Lay people in the Church as builders of communion: The ancient Church

The study begins with a brief history of the formation of the concepts and terms of “clergy” and “laity” in the Church of the first centuries, then moving on to analyze the case, considered exemplary, of the relations between the Egyptian monasticism of the IV-V century (lay) and the institutional Church (episcopate). In a situation of strong ecclesial divisions, due to the spread of Christological heresies and the consequent political and ecclesial struggles, the cultural operation implemented by Athanasius of Alexandria meant that the strong popularity and the deep charismatic nature of the lay monastic movement was turned in a valid support to the institutional Church, developing forms of collaboration and complementarity and leaving aside opposing identities and practices. Similarly, albeit with due distinctions, the study analyzes briefly the realities of contemporary ecclesial movements and the resources they represent for the pastoral and missionary potential of the Church in our day. Also in this case, a correct relationship between charism and institution is necessary, not conflicting but complementary and mutually respectful..ks. ROBERTO CHERUBINI – patrolog, wykładowca Papieskiego Uniwersytetu Urbaniana w Rzymie, administrator parafii św. Krzyża w Terni (Italia). Kapłan diecezjalny, członek Bractwa Misyjnego Wspólnoty św. Egidio. Autor kilku książek, m.in. Conoscere Dio: lettere e altri scritti di Ammonas, Città del Vaticano: Urbaniana University Press, 2011; La strada si fa maestra: imparare dai poveri la lingua della misericordia, Milano: Ancora, 2016.Pontificia Università Urbaniana, RomaAthanase d’Alexandrie, Vie d’Antoine, a cura di G. J. M. Bartelink, (SC 400), Édions du Cerf, Paris 1994.Bartelink G. J. M., Les rapports entre le monachisme égyptien et l’episcopat d’Alexandrie, in Alexandrina. Hellénisme, Judaïsme et christianisme à Alexandrie. Mélanges offerts au P. Claude Mondésert, Étitions du Cerf, Paris 1987.Brennan B., Athanasius’ Vita Antonii, a Sociological Interpretation, in Vigiliae Christianae 39, Leiden 1985, pp. 209-227.Brennecke H. C., et al. (edd.), Athanasius Werke, vol. II, 8, Walter De Gruyter, Berlin-New York 2000.Ciola N., Indicazioni bibliografiche sulla teologia del laicato, in Orientamenti Pastorali, 34 (1986), pp. 79-82.Colombàs G. M., Il monachesimo delle origini, Jaca Book, Milano 1984-1990.Concilio Ecumenico vaticano II, Decreto sull’apostolato dei Laici Apostolicam Actuositatem.Congar Y.-M., Laïc et laïcat, in Dictionnaire de Spiritualité, IX, Paris 1976, coll. 79-108.Faivre A., Les Fonctions ecclésiales dans les écrits Pseudo-Clémentins, in “Revue de Sciences Religieuses”, 50, Strasbourg 1976, pp. 97-111.Frend W. H. C., I monaci e la fine del paganesimo greco-romano in Siria e in Egitto, in P. F. Beatrice (a cura di), L’intolleranza cristiana nei confronti dei pagani, EDB, Bologna 1990, pp. 37-55.Goldie R., Laici, laicato, laicità. Bilancio di trent’anni di bibliografia, Ed. AVE, Roma 1986.H. Hoppenbrouwers, La plus ancienne version latine de la vie de S. Antoine par S. Athanase, Nijmegen 1960.Hegge C., Il Vaticano II e i movimenti ecclesiali: una recezione carismatica, Città Nuova, Roma 2001.M. Alexandre, La costruction d’un modèle de sainteté dans la Vie d’Antoine par Athanase d’Alexandrie, in P. Walter, Saint Antoine entre mythe et légende, Ellug, Grenoble 1996, pp. 63-93.Moreira Neves L., I movimenti ecclesiali nel magistero di Giovanni Paolo II in I movimenti nella Chiesa: atti del 2. Colloquio internazionale su Vocazione e missione dei laici nella Chiesa oggi. Rocca di Papa, 28 febbraio – 4 marzo 1987, Nuovo Mondo, Milano 1987.Neuner P., Per una teologia del popolo di Dio, Queriniana, Brescia 2016.Pontificio Consiglio per i Laici, Atti del Congresso mondiale dei movimenti ecclesiali, Roma, 27-29 maggio 1998, LEV, Città del Vaticano 1999.Rapp C., Holy Bishops in Late Antiquity. The Nature of Christian Leadership in an Age of Transition, Berkeley 2005.Rehm V. B., Irmscher J., Paschke F. (a cura di), Die Pseudoklementinen I. Homilien, 2nd ed., (Die griechischen christlichen Schriftsteller 42), Berlin, Akademie-Verlag 1969, p. 5-22.Scola A., Giuliodori C., et al. (a cura di), Il laicato. Rassegna bibliografica in lingua italiana, tedesca, francese, LEV, Città del Vaticano 1987.Williams M. A., The Life of Antony and the Domestication of Charismatic Wisdom in Thematic Studies, Charisma and Sacred Biography, in “The Journal of the American Academy of Religion” 48, Oxford 1982, pp. 23-40.Wipszycka E., La christianisation de l’Égypte aux IVe-Ve siècles: aspects sociaux et ethniques, in ead., Études sur le christianisme dans l’Égypte de l’antiquité tardive, (Studia Ephemeridis Augustinianum 52), Institututm Augustinianum, Roma 1996, pp. 64-105.591

