The Sharing Economy in a Digital Society: Youth Consumer Behavior in Italy

This paper explores sharing economy in Italy, focusing on key socioeconomic characteristics. Adopting an exploratory approach, it analyzes the answers of a questionnaire, created using Google Forms and administered via social networks and emails. To analyze the answers statistical tests and descriptive statistics were used. The survey reveals potential behavioral factors, which influence the participation propensity to sharing economic practices. Results exhibit that the age of the consumer is an impactful participating factor of sharing economy and therefore it seems to be a discriminant. On the contrary, gender and annual income are insignificant determinants. The sample is unbalanced, the majority of the answers were provided by young people. The paper can give a picture of the role and the importance of the sharing economy in Italy. Motivated by its global economic growth that could reach in 2025 the value of 570 billion euros, it contextualizes what drives people to collaborate and share tangible and intangible assets It aims to discover how this digital trend shapes the social fabric of the global economy, providing a broader reflection in terms of future sustainability developments. Ongoing dynamic changes on digital consumer preferences towards sharing products and services provide valuable evidence on their future commercial behavior

Discovering Networks of Perturbed Biological Processes in Hepatocyte Cultures

The liver plays a vital role in glucose homeostasis, the synthesis of bile acids and the detoxification of foreign substances. Liver culture systems are widely used to test adverse effects of drugs and environmental toxicants. The two most prevalent liver culture systems are hepatocyte monolayers (HMs) and collagen sandwiches (CS). Despite their wide use, comprehensive transcriptional programs and interaction networks in these culture systems have not been systematically investigated. We integrated an existing temporal transcriptional dataset for HM and CS cultures of rat hepatocytes with a functional interaction network of rat genes. We aimed to exploit the functional interactions to identify statistically significant linkages between perturbed biological processes. To this end, we developed a novel approach to compute Contextual Biological Process Linkage Networks (CBPLNs). CBPLNs revealed numerous meaningful connections between different biological processes and gene sets, which we were successful in interpreting within the context of liver metabolism. Multiple phenomena captured by CBPLNs at the process level such as regulation, downstream effects, and feedback loops have well described counterparts at the gene and protein level. CBPLNs reveal high-level linkages between pathways and processes, making the identification of important biological trends more tractable than through interactions between individual genes and molecules alone. Our approach may provide a new route to explore, analyze, and understand cellular responses to internal and external cues within the context of the intricate networks of molecular interactions that control cellular behavior

CD21low B cells in systemic sclerosis: a possible marker of vascular complications

Objectives: To evaluate expansion of CD21low B cells and their role in B cell homeostasis, apoptosis, clinical manifestations and serum vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in systemic sclerosis (SSc). Materials and methods: B-cells subpopulations and apoptosis have been assessed in 74 SSc patients and 20 healthy donors. Renal Doppler ultrasound, echocardiography, pulmonary function test and VEGF were performed. Results: SSc patients with expanded CD21low B cells (SSc-CD21low) show a distinct B cell profile with increased memory B cells compared to patients without CD21low B cells (SSc-CD21+). Renal resistive index, systolic pulmonary arterial pressure and FVC/DLCO ratio were significantly higher in SSc-CD21low group than SSc-CD21+, DLCO was lower in SSc-CD21low group than SSc-CD21+. We found a positive linear correlation between CD21low and sPAP, RI and FVC/DLCO ratio whereas a negative correlation was observed between CD21low and DLCO and VEGF levels. Conclusions: CD21low B cells are increased in SSc patients with visceral vascular manifestations

CB2 Receptor as Emerging Anti-Inflammatory Target in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) is a very severe X-linked dystrophinopathy. It is due to a mutation in the DMD gene and causes muscular degeneration in conjunction with several secondary co-morbidities, such cardiomyopathy and respiratory failure. DMD is characterized by a chronic inflammatory state, and corticosteroids represent the main therapy for these patients. To contradict drug-related side effects, there is need for novel and more safe therapeutic strategies. Macrophages are immune cells stringently involved in both physiological and pathological inflammatory processes. They express the CB2 receptor, one of the main elements of the endocannabinoid system, and have been proposed as an anti-inflammatory target in several inflammatory and immune diseases. We observed a lower expression of the CB2 receptor in DMD-associated macrophages, hypothesizing its involvement in the pathogenesis of this pathology. Therefore, we analyzed the effect of JWH-133, a CB2 receptor selective agonist, on DMD-associated primary macrophages. Our study describes the beneficial effect of JWH-133 in counteracting inflammation by inhibiting pro-inflammatory cytokines release and by directing macrophages' phenotype toward the M2 anti-inflammatory one

PARENTERAL TREATMENT WITH DEFIBROTIDE FOR PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC PERIPHERAL OCCLUSIVE ARTERIOPATHY

