Publications by authors named "Francesco Paolucci"

Context: In recent decades, many countries experienced a reduction in the quality and functioning of democratic institutions and norms, accompanied by rising social distrust and opposing political views. The decline in vaccine confidence might be linked to these trends. This study explores the political factors influencing individual attitudes towards vaccination across 22 upper-middle-income and high-income countries, examining the interaction between political orientation, trust in public health authorities, and levels of democracy.

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Among various electrochemical imaging techniques, electrochemiluminescence microscopy (ECLM) stands out as a powerful approach to visualize electrochemical reactions by converting localized reactivity into optical signals. This study investigates ECL light emission spatial distribution in a confined space by using microelectrode arrays (MEAs) fabricated on glassy carbon (GC) and gold (Au) substrates via thermal nanoimprint lithography (TNIL). With the Ru-(bpy) /TPrA system, ECL imaging revealed distinct emission profiles, with Au exhibiting a broader spatial distribution compared to GC under identical geometric conditions.

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Background: Antenatal clinical guidelines recommending the provision of care for gestational weight gain (GWG) are not routinely delivered by antenatal care providers (ACPs). Determining barriers to such care delivery can inform the development of targeted strategies to improve implementation. However, no previous studies have identified which barriers are most important.

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Background: Vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 was a crucial public health measure during the COVID-19 pandemic. Among the multiple strategies developed to increase vaccine uptake, governments often employed vaccine mandates. However, little evidence exists globally about the impact of these mandates and their subsequent removal on vaccine uptake, including in Australia, France, Italy and the USA.

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Electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) bioassay has witnessed remarkable growth in biosensing and diagnostics. An understanding of the reaction mechanism within ECL is important for improving and designing sensitive ECL methods. Herein, a sidelong ECL microscopy and finite element simulation are developed for tomography imaging from single magnetic microbeads and deciphering reaction mechanism within bead-based coreactant ECL system.

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A homogeneous and almost monodisperse Ni/CTF composite of ultrasmall Ni NPs (∼2.2 nm) has been prepared by Metal Vapor Synthesis (MVS) and deposited on a highly porous and high specific surface area covalent triazine network. Metal doping was deliberately carried out on a metal-free system exhibiting superior CORR selectivity towards the challenging CO-to-HCOOH electroreduction.

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In vaccination decisions, individuals must weigh the benefits against the risks of remaining unvaccinated and potentially facing social restrictions. Previous studies have focused on individual preferences for vaccine characteristics and societal restrictions separately. This study aims to quantify public preferences and the potential trade-offs between vaccine characteristics and societal restrictions, including lockdowns and vaccine mandates, in the context of a future pandemic.

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The effectiveness of boron-doped diamond (BDD) as a platform for electrochemiluminescence (ECL) bead-based bioassays is hindered by the sluggish rate of heterogeneous tri--propylamine (TPrA) oxidation. To address this, we investigate the ECL of Ru(II)-coated microbeads in the presence of a redox mediator, exploring the effect of applied potential and electrode surface terminations. Using a redox mediator, the ECL signal on BDD is enhanced by up to 46-fold.

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Electrochemiluminescence (ECL) is nowadays a powerful technique widely used in biosensing and imaging, offering high sensitivity and specificity for detecting and mapping biomolecules. Screen-printed electrodes (SPEs) offer a versatile and cost-effective platform for ECL applications due to their ease of fabrication, disposability, and suitability for large-scale production. This research introduces a novel method for improving the ECL characteristics of screen-printed carbon electrodes (SPCEs) through the application of CO laser treatment following fabrication.

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Introduction: Telehealth has the potential to improve access to mental health care, especially for people living in rural and remote regions. Yet, telehealth accessibility remains a challenge in Australia, and there is a scarcity of appropriate, psychometrically sound tools for evaluating telehealth use by mental health service users. The aim of this study was to adapt and validate a scale for measuring factors associated with mental healthcare telehealth use.

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Aims: Surgeon and patient reluctance to participate are potential significant barriers to conducting placebo-controlled trials of orthopaedic surgery. Understanding the preferences of orthopaedic surgeons and patients regarding the design of randomized placebo-controlled trials (RCT-Ps) of knee procedures can help to identify what RCT-P features will lead to the greatest participation. This information could inform future trial designs and feasibility assessments.

