Cracking Down on Corporate Crime in Italy

With the implementation of Legislative Decree No. 231 on June 8th, 2001, Italy aligned itself with other European countries which already provided for the liability of corporate entities responsible for committing certain crimes. The previous gap in legislation had created serious implications at an international level, especially in light of the objective of fostering cooperation in the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice in the European Union. These implications were amplified by the fact that corporate crime was increasing more rapidly than crimes committed by individuals, with manifestations that often transcended national borders. In this context, Art. 11 of Law No. 300, issued on September 29th, 2000, provided for an explicit delegation to the Government to regulate the administrative responsibility of corporate entities, with the intent to conform Italian legislation to the urgent pleas coming from the European Community. The principle that criminal liability requires personhood undoubtedly gives rise to various considerations. Nevertheless, even this argument, which appears to exclude corporations from criminal liability, can be overcome. In fact, the effect of time passing between the commission of the crime and the delivery of the sentence undermines the objective of reformation even when the recipient of a sentence is an individual who, similarly, could be a completely different person many years after the fact. Paradoxically, even more so for corporations and for all the reasons that will be explained henceforth, the mere prospect of being convicted can push companies onto a virtuous path and be instrumental in bringing them back to the market with a renewed respect for legality

Bone morphogenetic protein signaling promotes morphogenesis of blood vessels, wound epidermis, and actinotrichia during fin regeneration in zebrafish

Zebrafish fin regeneration involves initial formation of the wound epidermis and the blastema, followed by tissue morphogenesis. The mechanisms coordinating differentiation of distinct tissues of the regenerate are poorly understood. Here, we applied pharmacologic and transgenic approaches to address the role of bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling during fin restoration. To map the BMP transcriptional activity, we analyzed the expression of the evolutionarily conserved direct phospho-Smad1 target gene, id1, and its homologs id2a and id3. This analysis revealed the BMP activity in the distal blastema, wound epidermis, osteoblasts, and blood vessels of the regenerate. Blocking the BMP function with a selective chemical inhibitor of BMP type I receptors, DMH1, suppressed id1 and id3 expression and arrested regeneration after blastema formation. We identified several previously uncharacterized functions of BMP during fin regeneration. Specifically, BMP signaling is required for remodeling of plexus into structured blood vessels in the rapidly growing regenerate. It organizes the wound epithelium by triggering wnt5b expression and promoting Collagen XIV-A deposition into the basement membrane. BMP represents the first known signaling that induces actinotrichia formation in the regenerate. Our data reveal a multifaceted role of BMP for coordinated morphogenesis of distinct tissues during regeneration of a complex vertebrate appendage.—Thorimbert, V., König, D., Marro, J., Ruggiero, F., Jaźwińska, A. Bone morphogenetic protein signaling promotes morphogenesis of blood vessels, wound epidermis, and actinotrichia during fin regeneration in zebrafish

Industrial Heritage in Albania: Architecture and Landscape. A New Resource for Fier

This paper proposes the research lines of a teaching experience developed in a laboratory degree carried out in the a.y. 2013-14 at the Politecnico di Bari, that is engaged since 2006 in many studies of the Albanian architectural heritage. In particular this study concerns the recovery and enhancement of the industrial landscape and architecture of the twentieth century in Albania. The specific case-study is the industrial area of Fier, one of the largest production sites created in the sixties in Albania, that includes a nitrate fertilizer plant and a thermal power station, a zone now almost entirely abandoned and degraded, but with great potential for transformation and reuse. The Laboratory involved various disciplines: Architectural and Urban Design, Urban Planning, Environmental Technical Physics, Architectural Restoration, with the aim of highlighting the environmental resources of this site, at territorial, urban and architectural scales. This study designated this area not as a large abandoned site available for new functions, but as a place with specific characters of space and landscape, rich in historical memories, that must be interpreted and recovered through the project. It was assumed as a possible heartland for the architectural and social redevelopment of the city and environmental enhancement through the redesign of the agricultural landscape with which it compares powerfully. So we could verify the possibility to establish here productive activities compatible with the environment, scientific research activities, cultural and recreational facilities for the city and the territory and housing functions, connected by extensive green areas organized as a large agricultural and technology park. Beside this mix of functions, this area preserves its original specificity of energy hub on a national scale, addressing towards renewable energy. The topic was considered with a multidisciplinary and inter-scalar approach, in relation to the issues of sustainable and eco-friendly development, the environmental remediation, the territorial and urban regeneration, up to face the problem of conversion and reuse of large industrial containers and some significant buildings. Particular attention was dedicated to the foreshadowing of spaces and architectural forms that may characterize this place, bringing it back to life and transforming this problematic area in a new resource for Fier

