Search Results (14)

The liver and kidneys are two of the most vital organs, each with distinct but overlapping functions essential for maintaining homeostasis. The complex interplay between these organs, commonly referred to as liver-kidney crosstalk, plays a crucial role in the pathophysiology of several acute and chronic conditions in childhood. Despite its importance, the precise biological mechanisms driving this interaction remain incompletely understood. This crosstalk is particularly significant in various pediatric diseases (e.g., Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD), Hepatorenal Syndrome (HRS), genetic and metabolic disorders, etc.) where shared pathophysiological factors—including systemic inflammation, metabolic disturbances, oxidative stress, and vascular dysfunction—simultaneously affect both organs. Clinically, this interaction presents unique challenges in diagnosing, managing, and treating liver-kidney diseases in affected children. Understanding the pathogenic mechanisms underlying liver-kidney crosstalk is essential for improving patient care and outcomes through an integrated, multidisciplinary approach and personalized treatment strategies. This review aims to explore liver-kidney crosstalk in key pediatric diseases, offering a comprehensive overview of current knowledge, clinical challenges, and potential therapeutic interventions in this complex field. Full article

In the era of Industry 4.0, the integration of intelligent systems with human elements presents both opportunities and challenges. This study explores this interplay through the application of an industrial engineering technique to a real process issue, demonstrating originality in problem selection and solution tools, as well as the relevance of the results. An operational framework is proposed to drive digital transformation in manufacturing by balancing automated systems efficiency with the complexity of human activities, which include decision-making flexibility, adaptability, tacit knowledge and collaborative interaction. It examines Industry 4.0 domains to find solutions that use smart technology while enhancing human experience. A key element is the use of discrete-event simulation to create a digital replica of the existing process. This enabled a detailed analysis and the development of innovative, validated approaches through what-if scenarios. The implemented solutions led to a significant annual increase in productivity, the result of an overall improvement in process efficiency, which was also achieved through the identification and resolution of key process bottlenecks, confirming the method’s effectiveness. The research offers a scalable model for various sectors, emphasizing the need to integrate human aspects into intelligent systems. It highlights how technological progress should enrich, not overshadow, human contribution, contributing to a deeper understanding of digital transformation in intelligent manufacturing and service systems, where technology and humanity evolve together. Full article

Battery energy storage systems (BESSs) can overwhelm some of the environmental challenges of a low-carbon power sector through self-consumption with standalone photovoltaic (PV) systems. This solution can be adapted for different applications such as residential, commercial, and industrial uses. Furthermore, the option to employ second-life batteries derived from electric vehicles represents a promising opportunity for preserving the environment and improving the circular economy (CE) development. Nowadays, the industrial sector is progressively applying CE principles in their business strategies, and focusing on the potential positive consequences of CE eco-innovations on climate change mitigation. With the aim to promote the transition to an open-loop circular economy for automotive batteries, this study assesses and quantifies the potential environmental benefits resulting from the integration of a second-life battery-based BESS (SL-BESS) connected to an industrial machine. For this purpose, various scenarios involving the use of BESS, SL-BESS, and a standalone PV system are compared with a base case, where the machine is entirely powered by electricity from the grid. The examination of life cycle stages follows the life cycle assessment (LCA) cradle-to-grave methodology as outlined in ISO 14040:2006 and ISO 14044:2006/Amd 1:2017. Simapro^® 9 is utilized as the software platform. Results demonstrate that the combination of the SL-BESS with a standalone photovoltaic (PV) system represents the optimal solution in terms of global warming potential (GWP) reduction, with a saving of up to −74.8%. However, manufacturing and end-of-life stages of PV and batteries contribute to abiotic depletion and human toxicity, resulting from the use of chemicals and the extraction of resources essential for their manufacture. Indeed, when BESS is made of new batteries, it demonstrates the most significant impacts in terms of AD at 1.22 × 10⁻¹ kg Sb eq and human toxicity (HT) at 3.87 × 10³ kg 1,4-DB eq, primarily attributable to the manufacturing stages of both BESS and PV systems. The findings represent a significant breakthrough, highlighting the substantial capacity of incorporating SL-BESS alongside renewable energy sources to mitigate GWP resulting from industrial applications, and the criticality of repurposing decommissioned batteries from the automotive industry for secondary use. Full article

