Territori fragili in Lombardia tra abbandono, sottoutilizzo e trasformazioni del patrimonio costruito

Although Lombardy is one of the most economically dynamic regions of Europe, it also presents areas characterized by territorial periphery, hence included in the boundary of the so-called Inner Areas. The paper presented intends to analyse the effects that demographic and socio-economic dynamics have had on the settlement structures and on buildings of these territories, linked to the ongoing phenomena. After a first bibliographic overview on the historical precedents of the Inner Areas, the research focuses on three case studies, different in location, history and culture of the settlements: Alto Oltrepò pavese, Alta Val Brembana and Alto Lario Occidentale. The field research phase shows that the effects of the demographic decrease may not coincide with the total abandonment of the building. In the territory of the Oltrepò Pavese and that of the Orobie Alps the new dynamics of ownership and use, used for tourism, have induced phenomena of partial use and under-use of the buildings. The houses often appear renovated: research in the municipality archives, in fact, has confirmed that the traditional construction has been profoundly changed by modernization interventions over the last forty years. In the area of Alto Lario Occidentale, on the contrary, the weak building dynamics allowed to observe fewer transformations, sometimes invasive, but also phenomena of abandonment, degradation and collapse. Territori fragili in Lombardia tra abbandono, sottoutilizzo e trasformazioni del patrimonio costruitoPur essendo tra le Regioni economicamente più dinamiche d’Europa, anche in Lombardia sono state individuate zone caratterizzate da perifericità territoriale, comprese per questo nel perimetro delle cosiddette Aree Interne. Il contributo presentato intende analizzare gli effetti che le dinamiche demografiche e socio-economiche hanno avuto sugli assetti insediativi e sul costruito di questi territori, in relazione ai fenomeni in atto. Dopo un primo inquadramento bibliografico che ricostruisce i precedenti storici delle Aree Interne nel XX secolo, lo scritto si concentra su tre casi studio, diversi per ubicazione, storia e cultura degli insediamenti: l’alto Oltrepò pavese, l’alta val Brembana e l’alto Lario occidentale. In questi territori la fase di ricerca sul campo ha mostrato come gli effetti del decremento demografico possano non coincidere con l’abbandono totale degli edifici. Nella zona appenninica dell’Oltrepò e nell’area delle Alpi Orobie le nuove dinamiche di proprietà e di uso, soprattutto con finalità turistiche, hanno indotto fenomeni di sotto-utilizzo del costruito, di contro al fatto che molte abitazioni appaiano, invece, ‘rinnovate’: lo spoglio delle pratiche edilizie negli archivi comunali ha, infatti, confermato come gli edifici della tradizione siano stati profondamente trasformati dagli interventi degli ultimi quarant’anni. Nell’area dell’Alto Lario Occidentale, al contrario, la debole dinamica edilizia ha permesso di osservare meno trasformazioni, non per questo non invasive,  insieme a fenomeni di abbandono, degrado e crolli.Pur essendo tra le Regioni economicamente più dinamiche d’Europa, anche in Lombardia sono state individuate zone caratterizzate da perifericità territoriale, comprese per questo nel perimetro delle cosiddette Aree Interne. Il contributo presentato intende analizzare gli effetti che le dinamiche demografiche e socio-economiche hanno avuto sugli assetti insediativi e sul costruito di questi territori, in relazione ai fenomeni in atto. Dopo un primo inquadramento bibliografico che ricostruisce i precedenti storici delle Aree Interne nel XX secolo, lo scritto si concentra su tre casi studio, diversi per ubicazione, storia e cultura degli insediamenti: l’alto Oltrepò pavese, l’alta val Brembana e l’alto Lario occidentale. In questi territori la fase di ricerca sul campo ha mostrato come gli effetti del decremento demografico possano non coincidere con l’abbandono totale degli edifici. Nella zona appenninica dell’Oltrepò e nell’area delle Alpi Orobie le nuove dinamiche di proprietà e di uso, soprattutto con finalità turistiche, hanno indotto fenomeni di sotto-utilizzo del costruito, di contro al fatto che molte abitazioni appaiano, invece, ‘rinnovate’: lo spoglio delle pratiche edilizie negli archivi comunali ha, infatti, confermato come gli edifici della tradizione siano stati profondamente trasformati dagli interventi degli ultimi quarant’anni. Nell’area dell’Alto Lario Occidentale, al contrario, la debole dinamica edilizia ha permesso di osservare meno trasformazioni, non per questo non invasive,  insieme a fenomeni di abbandono, degrado e crolli. Fragile Areas in Lombardy Among Abandonment, Underutilization and Transformation of Built Heritage Although Lombardy is one of the most economically dynamic regions of Europe, it also presents areas characterized by territorial periphery, hence included in the boundary of the so-called Inner Areas. The paper presented intends to analyse the effects that demographic and socio-economic dynamics have had on the settlement structures and on buildings of these territories, linked to the ongoing phenomena. After a first bibliographic overview on the historical precedents of the Inner Areas, the research focuses on three case studies, different in location, history and culture of the settlements: Alto Oltrepò pavese, Alta Val Brembana and Alto Lario Occidentale. The field research phase shows that the effects of the demographic decrease may not coincide with the total abandonment of the building. In the territory of the Oltrepò Pavese and that of the Orobie Alps the new dynamics of ownership and use, used for tourism, have induced phenomena of partial use and under-use of the buildings. The houses often appear renovated: research in the municipality archives, in fact, has confirmed that the traditional construction has been profoundly changed by modernization interventions over the last forty years. In the area of Alto Lario Occidentale, on the contrary, the weak building dynamics allowed to observe fewer transformations, sometimes invasive, but also phenomena of abandonment, degradation and collapse

