Marche Polytechnic University

Hákarl, the traditional Icelandic product obtained from the fermentation of Greenland shark (Somniosus microcephalus), represents a unique food item from both cultural and microbiological perspectives. This study investigated commercial samples of hákarl using an integrated approach, combining physico-chemical analyses, lipid and volatile profiling, metataxonomic sequencing, and microbial isolation. Results confirmed the alkaline nature of the product (pH ∼8) and a water activity (aw) of 0.96, sufficient to sustain an active and diverse microbial community. Lipid profiling revealed the predominance of monounsaturated fatty acids, with differences in PUFA and DHA levels between the analyzed producers, consistent with nutritionally favorable characteristics. Microbiological analysis highlighted bacterial communities dominated by Firmicutes, particularly Bacilli and Clostridia, with significant abundances of Tissierella creatinini and Atopostipes suicloacalis. Culture-dependent methods led to the isolation of Carnobacterium antarcticum cultures, which were subsequently characterized for their enzymatic activities. These findings suggest potential biotechnological applications of the isolates, especially in fermentation and aroma development. Volatile compound analysis identified thirteen VOCs including alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, phenols, sulfur- and nitrogen-containing compounds. Trimethylamine was the predominant metabolite responsible for the strong ammonia-like odor, followed by phenol and sulfur-containing compounds, which also contributed to the sensory profile. Overall, the results provide novel insights into the microbial ecology, physico-chemical traits, and volatile characteristics of hákarl, confirming its variability linked to artisanal production methods. The study emphasizes hákarl's role as a reservoir of pro-technological microorganisms and advances current understanding of the factors influencing its safety, quality, and identity as traditional fermented food.

The ongoing digital transformation is reshaping organizational and care delivery models in cardiology, positioning telemedicine as a pivotal tool to address increasing clinical and demographic complexity. This ANMCO position paper presents a comprehensive and critical overview of telemedicine applications in cardiovascular care, with a focus on its role in strengthening hospital-community integration, its deployment within hospital-based healthcare systems, and the associated regulatory and operational frameworks. The analysis encompasses the management of chronic cardiovascular conditions, such as heart failure and atrial fibrillation, through telemonitoring, telecontrol, televisit, and teleconsultation. Additionally, it explores the use of digital technologies in post-myocardial infarction follow-up, oral anticoagulation management, preoperative assessment, and care for elderly patients. The position paper also highlights the challenges and opportunities linked to digital infrastructure, interoperability, data protection, and healthcare professional training.

Xylogenesis, the process through which wood cells are formed, results in the long-term storage of carbon in woody biomass, making it a key component of the global carbon cycle. Understanding how environmental drivers influence xylogenesis during the growing season is therefore of great interest. However, studying short-term drivers of wood production using xylogenetic data is complicated by the usual sampling scheme and the influence of eccentric growth, i.e., heterogeneous growth around the stem. In this study, we improve xylogenesis research by introducing a statistical approach that explicitly considers seasonal phenology, short-term growth rates, and growth eccentricity. To this end, we developed Bayesian models of xylogenesis and compared them with a conventional method based on the use of Gompertz functions. Our results show that eccentricity generated high temporal autocorrelation between successive samples, and that explicitly taking it into account improved both the representativeness of phenology and intra-ring variability. We observed consistent short-term patterns in the model residuals, suggesting the influence of an unaccounted-for environmental variable on cell production. The proposed models offer several advantages over traditional methods, including robust confidence intervals around predictions, consistency with phenology, and reduced sensitivity to extreme observations at the end of the growing season, often linked to eccentric growth. These models also provide a benchmark for mechanistic testing of short-term drivers of wood formation. • Eccentric tree growth biases xylogenesis monitoring. • Bayesian models outperform Gompertz for interpreting xylogenesis data. • They may explicitly account for phenology, eccentricity, and intra-annual forcing. • Gompertz-based methods require caution in application.

Introduction. The use of binaural beats represents a promising non-pharmacological alternative in clinical and nursing practice. This technique is part of a holistic approach to care, which considers the patient's physical, psychological, and emotional aspects. Their application may help improve the patient’s general well-being, contributing to more comprehensive and personalized care, in line with the principles of modern nursing practice. The purpose of this literature review is to comprehensively analyze the therapeutic efficacy, clinical and psychological impact, and potential applications of binaural beats in the context of nursing care. Methods. A Literature Review was conducted to obtain the main results. The following online databases were used: “PubMed” and “Google Scholar”. Results. The literature review included 15 articles describing the effectiveness of binaural beats in different clinical and nursing contexts Discussions and Conclusions. Binaural beats have a positive impact on cognitive processes, symptom reduction in Parkinson's disease patients, acute and chronic pain management, invasive procedures, vital signs, and student learning. Binaural beats offer significant potential in clinical and educational settings, contributing to a holistic and non-invasive approach to improving the well-being of both patients and nurses.

This article examines the legal, regulatory and societal challenges posed by deepfake technology, situating its analysis within a comparative framework spanning the European Union, United States and China. It explores the multifaceted harms of deepfakes – from non-consensual pornography and political disinformation to financial fraud and identity manipulation – and analyses their rapid dissemination through online ecosystems that undermine both individual dignity and democratic trust. The study assesses the EU Artificial Intelligence Act, highlighting its transparency-based approach, definitional boundaries and classification of deepfake systems as ‘limited-risk’, while identifying contexts that may warrant high-risk or prohibited status. It underscores the limitations of transparency obligations in addressing malicious actors, cross-border disinformation and intimate image abuse, and examines the complementary roles of the Digital Services Act, the General Data Protection Regulation and the EU Directive on combating violence against women in regulating different stages of the deepfake lifecycle. Ultimately, the article argues for a multi-layered, adaptive governance model that reconciles the protection of rights, dignity and democratic integrity with the preservation of legitimate innovation in AI-driven creativity and communication.

Mentalising skills may be conceptualised as composed by both personal and interpersonal competencies, in turn shaped by early adverse experiences and coping strategies. Although cross-sectional observations described a role for mentalising skills in burnout development, large-scale longitudinal studies on the topic remain limited, especially in relation to psychiatry training. The primary aim was to investigate protective and risk factors for higher burnout scores across time. Secondary aims included testing whether psychiatry exhibited different burnout scores across time in comparison to other medical residents. A cohort of 1803 medical residents (1131 psychiatry residents) was assessed for mentalising skills, conceptualised as composed of emotional regulation (Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale), interpersonal competencies (Interpersonal Competence Questionnaire), coping strategies (Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced) and burnout dimensions (Maslach Burnout Inventory). One-year follow-up was available for 520 psychiatry residents (73.03% response rate) and 234 other medical residents (35.94% response rate). Longitudinal mixed models and bivariate latent change models were employed. Across all residents, greater levels of burnout were associated with higher scores in insecure attachment, emotional dysregulation and maladaptive coping, as well as lower scores in interpersonal skills. Attending at least one supervision per month was associated with lower burnout scores across time. According to a bivariate latent change model, emotional regulation improvements through years were associated with lower burnout scores across time. In psychiatry residents, lower burnout scores across time were observed as compared to other medical residents. Psychiatry residents benefited from a higher protective effect of interpersonal competencies (group by moderator by time interaction) and coping strategies against burnout. Mentalising skills may mitigate burnout development. Training in psychiatry emerged as a potential mitigating factor against burnout increases. Structured supervisions may foster professional development and emotional resilience.