Publications by authors named "Luigi De Luca"

Energetic materials (EMs) have important application value in the military and civil fields. But at the same time, EMs will burn or explode when they are impacted or rubbed. 2,4,6,8,10,12-Hexanitro-2,4,6,8,10,12-hexaazaisowurtzitane (CL-20) is one of the typical energetic compounds with high energy, whose density is 2.

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Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the penis accounts for approximately 95% of penile cancers and is associated with substantial morbidity and mortality. SCC typically develops in uncircumcised men, most commonly affecting the foreskin or glans. While slow-growing, early detection is crucial to improve survival outcomes.

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Introduction: Mobile health applications (MHAs) represent a tool to assist patients affected by different disease including bladder cancer (BCa), although the scientific quality and adherence to guidelines are not yet addressed.

Materials And Methods: On September 2024, we conducted a search in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. We reviewed all mobile apps from Apple App Store and Google Play Store for BC and evaluated their usage in screening, prevention, management, and adherence to EAU guidelines.

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Prostate cancer presents a substantial challenge, necessitating a delicate balance between effective treatment and preserving the overall quality of life for men, while robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) stands as the premier surgical approach, with a negligible rate of patients who remained incontinent. This review explores various technical modifications employed in RARP to improve early continence recovery, offering a summary of their implementation and potential benefits. Techniques like bladder neck preservation, subapical urethral dissection, and nerve-sparing approaches are critically discussed, highlighting their role in minimizing continence issues and ensuring a better post-operative experience for patients with prostate cancer.

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Penile cancer, while rare, is a critical public health issue due to its profound impact on patients and the complexities of its management. The disease's multifactorial etiology includes risk factors such as HPV infection, poor hygiene, smoking, genetic predispositions, and socioeconomic determinants. This article provides a comprehensive review and analysis of these diverse risk factors, aiming to enhance understanding of the disease's underlying causes.

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Circulating α1-acid glycoprotein (AGP) and C-reactive protein (CRP) are commonly measured to assess inflammation, but these biomarkers fail to reveal the complex molecular biology of inflammation. We mined the maternal plasma proteome to detect proteins that covary with AGP and CRP. In 435 gravida predominantly in <12-week gestation, we correlated the relative quantification of plasma proteins assessed via a multiplexed aptamer assay (SOMAScan) with AGP and CRP, quantified by immunoassay.

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Article Synopsis
  • - Bladder cancer is the 10th most common cancer worldwide, and its incidence is on the rise, with radical cystectomy and urinary diversion being standard treatments for muscle-invasive cases.
  • - Urinary diversions are classified into two main types: non-continent (like cutaneous ureterostomy and ileal conduit) and continent, which can include options that require catheterization or allow for normal voiding.
  • - The review covers the technical details of various urinary diversion techniques, providing a thorough overview of the alternatives available after radical cystectomy.
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The ARGO-USV (Unmanned Surface Vehicle for ARchaeological GeO-application) is a technological project involving a marine drone aimed at devising an innovative methodology for marine geological and geomorphological investigations in shallow areas, usually considered critical areas to be investigated, with the help of traditional vessels. The methodological approach proposed in this paper has been implemented according to a multimodal mapping technique involving the simultaneous and integrated use of both optical and geoacoustic sensors. This approach has been enriched by tools based on artificial intelligence (AI), specifically intended to be installed onboard the ARGO-USV, aimed at the automatic recognition of submerged targets and the physical characterization of the seabed.

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Article Synopsis
  • Peyronie's disease, affecting 9% of men, involves inflammation leading to fibrosis and is associated with pain and erectile dysfunction; there's a need for better understanding of its onset and progression.
  • Researchers created a systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) and identified a neutrophil-to-eosinophil ratio (NER) as potential biomarkers to help evaluate the disease's inflammation.
  • A study comparing 49 men with Peyronie's to 50 controls found significant differences in NER and eosinophil counts, with a higher prevalence of hypercholesterolemia, hyperglycemia, and hypertension in patients; the NER was most effective at distinguishing between groups.
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Urinary tract infections represent a common and significant health concern worldwide. The high rate of recurrence and the increasing antibiotic resistance of uropathogens are further worsening the current scenario. Nevertheless, novel key ingredients such as D-mannose, chondroitin sulphate, hyaluronic acid, and -acetylcysteine could represent an important alternative or adjuvant to the prevention and treatment strategies of urinary tract infections.

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Erectile dysfunction caused by venous leakage is a vascular disease in which blood fails to accumulate in the corpora cavernosa due to the abrupt drainage of blood from the penis secondary to an abnormal venous network that affects 1 to 2% of men under 25 years old and about 10 to 20% over 60 years old, who do not raise a sufficient erection for penetrative sex. The study of the venous leak and its characterization in young patients with erectile dysfunction represent a diagnostic challenge, and imaging remains the best way to diagnose this condition. In the article, it is described the methods of execution and the diagnostic role of the cavernous MRI in the study of vasogenic erectile dysfunction from the venous leak, proposing it as a good alternative to the cavernous CT, considering the satisfactory results in terms of diagnostic interpretation, the absence of ionizing radiation, the higher soft tissue resolution of the imaging method and the lower administration of contrast agent.