Predictions for the 21 cm-galaxy cross-power spectrum observable with LOFAR and Subaru

The 21 cm-galaxy cross-power spectrum is expected to be one of the promising probes of the Epoch of Reionization (EoR), as it could offer information about the progress of reionization and the typical scale of ionized regions at different redshifts. With upcoming observations of 21 cm emission from the EoR with the Low Frequency Array (LOFAR), and of high-redshift Ly α emitters with Subaru's Hyper Suprime-Cam (HSC), we investigate the observability of such cross-power spectrum with these two instruments, which are both planning to observe the ELAIS-N1 field at z = 6.6. In this paper, we use N-body + radiative transfer (both for continuum and Ly α photons) simulations at redshift 6.68, 7.06 and 7.3 to compute the 3D theoretical 21 cm-galaxy cross-power spectrum and cross-correlation function, as well as to predict the 2D 21 cm-galaxy cross-power spectrum and cross-correlation function expected to be observed by LOFAR and HSC. Once noise and projection effects are accounted for, our predictions of the 21 cm-galaxy cross-power spectrum show clear anti-correlation on scales larger than ∼60 h−1 Mpc (corresponding to k ∼ 0.1 h Mpc−1), with levels of significance p = 0.003 at z = 6.6 and p = 0.08 at z = 7.3. On smaller scales, instead, the signal is completely contaminated. On the other hand, our 21 cm-galaxy cross-correlation function is strongly contaminated by noise on all scales, since the noise is no longer being separated by its k modes

Amniotic fluid stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles educate type 2 conventional dendritic cells to rescue autoimmune disorders in a multiple sclerosis mouse model

Dendritic cells (DCs) are essential orchestrators of immune responses and represent potential targets for immunomodulation in autoimmune diseases. Human amniotic fluid secretome is abundant in immunoregulatory factors, with extracellular vesicles (EVs) being a significant component. However, the impact of these EVs on dendritic cells subsets remain unexplored. In this study, we investigated the interaction between highly purified dendritic cell subsets and EVs derived from amniotic fluid stem cell lines (HAFSC-EVs). Our results suggest that HAFSC-EVs are preferentially taken up by conventional dendritic cell type 2 (cDC2) through CD29 receptor-mediated internalization, resulting in a tolerogenic DC phenotype characterized by reduced expression and production of pro-inflammatory mediators. Furthermore, treatment of cDC2 cells with HAFSC-EVs in coculture systems resulted in a higher proportion of T cells expressing the regulatory T cell marker Foxp3 compared to vehicle-treated control cells. Moreover, transfer of HAFSC-EV-treated cDC2s into an EAE mouse model resulted in the suppression of autoimmune responses and clinical improvement. These results suggest that HAFSC-EVs may serve as a promising tool for reprogramming inflammatory cDC2s towards a tolerogenic phenotype and for controlling autoimmune responses in the central nervous system, representing a potential platform for the study of the effects of EVs in DC subsets

Engineered Nanostructured Materials for Ofloxacin Delivery

Antibiotic resistance is emerging as a growing worldwide problem and finding solutions to this issue is becoming a new challenge for scientists. As the development of new drugs slowed down, advances in nanotechnology offer great opportunities, with the possibility of designing new systems for carrying, delivery and administration of drugs already in use. Engineered combinations of the synthetic, broad-spectrum antibiotic ofloxacin, rarely studied in this field, with different types of silver, mesoporous silica-based and Pluronic/silica-based nanoparticles have been explored. The nanocarriers as silver core@silica mesoporous (AgMSNPs) and dye-doped silica nanoparticles functionalized with ofloxacin were synthesized and their antibacterial properties studied against S. aureus and E. coli. The best antibacterial results were obtained for the AgMSNPs nanosystem@ofloxacin for the strain S. aureus ATCC 25923, with MIC and MBC values of 5 and 25 μg/mL, proving the efficacy and synergetic effect of the antibiotic and the Ag core of the nanoparticles

