113 research outputs found
The evocative object. Innovation, reflexivity and transformation in university teaching
The paper offers an epistemological and pedagogical basis for using objects in teaching at university, inspired by the experience-based research and practice of object-based learning, here reframed by complexity theory and enactive, symbolic, and reflexive pedagogy. The paper proposes a teaching method where different languages and forms of knowledge are composed in order to favor the transformation of the studentsâ perspectives of meaning. The paper itself is written in such a way to connect different forms of knowledge: narration of experience sustains theorization, looking for embodied and subjectivated thinking. Theoretical concepts are developed through the analysis of an object-based didactic experience and the studentsâ reflexive reinterpretation of their own learning. The outcome of this study is the articulation of a practical theory of transformation, as an antidote to the dominant reductionist and functionalist understanding of innovation in HE didactics
Does Audit Improve the Quality of ESG Scores? Evidence from Corporate Misconduct.
One of the main controversial aspects of sustainability metrics relies on the accuracy, transparency, and reliability of the information at the basis of environmental, social and governance (ESG) scores. This paper investigates whether firms that have their ESG reporting audited by independent firms exhibit a higher quality of ESG scores. We performed an analysis investigating the change in ESG scores following the unveiling of a corporate misconduct. We documented that, overall, no significant ESG score adjustment occurs after the scandal becomes public, thus, implying that rating agencies provide an accurate interpretation of the firm\u2019s sustainability. However, our results differed when we distinguished between audited and unaudited reports. Firms whose reports are audited by third parties did not exhibit significant changes in their scores after a scandal, whereas for companies whose reports are not audited, we detected a worsening of the ESG scores that are statistically significant. Our findings were also confirmed in a multivariate analysis. Overall, our results suggest that the reliability of ESG scores can benefit from the auditing of sustainability reporting by third parties, which has an assurance effect on the quality of the company\u2019s ESG information
Oxidative stress controls the choice of alternative last exons via a Brahma-BRCA1-CstF pathway
Macrophage plasticity in skeletal muscle repair
Macrophages are one of the first barriers of host defence against pathogens. Beyond their role in innate immunity, macrophages play increasingly defined roles in orchestrating the healing of various injured tissues. Perturbations of macrophage function and/or activation may result in impaired regeneration and fibrosis deposition as described in several chronic pathological diseases. Heterogeneity and plasticity have been demonstrated to be hallmarks of macrophages. In response to environmental cues they display a proinflammatory (M1) or an alternative anti-inflammatory (M2) phenotype. A lot of evidence demonstrated that after acute injury M1 macrophages infiltrate early to promote the clearance of necrotic debris, whereas M2 macrophages appear later to sustain tissue healing. Whether the sequential presence of two different macrophage populations results from a dynamic shift in macrophage polarization or from the recruitment of new circulating monocytes is a subject of ongoing debate. In this paper, we discuss the current available information about the role that different phenotypes of macrophages plays after injury and during the remodelling phase in different tissue types, with particular attention to the skeletal muscle
Pathophysiological Role and Therapeutic Implications of Vitamin D in Autoimmunity: Focus on Chronic Autoimmune Diseases
Vitamin D is a pleiotropic secosteroid yielding multiple actions in human physiology. Besides the canonical regulatory activity on bone metabolism, several non-classical actions have been described and the ability of vitamin D to partake in the regulation of the immune system is particularly interesting, though far stronger and convincing evidence has been collected in in vitro as compared to in vivo studies. Whether vitamin D is able to regulate at physiological concentrations the human immune system remains unproven to date. Consequently, it is not established if vitamin D status is a factor involved in the pathogenesis of immune-mediated diseases and if cholecalciferol supplementation acts as an adjuvant for autoimmune diseases. The development of autoimmunity is a heterogeneous process, which may involve different organs and systems with a wide range of clinical implications. In the present paper, we reviewed the current evidences regarding vitamin D role in the pathogenesis and management of different autoimmune diseases
Subclassification of the âGrey Zoneâ of Thyroid Cytology; A Retrospective Descriptive Study with Clinical, Cytological, and Histological Correlation
Undetermined thyroid cytology precludes any definitive distinction between malignant and benign lesions. Recently several classifications have been proposed to split this category into two or more cytological subcategories related to different malignancy risk rates.
