During the first months of 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic has affected several countries all over the world, including Italy. To prevent the spread of the virus, governments instructed employers and ...self-employed workers to close their offices and work from home. Thus, the use of remote working increased during the pandemic and is expected to maintain high levels of application even after the emergency. Despite its benefits for both organizations and workers, remote working entails negative consequences, such as technostress. The present study had a double aim: to test the psychometric characteristics of the Italian translation of the brief version of the technostress creators scale and to apply the scale to investigate technostress during the Covid-19 emergency. The research involved 878 participants for the first study and 749 participants for the second one; they completed a self-report online questionnaire. Results confirmed the three-factor structure of the Italian technostress creators scale and highlighted positive relationships between workload, techno-stressors, work–family conflict and behavioural stress. The role of remote working conditions has been analysed as well. The study provided a useful tool for the investigation of technostress in the Italian context. Moreover, it provided indications for practice in the field of remote working and workers’ wellbeing.
Review on how tumor‐derived sterol metabolites activate the liver‐X‐receptor in dendritic cells and prevent their migration and induction of anti‐tumor immune responses.
The mechanisms of tumor ...immune evasion have gained increasing interest among the tumor immunologists, because of their ability to suppress spontaneous and immunotherapy‐elicited antitumor responses. Recent studies clearly show that the deletion of cells/molecules involved in tumor evasion is capable of restoring antitumor immune responses, ultimately leading to tumor rejection in mouse tumor models. These studies further support and strengthen the idea to target not only the cancer cell‐intrinsic defects but also those affecting cells of the microenvironment, such as immune cells. The alterations of cancer cell metabolism are also emerging as important regulators of immune cell function, with particular emphasis on immune‐escape mechanisms. Indeed, intermediate or final products of cancer cell metabolism may interfere with the function of immune cells infiltrating the tumor microenvironment. This review will focus on the role of cholesterol metabolism, with particular emphasis on the axis LXR/LXR ligands. This axis has been shown to affect DC migration to lymphoid organs, thus dampening the induction of successful antitumor responses. Finally, we will discuss whether this pathway may interfere with other immune cells infiltrating tumors and how to improve spontaneous and immunotherapy‐based antitumor responses by counteracting this immune‐escape mechanism.
Neutralizing antibodies have become an important tool in treating infectious diseases. Recently, two separate approaches yielded successful antibody treatments for Ebola-one from genetically ...humanized mice and the other from a human survivor. Here, we describe parallel efforts using both humanized mice and convalescent patients to generate antibodies against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike protein, which yielded a large collection of fully human antibodies that were characterized for binding, neutralization, and three-dimensional structure. On the basis of these criteria, we selected pairs of highly potent individual antibodies that simultaneously bind the receptor binding domain of the spike protein, thereby providing ideal partners for a therapeutic antibody cocktail that aims to decrease the potential for virus escape mutants that might arise in response to selective pressure from a single-antibody treatment.
IGFBP-1 and IGFBP-2 are suppressed by growth hormone and therefore represent less prominent members of the IGFBP family when compared to IGFBP-3 that carries most of the IGFs during circulation under ...normal conditions in humans in vivo. As soon as the GH signal is decreased expression of IGF-I and IGFBP-3 is reduced. Under conditions of lowered suppression by GH the time seems come for IGFBP-1 and IGFBP-2. Both IGFBPs are potent effectors of growth and metabolism. Secretion of IGFBP-1 and IGFBP-2 is further suppressed by insulin and diminished with increasing obesity. Both IGFBP family members share the RGD sequence motif that mediates binding to integrins and is linked to PTEN/PI3K signalling. In mice, IGFBP-2 prevents age- and diet-dependent glucose insensitivity and blocks differentiation of preadipocytes. The latter function is modulated by two distinct heparin-binding domains of IGFBP-2 which are lacking in IGFBP-1. IGFBP-2 is further regulated by leptin and has been demonstrated to affect insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance, further supporting a particular role of IGFBP-2 in glucose and fat metabolism. Since IGFBP-2 is controlled by sex steroids as well, we devised a scheme to compare IGFBP effects in breast, ovarian and prostate cancer. While a positive association does not seem to exist with IGFBP-1 and risk of cancers within these reproductive tissues, a relationship between IGFBP-2 and breast cancer, ovarian cancer and prostate cancer does indeed appear to be present. To date, the specific roles of IGFBP-2 in estrogen signalling are unclear, though there is accumulating evidence for an effect of IGFBP-2 on PI3K signalling via PTEN, particularly in breast cancer.
