Exploring Inclusive Cities for Migrants in the UK and Sweden: A Scoping Review

In recent years, social work with migrants and ethnic minorities has developed as a field of research and practice. Further, it is recognised in the literature that the increased processes of human mobility in today’s societies have driven a growing focus on inclusive cities, especially in larger urban areas where ethnic diversity and cultural heterogeneity can be found alongside newly arrived migrants seeking a better quality of life, safety, and sanctuary. There is a strong link between individuals’ well‐being and their relationship with spaces, institutions, and resources. Cities and their urban environment have been increasingly identified as key arenas where social, economic, and ecological societal challenges should be addressed. In the context of migration, municipalities have invested in dealing with both inclusive and sustainable policies. However, cities are not uniformly experienced by all. This scoping review seeks to answer how an inclusive city is conceptualised in the Swedish and the UK’s social work literature concerning migration. Using social exclusion and inclusion as the theoretical points of view, we conduct analysis using Arksey and O’Malley’s (2005) six‐stage methodological framework. Despite social work playing a major role in the social inclusion of immigrant minorities in cities, through promoting participation, there is a lack of knowledge and research on social work engagement with social inclusion, both in the fields of social policy and practices. This article contributes to an enhanced understanding of what an inclusive city is, and the role of social work in defining and developing social policies and professional interventions for inclusive cities to support the integration of migrants with distinct needs. We offer a much‐needed review of the similarities and differences between the two geographies by analysing the social work perspectives from Sweden and the UK

Influence of the conditions of sensitization on the characteristics of p-DSCs sensitized with asymmetric squaraines

The effect of the conditions of sensitization on the photoelectrochemical performance of p-type dye-sensitized solar cells (p-DSCs) with screen-printed nickel oxide (NiO) photocathodes is analyzed. The dye-sensitizers employed in the present study are asymmetric squaraines. The conditions of sensitization differ for the relative concentration of the anti-aggregating agentCDCA(chenideoxycholic acid) with respect to the concentration of the dye-sensitizer. The co-adsorption of CDCA onto NiO electrode brings about a decrease in the surface concentration of the anchored dye as well as a blueshift of the characteristic wavelengths of optical absorption of the asymmetric squaraines considered here. Beside this, the employment of CDCA as co-adsorbent reduces the overall conversion performance of the resulting squaraine-sensitized p-DSCs with consequent diminution of the short-circuit current density. This result is ascribed to the acid action of CDCA toward the amminic nitrogen of the squaraines. Quantum efficiency spectra show that CDCA acts as a quencher of the intrinsic photoelectrochemical activity of NiO. Moreover, CDCA does not interfere with the mechanism of charge injection effectuated by the photoexcited squaraines. The photoelectrochemical impedance spectra was analyzed employing a model of equivalent circuit developed for semiconducting nanostructure electrodes

Transcranial direct current stimulation improves the QT variability index and autonomic cardiac control in healthy subjects older than 60 years

Background: Noninvasive brain stimulation technique is an interesting tool to investigate the causal relation between cortical functioning and autonomic nervous system (ANS) responses. Objective: The objective of this report is to evaluate whether anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over the temporal cortex influences short-period temporal ventricular repolarization dispersion and cardiovascular ANS control in elderly subjects. Subjects and methods: In 50 healthy subjects (29 subjects younger than 60 years and 21 subjects older than 60 years) matched for gender, short-period RR and systolic blood pressure spectral variability, QT variability index (QTVI), and noninvasive hemodynamic data were obtained during anodal tDCS or sham stimulation. Results: In the older group, the QTVI, low-frequency (LF) power expressed in normalized units, the ratio between LF and high-frequency (HF) power, and systemic peripheral resistances decreased, whereas HF power expressed in normalized units and α HF power increased during the active compared to the sham condition (P,0.05). Conclusion: In healthy subjects older than 60 years, tDCS elicits cardiovascular and autonomic changes. Particularly, it improves temporal ventricular repolarization dispersion, reduces sinus sympathetic activity and systemic peripheral resistance, and increases vagal sinus activity and baroreflex sensitivity