The Indian Western Himalayas (IWHs) are a world famous tourist spot, and every year millions of tourists visit this area in fossil fuel-driven vehicles. Emissions from these vehicles persistently deteriorate the pristine environment of the IWHs. Therefore, in the current study, efforts were made to assess the compromised environmental conditions of Manali, Himachal Pradesh, India that resulted from the inflow of tourists and the activities undertaken by them. This study revealed that Manali could sustainably accommodate only 0.305 M tourists/month, and this threshold was reported to be crossed in the months of April, May and June. Furthermore, to augment these findings, water and ambient air samples were collected and analyzed for the presence of elemental carbon (EC) from one of the medium tourism potential regions of Manali, i.e., the Hamta glacier. The tributary receiving water from the Hamta glacier and the ambient air of the area was observed to be contaminated with 42 ± 12 ppb and 880 ± 43 µg m⁻³ of EC, respectively. It was observed that the inhalation and ingestion of EC-contaminated air and water could jeopardize human health due to a high lifetime cancer risk. However, without the intervention of eco-tourism in the study area, higher environmental health effects were also speculated. The observations made in this study are expected to trigger the interests of the researchers, international scientific community and regional authorities working towards the unsustainable development of the IWHs and deteriorating environmental conditions. Full article

The anatomy and physiology of the eye strongly limit the bioavailability of locally administered drugs. The entrapment of therapeutics into nanocarriers represents an effective strategy for the topical treatment of several ocular disorders, as they may protect the embedded molecules, enabling drug residence on the ocular surface and/or its penetration into different ocular compartments. The present work shows the activity of hyaluronan-cholesterol nanogels (NHs) as ocular permeation enhancers. Thanks to their bioadhesive properties, NHs firmly interact with the superficial corneal epithelium, without penetrating the stroma, thus modifying the transcorneal penetration of loaded therapeutics. Ex vivo transcorneal permeation experiments show that the permeation of hydrophilic drugs (i.e., tobramycin and diclofenac sodium salt), loaded in NHs, is significantly enhanced when compared to the free drug solutions. On the other side, the permeation of hydrophobic drugs (i.e., dexamethasone and piroxicam) is strongly dependent on the water solubility of the entrapped molecules. The obtained results suggest that NHs formulations can improve the ocular bioavailability of the instilled drugs by increasing their preocular retention time (hydrophobic drugs) or facilitating their permeation (hydrophilic drugs), thus opening the route for the application of HA-based NHs in the treatment of both anterior and posterior eye segment diseases. Full article

IL-6 is a pleiotropic cytokine that can exert different and opposite effects. The muscle-induced and transient expression of IL-6 can act in an autocrine or paracrine manner, stimulating anabolic pathways associated with muscle growth, myogenesis, and with regulation of energy metabolism. In contrast, under pathologic conditions, including muscular dystrophy, cancer associated cachexia, aging, chronic inflammatory diseases, and other pathologies, the plasma levels of IL-6 significantly increase, promoting muscle wasting. Nevertheless, the specific physio-pathological role exerted by IL-6 in the maintenance of differentiated phenotype remains to be addressed. The purpose of this study was to define the role of increased plasma levels of IL-6 on muscle homeostasis and the mechanisms contributing to muscle loss. Here, we reported that increased plasma levels of IL-6 promote alteration in muscle growth at early stage of postnatal life and induce muscle wasting by triggering a shift of the slow-twitch fibers toward a more sensitive fast fiber phenotype. These findings unveil a role for IL-6 as a potential biomarker of stunted growth and skeletal muscle wasting. Full article