Drug resistance outcomes of long-term ART with tenofovir disoproxil fumarate in the absence of virological monitoring

Objectives: The resistance profiles of patients receiving long-term ART in sub-Saharan Africa have been poorly described. This study obtained a sensitive assessment of the resistance patterns associated with long-term tenofovir-based ART in a programmatic setting where virological monitoring is yet to become part of routine care. Methods: We studied subjects who, after a median of 4.2 years of ART, replaced zidovudine or stavudine with tenofovir disoproxil fumarate while continuing lamivudine and an NNRTI. Using deep sequencing, resistance-associated mutations (RAMs) were detected in stored samples collected at tenofovir introduction (T0) and after a median of 4.0 years (T1). Results: At T0, 19/87 (21.8%) subjects showed a detectable viral load and 8/87 (9.2%) had one or more major NNRTI RAMs, whereas 82/87 (94.3%) retained full tenofovir susceptibility. At T1, 79/87 (90.8%) subjects remained on NNRTI-based ART, 5/87 (5.7%) had introduced lopinavir/ritonavir due to immunological failure, and 3/87 (3.4%) had interrupted ART. Whilst 68/87 (78.2%) subjects maintained or achieved virological suppression between T0 and T1, a detectable viral load with NNRTI RAMs at T0 predicted lack of virological suppression at T1. Each treatment interruption, usually reflecting unavailability of the dispensary, doubled the risk of T1 viraemia. Tenofovir, lamivudine and efavirenz selected for K65R, K70E/T, L74I/V and Y115F, alongside M184V and multiple NNRTI RAMs; this resistance profile was accompanied by high viral loads and low CD4 cell counts. Conclusions: Viraemia on tenofovir, lamivudine and efavirenz led to complex resistance patterns with implications for continued drug activity and risk of onward transmission

Physical and chemical properties of long-term salinized soils

In some areas, particularly in the Mediterranean regions, saline water is a source of water for crop irrigation. Consequently during the time, the use of this water may cause significant modifications of the soil physic-chemical properties and plant toxicity. The purpose of this investigation was to assess the variation of soil stability index and of ECe, ESP, pH, exchangeable potassium, bulk density, soil hydraulic conductivity and water retention curve (h(θ)), for a clay sandy soil, which was irrigated over 12 years with saline water. The soil stability index was evaluated by 2 methods: after wetting the sample (Water Stability Index = WSI) and without the pre-wetting step (Water Stability Dry Index = WSDI). The measures have been taken at three depths along the soil profile: 0-0.30, 0.30-0.60 and 0.60-0.90 m. The saline water was obtained by adding commercial sea salt to the irrigation water with the result of a final concentrations of 0.25 (2.5 g l-1), 0.5 (5 g l-1) and 1% (10 g l-1). A non-salinized control was also included. The increasing salinity of the irrigation water increased at all the depths ECe, ESP and pH, while exchangeable potassium decreased. Assessment of soil aggregates stability without samples pre-wetting (WSDI) allowed us to better discriminate among the different samples examined. Aggregate stability for each of the soil layers decreased at increasing salinity of the irrigation water. Long term salinization affected the aggregate stability of the deepest layers. The soil hydraulic conductivity decreased also, while bulk density increased. The shape of the soil water retention curve was also affected by salinity. In the salinized plots less water is relaxed within -150 ÷ -12 cm ψ range. The available water was reduced at increasing salinity. Irrigation with saline water on clay-sandy soils increases ECe, pH and ESP, all of which negatively affect the soil aggregate stability. Damage to the soil structure remarkably reduces the available water and soil hydraulic conductivity. The magnitude of these deleterious effects may increase through the years and in proportion to salt concentration in the irrigation water

