University of the Sacred Heart

Travel distance to tertiary healthcare reflects disease severity and medication access in Italian systemic sclerosis patients: a geographical study on adult-onset rare diseases from SPRING-SIR registry

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a rare, multiorgan disease in adults that requires specialized care. Commuting to tertiary medical centers poses a considerable burden and incurs significant costs, potentially affecting management choices. This study aims to describe the healthcare co...

Mitochondrial Remodeling and Impaired Bioenergetics Define Neuronal Vulnerability in Fragile X-Related Disorders

Fragile X syndrome (FXS) and related conditions associated with FMR1 gene alterations have increasingly been linked to mitochondrial dysfunction, although most available evidence derives from peripheral cell models. Whether these abnormalities also occur in disease-relevant neuro...

Phenotype-based appropriateness of IGM-enriched polyclonal immunoglobulin use in critical illness: report of an expert consensus

Sepsis and septic shock result from a dysregulated host response to infection, encompassing both hyperinflammatory and immunosuppressed phenotypes. Although immunomodulatory adjunctive therapies have been extensively investigated over the past decades, none have demonstrated cons...

The Systemic Unity of Philosophy Through Holism and Realism

Abstract Given the increasing specialization of contemporary philosophical inquiry, this paper asks whether philosophy can still be conceived as a unitary form of knowledge endowed with a fundamental function underlying its various branches. It argues that the essential nature of...

Substance Use during Pregnancy: A Retrospective Multicenter Clinical Report from Four Italian Centers

Background: Rising substance use during pregnancy is a major global health concern associated with adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes. Despite growing international literature, Italian real-world multicenter data remain limited. Methods: We conducted a retrospective descripti...

Lifelong Genetic Inhibition of PCSK9 and Hepatic Safety

This genetic association study investigates whether the full spectrum of rare PCSK9 loss-of-function variants is associated with incident liver-related outcomes, given the development of therapies targeting proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9).

Systematic Review of the Global Patterns and Determinants of International Student Mobility

ABSTRACT This systematic literature review synthesizes and analyses a corpus of 140 studies on the size and flows of international student mobility (ISM), as well as its determinants. The review confirms a consistent global increase in international students, albeit experienced d...

Precision without participation: why precision psychiatry needs Collaborative/Therapeutic Assessment

Contemporary psychiatry often assumes that more precise diagnosis will yield more effective care. Biomarkers, digital phenotyping, artificial intelligence and related tools promise better diagnosis, treatment selection and outcomes. Yet this expectation is clinically incomplete:...

Reproducibility, Replicability, and Research Quality in Homogeneous Catalysis

Abstract Researchers from all sectors of homogeneous catalysis convened in response to concerns regarding reproducibility in science to analyze the issue and provide recommendations. In addition to an in-person workshop, the group engaged the broader homogeneous catalysis communi...

Decoding the causes of ischemic stroke despite ongoing oral anticoagulation and their clinical impact: the ASPERA-R study

BACKGROUND: Oral anticoagulants (OACs), including vitamin K antagonists and direct OACs, reduce stroke risk in atrial fibrillation (AF), yet breakthrough ischemic stroke still occurs in 1-2% of patients annually despite adequate therapy. The mechanisms underlying these events rem...

Acute kidney injury and renal replacement therapy: a critical synthesis of metabolic derangements and nutritional implications

Acute kidney injury (AKI) affects up to 50% of critically ill patients and is frequently complicated by severe metabolic derangements, requiring the initiation of replacement therapy (RRT) in 10–15% of cases. Despite substantial progress in the diagnosis of AKI and optimisation o...

Integrated Strategy for Low-FODMAP Bread Formulation: Selection of Wheat Flours and Microbial Starter

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) symptoms are often triggered by the consumption of fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols (FODMAPs), which are widely found in cereal-based foods, dairy products, fruits, legumes, and vegetables. Among these, cerea...