Does the road to happiness depend on the retirement decision? Evidence from Italy

This study estimates the causal effect of retirement decision on well-being in Italy. To do so, the authors exploit the exogenous variation provided by the changes in the eligibility criteria for pensions that were enacted in Italy in 1995 (Dini’s law) and in 1997 (Prodi’s law, from the names of the prime ministers at the time of their introduction). A sizeable and positive impact of retirement decision is found on satisfaction with leisure time and on frequency of meeting friends. Furthermore, the results are generalized, allowing for the estimation of different moments from different data sources

Cholinergic regulation of vascular endothelial function by human ChAT(+) T cells

Endothelial dysfunction and impaired vasodilation are linked with adverse cardiovascular events. T lymphocytes expressing choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), the enzyme catalyzing biosynthesis of the vasorelaxant acetylcholine ( ACh), regulate vasodilation and are integral to the cholinergic antiinflammatory pathway in an inflammatory reflex in mice. Here, we found that human T cell ChAT mRNA expression was induced by T cell activation involving the PI3K signaling cascade. Mechanistically, we identified that ChAT mRNA expression was induced following the attenuation of RE-1 Silencing Transcription factor REST-mediated methylation of the ChAT promoter, and that ChAT mRNA expression levels were up-regulated by GATA3 in human T cells. In functional experiments, T cell- derived ACh increased endothelial nitric oxide-synthase activity, promoted vasorelaxation, and reduced vascular endothelial activation and promoted barrier integrity by a cholinergic mechanism. Further, we observed that survival in a cohort of patients with severe circulatory failure correlated with their relative frequency of ChAT(+)CD4(+) T cells in blood. These findings on ChAT(+) human T cells provide a mechanism for cholinergic immune regulation of vascular endothelial function in human inflammation.Funding Agencies|MedTechLabs; Stockholm Region Project Funds [20170199, 20180502]; Knut and Alice Wallenberg foundation; Swedish Research Council [2017-03366, 2020-04443, 2020-01645]; Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation [20200827, 20190672, 20210431]; Lars Hiertas Minne Foundation [FO2018-0494]; Gosta Fraenckel Foundation [2019-01096, 2021-00729]; Loo and Hans Osterman Foundation [2019-01408, 2021-00728]; Foundation for Geriatric Diseases [2019-01337, 202100730]; NovoNordisk foundation</p