Involvement of pattern recognition receptors in the induction of cytokines and reactive oxygen intermediates production by human monocytes/macrophages stimulated with tumour cells

Background: Some ligands of pattern recognitionm receptors (PRR) are present on tumour cells. The role of PRR in signalling for cytokine and reactive oxygen intermediates (ROI) production by monocytes and monocyte-derived macrophages (MDM) stimulated with tumour cells was studied. Materials and Methods: Monocytes/MDM were pretreated with PRR ligands or anti-PRR monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and stimulated with tumour cells. Cytokine secretion was measured by enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA) and ROI production by luminol-dependent chemiluminescence (CL). Results: The ligands of scavenger receptor A (SR-A): (fucoidan, polyguanylic acid (polyG) and modified low density lipoproteins (LDL)) and B (SR-B) (native and modified LDL, phosphatidylserine (PdS)) and of mannose receptor (MR) (mannan), induced tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF) and ROI (except LDL) release by monocytes. Production of TNF and interleukin-10 (IL-10) by MDM was stimulated by SR-A ligands and mannan. Tumour cell-induced TNF and IL-10 production by monocytes, but not MDM, was diminished by fucoidan and polyG, while ROI release was reduced by MR and SR-A ligands. Supplementation of tumour cells with modified LDL and PdS enhanced their stimulatory capacity. TNF and ROI release by tumour cells-stimulated monocytes was inhibited by anti-CD36 and anti-MR (clone PAM-1) mAbs. Conclusion: SR and MR may be involved to different extents in the induction of cytokines and ROI production by monocytes, but not MDM, stimulated with tumour cells

Use of larvae of the wax moth Galleria mellonella as an in vivo model to study the virulence of Helicobacter pylori

BACKGROUND: Helicobacter pylori is the first bacterium formally recognized as a carcinogen and is one of the most successful human pathogens, as over half of the world’s population is colonized by the bacterium. H. pylori-induced gastroduodenal disease depends on the inflammatory response of the host and on the production of specific bacterial virulence factors. The study of Helicobacter pylori pathogenic action would greatly benefit by easy-to-use models of infection. RESULTS: In the present study, we examined the effectiveness of the larvae of the wax moth Galleria mellonella as a new model for H. pylori infection. G. mellonella larvae were inoculated with bacterial suspensions or broth culture filtrates from either different wild-type H. pylori strains or their mutants defective in specific virulence determinants, such as VacA, CagA, CagE, the whole pathogenicity island (PAI) cag, urease, and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT). We also tested purified VacA cytotoxin. Survival curves were plotted using the Kaplan-Meier method and LD(50) lethal doses were calculated. Viable bacteria in the hemocoel were counted at different time points post-infection, while apoptosis in larval hemocytes was evaluated by annexin V staining. We found that wild-type and mutant H. pylori strains were able to survive and replicate in G. mellonella larvae which underwent death rapidly after infection. H. pylori mutant strains defective in either VacA, or CagA, or CagE, or cag PAI, or urease, but not GGT-defective mutants, were less virulent than the respective parental strain. Broth culture filtrates from wild-type strains G27 and 60190 and their mutants replicated the effects observed using their respective bacterial suspension. Also, purified VacA cytotoxin was able to kill the larvae. The killing of larvae always correlated with the induction of apoptosis in hemocytes. CONCLUSIONS: G. mellonella larvae are susceptible to H. pylori infection and may represent an easy to use in vivo model to identify virulence factors and pathogenic mechanisms of H. pylori. The experimental model described can be useful to screen a large number of clinical H. pylori strain and to correlate virulence of H. pylori strains with patients’ disease status

