Between African planning and colonial intervention: the process of urbanization in Bolgatanga, Ghana (1896-1939)

The thesis analyses the urbanization of Bolgatanga, the regional capital of the Upper East Region of Ghana, identifying the main forces that shaped this process. The main argument is that the commercial and political prominence that the town acquired in the region at the beginning of the 20th century created the conditions for its urbanization. The thesis explores the changes in the settlement pattern, economic trends and political organization that affected the urban landscape of Bolgatanga in this period. The thesis intends to present endogenous changes in the actual production and conceptualization of urbanity. It focuses thus on the processes that led to a radical change in the town’s settlement pattern from the end of the 19th century up to the moment in which people began to commodify their land and ceded their compound farms to new settlers in the late 1930s. This moment represents a rupture with past land tenure practices and, at the same time, the start of a new way of conceptualizing and occupying space. The study of Bolgatanga’s urbanism is framed in the thesis through three broad, and interrelated layers of growth of the town. The first of these layers concerns spatiality and indigenous concepts of belonging. It is devoted to the study of historical changes in the settlement pattern of the people who lived in Bolgatanga. The second layer takes into consideration the dynamism of the town’s political landscape, analysing how the local figures of power interacted with colonialism. The study of the economic networks that connected Bolgatanga with the rest of West Africa represents the third layer of town development. The thesis demonstrates thus that by following the three layers interrelations, it is possible to create a solid analytic outline to explain the urban process that transformed Bolgatanga in the 20th century

Do We Need to Define Therapeutic Ranges for Edoxaban Plasma Concentration?

Do We Need to Define Therapeutic Ranges for Edoxaban Plasma Concentration

Contribution of vitamin D3 and thiols status to the outcome of COVID-19 disease in Italian pediatric and adult patients

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARSCoV-2), was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on March 2020, causing unprecedented disease with million deaths across the globe, mostly adults. Indeed, children accounted for only a few percent of cases. Italy was the first Western country struck by the COVID-19 epidemic. Increasing age, which is one of the principal risk factors for COVID-19 mortality, is associated with declined glutathione (GSH) levels. Over the last decade, several studies demonstrated that both vitamin D (VD) and GSH have immunomodulatory properties. To verify the association between VD, GSH and the outcome of COVID-19 disease, we conducted a multicenter retrospective study in 35 children and 128 adult patients with COVID-19. Our study demonstrated a hypovitaminosis D in COVID-19 patients, suggesting a possible role of low VD status in increasing the risk of COVID-19 infection and subsequent hospitalization. In addition, we find a thiol disturbance with a GSH depletion associated to the disease severity. In children, who fortunately survived, both VD and GSH levels at admission were higher than in adults, suggesting that lower VD and thiols levels upon admission may be a modifiable risk factor for adverse outcomes and mortality in hospitalized patients with COVID-19

Eriophyid mites as biological control agents of two invasive alien plants in Europe : Ailanthus altissima and Ambrosia artemisiifolia

Invasive alien plant species may have a strong impact on indigenous biodiversity and this is the case of Ailanthus altissima and Ambrosia artemisiifolia, whose control in the Euro-Mediterranean areas is required.peer-reviewe

Integrative Taxonomy and Synonymization of Aculus mosoniensis (Acari: Eriophyidae), a Potential Biological Control Agent for Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima)

The taxonomy of Aculus mosoniensis appears to be an unresolved question and its clarification is required, owing to the potential relevance of this mite species as a biological control agent of the tree of heaven. This paper is aimed at giving accurate details on a previously and shortly announced synonymization with Aculops taihangensis, using a morphological and molecular approach. A fusiform morph of A. mosoniensis was distinguished from a vermiform morph and this latter was recognized as deutogyne, which was herein documented. Phylogenetic relationships between Chinese Ac. taihangensis and all A. mosoniensis mites collected in twenty localities in Europe were examined through the analysis of the mitochondrial cytochrome c subunit I (CO1) protein and the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer 1 region (ITS1). CO1 sequences of Ac. taihangensis from the Shandong province in China and those from mites collected in Austria and Slovenia were 100% identical; the ITS1 sequence of an Ac. taihangensis paratype matched for 99.8% with those obtained from protogynes and deutogynes of A. mosoniensis collected in Italy. All these data supported the announced synonymization of A. mosoniensis with Ac. taihangensis. Aculus mosoniensis was found genetically variable, with five CO1 haplotypes in Europe (becoming eight along with those of Ac. taihangensis) clustering in two highly supported maternal lineages and eight ITS1 haplotypes (becoming nine along with those of Ac. taihangensis) distributed in four supported clades. No overlap between intra- and interspecies distances was observed for both markers and all studied A. mosoniensis populations clustered in one monophyletic mitochondrial clade, suggesting that only one single species might occur in Europe. However, more mite clades may be related to more tree of heaven biotypes with potential ecological differences, which might have potential effects on the biological control and should be investigated

Lavaggio delle mani: confronto tra comportamenti dei Professionisti e degli Studenti in un grande Ospedale universitario

