Housework and childcare in Italy: a persistent case of gender inequality

This article focuses on the gender gap in housework and childcare in Italian couples. Italian women still carry out three-quarters of domestic work and two-thirds of childcare. We focus on three possible theoretical explanations for the persistence of the gendered division of labor: time availability, relative resources, and conformity with traditional gender ideology. Time Use data from the 2008/09 Survey edition have been used: we considered couples, married or in consensual unions, with at least one child under 14 years of age and with the mother employed

Deep-seated gravitational slope deformations in central Sardinia: insights into the geomorphological evolution

In this study, we analyse deep-seated gravitational slope deformations (DSGSDs) in central Sardinia. The area is characterised by plateaus with a prominent limestone scarp overlying metamorphites. A comprehensive mapping of structural, karst, fluvial, and slope morphologies in Pardu and Ulassai valleys is presented herein. The uplift linked to the Plio-Pleistocene tectonic activity leads to high-slope topography, which favours gravitational processes, such as DSGSDs and rock-avalanches. Although DSGSD is a common phenomenon in the relief of the central Mediterranean region, it has never been studied in Sardinia. We describe the kinematic models and geomorphological evolution of DSGSD in Sardinia for the first time. The application of light detection and ranging, high-resolution unmanned aerial vehicle photogrammetry, and geological, structural, and geomorphological surveys enabled a depth morphometric analysis and the development of interpretative three-dimensional models. The geo-structural setting and high relief energy associated with recent upliftment are the major controlling factors of DSGSDs

Deep learning for MYC binding site recognition

Motivation: The definition of the genome distribution of the Myc transcription factor is extremely important since it may help predict its transcriptional activity particularly in the context of cancer. Myc is among the most powerful oncogenes involved in the occurrence and development of more than 80% of different types of pediatric and adult cancers. Myc regulates thousands of genes which can be in part different, depending on the type of tissues and tumours. Myc distribution along the genome has been determined experimentally through chromatin immunoprecipitation This approach, although powerful, is very time consuming and cannot be routinely applied to tumours of individual patients. Thus, it becomes of paramount importance to develop in silico tools that can effectively and rapidly predict its distribution on a given cell genome. New advanced computational tools (DeeperBind) can then be successfully employed to determine the function of Myc in a specific tumour, and may help to devise new directions and approaches to experiments first and personalized and more effective therapeutic treatments for a single patient later on.Results: The use of DeeperBind with DeepRAM on Colab platform (Google) can effectively predict the binding sites for the MYC factor with an accuracy above 0.96 AUC, when trained with multiple cell lines. The analysis of the filters in DeeperBind trained models shows, besides the consensus sequence CACGTG classically associated to the MYC factor, also the other consensus sequences G/C box or TGGGA, respectively bound by the SP1 and MIZ-1 transcription factors, which are known to mediate the MYC repressive response. Overall, our findings suggest a stronger synergy between the machine learning tools as DeeperBind and biological experiments, which may reduce the time consuming experiments by providing a direction to guide them

Submarine Geomorphology of the Southwestern Sardinian Continental Shelf (Mediterranean Sea): Insights into the Last Glacial Maximum Sea-Level Changes and Related Environments

During the lowstand sea-level phase of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), a large part of the current Mediterranean continental shelf emerged. Erosional and depositional processes shaped the coastal strips, while inland areas were affected by aeolian and fluvial processes. Evidence of both the lowstand phase and the subsequent phases of eustatic sea level rise can be observed on the continental shelf of Sardinia (Italy), including submerged palaeo-shorelines and landforms, and indicators of relict coastal palaeo-environments. This paper shows the results of a high-resolution survey on the continental shelf off San Pietro Island (southwestern Sardinia). Multisensor and multiscale data\u2014obtained by means of seismic sparker, sub-bottom profiler chirp, multibeam, side scan sonar, diving, and uncrewed aerial vehicles\u2014made it possible to reconstruct the morphological features shaped during the LGM at depths between 125 and 135 m. In particular, tectonic controlled palaeo-cliffs affected by landslides, the mouth of a deep palaeo-valley fossilized by marine sediments and a palaeo-lagoon containing a peri-littoral thanatocenosis (18,983 \ub1 268 cal BP) were detected. The Younger Dryas palaeo-shorelines were reconstructed, highlighted by a very well preserved beachrock. The coastal paleo-landscape with lagoon-barrier systems and retro-littoral dunes frequented by the Mesolithic populations was reconstructed

Identification and characterization of ERV-W-like sequences in Platyrrhini species provides new insights into the evolutionary history of ERV-W in primates

