Ensuring public funding for providing home care to older adults with limited self-sufficiency could prove not only to be a welfare measure, but also an effective strategy for improving seniors’ mental health, reducing psychiatric care costs, and easing the burden on families.

This is the conclusion of an international study published in the prestigious journal Health Economics, led by Ludovico Carrino, Professor of Political Economy at the University of Trieste, in collaboration with Erica Reinhard of King’s College London and Mauricio Avendano of the University of Lausanne.

The study, among the first in the scientific community to empirically examine the socio-economic impact of public home care for older adults, analysed data from four European countries (Belgium, France, Germany, and Spain), and highlighted the many potential benefits of publicly supported Long-Term Care (LTC) programmes.

The findings show that access to home care services:

• reduces the risk of clinical depression by 13 percentage points, compared to an observed average of 28% in the study population;
• lowers the risk of loneliness by 6.7%;
• improves perceived quality of life by 14%.

Ludovico Carrino, Professor of Political Economy at the University of Trieste, commented: ‘In addition to the health benefits for individuals, the study highlights the potential economic impact of such measures. Late-life depression has high healthcare costs: studies conducted over the past decades show an annual extra cost of $3,225 per person aged 65–74 in the UK, while in Germany the figure is $2,840 annually for those over 75. Reducing the incidence of mental health disorders through an efficient home care system therefore means not only improving the quality of life for older people, but also decreasing the need for medication, psychiatric care and hospitalisation, with positive effects on the sustainability of national healthcare systems.’

Another key finding of the research relates to the role of informal caregivers. Care provided by family members, such as children or relatives, is often the main source of support, with a significant impact on the work and personal lives of those providing care. Widening access to home care services could relieve caregivers from what is often an all-consuming role, returning human resources to the labour market with potentially positive outcomes for productivity and household income. In Italy, where the development of public Long-Term Care lags behind that of other European countries, the findings of the Health Economics study may offer concrete guidance for shaping public policy and updating welfare strategies. 

‘Legislative initiatives in recent years have sparked reflection on the need to strengthen funding and broaden access to home care services, drawing attention to a highly relevant issue in a country where an ageing population will inevitably lead to a rise in the number of people requiring care,’ concluded Ludovico Carrino.

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Full study published in Health Economics
There Is No Place Like Home: The Impact of Public Home‐Based Care on the Mental Health and Well‐Being of Older People

The University of Trieste’s Botanical Garden on Via Licio Giorgieri, with an area of 2,400 square metres, houses around 400 species from Europe, the Americas, Africa, Asia and Australia. These also include species endemic to the Karst, Friuli Venezia Giulia and the Mediterranean, with a small section dedicated to pteridophytes. 

The Botanical Garden boasts a two-century-old downy oak (quercus pubescens), the only tree preserved during wartime deforestation. Beyond its perimeter, but still an integral part of the Botanical Garden, is the Monte Valerio Nature Trail, which features informative signs explaining the flora and fauna encountered by visitors.

A botanical garden, the hortus vivus of antiquity, is an institution that keeps living plants, documented, labelled, arranged and ordered according to scientific criteria. It is open to the public in order to educate visitors about the plant species and provide recreational activities, while also carrying out research and conservation projects.

Created in 1963 by Prof. Sandro Pignatti, the botanical garden of the Botany Institute at the University of Trieste was conceived as a collection mainly dedicated to Karst and regional flora, with several specimens native to the Western Balkan area. After its conception, budget cuts, lack of personnel and diverging research activities led the garden to significantly deteriorate, reducing it simply to a green space between the buildings of the UniTS Campus. Despite its state of neglect, the garden became a special area for research and teaching and a new greenhouse was constructed, the first in Europe to be equipped with interactive plant identification tools used by students on the Systematic Botany course. Since 2022, thanks to the impetus of Prof. Andrea Nardini, Professor of Plant Physiology, and Prof. Mauro Tretiach, at the time Head of the Department of Life Sciences, the garden has made a comeback after numerous exotic species were purchased and large areas for research activities were newly designated.

The two local institutions Giardino Botanico Carsiana (dedicated to the flora of the Karst) and Trieste’s Civico Orto Botanico, both with cultivars and exotic plants, inspired the small university garden to redefine its goals as not just an exhibition space but a place to strengthen its functionality as a teaching location: a garden serving as an extension of the classroom or laboratory, a space for observing the characteristics of plants and thus providing first-hand knowledge and in-depth information in university lessons.
The University Botanical Garden continues to be a recreational space for students but also a place for meetings and gatherings in keeping with plant conservation requirements.

Andrea Moro, curator of the Botanical Collections, and Marinella Perosa, author of the book “Botanica&Erbario” (Quaderni Visionari, Effigi editions) spoke at the inauguration.

