Publications by authors named "Carrara A"

Background: It is common to observe a gap between the day on which the discharge criteria are reached and the actual day of discharge after colorectal surgery. The aim of this study is to understand the reasons for this difference and its clinical impact on the overall length of stay (LOS).

Methods: All patients enrolled in the prospective iCral3 study were analyzed regarding any difference and reason between the "fit for discharge" (FFD) and "actual discharge" (AD) dates.

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This article presents a comprehensive neuroethical framework that seeks to deepen our understanding of human consciousness and free will, particularly in the context of psychiatric and neurological disorders. By integrating insights from neuroscience with philosophical reflections on freedom and personal identity, the paper examines how various states of consciousness from interoception to self-awareness influence an individual's autonomy and decision-making capabilities. The discussion utilizes a multidimensional, bottom-up approach to explore how neurobiological processes underlie different levels of conscious experience and their corresponding types of freedom, such as "intero-freedom" related to internal bodily states and "self-freedom" associated with higher self-awareness.

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This article, titled "A Unified Understanding of the Human Mind - A Neuroethical Perspective," examines the evolution of the concept of the human mind in Western thought and its integration with neuroscience, psychology, psychiatry, and relational dimensions. The author explores how the understanding of the mind has changed over time, influenced by shifts in philosophical paradigms, scientific advancements, and societal perspectives. The article traces the historical development of the mind's concept, starting from ancient Greece, through influential thinkers like Plato and René Descartes, and progressing to contemporary perspectives.

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: Elevated RDW has emerged in cardiac surgery as a potential means of preoperative risk stratification with the capacity to predict short- and long-term postoperative mortality, acute kidney injury, and postoperative atrial fibrillation. The question as to whether perioperative hemodynamic instability may be predicted by such a marker remains a topic of ongoing debate. The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between preoperative RDW and prolonged postoperative catecholamine use in minimally invasive mitral valve surgery.

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  • Ecosystems act as both sources and sinks for atmospheric carbon (C), and their carbon use efficiency (CUE) is crucial for mitigating climate change.
  • Increased nitrogen (N) availability from human activities may lead to phosphorus (P) limitations in terrestrial ecosystems, affecting how plants and microorganisms utilize carbon.
  • In a Mediterranean tree-grass ecosystem study, it was found that wetter conditions and N fertilization improved CUE, but seasonal changes and potential longer dry summers could decrease CUE in the future.
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  • Fusobacterium necrophorum is a harmful bacterium that can cause serious infections in the throat, potentially leading to a severe condition called Lemierre's syndrome.
  • Researchers studied 70 strains of F. necrophorum, finding two main genetic groups: one linked to localized infections and another more common in cases of severe bacteremia.
  • A specific mutation in the lktA gene, along with other identified genetic factors, seems to play a role in the severity of infections, requiring further research to understand their impact on disease development.
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The analysis and comparison of genomes rely on different tools for tasks such as annotation, orthology prediction, and phylogenetic inference. Most tools are specialized for a single task, and additional efforts are necessary to integrate and visualize the results. To fill this gap, we developed zDB, an application integrating a Nextflow analysis pipeline and a Python visualization platform built on the Django framework.

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: Postoperative myocardial injury, as detected by an elevated concentration of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I (hs-cTnI), is a common complication in cardiac surgery that may be linked to mortality. The primary aim of this study was to assess the risk factors associated with increased myocardial injury in patients undergoing minimally invasive mitral valve surgery. : In this retrospective monocentric cohort study, we analyzed all patients who underwent elective minimally invasive mitral valve surgery between January 2019 and December 2022 and were subsequently admitted to our intensive care unit.

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  • This study compares the costs and effectiveness of minimally invasive rectus abdominal diastasis (RAD) repair with standard care (SOC) from the perspectives of both Italy's National Healthcare Service and society.
  • Results show that while the SOC costs are higher overall, RAD repair offers better quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), indicating improved patient outcomes despite higher NHS costs per patient.
  • The findings suggest that increasing the use of RAD repair could lead to substantial societal benefits, highlighting the importance of economic evaluations in healthcare decision-making and resource allocation.
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KBG syndrome is a rare genetic disorder caused by heterozygous pathogenic variants in ANKRD11. Affected individuals have developmental delay, short stature, characteristic facial features, and other dysmorphic findings. To date, a spectrum of unspecific neuroradiological defects has been reported in KBG patients, such as cortical defects, white matter abnormalities, corpus callosum, and cerebellar vermis hypoplasia.

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This study describes a methodology to prepare and characterize PUF [poly(urea formaldehyde)] microcapsules containing 5-ethylidene-2-norbornene (ENB) as self-healing agent, as well as the compatibility evaluation of ENB in the presence of Grubb's catalyst with an epoxy matrix. First, the results of an adhesion assay by lap shear proved chemical compatibility between the epoxy matrix and self-healing agent in the presence of Grubb's catalyst. After evaluating the chemical compatibility, microcapsules with ENB were synthesized in an oil-in-water emulsion system.

