University of Naples "L'Orientale"

Background Disruption in odontogenesis can influence the normal development of both deciduous and permanent dentition resulting in anomalies in morphology, number, and position of teeth. Although dental anomalies are frequently reported in clinical practice, their occurrence in past populations from archeological contexts is rarely acknowledged. Aim To describe two cases of dental anomalies on two non‐adult individuals from Italian archeological sites. Design Individual sex diagnosis was performed by analyzing amelogenin peptides from the dental enamel through liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS). Age‐at‐death estimation was based on stages of dental formation and eruption. Dental twinning and talon cusp were morphologically evaluated and classified following standardized scoring systems proposed by clinical literature. Results The first individual, a 3–4‐year‐old female from the Imperial Roman necropolis of Isola Sacra, presents the fusion of the upper right deciduous central incisor with a supplementary tooth; the second individual, a 3–3.5‐year‐old male from a Late Antiquity catacomb, shows a case of bilateral gemination on the upper permanent central incisors with a co‐occurrence of dental gemination and talon cusp on the right one. Conclusions The cases reported here (the two anomalies in the individuals presented) are useful into understanding these dental conditions within past/archaeological populations.

This study enhances the expanding but still limited body of evidence concerning the influence of natural hazards on tourism. We augment prior scholarly investigations by scrutinizing the repercussions of the 2009 L'Aquila earthquake on incoming tourism, thereby addressing an existing void in the literature regarding the ramifications of extreme events on high‐income nations such as Italy. Moreover, our contribution is novel in its application of the quasi‐experimental Synthetic Control Method within the realm of tourism research. Our findings underscore the enduringly deleterious consequences of the L'Aquila hazard on tourism, persisting over a protracted temporal horizon. In particular, the analysis shows a drop in overnight stays with a pronounced effect on hotel accommodations.

Microbiome composition has been related to blood glucose control in children with type 1 diabetes (T1D). The Mediterranean Diet (MD) influences microbiome composition in healthy people. Whether MD influences blood glucose control in adults with long-lasting T1D through microbiome modification is not known. We aim in this study to investigate the relationships between MD, blood glucose control, and gut microbiome composition in adults with T1D, also exploring the feasibility of using gut microbiome profiles as predictive markers for clinical parameters and dietary patterns. In a cross-sectional study of 253 individuals with T1D, diet was assessed by EPIC questionnaire, adherence to the MD was evaluated by relative Mediterranean diet score (rMED), gut microbiome was analyzed by shotgun metagenomics and glucose control was assessed by HbA1c and continuous glucose monitoring. High adherence to MD was linked to improved blood glucose control, as evidenced by significantly lower HbA1c levels compared to subjects with low adherence. High adherence to MD was significantly associated with enrichment in beneficial microbial species. Conversely, low adherence corresponded to higher levels of potentially harmful species. Microbiome significantly predicted several variables including HbA1c and MD adherence. Our results highlight the beneficial effects of MD adherence on blood glucose control and gut microbiome composition in adults with long-standing T1D. The study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov with the identifier NCT05936242.

This article deals with a number of Middle and New Iranian words of doubtful etymology for which a derivation from Ir. *hakat ‘together, at once’ is proposed. Its possible reflexes in Western Iranian witness a development towards a conditional or temporal meaning (Parth. ag ‘if’, NP aknūn ‘now’), but remnants of the old meaning ‘together’ can be identified in MP ag(e)nēn ‘together’ and in the Arm. loanword hakaṙak ‘opposite, against’. In Eastern Iranian it seems to have undergone grammaticalization and developed into a preverb (Khot. gga‑) or a preposition (Sogd. ku ‘towards’, Orm. ku- ‘to, on, etc.’, Ishk. kI ‘to, on, for’, Zeb. ka ‘id.’). Especially in this latter group of languages, Ir. *hakat shows an evolution largely comparable to that of *hačā ‘from’, which, according to most scholars, belongs to the same root.

Beckett’s Not I can be studied in the light of biopolitics. In this article its dramatic action is read as a power relationship where Auditor acts as an ‘apparatus’ in Agamben’s sense of the term, and Mouth as a person, understood in the sense of Esposito’s critique of personhood. In this conflict Mouth does not capitulate by means of a double praxis : ‘destituent’ and ‘instituting’: her refusal to use the pronoun ‘I’ is at the same time an action of self-desubjectification which destitutes language and thus attempts to evade biopolitical control, and an act of subjectification which transforms language and attempts to institute a new and different subject.

