent dwelling with the aim of achieving a set of design requirements consistent with the many, diverse forms of living. These requirements apply to the project of a multigenerational lifetime house, selecting those most suitable for a smart residency that integrates the socio-productive and health care chain into the territory, with particular reference to the elderly population and the most fragile groups in a life-course perspective

Self-Assessment of Adherence to Medication: A Case Study in Campania Region Community-Dwelling Population.

Objectives. The aim of the study was to assess self-reported medication adherence measure in patients selected during a health education and health promotion focused event held in the Campania region. The study also assessed sociodemographic determinants of adherence. Methods. An interviewer assisted survey was conducted to assess adherence using the Italian version of the 8-item Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS-8). Participants older than 18 years were interviewed by pharmacists while waiting for free-medical checkup. Results. A total of 312 participants were interviewed during the Health Campus event. A total of 187 (59.9%) had low adherence to medications. Pearson's bivariate correlation showed positive association between the MMAS-8 score and gender, educational level and smoking (P < 0.05). A multivariable analysis showed that the level of education and smoking were independent predictors of adherence. Individuals with an average level of education (odds ratio (OR), 2.21, 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.08-4.52) and nonsmoker (odds ratio (OR) 1.87, 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.04-3.35) were found to be more adherent to medication than those with a lower level of education and smoking. Conclusion. The analysis showed very low prescription adherence levels in the interviewed population. The level of education was a relevant predictor associated with that result

Environmental pollution from illegal waste disposal and health effects: A review on the triangle of Death.

The term “triangle of death” was used for the first time by Senior and Mazza in the journal The Lancet Oncology referring to the eastern area of the Campania Region (Southern Italy) which has one of the worst records of illegal waste dumping practices. In the past decades, many studies have focused on the potential of illegal waste disposal to cause adverse effects on human health in this area. The great heterogeneity in the findings, and the bias in media communication has generated great healthcare doubts, anxieties and alarm. This paper addresses a review of the up-to-date literature on the “triangle of death”, bringing together the available information on the occurrence and severity of health effects related to illegal waste disposal. The Scopus database was searched using the search terms “waste”, “Campania”, “Naples”, “triangle of death” and “human biomonitoring”. Despite the methodological and sampling heterogeneity between the studies, this review examines the evidence from published data concerning cancer incidence, childhood mortality and birth defects, so that the current situation, knowledge gaps and research priorities can be established. The review aims to provide a contribution to the scientific community, and to respond to the concerns of the general population

Sisters acts: converging signaling between CaMKII and CaMKIV, two members of the same family

Calcium (Ca2+ ) is a universal second messenger that regulates a number of diverse cellular processes including cell proliferation, development, motility, secretion, learning and memory1, 2. A variety of stimuli, such as hormones, growth factors, cytokines, and neurotransmitters induce changes in the intracellular levels of Ca2+. The most ubiquitous and abundant protein that serves as a receptor to sense changes in Ca2+ concentrations is Calmodulin (CaM), thus mediating the role as second messenger of this ion. The Ca2+/CaM complex initiates a plethora of signaling cascades that culminate in alteration of cell functions. Among the many Ca2+/CaM binding proteins, the multifunctional protein kinases CaMKII and CaMKIV play pivotal roles in the cell

Proceedings of the eip on aha: a3 action group on frailty

The present issue of TranslationalMedicine@ UNISA provides a sample of the activities of the partners of the EIP on AHA that are contributing to transform ageing from a burden into an opportunity for the EU, and beyond. It is the expression of a multifaceted approach to a societal challenge that can be only tackled by using inclusive strategy that exploit and valorizes the good practices of multiple stakeholders

Relational quality and improvement of Life Skills (No technical Skills)

The provision of health services implicitly involves an emotional load linked to the specific task / service, which, if extended for long periods of time, falls on the operators, placing them in a burn-out risk. Various theories and empirical studies (Mayo, 1933; Maslow, 1943; Herzberg, 1959; Vroom, 1964; Alderfer, 1969; Fontana, 1997; McClellant, 1985) reveal how "motivated" work performances generate a sense of personal fulfillment which can be translated into a positive result for performance in general. Therefore, Healthcare Companies must improve the quality of assistance provided by the operators through motivational, wellness and health promotion’s activities for the staff. In this study we want to demonstrate that psycho-body empowerment © training supported by group psychodynamic proposals with expressive techniques, allows the acquisition of the necessary life skills to support the health worker's perception of well-being. These activities are aimed at developing a healthy and safe work environment, which also considers the psychological, social and relational implications of the organizational context related to the gender gap. In the present study, we wanted to explore whether the experiential methodology presented here, aimed at psycho- corporeal awareness in the relationship with the other, could support a path of psychological well-being perceived by the operators, as imagined and measured by Carol Ryff (1989). In particular, an attempt was made to highlight the difference in the acquisition of skills between male and female health workers, showing that some of them can be more easily acquired by one gender than another. The action research in this presented study, adapted in web mode in compliance with the safety standards imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, has been supported by e-learning technologies and the results of this further study will be the subject of subsequent publication

