I contratti di gradualità: dalle prime esperienze applicative alla Legge 28 novembre 1996 n. 608

SOMMARIO: 1. Condizioni territoriali, politiche salariali e tendenze evolutive della contrattazione collettiva: un quadro di riferimento concettuale. – 2. I contratti di gradualità nell’esperienza recente: dalle prime intese di inizio anni Ottanta alla Legge 28 novembre 1996 n. 608. – 3. Una valutazione dei contratti di gradualità stipulati nel corso del 1995/1996. – 4. Conclusioni

Multivalent and Multifunctional Calixarenes in Bionanotechnology

The key features of calixarene derivatives as multivalent ligands for biomacromolecules and as multifunctional catalysts are reviewed herein. The ease of functionalization and the possibility to control the regio- and stereochemical disposition of multiple ligating units around a central core allow to obtain ligands with high affinity and selectivity especially for proteins and nucleic acids. The hydrophilic/lipophilic character can also be finely tuned, allowing to obtain monomeric hybrid derivatives or amphiphiles able to self-assemble alone or in co-formulation with lipids to give nanoparticles and liposomes that incorporate calixarenes. The knowledge acquired up to now sheds light on the future applications of calixarenes in bionanotechnology and nanomedicine

An Attempted Suicide with Copper Sulphate injected intravenously:Pathopsysiology and Therapy about a case report

Acute copper sulphate poisoning is an unusual event, rarely following parenteral exposure, complicated by toxicological effects as haemolytic anaemia, methaemoglobinaemia , hepato-renal damage and acute rhabdomyolysis. Currently, the therapeutic management ignores unique classes of evidence and is mainly based on supportive and chelation therapies. Case details. This case report describes acute copper sulphate poisoning in a 37-year-old man who attempted suicide by self-injecting an unknown amount of copper sulphate. Within three days the patient developed severe intravascular haemolysis and rhabdomyolysis. Initial therapy relied on intensive supportive care with fluids administration, electrolyte correction and packed red blood cells transfusion. The D-penicillamine (30 mg/Kg/day per os) was prescribed as chelation therapy by the poison control centre. The N-acetilcysteine and ascorbic acid were administered to prevent further oxidative stress. Later on, two sessions of therapeutic plasma exchange were performed in order to support the drug therapy. Haemolysis and rhabdomyolysis reversed throughout the hospital stay. Discussion. In this case the antidotic and antioxidant therapy resulted effective to reverse haemolysis and rhabdomyolysis and to prevent hepatic and renal damage. Moreover, this case underlies that therapeutic plasma exchange should be considered as an additive measure to undertake since the earlier stages of the emergency intervention. Acute copper sulphate poisoning is an event complicated by toxicological effects: haemolytic anaemia, methaemoglobinaemia, hepato-renal damage, acute rhabdomyolysis. The therapeutic management ignores unique classes of evidence and is based on supportive and chelation therapies. In this case: i) the antidotic and antioxidant therapy resulted effective to reverse haemolysis and rhabdomyolysis and to prevent hepatic and renal damage, ii) therapeutic plasma exchange should be considered as an additive measure to undertake

L'ironia della morte in Vladimir Jankélévitch

Troppo spesso le filosofie tradizionali hanno fornito risposte superficiali e indimostrabili a quesiti etici e soprattutto metafisici, preferendo l'errore all'ammissione di impotenza, e impedendo così il diffondersi di riflessioni costruttive e feconde. Jankélévitch ritiene che quest'atteggiamento si esemplifichi al meglio nell'ambito della filosofia sulla morte; per questo motivo ho scelto di concentrare la parte centrale della trattazione nell'analisi del testo “La mort”, nel quale il filosofo opera una critica distruttiva delle usuali posizioni di pensiero sulla mortalità, e propone un approccio alternativo ad esse. Se dunque il nucleo centrale del lavoro sarà svolto a partire dall'analisi del concetto di morte, l'obiettivo di questa ricerca si rivelerà invece nella proposta di rintracciare in Jankélévitch una modalità di approccio filosofico originale e inaspettata, realizzata attraverso il concetto di ironia. La seconda parte della trattazione si concentrerà infatti sull'analisi del ruolo dell'ironia nella filosofia di Jankélévitch, a partire dalla presentazione del testo che il filosofo dedica espressamente a quella che egli definisce una vera e propria modalità della coscienza, ovvero “L'ironie”

Halogen bonds direct the solid state architectures of a multivalent iodopropargylcalix[4]arene

The iodoalkynyl group is a ditopic synthon, able to act as a halogen bond (XB) donor through the iodine atom and as an XB acceptor on the C≡C triple bond. With the aim of exploring the self-assembly properties via XB of calix[4]arene macrocycles containing this synthon, we synthesized and characterized a tetra(iodopropargyl)calix[4]arene (3). In the solid state, all the iodoalkynyl units of 3 are involved in intermolecular XB interactions as both donors and acceptors, resulting in a two-dimensional network of calixarene double layers. On the contrary, in the cocrystal of 3 with 4,4′-bipyridine, a bidentate XB acceptor, the iodine atoms are halogen bonded to the pyridine nitrogen atoms forming a one-dimensional ribbon of calixarenes alternated by two 4,4′-bipyridine units. These supramolecular architectures are the first example of solid-state networks of calixarene derivatives where the self-assembly is mostly driven by XBs