The burden of mental disorders, substance use disorders and self-harm among young people in Europe, 1990–2019: Findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Summary Background Mental health is a public health issue for European young people, with great heterogeneity in resource allocation. Representative population-based studies are needed. The Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Study 2019 provides internationally comparable information on trends in the health status of populations and changes in the leading causes of disease burden over time. Methods Prevalence, incidence, Years Lived with Disability (YLDs) and Years of Life Lost (YLLs) from mental disorders (MDs), substance use disorders (SUDs) and self-harm were estimated for young people aged 10-24 years in 31 European countries. Rates per 100,000 population, percentage changes in 1990-2019, 95% Uncertainty Intervals (UIs), and correlations with Sociodemographic Index (SDI), were estimated. Findings In 2019, rates per 100,000 population were 16,983 (95% UI 12,823 – 21,630) for MDs, 3,891 (3,020 - 4,905) for SUDs, and 89·1 (63·8 - 123·1) for self-harm. In terms of disability, anxiety contributed to 647·3 (432–912·3) YLDs, while in terms of premature death, self-harm contributed to 319·6 (248·9–412·8) YLLs, per 100,000 population. Over the 30 years studied, YLDs increased in eating disorders (14·9%;9·4-20·1) and drug use disorders (16·9%;8·9-26·3), and decreased in idiopathic developmental intellectual disability (–29·1%;23·8-38·5). YLLs decreased in self-harm (–27·9%;38·3-18·7). Variations were found by sex, age-group and country. The burden of SUDs and self-harm was higher in countries with lower SDI, MDs were associated with SUDs. Interpretation Mental health conditions represent an important burden among young people living in Europe. National policies should strengthen mental health, with a specific focus on young people.publishedVersio

Immunoproteasome LMP2 60HH Variant Alters MBP Epitope Generation and Reduces the Risk to Develop Multiple Sclerosis in Italian Female Population

Background: Albeit several studies pointed out the pivotal role that CD4+T cells have in Multiple Sclerosis, the CD8+ T cells involvement in the pathology is still in its early phases of investigation. Proteasome degradation is the key step in the production of MHC class I-restricted epitopes and therefore its activity could be an important element in the activation and regulation of autoreactive CD8+ T cells in Multiple Sclerosis. Methodology/Principal Findings: Immunoproteasomes and PA28-ab regulator are present in MS affected brain area and accumulated in plaques. They are expressed in cell types supposed to be involved in MS development such as neurons, endothelial cells, oligodendrocytes, macrophages/macroglia and lymphocytes. Furthermore, in a genetic study on 1262 Italian MS cases and 845 controls we observed that HLA-A*02+ female subjects carrying the immunoproteasome LMP2 codon 60HH variant have a reduced risk to develop MS. Accordingly, immunoproteasomes carrying the LMP2 60H allele produce in vitro a lower amount of the HLA-A*0201 restricted immunodominant epitope MBP111\u2013119. Conclusion/Significance: The immunoproteasome LMP2 60HH variant reduces the risk to develop MS amongst Italian HLAA* 02+ females. We propose that such an effect is mediated by the altered proteasome-dependent production of a specific MBP epitope presented on the MHC class I. Our observations thereby support the hypothesis of an involvement of immunoproteasome in the MS pathogenesis

The burden of mental disorders, substance use disorders and self-harm among young people in Europe, 1990-2019 : Findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Background Mental health is a public health issue for European young people, with great heterogeneity in resource allocation. Representative population-based studies are needed. The Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Study 2019 provides internationally comparable information on trends in the health status of populations and changes in the leading causes of disease burden over time. Methods Prevalence, incidence, Years Lived with Disability (YLDs) and Years of Life Lost (YLLs) from mental disorders (MDs), substance use disorders (SUDs) and self-harm were estimated for young people aged 10-24 years in 31 European countries. Rates per 100,000 population, percentage changes in 1990-2019, 95% Uncertainty Intervals (UIs), and correlations with Sociodemographic Index (SDI), were estimated. Findings In 2019, rates per 100,000 population were 16,983 (95% UI 12,823 - 21,630) for MDs, 3,891 (3,020 4,905) for SUDs, and 89.1 (63.8 - 123.1) for self-harm. In terms of disability, anxiety contributed to 647.3 (432 -912.3) YLDs, while in terms of premature death, self-harm contributed to 319.6 (248.9-412.8) YLLs, per 100,000 population. Over the 30 years studied, YLDs increased in eating disorders (14.9%;9.4-20.1) and drug use disorders (16.9%;8.9-26.3), and decreased in idiopathic developmental intellectual disability (-29.1%;23.8-38.5). YLLs decreased in self-harm (-27.9%;38.3-18.7). Variations were found by sex, age-group and country. The burden of SUDs and self-harm was higher in countries with lower SDI, MDs were associated with SUDs. Interpretation Mental health conditions represent an important burden among young people living in Europe. National policies should strengthen mental health, with a specific focus on young people. Funding The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Copyright (C) 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)Peer reviewe