1. The role of crystal-bubble interactions, outgassing and magma composition in the ascent dynamics of alkaline magmas : implications for eruptions at VesuviusFabio Arzilli, Giuseppe La Spina, Emily C. Bamber, Daniele Morgavi, Lorenzo Fedele, Lucia Mancini, 2026, original scientific article Abstract: Intermediate to evolved alkaline magmas (phono-tephritic, tephri-phonolitic and phonolitic) exhibit a wide range in eruptive style and have produced some of the most catastrophic eruptions in human history, such as the 79 AD Plinian eruption of Vesuvius (Italy). However, eruptive dynamics are driven by complex, non-linear conduit processes during magma ascent, requiring a holistic approach to investigate their influence on explo- sivity. This study integrates synchrotron radiation X-ray computed microtomography (SRμCT) with a 1D steady- state conduit model, to investigate how crystal-bubble interactions, pre-eruptive conditions, outgassing, and magma composition affect eruptive style at alkaline volcanic systems, using Vesuvius as a case study. We analyse pyroclasts from the 79 AD Plinian and 1944 lava-fountaining eruptions using SRμCT. Our SRμCT results reveal that heterogeneous bubble nucleation can be promoted further by leucite crystals, contributing to the high bubble number densities (>10⁴ mm⁻³) observed in Plinian products. Despite high bubble connectivity, low throat-pore size ratios (the ratio between the radii of the throat and connected vesicles) and elevated tortuosity restrict gas–melt separation during fast magma ascent, promoting fragmentation. Numerical simulations reveal tephri-phonolitic and phonolitic magmas are prone to fragmentation across diverse conditions, producing highly explosive eruptions. Only relatively high temperatures (>1050 ◦ C) and low bubble number densities (102 to 103 mm-3) can promote lava flow and fountaining activity. Instead, phono-tephritic magmas exhibit highly explosive eruptions at considerably lower temperatures (<950 ◦C). Temperature controls magma viscosity, influencing the ascent rate and the outgassing efficiency, which, in turn, affects conduit dynamics and the eruptive behaviour. Our findings highlight that for alkaline systems, the parameter space which is conducive to highly explosive eruptions expands as the magma composition evolves and its viscosity increases. These insights enhance our understanding of eruption mechanisms, providing critical insights for assessing volcanic hazard and emergency planning at alkaline volcanic systems.
Keywords: outgassing, conduit dynamics, eruptive style, crystal-bubble interaction, alkaline magmas, vesuvius
Published in DiRROS: 10.02.2026; Views: 49; Downloads: 9
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2. Pleural mesothelioma diagnosis for the pulmonologistAlberto Fantin, Nadia Castaldo, Ernesto Crisafulli, Giulia Sartori, Filippo Patrucco, Horiana B. Grosu, Paolo Vailati, Giuseppe Morana, Vincenzo Patruno, Stefano Kette, Avinash Aujayeb, Aleš Rozman, 2025, review article Abstract: Background/Objectives: Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a rare, aggressive tumor with a poor prognosis and complex diagnostic pathways. Pulmonologists often play a central role in its initial recognition and investigation. This narrative review synthesizes the current evidence on the diagnostic approach to MPM, with emphasis on imaging, tissue sampling, histopathology, and emerging diagnostic innovations relevant to clinical pulmonology. Methods: English-language studies published between January 2005 and June 2025 were identified from PubMed and Scopus. International guidelines and consensus documents were also reviewed to provide an updated overview of diagnostic strategies. Results: Diagnosis of MPM relies on a stepwise integration of clinical, radiological, and pathological information. Thoracic ultrasound, computed tomography, positron emission computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging complement each other across different stages of the diagnostic pathway. Image-guided pleural biopsy and medical thoracoscopy remain the gold standard for tissue confirmation, supported by immunohistochemistry and molecular testing. The 2021 World Health Organization classification of pleural tumors and the International Association Study of Lung Cancer 9th Edition Tumour-Node-Mestastatis system have refined histologic and staging criteria, thereby improving reproducibility and prognostic accuracy. Emerging tools, including liquid biopsy, novel serum and molecular biomarkers, artificial-intelligence-based radiomics, and breathomics, offer promise for earlier and less invasive diagnosis but require prospective validation. Conclusions: Current advances are redefining MPM diagnosis toward integrated, multidisciplinary, and precision-based models. Future priorities include standardizing diagnostic algorithms, validating minimally invasive biomarkers, and integrating AI and molecular profiling into clinical workflows to enhance patient stratification.
