Publications by authors named "Lanza M"

Background And Purpose: Muscle strength, power, and mass decline with aging, leading to functional loss highly correlated with balance and falls in older adults. Lower limb muscle function is critical for fall prevention in older adults, and hip abductor force and rapid force development have been shown to be important during stepping tasks. However, it remains unclear whether hip abductor muscle function changes with aging.

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Purpose: Postoperative pain is a major concern for patients undergoing ultrasound scalpel-assisted hemorrhoidectomy, potentially exacerbated by delayed wound healing. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of an intimate cleansing gel containing chlorhexidine, hyaluronic acid, and other anti-inflammatory agents (Antroclean Fisioderm) on postoperative pain, itching, and wound healing in patients who had undergone this procedure.

Methods: This multicenter observational case-control study involved a cohort of consecutive adult patients who underwent hemorrhoidectomy using an ultrasound device.

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There has been huge interest among chemical scientists in the electrochemical reduction of nitrate (NO) to ammonia (NH) due to the useful application of NH in nitrogen fertilizers and fuel. To conduct such a complex reduction reaction, which involves eight electrons and eight protons, one needs to develop high-performance (and stable) electrocatalysts that favor the formation of reaction intermediates that are selective toward ammonia production. In the present study, we developed and applied CoO/graphene nanoribbon (GNR) electrocatalysts with excellent properties for the effective reduction of NO to NH, where NH yield rate of 42.

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The present work investigated the application of UVC combined with electrogenerated HO (UVC/e-HO) for BTA degradation using a Printex L6 carbon-based (PL6C) gas diffusion electrode (GDE). The studies were carried out by analyzing the influence of the current density, pH and initial BTA concentration in the contaminant degradation process. Under optimal conditions using 0.

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This study reports the development and implementation of a straightforward, rapid, and cost-effective voltammetric technique for piroxicam (PIR) detection at nanomolar concentrations in biological and environmental samples. The method involved the use of a screen-printed electrode (SPE) enhanced with a combination of Printex L6 carbon (PL6C) and polyaniline-based activated carbon (PAC) on a chitosan film crosslinked with epichlorohydrin (CTS:EPH). The detection was carried out using square-wave adsorptive anodic stripping voltammetry (SWAdASV) in a 0.

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Red blood cells (RBCs), traditionally recognized for their role in transporting oxygen, play a pivotal role in the body's immune response by expressing TLR9 and scavenging excess host cell-free DNA. DNA capture by RBCs leads to accelerated RBC clearance and triggers inflammation. Whether RBCs can also acquire microbial DNA during infections is unknown.

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Article Synopsis
  • Macroautophagy involves creating structures called autophagosomes for cellular cleanup, and disrupting their closure has unknown effects.
  • Researchers created mice with a specific mutation that impairs autophagosome closure, resulting in various issues like protein buildup and growth problems, though some survive into adulthood.
  • The study found that this mutation causes the buildup of a protein (TBK1) on forming autophagosomes, leading to increased phosphorylation and aggregation of other proteins, suggesting a new role for these structures in managing cellular waste.
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Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a condition of poor alveolar formation that causes chronic breathing impairment in infants born prematurely. Preterm lungs lack surfactant and are vulnerable to oxidative injuries driving the development of BPD. Our recent studies reported that surfactant protein A (SP-A) genetic variants influence susceptibility to neonatal lung disease.

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Background And Purpose: Resistance training exercise provides increases in muscle size and is used by coaches and health care professional as a tool to improve functional performance. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of 10 weeks of resistance training program performed on the bench press (BP) exercise on the hypertrophic responses of four different muscles (pectoralis major, anterior and medial deltoid, brachii, and pectoralis minor) involved in the task compared to controls.

Methods: Twenty-four healthy males were recruited, and thirteen performed a resistance training intervention while eleven were control.

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MXenes have excellent properties as electrode materials in energy storage devices or fuel cells. In bioelectrochemical systems (for wastewater treatment and energy harvesting), MXenes can have antimicrobial characteristics in some conditions. Here, different intercalation and delamination approaches to obtain TiCT MXene flakes with different terminal groups and lateral dimensions are comprehensively investigated.

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Background And Purpose: Health disparities and inequities are an important and too long overlooked public health concern worldwide. These differences in health and health care can affect people with any disease, including neurological disorders. The aim of this systematic review is to provide an updated overview of the main health inequities faced by neurological patients worldwide, to plan valuable interventions.