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: Multiparametric magnetic resonance is an established imaging utilized in the diagnostic pathway of prostate cancer. The aim of this study is to evaluate the accuracy and reliability of multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI) in the detection of clinically significant prostate cancer, defined as Gleason Score ≥ 4 + 3 or a maximum cancer core length 6 mm or longer, in patients with a previous negative biopsy. : The study was conducted as a retrospective observational study at the University of Naples "Federico II", Italy.

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Background and objective: Fibrinogen and albumin are two proteins widely used, singularly and in combination, in cancer patients as biomarkers of nutritional status, inflammation and disease prognosis. The aim of our study was to investigate the preoperative fibrinogen-to-albumin ratio (FAR) as a preoperative predictor of malignancy as well as advanced grade in patients with bladder cancer. Materials and Methods: A retrospective analysis of patients who underwent TURBT at our institution between 2017 and 2021 was conducted.

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Introduction: Several mobile health applications (MHAs) have been developed to assist and improve the quality of life of patients affected by premature ejaculation, but the scientific quality and adherence to guidelines are not yet addressed.

Materials And Methods: On 25 May 2022, we conducted a search in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. We reviewed all mobile apps from Apple App Store and Google Play Store for premature ejaculation and evaluated their usage in screening, prevention, management, and adherence to EAU guidelines.

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Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the role of preoperative Monocyte-to-Lymphocyte ratio (MLR) as a potential predictor of bladder cancer (BC).

Methods: Clinical data of patients who underwent TURBT at our institution between 2017 and 2021 were collected and retrospectively analysed. MLR was obtained from preoperative blood analyses performed within 1 month from hospital admission.

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Primary testicular lymphoma (PTL) accounts for 1-2% of all cases of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, with a higher incidence in patients aged >60 years. The most common histological subtype is diffuse large-cell B lymphoma. By contrast, the bilateral synchronous and multimetastatic clinical presentation is a rare and unusual clinical presentation.

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Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a relevant medical and social problem. According to the World Health Organization, the commonly estimated worldwide annual incidence of SCI is 40 to 80 cases per million population. After the SCI experience, most men present with sexual dysfunction (erectile dysfunction (ED) and ejaculatory dysfunction), fertility problems (such as impaired spermatogenesis, abnormalities in sperm viability, motility, and morphology), and systemic disorders such as genitourinary infection and endocrine imbalances.

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Bladder cancer is the ninth most common cancer worldwide. Over 75% of non-muscle invasive cancer patients require conservative local treatment, while the remaining 25% of patients undergo radical cystectomy or radiotherapy. Immune checkpoint inhibitors represent a novel class of immunotherapy drugs that restore natural antitumoral immune activity via the blockage of inhibitory receptors and ligands expressed on antigen-presenting cells, T lymphocytes and tumour cells.

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Testosterone is the most important hormone in male health. Aging is characterized by testosterone deficiency due to decreasing testosterone levels associated with low testicular production, genetic factors, adiposity, and illness. Low testosterone levels in men are associated with sexual dysfunction (low sexual desire, erectile dysfunction), reduced skeletal muscle mass and strength, decreased bone mineral density, increased cardiovascular risk and alterations of the glycometabolic profile.

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Objective: Coronaviruses (CoVs) are a group of RNA viruses involved in several human diseases affecting respiratory, enteric, hepatic, and neurological systems. COVID-19 was identified in 2020 and was named SARS-CoV-2. To limit worldwide contagion, many countries instituted a lockdown, which conducted to disruption of routine life.

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As a hot research topic, nano-scale energetic materials have recently attracted much attention in the fields of propellants and explosives. The preparation of different types of nano-sized energetic materials were carried out, and the effects of nano-sized energetic materials (nEMs) on the properties of solid propellants and explosives were investigated and compared with those of micro-sized ones, placing emphasis on the investigation of the hazardous properties, which could be useable for solid rocket nozzle motor applications. It was found that the nano-sized energetic materials can decrease the impact sensitivity and friction sensitivity of solid propellants and explosives compared with the corresponding micro-sized ones, and the mechanical sensitivities are lower than that of micro-sized particles formulation.

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The purpose of this mini review is to provide data about pre-clinical and clinical evidence exploring the impact of circadian desynchrony on spermatogenesis. Several lines of evidence exist demonstrating that disruption of circadian rhythms may interfere with male fertility. Experimental knock-out or knock-down of clock genes, physiologically involved in the regulation of circadian rhythms, are associated with impairments of fertility pathways in both animal and human models.

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Background: Vitamin A deficiency increases susceptibility to infection caused by impaired immune function.

Objectives: We investigated whether immunodeficiency could facilitate the development of vitamin A deficiency.

Methods: Vitamin A deficiency was followed in 2 mouse models of immunodeficiency: the athymic nude mouse () and the humoral immunodeficient SENCAR (SENsitive to CARcinogenesis) mouse.

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The effects of different types of nano-sized metal particles, such as aluminum (nAl), zirconium (nZr), titanium (nTi), and nickel (nNi), on the properties of a variety of solid rocket propellants (composite, fuel-rich, and composite modified double base (CMDB)) were analyzed and compared with those of propellants loaded with micro-sized Al (mAl) powder. Emphasis was placed on the investigation of burning rate, pressure exponent (), and hazardous properties, which control whether a propellant can be adopted in solid rocket motors. It was found that nano-sized additives can affect the combustion behavior and increase the burning rate of propellants.

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