Reconstructing premortem DNA methylation levels in ancient DNA has led to breakthrough studies such as the prediction of anatomical features of the Denisovan. These studies rely on computationally inferring methylation levels from damage signals in naturally deaminated cytosines, which requires expensive high-coverage genomes. Here, we test two methods for direct methylation measurement developed for modern DNA based on either bisulfite or enzymatic methylation treatments. Bisulfite treatment shows the least reduction in DNA yields as well as the least biases during methylation conversion, demonstrating that this method can be successfully applied to ancient DNA.

This paper discusses a phenomenon that has so far received little attention in previous literature: the presence, in several languages from different branches of the Austronesian family, of polyfunctional markers, which combine an aspectual meaning of change of state with information and discourse structuring functions. In this study, based on a comparative analysis of fifty-two Austronesian languages, I show that polyfunctional change of state markers are distributed throughout the entire family, crosscutting the major typological and geographical divide between Western and Eastern Austronesian. I argue that the development of information and discourse structuring functions of change of state markers derives from applying the notions of current relevance and transition to new situation not to eventualities, but to elements of propositions, and I also suggest that this process may be universally valid and could explain the similar development of change of state markers into information and discourse structuring devices attested in non-Austronesian languages.

The volume Wine Cultures. Gandhāra and Beyond represents the primary outcome of the MALIWI project (SPIN Ca’ Foscari 2021) directed by Claudia Antonetti. Adopting an interdisciplinary approach, this work seeks to explore the production techniques, social functions, and cultural significance of intoxicating drinks with particular reference to wine – an extraordinary beverage that has been intertwined with human history for millennia. This volume gathers contributions by scholars interested in studying wine and drinking culture in Gandhāra and neighbouring regions, including Ancient Assyria, Arachosia, and present-day India. The topic is explored from three fundamental perspectives, employing a diverse range of sources, including literary and historical texts, as well as linguistic, iconographic, archaeological, and anthropological evidence.

RG1 is a quadruplex‐forming sequence in the SARS‐CoV‐2 genome proposed as possible therapeutic target for COVID‐19. We demonstrate that the dominant conformation of RG1 under physiological conditions differs from the parallel quadruplex previously assumed. Through comprehensive investigations employing CD, UV, NMR, DSC, gel electrophoresis, MD simulations, in silico spectroscopy and the use of truncated RG1 sequences, we have identified this stable conformation as an RNA G‐triplex composed of two G‐triads. We believe this previously unreported RNA structure could serve as a novel therapeutic target. Our findings open new avenues for further studies on the presence and biological role of RNA G‐triplexes in vivo.

Aims and Objectives Acute aortic syndrome (AAS) is an uncommon but life-threatening diagnosis. Symptoms suggesting AAS are very common, so clinical scores and blood tests may be needed to select patients for definitive imaging. We aimed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of the aortic dissection detection risk score (ADD-RS) used alone or in combination with D-dimer for detecting AAS in patients presenting with symptoms suggestive of AAS. Method and Design We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library from inception to February 2024, along with the reference lists of included studies and other systematic reviews. All diagnostic accuracy studies that assessed the use of ADD-RS alone or with D-Dimer for diagnosing AAS compared with a reference standard test were included. Two reviewers independently selected and extracted data. Risk of bias was appraised using QUADAS-2 tool. Data were synthesised using hierarchical meta-analysis models. Results and Conclusion We selected 13 studies from the 2017 citations identified, including six studies evaluating combinations of ADD-RS alongside D-dimer>500ng/L. The methodological quality of the included studies was variable, with most studies having low or unclear risk of bias and applicability concerns in at least one item of the QUADAS-2 tool. The table shows the summary sensitivities and specificities (with 95% credible and predictive intervals) of ADD-RS at thresholds of greater than zero and greater than one, and combinations of the ADD-RS and D-dimer.The ADD-RS can be used alone or alongside D-dimer to identify AAS with a range of trade-offs between sensitivity (93.1% to 99.8%) and specificity (21.8% to 67.1%). A combination based on the Canadian Clinical Practice Guideline may represent the best trade-off, with sensitivity of 93.1% and specificity of 67.1% for AAS. View this table: • View inline • View popup • Download powerpoint Abstract 2613 Table 1 Pooled estimates for each strategy