The radical changes deriving from the COVID-19 emergency have heavily upset some of the most familiar routines of daily work life. Abruptly, many workers have been forced to face the difficulties ...that come with switching to remote working. Basing on the theoretical framework proposed by the Job Demands-Resources model, the purpose of this paper was to explore the effect of work overload (workload and techno overload), on behavioral stress, meant as an outcome linked to the health impairment process. Furthermore, the aim of the study was to explore the mediating role of job crafting, considered as a second-order construct consisting of two dimensions (increasing structural resources and increasing challenging demands) in the abovementioned relation. Participants were 530 workers experiencing remote working or work-from-home during the first COVID-19 lockdown in Italy (March-May 2020). Hypotheses were explored by using three different latent variables, measured reflexively through indicators on a 5-point scale, extracted from validated questionnaires. Data analysis was performed through Structural Equation Modeling; to test the mediation, bootstrap validation was computed (
= 2,000). Results showed that the mediation of job crafting was partial. More specifically, the direct effect between work overload and behavioral stress was positive; moreover, the indirect, negative effect through the mediation of job crafting was also significant. Therefore, results showed that job crafting can play a crucial role as a protective factor supporting the activation and adjustment of suitable resources; these resources can be useful to deal with the negative effects of work overload, particularly under the condition of heavy remote working and use of technologies, on individual outcomes. Starting from the current global scenario of the pandemic that has not yet ceased its effects, the study suggested decisive theoretical and practical implications. Accordingly, findings extended the current trends in occupational health psychology research, with special reference to the mainstream topic "work and COVID-19" in the Italian context. Finally, results can give suggestions to companies engaged in managing change, recommending that they build a collaborative workplace at the individual and collective level to implement job crafting interventions and enrich the personal and organizational resources of workers, which is useful cope with the current demands.
Background Aortic dissection is a major cardiovascular disease associated with a high mortality rate. In complicated type B dissection, with favorable anatomy, endovascular surgical repair (thoracic ...endovascular aortic repair TEVAR) is considered the treatment of choice. Intimomedial injury induced by stent graft, or stent graft-induced new entry (SINE), has a clinically significant incidence. SINE can occur at the proximal or distal level of the stent graft. The aim of this retrospective study was to investigate the incidence, mechanism, and predictive factors of late distal SINE. Methods We reviewed 139 discharged patients after TEVAR for type B or residual aortic dissection after type A surgery, from January 2007 to March 2013. Three intervals of computed tomography imaging were collected, including before and after primary TEVAR and with the first detection of distal SINE. Four accessible measurement methods for precise size selection of the stent graft before and after the procedure were analyzed at the distal end level of the primary stent graft. Results Among the 139 patients, only 108 had complete preoperative and follow-up imaging and were enrolled in the study. The mean age of the patients was 59.7 ± 11.7 years, and 92 patients (85.2%) were men. Seventy had type B aortic dissection, and 38 had residual aortic dissection after type A surgery. The mean follow-up period was 36.1 ± 25.7 months. During follow-up, distal SINE occurred in 30 patients (27.8%), and 18 of them (60%) underwent secondary TEVAR whereas the remaining 12 patients were medically treated. No statistically significant differences in demographic and clinical conditions were seen between patients with or patients without SINE. The incidence of SINE was lower for acute than for chronic dissection (16% versus 50%). At the multivariate analysis, the independent factors associated with SINE development were the oversizing ratio of the area (odds ratio 1.858; 95% confidence interval: 1.109 to 3.064; p = 0.018) and of the mean diameter (odds ratio 1.858; 95% confidence interval: 1.109 to 3.064; p = 0.018). Conclusions Type B aortic dissection can be treated effectively with TEVAR. The incidence of distal SINE is not negligible but is not associated with poor outcomes. The main determinant of SINE seems to be an excessive oversizing, which is particularly evident in the distal end. More accurate sizing can be obtained by evaluating the area of the true lumen.