GRKs and β-Arrestins: “Gatekeepers” of Mitochondrial Function in the Failing Heart

Mitochondrial regulation of energy production, calcium homeostasis, and cell death are critical for cardiac function. Accordingly, the structural and functional abnormalities of these organelles (mitochondrial dysfunction) contribute to developing cardiovascular diseases and heart failure. Therefore the preservation of mitochondrial integrity is essential for cardiac cell survival. Mitochondrial function is regulated by several proteins, including GRK2 and β-arrestins which act in a GPCR independent manner to orchestrate intracellular signaling associated with key mitochondrial processes. It is now ascertained that GRK2 is able to recover mitochondrial function in response to insults. β-arrestins affect several intracellular signaling pathways within the cell which in turn are involved in the regulation of mitochondrial function, but a direct regulation of mitochondria needs further investigations. In this review, we discuss the recent acquisitions on the role of GRK2 and β-arrestins in the regulation of mitochondrial function

Association between Mediterranean diet and hand grip strength in older adult women

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Mediterranean Diet (MD) is an eating pattern associated with multiple healthy benefits, including the conservation of skeletal muscle. Frailty is a major geriatric syndrome characterized by low muscle strength. The Hand Grip Strength (HGS) is the most frequently used indicator of muscle functional capacity for clinical purposes. The association between the adherence to the MD and HGS in elderly has not yet fully investigated. The goal of this study was to examine the association between the adherence to the MD and HGS in a not hospitalized elderly who participated in the project PERsonalised ict Supported Services for Independent Living and Active Ageing (PERSSILAA). METHODS: Eighty-four elderly women were consecutively enrolled (aged 60-85 years) in this cross-sectional observational study. Anthropometric measures were evaluated. A validated 14-item questionnaire PREDIMED (PREvención con DIeta MEDiterránea) was used for the assessment of adherence to the MD. Dietary data were collected by a 7-day food records. Muscle strength was measured by HGS using a grip strength dynamometer (KERN & SOHN GmbH). RESULTS: The majority of participants were overweight (46.4%). An average adherence to the MD was found in 52.4% of participants, while the minority of them showed a low adherence (21.4%). HGS > cut-point of 20 kg were found in 43 subjects (51.2%). According to the adherence to MD, 39% participants with HGS values higher than cut-point presented a high adherence score compared with 14% of those with lower values of HGS (p = 0.018). The participants with HGS > cut-point presented significantly higher PREDIMED score than those with HGS < cut-point (p < 0.001). Based on ROC curves, the most sensitive and specific cut-point for the PREDIMED score to predict HGS categories was ≥8. No evident correlations were observed between HGS and age, while HGS was negatively correlated with hip circumference (r = -0.233, p = 0.033) and BMI (r = -0.219, p = 0.045), and positively correlated with PREDIMED score (r = 0.598, p < 0.001). At binomial logistic regression analysis almost all 14-items of PREDIMED questionnaire were significantly associated with HGS adjusted for BMI. At multinomial logistic regression analysis to assess the association of the three classes of adherence to the MD with the HGS, after adjusting for BMI the lowest adherence to MD was associated with the lowest Odds Ratio of HGS (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: This study evidenced a positive association between the adherence to the MD and muscle strength in a sample of active elderly women, stratified according to the HGS > cut-point of 20 kg. Our study highlights the usefulness of the developing health services to detect and prevent age-associated decline in physical performance in elderly subjects by addressing nutritional and physical intervention

Redesigning Service Delivery for Hypertensive Patients: A Methodological Guideline to Improve the Management of Chronic Diseases

Best care is not necessarily the most expensive, but the most appropriate, and prevention is the most powerful tool to promote health. A novel approach might envision the reduction of hospital admittance (thus meeting a requirement from long term condition patients: they would rather not being hospitalized!) and the enforcement of peripheral (both on the territory and at home) assistance. In this direction, experiences of reshaping new service deliveries towards an integrated disease management, namely clinical pathways, can be observed in Europe and in different parts of the world. Aim of this paper is to provide a methodological guideline to support the management in planning clinical pathways, also outlining the main barriers limiting the process. In particular, we present the results of planning a clinical pathway at the Centre for Hypertension of the Federico II University Hospital (Naples, Italy). The case study showed that the introduction of a similar service impacts on the organisation of the structure. An analysis of organizational processes “as are” and the re-design of processes “to be” are necessary to integrate the clinical pathway into the actual activities