Mesoglycan: Clinical Evidences for Use in Vascular Diseases

Vascular glycosaminoglycans (GAG) are essential components of the endothelium and vessel wall and have been shown to be involved in several biologic functions. Mesoglycan, a natural GAG preparation, is a polysaccharide complex rich in sulphur radicals with strong negative electric charge. It is extracted from porcine intestinal mucosa and is composed of heparan sulfate, dermatan sulfate, electrophoretically slow-moving heparin, and variable and minimal quantities of chondroitin sulfate. Data on antithrombotic and profibrinolytic activities of the drug show that mesoglycan, although not indicated in the treatment of acute arterial or venous thrombosis because of the low antithrombotic effect, may be useful in the management of vascular diseases, when combined with antithrombotics in the case of disease of cerebral vasculature, and with antithrombotics and vasodilator drugs in the case of chronic peripheral arterial disease. The protective effect of mesoglycan in patients with venous thrombosis and the absence of side effects, support the use of GAG in patients with chronic venous insufficiency and persistent venous ulcers, in association with compression therapy (zinc bandages, multiple layer bandages, etc.), elastic compression stockings, and local care, and in the prevention of recurrences in patients with previous DVT following the standard course of oral anticoagulation treatment

Cost-effectiveness of tenofovir in the treatment of patients with chronic hepatitis B: data from literature

Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is a complex disease with significant social impact both on the patients' quality of life of and the economic resources involved. Its chronicity affects considerably not only the clinical management of the disease (for the need for drugs with proven long-term safety and low rate of resistance), but also the economic impact (for the high costs of treatment, the management of complications, and the constant monitoring of therapy).Since, as is well known, the main problem of modern health care systems is the general scarcity of available resources in the face of growing demand for health, the issue of economic evaluation of therapies for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B has been addressed in numerous national and international studies. In fact, clinicians find a strong support for the choice of the most suitable therapeutic pathway in the major scientific societies' guidelines (European Association for the Study of The Liver – EASL, American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases – AASLD, Associazione Italiana per lo Studio del Fegato – AISF), while the analysis of the economic implications is rather more difficult, even for the methodological differences and peculiarities of the different countries.The aim of this paper is to present a brief summary of some of the recently conducted cost-effectiveness analyses and extrapolate some data to support the economic evidence related to the treatment of CHB with nucleos(t)ide analogs. In particular, the article focuses on the comparison between entecavir (ETV) and tenofovir (TDF), the two oral antiviral therapies recommended for first-line treatment. In the selected studies, the comparison between the different treatment options was conducted in order to assess the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) and the results were expressed in terms of QALYs (Quality Adjusted Life Years) gained.Despite the methodological differences among the selected studies, tenofovir is found to be, in the context of first-line oral antiviral therapies, the most cost-effective treatment for patients with chronic hepatitis B

Treatment of hemophilia: a review of current advances and ongoing issues

Replacement of the congenitally deficient factor VIII or IX through plasma-derived or recombinant concentrates is the mainstay of treatment for hemophilia. Concentrate infusions when hemorrhages occur typically in joint and muscles (on-demand treatment) is able to resolve bleeding, but does not prevent the progressive joint deterioration leading to crippling hemophilic arthropathy. Therefore, primary prophylaxis, ie, regular infusion of concentrates started after the first joint bleed and/or before the age of two years, is now recognized as first-line treatment in children with severe hemophilia. Secondary prophylaxis, whenever started, aims to avoid (or delay) the progression of arthropathy and improve patient quality of life. Interestingly, recent data suggest a role for early prophylaxis also in preventing development of inhibitors, the most serious complication of treatment in hemophilia, in which multiple genetic and environmental factors may be involved. Treatment of bleeds in patients with inhibitors requires bypassing agents (activated prothrombin complex concentrates, recombinant factor VIIa). However, eradication of inhibitors by induction of immune tolerance should be the first choice for patients with recent onset inhibitors. The wide availability of safe factor concentrates and programs for comprehensive care has now resulted in highly satisfactory treatment of hemophilia patients in developed countries. Unfortunately, this is not true for more than two-thirds of persons with hemophilia, who live in developing countries

Adalimumab-Based Treatment Versus Disease-Modifying Antirheumatic Drugs for Venous Thrombosis in Behçet's Syndrome: A Retrospective Study of Seventy Patients With Vascular Involvement

