Management of the Neapolitan Public Banks' Crisis in the Late XVIIIth Century: The Model of "Banco Generale" as an Instrument of Going Concern Settlement

The troubled political and financial events of the Kingdom of Naples under the Bourbon dominion in the late 18th century outline the environmental perimeter in which the business phenomenon, subject of this investigation, will be deepened: the unification of the Neapolitan public banks under the shared aegis of “National Bank of Naples” in 1794. The analysis will aim to examine thoroughly the complex reasons underlying the last and irreversible crisis of the ancient Neapolitan public banks highlighting how the structural, functional as well as conceptual characteristics of these institutes changed in response to the socio-economic scenario shifts. Particularly, the contribution intends to look critically at the general reorganisation of the banking institution, initiated by Ferdinand IV, reconstructing the normative corpus using a large collection of primary sources, collated through meticulous archival research, and secondary ones, arising from historiographical and academic literature. For this purpose, the work integrates into the research unit of History of Companies and Public Institution, by adopting a theoretical perspective of historical-administrative origins

Management of the Neapolitan Public Banks' Crisis in the Late XVIIIth Century: The Model of "Banco Generale" as an Instrument of Going Concern Settlement

The troubled political and financial events of the Kingdom of Naples under the Bourbon dominion in the late 18th century outline the environmental perimeter in which the business phenomenon, subject of this investigation, will be deepened: the unification of the Neapolitan public banks under the shared aegis of “National Bank of Naples” in 1794. The analysis will aim to examine thoroughly the complex reasons underlying the last and irreversible crisis of the ancient Neapolitan public banks highlighting how the structural, functional as well as conceptual characteristics of these institutes changed in response to the socio-economic scenario shifts. Particularly, the contribution intends to look critically at the general reorganisation of the banking institution, initiated by Ferdinand IV, reconstructing the normative corpus using a large collection of primary sources, collated through meticulous archival research, and secondary ones, arising from historiographical and academic literature. For this purpose, the work integrates into the research unit of History of Companies and Public Institution, by adopting a theoretical perspective of historical-administrative origins

Management of the Neapolitan Public Banks' Crisis in the Late XVIIIth Century: The Model of "Banco Generale" as an Instrument of Going Concern Settlement

The troubled political and financial events of the Kingdom of Naples under the Bourbon dominion in the late 18th century outline the environmental perimeter in which the business phenomenon, subject of this investigation, will be deepened: the unification of the Neapolitan public banks under the shared aegis of “National Bank of Naples” in 1794. The analysis will aim to examine thoroughly the complex reasons underlying the last and irreversible crisis of the ancient Neapolitan public banks highlighting how the structural, functional as well as conceptual characteristics of these institutes changed in response to the socio-economic scenario shifts. Particularly, the contribution intends to critically discuss the social and political implications of the extensive reform promulgated by the central government, under King Ferdinand IV, for the restoration of the Neapolitan banking system. The normative corpus was reconstucted basing on a large collection of primary sources, collated through meticulous archival research, and secondary ones, arising from historiographical and academic literature. For this purpose, the work integrates into the research unit of History of Companies and Public Institution, by adopting a theoretical perspective of historical-administrative origins. According to the examined sources, the inadequacy of the royal measures led to a deep systemic crisis, which resulted to be fatal for the ancient Neapolitan banks

Refining diagnosis and management of chronic venous disease: Outcomes of a modified Delphi consensus process

