Publications by authors named "Silvia Villa"

Our study aims to evaluate clinical predictors of menstrual cycle disorders in female athletes who compete in running disciplines. This is a prospective observational study. Women were recruited between January and May 2022.

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Background: During their clinical practice, nursing students learn to manage patient safety through their experiences, emotions, and interpersonal relationships.

Objectives: To explore contextual and mechanistic factors that facilitate a sense of emotional safety for learning in nursing students, particularly regarding patient safety events experienced during their placements.

Design: A descriptive qualitative study using narratives and thematic analysis.

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Background: Although healthcare personnel are considered a high-risk group for SARS-CoV-2 infection due to their exposure, research on the factors associated with their infection is limited. The objective was to identify factors associated with the acquisition of COVID-19 in healthcare personnel.

Methods: a multicenter, cross-sectional study with nested cases and controls was carried out in 23 hospitals in Argentina.

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Venovenous ECMO is a lifesaving technique for patients with severe respiratory failure. Management of carbon dioxide (CO) levels at ECMO start is crucial, as recent studies found an association between rapid CO shifts and increased incidence of neurological complications.: To describe the role of end tidal CO (etCO) monitoring at the ECMO start to minimize carbon dioxide shifts.

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In Intensive Care Unit (ICU) survivors, critical illness has an impact on an individual's long-term health status and quality of life. Adults who have recovered from intensive care management could develop muscle weakness, neurocognitive impairment, difficulties in managing activities of daily living and to returning to work, and psychological problems such as depression and anxiety. A prospective, observational study was designed.

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Purpose: Non-invasive respiratory support could reduce the incidence of intubation in patients with Acute Hypoxemic Respiratory Failure (AHRF). The optimal interface or modality of non-invasive respiratory support is debated. We sought to evaluate the differences between patients who succeeded or failed non-invasive respiratory support, with a specific focus on the type of non-invasive respiratory support (i.

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Low motor competence (MC) can cause low participation in physical activities in preschool children, and together with a high caloric intake, it can lead to obesity. Interventions on motor skills are effective in the short term to improve MC, therefore the objectives of this study were (1) to investigate the effect of a short six-week program on levels of motor competence in preschool children, and (2) to examine the effects of gender-based intervention. A total of 156 preschool children (5.

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Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the implementation of an intensive care unit (ICU) diary in an Italian general ICU.

Methods: A mixed-methods pilot study was performed, enrolling all patients who received an ICU diary in an Italian ICU during the study period.

Results: Study results are presented in 2 sections: (1) diary evaluation and content themes and (2) follow-up program results.

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Optimal anticoagulation monitoring in patients with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is fundamental to avoid hemorrhagic and thromboembolic complications. Besides conventional coagulation tests, there is growing interest in the use of viscoelastic hemostatic assays (VHA), in particular of tromboelastography (TEG). Evidence on the use of rotational thromboelastometry (ROTEM) is lacking in this setting.

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Background: The psychological burden possibly deriving from not immediately undergoing radical treatment for prostate cancer (PCa) could be a potential disadvantage of active surveillance (AS), especially in the eve of some relevant clinical exams [i.e., re-biopsy, prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test, and medical examination].

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Objective: Air pollution has been recently identified as a risk factor for multiple sclerosis. Aim of this study was to investigate the immunological mechanism underlying the clinical association between air pollution, namely exposure to particulate matter 10 (PM10), and inflammatory activity of multiple sclerosis (MS) METHODS: Daily recording of PM10 was obtained by monitors depending on the residence of subjects. Expression of molecules involved in activation, adhesion, and migration of T lymphocytes were tested by flow cytometry in 57 MS patients and 19 healthy controls.

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Introduction: During Continuous Positive Pressure Ventilation delivered through helmet, the patient inhales high flows of gas without adequate conditioning. However, the need to humidify the inspired gas during Helmet-CPAP, has not been sufficiently explored.

Methods: Experimental design study.

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Background: Electrical impedance tomography (EIT) is a bedside monitoring technique of the respiratory system that measures impedance changes within the thorax. The close correlation between variations in impedance (ΔZ) and lung volumes (Vt) is known. Unless Vt is measured by an external reference (e.

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In the present work, the crystallization of anatase TiO₂ nanoparticles (NPs), using different ferrite nanoparticles with different chemical composition, dimensions and shape as nucleation seeds, was investigated. In particular, CoFe₂O₄, NiFe₂O₄ and Fe₃O₄ NPs with a volume ratio equal to 1:1000 with respect of TiO₂ amount, were used in order to investigate the synthesis of nanocrystalline tetragonal anatase TiO₂ by a hydrothermal synthesis. In addition, Lu₂O₃ nanoparticles were also used to detect the effect of a non-magnetic nanoparticle on the synthesis and nanocrystallization of titania.

