Pedagogist: His Profession, His Practice and His Toolbox

Pedagogy, as a human and social science and as a profession, has a history that has its roots in classical Greece. It has had a particularly significant evolution as Sozialpädagogik in the eighteenth-century Mitteleuropa, as was the case for other social or psychological sciences and related professions. Today, it presents itself as an autonomous science, which is also a field of transposition and integration of inputs from other sciences and other forms of knowledge, to turn everything into specifically educational purposes. The profession, in turn, takes place at the level of the intermediate applicability between theory and practice and is highly compatible with other social and health professions and open to dialogue and teamwork. With these assumptions, it is able to respond positively to the specific and new educational problems that contemporary complexity urgently poses by calling this profession into question. The chapter offers an essential, rigorous, and organic presentation of one of the new branches of General Pedagogy: Professional Pedagogy. The pedagogist carries out a higher intellectual profession whose focus is education in all social domains, and in all ages of life. A solid theoretical and methodological basis allows the pedagogist to treat individual cases using lexicon, techniques, procedures, and conceptual and operational tools of a strictly specific nature

Molecular Approach for the Laboratory Diagnosis of Periprosthetic Joint Infections

The incidence of total joint arthroplasty is increasing over time since the last decade and expected to be more than 4 million by 2030. As a consequence, the detection of infections associated with surgical interventions is increasing and prosthetic joint infections are representing both a clinically and economically challenging problem. Many pathogens, from bacteria to fungi, elicit the immune system response and produce a polymeric matrix, the biofilm, that serves as their protection. In the last years, the implementation of diagnostic methodologies reduced the error rate and the turn-around time: polymerase chain reaction, targeted or broad-spectrum, and next-generation sequencing have been introduced and they represent a robust approach nowadays that frees laboratories from the unique approach based on culture-based techniques

Viral Population Heterogeneity and Fluctuating Mutational Pattern during a Persistent SARS‐CoV‐2 Infection in an Immunocompromised Patient

Literature offers plenty of cases of immunocompromised patients, who develop chronic and severe SARS‐CoV‐2 infections. The aim of this study is to provide further insight into SARS-CoV‐2 evolutionary dynamic taking into exam a subject suffering from follicular lymphoma, who developed a persistent infection for over 7 months. Eight nasopharyngeal swabs were obtained, and were analyses by qRT‐PCR for diagnostic purposes. All of them were considered eligible (Ct < 30) for NGS sequencing. Sequence analysis showed that all sequences matched the B.1.617.2 AY.122 lineage, but they differed by few mutations identifying three genetically similar subpopulations, which evolved during the course of infection, demonstrating that prolonged replication is paralleled with intra‐host virus evolution. These evidences support the hypothesis that SARS‐CoV‐2 adaptive capacities are able to shape a heterogeneous viral population in the context of immunocompromised patients. Spill‐over of viral variants with enhanced transmissibility or immune escape capacities from these subjects is plausible

Omicron Sub-Lineage BA.5 and Recombinant XBB Evasion from Antibody Neutralisation in BNT162b2 Vaccine Recipients

The recent emergence of a number of new SARS-CoV-2 variants resulting from recombination between two distinct parental lineages or sub-lineages within the same lineage has sparked the debate regarding potential enhanced viral infectivity and immune escape. Among these, XBB, recombinant of BA.2.10 and BA.2.75, has caused major concern in some countries due to its rapid increase in prevalence. In this study, we tested XBB escape capacity from mRNA-vaccine-induced (BNT162b2) neutralising antibodies compared to B.1 ancestral lineage and another co-circulating variant (B.1.1.529 BA.5) by analysing sera collected 30 days after the second dose in 92 healthcare workers. Our data highlighted an enhanced and statistically significant immune escape ability of the XBB recombinant. Although these are preliminary results, this study highlights the importance of immune escape monitoring of new and forthcoming variants and of the reformulation of existing vaccines