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  • Onchocerciasis and lymphatic filariasis (LF) are diseases prevalent in Equatorial Guinea, with efforts historically focused on Bioko Island, which has successfully interrupted onchocerciasis transmission, prompting a need to assess mainland regions where transmission status is unclear.
  • The study, conducted from September to December 2019, employed various diagnostic methods on a sample of 3,951 individuals to estimate the prevalence of these diseases on the mainland, marking the first cross-sectional analysis for this area.
  • Results showed a very low onchocerciasis seroprevalence of 0.3%, and while no O. volvulus microfilariae were found in biopsies, DNA evidence confirmed its presence in one
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Though similar motor unit (MU) discharge properties have been observed during slow sustained contractions between chronically strength-trained (ST) and untrained (UT) individuals, it is currently unknown whether differences between these groups exist for when maximal in vivo MU discharge rate is assessed during rapid, maximal rate of force development (RFD) contractions. Therefore, we compared MU discharge characteristics and RFD during rapid contractions in chronic ST and UT individuals. The investigations were performed in two independent cohorts of chronically ST men, with trained elbow flexors (, = 13, 6 ± 4 yr of training experience) or knee extensors (, = 11, 9 ± 4 yr of experience), and compared with those of UT ( = 12 and = 10, respectively).

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  • * Genetic mutations in the LRRK2 gene are significant as they increase LRRK2 activity, disrupting neuronal autophagy and contributing to neurotoxicity and neuron death.
  • * The review explores how the upregulation of casein kinase (CK) affects the AMPK pathway and contributes to disease processes in NDDs by impacting proteins associated with diseases like PD, HD, and AD, highlighting the role of kinases in their development.
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  • * Thirty-one participants underwent either PERT or VOL training, consisting of 80 lateral and some anterior/posterior step trials, and various outcome measures were assessed, including step initiation time and step length.
  • * Results showed that the PERT group initiated lateral steps faster with their non-paretic leg and improved overall stepping performance and balance more significantly than the VOL group, suggesting external perturbation training offers greater benefits for stroke recovery.
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Ultraflat metal foils are essential for semiconductor nanoelectronics applications and nanomaterial epitaxial growth. Numerous efforts have been devoted to metal surface engineering studies in the past decades. However, various challenges persist, including size limitations, polishing non-uniformities, and undesired contaminants.

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  • Cottontail rabbit papillomavirus (CRPV) serves as a key model for studying how certain viruses cause tumors, yet research has been hindered by a lack of comprehensive data on its transcriptome.
  • The study developed a complete transcription map of CRPV using various advanced techniques, revealing distinct early and late RNA transcripts produced from five main promoters and two polyadenylation sites.
  • It was found that CRPV undergoes significant alternative splicing, generating over 33 RNA isoforms that produce at least 12 viral proteins, thereby providing insights into how CRPV contributes to tumor development.
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  • * Benzyl isothiocyanate (BITC), a natural compound, has shown potential anticancer effects in ATC, influencing crucial cellular processes.
  • * The study suggests that BITC may slow ATC progression by interacting with autophagy, reducing epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and lowering inflammation, indicating it warrants further research for new treatment approaches.
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Moiré superlattices in twisted van der Waals homo/heterostructures present a fascinating interplay between electronic and atomic structures, with potential applications in electronic and optoelectronic devices. Flexoelectricity, an electromechanical coupling between electric polarization and strain gradient, is intrinsic to these superlattices because of the lattice misfit strain at the atomic scale. However, due to its weak magnitude, the effect of flexoelectricity on moiré ferroelectricity has remained underexplored.

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  • - Hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) is a crucial two-dimensional insulator that could revolutionize post-silicon electronics, but there are challenges in producing high-quality monolayers for use in semiconductors.
  • - The research focuses on understanding the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process for synthesizing hBN, specifically how varying oxygen levels can influence the shape and quality of hBN crystals.
  • - By utilizing density functional theory, the study reveals mechanisms behind hBN growth and highlights methods for creating large-area, high-quality single-crystal films, paving the way for efficient production techniques in industry.
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Conductive atomic force microscopy (CAFM) analyzes electronic phenomena in materials and devices with nanoscale lateral resolution, and it is widely used by companies, research institutions, and universities. Most data published in the field of CAFM is collected in air at a relative humidity (RH) of 30-60%. However, the effect of RH in CAFM remains unclear because previous studies often made contradictory claims, plus the number of samples and locations tested is scarce.

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The aim of these evidence-based guidelines is to present a consensus position from members of the Italian Unitary Society of Colon-Proctology (Società Italiana Unitaria di Colon-Proctologia, SIUCP) on the diagnosis and management of hemorrhoidal disease, with the goal of guiding physicians in the choice of the best treatment option. A panel of experts was charged by the Board of the SIUCP to develop key questions on the main topics related to the management of hemorrhoidal disease and to perform an accurate and comprehensive literature search on each topic, in order to provide evidence-based answers to the questions and to summarize them in statements. All the clinical questions were discussed by the expert panel in multiple rounds through the Delphi approach and, for each statement, a consensus among the experts was reached.

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Whereas an exercise intervention effectively improves patients' quality of life, little information is available about the contribution of each physical fitness component. This study aims to explore the association between physical fitness components and the quality-of-life domain in patients with cancer. Between September 2021 and August 2023, 160 patients with mixed cancer types visiting the Oncology Unit were selected on a consecutive basis according to selection criteria.

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