Background: The present work starts from a literature review of the evolution of Integrated Management Systems (IMSs), considering different points of view and standards: quality, environmental, occupational health and safety, sustainability and social issues. Even if the benefits are possible, there is not a common approach and a clear link between the integration of management systems and business performance, in particular considering safety performance. Methods: The present study analyzes the application of Risk Assessment in order to realize the integration of management systems. The main objective is to provide a tool for an integrated evaluation of all company performances, starting from the definition of some Key Performance Indicators—KPIs—proposed for a particular case study, even if their choice is not the core of the paper. The assessment team members on the basis of their knowledge, experience and useful literature, could choose the right KPIs for the specific application, able to take a picture of the current state and to suggest a possible recommended action of improving. The proposed Risk Assessment approach is an integration of modern management techniques: Integrated Management System and Improving Cycle DMAIC. Results: The new method, called the Global Performance Index for Integrated Management System—GPI-IMS, has been applied to a real case study in the logistic field in order to evaluate its goodness and possible generalization. Conclusions: The proposed method allows to define the requirements that any company must have to perform the best. The role of the assessment team is very important to evaluate the global performance of the company and to suggest the corrective actions to be adopted. Full article

Most industrial trucks are equipped with hydraulic systems designed for specific operations, for which the required power is supplied by the internal combustion engine (ICE). The largest share of the power consumption is required by the hydraulic system during idling operations, and, consequently, the current literature focuses on energy saving strategies for the hydraulic system rather than making the vehicle traction more efficient. This study presents the preliminary realization of an electric-powered hydraulic pump system (e-HPS) that drives the lifting of the dumpster and the garbage compaction in a waste compactor truck, rather than traditional ICE-driven hydraulic pump systems (ICE-HPSs). The different components of the e-HPS are described and the battery pack was modelled using the kinetic battery model. The end-of-life of the battery pack was determined to assess the economic feasibility of the proposed e-HPS for the truck lifespan, using numerical simulations. The aim was twofold: to provide an implementation method to retrofit the e-HPS to a conventional waste compactor truck and to assess its economic feasibility, investigating fuel savings during the use phase and the consequent reduction of CO₂ emissions. Results show that the total lifespan cost saving achieved a value of 65,000 €. Furthermore, total CO₂ emissions for the e-HPS were about 80% lower than those of the ICE-HPS, highlighting that the e-HPS can provide significant environmental benefits in an urban context. Full article

Geosynthetics are extensively utilized to improve the stability of geotechnical structures and slopes in urban areas. Among all existing geosynthetics, geotextiles are widely used to reinforce unstable slopes due to their capabilities in facilitating reinforcement and drainage. To reduce settlement and increase the bearing capacity and slope stability, the classical use of geotextiles in embankments has been suggested. However, several catastrophic events have been reported, including failures in slopes in the absence of geotextiles. Many researchers have studied the stability of geotextile-reinforced slopes (GRSs) by employing different methods (analytical models, numerical simulation, etc.). The presence of source-to-source uncertainty in the gathered data increases the complexity of evaluating the failure risk in GRSs since the uncertainty varies among them. Consequently, developing a sound methodology is necessary to alleviate the risk complexity. Our study sought to develop an advanced risk-based maintenance (RBM) methodology for prioritizing maintenance operations by addressing fluctuations that accompany event data. For this purpose, a hierarchical Bayesian approach (HBA) was applied to estimate the failure probabilities of GRSs. Using Markov chain Monte Carlo simulations of likelihood function and prior distribution, the HBA can incorporate the aforementioned uncertainties. The proposed method can be exploited by urban designers, asset managers, and policymakers to predict the mean time to failures, thus directly avoiding unnecessary maintenance and safety consequences. To demonstrate the application of the proposed methodology, the performance of nine reinforced slopes was considered. The results indicate that the average failure probability of the system in an hour is $2.8\times {10}^{-5}$ during its lifespan, which shows that the proposed evaluation method is more realistic than the traditional methods. Full article