Background: Endogenous Retroviruses (ERVs) constitute approximately 8% of every human genome and are relics of ancestral infections that affected the germ line cells. The ERV-W group contributed to primate physiology by providing an envelope protein (Syncytin-1) that has been adopted for placenta development in hominoids. Expression of Human ERV-W (HERV-W) sequences is investigated for a pathological role in various human diseases. Results: We previously characterized ERV-W group genomic sequences in human and non-human Catarrhini species. We now investigated ERV-W-like sequences in the parvorder Platyrrhini, especially regarding two species with complete genome assemblies, namely marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) and squirrel monkey (Saimiri boliviensis). We identified in both species proviral sequences, annotated as ERV1-1 in respective genome assemblies, sharing high sequence similarities with Catarrhini ERV-W. A total of 130 relatively intact proviruses from the genomes of marmoset and squirrel monkey were characterized regarding their structural and evolutionarily relationships with Catarrhini ERV-W elements. Platyrrhini ERV-W sequences share several structural features with Catarrhini ERV-W elements and are closely related phylogenetically with the latter as well as with other ERV-W-related gammaretrovirus-like ERVs. The ERV-W group colonized Platyrrhini primates of both Callitrichidae and Atelidae lineages, with provirus formations having occurred mostly between 25 and 15 mya. Two LTR subgroups were associated with monophyletic proviral bodies. A pre-gag region appears to be a sequence feature common to the ERV-W group: it harbors a putative intron sequence that is missing in some ERV-W loci, holding a putative ORF as well. The presence of a long pre-gag portion was confirmed among all gammaretroviral ERV analyzed, suggesting a role in the latter biology. It is noteworthy that, contrary to Catarrhini ERV-W, there was no evidence of L1-mediated mobilization for Platyrrhini ERV-W sequences. Conclusions: Our data establish that ERV-W is not exclusive to Catarrhini primates but colonized both parvorders of Simiiformes, providing further insight into the evolution of ERV-W and the colonization of primate genomes

Patient safety culture in Italian out-ofhours primary care service: a national cross-sectional survey study

Background: Out-of-hours (OOH) services in Italy provide >10 million consultations every year. To the authors' knowledge, no data on patient safety culture (PSC) have been reported. Aim: To assess PSC in the Italian OOH setting. Design & setting: National cross-sectional survey using the Safety Attitudes Questionnaire — Ambulatory Version (SAQ-AV). Method: The SAQ-AV was translated into Italian and distributed in a convenience sample of OOH doctors in 2015. Answers were collected anonymously by Qualtrics. Stata (version 14) was used to estimate Cronbach's alpha, perform exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, correlate items to doctors' characteristics, and to do item descriptive analysis. Results: Overall, 692 OOH doctors were contacted, with a 71% response rate. In the exploratory factor analysis (EFA), four factors were identified: Communication and Safety Climate (14 items); Perceptions of Management (eight items); Workload and Clinical Risk (six items); and Burnout Risk (four items). These four factors accounted for 68% of the total variance (Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin [KMO] statistic = 0.843). Cronbach's alpha ranged from 0.710-0.917. OOH doctors were often dissatisfied with their job; there is insufficient staff to provide optimal care and there is no training or supervision for new personnel and family medicine trainees. Service managers are perceived as distant, with particular issues concerning the communication between managers and OOH doctors. A large proportion of OOH doctors (56.8%) state that they do not receive adequate support. Conclusion: These findings could be useful for informing policies on how to improve PSC in Italian OOH service

Increased facial asymmetry in focal epilepsies associated with unilateral lesions

The epilepsies are now conceptualized as network disruptions: focal epilepsies are considered to have network alterations in the hemisphere of seizure onset, whilst generalized epilepsies are considered to have bi-hemispheric network changes. Increasingly, many epilepsies are also considered to be neurodevelopmental disorders, with early changes in the brain underpinning seizure biology. The development of the structure of the face is influenced by complex molecular interactions between surface ectoderm and underlying developing forebrain and neural crest cells. This influence is likely to continue postnatally, given the evidence of facial growth changes over time in humans until at least 18 years of age. In this case–control study, we hypothesized that people with lateralized focal epilepsies (i.e. unilateral network changes) have an increased degree of facial asymmetry, compared with people with generalized epilepsies or controls without epilepsy. We applied three-dimensional stereophotogrammetry and dense surface models to evaluate facial asymmetry in people with epilepsy, aiming to generate new tools to explore pathophysiological mechanisms in epilepsy. We analysed neuroimaging data to explore the correlation between face and brain asymmetry. We consecutively recruited 859 people with epilepsy attending the epilepsy clinics at a tertiary referral centre. We used dense surface modelling of the full face and signature analyses of three-dimensional facial photographs to analyse facial differences between 378 cases and 205 healthy controls. Neuroimaging around the time of the facial photograph was available for 234 cases. We computed the brain asymmetry index between contralateral regions. Cases with focal symptomatic epilepsy associated with unilateral lesions showed greater facial asymmetry compared to controls (P = 0.0001, two-sample t-test). This finding was confirmed by linear regression analysis after controlling for age and gender. We also found a significant correlation between duration of illness and the brain asymmetry index of total average cortical thickness (r = −0.19, P = 0.0075) but not for total average surface area (r = 0.06, P = 0.3968). There was no significant correlation between facial asymmetry and asymmetry of regional cortical thickness or surface area. We propose that the greater facial asymmetry in cases with focal epilepsy caused by unilateral abnormality might be explained by early unilateral network disruption, and that this is independent of underlying brain asymmetry. Three-dimensional stereophotogrammetry and dense surface modelling are a novel powerful phenotyping tool in epilepsy that may permit greater understanding of pathophysiology in epilepsy, and generate further insights into the development of cerebral networks underlying epilepsy, and the genetics of facial and neural development

