A Previously Unknown Path to Corpuscularism in the Seventeenth Century: Santorio’s Marginalia to the Commentaria in Primam Fen Primi Libri Canonis Avicennae (1625)

This is the final version of the article. Freely available from Taylor & Francis via the DOI in this record.This paper presents some of Santorio’s marginalia to his Commentaria in primam fen primi libri Canonis Avicennae (Venice, 1625), which I identified in the Sloane Collection of the British Library in 2016, as well as the evidence for their authorship. The name of the Venetian physician Santorio Santori (1561–1636) is linked with the introduction of quantification in medicine and with the invention of precision instruments that, displayed for the first time in this work, laid down the foundations for what we today understand as evidence-based medicine. But Santorio’s monumentale opus also contains evidence of many quantified experiments and displays his ideas on mixtures, structure of matter and corpuscles, which are in many cases clarified and completed by the new marginalia. These ideas testify to an early interest in chemistry within the Medical School of Padua which predates both Galileo and Sennert and which has hitherto been unknown.The discovery of Santorio’s marginalia arises from my research into the life, works, and scientific legacy of Santorio Santori as part of a major project funded in 2015 by theWellcome Trust on the Emergence of Quantifying Procedures in Medicine at the End of the Renaissance [106580/Z/14/Z]. A complete English edition of Santorio’s notes along with a full discussion of their content will be presented in 2017 during the international conference, Humours, Mixtures and Corpuscles: A Medical Path to Corpuscularism in the Seventeenth Century organised by myself and Jonathan Barry, and supported by (among other organisations) the Society for the History of Alchemy and Chemistry (SHAC). The edition will be published in the conference proceedings

High degree of conservation of the enzymes synthesizing the laminin-binding glycoepitope of α-dystroglycan

The dystroglycan (DG) complex plays a pivotal role for the stabilization of muscles in Metazoa. It is formed by two subunits, extracellular α-DG and transmembrane β-DG, originating from a unique precursor via a complex post-translational maturation process. The α-DG subunit is extensively glycosylated in sequential steps by several specific enzymes and employs such glycan scaffold to tightly bind basement membrane molecules. Mutations of several of these enzymes cause an alteration of the carbohydrate structure of α-DG, resulting in severe neuromuscular disorders collectively named dystroglycanopathies. Given the fundamental role played by DG in muscle stability, it is biochemically and clinically relevant to investigate these post-translational modifying enzymes from an evolutionary perspective. A first phylogenetic history of the thirteen enzymes involved in the fabrication of the so-called ‘M3 core’ laminin-binding epitope has been traced by an overall sequence comparison approach, and interesting details on the primordial enzyme set have emerged, as well as substantial conservation in Metazoa. The optimization along with the evolution of a well-conserved enzymatic set responsible for the glycosylation of α-DG indicate the importance of the glycosylation shell in modulating the connection between sarcolemma and surrounding basement membranes to increase skeletal muscle stability, and eventually support movement and locomotion

Recreating the Pulsilogium of Santorio: Outlines for a Historically-Engaged Endeavour

This is the final version of the article. Available on open access from the publisher via the link in this record.Credit: Scientific Instrument SocietyBetween 2015 and 2016 a series of seminars on the history of early modern technology and medicine were held at the Centres for Medical History and Biomedical Modelling and Analysis of the University of Exeter. As a result of that work we laid down the basis for the first historically accurate reconstruction of a seventeenth-century instrument, the pulsilogium of Sanctorius (1561-1636). Previous copies were in fact either simple models for display or lacked any commitment to historical accuracy. This short contribution explores some of the results we obtained from the recreation of this device and experiments we recreated which shed new light on the early application of the pendulum as a scientific instrument. A fuller and much more detailed account of these discoveries will be given in a forthcoming contribution edited by Filip Buyse for a special issue of the Journal of Social and Political Science.The archival research on Santorio’s instruments was originally supported by the SIS Grant awarded in 2014 to Dr Fabrizio Bigotti and has been supported thereafter by the Wellcome Trust as part of a major project on quantification in medicine aimed at classifying, understanding and recreating all of Santorio’s instruments for physiological and physical measurement (106580/Z/14/Z). The reconstruction of Santorio’s Pulsilogium (Type A2), however, is very much a team effort and was part of the engaged research project The Laboratory of Santorio held at the University of Exeter – Centres for Medical History and Biomedical Modelling and Analysis. Finally, we would like to express our gratitude to Prof. Jonathan Barry, Co-director of the Centre for Medical History, for his constant and unconditioned support throughout the project duration

