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Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the short-term effectiveness of an intensive inpatient multidimensional rehabilitation program (MRP), including diet, exercise, and behavioral therapy, in elderly patients with severe obesity. Methods: Forty-four elderly patients (old; age 69.3 ± 3.5 years, BMI 41.9 ± 14.9) were analyzed against 215 younger patients (young; age 48.2 ± 18.5 years, BMI 43.9 ± 9.4), who were used as controls. All patients underwent MRP, based on group therapy guided by a multidisciplinary team (physicians, dietitians, exercise trainers, psychologists). We evaluated changes in anthropometry, cardiovascular risk factors, physical fitness, quality of life, and eating behavior. Results: After 3 weeks of MRP, we observed a reduction in body weight (old –3.8%, young –4.3%), BMI (old –3.9%, young –4.4%), waist circumference (old –3.4%, young –4.1%), total cholesterol (old –14.0%, young –15.0%), and fasting glucose (old –8.3%, young –8.1%), as well as improved performance in the Six-Minute-Walk Test (old +28.7%, young +15.3%), chair-stand test (old +24.8%, young +26.9%), and arm-curl test (old +15.2%, young +27.3%). Significant improvement was registered in all other analyzed domains. Conclusion: Our 3-week MRP provided significant clinical and functional improvement, which was similar between elderly and younger patients with severe obesity. In the long-term, this may be translated into better quality of life, through better management of obesity-associated morbidities and reduced frailty.

Cell death mechanisms are crucial to maintain an appropriate environment for the functionality of healthy cells. However, during viral infections, dysregulation of these processes can be present and can participate in the pathogenetic mechanisms of the disease. In this review, we describe some features of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), and some immunopathogenic mechanisms characterizing the present coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Lymphopenia and monocytopenia are important contributors to COVID-19 immunopathogenesis. The fine mechanisms underlying these phenomena are still unknown, and several hypotheses have been raised, some of which assign a role to cell death as far as the reduction of specific types of immune cells is concerned. Thus, we discuss three major pathways such as apoptosis, necroptosis, and pyroptosis, and suggest that all of them likely occur simultaneously in COVID-19 patients. We describe that SARS-CoV-2 can have both a direct and an indirect role in inducing cell death. Indeed, on the one hand, cell death can be caused by the virus entry into cells, on the other, the excessive concentration of cytokines and chemokines, a process that is known as a COVID-19-related cytokine storm, exerts deleterious effects on circulating immune cells. However, the overall knowledge of these mechanisms is still scarce and further studies are needed to delineate new therapeutic strategies.

Intervento al Workshop Internazionale “Infanzie e Famiglie in Europa”, del 16 ottobre 2009, presso la Facoltà di Scienze della Formazione, Via Filippo Re, 6 Bologna (Aula Magna). L’intervento illustra i valori fondativi del Centro Nascita Montessori dalle sue origini ai giorni nostri attraverso un percorso che si è allargato nel tempo: dalla focalizzata attenzione e cura al neonato in famiglia o nel brefotrofio fino agli anni ’60 alla cura della crescita del bambino nei servizi educativi e alla cura della relazione con le famiglie dagli anni ‘70 in poi. Tale espansione del campo di interesse e d’indagine operativa ha arricchito il patrimonio di competenze e di conoscenze del C.N.M..

L’articolo presenta una ricerca basata sull’osservazione di un contesto educativo di ispirazione montessoriana. La ricerca intendeva mettere in luce gli atteggiamenti, le proposte e le strategie delle educatrici, e le risposte dei bambini a queste sollecitazioni. Il testo si articola in una introduzione metodologica che illustra il tipo di servizio educativo, la metodologia di osservazione adottata e la traccia che ha guidato le osservazioni; seguono alcune considerazioni sull’autonomia del bambino, l’attenzione al singolo bambino e la cura del bambino, emerse dalla analisi delle osservazioni; conclude l’articolo la trascrizione di una delle tre osservazioni condotte.