Publications by authors named "Bianchi M"

The bulk band structure of the topological insulator SbTe is investigated by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. Of particular interest is the dispersion of the uppermost valence band with respect to the topological surface state Dirac point. The valence band maximum has been calculated to be either near the Brillouin zone centre or in a low-symmetry position in the - azimuthal direction.

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Aims And Objectives: To explore the phenomenon of workarounds in clinical practice through the nurses' perspective and identify which factors according to their experience contribute to activities carried forth non-compliantly to procedures, protocols and rules defined by an Institution.

Background: A workaround in clinical practice is a non-compliance and a violation of an organisation's defined procedures, regulations or rules that may prevent adverse events. Its increasing recurrence in the workplace calls for a deeper analysis of the phenomenon.

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As the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic continues to rage worldwide, the emergence of numerous variants of concern (VOC) represents a challenge for the vaccinal protective efficacy and the reliability of commercially available high-throughput immunoassays. Our study demonstrates the administration of two doses of the BNT162b2 vaccine that elicited a robust SARS-CoV-2-specific immune response which was assessed up to 3 months after full vaccination in a cohort of 37 health care workers (HCWs). SARS-CoV-2-specific antibody response, evaluated by four commercially available chemiluminescence immunoassays (CLIA), was qualitatively consistent with the results provided by the gold-standard neutralization assay (NTA).

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This study aimed to reuse different agro-industrial by-products (poultry litter, pig manure, sewage sludge and coffee husk) for biochar production and to evaluate their Cr(VI) removal capacities in aqueous medium. The biochars showed different morphologies with porous structures. The percentages of Cr(VI) removal from solution were higher in acid medium (pH = 2), reaching values up to 87%.

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Objectives: To undertake a concept analysis of clinical leadership in nursing students.

Design: Concept analysis.

Data Sources: A comprehensive search was conducted using the Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Medline and PsychINFO using the following search terms: clinical leadership AND management AND preregistration OR pre-registration OR undergraduate AND nursing student* OR student nurse*.

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Among the more recently identified SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Interest (VOI) is the Lambda variant, which emerged in Peru and has rapidly spread to South American regions and the US. This variant remains poorly investigated, particularly regarding the effects of mutations on the thermodynamic parameters affecting the stability of the Spike protein and its Receptor Binding Domain. We report here an in silico study on the potential impact of the Spike protein mutations on the immuno-escape ability of the Lambda variant.

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Background: Host inflammation contributes to determine whether SARS-CoV-2 infection causes mild or life-threatening disease. Tools are needed for early risk assessment.

Methods: We studied in 111 COVID-19 patients prospectively followed at a single reference Hospital fifty-three potential biomarkers including alarmins, cytokines, adipocytokines and growth factors, humoral innate immune and neuroendocrine molecules and regulators of iron metabolism.

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DNA damage is increased in Alzheimer's disease (AD), while the underlying mechanisms are unknown. Here, we employ comprehensive phosphoproteome analysis, and identify abnormal phosphorylation of 70 kDa subunit of Ku antigen (Ku70) at Ser77/78, which prevents Ku70-DNA interaction, in human AD postmortem brains. The abnormal phosphorylation inhibits accumulation of Ku70 to the foci of DNA double strand break (DSB), impairs DNA damage repair and eventually causes transcriptional repression-induced atypical cell death (TRIAD).

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Mechanisms underlying the resistance of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) blasts to l-asparaginase are still incompletely known. Here we demonstrate that human primary bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) successfully adapt to l-asparaginase and markedly protect leukemic blasts from the enzyme-dependent cytotoxicity through an amino acid trade-off. ALL blasts synthesize and secrete glutamine, thus increasing extracellular glutamine availability for stromal cells.

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Invasive fungal infections mainly affect patients undergoing transplantation, surgery, neoplastic disease, immunocompromised subjects and premature infants, and cause over 1.5 million deaths every year. The most common fungi isolated in invasive diseases are Candida spp.

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Article Synopsis
  • - Obesity is a major risk factor for prediabetes and type 2 diabetes (T2D) in youth, and this study explores its genetic links and effects on glucose metabolism.
  • - Researchers genotyped 42 specific genetic variants in 1,660 Italian youth to assess the impact of genetic risk scores (GRS) for T2D, fasting glucose (FG), and fasting insulin (FI) on glycaemic traits.
  • - Findings indicate that genetic variants are associated with elevated FG and FI levels, and BMI has a causal effect on increased insulin resistance in children, highlighting early obesity's impact on metabolic health.
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Background: Fatigue is a complex and frequent symptom in cancer patients, influencing their quality of life, but it is still underestimated and undertreated in clinical practice. The aims of this study were to detect the presence of fatigue in cancer patients, describe how patients and nurses perceived it and how nurses managed fatigue.