Published in DiRROS: 06.02.2026; Views: 101; Downloads: 66
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3. Plasma brain-derived neurotrophic factor concentrations are elevated in community-dwelling adults with sarcopeniaJedd Pratt, Evgeniia Motanova, Marco Vincenzo Narici, Colin Boreham, Giuseppe De Vito, 2025, original scientific article Abstract: Background: The scalability of a blood-based sarcopenia assessment has generated interest in circulating markers that may enhance management strategies. Data regarding the relevance of brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a regulator of neuroplasticity, to sarcopenia in community-dwelling adults are scarce. We examined the association between plasma BDNF concentrations, sarcopenia and individual sarcopenia signatures in a well-characterised adult cohort. Methods: Participants included 246 menandwomenaged50–82years(meanage=63.6years;52%female).Musclestrength and skeletal muscle index (SMI) were assessed by hand dynamometry and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Plasma BDNF concentrations were determined, in duplicate, with commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Sarcopenia and individual signatures of sarcopenia (i.e. low grip strength or low SMI) were diagnosed according to the EWGSOP2 algorithm. Results: Plasma BDNF concentrations were 47.6% higher in participants with sarcopenia than controls (P =0.005), and demonstrated acceptable diagnostic accuracy (areas under the curves=0.702, 95%CI=0.597–0.806, P =0.002, optimal cut-off >1645 pg/ml). Plasma BDNF concentration>1645 pg/ml was associated with 2.83 greater odds for sarcopenia (95%CI=1.13–7.11, P =0.027), than ≤1645 pg/ml, whilst a BDNF Z-score≥2 was associated with 5.14 higher odds for sarcopenia (95%CI=1.16–22.82, P =0.031), than a Z-score<1. Covariates included sex, age, body mass index, habitual physical activity, smoking status, alcohol consumption, comorbidity and educational attainment. Conclusion: Circulating BDNF concentrations are elevated in community-dwelling men and women with sarcopenia, which may reflect increased neuromuscular remodelling in these people. Our findings complement existing data, supporting the presence of an intricate relationship between neural integrity and skeletal muscle health. Future studies are needed to establish the mechanistic pathways that may underpin the associations.
Keywords: biomarkers, brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), older people, sarcopenia, screening, skeletal muscle health
Published in DiRROS: 14.01.2026; Views: 148; Downloads: 87
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4. Dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry derived body composition trajectories across adulthood : reference values and associations with body roundness index and body mass indexJedd Pratt, Marco Vincenzo Narici, Colin Boreham, Giuseppe De Vito, 2025, original scientific article Abstract: Background: Population-specific reference values are needed to accurately contextualise age-related changes in body composition. This study aimed to a) establish age- and sex-specific reference values and cut-points for a range of dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) derived metrics of lean mass (LM), fat mass (FM) and bone mineral density (BMD), across adulthood in a large adult cohort; and b) determine the association between DXA-derived body composition, body roundness index (BRI), and body mass index (BMI). Methods: Cross-sectional data were collected from 10,033 men and women aged from 18 to 92 years. Whole-body DXA scans were performed, and a range of metrics were calculated for LM (total LM, arm LM, leg LM, appendicular lean mass: ALM, skeletal muscle index: SMI), FM (total FM: kg and %, FMI, android to gynoid: A/G ratio) and bone (BMD). Cut-points equivalent to Z-scores of 1.0e2.5 SDs from the mean of a young reference population were established for each body composition metric. Results: Detailed age- and sex-specific percentile curves were generated using the LMS method. Metrics of LM, central adiposity and BMD were higher in men, compared to women, whereas metrics of general FM accumulation were higher in women, compared to men. In both sexes, all LM metrics remained broadly stable during early and middle adulthood, after which progressively lower quantities were shown, whereas progressively higher FM metrics were shown from early adulthood through to late adulthood. In men, BMD was broadly stable across adulthood, whereas in women, markedly lower BMD was observed from the fifth decade of life. Significantly higher quantities of LM were shown across BMI categories, but not across BRI categories. The BRI was better correlated with FM%, FMI, and A/G ratio, compared to the BMI. Conclusion: The reference values presented herein may support the interpretation of body composition in public health settings and the identification of people who may benefit from intervention to improve musculoskeletal and metabolic health. The BRI better reflects DXA-derived body composition and may provide screening utility beyond that of the BMI.