Nestin expression associates with poor prognosis and triple negative phenotype in locally advanced (T4) breast cancer

Nestin, an intermediate filament protein, has traditionally been noted for its importance as a neural stem cell marker. However, in recent years, expression of nestin has shown to be associated with general proliferation of progenitor cell populations within neoplasms. There is no reported study addressing nestin expression in T4 breast cancer patients. Thus, the aim of the present study was to investigate, through immunohistochemistry, the expression and distribution of nestin in T4 breast cancer, in order to determine its association with clinical and pathological parameters as well as with patients' outcome. Nestin was detectable in tumoral cells and in endothelial cells of blood microvessels, and it is significantly expressed in triple-negative and in inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) subgroups of T4 breast tumours. The Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that the presence of nestin in tumoral cells significantly predicted poor prognosis at 5-years survival (P=0.02) and with borderline significance at 10-years of survival (P=0.05) in T4 breast cancer patients. On the basis of these observations, we speculate that nestin expression may characterize tumours with an aggressive clinical behavior, suggesting that the presence of nestin in tumoral cells and vessels may be considered an important factor that leads to a poor prognosis. Further studies are awaited to define the biological role of nestin in the etiology of these subgroups of breast cancers

Essential steps in primary care management of older people with Type 2 diabetes: an executive summary on behalf of the European geriatric medicine society (EuGMS) and the European diabetes working party for older people (EDWPOP) collaboration

We present an executive summary of a guideline for management of type 2 diabetes mellitus in primary care written by the European Geriatric Medicine Society, the European Diabetes Working Party for Older People with contributions from primary care practitioners and participation of a patient’s advocate. This consensus document relies where possible on evidence-based recommendations and expert opinions in the fields where evidences are lacking. The full text includes 4 parts: a general strategy based on comprehensive assessment to enhance quality and individualised care plan, treatments decision guidance, management of complications, and care in case of special conditions. Screening for frailty and cognitive impairment is recommended as well as a comprehensive assessment all health conditions are concerned, including end of life situations. The full text is available online at the following address: essential_steps_inprimary_care_in_older_people_with_diabetes_-_EuGMS-EDWPOP___3_.pdf

The Role of p53 Expression in Patients with RAS/BRAF Wild-Type Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Receiving Irinotecan and Cetuximab as Later Line Treatment

Background: Preclinical and clinical data indicate that p53 expression might modulate the activity of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), influencing response/resistance to anti-EGFR monoclonal antibodies. However, the association between p53 status and clinical outcome has not been clarified yet. Objective: In our study, we evaluated the role of p53 expression in patients with RAS/BRAF wild-type metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) receiving irinotecan/cetuximab in an exploratory and a validation cohort. Patients and Methods: p53 expression was analysed in patients with RAS/BRAF wild-type mCRC receiving second-line or third-line irinotecan/cetuximab. Survival distribution was assessed by the Kaplan–Meier method, while the log-rank test was used for survival comparison. Results: Among 120 patients with RAS/BRAF wild-type mCRC included in our analysis, 52 (59%) and 19 (59%) patients showed p53 overexpression in the exploratory and validation cohort, respectively. In the exploratory cohort, low p53 expression was correlated with better median progression-free survival (hazard ratio 0.39; p < 0.0001), median overall survival (hazard ratio: 0.23; p < 0.0001) and response rate (p < 0.0001). These results were confirmed by data of the validation cohort where we observed better median progression-free survival (hazard ratio: 0.48; p = 0.0399), median overall survival (hazard ratio: 0.26; p = 0.0027) and response rate (p =0.0007) in patients with p53 normal expression mCRC. Conclusions: In our study, p53 overexpression was associated with anti-EGFR treatment resistance in patients with RAS/BRAF WT mCRC, as confirmed in a validation cohort. Larger studies are needed to validate the role of p53 and investigate EGFR cross-talk in these patients