From adhesion complex to signaling hub:the dual role of dystroglycan

Dystroglycan (DG) is a transmembrane protein widely expressed in multiple cells and tissues. It is formed by two subunits, α- and β-DG, and represents a molecular bridge between the outside and the inside of the cell, which is essential for the mechanical and structural stability of the plasma membrane. The α-subunit is a cell-surface protein that binds to the extracellular matrix (ECM) and is tightly associated with the plasma membrane via a non-covalent interaction with the β-subunit, which, in turn, is a transmembrane protein that binds to the cytoskeletal actin. DG is a versatile molecule acting not only as a mechanical building block but also as a modulator of outside-inside signaling events. The cytoplasmic domain of β-DG interacts with different adaptor and cytoskeletal proteins that function as molecular switches for the transmission of ECM signals inside the cells. These interactions can modulate the involvement of DG in different biological processes, ranging from cell growth and survival to differentiation and proliferation/regeneration. Although the molecular events that characterize signaling through the ECM-DG-cytoskeleton axis are still largely unknown, in recent years, a growing list of evidence has started to fill the gaps in our understanding of the role of DG in signal transduction. This mini-review represents an update of recent developments, uncovering the dual role of DG as an adhesion and signaling molecule that might inspire new ideas for the design of novel therapeutic strategies for pathologies such as muscular dystrophy, cardiomyopathy, and cancer, where the DG signaling hub plays important roles.</p

Sui limiti della minaccia punibile. Riflessioni a margine del caso Corona

[On the limits on the punishable threat. Reflections on the Corona case] Threat as a constitutive element of the crime of extortion has been subject to a substantial expansion by law in action. It may even consist in the exercise of a right. The mode of expression used for this kind of pressure  is irrelevant. Inspired by the decision of the Supreme Court in the Corona case, the paper delivers a critical analysis of this expansive orientation and highlights, for this purpose, the constraints set by overarching guarantistic principles as well as those of political-criminal rationality (proportion and extrema ratio)

8. Congresso internazionale di navigazione tenutosi a Parigi nel 1900 e la navigazione interna in Italia nell'interesse economico del paese / L. Bigotti

8. Congresso internazionale di navigazione tenutosi a Parigi nel 1900 e la navigazione interna in Italia nell'interesse economico del paese / L. Bigotti Torino : Roux e Viarengo, 1900 68 p. ; 22 cm

Immunohistochemical expression of the glucose transporters Glut-1 and Glut-3 in human malignant melanomas and benign melanocytic lesions

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Reported data indicate that cancer cells have increased rates of glucose metabolism, as determined by 18FDG-PET imaging in patients with malignancies. The results of many studies have demonstrated that the expression of glucose transporters, especially Glut-1, is increased in a variety of malignancies. This study was undertaken to assess the differential expression of Glut-1 and Glut-3 by benign and malignant melanocytic lesions.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Immunohistochemical staining for Glut-1 and Glut-3 was performed on paraffin-embedded tissue sections prepared from melanocytic nevi (12 cases), Spitz nevi (12 cases) and primary cutaneous malignant melanomas (20 cases).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We observed immunoreactivity for Glut-1 in all melanocytic nevi, 9 of the 12 Spitz nevi and in 9 of the 20 malignant melanomas, whereas Glut-3 was expressed in all the melanocytic lesions, both benign and malignant.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These findings indicate that the glucose transporters Glut-1 and Glut-3 play a role in the glucose metabolism of melanocytic cells. Glut-1 was present in the majority of benign nevi, whereas its expression was downregulated in 55% of malignant melanomas. Our results suggest that glucose transporter Glut-1 expression can significantly discriminate between human malignant melanoma and benign melanocytic nevi, and support the idea that additional mechanisms other than Glut-1 may contribute to glucose uptake in melanomas.</p