The current study was performed retrospectively to investigate the results obtained separating âundeterminedâ cytologic reports into two categories: âfollicular lesionâ (FL) and âatypia of undetermined significanceâ (AUS). Biochemical, clinical, and echographic features of each category were also retrospectively analyzed. Altogether, 316 undetermined fine-needle aspirated cytologies (FNACs) were reclassified as 74 FL and 242 AUS. Histological control leads to a diagnosis of carcinomas, adenomas, and nonneoplastic lesions, respectively, in 42.2%, 20%, and 37.8% of AUS and in 8.3%, 69.4%, and 22.2% of FL. Among biochemical, clinical, cytological, and echographic outcomes, altered thyroid autoantibodies, multiple versus single nodule, AUS versus FL, and presence of intranodular vascular flow were statistically significant to differentiate adenoma from carcinoma and from nonneoplastic lesions, whereas no significant differences were found between carcinomas and nonneoplastic lesions for these parameters. The results of this retrospective study show that undetermined FNAC category can further be subclassified in AUS and FL, the former showing higher malignancy rate. Further prospective studies are needed to confirm our results
A Metabolomics-Based Investigation of the Effects of a Short-Term Body Weight Reduction Program in a Cohort of Adolescents with Obesity: A Prospective Interventional Clinical Study
Metabolomics applied to assess the response to a body weight reduction program (BWRP) may generate valuable information concerning the biochemical mechanisms/pathways underlying the BWRP-induced cardiometabolic benefits. The aim of the present study was to establish the BWRP-induced changes in the metabolomic profile that characterizes the obese condition. In particular, a validated liquid chromatographyâtandem mass spectrometry (LCâMS/MS) targeted metabolomic approach was used to determine a total of 188 endogenous metabolites in the plasma samples of a cohort of 42 adolescents with obesity (female/male = 32/10; age = 15.94 ± 1.33 year; body mass index standard deviation score (BMI SDS) = 2.96 ± 0.46) who underwent a 3-week BWRP, including hypocaloric diet, physical exercise, nutritional education, and psychological support. The BWRP was capable of significantly improving body composition (e.g., BMI SDS, p < 0.0001), glucometabolic homeostasis (e.g., glucose, p < 0.0001), and cardiovascular function (e.g., diastolic blood pressure, p = 0.016). A total of 64 metabolites were significantly reduced after the intervention (at least p < 0.05), including 53 glycerophospholipids (23 PCs ae, 21 PCs aa, and 9 lysoPCs), 7 amino acids (tyrosine, phenylalanine, arginine, citrulline, tryptophan, glutamic acid, and leucine), the biogenic amine kynurenine, 2 sphingomyelins, and (free) carnitine (C0). On the contrary, three metabolites were significantly increased after the intervention (at least p < 0.05)âin particular, glutamine, trans-4-hydroxyproline, and the octadecenoyl-carnitine (C18:1). In conclusion, when administered to adolescents with obesity, a short-term BWRP is capable of changing the metabolomic profile in the plasma
Risk stratification of patients with SARS-CoV-2 by tissue factor expression in circulating extracellular vesicles
Inflammatory response following SARS-CoV-2 infection results in substantial increase of amounts of intravascular pro-coagulant extracellular vesicles (EVs) expressing tissue factor (CD142) on their surface. CD142-EV turned out to be useful as diagnostic biomarker in COVID-19 patients. Here we aimed at studying the prognostic capacity of CD142-EV in SARS-CoV-2 infection. Expression of CD142-EV was evaluated in 261 subjects admitted to hospital for pneumonia and with a positive molecular test for SARS-CoV-2. The study population consisted of a discovery cohort of selected patients (n = 60) and an independent validation cohort including unselected consecutive enrolled patients (n = 201). CD142-EV levels were correlated with post-hospitalization course of the disease and compared to the clinically available 4C Mortality Score as referral. CD142-EV showed a reliable performance to predict patient prognosis in the discovery cohort (AUC = 0.906) with an accuracy of 81.7%, that was confirmed in the validation cohort (AUC = 0.736). Kaplan-Meier curves highlighted a high discrimination power in unselected subjects with CD142-EV being able to stratify the majority of patients according to their prognosis. We obtained a comparable accuracy, being not inferior in terms of prediction of patients' prognosis and risk of mortality, with 4C Mortality Score. The expression of surface vesicular CD142 and its reliability as prognostic marker was technically validated using different immunocapture strategies and assays. The detection of CD142 on EV surface gains considerable interest as risk stratification tool to support clinical decision making in COVID-19
Acetylcholine regulates ghrelin secretion in humans
Ghrelin secretion has been reportedly increased by fasting and energy
restriction but decreased by food intake, glucose, insulin, and
somatostatin. However, its regulation is still far from clarified. The
cholinergic system mediates some ghrelin actions, e.g. stimulation of
gastric contractility and acid secretion and its orexigenic activity. To
clarify whether ghrelin secretion undergoes cholinergic control in humans,
we studied the effects of pirenzepine [PZ, 100 mg per os (by mouth)], a
muscarinic antagonist, or pyridostigmine (PD, 120 mg per os), an indirect
cholinergic agonist, on ghrelin, GH, insulin, and glucose levels in six
normal subjects. PD increased (P < 0.05) GH (change in area under curves,
mean +/- SEM, 790.9 +/- 229.3 microg(*)min/liter) but did not modify
insulin and glucose levels. PZ did not significantly modify GH, insulin,
and glucose levels. Circulating ghrelin levels were increased by PD
(11290.5 +/- 6688.7 pg(*)min/ml; P < 0.05) and reduced by PZ (-23205.0 +/-
8959.5 pg(*)min/ml; P < 0.01). The PD-induced ghrelin peak did not precede
that of GH. In conclusion, circulating ghrelin levels in humans are
increased and reduced by cholinergic agonists and antagonists,
respectively. Thus, ghrelin secretion is under cholinergic, namely
muscarinic, control in humans. The variations in circulating ghrelin
levels induced by PD and PZ are unlikely to mediate the cholinergic
influence on GH secretion
Chronic hepatitis C: hepatic iron content does not correlate with response to antiviral therapy
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