DiAP nel mondo | DiAP in the world. International Vision | Visioni internazionali

International openness is one of the fundamental characteristics of the DiAP Department of Architecture and Design, which sees its members active in 57 bilateral collaboration agreements (without counting the Erasmus agreements) with countries in which today there is a demand for architectural design that looks at Italy as a model, not only for studies of historical architecture, but also for contemporary architecture designed in the existing city and for the new building, including complex landscape and environmental systems

Status report of a systematic investigation on low-dose ionizing radiation effects in mammalian cells

In the last 15 years a growing interest in the biological effects induced by low doses of ionizing radiation has arisen in the scientific community, due to an increasing number of experimental evidences showing a plethora of non-linear effects occurring after low-dose irradiations. In particular, hyper-radiosensitivity and induced radioresistance (HRS/IRR) have been reported after exposure to low- and high-LET radiation, in human (normal and tumoural) and other mammalian cells in vitro. In this framework, Chinese hamster V79 cells, human primary fibroblasts (HFFF2) and murine embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) were irradiated with broadbeams of protons in the dose range 0.1–5.0Gy and at 1 Gy/min dose-rate. Cellular response has been evaluated in terms of cell survival, micronuclei induction, chromosomal aberrations and telomere length alterations. For comparison purpose, the same end-points were studied after X/γ-rays irradiation

The olive-branch dating of the Santorini eruption

The date of the volcanic eruption of Santorini that caused extensive damage toMinoan Crete has been controversial since the 1980s. Some have placed the event in the late seventeenth century BC. Others have made the case for a younger date of around 1500 BC. A recent contribution to that controversy has been the dating of an olive tree branch preserved within the volcanic ash fall on Santorini. In this debate feature Paolo Cherubini and colleagues argue that the olive tree dating (which supports the older chronology) is unreliable on a number of grounds. There follows a response from the authors of that dating, and comments from other specialists, with a closing reply from Cherubini and his tea

Tree-Ring Stable Isotopes Reveal Twentieth-Century Increases in Water-Use Efficiency of Fagus sylvatica and Nothofagus spp. in Italian and Chilean Mountains

Abstract Changes in intrinsic water use efficiency (iWUE) were investigated in Fagus sylvatica and Nothofagus spp. over the last century. We combined dendrochronological methods with dual-isotope analysis to investigate whether atmospheric changes enhanced iWUE of Fagus and Nothofagus and tree growth (basal area increment, BAI) along latitudinal gradients in Italy and Chile. Post-maturation phases of the trees presented different patterns in 18 O, Ci (internal CO 2 concentration), iWUE, and BAI. A continuous enhancement in isotope-derived iWUE was observed throughout the twentieth century, which was common to all sites and related to changes in Ca (ambient CO 2 concentration) and secondarily to increases in temperature. In contrast to other studies, we observed a general increasing trend of BAI, with the exception of F. sylvatica in Aspromonte. Both iWUE and BAI were uncoupled with the estimated drought index, which is in agreement with the absence of enduring decline in tree growth. In general, d 13 C and d 18 O showed a weak relationship, suggesting the major influence of photosynthetic rate on Ci and d 13 C, and the minor contribution of the regulation of stomatal conductance to iWUE. The substantial warming observed during the twentieth century did not result in a clear pattern of increased drought stress along these latitudinal transects, because of the variability in temporal trends of precipitation and in specific responses of populations