Methods: This is a mixed methods study.

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Besides providing information on elementary properties of objects, like texture, roughness, and softness, the sense of touch is also important in building a representation of object movement and the movement of our hands. Neural and behavioral studies shed light on the mechanisms and limits of our sense of touch in the perception of texture and motion, and of its role in the control of movement of our hands. The interplay between the geometrical and mechanical properties of the touched objects, such as shape and texture, the movement of the hand exploring the object, and the motion felt by touch, will be discussed in this article.

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Pregnenolone methyl-ether (PME) is a synthetic derivative of the endogenous neuroactive steroid pregnenolone (PREG), which is an important modulator of several brain functions. In addition to being the precursor of steroids, PREG acts directly on various targets including microtubules (MTs), the functioning of which is fundamental for the development and homeostasis of nervous system. The coordination of MT dynamics is supported by a plethora of MT-associated proteins (MAPs) and by a specific MT code that is defined by the post-translational modifications of tubulin.

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Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-Nafion (PEDOT:Nafion) is emerging as a promising alternative to PEDOT-polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) in organic bioelectronics. However, the biocompatibility of PEDOT:Nafion has not been investigated to date, limiting its deployment toward in vivo applications such as neural recording and stimulation. In the present study, the in vitro cytotoxicity of PEDOT:Nafion coatings, obtained by a water-based PEDOT:Nafion formulation, was evaluated using a primary cell culture of rat fibroblasts.

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Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) was significantly associated with increased overall risk of periodontitis, both chronic, inflammatory pathologies leading to connective tissue breakdown and bone destruction. To identify clinical and/or serological variables routinely evaluated during follow-up of people with RA which are associated with the severity of their periodontal disease. An observational, cross-sectional study was carried out, which included RA patients according to ACR/EULAR 2010 criteria having chronic periodontal disease.

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Background: The population ageing generates new challenges related to the treatment of chronic diseases. The course of the disease makes patients and caregivers (CGs) vulnerable and their ability to self-care is threatened. CGs can be supported by the Advanced Practice Nurse (APN).

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Purpose: To investigate whether implant position (adjacent to teeth/implants vs most distal position in the arch) influences the clinical outcomes of short (≤ 6 mm) non-splinted implants.

Materials And Methods: A systematic electronic search of human randomised clinical trials and prospective cohort studies was performed using the PubMed, Embase and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (Central) databases. A manual search of implant-related journals was also performed.

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Introduction: Patient advocacy, acting on behalf of patients' unmet needs, is fundamental to nursing, and the perception of the need for advocacy motivated this study. Nurses experience moral discomfort, which results from a divergent view regarding medical or caregivers' decisions about patients' clinical proceedings, in which patients' involvement in making those decisions is either doubtful or absent.

Objectives: The aim of this study is to assess the need for advocacy and explore the perspectives of nurses engaged in the care of older patients.

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Transient modification of the environment involves the expression of specific genes and degradation of mRNAs and proteins. How these events are linked is poorly understood. CCR4-NOT is an evolutionary conserved complex involved in transcription initiation and mRNA degradation.

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In unicellular organisms like yeasts, which do not have specialized tissues for protection against environmental challenges, the presence of cellular mechanisms to respond and adapt to stress conditions is fundamental. In this work, we aimed to investigate the response to environmental light in . Yeast lacks specialized light-sensing proteins; however, has been reported to respond to light by increasing hydrogen peroxide level and triggering nuclear translocation of Msn2.

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Background: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), a chronic liver disease in children, ranges from nonalcoholic fatty liver (NAFL) to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). We investigated the role of Angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2) as a biomarker for pediatric NAFLD-related liver damage.

Methods: We assessed the plasma levels of Ang-2 and cytokeratin-18 (CK18) fragments and their association with histologic activity in 76 children with NAFLD and 28 controls.

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Myocardial aging increases the cardiovascular risk in the elderly. The Receptor for Advanced Glycation End-products (RAGE) is involved in age-related disorders. The soluble isoform (sRAGE) acts as a scavenger blocking the membrane-bound receptor activation.

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