Abstract Chronic venous disease (CVD) is a common condition with major health consequences that is associated with poor long-term prognosis, significant socioeconomic impact, disabling symptoms and reduced quality of life. To provide practical guidance for diagnosis and management of CVD, a Delphi panel of 5 experts in steering committee and 28 angiologists/vascular surgeons met with the major aim of providing a supplement for established national and international guidelines. A total of 24 statements were voted upon in two rounds, of which consensus was reached on 22 statements, indicating a high level of overall agreement. Consensus was reached on 7 of 8 statements relative to diagnosis (CEAP classification, diagnostic tools, QoL assessment, diagnostic imaging) and on 15 of 16 statements on management (conservative treatments, compressive therapy, pharmacological therapy, surgical treatment). The results of the consensus reached are discussed herein from which it is clear that diagnostic and management approaches utilising personalised therapies tailored to the individual patient should be favoured. While it is clear that additional studies are needed on many aspects of diagnosis and management of CVD, the present Delphi survey provides some key recommendations for clinicians treating CVD that may be useful in daily practice

Imaging of thoracolumbar spine traumas

Spine trauma is an ominous event with a high morbidity, frequent mortality, and significant psychological, social, and financial consequences for patients, their relatives and society. On average three out of four spinal fractures involve the thoracolumbar spine and up to one-third are complicated by spinal cord injury. Spinal cord injuries (SCI) are a significant cause of disability in US and in all western countries. Knowledge of the main principles of biomechanics is essential in understanding the patho-morphology of spinal injuries, and the evolution of the various classification systems. Classification systems should be able to create a common language between specialists in order to improve patients' prognosis, guide treatment and compare treatment outcomes. Imaging has always been crucial in the evaluation of the injury type and accompanied the development of different classification systems. Thoracolumbar spine (TLS) trauma has a wide spectrum ranging from minor isolated fractures to highly unstable fracture-dislocations. Early classification systems were based on the analysis of the pattern of bony injuries on radiographs and CT. Traditionally, conventional radiographs are performed to confirm the clinical suspicion and to depict the level and type of bone injury. However, because of their inherent limitations, radiographs are often more helpful in proving the existence of a suspected bony spinal injury rather than excluding it. Multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) is superior in evaluating bone anatomy and, especially in polytrauma patients, it is the first line imaging modality. Morphological bone damage may be accurately shown and classified on CT. the most recent classifications also incorporate the integrity of soft tissues structures, which is considered equally relevant to spinal stability. Injuries to ligaments and discs can only be suspected on radiographs and conventional CT, although dual-energy CT is offering new insights on collagen mapping of damaged discs. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may directly assess disc and ligamentous injuries, but also subtle osseous injuries, playing a complementary role in defining the whole spinal damage and an eventual instability. MRI is the only valid modality to assess the spinal cord (SC) and is indicated whenever a neurologic injury is suspected. Advanced MRI techniques, such as diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) and tractography, may provide further information regarding the integrity of the white matter which may improve outcome prognostication. Despite challenges in terms of costs, availability, accessibility and specificity, MRI and advanced MRI techniques are increasingly being used in spinal injuries. We present a review on TLS traumas discussing on the development of different classification system used in their evaluation, the role of imaging for their detection and the correlation to the patients' outcomes and treatment options

Postponing the production of ant domatia as a strategy promoting an escape from flooding in an Amazonian myrmecophyte

Background and Aims: Even when adapted to flooding environments, the spatial distribution, growing strategies and anti-herbivore defences of plants face stressful conditions. Here we describe the effects of flooding on carbon allocation on growth, domatia and leaf production, and the herbivory on the myrmecophyte domatia-bearing Tococa coronata Benth. (Melastomataceae) growing along river banks in the Amazon region. Methods: In an area of 80 000 m2 of riparian forest along the Juruena River we actively searched for individuals of T. coronata. In each plant we evaluated the size of the plant when producing the first domatium and determined its best predictor: (1) plant total height; (2) size of plants above flood level; or (3) length of time each plant spent underwater. We also compared the herbivory, internode elongation, foliar asymmetry and specific leaf weight between T. coronata individuals growing above and below the maximum flooding level. The distance to the river and the height of the first domatium produced were compared between T. coronata and its sympatric congener, T. bulifera. Key Results: We found that T. coronata invests in rapid growth in the early ontogenetic stages through an elongation of internodes rather than in constitutive anti-herbivore defences to leaves or domatia to exceed the maximum flooding level. Consequently, its leaf herbivory was higher when compared with those produced above the flooding level. Individuals with leaves above flood levels produce coriaceous leaves and ant-domatias. Thus, flooding seems to trigger changes in growth strategies of the species. Furthermore, T. coronata occurs within the flood level, whereas its congener T. bullifera invariably occurs at sites unreachable by floods. Conclusion: Even in conditions of high stress, T. coronata presents both physiological and adaptive strategies that allow for colonization and establishment within flooded regions. These mechanisms involve an extreme trade-off of postponing adult plant characteristics to rapid growth to escape flooding while minimizing carbon allocation to defence

