Nobility and Economy in 19th Century Italy: Investments, Enterprises and Innovations

The history of 19th century Italy is marked by the national unification process, which can be considered completed only after the annexation of Rome in 1870. Until Italy\u2019s unification in 1861, the domestic market maintained a high degree of fragmentation at a national level and each regional state operated under a different economic policy. Only Piedmont was independent, while the others were directly or indirectly dominated by Austria. Nevertheless, in the first half of the century, the northern regions were moving forward in a first wave of industrialisation. Faster circulation and transmission of technological innovations and scientific achievements were undertaken and successfully linked northern Italy to Paris, Lyon, Mulhouse, London, Manchester, Zurig, etc. Part of this progress was due to the strong commercial and economic relationships which merchants and industrialists exploited all over Europe. Businessmen from France, Switzerland, Austria, Germany were also coming to Italy and establishing their businesses in Milan, Turin, Genoa. Subsequently, the contribution of self-made men and of the bourgeois (first involved in the silk and cotton sectors and later in mechanics, banking, and new industries) played a decisive role. However, until Unification, in the northern regions a large proportion of capital, investments and improvements in the agricultural sector and agro-food production, as well as, increasingly, in railways and infrastructures, industrial and financial sectors \u2013 came from noblemen. They were fighting side by side with the bourgeoisie for the independence and unification of Italy and often followed similar investment strategies, sharing the same initiatives and ventures. They aimed to expand Italy\u2019s trade, fostering the economic progress and applying scientific and technological innovations to agriculture and industry. Several noblemen played a natural leading economic role, as they were the richest, heirs to large properties and estates and to complex administration systems originating from early modern times and updated to meet the new managerial necessities. They held a strong scientific interest (and sometimes scientific knowledge), and belonged to wide, national and international social (and political) networks which were easily transformed into economic relationships. During the century, the nobility\u2019s capital structure changed partially, moving from land into industrial, financial and mostly urban estates. Noblemen belonged to that part of the population which owned most of the national wealth and while they tried to increase their properties and assets, they promoted national economic progress. Starting from the last decades of the century, when a national economic policy was embraced, an increasing amount of capital, mostly coming from the upper classes, financed the construction of infrastructures, the national debt, urban development, the foundation of national and local banks and of large stock companies. Noblemen from central and southern regions, which were still tied to an agricultural economy and were mostly lagging behind in the industrialisation process, joined and invested in national initiatives and businesses. As wealth had been distributed very much unequally throughout the whole century, and was still mostly concentrated in the upper class, economic development would probably not have occurred at the same level without the contribution of the nobility\u2019s capital. The paper will present the initial results of a broad, ongoing research into primary sources. The literature on the topic has focused on several cases of Italian entrepreneur noblemen, or on nobility estate management, and has shed light onto their dynamic role. Their contribution, however, has generally been perceived as not particularly influential in the economic process, as noblemen were generally conservative on a social level and the 19th century is usually identified as the century of the irreversible decline and loss of political and economic power by the aristocracy compared to the rise of the bourgeoisie. The role of the nobility\u2019s investments and capital in Italy\u2019s economic development deserves and requires broader attention and investigation. The essay will first focus on the management of properties and large estates, where noblemen acted as a sort of \u2018corporate director\u2019, governing a complex structured enterprise. Then the paper will concentrate on the nobility\u2019s investments and enterprises during the first half of the century: agriculture innovations and experimentation, railway construction, public debt, textile industries and banking seem to have been the investment sectors preferred by noblemen. In the last section the article will investigate how \u2013 after Unification and particularly during the agrarian crisis (1873-1896) \u2013 noblemen increased the diversification of their capital and investments, from land to other uses, such as investments in the financial sector and in joint-stock companies (transport, communication, public utilities, banking, insurance, overseas ventures, new sectors and industries). The paper will consider both the initial results of a broad, ongoing research into primary sources and the literature on the topic, while attempting to provide some reflections on important issues such as: were the nobility\u2019s capital and investments important for Italy\u2019s economic development? In which sectors did the nobility prefer to make direct investments? Was innovation firmly supported by the nobility\u2019s interest in scientific advancements and technological progress? The paper will deal with all of these questions and aims to underline the rise of the nobility\u2019s involvement in the financial, commercial and industrial activities and business opportunities, shedding light on its contribution to 19th century Italian economic development

Phase II study on lapatinib in advanced egfr-positive chordoma

Background: To report on a prospective, investigator-driven, phase II study on lapatinib in epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-positive advanced chordoma patients. Patients and methods: From December 2009 to January 2012, 18 advanced progressing chordoma patients entered this study (median age: 61 years; disease extent: metastatic 72% and locally advanced 28%). Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) expression and activation were evaluated by immunohistochemistry and/or phosphoarrays, real-time polimerase chain reaction, fluorescence immunostaining. Fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis was also carried out. Patients received lapatinib 1500 mg/day (mean dose intensity = 1282 mg/day), until progression or toxicity. The primary study end point was response rate (RR) as per Choi criteria. Secondary end points were RR by Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumor (RECIST), overall survival, progression-free survival (PFS) and clinical benefit rate (CBR; RECIST complete response + partial response (PR) + stable disease (SD) = 6 months). Results: All patients were evaluable for response. Six (33.3%) patients had PR and 7 (38.9%) SD, as their best Choi responses, corresponding to RECIST SD in all cases. Median PFS by Choi was 6 [interquartile (IQ) range 3-8] months. Median PFS by RECIST was 8 (IQ range 4-12) months, with a 22% CBR. Conclusions: This phase II study showed a modest antitumor activity of lapatinib in chordoma. The clinical exploitation of EGFR targeting in chordoma needs to be further investigated, both clinically and preclinically. Clinical trial Registration No: EU Clinical Trials Register trial no. 2009-014456-29