Landscape and biodiversity: the case of red cichory

Il radicchio (Cichorium intybus) a foglia tonda e lunga autoprodotto, rappresenta, sia per superficie che per produzione, la principale orticola coltivata nei terreni del CUM grazie alla quale si genera un consistente valore economico e sociale. Lo studio ha indagato le caratteristiche bromatologiche del radicchio per redigere le etichette nutrizionali e lo ha confrontato con i competitors per verificare l’unicità del prodotto. Contemporaneamente è stata eseguita la caratterizzazione quali-quantitativa dei composti fenolici. Il lavoro svolto sul radicchio lungo e tondo coltivato nei terreni del CUM, ha evidenziato che questi prodotti agroalimentari hanno rilevanti proprietà nutrizionali e funzionali. Inoltre, queste caratteristiche sono correlate sia al territorio sia al processo di auto produzione del seme. Le analisi biomolecolari, anche se meritano ulteriori approfondimenti, hanno dimostrato che gli ecotipi CUM si sono ben adattati alla geochimica del territorio e possiedono qualità e proprietà uniche.The round and long leaves red cichory (Cichorium intybus) is one of the main horticultural crops grown in those lands where the community called “Consorzio Uomini di Massenzatica” (CUM), operates. This generates a consistent economic and social value, in terms of cultivated surface extension and quantity produced. The aim of this study includes chemical characterization of red chicory varieties in terms of nutritional components and bioactive secondary metabolites. Systematic comparison between agri-food products by CUM and their principal competitors on the market was carried out to verify the red chicory varieties own unique chemical and genomic characteristics. In conclusion the work made on round and long leaves red chicory varieties and cultivated in CUM lands, evidenced that these agri-food products have relevant nutritional and functional properties. Additionally, these characteristics are, in particular, associated with both local production and self-seeded procedure. Bio-molecular analyses, even if they deserve a deeper understanding, displayed that CUM ecotypes well adapted themselves to the territory geochemistry and possess unique quality and properties

Cardiovascular risk factors and hearing impairment: a non-automatic correlation

Background: In the literature the association between common cardiovascular risk factors and/or major events and inner ear diseases has been widely considered. Despite the controversial related results, a recent review underlines that while a direct and causal correlation between cardiovascular risk factors and hearing impairment is lacking, the former are thought to have an influence on hearing acuity: this should imply some correlation between arterial conditions and inner ear function. Aims: Aiming at verifying the reliability of the correlation between arterial conditions and inner ear function, the hearing function of a population with metabolic syndrome and a population without metabolic syndrome were matched. Methods: All the examined subjects were enrolled within the Brisighella Heart Study, in order to obtain a detailed knowledge of the cardiovascular and metabolic parameters. 142 subjects were enrolled, including 89 healthy subjects and 53 affected by metabolic syndrome, having ruled out those cases associated with external and/or middle ear pathologies, or unilateral sensorineural hearing loss or with a history of previous ototoxic drugs and ear surgery. Among the examined parameters was arterial stiffness, as evaluated by means of the Vicorder\uae device with a non-invasive procedure, which had not previously been considered in relation to labyrinthine function. Results: The lack of any statistically significant correlation between common cardiovascular risk factors and hearing deterioration, as emerged from the study, has a particular significance. Conclusions: The inference from this result is that the relationship between the systemic circulation and inner ear conditions must be more complex than frequently considered

Metabolic alterations and hearing acuity: lack of a significant clinical correlation

Objective: To contribute to assessing the extent of the clinical significance of metabolic alterations in terms of hearing deterioration. Study design: The design enabled comparison of the serum level of cholesterol, apolipoproteins, glucose and uric acid in a homogeneous, controlled population of subjects with normal hearing and with symmetrical sensorineural hearing loss, respectively. All subjects were enrolled within the Brisighella Heart Study (BHS), a prospective, population based longitudinal epidemiological investigation involving almost 3000 randomly selected Caucasian subjects living in Brisighella, a small town in northern Italy. Results: No statistical difference was identified in the metabolic assessment of the two groups (normal hearing vs. impaired hearing). In particular, alteration of the serum lipids, glucose and uric acid parameters is not significantly associated with hearing loss (p > 0.01). Conclusions: The findings, apparently in disagreement with common opinion, seem to imply that the role of metabolic disorders is not pre-eminent in the genesis of non-acute hearing loss. It is possible to hypothesize that all mechanisms regulating the microcirculation of the inner ear can constitute a \u2018buffer\u2019 against the related cellular damage. It is likely that if a convenient and sufficiently stable degree of oxygenation is maintained, this might be enough to preserve hearing function even under unfavourable metabolic conditions

The possible role of Vicorder® apparatus in the diagnostic protocol of inner ear diseases

Objective: Cardiovascular risk factors are widely reputed to be a possible cause for hearing impairment, and the role of arterial stiffness as a cardiovascular risk predictor has been recently emphasized. For these reasons pulse wave velocity (PWV) could represent a useful parameter in order to rapidly assess or rule out the existence of an underlying overall deteriorating circulatory condition in cases of inner ear impairment. Method: In order to assess the real significance of PWV for audiological purposes, a study was carried out comparing this parameter in subjects with normal hearing and those with symmetrical sensorineural hearing loss. Results: The results suggested an apparent lack of correlation between arterial stiffness and hearing deterioration. Conclusion: The findings appear to indicate that the relationship between systemic circulation and inner ear function, when excluding acute and/or well identifiable impairment factors, is not as linear as expected