Female image in time of exception

The article is based on the concepts of time and representation - studied by Roger Chartier, on narratives, as discourses for the permanece of the memory (ies) and the construction of the cultural history of a certain group -, it aims to associate them to the curatorial propositions of the exhibition Radical Women: Latin American Art 1960-1985, an exhibition of feminine artistic creations resistant to military dictatorships that oppressed Latin America during the second half of the twentieth century.O artigo parte dos conceitos de tempo e representação – estudados por Roger Chartier, com análises sobre a importância das narrativas, enquanto discursos empregados na fixação da(s) memória(s) e a construção da história cultural de um determinado grupo -, para associá-los às proposições curatoriais da exposição Mulheres Radicais: arte latino-americana 1960-1985, uma mostra de criações artísticas femininas resistentes às ditaduras militares que oprimiram a América Latina durante a segunda metade do século XX.El artículo parte de los conceptos de tiempo y representación - estudiados por Roger Chartier, con análisis sobre la importancia de las narrativas, como discursos empleados en la fijación de la(s) memoria(s) y la construcción de la historia cultural de un determinado grupo-, para asociarla a las proposiciones curatoriales de la exposición Mujeres Radicales: arte latinoamericano 1960- 1985, una muestra de creaciones artísticas femeninas resistentes a las dictaduras militares que oprimieron a América Latina durante la segunda mitad del siglo XX

Bariatric Surgery Reduces Oxidative Stress by Blunting 24-h Acute Glucose Fluctuations in Type 2 Diabetic Obese Patients

OBJECTIVE - We evaluated the efficacy of malabsorptive bariatric surgery on daily blood glucose fluctuations and oxidative stress in type 2 diabetic obese patients. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS - The 48-h continuous subcutaneous glucose monitoring was assessed in type 2 diabetic patients before and 1 month after biliopancreatic diversion (BPD) (n = 36), or after diet-induced equivalent weight loss (n = 20). The mean amplitude of glycemic excursions and oxidative stress (nitrotyrosine) were evaluated during continuous subcutaneous glucose monitoring. During a standardized meal, glucagon-like peptide (GLP)-1, glucagon, and insulin were measured. RESULTS - Fasting and postprandial glucose decreased equally in surgical and diet groups. A marked increase in GLP-1 occurred during the interprandial period in surgical patients toward the diet group (P < 0.01). Glucagon was more suppressed during the interprandial period in surgical patients compared with the diet group (P < 0.01). Mean amplitude of glycemic excursions and nitrotyrosine levels decreased more after BPD than after diet (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS - Oxidative stress reduction after biliopancreatic diversion seems to be related to the regulation of glucose fluctuations resulting from intestinal bypass. © 2010 by the American Diabetes Association

TR3-56 and Treg Regulatory T Cell Subsets as Potential Indicators of Graft Tolerance Control in Kidney Transplant Recipients

Identification of early signatures of immune rejection represents a key challenge in the clinical management of kidney transplant. To address such an issue, we enrolled 53 kidney transplant recipients without signs of graft rejection, no infectious episodes and no change in the immunosuppressive regimen in the last 6 months. An extensive immune profile revealed increased activation of the T cells, a decreased amount and growth ability of the Treg and a higher level of the TR3-56 regulatory T cell subset, described by us as involved in the preferential control of cytotoxic T lymphocytes. In renal transplant recipients, the high level of the TR3-56 cells associates with a reduction in both the amount and the growth ability of the Treg. Moreover, when the transplanted subjects were categorised according to their stable or unstable disease status, as defined by changes in serum creatinine ≥0.2 mg/dL in two consecutive detections, a higher TR3-56 level and defective Treg growth ability were observed to characterise patients with unstable graft control. Further studies are required to substantiate the hypothesis that immune profiling, including TR3-56 evaluation, might represent a valuable diagnostic tool to identify patients at risk of developing significant anti-donor allo-immune response