Oxidative stress is a critical factor in the pathogenesis and progression of diabetes and its associated complications. The imbalance between reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and the body’s ...antioxidant defence mechanisms leads to cellular damage and dysfunction. In diabetes, chronic hyperglycaemia and mitochondrial dysfunction contribute to increased ROS production, further exacerbating oxidative stress. This oxidative burden adversely affects various aspects of diabetes, including impaired beta-cell function and insulin resistance, leading to disrupted glucose regulation. Additionally, oxidative stress-induced damage to blood vessels and impaired endothelial function contribute to the development of diabetic vascular complications such as retinopathy, nephropathy, and cardiovascular diseases. Moreover, organs and tissues throughout the body, including the kidneys, nerves, and eyes, are vulnerable to oxidative stress, resulting in diabetic nephropathy, neuropathy, and retinopathy. Strategies to mitigate oxidative stress in diabetes include antioxidant therapy, lifestyle modifications, and effective management of hyperglycaemia. However, further research is necessary to comprehensively understand the underlying mechanisms of oxidative stress in diabetes and to evaluate the efficacy of antioxidant interventions in preventing and treating diabetic complications. By addressing oxidative stress, it might be possible to alleviate the burden of diabetes and improve patient outcomes.
A literatura portuguesa pós-25 de Abril pode ser encarada também como uma literatura pós-imperial? Isto é, como uma literatura que não só vem “depois” do fim do Império mas que reage criticamente ao ...fim do Império através de inúmeras estratégias ideológicas e retóricas? A nossa ideia move da constatação de que existe na poesia e na prosa portuguesas do final do século XX e nas primeiras duas décadas do século XXI uma constelação de obras que usam do amplo espectro da veia cómica (ironia, sátira, farsa) para enfrentar os fantasmas e as fantasmagorias que ainda assombram o tempo presente português e a sua complexa relação com o passado colonial. O nosso exercício crítico irá privilegiar parte da obra de dois autores portugueses contemporâneos (ainda que de gerações diferentes): o poeta e médico Jorge de Sousa Braga (1957) que é possível identificar com a geração de 80 da poesia portuguesa do século XX, e a poetisa e ensaista Patrícia Lino (1990) cujo Kit de Sobrevivência do Descobridor Português no Mundo Anticolonial foi publicado agora em 2020.
Tilt testing remains a valuable asset Sutton, Richard; Fedorowski, Artur; Olshansky, Brian ...
European heart journal,
05/2021, Letnik:
42, Številka:
17
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Abstract
Head-up tilt test (TT) has been used for >50 years to study heart rate/blood pressure adaptation to positional changes, to model responses to haemorrhage, to assess orthostatic hypotension, ...and to evaluate haemodynamic and neuroendocrine responses in congestive heart failure, autonomic dysfunction, and hypertension. During these studies, some subjects experienced syncope due to vasovagal reflex. As a result, tilt testing was incorporated into clinical assessment of syncope when the origin was unknown. Subsequently, clinical experience supports the diagnostic value of TT. This is highlighted in evidence-based professional practice guidelines, which provide advice for TT methodology and interpretation, while concurrently identifying its limitations. Thus, TT remains a valuable clinical asset, one that has added importantly to the appreciation of pathophysiology of syncope/collapse and, thereby, has improved care of syncopal patients.
Graphical Abstract
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