In the current research, a safety allocation technique named the Critical Risks Method (CRM) has been developed. Starting from a literature review, we analyzed the shortcomings of conventional methods. The outcomes show the primary two criticalities of the most important safety allocation approaches: (1) They are developed for series configuration, but not for parallel ones; (2) they ordinarily give only qualitative outputs, but not quantitative ones. Moreover, by applying the conventional methods, an increase in safety of the units to ensure the safety target leads to an increase of the production costs of the units. The proposed strategy can overcome the shortcomings of traditional techniques with a safety approach useful to series–parallel systems in order to obtain quantitative outputs in terms of failures in a year. The CRM considers six factors that are able to ensure its applicability to a great variety of critical infrastructures. In addition, CRM is described by a simply analytic definition. The CRM was applied to a critical infrastructure (Liquid Nitrogen Cooling Installation) in a nuclear plant designed with series–parallel units. By comparing the CRM outputs with databank safety values, the proposed method was validated. Full article

Despite a massive body of knowledge which has been produced related to the mechanisms guiding muscle regeneration, great interest still moves the scientific community toward the study of different aspects of skeletal muscle homeostasis, plasticity, and regeneration. Indeed, the lack of effective therapies for several physiopathologic conditions suggests that a comprehensive knowledge of the different aspects of cellular behavior and molecular pathways, regulating each regenerative stage, has to be still devised. Hence, it is important to perform even more focused studies, taking the advantage of robust markers, reliable techniques, and reproducible protocols. Here, we provide an overview about the general aspects of muscle regeneration and discuss the different approaches to study the interrelated and time-dependent phases of muscle healing. Full article

Muscle regeneration, characterized by the activation and proliferation of satellite cells and other precursors, is accompanied by an inflammatory response and the remodeling of the extracellular matrix (ECM), necessary to remove cellular debris and to mechanically support newly generated myofibers and activated satellite cells. Muscle repair can be considered concluded when the tissue architecture, vascularization, and innervation have been restored. Alterations in these connected mechanisms can impair muscle regeneration, leading to the replacement of functional muscle tissue with a fibrotic scar. In the present review, we will discuss the cellular mediators of fibrosis and how the altered expression and secretion of soluble mediators, such as IL-6 and IGF-1, can modulate regulatory networks involved in the altered regeneration and fibrosis during aging and diseases. Full article

Concrete production causes significant environmental damage during its entire life cycle due to the large consumption of natural aggregate. The aim of this research was to use the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology to conduct a comparative analysis of four different concrete mixtures, i.e., construction and demolition waste (CDW), incinerator ashes, marble sludge, and blast furnace slag. The LCA study was implemented in the Campania Region of Italy. The main contribution of the study was that it proposed the use of “green” recycled aggregates in concrete production in order to assess the reduction of potential adverse impacts, from both environmental and energy perspectives. SimaPro^© software was used to conduct the analysis. The main results of the research showed that the recycled aggregates that were analyzed were preferable to traditional concrete. In particular, the recycled aggregate that had the least adverse impact on the environment was blast furnace waste. Full article

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is an X-linked genetic disease in which the dystrophin gene is mutated, resulting in dysfunctional dystrophin protein. Without dystrophin, the dystrophin-glycoprotein complex (DGC) is unstable, leading to an increase in muscle damage. Moreover, the imbalance between muscle damage and repair leads to a chronic inflammatory response and an increase in the amount of fibrosis over time. The absence of dystrophin at the sarcolemma also delocalizes and downregulates nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) and alters enzymatic antioxidant responses, leading to an increase in oxidative stress. In this review, we analyze the pathogenic role of both inflammation and oxidative stress in muscular dystrophy. Full article