El Rojo y el Blanco: Notas acerca del Papel de las Emociones en la Scienza Nuova

A través de una comparacion entre Vico y Hobbes se aborda el rol de las emociones, vinculadas a biografia de los dos autores (en Hobbes, el miedo; en Vico, la vergüenza). El autor aplica el esquema de emociones rojas y blancas, basandose en la distincion de B. Williams. Esta herramienta la aplica a la clarificacion de ciertas teorias politicas en Scienza nuova

Italian Normative Pluralism: What is Unique about the Future of Italy

There are in Italy, and only in Italy, major institutions endowed with substantial normative powers (both acknowledged by Santi Romano): Alternative normative institutions are consistent with a normatively weak state. On the other hand, the rich social landscape of the peninsula will most likely be simplified, and some institutional aristocracies will see their role diminished and almost erased. It therefore looks like new forms of normative pluralism are knocking at the door: from the normative spiral of overlapping communities that flourish in a multicultural society, to the European and international institutions that can and will impact the Italian law (and politics). Perhaps only a frank, realistic acknowledgement of such a pluralism can capture some specific features of Italian contemporary society

Astrology and Race: Aspects of Equality After Critical Race Theory

Historically, Critical Race Theory (CRT) has been neglected in European legal scholarship. CRT approaches promise to be a useful avenue for European jurisprudence, however, as European nations rapidly become more multiracial. The focus of this Essay is on the theoretical value that radiates from some Critical Race Theory lines of thought, written from the perspective of an Italian legal scholar engaging in CRT. In particular, there are some aspects of CRT jurisprudence that are valuable from a general, legal-philosophical, point of view. In this vein, CRT scholars have authored scholarship that has had an impact on the traditional, liberal notion of equality. An apparently reasonable jurisprudence has been seen to revolve around a pseudo-scientific array of notions (―neutral‖ races, conceived as zodiac signs) that are lacking any sound epistemic ground: therefore, a form of astrology

Su alcuni aspetti filosofico-giuridici del dibattito americano sul same-sex marriage

Aspetti filosofico-giuridici del dibattito americano sul same-sex marriag

El rojo y el blanco: Notas acerca del papel de las emociones en la Scienza Nuova.

A través de una comparación entre Vico y Hobbes se aborda la concepción de la política como un facere y el rol de las emociones, vinculadas a la biografía de los dos autores (en Hobbes, el miedo; en Vico, la vergüenza). El autor aplica el esquema de emociones rojas y blancas, basándose en la distinción de B. Williams y la utilización de A. Margalit. Esta herramienta la aplica a la clarificación de ciertas teorías políticas en Leviathan y en Scienza nuova.By comparing Vico and Hobbes, the conception of politics as a facere is considered, as well as the role of emotions, which are here linked with the biographies of those two authors (fear in Hobbes; shame in Vico). The author applies B. Williams’ distinction between red and white emotions, following A. Margalit. This tool is used in order to clarify some political theories in Leviathan and in Scienza Nuova

Genetic variants of Y chromosome are associated with a protective lipid profile in black men

Objective— Gender and ethnicity modulate the phenotypic expression of cardiovascular risk factors. In particular, men are at higher risk of developing cardiovascular diseases compared to women, whereas black populations of African origin display reduced mortality from coronary heart disease (CHD) as compared to both whites and South Asians. Because the male-specific region (MSY) of the human Y chromosome is an obvious candidate for gender-related differences in the development of cardiovascular diseases, we aimed to identify genetic variants of MSY influencing cardiovascular risk profile in different ethnic groups. Methods and Results— We genotyped 4 polymorphisms of MSY (HindIII±, rs768983 of TBL1Y, rs3212292 of USP9Y, and rs9341273 of UTY genes) in 579 men of different ethnic groups (blacks, South Asians, and whites) from UK and in 301 whites in Italy. We found that the TBL1YA USP9YA haplotype, present only in blacks in whom it represents the most frequent allelic combinations (AA: n=125; all other combinations: n=45), was associated with lower levels of triglycerides (P=0.025) and higher levels of HDL-cholesterol (P=0.005) as compared to the other haplotypes. Conclusion— The TBL1YA USP9YA haplotype of the Y chromosome, present only in black people of African origin, attributes a favorable lipoprotein pattern, likely to contribute to their reduced susceptibility to coronary heart disease. The study evaluated the association of genetic variants of the male-specific region of the Y chromosome with cardiovascular risk factors in different ethnic groups. The most frequently observed haplotype in black people was associated with a favorable lipoprotein pattern, thus contributing to the lower rate of cardiovascular diseases in blacks

Mendelian randomization shows a causal effect of low vitamin D on multiple sclerosis risk.

ObjectiveWe sought to estimate the causal effect of low serum 25(OH)D on multiple sclerosis (MS) susceptibility that is not confounded by environmental or lifestyle factors or subject to reverse causality.MethodsWe conducted mendelian randomization (MR) analyses using an instrumental variable (IV) comprising 3 single nucleotide polymorphisms found to be associated with serum 25(OH)D levels at genome-wide significance. We analyzed the effect of the IV on MS risk and both age at onset and disease severity in 2 separate populations using logistic regression models that controlled for sex, year of birth, smoking, education, genetic ancestry, body mass index at age 18-20 years or in 20s, a weighted genetic risk score for 110 known MS-associated variants, and the presence of one or more HLA-DRB1*15:01 alleles.ResultsFindings from MR analyses using the IV showed increasing levels of 25(OH)D are associated with a decreased risk of MS in both populations. In white, non-Hispanic members of Kaiser Permanente Northern California (1,056 MS cases and 9,015 controls), the odds ratio (OR) was 0.79 (p = 0.04, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.64-0.99). In members of a Swedish population from the Epidemiological Investigation of Multiple Sclerosis and Genes and Environment in Multiple Sclerosis MS case-control studies (6,335 cases and 5,762 controls), the OR was 0.86 (p = 0.03, 95% CI: 0.76-0.98). A meta-analysis of the 2 populations gave a combined OR of 0.85 (p = 0.003, 95% CI: 0.76-0.94). No association was observed for age at onset or disease severity.ConclusionsThese results provide strong evidence that low serum 25(OH)D concentration is a cause of MS, independent of established risk factors