Consorzio per la Ricerca Sanitaria

Supercapacitors (SCs) are efficient energy storage devices ideal for handling abrupt power variations. However, challenges like high costs, low voltage ratings, and limited frequency response have currently restricted their widespread adoption. Some high-energy applications are starting to integrate SCs into designs, and thousands of SC modules consequently have to be directly connected or integrated in a power converter, such as a Modular Multilevel Converter (MMC), to meet energy and voltage demands. A critical issue arises from the degradation of SCs over time, as variations in capacitance and internal resistance can occur due to aging or production mismatches. Current studies emphasize redundancy and maintenance strategies to extend the lifespan of SC-based systems, but they lack insights into the coexistence of old and new SC modules. This paper addresses this gap by analyzing the impact on electrical quantities of unevenly degraded SCs integrated into an MMC-like converter and proposing an innovative control strategy to improve the system performance.

Abstract The ITER Neutral Beam Test Facility (NBTF), called PRIMA (Padova Research on ITER Megavolt Accelerator), is hosted in Padova, Italy and includes the MITICA experiment – a full-scale prototype of the ITER heating neutral beam injector (HNB). The large cryopump is intended to absorb the gas used to neutralize the high energy beams of the MITICA experiment. The cryopump is cooled by a dedicated cryoplant based on a Helial LF refrigerator by Air Liquide Advanced Technologies. The plant delivers up to 800 W of cooling power at 4.5 K. A specifically designed Auxiliary Cold Box (ACB) is capable to provide a He flow of 220 g/s at 81 K & 40 g/s at 4.6 K to the thermal shields and the cryosorption panels respectively. This cryoplant has a high grade of versatility needed to cope with the highly variable heat loads as well as with the different modes of operation. This paper presents the design of the cryoplant and highlights the various stages of the installation, commissioning and final acceptance tests.

Obesity is a global health crisis linked to chronic diseases like cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. Its prevalence, even in low‐income countries, highlights the failure of traditional interventions. Safer pharmacological treatments are urgently needed, as many existing antiobesity drugs have been withdrawn due to severe side effects, leaving a critical therapeutic gap. A promising target in this context is human carbonic anhydrase V (hCA V), a mitochondrial enzyme that plays a key role in glucose homeostasis. Inhibiting hCA V has been shown to reduce lipogenesis and improve metabolic conditions. Natural plant extracts, such as silymarin from milk thistle, have demonstrated potential in managing obesity‐related metabolic syndromes by lowering triglycerides, reducing cholesterol levels, and improving liver function. Our computational studies have identified active compounds in silymarin that effectively inhibit hCA V, shedding light on a potential mechanism for its antiobesity effects. Building on these findings, our research further reveals that these compounds also inhibit carbonic anhydrase VII (hCA VII), enhancing their therapeutic potential. This dual inhibitory action addresses both metabolic dysregulation and oxidative stress. Notably, the antioxidant properties of hCA VII provide additional protection against obesity‐related complications by mitigating oxidative stress, a key contributor to the development of metabolic syndrome.

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has become the standard of care for elderly patients with aortic stenosis. International guidelines recommend that TAVI should be performed only in centers with on-site cardiac surgery (CS). However, rapidly evolving TAVI technology and increasing operator expertise have significantly reduced peri-procedural complications, including those requiring rescue surgery, which occur in less than 0.5% of cases. Furthermore, only a minority of major complications are treated with CS, and the outcomes remain unfavorable. TAVI in centers without CS could represent a solution to reduce waiting times and ensure continuity of care for fragile patients. “TAVI at Home” is a single-arm prospective interventional study. According to sample size calculations based on literature data, the study aims to enroll a total of 200 patients, beginning with a run-in phase of 20 patients to establish safety. The primary endpoint is 30-day all-cause mortality. Secondary endpoints include technical success and the evaluation of single complications 30 days after the procedure. Hospitals without CS that are eligible to perform TAVI must have a high volume of coronary percutaneous interventions, operators with established TAVI experience, collaboration with vascular surgeons, and regular Heart Team meetings to ensure rigorous patient selection.

IntroductionPrevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD) is of key importance in reducing morbidity, disability and mortality worldwide. Observational studies suggest that digital health interventions can be an effective strategy to reduce cardiovascular (CV) risk. However, evidence from large randomised clinical trials is lacking.Methods and analysisThe CV-PREVITAL study is a multicentre, prospective, randomised, controlled, open-label interventional trial designed to compare the effectiveness of an educational and motivational mobile health (mHealth) intervention versus usual care in reducing CV risk. The intervention aims at improving diet, physical activity, sleep quality, psycho-behavioural aspects, as well as promoting smoking cessation and adherence to pharmacological treatment for CV risk factors. The trial aims to enrol approximately 80 000 subjects without overt CVDs referring to general practitioners’ offices, community pharmacies or clinics of Scientific Institute for Research, Hospitalization and Health Care (Italian acronym IRCCS) affiliated with the Italian Cardiology Network. All participants are evaluated at baseline and after 12 months to assess the effectiveness of the intervention on short-term endpoints, namely improvement in CV risk score and reduction of major CV risk factors. Beyond the funded life of the study, a long-term (7 years) follow-up is also planned to assess the effectiveness of the intervention on the incidence of major adverse CV events. A series of ancillary studies designed to evaluate the effect of the mHealth intervention on additional risk biomarkers are also performed.Ethics and disseminationThis study received ethics approval from the ethics committee of the coordinating centre (Monzino Cardiology Center; R1256/20-CCM 1319) and from all other relevant IRBs and ethics committees. Findings are disseminated through scientific meetings and peer-reviewed journals and via social media. Partners are informed about the study’s course and findings through regular meetings.Trial registration numberNCT05339841.

The present study attempts to explore the meaning of the words “digital,” “virtual,” “hybrid,” “phygital,” “metaversal,” and “physical” applied to planned events. The primary aims is to understand whether there are significant differences among them and how managers can use them to achieve their objectives. The research identifies the projective techniques as the most appropriate method to underpin the phenomenon, and it adopts an exploratory-qualitative approach. Projective techniques appear innovative since they are frequently used for studying people’s instead of managers’ perspectives. The results allow us to classify the six dimensions of digitally transformed planned events as different, and a continuum is generated through the collected data. Finally, the article provides managerial suggestions, such as the pros and cons of each event category. For example, strategists organizing metaversal events should consider analyzing targets and platforms.

Human and animal pericardia are among the most widely exploited materials suitable to repair damaged tissues in the cardiovascular surgery context. Autologous, xenogeneic (chemically treated) and homologous pericardia are largely utilized, but they do exhibit some crucial drawbacks. Any tissue treated with glutaraldehyde is known to be prone to calcification in vivo, lacks regeneration potential, has limited durability, and can result in cytotoxicity. Moreover, autologous tissues have limited availability. Decellularized biological tissues represent a promising alternative: decellularization removes cellular and nuclear components from native tissues and makes them suitable for repopulation by autologous cells upon implantation into the body. The present work aims to assess the effects of a new detergent, i.e., Tergitol, for decellularizing bovine and porcine pericardia. The decellularization procedure successfully removed cells, while preserving the histoarchitecture of the extracellular matrix. No cytotoxic effect was observed. Therefore, decellularized pericardia showed potential to be used as scaffold for cardiovascular tissue regeneration.

Over the years, several devices have been created (and the development of many others is currently in progress) to be in permanent contact with blood: mechanical circulatory supports represent an example thereof. The hemocompatibility of these devices largely depends on the chemical composition of blood-contacting components. In the present work, an innovative material (hybrid membrane) is proposed to fabricate the inner surfaces of a pulsatile ventricular chamber: it has been obtained by coupling a synthetic polymer (e.g., commercial polycarbonate urethane) with decellularized porcine pericardium. The hemocompatibility of the innovative material has been preliminarily assessed by measuring its capacity to promote thrombin generation and induce platelet activation. Our results demonstrated the blood compatibility of the proposed hybrid membrane.

Nerve wrapping improves neurorrhaphy outcomes in case of peripheral nerve injuries (PNIs). The aim of this preclinical study was to assess the efficacy of two novel biodegradable wraps made of a synthetic 1% oxidized polyvinyl alcohol (OxPVA) and a natural leukocyte-fibrin-platelet membrane (LFPm) versus the commercial product NeuraWrap. After rats sciatic nerve transection and neurorrhaphy, the wraps were implanted and compared for functional outcome, by sciatic function index assessment; structural characteristics, by histological/immunohistochemical analysis; ultrastructural features, by transmission electron microscopy. Moreover, a morphometric study was also performed and collagen distribution was observed by Second Harmonic Generation microscopy. After 12 weeks from implantation, all wraps assured nerve function recovery; no scar tissue/neuromas were visible at dissection. LFPm wraps were completely resorbed, while residues of OxPVA and NeuraWrap were observed. In all groups, biocompatibility was confirmed by the absence of significant inflammatory infiltrate. According to histological/immunohistochemical analysis and morphometric findings, OxPVA and LFPm wraps were both effective in preserving nerve integrity. These results assess that bioengineered OxPVA and LFPm wraps successfully guarantee favorable lesion recovery after PNI/neurorrhaphy and, in future, may be considered an interesting alternative to the commercial NeuraWrap.