HISTORY, MEMORY AND GEOGRAPHY - AN HISTORICAL GIS ON THE OPERATION OF THE ITALIAN ARMY DURING THE RUSSIAN CAMPAIGN (1941-1943)

Attraverso l’analisi di documentazione testuale e cartografica, è stata realizzata una ricostruzione dinamica degli eventi legati alla partecipazione dell’Italia all’invasione nazista della Russia. Il progetto è stato realizzato utilizzando la tecnologia GIS, che ha consentito di integrare dati storici e geografici fornendo una modalità innovativa per la visualizzazione e l’interrogazione dei dati. È stato possibile stratificare i dati raccolti in una serie di livelli informativi, ricreando e rileggendo gli eventi storici. Una volta completato lo sviluppo del GIS è stato realizzato un webGIS per la consultazione online dei risultati del progetto.Through the analysis of documents and cartography, a dynamic reconstruction of historical events occurred during the participation of the Italian Army to the Nazi’s invasion of Russia was performed. The goal was reached using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) that allow to integrate geographic and historical data providing a new way for the visualization and querying of locations and shapes related to data. Through GIS, it is possible to “stratify” data collected in information levels and recreate and “re-read” historical events. After the development of the GIS, an online GIS was developed as an interface for consulting information via web

Soy-Based Infant Formula: Are Phyto-Oestrogens Still in Doubt?

Although Scientific Societies have stated that there are very few indications for the use of soy-based formula (SF) in infant nutrition, their utilization rates have been repeatedly found to be higher than expected. It is likely that a significant role in this regard is played by the belief that the use of SF during infancy can reduce the risk of the development of several diseases later in life. Although no definitive data that can substantiate these claims have been collected, many people perceive soy consumption to confer significant health benefits and might also use soy for infant nutrition. However, not all the problems regarding safety of SF in infants have been definitively solved. Among risks, the potentially toxic role of the phyto-oestrogens contained in SF is not definitively established. In vitro and animal studies have raised suspicions that SF could have potentially negative effects on sexual development and reproductive function, neurobehavioral development, immune function, and thyroid function. Several studies in humans have aimed to assess whether the results of animal studies can be applied to humans and whether SF can be used in infants following the official recommendations. The results are somewhat conflicting. The aim of this narrative review is to discuss what is presently known regarding the impact of phyto-oestrogens in SF on early and late child development. PubMed was used to search for the studies published from January 1980 to June 2017 using the keywords: “soy,” “soy formula,” “child,” “phytoestrogens.” Analysis of the literature showed that a global evaluation of the impact of modern SFs on human development seems to suggest that their use is not associated with relevant abnormalities. Only children with congenital hypothyroidism need adequate monitoring of thyroid function

Percorsi a Sud. Geografie e attori nelle strategie regionali del Mezzogiorno

Il lavoro si colloca nel quadro dell’interesse di ricerca che la Fondazione Agnelli è andata esprimendo negli anni sul tema della dimensione regionale, non soltanto come afferente al ritaglio geografico delle regioni italiane, ma soprattutto nella sua accezione di spazio di aggregazione di società ed economie territorialmente integrate.- Indice #4- Premessa, Marco Demarie #8- Introduzione, Lida Viganoni- Prima parte Una lettura geografica delle regioni meridionali #22- Fra il Tirreno e lo Ionio: frammenti d’Euromediterraneo, Pasquale Coppola e Lida Viganoni #24- La dorsale adriatica fra integrazione e frammentazione territoriale, Alessandro Gallo, Armando Montanari, Paola Morelli e Franco Salvatori #78- Sicilia, un’insularità complessa, Vincenzo Guarrasi #104- La Sardegna, ovvero la modernizzazione difficile, Francesco Boggio #128- Seconda parte Mezzogiorno testimoniato. Cento interviste al ceto dirigente locale #158- Campania: oltre l’”effetto Napoli”, Pasquale Coppola e Lida Viganoni #160- Basilicata: il “modello” dei piccoli?, Pasquale Coppola e Lida Viganoni #196- Calabria: dallo stallo a Gioia Tauro, Rosario Sommella #230- Abruzzo: tra Mezzogiorno e Italia “di mezzo”, Franco Salvatori #250- Molise: limiti e potenzialità di una “cerniera”, Alessandro Gallo #278- Puglia: proiettati verso l’esterno, Paola Morelli #300- Sicilia: visioni per un progetto, Vincenzo Guarrasi e Angela Alaimo #322- Sardegna: presi nella corrente?, Francesco Boggio #338- Riferimenti bibliografici #36

Roma: Oltre le baraccopoli: Agenda politica per ripartire dalle periferie dimenticate

