How to apply the life cycle thinking in the construction sector at local policy level: a survey from the European F.R.E.S.H. project

In the context of the European F.R.E.S.H. project (Interreg IVC Programme), this paper presents the results of the survey on Eco-design planning tools, i.e. any tool which can be used to plan or develop an eco-design strategy using the life cycle thinking at local policy level, with regard to the construction sector. A questionnaire was distributed to the eight partner regions involved in the project and six good practices, referring to different aspect of the construction supply chain, emerged to be relevant. For every good practice at least three aspects to be transferred have been identified and discussed, with regard to both technical matters and policy level. Through this in-depth analysis we concluded that what can help local authorities in the definition of their innovation strategy is spreading the adoption of tools, both at regulatory and management level, that help in the assessment of all the aspects of sustainable construction supply chain

Identification of a novel interaction between corticotropin releasing hormone (Crh) and macroautophagy

In inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), compromised restitution of the epithelial barrier contributes to disease severity. Owing to the complexity in the pathogenesis of IBD, a variety of factors have been implicated in its progress. In this study, we report a functional interaction between macroautophagy and Corticotropin Releasing Hormone (Crh) in the gut. For this purpose we used DSS colitis model on Crh ?/? or wild-type (wt) with pharmacological inhibition of autophagy. We uncovered sustained basal autophagy in the gut of Crh ?/? mice, which persisted over the course of DSS administration. Autophagy inhibition resulted in partial rescue of Crh ?/? mice, while it increased the expression of Crh in the wt gut. Similarly, Crh deficiency was associated with sustained activation of base line autophagy. In vitro models of amino acid deprivation- and LPS-induced autophagy confirmed the in vivo findings. Our results indicate a novel role for Crh in the intestinal epithelium that involves regulation of autophagy, while suggesting the complementary action of the two pathways. These data suggest the intriguing possibility that targeting Crh stimulation in the intestine may provide a novel therapeutic approach to support the integrity of the epithelial barrier and to protect from chronic colitis