The duration of the therapeutic effects of defibrotide after discontinuation of therapy was explored in a random, double-blind study versus placebo. After completing a 14-day washout period, 40 ambulatory patients with intermittent claudication (Leriche's stage 2) were randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups. Group A (n = 20) received defibrotide 200 mg (one ampule) BID intramuscularly for 14 consecutive days. Treatment was then discontinued to day 28, when it was replaced by defibrotide 200 mg IM every other day in open fashion for a further 32 days. Group B (n = 20) received an indistinguishable placebo for the first 14 days, followed by discontinuation to day 28 and then defibrotide 200 mg IM on alternate days for 32 days. At enrollment (day - 14), at baseline, and on days 14, 21, 28, and 60 of the trial, each patient underwent a standard treadmill exercise test with measurements of relative walking distance (RWD) and absolute walking distance (AWD). At day 14, only patients in group A showed a significant increase in RWD (+20%, P < 0.01) and AWD (+19%, P < 0.02), but the differences between treatments were not statistically significant. After discontinuation, the increase in RWD and AWD seen in the patients in group A persisted to day 28. In the next period, when defibrotide dosing was resumed at a lower level, there were no striking changes in test parameters; however, the difference for AWD between days 0 and 60 was significantly greater in group A than in group B (P < 0.05), while a similar, but nonsignificant trend was seen for RWD. These data indicate that the therapeutic effect of defibrotide in patients with intermittent claudication continues for at least 14 days after withdrawal of an intramuscular treatment consistently of 400 mg daily. The lower dosage schedule used in this study, namely, 200 mg IM on alternate days, may be considered of value only as maintenance therapy

Novel and emerging therapies for cholestatic liver diseases

While bile acids are important for both digestion and signalling, hydrophobic bile acids can be harmful, especially when in high concentrations. Mechanisms for the protection of cholangiocytes against bile acid cytotoxicity include negative feedback loops via farnesoid X nuclear receptor (FXR) activation, the bicarbonate umbrella, cholehepatic shunting and anti-inflammatory signalling, among others. By altering or overwhelming these defence mechanisms, cholestatic diseases such as primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) and primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) can further progress to biliary cirrhosis, end-stage liver disease and death or liver transplantation. While PBC is currently treated with ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) and obeticholic acid (OCA), many fail treatment, and we have yet to find an effective therapy for PSC. Novel therapies under evaluation target nuclear and surface receptors including FXR, transmembrane G-protein-coupled receptor 5 (TGR5), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) and pregnane X receptor (PXR). Modulation of these receptors leads to altered bile composition, decreased cytotoxicity, decreased inflammation and improved metabolism. This review summarizes our current understanding of the role of bile acids in the pathophysiology of cholestatic liver diseases, presents the rationale for already approved medical therapies and discusses novel pharmacologic therapies under investigation

Biological aspects of inflamm-aging in childhood cancer survivors

Anti-cancer treatments improve survival in children with cancer. A total of 80% of children treated for childhood cancer achieve 5-year survival, becoming long-term survivors. However, they undergo several chronic late effects related to treatments. In childhood cancer survivors a chronic low-grade inflammation, known as inflamm-aging, is responsible for frailty, a condition characterized by vital organ failure and by premature aging processes. Inflamm-aging is closely related to chemotherapy and radiotherapy, which induce inflammation, accumulation of senescent cells, DNA mutations, and the production of reactive oxygen species. All these conditions are responsible for the onset of secondary diseases, such as osteoporosis, cardiovascular diseases, obesity, and infertility. Considering that the pathobiology of frailty among childhood cancer survivors is still unknown, investigations are needed to better understand frailty’s biological and molecular processes and to identify inflamm-aging key biomarkers in order to facilitate the screening of comorbidities and to clarify whether treatments, normally used to modulate inflamm-aging, may be beneficial. This review offers an overview of the possible biological mechanisms involved in the development of inflamm-aging, focusing our attention on immune system alteration, oxidative stress, cellular senescence, and therapeutic strategies. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland

Periodontal Disease and Pregnancy: Correlation with Underweight Birth

Periodontal disease is a risk factor for many systemic diseases including preterm birth and underweight birth. The purpose of this systematic review is to analyze the literature and to highlight any clinical correlation. Information sources such as PubMed, MEDLINE, and Web of Science were consulted to obtain our results with these keywords periodontal disease, pregnancy, weight loss using the connector AND. After the first screening by authors, only 27 articles were included in this review. From the analysis of the literature, it was noted that the presence of periodontal disease could have a correlation with underweight birth. Surely, control oral hygiene and oral health is essential during pregnancy to reduce risks, and these results should be essential in establishing a protocol to be maintained during pregnancy