Agriculture and nobility in Lombardy. Land, management and innovation (1815-1861)

This article aims to reassess the contribution of the nobility in the nineteenth-century economic transformation of Lombardy in northern Italy, focusing on its role in agricultural development. Relying on ongoing archival research into thousands of documents such as correspondence, notarial deeds, probate records, accounting books, the article attempts to demonstrate that noblemen acted in an entrepreneurial manner, supported the progress of techniques and innovation, and played a leading role in the modernisation of the sector. The article reconsiders the contribution of noble families both to the enhancement and management of their lands and to the elaboration and application of agricultural innovation

Impact of COVID-19 outbreak on cancer immunotherapy in Italy: a survey of young oncologists.

Background The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has overwhelmed the health systems worldwide. Data regarding the impact of COVID-19 on cancer patients (CPs) undergoing or candidate for immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are lacking. We depicted the practice and adaptations in the management of patients with solid tumors eligible or receiving ICIs during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a special focus on Campania region.Methods This survey (25 questions), promoted by the young section of SCITO (Società Campana di ImmunoTerapia Oncologica) Group, was circulated among Italian young oncologists practicing in regions variously affected by the pandemic: high (group 1), medium (group 2) and low (group 3) prevalence of SARS-CoV-2-positive patients. For Campania region, the physician responders were split into those working in cancer centers (CC), university hospitals (UH) and general hospitals (GH). Percentages of agreement, among High (H) versus Medium (M) and versus Low (L) group for Italy and among CC, UH and GH for Campania region, were compared by using Fisher's exact tests for dichotomous answers and χ2 test for trends relative to the questions with 3 or more options.Results This is the first Italian study to investigate the COVID-19 impact on cancer immunotherapy, unique in its type and very clear in the results. The COVID-19 pandemic seemed not to affect the standard practice in the prescription and delivery of ICIs in Italy. Telemedicine was widely used. There was high consensus to interrupt immunotherapy in SARS-CoV-2-positive patients and to adopt ICIs with longer schedule interval. The majority of the responders tended not to delay the start of ICIs; there were no changes in supportive treatments, but some of the physicians opted for delaying surgeries (if part of patients' planned treatment approach). The results from responders in Campania did not differ significantly from the national ones.Conclusion Our study highlights the efforts of Italian oncologists to maintain high standards of care for CPs treated with ICIs, regardless the regional prevalence of COVID-19, suggesting the adoption of similar solutions. Research on patients treated with ICIs and experiencing COVID-19 will clarify the safety profile to continue the treatments, thus informing on the most appropriate clinical conducts

Impact of COVID-19 outbreak on cancer immunotherapy in Italy: A survey of young oncologists

Background The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has overwhelmed the health systems worldwide. Data regarding the impact of COVID-19 on cancer patients (CPs) undergoing or candidate for immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are lacking. We depicted the practice and adaptations in the management of patients with solid tumors eligible or receiving ICIs during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a special focus on Campania region. Methods This survey (25 questions), promoted by the young section of SCITO (Società Campana di ImmunoTerapia Oncologica) Group, was circulated among Italian young oncologists practicing in regions variously affected by the pandemic: high (group 1), medium (group 2) and low (group 3) prevalence of SARS-CoV-2-positive patients. For Campania region, the physician responders were split into those working in cancer centers (CC), university hospitals (UH) and general hospitals (GH). Percentages of agreement, among High (H) versus Medium (M) and versus Low (L) group for Italy and among CC, UH and GH for Campania region, were compared by using Fisher's exact tests for dichotomous answers and χ 2 test for trends relative to the questions with 3 or more options. Results This is the first Italian study to investigate the COVID-19 impact on cancer immunotherapy, unique in its type and very clear in the results. The COVID-19 pandemic seemed not to affect the standard practice in the prescription and delivery of ICIs in Italy. Telemedicine was widely used. There was high consensus to interrupt immunotherapy in SARS-CoV-2-positive patients and to adopt ICIs with longer schedule interval. The majority of the responders tended not to delay the start of ICIs; there were no changes in supportive treatments, but some of the physicians opted for delaying surgeries (if part of patients' planned treatment approach). The results from responders in Campania did not differ significantly from the national ones. Conclusion Our study highlights the efforts of Italian oncologists to maintain high standards of care for CPs treated with ICIs, regardless the regional prevalence of COVID-19, suggesting the adoption of similar solutions. Research on patients treated with ICIs and experiencing COVID-19 will clarify the safety profile to continue the treatments, thus informing on the most appropriate clinical conducts