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Introduction: ABO blood type A was reported to correlate with an increased risk of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in white patients with severe sepsis and major trauma compared with patients with other blood types. Information regarding ABO phenotypes and major outcomes in patients with ARDS is unavailable. The primary aim was to determine the relationship between ABO blood type A and intensive care unit (ICU) mortality in patients with acute hypoxemic respiratory failure (AHRF).

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Magnetite-based magnetic nanoparticles have been successfully coupled to an organic system constituted of a fluorescent molecule, a tripeptide specifier and a spacer. The system is able to selectively release the fluorescent molecule upon targeted enzymatic hydrolysis promoted by a lysine/arginine specific protease.

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Background: Some environmental factors have been already associated to increased risk of multiple sclerosis (MS), but it is plausible that additional factors might play a role.

Objective: To investigate in MS patients the relationship between inflammatory activity, detected by brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with gadolinium (Gd), and air pollution, namely, particulate matters with diameter less than 10 μm (PM).

Methods: We analyzed from 52 remitting MS patients 226 brain MRIs, 34% with (Gd+MRI) and 66% without (Gd-MRI) T1-Gd-enhancing lesions.

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In this paper the results concerning the synthesis of magnetite (Fe₃O₄) nanoparticles (NPs), their functionalization using silane derivatives, such as (3-Aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (APTES) and (3-mercaptopropyl)trimethoxysilane (MPTMS), and their exhaustive morphological and physical characterization by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) with energy dispersion X-ray spectrometer (EDX) analysis, AC magnetic susceptibility, UV-VIS and IR spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric (TGA) analyses are reported. Two different paths were adopted to achieve the desired functionalization: (1) the direct reaction between the functionalized organo-silane molecule and the surface of the magnetite nanoparticle; and (2) the use of an intermediate silica coating. Finally, the occurrence of both the functionalization with amino and thiol groups has been demonstrated by the reaction with ninhydrin and the capture of Au NPs, respectively.

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The enhancement of the photocatalytic activity of TiO₂ nanoparticles (NPs), synthesized in the presence of a very small amount of magnetite (Fe₃O₄) nanoparticles, is here presented and discussed. From X-ray diffraction (XRD) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analyses, the crystallinity of TiO₂ nanoparticles (NPs) seems to be affected by Fe₃O₄, acting as nano-seeds to improve the tetragonal TiO₂ anatase structure with respect to the amorphous one. Photocatalytic activity data, i.

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Purpose: To evaluate the outcomes of active surveillance (AS) on patients with low-risk prostate cancer (PCa) and to identify predictors of disease reclassification.

Methods: In 2005, we defined an institutional AS protocol (Sorveglianza Attiva Istituto Nazionale Tumori [SAINT]), and we joined the Prostate Cancer Research International: Active Surveillance (PRIAS) study in 2007. Eligibility criteria included clinical stage ≤T2a, initial prostate-specific antigen (PSA) <10 ng/mL, and Gleason Pattern Score (GPS) ≤3 + 3 (both protocols); ≤25% positive cores with a maximum core length containing cancer ≤50% (SAINT); and ≤2 positive cores and PSA density <0.

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Purpose: The Memorial Anxiety Scale for Prostate Cancer (MAX-PC) is a self-report questionnaire that was developed in English to assess prostate cancer (PCa)-related anxiety. The aim of this study was to perform a cultural adaptation for the tool to be used in a population of Italian men on active surveillance (AS).

Methods: A total of 222 patients with localized PCa who were recruited for the Prostate Cancer Research International: Active Surveillance (PRIAS) protocol completed the MAX-PC.

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Improving quality of life is a key issue for patients with prostate cancer (PCa). Lifestyle interventions could positively impact the quality of life of patients. However, there is no clear-cut understanding of the role of diet, exercise and risky behaviour reduction in improving the quality of life of men with PCa.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to explore whether patients experience regret after stopping an active surveillance (AS) protocol for cancer treatment and to identify potential influencing factors.
  • A total of 204 patients who had discontinued AS were asked to complete various questionnaires regarding their experiences, with 105 patients participating in the study.
  • The findings revealed that most participants reported low levels of regret about their decision to follow or discontinue the AS protocol, with no significant correlation identified between regret and sociodemographic or clinical variables.
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