Electoral cycle bias in the media coverage of corruption news

We investigate the existence of an \u2018electoral cycle bias\u2019 in the timing of media coverage of news with high political salience. In particular, we analyze how the electoral cycles at the regional level influence the coverage of news about corruption scandals in the Italian Regional Health Systems by two important national newspapers having opposite ideology, La Repubblica (left-wing oriented) and Il Giornale (right-wing oriented). Our findings show that Il Giornalesignificantly increases the number of articles about corruption scandals involving left-wing politicians since eight weeks before the elections, while it reduces the number of those about episodes of corruption without any political connection. On the contrary, La Repubblica increases the number of articles about episodes involving right-wing politicians only between four to eight weeks before the elections and it decreases those about no political episodes just the week right before them

PIKO-1, an effective, handy device for the patient's personal PEFR and FEV1 electronic long-term monitoring

Background and Aim. Subjects with airway obstruction are strongly recommended to monitor their lung function, which is particularly variable in asthma. Unlike PEFR, other personal measurements (such as FEV1) are still difficult to perform. PIKO-1 is the first electronic device for both PEFR and FEV1 personal check, but its precision has not yet been assessed. The aim of this study was to compare PEFR and FEV1 values from PIKO-1 and from a conventional spirometer in subjects with airway obstruction. Methods. In total, 352 subjects (217 men; 47.6 ± 19.0 years; 72.6 ± 15.0 kg; 168.1 ± 11.9 cm) performed sequential measurements using a PIKO-1 device and a spirometer. Wilcoxon signed-rank test and sign test were used as statistical tests. Results. Mean FEV1 values from the spirometer and PIKO-1, respectively, were 2.9 L ± 1.1 and 3.0 L ± 1.1, and mean PEFR values were 466.1 L/min ± 164.5 SD and 426.3 L/min ± 151.6 SD. PIKO-1 proved to overestimate FEV1 values by 4% (p<0.0001) and to underestimate PEFR values by 8% (p<0.000) systematically. Conclusions. The precision of both PIKO-1 measurements (such as FEV1 and PEFR) have been assessed. PEFR and FEV1 measures should be reset by two different constants. Nevertheless, PIKO-1 is a suitable and reliable device for the personal monitoring of obstructive patients in real life

Effects of ACL Reconstructive Surgery on Temporal Variations of Cytokine Levels in Synovial Fluid

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction restores knee stability but does not reduce the incidence of posttraumatic osteoarthritis induced by inflammatory cytokines. The aim of this research was to longitudinally measure IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, and TNF-α levels in patients subjected to ACL reconstruction using bone-patellar tendon-bone graft. Synovial fluid was collected within 24-72 hours of ACL rupture (acute), 1 month after injury immediately prior to surgery (presurgery), and 1 month thereafter (postsurgery). For comparison, a "control" group consisted of individuals presenting chronic ACL tears. Our results indicate that levels of IL-6, IL-8, and IL-10 vary significantly over time in reconstruction patients. In the acute phase, the levels of these cytokines in reconstruction patients were significantly greater than those in controls. In the presurgery phase, cytokine levels in reconstruction patients were reduced and comparable with those in controls. Finally, cytokine levels increased again with respect to control group in the postsurgery phase. The levels of IL-1β and TNF-α showed no temporal variation. Our data show that the history of an ACL injury, including trauma and reconstruction, has a significant impact on levels of IL-6, IL-8, and IL-10 in synovial fluid but does not affect levels of TNF-α and IL-1β

Long pentraxin-3 follows and modulates bladder cancer progression

Bladder tumors are a diffuse type of cancer. Long pentraxin-3 (PTX3) is a component of the innate immunity with pleiotropic functions in the regulation of immune response, tissue remodeling, and cancer progression. PTX3 may act as an oncosuppressor in different contexts, functioning as an antagonist of the fibroblast growth factor/fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGF/FGFR) system, rewiring the immune microenvironment, or acting through mechanisms not yet fully clarified. In this study we used biopsies and data mining to assess that PTX3 is differentially expressed during the different stages of bladder cancer (BC) progression. BC cell lines, representative of different tumor grades, and transgenic/carcinogen-induced models were used to demonstrate in vitro and in vivo that PTX3 production by tumor cells decreases along the progression from low-grade to high-grade advanced muscle invasive forms (MIBC). In vitro and in vivo data revealed for the first time that PTX3 modulation and the consequent impairment of FGF/FGR systems in BC cells have a significant impact on different biological features of BC growth, including cell proliferation, motility, metabolism, stemness, and drug resistance. PTX3 exerts an oncosuppressive effect on BC progression and may represent a potential functional biomarker in BC evolution. Moreover, FGF/FGFR blockade has an impact on drug resistance and stemness features in BC