The University of Padua's Equal Opportunities Committee (CUG) has awarded UniTS researcher Giovanna Gilleri the Prize for Research on Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation for her work entitled ‘Women, and All of Us: Article 5(a) CEDAW as a Protection for All Gendered Individuals’.

CEDAW stands for the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1979.

The committee has awarded the prize to Giovanna Gilleri for her innovative interpretation of Article 5(a) of the CEDAW Convention, in which through detailed legal analysis and dialogue with feminist and queer thought she demonstrates how the fight against gender stereotypes, by extending protection to all gender identities, can promote an inclusive vision of anti-discrimination law.
 

Friday 23rd May saw the conclusion of the on-site visit of the expert panel (CEV) of the Italian national agency for the evaluation of universities and research institutes (ANVUR) for the Periodic Assessment of the University of Trieste.

The final meeting took place in the Main Hall of Building A and was attended by the entire academic community.

During the presentation, the key strengths and areas for improvement identified through the analysis of documents and consultations with staff and students were communicated. 

The Preliminary Report, in accordance with ANVUR assessment procedures, will be sent to the University within 90 days.

A persistent inflammation affecting blood vessels and potentially leading to serious thrombotic complications, even in young individuals with no known risk factors – this is the reality of systemic vasculitis, a group of rare autoimmune diseases which, if not promptly recognised and treated, can compromise vital organs such as the heart, kidneys, lungs and brain.

These conditions are the focus of a study published in Nature Reviews Rheumatology, one of the world’s most prestigious journals in the fields of immunology and rheumatology. The study is coordinated by Professor Giacomo Emmi, immunologist, lecturer in Internal Medicine at the University of Trieste, Head of the Department of Clinical Medicine and Scientific Coordinator of ASUGI (local health authority).

The article, the result of a coordinated review effort involving leading research centres in Italy, Sweden, Russia, Turkey and Australia, provides an overview of the thrombotic and cardiovascular manifestations associated with vasculitis. It also proposes new treatment strategies based on an anti-inflammatory approach.

The topic will be the subject of a presentation by Professor Emmi during the European Vasculitis Society (EUVAS) congress, being held for the first time in Trieste from 21st to 24th May, and bringing together over 400 specialists from across Europe. The congress is a key event for clinicians and researchers working in this area and is noted for its strongly multidisciplinary approach. Emmi is a member of the society’s board and part of the organising committee for the event.

"Our work," explains Emmi, "shows that in many forms of vasculitis, thrombosis is not an isolated event, but a direct consequence of vascular inflammation. In such cases, anticoagulants alone may be insufficient and must be combined with immunological therapy. A deeper understanding of the mechanisms underlying these findings changes the therapeutic approach and may open new avenues for other chronic inflammatory and non-inflammatory diseases as well."

Among the types of vasculitis examined in the review are:

• Eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis – a disease primarily affecting the respiratory tract, heart and peripheral nervous system;
• Behçet’s syndrome, which involves blood vessels of varying calibre and is characterised, among other things, by inflammatory thrombotic events.

The publication focuses on:

• the differences between arterial and venous thrombotic events;
• therapeutic management at different stages of the disease;
• and the various pathogenetic mechanisms that can inform clinical decision-making.

The study, available online via the Nature platform, represents a significant contribution to the international discourse on systemic autoimmune diseases, a constantly evolving field of medicine.

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Full Study Published in Nature Reviews Rheumatology         
Arterial and venous thrombosis in systemic and monogenic vasculitis
Federica Bello¹˒¹⁵, Filippo Fagni²˒³˒¹⁵, Giacomo Bagni⁴, Catherine L. Hill⁵˒⁶, Aladdin J. Mohammad⁷˒⁸, Sergey Moiseev⁹, Iacopo Olivotto¹˒¹⁰, Emire Seyahi¹¹ & Giacomo Emmi¹²˒¹³˒¹⁴

1. Cardiomyopathy Unit, Careggi University Hospital, Florence, Italy
2. Department of Rheumatology, Skåne University Hospital, Malmö, Sweden
3. Department of Clinical Sciences, Rheumatology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
4. Department of Rheumatology and Inflammatory Diseases, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden
5. Discipline of Medicine, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
6. Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Central Adelaide Local Health Network, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
7. Department of Rheumatology and Inflammation Research, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
8. Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
9. Department of Internal Medicine and Rheumatology, Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russia
10. IRCCS Don Carlo Gnocchi Foundation, Florence, Italy
11. Istanbul Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey
12. Department of Medical, Surgical and Health Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy
13. Department of Internal Medicine, Azienda Sanitaria Universitaria Giuliano Isontina (ASUGI), Trieste, Italy
14. European Reference Network ReCONNET, Trieste, Italy
These authors contributed equally: Federica Bello, Filippo Fagni

The Urology Department of the Cattinara Hospital has also received the bollino rosa (pink stamp) from Fondazione Onda – the national observatory on women’s and gender health – which recognises healthcare facilities committed to promoting women’s health and integrating gender-specific medicine.