Con il presente documento, presentato in vista delle elezioni comunali che si svolgeranno a Roma nel 2016, l’Associazione 21 luglio vuole proporre alle forze politiche e ai candidati a cariche elettive i principi essenziali per mutare radicalmente le politiche verso gli abitanti delle baraccopoli e dei micro insediamenti presenti nella Capitale. Le azioni previste nel documento hanno come obiettivo, nell’arco temporale di 5 anni: la chiusura graduale e progressiva delle baraccopoli e dei micro insediamenti della Capitale e il superamento dei centri di raccolta dove sono concentrate le famiglie vittime degli sgomberi che nel passato hanno coinvolto abitanti di numerose baraccopoli. “Roma: oltre le baraccopoli” si avvale degli studi condotti dall’Associazione 21 luglio e, nell’ultima parte, del prezioso apporto del prof. Tommaso Vitale, Sciences Po (Université Sorbonne Paris Cité)1. Il testo condivide medesimi principi e metodi riportati all’interno della “Delibera di iniziativa popolare per il superamento dei campi rom”, promossa da nove associazioni2 e sottoscritta da oltre 6.000 cittadini, depositata in Campidoglio l’11 settembre 2015

Genetic PTX3 deficiency and aspergillosis in stem-cell transplantation

BACKGROUND: The soluble pattern-recognition receptor known as long pentraxin 3 (PTX3) has a nonredundant role in antifungal immunity. The contribution of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in PTX3 to the development of invasive aspergillosis is unknown. METHODS: We screened an initial cohort of 268 patients undergoing hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT) and their donors for PTX3 SNPs modifying the risk of invasive aspergillosis. The analysis was also performed in a multicenter study involving 107 patients with invasive aspergillosis and 223 matched controls. The functional consequences of PTX3 SNPs were investigated in vitro and in lung specimens from transplant recipients. RESULTS: Receipt of a transplant from a donor with a homozygous haplotype (h2/h2) in PTX3 was associated with an increased risk of infection, in both the discovery study (cumulative incidence, 37% vs. 15%; adjusted hazard ratio, 3.08; P=0.003) and the confirmation study (adjusted odds ratio, 2.78; P=0.03), as well as with defective expression of PTX3. Functionally, PTX3 deficiency in h2/h2 neutrophils, presumably due to messenger RNA instability, led to impaired phagocytosis and clearance of the fungus. CONCLUSIONS: Genetic deficiency of PTX3 affects the antifungal capacity of neutrophils and may contribute to the risk of invasive aspergillosis in patients treated (Funded by the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases and others) .with HSCT.Supported by grants from the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID) (to Dr. Carvalho); the German Ministry for Education and Science (03Z2JN21, to Dr. Kurzai); the European Commission (FP7-HEALTH-2009-260338, to Dr. Romani; FP7-HEALTH-2011-280873, to Dr. Mantovani), the European Research Council (ERC-2008-AdG-233417, to Dr. Mantovani; ERC-2011-AdG-293714, to Dr. Romani), Associazione Italiana per la Ricerca sul Cancro (99629, to Dr. Mantovani); and Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia, Portugal (SFRH/BPD/46292/2008, to Dr. Carvalho; SFRH/BD/65962/2009, to Dr. Cunha; and SFRH/BPD/70783/2010, to Dr. Almeida)

Highly specific memory B cells generation after the 2nd dose of BNT162b2 vaccine compensate for the decline of serum antibodies and absence of mucosal IgA

Specific memory B cells and antibodies are a reliable read-out of vaccine efficacy. We analysed these biomarkers after one and two doses of BNT162b2 vaccine. The second dose significantly increases the level of highly specific memory B cells and antibodies. Two months after the second dose, specific antibody levels decline, but highly specific memory B cells continue to increase, thus predicting a sustained protection from COVID-19. We show that although mucosal IgA is not induced by the vaccination, memory B cells migrate in response to inflammation and secrete IgA at mucosal sites. We show that the first vaccine dose may lead to an insufficient number of highly specific memory B cells and low concentration of serum antibodies, thus leaving vaccinees without the immune robustness needed to ensure viral elimination and herd immunity. We also clarify that the reduction of serum antibodies does not diminish the force and duration of the immune protection induced by vaccination. The vaccine does not induce sterilizing immunity. Infection after vaccination may be caused by the lack of local preventive immunity because of the absence of mucosal IgA

A comprehensive overview of radioguided surgery using gamma detection probe technology

The concept of radioguided surgery, which was first developed some 60 years ago, involves the use of a radiation detection probe system for the intraoperative detection of radionuclides. The use of gamma detection probe technology in radioguided surgery has tremendously expanded and has evolved into what is now considered an established discipline within the practice of surgery, revolutionizing the surgical management of many malignancies, including breast cancer, melanoma, and colorectal cancer, as well as the surgical management of parathyroid disease. The impact of radioguided surgery on the surgical management of cancer patients includes providing vital and real-time information to the surgeon regarding the location and extent of disease, as well as regarding the assessment of surgical resection margins. Additionally, it has allowed the surgeon to minimize the surgical invasiveness of many diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, while still maintaining maximum benefit to the cancer patient. In the current review, we have attempted to comprehensively evaluate the history, technical aspects, and clinical applications of radioguided surgery using gamma detection probe technology