Patrimoni e scopi. Per un'analisi economica delle fondazioni

Il volume raccoglie i contributi presentati al Primo Workshop sulle Fondazioni organizzato nel 2007 dal Dipartimento di Scienze Economiche e Finanziarie "G. Prato", presso la Facoltà di Economia dell'Università degli Studi di Torino. Il lavoro il tema delle fondazioni viene affrontato in chiave evolutiva, proponendo una classificazione che mette in luce la pluralità di esperienze, ovvero di patrimoni (ingenti e non) associati a differenti scopi.- Indice #7- Prefazione, Giovanni Zanetti #11- Introduzione Dalla «fondazione» alle «fondazioni»: un percorso di lettura, Gilberto Turati, Massimiliano Piacenza, Giovanna Segre #17- Parte prima Aspetti generali #31- Cap.I Fondazioni italiane: per una introduzione a beneficio degli inesperti curiosi, Marco Demarie #33- Cap.II Le fondazioni di origine bancaria: dalla nascita per caso all'esercizio dell'innovazione sociale, Gian Paolo Barbetta #59- Cap.III Quale valutazione per le fondazioni grant-making, Alberto Martini, Barbara Romano #87- Cap.IV Complementarità e/o sostituibilità tra le erogazioni delle fondazioni di origine bancaria e le politiche di spesa degli enti locali: il caso del Piemonte, Stefano Piperno, Federica Givone #107- Cap.V L'evoluzione della legislazione in materia di fondazioni di origine bancaria, Maura Leddi #135- Parte seconda Le esperienze #143- Cap.VI Una valutazione complessiva delle attività di erogazione delle fondazioni grant-making piemontesi, Angelo Miglietta #145- Cap.VII L'attività di una fondazione grant-making: l'esperienza della Compagnia di San Paolo, Flavio Brugnoli #159- Cap.VIII L'attività di una fondazione operativa nella cultura: la Fondazione Teatro Regio di Torino, Carlo Carrà #167- Cap.IX L'attività di una fondazione operativa nel sociale: la Fondazione Banco Alimentare Onlus, Roberto Cena #17

Antimicrobial resistance among migrants in Europe: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Rates of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) are rising globally and there is concern that increased migration is contributing to the burden of antibiotic resistance in Europe. However, the effect of migration on the burden of AMR in Europe has not yet been comprehensively examined. Therefore, we did a systematic review and meta-analysis to identify and synthesise data for AMR carriage or infection in migrants to Europe to examine differences in patterns of AMR across migrant groups and in different settings. METHODS: For this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed, and Scopus with no language restrictions from Jan 1, 2000, to Jan 18, 2017, for primary data from observational studies reporting antibacterial resistance in common bacterial pathogens among migrants to 21 European Union-15 and European Economic Area countries. To be eligible for inclusion, studies had to report data on carriage or infection with laboratory-confirmed antibiotic-resistant organisms in migrant populations. We extracted data from eligible studies and assessed quality using piloted, standardised forms. We did not examine drug resistance in tuberculosis and excluded articles solely reporting on this parameter. We also excluded articles in which migrant status was determined by ethnicity, country of birth of participants' parents, or was not defined, and articles in which data were not disaggregated by migrant status. Outcomes were carriage of or infection with antibiotic-resistant organisms. We used random-effects models to calculate the pooled prevalence of each outcome. The study protocol is registered with PROSPERO, number CRD42016043681. FINDINGS: We identified 2274 articles, of which 23 observational studies reporting on antibiotic resistance in 2319 migrants were included. The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or AMR infection in migrants was 25·4% (95% CI 19·1-31·8; I2 =98%), including meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (7·8%, 4·8-10·7; I2 =92%) and antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (27·2%, 17·6-36·8; I2 =94%). The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or infection was higher in refugees and asylum seekers (33·0%, 18·3-47·6; I2 =98%) than in other migrant groups (6·6%, 1·8-11·3; I2 =92%). The pooled prevalence of antibiotic-resistant organisms was slightly higher in high-migrant community settings (33·1%, 11·1-55·1; I2 =96%) than in migrants in hospitals (24·3%, 16·1-32·6; I2 =98%). We did not find evidence of high rates of transmission of AMR from migrant to host populations. INTERPRETATION: Migrants are exposed to conditions favouring the emergence of drug resistance during transit and in host countries in Europe. Increased antibiotic resistance among refugees and asylum seekers and in high-migrant community settings (such as refugee camps and detention facilities) highlights the need for improved living conditions, access to health care, and initiatives to facilitate detection of and appropriate high-quality treatment for antibiotic-resistant infections during transit and in host countries. Protocols for the prevention and control of infection and for antibiotic surveillance need to be integrated in all aspects of health care, which should be accessible for all migrant groups, and should target determinants of AMR before, during, and after migration. FUNDING: UK National Institute for Health Research Imperial Biomedical Research Centre, Imperial College Healthcare Charity, the Wellcome Trust, and UK National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit in Healthcare-associated Infections and Antimictobial Resistance at Imperial College London