https://hdl.handle.net/10807/200 2026-05-13T06:50:49Z https://hdl.handle.net/10807/335616 Titolo: Muscle failure and risk of adverse outcomes in older adults: a derivation and multicohort validation study Autori: Coelho-Júnior H; Álvarez-Bustos A; Rodríguez-Sánchez I; Landi F; Marzetti E Abstract: Background: Sarcopenia is inconsistently defined, and its definition might not adequately capture muscle failure, underlying disability, and other adverse outcomes in older adults. We aimed to develop and validate an evidence-based, outcome-driven model of muscle failure. Methods: In this derivation and multicohort validation study, we analysed data from the SPRINTT randomised controlled trial (1519 participants; mean age 78·9 years [SD 5·8]; 431 [28·4%] men, 1088 (71·6%) women) and validated findings in five independent cohorts (ilSIRENTE, NHANES, HRS, ELSA, and CHARLS). Neuromuscular domains including appendicular lean mass, muscle strength and power, mobility, and physical activity were assessed. Principal component analysis identified clusters of measures, which were tested for associations with disability in mobility and disability in activities of daily living, hospitalisation, and mortality using adjusted regression models. Predictive performance was evaluated with receiver operating characteristic curves. Area under the curve (AUC) values were defined as acceptable (0·7–0·8), excellent (0·8–0·9), or outstanding (>0·9). Findings: We identified two major muscle failure indexes: mobility (short-distance walking speed, 400 m walk) and physical activity (step counts, time spent standing, stepping, and sitting). In SPRINTT, the mobility model strongly predicted disability (AUC 0·721, 95% CI 0·698–0·795; p<0·0001), whereas the physical activity model was more closely associated with hospitalisation (0·646, 0·570–0·731; p=0·00040) and mortality (0·746, 0·612–0·926; p=0·0020). Combined models including mobility, handgrip strength, appendicular lean mass, and absolute muscle power improved prediction of mortality (0·746, 0·549–0·955; p=0·0076). External validation confirmed acceptable-to-strong discrimination for disability outcomes across cohorts (AUCs 0·7–0·9), while associations with hospitalisation and mortality were weaker and inconsistent (0·4–0·9). Compared with consensus-based sarcopenia definitions, the evidence-based model seemed to show better predictive ability for disability. Interpretation: Distinct mobility measures provide a robust framework for identifying muscle failure and predicting disability in older adults. Continuous activity monitoring might improve prediction of hospitalisation and mortality. This outcome-driven approach supports refinement of sarcopenia assessment and its implementation in clinical practice. 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/10807/335597 Titolo: The role of noradrenergic innervation and β-cell dedifferentiation in diabetes Autori: Avolio, Adriana; Morciano, Cassandra; Gugliandolo, Shawn; Splendore, Amelia; Capece, Umberto; Mezza, Teresa; Di Giuseppe, Gianfranco; Ciccarelli, Gea; Soldovieri, Laura; Brunetti, Michela; Pontecorvi, Alfredo; Giaccari, Andrea; Cinti, Francesca Abstract: β-Cell dedifferentiation is a key mechanism of β-cell failure in type 2 diabetes (T2D). To survive metabolic stress, β-cells adopt a progenitor-like state, allowing for potential redifferentiation and T2D remission when conditions improve. Glucolipotoxicity is a known driver of β-cell failure, but the triggers of dedifferentiation remain unclear. Recent research has focused on pancreatic islet innervation, particularly the role of noradrenergic fibers in inhibiting insulin secretion. An increase in noradrenergic fibers has been correlated with β-cell dedifferentiation in humans, suggesting a role in T2D pathogenesis. This review explores the link between β-cell dedifferentiation and pancreatic noradrenergic innervation across murine and human models and examines the possibility of targeting innervation to reverse dedifferentiation, restore insulin secretion, and achieve T2D remission. 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/10807/335577 Titolo: Boccaccio ed Ezzelino da Romano: dallo zibaldone cartaceo alle Esposizioni Autori: Petoletti Abstract: In his ‘zibaldone’ on paper (Firenze, Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale, Banco rari 50), Boccaccio copies in his own hand, on fol. 181r, a portrait of Ezzelino da Romano. The first part, with some adjustments, derives from Paolino Veneto’s Compendium, consulted in the manuscript Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, lat. 4939: here Boccaccio reconstructs the political and military career of the ruthless tyrant. The second section records a curious anecdote cast in dialogic form, featuring Ezzelino himself and his secretary, who was sentenced to death together with many citizens of Padua. The same episode, in a shortened form, reappears Boccaccio’s Esposizioni on Inf. XII 99-103, where he explicitly draws upon other sources, namely Giovanni Villani’s Nuova cronica and Albertino Mussato’s Ecerinis. The present study focuses on this page of the ‘zibaldone’, here published and analysed with regard to its structure and sources, and to its later reworking within Boccaccio’s commentary on Dante’s Commedia. 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/10807/335496 Titolo: Fonti italiane di un play inglese: "The Conquest of Granada" di John Dryden (1672) Autori: Corradini Marco Abstract: Lo studio mette in luce quanto l'heroic play sviluppato da John Dryden negli anni sessanta e settanta del XVII secolo debba alla teoria del poema eroico di Torquato Tasso, e ipotizza un legame tra il suo dramma "The Conquest of Granada" (1672) e "Il conquisto di Granada" di Girolamo Graziani (1650) Abstract: The study highlights how much the heroic play developed by John Dryden in the 1660s and 1670s owes to Torquato Tasso's theory of the heroic poem, and hypothesizes a link between his drama "The Conquest of Granada" (1672) and Girolamo Graziani's "Il conquisto di Granada" (1650) 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z