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Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescent (TADF) luminophores offer the potential to achieve 100% Internal Quantum Efficiency (IQE) by harvesting both singlet and triplet excitons reverse intersystem crossing from T to S. This class of molecules has therefore been embraced in the pursuit of cheaper and more efficient electrochemiluminescent (ECL) labels. The present study explores how tuning the electron-donating (D) and -accepting (A) strengths of peripheral substituents affects the ECL emission of mono- and dicyanoarene-based TADF dyes.

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We have investigated the effect of dye distribution on the electrochemiluminescence (ECL) intensity measured with a simplified magnetic bead-based immunoassay for two families of silica nanoparticles (NPs) doped with the cationic Ru(bpy) and the zwitterionic Ru(bpy)bps complexes (bps = bathophenanthroline disulfonate). The NPs doped with the Ru(bpy)bps complex, which can efficiently self-organize in the NP volume favoring ECL generation, resulted in 150-400% signal enhancement compared to the Ru(bpy)-doped ones.

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Mental health and substance use disorders affect the lives of many people worldwide. Prevention and treatment of these conditions is important for optimal health and wellbeing, yet service access barriers are common. Virtual models of care may help to reduce barriers to receiving care.

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A sulfonated tris(1-phenylpyrazolato)iridium(III) complex ([Ir(sppz)]) serves as a proof-of-concept non-emissive enhancer of the widely used ECL detection system of tris(2,2'-bipyridine)ruthenium(II) ([Ru(bpy)]) with tri-n-propylamine (TPrA) co-reactant, acting through electrocatalysis of TPrA oxidation and efficient chemi-excitation of the luminophore. Using self-interference ECL spectroscopy, we show that the enhancer extends diffusion of the required electrogenerated precursors from the electrode surface. Previously reported enhancement through these pathways has been confounded by the inherent ECL of the enhancer, but the increase in [Ru(bpy)] ECL intensity using [Ir(sppz)] was obtained without its concomitant emission.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study explored how numeracy skills (NS) impact the consistency of choices patients make in discrete choice experiments (DCEs) related to kidney transplantation in Italy.
  • Higher numeracy was linked to greater consistency in patient choices, with significant increases noted as patients correctly answered more numeracy questions.
  • The findings indicated that mixing patients with different numeracy levels can bias willingness-to-wait estimates for transplant attributes, underscoring the importance of considering numeracy in analyzing DCE data.
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We developed a sensing strategy that mimics the bead-based electrogenerated chemiluminescence immunoassay. However, instead of the most common metal complexes, such as Ru or Ir, the luminophore is luminol. The electrogenerated chemiluminescence of luminol was promoted by in situ electrochemical generation of hydrogen peroxide at a boron-doped diamond electrode.

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Electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) stands out as a remarkable phenomenon of light emission at electrodes initiated by electrogenerated species in solution. Characterized by its exceptional sensitivity and minimal background optical signals, ECL finds applications across diverse domains, including biosensing, imaging, and various analytical applications. This review aims to serve as a comprehensive guide to the utilization of ECL in analytical applications.

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Objective: Depression is highly prevalent and associated with increased hospitalisations and mortality among patients with heart failure (HF). This study will evaluate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of an online wellbeing program for patients discharged from hospital with acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) in (i) improving emotional and physical wellbeing, and (ii) decreasing healthcare utilisation.

Methods: Two-arm randomised controlled trial.

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The COVID-19 pandemic is one of the most significant public health crises in modern history, with considerable impacts on the policy frameworks of national governments. In response to the pandemic, non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) and mass vaccination campaigns have been employed to protect vulnerable groups. Through the lens of Political Budget Cycle (PBC) theory, this study explores the interplay between incumbent electoral concerns and political dynamics in influencing the implementation of NPIs and vaccination rollout within the administrative regions of Italy and Spain during the period spanning June 2020 to July 2021.

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Global economic and health shocks, such as the 2008 global financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic typically impact healthcare financing and delivery. Cutler found that profound societal changes in the 20th century induced three waves of healthcare reform across seven major OECD countries. Our study investigates whether major crises in the 21st century induced similar reform waves.

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Health systems' insurance/funding can be organised in several ways. Some countries have adopted systems with a mixture of public-private involvement (e.g.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study reviews barriers and facilitators to implementing digital mental health technologies, aiming to inform policy development to enhance mental healthcare systems.
  • After analyzing 81 studies from a pool of over 12,500 references, key barriers identified include perceived impersonalization of digital tools, resource shortages, and regulatory issues, while facilitators involve patient-centered approaches and evidence-based training.
  • The findings highlight the importance of recognizing the complex interplay of these barriers and facilitators to ensure equitable and sustainable integration of digital interventions in mental health care.
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