Machine learning-based approaches are particularly suitable for identifying essential genes as they allow the generation of predictive models trained on features from multi-source data. Gene essentiality is neither binary nor static but determined by the context. The databases for essential gene annotation do not permit the personalisation of the context, and their update can be slower than the publication of new experimental data. We propose HELP (Human Gene Essentiality Labelling & Prediction), a computational framework for labelling and predicting essential genes. Its double scope allows for identifying genes based on dependency or not on experimental data. The effectiveness of the labelling method was demonstrated by comparing it with other approaches in overlapping the reference sets of essential gene annotations, where HELP demonstrated the best compromise between false and true positive rates. The gene attributes, including multi-omics and network embedding features, lead to high-performance prediction of essential genes while confirming the existence of essentiality nuances.

This contribution aims to present the results of a brief survey conducted on some ports in the Dhofar region, along the southernmost coast of the Sultanate of Oman, dated to the medieval Islamic period. The research carried out by the University of Naples L’Orientale at the site of al-Balīd and more broadly in the Dhofar region aims not only to advance new study and research activities but also to reinterpret and analyze existing materials, with the goal of developing a more complete understanding of the region’s role during the Islamic era. During this time, the port of al-Balīd, along with Ṣuḥār and Qalhāt in the northern part of the country, was one of the key centres in the trade networks of the western Indian Ocean. However, there were several satellite ports involved in long- medium and short distance trade networks which may have played an important role in communications with the interior where the frankincense resin was collected. The paper will focus on two of these ports: Sūq al-Ḥāsik and Ḥāsik Qadīm.

A celebrated theorem of Delange gives a sufficient condition for an arithmetic function to be the sum of the associated Ramanujan expansion with the coefficients provided by a previous result of Wintner. By applying the Delange theorem to the correlation of the von Mangoldt function with its incomplete form, we deduce an inequality involving the counting function of the prime numbers in arithmetic progressions. A remarkable aspect is that such an inequality is equivalent to the famous conjectural formula by Hardy and Littlewood for the twin primes.

The article provides a brief overview of the Omani mosques that the Italian archaeologist P.M. Costa classified into two groups in the 1970s based on their floor plans, architectural features, and decorative elements: those from the northern inland regions and those situated along the Indian Ocean coast. A new mosque recently brought to light by the Italian Archaeological Mission to al-Balīd of the University of Naples L’Orientale belongs to this second group.

Reconstructing the microscale villous organisation and functionality of the small intestine is essential for developing in vitro platforms tailored for absorption studies as well as for investigating intestinal morphogenesis in development and disease. However, the current fabrication techniques able to mimic the villus-crypt axis poses significant challenges in terms of reconstruction of the complex 3D microarchitecture. These challenges extend beyond mere structural intricacies to encompass the incorporation of diverse cell types and the management of intricate fluid dynamics within the system. Here, we introduce a novel microfluidic device called In-Crypts, which integrates a cell-instructive membrane aimed at inducing and guiding Caco-2 cells morphogenesis. Patterned topographical cues embossed onto the porous membrane induce the formation of a well-organized intestinal epithelium, characterized by proliferating crypt-like domains and differentiated villus-like regions. Notably, our cell-instructive porous membrane effectively sustains stem cells development, faithfully replicating the niche environment of in vivo intestinal crypts thus mirroring the cell biogeography observed in vivo. Moreover, by introducing dynamic fluid flow, we provide a faithful recapitulation of the native microenvironmental shear stress experienced by the intestinal epithelium. This stress plays a crucial role in influencing cell behaviour, differentiation, and overall functionality, thus offering a highly realistic model for studying intestinal physiology and pathology. The resulting intestinal epithelium exhibits significantly denser regions of mucus and microvilli, characteristic typically absent in static cultures, upregulating more than 1.5 of the amount expressed in the classical flattened configuration, enhanced epithelial cell differentiation and increased adsorptive surface area. Hence, the innovative design of In-Crypts proves the critical role of employing a cell-instructive membrane in argument the physiological relevance of organs-on-chips. This aspect, among others, will contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of organism function, directly impacting drug discovery and development.