FT-IR Spectral Signature of Sensitive and Multidrug-Resistant Osteosarcoma Cell-Derived Extracellular Nanovesicles

Osteosarcoma (OS) is the most common primary bone cancer in children and adolescents. Despite aggressive treatment regimens, the outcome is unsatisfactory, and multidrug resistance (MDR) is a pivotal process in OS treatment failure. OS-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) promote drug resistance to chemotherapy and target therapy through different mechanisms. The aim of this study was to identify subpopulations of osteosarcoma-EVs by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) to define a specific spectral signature for sensitive and multidrug-resistant OS-derived EVs. EVs were isolated from sensitive and MDR OS cells as well as from mesenchymal stem cells by differential centrifugation and ultracentrifugation. EVs size, morphology and protein expression were characterized. FT-IR/ATR of EVs spectra were acquired in the region of 400-4000 cm(-1) (resolution 4 cm(-1), 128 scans). The FT-IR spectra obtained were consistently different in the EVs compared to cells from which they originate. A specific spectral signature, characterized by a shift and a new band (1601 cm(-1)), permitted to clearly distinguish EVs isolated by sensitive and multidrug-resistant OS cells. Our data suggest that FT-IR spectroscopy allows to characterize and define a specific spectral signature for sensitive and MDR OS-derived EVs

Early putamen hypertrophy and ongoing hippocampus atrophy predict cognitive performance in the first ten years of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis

Background The first years of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) constitute the most vulnerable phase for the progression of cognitive impairment (CImp), due to a gradual decrease of compensatory mechanisms. In the first 10 years of RRMS, the temporal volumetric changes of deep gray matter structures must be clarified, since they could constitute reliable cognitive biomarkers for diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic purposes. Methods Forty-five cognitively asymptomatic patients with RRMS lasting 64\u200910 years, and with a brain MRI performed in a year from the neuropsychological evaluation (Te-MRI), were included. They performed the Brief International Cognitive Assessment battery for MS. Thirty-one brain MRIs performed in the year of diagnosis (Td-MRI) and 13 brain MRIs of age- and sex-matched healthy controls (HCs) were also included in the study. The relationships between clinical features, cognitive performances, and Te- and Td-MRI volumes were statistically analyzed. Results Cognitively preserved (CP) patients had significantly increased Td-L-putamen (P\u2009=\u20090.035) and Td-R-putamen volume (P\u2009=\u20090.027) with respect to cognitively impaired (CI) ones. CI patients had significantly reduced Te-L-hippocampus (P\u2009=\u20090.019) and Te-R-hippocampus volume (P\u2009=\u20090.042) compared, respectively, with Td-L-hippocampus and Td-R-hippocampus volume. Td-L-putamen volume (P\u2009=\u20090.011) and Te-L-hippocampus volume (P\u2009=\u20090.023) were independent predictors of the Symbol Digit Modalities Test score in all patients (r2\u2009=\u20090.31, F\u2009=\u20096.175, P\u2009=\u20090.001). Conclusion In the first years of RRMS, putamen hypertrophy and hippocampus atrophy could represent promising indices of cognitive performance and reserve, and become potentially useful tools for diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic purposes

Thyroglobulin measurement in the washout of fine needle aspirates for the diagnosis of suspicious cervical lymph nodes

Ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) for suspicious cervical lymph nodes (CLN) is the gold standard technique for the identification of metastases from differentiated thyroid carcinomas. Thyroglobulin protein (Tgp) assay in the washout of needles employed for FNA biopsies (FNAB) has been reported to refine and support FNAC performances, especially in cases of inadequate sampling or cystic lymph nodes. In the present work, we evaluated the usefulness of routine measurement of Tgp in the FNAB washout of suspicious cervical lymph nodes (CLN), and its ability to increase the FNAC accuracy in the diagnosis of metastatic CLN. A case study of 45 CLN with histological diagnosis from 36 patients was analyzed. Histology showed metastases from papillary thyroid carcinomas (PTC) in 31 CLN, from anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) in 3 CLN, from medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) in 4 CLN, and metastases from extrathyroidal malignancies in 5 CLN. Two CLN analyzed were found to be non-neoplastic. The overall accuracy of FNAC was 82.9%, and that of Tgp was 91.1%, not statistically different. However, Tgp determination was found essential in 4 cases of metastatic CLN from DTC with inadequate cytology, and in 1 case in which the FNAC provided a false negative result. We demonstrated that FNAC and Tgp assay show similar diagnostic accuracies, and that Tgp measurement may represent the only available information in case of inadequate lymph node sampling or cystic lymph nodes