Le confessioni religiose tra libertà di vivere nella realtà dell'ordinamento statale e potere di creare norme giuridiche all'interno dello Stato. Il caso della Chiesa di Scientology.

L'A. si pone nella prospettiva di delineare il possibile significato della compresenza delle due distinte previsioni, l’una nell’art. 8, l’altra nell’art. 19 della Costituzione, a garanzia del fenomeno associativo religioso. La ricerca è stata redatta, fra l’altro, in considerazione della circostanza che, ad una prima sommaria lettura della Carta Costituzionale, il lettore potrebbe essere indotto a pensare che il fenomeno religioso, ed in particolare quello che si svolge in forma associata, goda di una maggiore preferenza, rispetto a quello che si esprime in forma individuale, per essere più volte disciplinato in Costituzione. Problema, questo, il quale non sembra abbia sinora ricevuto adeguato rilievo dalla dottrina ecclesiasticista che si è meritevolmente impegnata sul tema. Si è posto al riguardo l’interrogativo che nasce dalla presenza di due distinte previsioni costituzionali a garanzia del fenomeno associativo religioso: la prima contenuta nell’art. 8 il quale - com’è noto - regola con novità di linguaggio la posizione dei culti diversi dalla religione cattolica, garantisce alle confessioni religiose l’eguale libertà davanti alla legge, il diritto di organizzarsi secondo i propri statuti ed il potere di concludere intese con gli organi dello Stato; la seconda nell’art. 19 che riconosce la libertà di professare liberamente la propria fede religiosa in qualsiasi forma “individuale o associata”. In ordine ai numerosi problemi che la previsione costituzionale dell’art. 8 solleva, si è riflettuto soprattutto sul dubbio se la fattispecie in essa contemplata sia sostanzialmente ripetitiva e si risolva in un inutile duplicato di quanto disposto dall’art. 19 per la parte che riguarda tale aspetto, oppure se, con ciascuna di tali disposizioni, il legislatore costituzionale abbia voluto conferire uno specifico rilievo a due distinte sfere dell’esperienza giuridica con caratteristiche proprie, per struttura e sistemi di garanzie. L’analisi intrapresa ha interessato anche la ricostruzione della definizione giuridica di confessione religiosa, nonché l’accertamento del carattere confessionale della Chiesa di Scientology alla luce delle sentenze della giurisprudenza costituzionale e di legittimità

“Randomised, open-label, phase II trial of paclitaxel, gemcitabine and cisplatin versus gemcitabine and cisplatin as first-line chemotherapy in advanced transitional cell carcinoma of the urothelium”

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the antitumor activity and the safety of paclitaxel combined with gemcitabine and cisplatin in patients affected by advanced transitional cell carcinoma of the urothelium (TCC). Eighty-five patients affected by advanced TCC and measurable disease were randomized to receive either paclitaxel at dosage of 70 mg/m2, gemcitabine 1000 mg/m2 and cisplatin 35 mg/m2 on days 1 and 8 every 3 weeks (GCP) or gemcitabine 1000 mg/m2 on days 1, 8, 15 and cisplatin 70 mg/m2 on day 2 every 4 weeks (GC). All enrolled patients were considered evaluable for response and toxicity (intention to treat). The observed response rate was 43% for GCP and 44% for GC combination, respectively. Median time to treatment failure was 32 weeks for GCP and 26 weeks for GC and overall survival 61 vs 49 weeks, respectively (p-value not significant). Grade 3-4 neutropenia was observed in 49% of patients treated with GCP vs 35% of those treated with GC (P=0.05) and grade 3-4 thrombocytopenia was observed in 36% of GCP treated patients as compared to 21% of those treated with GC (P=0.01). Seven patients over 70 years old or with poor PS were removed from the study: 6 patients from GCP group (2 toxic deaths, 2 grade 4 myelotoxicity and 2 grade 3 asthenia) and 1 from GC group was lost to follow-up after the first cycle. The combination of paclitaxel, gemcitabine and cisplatin is effective in the treatment of TCC. However, the addition of paclitaxel to the combination of gemcitabine plus cisplatin seems to increase toxicity, therefore it seems not suitable for poor PS patients and those over 70 years old. Larger and more powered studies are needed to exactly define the role of paclitaxel in this combination

The right to food and food diversity in the Italian Constitution

Il contributo analizza la tutela apprestata dalla Costituzione italiana al diritto al cibo che, pur non essendo espressamente menzionato, viene ricavato attraverso l'analisi di principi ed azioni sottese alla nostra Carta che ne riconoscono il valore: il principio lavorista, la lotta alla povertà, la retribuzione del lavoratore...

Effects of statins on plaque rupture assessed by optical coherence tomography in patients presenting with acute coronary syndromes: insights from the optical coherence tomography (OCT)-FORMIDABLE registry

Aims Chronic pre-treatment with statins may reduce mortality and morbidity in patients experiencing acute coronary syndromes (ACS), but mechanisms accounting for these findings are not completely understood. Methods and results The optical coherence tomography (OCT)-Formidable registry retrospectively enrolled 285 consecutive patients with ACS undergoing OCT in 9 European centres. Mean age was 60.4 ± 12.8 years, 148 (51.9%) patients had hyperlipemia, 45 (15.8%) diabetes mellitus and 142 (49.8%) presented with ST Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI). Patients were stratified according to statin prescription: 150 (52.6%) were on chronic pre-treatment with statins before ACS and were more likely to present with non-ST segment elevation acute coronary syndromes (NSTE-ACS) at admission (111, 74%) rather than STEMI, while the opposite was observed for patients not on statins. The primary end-point of ruptured plaque at OCT occurred significantly less frequently in the patients on chronic pre-treatment with statins [odds ratio (OR) 0.375, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.185-0.759, P = 0.006]. The secondary end-point of thin-cap fibro-atheroma (TCFA) at any site was significantly less frequent in the statin group (OR 0.423, 95%CI 0.213-0.840, P = 0.014). No differences were observed for the secondary end-point of not-ruptured TCFA as the culprit lesion. Pre-specified sensitivity analysis was conducted according to the pattern of ACS: the reported differences were confirmed for NSTE-ACS patients, with a trend towards less plaque rupture and a significant reduction of TCFA at any site with statins, but not for STEMI. Conclusions Chronic pre-treatment with statins is associated with a reduced prevalence of ruptured plaques in patients presenting with ACS, particularly in those with NSTE-ACS. Statins bear hence the potential to reduce morbidity during the acute phase of ACS

Voices of Occupiers/Liberators: the BBC's radio propaganda in Italy between 1942 and 1945

The ambiguity of the role played by British propaganda in Italy during the Second World War is clearly reflected in the phenomenon of Radio London. While Radio London raised the morale of the Italian civilians living under the Fascist regime and provided them with alternative information on the conflict, the microphones of the BBC were also used by the British government to address a country they were planning to occupy. In this article, I will analyse the occupation/liberation operations that were run at the BBC Italian Service from two separate angles. On the one hand, the analysis of the programmes broadcast between the months preceding the Allies’ landing in Sicily and the actual occupation shows how the Allies built their image as liberators and guarantors of better living conditions. On the other, the analysis of the relationships between the Foreign Office and the anti-Fascist exiles reveals that the Italian BBC broadcasters were not always allowed to freely express their political opinion or to dispose of their own lives

Breast cancer "tailored follow-up" in Italian oncology units: a web-based survey

urpose: Breast cancer follow-up procedures after primary treatment are still a controversial issue. Aim of this study was to investigate, through a web-based survey, surveillance methodologies selected by Italian oncologists in everyday clinical practice. Methods: Referents of Italian medical oncology units were invited to participate to the study via e-mail through the SurveyMonkey website. Participants were asked how, in their institution, exams of disease staging and follow-up are planned in asymptomatic women and if surveillance continues beyond the 5th year. Results: Between February and May 2013, 125 out of 233 (53.6%) invited referents of Italian medical oncology units agreed to participate in the survey. Ninety-seven (77.6%) referents state that modalities of breast cancer follow-up are planned according to the risk of disease progression at diagnosis and only 12 (9.6%) oncology units apply the minimal follow-up procedures according to international guidelines. Minimal follow-up is never applied in high risk asymptomatic women. Ninety-eight (78.4%) oncology units continue follow-up in all patients beyond 5 years. Conclusions: Our survey shows that 90.4% of participating Italian oncology units declare they do not apply the minimal breast cancer follow-up procedures after primary treatment in asymptomatic women, as suggested by national and international guidelines. Interestingly, about 80.0% of interviewed referents performs the so called "tailored follow-up", high intensity for high risk, low intensity for low risk patients. There is an urgent need of randomized clinical trials able to determine the effectiveness of risk-based follow-up modalities, their ideal frequency and persistence in time