RIASSUNTO L'obiettivo principale dello studio è valutare le conoscenze, le opinioni e il rispetto delle procedure di operatori sanitari (medici, infermieri, studenti di medici e di infermieristica) sull'igiene delle mani (HH). Numerose ricerche indicano una minor accuratezza nel rispetto delle procedure di igiene della mani comparata agli infermieri mentre poche ricerche indagano l'atteggiamento durante gli studi. Un questionario è stato somministrato ad un campione di 756 partecipanti: 252 medici, 268 infermieri, 117 studenti infermieristica, 119 studenti di medicina in un grande Ospedale universitario (Roma), per determinare la conoscenza, la conformití  e le procedure rispetto all'igiene delle mani. Per l'analisi delle risposte dei questionari è stato utilizzato SPSS 17.0. La conoscenza e l'aderenza alle procedure dei futuri medici è inferiore a quella dei futuri infermieri. Sia nell'HBS (opinioni sull'igiene della mani) che nell'HHPI (procedure nell'igiene delle mani), gli studenti infermieri hanno punteggi più elevati rispetto agli infermieri, ai medici e agli studenti di medicina. Le domande sull'uso di detergenti a base di alcool sono state quelle in cui vi è il più basso numero di risposte corrette, in tutte le professioni. I medici hanno una minore aderenza alla pratica dell'igiene delle mani, rispetto gli infermieri. Future ricerche dovrebbe chiarire quali siano le differenze nella costruzione dello studio sulla pratica dell'igiene delle mani, quali sono le barriere che impediscono l' aderenza dei sanitari alla stessa e le migliori metodiche per trasmettere l'abitudine all'igiene della mani. I professionisti dovrebbero inoltre essere maggiormente coinvolti nella lotta contro le infezioni nosocomiali (ICA). Parole chiave: igiene delle mani, infezioni associate all'assistenza ICA, student di medicina, studenti infermieri, studenti delle professioni sanitarie, compliance nell'igiene delle mani, procedure per l'igiene delle mani ABSTRACT The main objective of the study is assessing knowledge, opinions and compliance with the procedures of health professionals (physician, nurses, medical and nursing students) about Hand Hygiene (HH). There is a number of research which indicates that physicians respect less than nurses Hand Hygiene, there are a smaller number which investigates the differences in the attitude of the aforementioned subjects during their studies. A questionnaire was administered to a sample of 756 participants (252 doctors, 268 nurses, 117 nursing students and 119 students of medicine) at a large University Hospital in Rome, to determine their knowledge, compliance and procedures with Hand Hygiene. Knowledge of medical students is lower than that of nursing students, as well as they have lower values in adherence to practice. In both HH Beliefs Scale (HBS) and HH Practicies Inventory (HHPI) questionnaires, nursing students have higher scores than nurses, doctors and medical students. The questions on the use of alcohol-based cleaners have been those where there was the lowest number of correct responses, across all professions. Physicians compared to nurses have a lower adherence to Hand Hygiene. Future research should clarify what the differences are in the construction of the study on the practice of washing hands, what are the barriers to health professionals and best methods for teaching habits, namely the effectiveness of hand washing. Professionals should be more involved in the fight against Healthcare-associated infections. Key words: hand hygiene, health care associated infection, medical students. Nursing students, health care professionals, hand hygiene compliance, hand hygiene procedure

ORal anticoagulants In fraGile patients with percutAneous endoscopic gastrostoMy and atrIal fibrillation: the (ORIGAMI) study

BACKGROUND: Randomized trials support the safety and efficacy of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) versus vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation, leading to increased use of these compounds. Crushed forms of DOACs have been shown to be reliable, but evidence supporting percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) delivery is lacking. PEG is a long-term option for enteral food and drug delivery in patients unable to maintain oral intake, bypassing the risks and disadvantages of parenteral nutrition.AIMS: The ORal anticoagulants In fraGile patients with percutAneous endoscopic gastrostoMy and atrIal fibrillation (ORIGAMI) study investigates the safety and efficacy of Edoxaban administered via PEG in patients with atrial fibrillation and a clinical indication for a long-term anticoagulation.DESIGN: In this prospective, single-centre observational study, 12 PEG-treated patients with indication to anticoagulation will receive edoxaban via PEG and will be followed up to 6 months. Plasma antifactor Xa activity and edoxaban concentrations will be assessed. Thromboembolic (ischaemic stroke, systemic embolism, venous thromboembolism) and bleeding events (Bleeding Academic Research Consortium and Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction) will be recorded at 1 and 6 months.PRELIMINARY CASES: A retrospective analysis of five atrial fibrillation cases undergoing PEG implantation at our Institution who received edoxaban via PEG showed plasma anti-FXa levels at a steady state of 146 ± 15 ng/ml, without major adverse event at a mean follow-up of 6 months.CONCLUSION: ORIGAMI prospectively investigates PEG-administration of edoxaban in PEG-treated patients requiring long-term anticoagulation. Our preliminary retrospective data support this route of DOAC administration. CLINICALTRIALS.GOV IDENTIFIER: NCT04271293

Rise and Fall of the Materiality Matrix: Lessons from a Missed Takeoff

After a long period of the inclusion of materiality matrices within standard setters documents and non-financial reports, the Global Reporting Initiative officially abandoned the materiality matrix in 2021 after the GRI 3 standard release. To bridge the detected gaps in the literature, this article aims to investigate approaches to and arguments for the matrix until the issuance of GRI 3. The two-step research strategy adopted gives the same level of attention to the opposite positions found. Phase 1 (approach-oriented) reviews the materiality matrix presentation in the 2014–2020 non-financial reports of a sample of worldwide sustainability-oriented companies. Phase 2 (argument-oriented) performs qualitative content analysis on feedback for the GRI 3 preparatory works. The findings show that, besides the staunch adopters, a core of non-adopters persisted and prevented the takeoff of the matrix. Moreover, further insights into possible drivers both in favour of and against these approaches are provided. The final discussion both considers the lessons learnt, overlapping with policy implications, and suggests future research avenues