La Responsabilità Sociale d’Impresa prospettive teoriche nel dibattito italiano

This paper is meant as a discussion of different methodological approaches to the analysis of corporate social responsibility (CSR), sorted out through a scrutiny of the literature that has emerged from the recent Italian debate. The first stream of literature is embedded in the neo-classical approach that adapts – to the contemporary economic environment - the famous Milton Friedman’s statement that the social responsibility of the firm is to make profits (Friedman, 1970). The second stream refers to a neo-contractualist approach, mainly developed by Lorenzo Sacconi (2004, 2005), that can be considered as an insightful application of incomplete contracts theory, strongly characterized by a contractualist-oriented ethical perspective. The third stream is the relational approach developed by Bruni and Zamagni (2004), which takes the issue of social reproduction into account in the description of the economic system, thereby looking at firms as producers of socially provided goods. Finally, we propose an integration between these different perspectives through the adoption of a conventionalist definition of CSR

Cities of a feather flock together: a study on the synchronization of communication between Italian cities

Abstract Due to the rise of communication technologies and economic globalization, modern large cities are becoming more and more interconnected and this phenomenon leads to an increasing synchronization in activities and communication patterns. In our work, we explore the communication synchronization between 76 Italian cities of different sizes by using mobile phone data. Our results show that both the spatial distance and the size of the city influence the synchronization: larger cities are more similar to larger cities in communication rhythms than medium cities are to medium cities, and medium cities are more similar to medium cities than smaller cities are to smaller cities. Furthermore, for all the cities' sizes we observe a drift in similarity due to spatial distance. Interestingly, the drift due to distance over similarity is less strong in large cities, that act as gateway nodes for the Italian economical system, hence having an emerging strongly connected and synchronized network, than for medium and small cities, that are more bounded to local industries. Finally, our results also show that highly synchronized cities are richer and more attractive for foreign-born population

Prevention and treatment of ischaemic and haemorrhagic stroke in people with diabetes mellitus: a focus on glucose control and comorbidities

Diabetes mellitus is a significant risk factor for both ischaemic and haemorrhagic stroke, affecting up to a third of individuals with cerebrovascular diseases. Beyond being a risk factor for stroke, diabetes and hyperglycaemia have a negative impact on outcomes after ischaemic and haemorrhagic stroke. Hyperglycaemia during the acute ischaemic stroke phase is associated with a higher risk of haemorrhagic transformation and poor functional outcome, with evidence in favour of early intervention to limit and manage severe hyperglycaemia. Similarly, intensive glucose control nested in a broader bundle of care, including blood pressure, coagulation and temperature control, can provide substantial benefit for clinical outcomes after haemorrhagic stroke. As micro- and macrovascular complications are frequent in people with diabetes, cardiovascular prevention strategies also need to consider tailored treatment. In this regard, the broader availability of sodium–glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors and glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists can allow tailored treatments, particularly for those with heart failure and chronic kidney disease as comorbidities. Here, we review the main concepts of hyperacute stroke management and CVD prevention among people with diabetes, capitalising on results from large studies and RCTs to inform clinicians on preferred treatments. Graphical Abstract

Children’s diet assessed with the Mediterranean Diet Index: the finding of new eating habits and their impact on a cohort of Italian children

Objectives. Mediterranean Diet (MD) has been inversely associated with many diseases: it reduces total mortality and lowers cardiovascular risk. Despite the known benefits of MD, variations of dietary habits have occurred in recent years especially in young people. The aim of our study is to evaluate MD adherence in a cohort of Italian children and adolescents living in Southern Italy.Methods and results. Adherence to MD was evaluated with the Mediterranean Diet Index (KIDMED). Sex, age, and anthropometric measures were recorded on a population of 132 children; of those 71.2% showed poor adherence to MD, 26.5% average adherence and only 2.3% good adherence. Higher prevalence of poor adherence was recorded in obese children and there was statistically significant inverse correlation between age and adherence score.Conclusions. Our results highlight low adherence to MD in a cohort of Italian children. These findings support the importance of monitoring dietary habits, especially in adolescents

Oesophageal stenosis due to heterotopy of gastric mucosa: a rare case of dysphagia in paediatric age

We describe the case of a three-year-old child who presents recurrent vomiting, dysphagia for solids, and weight deficit. Besides the poor general clinical conditions, the kid presents also retrosternal pyrosis. The laboratory tests show the presence of sideropenic anaemia, but it is possible to make a diagnosis only after endoscopy of the superior gastrointestinal tract, which reveals a chronic inflammation due to heterotopy of gastric mucosa. In the suspect of this kind of disease, this test should always be performed, and, if the proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) aren't effective enough, the Savary-Gilliard® dilators provide a safe and effective therapeutic solution

Assessment of clinical and radiological response to sorafenib in hepatocellular carcinoma patients

Sorafenib is an effective anti-angiogenic treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The assessment of tumor progression in patients treated with sorafenib is crucial to help identify potentially-resistant patients, avoiding unnecessary toxicities. Traditional methods to assess tumor progression are based on variations in tumor size and provide unreliable results in patients treated with sorafenib. New methods to assess tumor progression such as the modified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors or European Association for the Study of Liver criteria are based on imaging to measure the vascularization and tumor volume (viable or necrotic). These however fail especially when the tumor response results in irregular development of necrotic tissue. Newer assessment techniques focus on the evaluation of tumor volume, density or perfusion. Perfusion computed tomography and Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced-UltraSound can measure the vascularization of HCC lesions and help predict tumor response to anti-angiogenic therapies. Mean Transit Time is a possible predictive biomarker to measure tumor response. Volumetric techniques are reliable, reproducible and time-efficient and can help measure minimal changes in viable tumor or necrotic tissue, allowing the prompt identification of non-responders. Volume ratio may be a reproducible biomarker for tumor response. Larger trials are needed to confirm the use of these techniques in the prediction of response to sorafenib