Keywords: body shape, bone, fat mass, muscle mass, screening
Published in DiRROS: 14.01.2026; Views: 188; Downloads: 102
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5. Previous short-term disuse dictates muscle geneexpression and physiological adaptations to subsequentresistance exerciseMartino V. Franchi, Julián Candia, Fabio Sarto, Giuseppe Sirago, Giacomo Valli, Matteo Paganini, Lisa M. Hartnell, Emiliana Giacomello, Luana Toniolo, Elena Monti, Leonardo Nogara, Tatiana Moro, Marco Vincenzo Narici, 2025, original scientific article Abstract: Short-term unloading experienced following injury or hospitalisation induces muscle atrophy and weakness. The effects of exercise following unloading have been scarcely investigated. We investigated the functional and molecular adaptations to a resistance training (RT) programme following short-term unloading. Eleven males (22.09 ± 2.91 years) underwent 10 days of unilateral lower limb suspension (ULLS) followed by 21 days of knee extensor RT (three times/week). Data collection occurred at Baseline (LS0), after ULLS (LS10) and at active recovery (AR21). Knee extensor maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) was evaluated. Quadriceps volume was estimated by ultrasonography. Muscle fibre cross-sectional area, fibre type distribution, glycogen content and succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) activity were measured from vastus lateralis biopsies. Mitochondrial-related proteins were quantified by western blot and transcriptional responses were assessed by RNA sequencing. Following ULLS, quadriceps volume and MVC decreased significantly (3.7%, P < 0.05; 29.3%, P < 0.001). At AR21 (vs. LS10), MVC was fully restored (42%) and quadriceps volume increased markedly (18.6%, P < 0.001). Glycogen content and whole-body water increased at AR21 (14%, P < 0.001; 3.1%, P < 0.05). We observed a marked increase in fibre type I at AR21 (38%, P < 0.05). SDH immunoreactivity increased significantly after exercise (20%, P < 0.001). Mitochondrial fusion (MFN1, MFN2 and OPA1) and fission (DRP1) proteins were markedly increased by RT, and the most differentially expressed genes belonged to oxidative phosphorylation pathways. In contrast with what is usually observed after RT, oxidative metabolism, slow fibre type and mitochondrial dynamics were enhanced beyond expected. We propose that prior exposure to short-term muscle unloading may drive the nature of molecular adaptations to subsequent RT.
Keywords: exercise physiology, gene expression, muscle adaptation, muscle atrophy, musle physiology, muscle plasticity, resistance training, unloading responses
Published in DiRROS: 13.01.2026; Views: 146; Downloads: 88
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6. Changes in motor unit conduction velocity after unilaterallower-limb suspension and active recovery are correlated withmuscle ion channel gene expressionGiacomo Valli, Fabio Sarto, Francesco Negro, Elena Monti, Giuseppe Sirago, Matteo Paganini, Sandra Zampieri, Martino V. Franchi, Andrea Casolo, Julián Candia, Luigi Ferrucci, Marco Vincenzo Narici, Giuseppe De Vito, 2025, original scientific article Abstract: The effects of muscle disuse on the propagation of action potentials along motorunit (MU) muscle fibres, a key process for effective muscle activation and forcegeneration, remain poorly understood. The aim of this study was to investigate changesin action potential propagation and to identify biological factors influencing thesechanges following unilateral lower-limb suspension (ULLS) and active recovery (AR).Eleven young males underwent 10 days of ULLS followed by 21 days of AR involvingresistance exercise. Maximal force of the knee extensors (MVC), high-density surfaceEMG recordings and muscle biopsies of the vastus lateralis muscle were collectedbefore ULLS, after ULLS and after AR. EMG recordings collected during submaximalisometric contractions were decomposed to estimate single-MU conduction velocity(CV). Biopsies were used to measure muscle fibre diameters via histochemical analysisand ion channel transcriptomic profiles via mRNA sequencing. The MVC declined by29% after ULLS and returned to baseline after AR. MU CV decreased after ULLSand recovered fully, even exceeding baseline values after AR. Muscle fibre diametersdid not change across the interventions and showed no correlation with MU CV.Conversely, a feature importance analysis revealed that mRNA expression levels ofspecific ion channel genes, particularly those involved in K+ transport, were correlatedwith MU CV at baseline and across the interventions. This study highlights the crucialrole of K+ ion channels in influencing MU CV in humans, offering new insights into MUCV modulation and the mechanisms of changes in muscle force after disuse and activerecovery.