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Backgrounds: Major lung resection is associated with high postoperative morbidity and mortality, especially due to cardiorespiratory complications. Right ventricle (RV) ejection, pulmonary artery (PA) pressure, and tone are tightly coupled. Since the RV is exquisitely sensitive to changes in afterload, an acute increase in RV outflow resistance (i.

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Simulating the carbon-water fluxes at more widely distributed meteorological stations based on the sparsely and unevenly distributed eddy covariance flux stations is needed to accurately understand the carbon-water cycle of terrestrial ecosystems. We established a new framework consisting of machine learning, determination coefficient (R), Euclidean distance, and remote sensing (RS), to simulate the daily net ecosystem carbon dioxide exchange (NEE) and water flux (WF) of the Eurasian meteorological stations using a random forest model or/and RS. The daily NEE and WF datasets with RS-based information (NEE-RS and WF-RS) for 3774 and 4427 meteorological stations during 2002-2020 were produced, respectively.

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A considerable number of papers have been published to assess self-healing capacity of several materials, as well as several applications in different areas. However, the impact assessment of changing synthesis parameters of microcapsules, hollow fibers or microvascular systems in its final physicochemical properties are still an emerging research field. This current paper presents a synthesis process of PU microcapsules containing TDI as core agent and the characterization of microcapsules physicochemical properties.

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Article Synopsis
  • Scientists studied how plants use resources at the leaf level and wanted to see if similar patterns happen at the ecosystem level, which is a bigger area with lots of plants and animals.
  • They checked if three well-known theories about plant traits matched what happens in communities of plants and their ecosystems by analyzing data from many places.
  • They found that the patterns hold true at the ecosystem level, which could help create better models to predict how climate change affects nature.
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  • Depression is a widespread mental disorder linked to significant socio-economic issues, but the underlying biological mechanisms are not well understood.
  • The gut microbiota plays a crucial role in regulating brain function through the gut-brain axis, where an imbalance can negatively impact mental health and cognitive abilities.
  • Strategies like probiotics and dietary changes, particularly the Mediterranean diet, show potential for enhancing depression treatments by restoring gut balance and improving the effectiveness of antidepressants.
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Introduction: Several predictive scores to evaluate outcomes of adrenal surgery for unilateral primary aldosteronism (UPA), have been conceived. We compared a novel trifecta that summarizes outcomes of adrenal surgery for UPA with the clinical cure proposed by Vorselaars.

Material And Methods: Between March 2011 and January 2022, a multi-institutional dataset was queried for UPA.

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Background: To evaluate the ability of therapeutic intensity score (TIS) in predicting the clinical outcomes of partial (PA) and total adrenalectomy (TA) for UPA.

Methods: Between 2011 and 2022, a four-center adrenalectomy dataset was queried for "unilateral adrenal mass" and "UPA" (n = 90). Preoperative TIS of each antihypertensive medication were individually calculated and merged to create a single, cumulative variable.

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Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressive memory loss and cognitive decline. Although substantial research has been conducted to elucidate the complex pathophysiology of AD, the therapeutic approach still has limited efficacy in clinical practice. Oxidative stress (OS) has been established as an early driver of several age-related diseases, including neurodegeneration.

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  • * Oxidative stress results from an imbalance between harmful pro-oxidants and beneficial antioxidants, and is a key driver of cellular senescence.
  • * The text reviews different types of antioxidants, including vitamins and flavonoids, that could potentially combat oxidative stress and help delay aging, highlighting a need for further comprehensive research in this area.
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Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease characterized by amyloid-β (Aβ) plaque deposition and neurofibrillary tangle accumulation in the brain. Although several studies have been conducted to unravel the complex and interconnected pathophysiology of AD, clinical trial failure rates have been high, and no disease-modifying therapies are presently available. Fluid biomarker discovery for AD is a rapidly expanding field of research aimed at anticipating disease diagnosis and following disease progression over time.

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Background: This systematic review and metanalysis was conducted to assess differences between perioperative and functional outcomes in patients undergoing minimally-invasive partial (mi-PA) and total adrenalectomy (mi-TA) for unilateral primary aldosteronism (uPHA).

Material And Methods: Multiple scientific databases (PUBMED, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library) were searched up to November 2021 for surgical series comparing mi-PA vs. mi-TA for uPHA according to the PRISMA statement.

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Background: To propose a trifecta that summarizes endpoints and predicts their maintenance after adrenalectomy ( = 90) for unilateral primary aldosteronism (UPA).

Methods: Trifecta was defined as coexistence of: ≥50% antihypertensive therapeutic intensity score reduction (∆TIS), no hypokalemia at 3 months, and no Clavien grade 2-5. Logistic regression was used to identify predictors of trifecta.

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  • This study analyzes the effects of the two COVID-19 pandemic waves on surgical admissions and severity of clinical cases in Trento, Italy, by comparing data from 2020 with data from the same periods in 2019.
  • It examines patient loads related to urgent and emergency surgeries during different phases of the pandemic, specifically looking at three distinct time frames: the initial lockdown, the summer break, and the second wave with ongoing restrictions.
  • The primary outcomes focus on the number of admissions and surgical rates for key diagnoses like diverticulitis and appendicitis, along with assessing the severity of patient conditions based on factors such as age and hospital stay duration.
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