Gabriele Malaspina, marchese di Fosdinovo

This book focuses on one of the prime movers in the unification of Lunigiana – a region which at the time was still broken up into a myriad of tiny feudal holdings, almost all in the hands of the various branches of the Malaspina family. The process of unification began in the fifteenth century, when various areas of the region were conquered by Milan and Florence, which also divided between them the hegemony of the remaining independent territories, while Genoa too displayed an interest in expansion in the region. As a result it became crucial for the local lords to manoeuvre between the various forces at play to maintain the independence of their own little states. Among the figures who displayed the greatest dexterity in this was Gabriele Malaspina, who became a leading player on the stage of local history. The book starts by illustrating the period in which Malaspina succeeded in obtaining his political independence, and then goes on to analyse the phase in which his policy came to be characterised by an absolute loyalty to Florence. Finally the book addresses the last part of the Marquis's life, marked by a progressive distancing from the Florentine alliance in favour of other entities, in which he nevertheless always succeeded in maintaining his independence

Gabriele Malaspina, marchese di Fosdinovo

This book focuses on one of the prime movers in the unification of Lunigiana – a region which at the time was still broken up into a myriad of tiny feudal holdings, almost all in the hands of the various branches of the Malaspina family. The process of unification began in the fifteenth century, when various areas of the region were conquered by Milan and Florence, which also divided between them the hegemony of the remaining independent territories, while Genoa too displayed an interest in expansion in the region. As a result it became crucial for the local lords to manoeuvre between the various forces at play to maintain the independence of their own little states. Among the figures who displayed the greatest dexterity in this was Gabriele Malaspina, who became a leading player on the stage of local history. The book starts by illustrating the period in which Malaspina succeeded in obtaining his political independence, and then goes on to analyse the phase in which his policy came to be characterised by an absolute loyalty to Florence. Finally the book addresses the last part of the Marquis's life, marked by a progressive distancing from the Florentine alliance in favour of other entities, in which he nevertheless always succeeded in maintaining his independence.Al centro di questo volume è uno degli attori principali nel processo di riunificazione della Lunigiana – regione allora suddivisa in tante piccole signorie, quasi tutte nelle mani dei vari rami della famiglia Malaspina – che avvenne nel XV secolo, quando Milano e Firenze vi conquistarono diversi territori e si spartirono l'egemonia sui restanti territori autonomi, mentre anche Genova si mostrò interessata all'espansione in quella zona. Per i signori locali divenne quindi fondamentale riuscire a destreggiarsi fra le varie forze in gioco per mantenere l'indipendenza del proprio piccolo stato, e fra i personaggi che più risaltano per questa loro abilità e per il ruolo giocato nella storia locale spicca Gabriele Malaspina. Il libro inizia mostrando la situazione della Lunigiana al momento in cui il Malaspina ottenne la propria indipendenza politica, per poi analizzare il periodo in cui la politica marchionale si caratterizzò per la sua assoluta fedeltà all'amicizia fiorentina, e quindi la parte finale della vita del marchese, in cui si assiste a un progressivo allontanamento dall'alleanza fiorentina in favore di altri soggetti, ma in cui riuscì sempre a mantenere la sua indipendenza

"Delirium Day": A nationwide point prevalence study of delirium in older hospitalized patients using an easy standardized diagnostic tool

Background: To date, delirium prevalence in adult acute hospital populations has been estimated generally from pooled findings of single-center studies and/or among specific patient populations. Furthermore, the number of participants in these studies has not exceeded a few hundred. To overcome these limitations, we have determined, in a multicenter study, the prevalence of delirium over a single day among a large population of patients admitted to acute and rehabilitation hospital wards in Italy. Methods: This is a point prevalence study (called "Delirium Day") including 1867 older patients (aged 65 years or more) across 108 acute and 12 rehabilitation wards in Italian hospitals. Delirium was assessed on the same day in all patients using the 4AT, a validated and briefly administered tool which does not require training. We also collected data regarding motoric subtypes of delirium, functional and nutritional status, dementia, comorbidity, medications, feeding tubes, peripheral venous and urinary catheters, and physical restraints. Results: The mean sample age was 82.0 ± 7.5 years (58 % female). Overall, 429 patients (22.9 %) had delirium. Hypoactive was the commonest subtype (132/344 patients, 38.5 %), followed by mixed, hyperactive, and nonmotoric delirium. The prevalence was highest in Neurology (28.5 %) and Geriatrics (24.7 %), lowest in Rehabilitation (14.0 %), and intermediate in Orthopedic (20.6 %) and Internal Medicine wards (21.4 %). In a multivariable logistic regression, age (odds ratio [OR] 1.03, 95 % confidence interval [CI] 1.01-1.05), Activities of Daily Living dependence (OR 1.19, 95 % CI 1.12-1.27), dementia (OR 3.25, 95 % CI 2.41-4.38), malnutrition (OR 2.01, 95 % CI 1.29-3.14), and use of antipsychotics (OR 2.03, 95 % CI 1.45-2.82), feeding tubes (OR 2.51, 95 % CI 1.11-5.66), peripheral venous catheters (OR 1.41, 95 % CI 1.06-1.87), urinary catheters (OR 1.73, 95 % CI 1.30-2.29), and physical restraints (OR 1.84, 95 % CI 1.40-2.40) were associated with delirium. Admission to Neurology wards was also associated with delirium (OR 2.00, 95 % CI 1.29-3.14), while admission to other settings was not. Conclusions: Delirium occurred in more than one out of five patients in acute and rehabilitation hospital wards. Prevalence was highest in Neurology and lowest in Rehabilitation divisions. The "Delirium Day" project might become a useful method to assess delirium across hospital settings and a benchmarking platform for future surveys

Incidence of pleural mesothelioma in a community exposed to fibres with fluoro-edenitic composition in Biancavilla (Sicily, Italy)

Introduction. Amphibolic fibres with fluoro-edenitic composition characterize Biancavilla soil, including the major quarry from which building materials have been extensively extracted. These fibres induce mesothelioma in experimental animals and their in vitro biological action is similar to that of crocidolite.Materials and methods. Malignant mesothelioma case series and incidence were examined to evaluate the disease burden on Biancavilla inhabitants. Results. The incidence of pleural mesothelioma in Biancavilla is steadily higher than in the Sicilian Region, risk estimates are more elevated in women than in men, the most affected age class is constituted by subjects aged less than 50.Discussion and conclusions. Environmental exposure to fibres with fluoro-edenitic composition appears to be causally related to the elevated mesothelioma occurrence in Biancavilla. In this frame, environmental clean-up is the main goal to be pursued in public health terms. A contribution of scientific research to public health decision making with respect to priority setting for environmental clean-up can derive from some further selected epidemiological investigations

Overview of DISCOVER22 experiment in the framework of INFN-LNGS Cosmic Silence activity: challenges and improvements in underground radiobiology

One of the most intriguing and still pending questions in radiobiology is to understand whether and how natural environmental background radiation has shaped Life over millions of years of evolution on Earth. Deep Underground Laboratories (DULs) represent the ideal below-background exposure facilities where to address such a question. Among the few worldwide DULs, INFN-Laboratorio Nazionale del Gran Sasso (LNGS) is one of the largest in terms of size and infrastructure. Designed and built to host neutrino and dark matter experiments, since the 1990 s the LNGS has been one of the first DULs to systematically host radiobiology experiments. Here we present the DISCOVER22 (DNA Damage and Immune System Cooperation in VEry low Radiation environment 2022) experiment recently started at LNGS. DISCOVER22 aims at investigating how the low radiation background modulates the Immune System (IS) response in in vitro and in vivo models. Underground radiobiology experiments are particularly complex and tricky to design and perform. In these studies, the accurate characterization of exposure scenarios is mandatory, but a challenging aspect is to understand how the very few ionizing tracks in the ultra-Low Radiation Environment (LRE) interact with the living matter in space and time in order to trigger different biological responses. In this Perspective, we describe these challenges and how we address them through a microdosimetric and a radiobiological approaches. We aim at linking physical microdosimetric measurements and the corresponding biological radiation responses by using radiation biophysical models that could shed light on many as yet unresolved questions

Serine 62-Phosphorylated MYC Associates with Nuclear Lamins and Its Regulation by CIP2A Is Essential for Regenerative Proliferation

An understanding of the mechanisms determining MYC's transcriptional and proliferation-promoting activities in vivo could facilitate approaches for MYC targeting. However, post-translational mechanisms that control MYC function in vivo are poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate that MYC phosphorylation at serine 62 enhances MYC accumulation on Lamin A/C-associated nuclear structures and that the protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) inhibitor protein CIP2A is required for this process. CIP2A is also critical for serum-induced MYC phosphorylation and for MYC-elicited proliferation induction in vitro. Complementary transgenic approaches and an intestinal regeneration model further demonstrated the in vivo importance of CIP2A and serine 62 phosphorylation for MYC activity upon DNA damage. However, targeting of CIP2A did not influence the normal function of intestinal crypt cells. These data underline the importance of nuclear organization in the regulation of MYC phosphorylation, leading to an in vivo demonstration of a strategy for inhibiting MYC activity without detrimental physiological effects.Peer reviewe

Serological and T Cell Responses After Varicella Zoster Virus Vaccination in HIV-Positive Patients Undergoing Renal Dialysis

Limited data on varicella zoster virus (VZV) vaccine responses are available in HIV-positive adults, especially among those with end-stage renal disease on dialysis or undergoing kidney transplantation (KT). Serological and T cell responses were analyzed using anti-VZV IgG titers, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and flow cytometric intracellular cytokine staining (ICS) in two HIV-positive kidney transplant candidates undergoing dialysis and receiving VZV immunization. The results were compared with two HIV-positive and two HIV-negative VZV-seropositive patients (two kidney transplant candidates and two kidney transplant recipients), and with one HIV-negative vaccinee. HIV-positive VZV-susceptible patients received two doses of VZV vaccine 12 weeks apart. No adverse events were reported. Serological data were indicative of immunological response in one patient and corresponded to T cell responses. The second patient showed only a transient increase in anti-VZV IgG titers, but reported positive CD4+ T cell responses that were maintained after KT. Positive T cell and serological responses were detected in both HIV-positive and HIV-negative controls. VZV vaccination appeared safe and effective in HIV-positive KT candidates. VZV-specific T cell immunity was detected among transplant candidates and after KT. The assessment of VZV-specific T cell immunity using flow cytometric ICS may be more reliable compared to serology in assessing responses to VZV vaccine in this group

Religious Law in Progress. Dealing with the challenges proposed by religious law reformability. First annual conference of the European Academy of Religion (EuARe), Bologna (Italy) 5th-8th March 2018

The DiReSom research group of the Italian Association of university professors of law and religion promoted a Panel on the reformability of religious law during the 2018 Symposium of the European Academy of Religion. The Diritto Ecclesiastico journal published the 'acta'