Keywords: ion channel, mRNA sequencing, muscle fibre diameter, muscle unloading, neuromuscular impairment
Published in DiRROS: 12.01.2026; Views: 137; Downloads: 87
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7. Electrochemotherapy (ECT) in treatment of mucosal head and neck tumors : an international network for sharing practices on ECT (InspECT) study group reportGiulia Bertino, Marta Minuti, Aleš Grošelj, Črt Jamšek, Barbara Silvestri, Silvia Carpene, Paolo Matteucci, Giuseppe Riva, Giancarlo Pecorari, Matteo Mascherini, Gregor Serša, 2024, original scientific article Abstract: The aim of this multicenter study was to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of electrochemotherapy (ECT) for the treatment of mucosal tumors in the head and neck. A total of 71 patients with 84 nodules of different histologies in the oral cavity, pharynx and larynx treated by ECT were evaluated. The data were collected from the InspECT database from 10 participating centers throughout Europe. Primary and recurrent/secondary tumors of different histologies were treated. The overall response rate was 65 %, with a 33 % complete response rate with limited side effects. The response rates of the primary and secondary tumors were not different. However, smaller tumors responded better than tumors larger than 3 cm in diameter. Furthermore, the tumors that were treated with curative intent responded significantly better than those treated with palliative intent. This study demonstrated the feasibility, safety and effectiveness of ECT in a larger cohort of patients with mucosal lesions in the head and neck region. Based on the available data, ECT can be used for the treatment of recurrent and, in some cases, primary mucosal tumors located in the oral cavity, larynx, and pharynx. A better response was obtained in patients with smaller primary tumors treated with curative intent.
Keywords: electrochemotherapy, mucosal cancer, head cancer, neck cancer, ECT
Published in DiRROS: 05.12.2025; Views: 725; Downloads: 131
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8. Sensory pollutants have negative but different effects on nestbox occupancy and breeding performance of a nocturnal raptor across EuropeGiuseppe Orlando, Luca Nelli, Paul Baker, Patrik Karell, Al Vrezec, 2026, original scientific article Abstract: Anthropogenic noise and artificial light at night (ALAN) are expanding globally, acting as pervasive sensory pollutants that can disrupt wildlife behaviour and reproduction. While most research has focused on diurnal species, the effects of these pollutants on the ecological response of nocturnal predators remain poorly understood. Using data from nine European countries, we investigated the effects of traffic noise, ALAN, and road proximity on nestbox occupancy and reproduction in the Tawny Owl (Strix aluco), a nocturnal raptor widespread across Europe. Traffic noise consistently reduced both nestbox occupancy and reproductive success regardless of road proximity. ALAN also impaired occupancy and reproduction, but its negative effect on reproduction changed based on the proximity to roads. Interestingly, the negative effect of ALAN was stronger in sites further from roads, but it attenuated in their proximity, where owls' hatching success and brood size moderately improved. This finding suggests that near roads, where prey abundance and availability are also generally high, owls may either find the prey regardless of ALAN or they may exploit it to facilitate hunting and brood provisioning. However, vicinity to roads might enhance mortality by vehicle collisions, which represents one of the greatest threats for the conservation of owls. Our findings highlight that anthropogenic noise and the co-occurrence between ALAN and roads can affect settlement decisions and breeding performance in nocturnal raptors, with potential consequences across the food chain. Mitigating anthropogenic noise and promoting nighttime-lighting systems that minimize owls' presence close to roads will represent valuable actions to improve their conservation.
Keywords: ALAN, anthropogenic noise, owls, reproductive fitness, roadside habitats, raptor conservation, conservation biology
Published in DiRROS: 14.10.2025; Views: 317; Downloads: 147
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9. Seismic protection technologiesLuka Naumovski, Onur Kaplan, Vojko Kilar, Erkan Çelebi, Giuseppe D’Arenzo, Beatrice Faggiano, Giacomo Iovane, Saeid Javidi, Daniele Casagrande, 2025, independent scientific component part or a chapter in a monograph Abstract: Taller timber buildings (TTBs) offer sustainability benefits but pose unique seismic challenges. The following chapter reviews state-of-the-art seismic protection technologies (SPTs) for TTBs, including low-damage self-centering systems, post-tensioned systems, supplemental damping systems, passive and active control systems and base isolation. It discusses the principles, applications, and future challenges of each technology. While significant progress and innovative solutions have been achieved, outstanding challenges include scaling the technology, optimizing cost-effectiveness, and managing interactions between structural and non-structural elements to enhance functional recovery, damage limitation, and acceleration reduction. By examining current practices and future directions, this review facilitates a broader understanding and implementation of SPTs, promoting the sustainable growth of TTBs in seismic-prone regions.
Keywords: timber buildings, earthquake engineering, seismic protection technologies, low-damage and self-centring, post-tensioned systems, supplemental damping systems, passive and active control, base isolation
Published in DiRROS: 08.10.2025; Views: 365; Downloads: 165
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10. Luminescent sensing of Hg²⁺ ions using MOF-808 combined with ▫$Au_ {25}$▫@BSA nanoclustersLudovico Giuseppe Barbata, Matjaž Mazaj, Romy Ettlinger, Giuseppe Ficarra, Pietro Castronovo, Alice Sciortino, Fabrizio Messina, Russell E. Morris, Gianpiero Buscarino, 2025, original scientific article Published in DiRROS: 23.09.2025; Views: 428; Downloads: 177
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