Objective: Since Behçet's syndrome (BS) is the prototype of inflammation-induced thrombosis, immunosuppressants are recommended in place of anticoagulants. We undertook this study to assess the clinical efficacy and the corticosteroid-sparing effect of adalimumab (ADA)–based treatment versus disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) therapy in a large retrospective cohort of patients with BS-related venous thrombosis. Methods: We retrospectively collected data on 70 BS patients treated with DMARDs or ADA-based regimens (ADA with or without DMARDs) because of venous complications. Clinical and imaging evaluations were performed to define vascular response. We explored differences in outcomes between ADA-based regimens and DMARDs with respect to efficacy, corticosteroid-sparing role, and time on treatment. We also evaluated the role of anticoagulants as concomitant treatment. Results: After a mean ± SD follow-up period of 25.7 ± 23.2 months, ADA-based regimens induced clinical and imaging improvement of venous thrombosis more frequently (P = 0.001) and rapidly (P < 0.0001) than did DMARDs. The mean dose of corticosteroids administered at the last follow-up visit was significantly lower with ADA-based regimens than with DMARDs (P < 0.0001). The time on treatment was significantly longer with ADA plus DMARDs than with DMARDs alone (P = 0.002). No differences were found in terms of efficacy and time on treatment between DMARDs or ADA-based regimens among patients who received anticoagulants and those who did not. Conclusion: In this large retrospective study, we have shown that ADA-based regimens are more effective and rapid than DMARDs in inducing resolution of venous thrombosis in BS patients, allowing reduction of steroid exposure. Moreover, our findings suggest that anticoagulation does not modify the efficacy of either ADA-based regimens or DMARDs for venous complications

The Secondary Structure of a Major Wine Protein is Modified upon Interaction with Polyphenols

Polyphenols are an important constituent of wines and they are largely studied due to their antioxidant properties and for their effects on wine quality and stability, which is also related to their capacity to bind to proteins. The effects of some selected polyphenols, including procyanidins B1 and B2, tannic acid, quercetin, and rutin, as well as those of a total white wine procyanidin extract on the conformational properties of the major wine protein VVTL1 (Vitis vinifera Thaumatin-Like-1) were investigated by Synchrotron Radiation Circular Dichroism (SRCD). Results showed that VVTL1 interacts with polyphenols as demonstrated by the changes in the secondary (far-UV) and tertiary (near-UV) structures, which were differently affected by different polyphenols. Additionally, polyphenols modified the two melting temperatures (TM) that were found for VVTL1 (32.2 °C and 53.9 °C for the protein alone). The circular dichroism (CD) spectra in the near-UV region revealed an involvement of the aromatic side-chains of the protein in the interaction with phenolics. The data demonstrate the existence of an interaction between polyphenols and VVTL1, which results in modification of its thermal and UV denaturation pattern. This information can be useful in understanding the behavior of wine proteins in presence of polyphenols, thus giving new insights on the phenomena that are involved in wine stability

MAPK15/ERK8 stimulates autophagy by interacting with LC3 and GABARAP proteins

Macroautophagy (hereafter referred to as autophagy) is an evolutionarily conserved catabolic process necessary for normal recycling of cellular constituents and for appropriate response to cellular stress. Although several genes belonging to the core molecular machinery involved in autophagosome formation have been discovered, relatively little is known about the nature of signaling networks controlling autophagy upon intracellular or extracellular stimuli. We discovered ATG8-like proteins (MAP1LC3B, GABARAP and GABARAPL1) as novel interactors of MAPK15/ERK8, a MAP kinase involved in cell proliferation and transformation. Based on the role of these proteins in the autophagic process, we demonstrated that MAPK15 is indeed localized to autophagic compartments and increased, in a kinase-dependent fashion, ATG8- like proteins lipidation, autophagosome formation and SQSTM1 degradation, while decreasing LC3B inhibitory phosphorylation. Interestingly, we also identified a conserved LC3-interacting region (LIR) in MAPK15 responsible for its interaction with ATG8-like proteins, for its localization to autophagic structures and, consequently, for stimulation of the formation of these compartments. Furthermore, we reveal that MAPK15 activity was induced in response to serum and amino-acid starvation and that this stimulus, in turn, required endogenous MAPK15 expression to induce the autophagic process. Altogether, these results suggested a new function for MAPK15 as a regulator of autophagy, acting through interaction with ATG8 family proteins. Also, based on the key role of this process in several human diseases, these results supported the use of this MAP kinase as a potential novel therapeutic target