Founded in 2005, Fondazione Onda awards the stamps based on clinical requirements, the quality of care and welcome, attention to gender differences, and training and communication activities.

This is the third accreditation awarded to the facility of ASUGI and the University of Trieste: following the bollino arancione (orange stamp) for excellence in the treatment of kidney diseases, and the bollino azzurro (blue stamp) for pathways dedicated to male and prostate health, the Urology Department in Trieste is the first in the region to earn the full trio of Onda certifications.

This recognition also extends to the educational aspect: specialist trainees begin working in a clinical environment that adopts a gender-sensitive and non-discriminatory approach to care from the outset.

‘Gender-specific medicine is not a separate field,’ says Prof. Giovanni Liguori, Head of the Urology Department of ASUGI and Professor of Urology and Andrology at the University of Trieste, ‘but an integral part of an approach to treatment that considers each person in their full complexity.’

‘Accreditations such as this confirm the value of the path we have taken together with Prof. Paolo Umari, Professor and Head of the Robotic Surgery Unit, Dr. Gianluca D’Aloia, Head of the Prostate Unit, and Dr. Francesca Vedovo, Head of Functional Urology.’

Educate, connect, inspire. With these words, the first edition of the Innovators Community Lab (ICLab) was launched—the renewed program of the University of Trieste that guides students through the discovery of innovation and entrepreneurial culture.

An evolution of the Contamination Lab, which over more than ten editions provided entrepreneurial background to around 300 UniTS students, the ICLab is designed to equip students with tools to develop business projects in emerging sectors.

The program will once again take place in the renovated spaces of the former Military Hospital, now transformed into an environment open to education, co-working, and collaboration between university, industry, and the local community. The 2025 edition kicked off with an official event attended by institutions, companies, and the 29 selected participants from bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral programs.

During the event, Salvatore Dore, Head of ICLab and Head of the Technology Transfer and Business Relations Office, also presented the main novelties of the 2025 edition: the recognition of curricular academic credits, individual mentoring programs, training and networking events with entrepreneurs and managers, and a visit to the Marcegaglia Group’s industrial plants, where students will meet the company’s top management. At the end of the program, the five best projects will be awarded scholarships of 5,000 euros each, funded by the Autonomous Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia. The renewed program will also feature an international dimension, which will be presented in the coming weeks.

In his opening remarks, Professor Rodolfo Taccani, Rector’s Delegate for Technology Transfer and Business Relations, reflected on the value of the work done over his six-year term, now nearing its conclusion:
“The Contamination Lab has for years been a living lab of ideas, but also of people. We have seen skills, relationships, and initiatives grow, capable of going beyond the boundaries of the university. This path has accompanied six years of work in which we focused on the connection between education, youth, and business. The future also starts here.”

A central moment of the event was the keynote speech by Gianluca Bisol, President of the winery Bisol 1542. His talk, “Innovating within tradition,” recounted the story of a family business able to combine territorial identity and transformation across generations.

The 29 students selected for the new ICLab training program—18 enrolled in bachelor's degrees, 10 in master's or single-cycle master’s degrees, and 1 in a doctoral program—concluded the meeting with a brief individual presentation, sharing their motivations, goals, and expectations for the journey ahead.

Women account for more than a third of the group. Reflecting the program’s ability to attract diverse skills and interests, this year’s cohort also includes students from humanities programs, such as Philosophy, Psychology, and Law.

With the ICLab, the University of Trieste reinforces and structures its commitment to innovation training, creating real spaces for dialogue between academia and the production system and promoting, within the university path, a vision of business as a tool for growth, connection, and impact.

The UniTS Racing Team, the University of Trieste's Formula SAE team, has renewed its collaboration with the ‘Burlo Garofolo’ research hospital for the second year running, creating a fun, educational event designed for children either in or being treated at the paediatric hospital.

The aim of the initiative is to bring children closer to the world of technology, engineering and motor racing through engaging and interactive activities. At the heart of the event there will be a section with game stations, where children can try their hand at various activities of varying levels of difficulty, all intended as preparation for the final challenge: a real race on a driving simulator.

Making the experience even more meaningful was the children's contribution to the creation of the event's official poster. Armed with colours and imagination, they captured the world of racing on paper while bringing a dash of authenticity and joy to the project.