Influence of the static magnetic field on cell response in a miniaturized optically accessible bioreactor for 3D cell culture

Hydraulic sealing is a crucial condition for the maintenance of sterility during long term operation of microfluidic bioreactors. We developed a miniaturized optically accessible bioreactor (MOAB) allowing perfused culture of 3D cellularised constructs. In the MOAB, the culture chambers are sealed by magnets that generate a weak static magnetic field (SMF). Here, we predicted computationally the exact level of SMF to which cells are subjected during culture in the MOAB and we assessed its influence on the viability, metabolic activity and gene expression of neuroblastoma-derived cells cultured up to seven days. The predicted SMF ranged from 0.32 to 0.57 T using an axial-symmetric model of a single chamber, whereas it ranged from 0.35 to 0.62 T using a 3D model of the complete device. Cell function was evaluated in SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells at 2 and 7 days of culture in the MOAB, compared to 2D monolayer, 3D non-perfused constructs, and 3D perfused constructs cultured in a modified MOAB with magnet-free sealing. We measured the cell metabolic activity normalized by the DNA content and the expression levels of heat-shock protein 70 (Hsp-70), Bcl-2 and Bax. We found that the level of SMF applied to cells in the MOAB did not influence their metabolic activity and exerted a stressful effect in 2D monolayer, not confirmed in 3D conditions, neither static not perfused. Instead, the magnets provided a significantly greater hydraulic sealing in long-term culture, thus the MOAB might be potentially exploitable for the development of reliable in vitro models of neurodegeneration

Severity of Coronary Atherosclerosis and Risk of Diabetes Mellitus

Cardio-vascular target organ damage predicts the onset of type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) in hypertensive patients. Whether an increased incidence of DM is also in relation to the severity of coronary atherosclerosis is unknown

Insulin Resistance Predicts Severity of Coronary Atherosclerotic Disease in Non-Diabetic Patients

Background: Insulin resistance (IR) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) represents a predictor of coronary artery disease (CAD). However, how IR is able to impact the severity of coronary atherosclerosis in non-diabetic patients is unknown. Objectives. We investigated the relation between the IR and the extent and severity of coronary atherosclerosis in non-diabetic patients referred to coronary angiography (CA) Methods: Consecutive patients undergoing to CA for acute coronary syndromes or stable angina were analyzed. The IR was assessed by mean of the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) whereas the SYNTAX score (SS) was used as index of the severity of coronary atherosclerosis Results: Overall, 126 patients were included, with a median SS of 12 (IQR 5.25–20.5). Patients were divided in four groups according to the distribution in quartiles of SS (SS1-2-3-4). A significant correlation between HOMA-IR and SS was observed, especially in women. A progressive increase of HOMA-IR was observed in parallel with the increasing severity (from SS1 to SS4) and extension (1-2-3-vessel disease) of coronary atherosclerosis. Multivariable analysis showed that the HOMA-IR was the strongest independent predictor of severe (SS4) and extensive (three-vessel disease) coronary atherosclerosis. Conclusion: Insulin resistance goes hand in hand with the extension and severity of coronary atherosclerosis in non-diabetic patients. The HOMA index is an independent predictor of three-vessel disease at CA. The HOMA index could be useful for risk stratification of CAD even in absence of T2D