Pin1 Modulates the Synaptic Content of NMDA Receptors via Prolyl-Isomerization of PSD-95

Phosphorylation of serine/threonine residues preceding a proline regulates the fate of its targets through postphosphorylation conformational changes catalyzed by the peptidyl-prolyl cis-/trans isomerase Pin1. By flipping the substrate between two different functional conformations, this enzyme exerts a fine-tuning of phosphorylation signals. Pin1 has been detected in dendritic spines and shafts where it regulates protein synthesis required to sustain the late phase of long-term potentiation (LTP). Here, we demonstrate that Pin1 residing in postsynaptic structures can interact with postsynaptic density protein-95 (PSD-95), a key scaffold protein that anchors NMDA receptors (NMDARs) in PSD via GluN2-type receptor subunits. Pin1 recruitment by PSD-95 occurs at specific serine-threonine/proline consensus motifs localized in the linker region connecting PDZ2 to PDZ3 domains. Upon binding, Pin1 triggers structural changes in PSD-95, thus negatively affecting its ability to interact with NMDARs. In electrophysiological experiments, larger NMDA-mediated synaptic currents, evoked in CA1 principal cells by Schaffer collateral stimulation, were detected in hippocampal slices obtained from Pin1(-/-) mice compared with controls. Similar results were obtained in cultured hippocampal cells expressing a PSD-95 mutant unable to undergo prolyl-isomerization, thus indicating that the action of Pin1 on PSD-95 is critical for this effect. In addition, an enhancement in spine density and size was detected in CA1 principal cells of Pin1(-/-) or in Thy-1GFP mice treated with the pharmacological inhibitor of Pin1 catalytic activity PiB.Our data indicate that Pin1 controls synaptic content of NMDARs via PSD-95 prolyl-isomerization and the expression of dendritic spines, both required for LTP maintenance

Persistent bradycardia after hypoglycaemia: a case report and a brief literature review

Hypoglycaemia can cause cardiac arrhythmias such as QT interval prolongation and ventricular arrhythmias. Supraventricular arrhythmias and sinus bradycardia were rarely reported. We present the clinical case of an 84- year-old man who developed a persistent bradycardia after a hypoglycaemic episode. After restoration of normoglycaemia, bradycardia persisted for almost eighteen hours, without QT prolongation or any symptoms. Hypoglycaemia is an unusual cause of bradyarrhytmias mainly mediated by neurologic and endocrine systems. Our clinical case supports recent recommendations for more relaxed inpatient glycaemic targets in frail older adults who may be particularly vulnerable to hypoglycaemia and its consequences

Routine laboratory parameters, including complete blood count, predict COVID-19 in-hospital mortality in geriatric patients

To reduce the mortality of COVID-19 older patients, clear criteria to predict in-hospital mortality are urgently needed. Here, we aimed to evaluate the performance of selected routine laboratory biomarkers in improving the prediction of in-hospital mortality in 641 consecutive COVID-19 geriatric patients (mean age 86.6±6.8) who were hospitalized at the INRCA hospital (Ancona, Italy). Thirty-four percent of the enrolled patients were deceased during the in-hospital stay. The percentage of severely frail patients, assessed with the Clinical Frailty Scale, was significantly increased in deceased patients compared to the survived ones. The age-adjusted Charlson comorbidity index (CCI) score was not significantly associated with increased risk of death. Among the routine parameters, neutrophilia, eosinopenia, lymphopenia, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), C-reactive protein, procalcitonin, IL-6, and NT-proBNP showed the highest predictive values. The fully adjusted Cox regressions models confirmed that high neutrophil %, NLR, derived NLR (dNLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and low lymphocyte count, eosinophil %, and lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) were the best predictors of in-hospital mortality, independently from age, gender, and other potential confounders. Overall, our results strongly support the use of routine parameters, including complete blood count, in geriatric patients to predict COVID-19 in-hospital mortality, independent from baseline comorbidities and frailty