The event represented a valuable opportunity to unite passion, technical expertise and social concern, underlining the value of collaboration between universities, health institutions and the community.

The initiative will be repeated in Udine, on 24th May, on the occasion of World Gaming Day. 

Through these initiatives, the UniTS Racing Team wants to open itself up more and more to the region, bringing its passion for technology and competition beyond university contexts. A way to raise awareness and make Formula SAE and the value of collaboration between young people, academic institutions and the community known to all.

Prof. Pierangelo Gobbo’s research group from the Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Trieste has taken an exciting step forward in the creation of artificial tissues that respond to light, which they have called ‘photonastic prototissues.’

Synthetic biology is a discipline which straddles the border between engineering and biology, and was created in order to build artificial biological systems by combining chemistry, biotechnology and engineering. The work of Prof. Pierangelo Gobbo’s research group addresses a key challenge in the field: to create artificial tissues that not only mimic the structure of living systems, but also integrate movement and biochemical functions. The UniTS research group has created a powerful platform for designing materials that do not merely exist passively, but react and actively adapt to their environment.

The potential applications will have a significant impact on scheduled drug delivery techniques, the field of bioinspired materials and the field of soft robotics, a discipline which uses soft and flexible materials to create robots that can bend, deform and adapt to their environment.

The researchers, inspired by how real tissues convert energy into movement and function, have designed synthetic tissue-like materials that can contract and switch off their internal reactivity when exposed to light.

The secret of these dynamic proto-tissues lies in the combination of two elements: gold nanoparticles that convert light into heat and a polymer ‘proto-cortex’ that is sensitive to thermal changes. Similar to the cortex of living cells, this is nothing more than a polymer layer that covers the inside of the protocell membrane and gives the protocell greater mechanical strength. When exposed to light, the gold nanoparticles generate heat and trigger the contraction of the proto-cortex. This causes the individual proto-cells that make up the material to contract just like a small muscle. When the light is switched off, the structure promptly relaxes.

In addition to movement, they have shown that these contractions can regulate the enzymatic metabolism of the tissue, blocking or allowing access to small substrate molecules. In other words, light intensity can be used to induce reversible contractions that can modulate a biochemical process housed within the material.

The work, now published in Advanced Materials, https://advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/adma.202502830 was developed in collaboration with Professors Piero Pavan and Silvia Todros (Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Padua; Tissue Engineering Lab, Fondazione Istituto di Ricerca Pediatrica Città della Speranza).

The research was supported by the European Research Council (ERC Starting Grant PROTOMAT, 101039578), the Next Generation EU (PRIN project NRRP 3D-L- INKED, P2022BLNCS; PRIN project SAMBA 2022285HC5_002; PNRR project ‘Metabolic and cardiovascular diseases’ CN000041) and the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship ‘SAPTiMeC’ (101023978).

The Italian Pavilion at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition - La Biennale di Venezia, promoted by the Ministry of Culture's Directorate-General for Contemporary Creativity, will be entitled ‘Terrae Aquae. L’Italia e l’Intelligenza del Mare’ (Terrae Aquae. Italy and the Intelligence of the Sea)’ and curated by Guendalina Salimei. It will include a video presentation of the Architecture thesis ‘From Waterscape to Nautopia: global warming scenarios and stories of radical architecture, spaces and habitats’, written by two UniTS graduates. 

Giulia Piacente and Giulia Toscano's thesis explores an imaginative future in which cities may exist on water, and was supervised by Thomas Bisiani, professor of Architectural and Urban Composition at UniTS.  It will be exhibited in the area of the pavilion dedicated to products of academic studies until 23rd November.

Guendalina Salimei, curator of the Italian Pavilion, described it as a ‘contribution from the field of education, demonstrating how academic research can provide us with insights which help us engage with challenges in both the present and future’.

The work was chosen for the quality of its research, the originality of its approach and its relevance to the themes addressed by the exhibition project ‘Terræ Aquæ. Italy and the Intelligence of the Sea.’ 

Starting with a discussion on global warming and the resultant rising sea levels, the students conceived Nautopia, a floating village for 2000 people, able to survive submersion in bad weather and surrounded by an artificial ring of land to mitigate the impact of the waves. In the underwater plane, a special grid structure would allow people to travel across, be adjustable to limit or expand spaces, and be equipped with a physical system linking the market, trade building and cultural centre. The upper plane would be left free to allow for ease of navigation.

The passage from one plane to another would be made possible thanks to lifting platforms that allow people to travel up and down and would provide a supply of energy, water and operational drainage systems.

Nautopia would be self-sufficient with food, water, energy and waste disposal in order to meet the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda.