I Giochi del Mediterraneo. Uno strumento per una possibile integrazione sociale e culturale?

L'intento del lavoro \ue8 quello di rispondere alla domanda se i Giochi del Mediterraneo siano uno strumento di integrazione tra Paesi che vi si affacciano e che spesso dichiarano intenti di collaborazione, se non di vera e propria integrazione politica. Mediante l'analisi critica di fonti di vario tipo e l'elaborazione di una serie di interviste a interlocutori privilegiati, abbiamo messo in risalto come il senso stesso di integrazione sia fuggente a una definizione puntuale e alla conseguente misura tramite indicatori quantitativi. Tuttavia, l'analisi qualitativa svolta ci consente di dare una risposta sostanzialmente positiva a proposito della capacit\ue0 di mettere in contatto, attraverso lo sport, individui e organizzazioni appartenenti a Paesi e culture diverse. Altrettanto positiva \ue8 la risposta se ci riferiamo alle potenzialit\ue0 che la manifestazione conserva nel consentire e rinnovare le relazioni tra popoli diversi e nel modificare lentamente qualche carattere sociale. L'indagine svolta non sembra autorizzare, invece, troppo ottimismo a riguardo di un contributo dei Giochi all'effettiva integrazione sociale e culturale tra Paesi. I Giochi sono un'efficace occasione di incontro tra individui, enti organizzativi, localit\ue0 geografiche distanti, ma considerazioni di pi\uf9 ampia portata socio-politica sarebbero azzardata. La comune appartenenza a una regione geografica \u201cpossibile\u201d, com'\ue8 il Mediterraneo, non \ue8 di per s\ue9 sufficiente per assicurare l'avvicinamento di nazioni, persone e culture diverse e l'organizzazione di grandi eventi sportivi non pu\uf2 avere un potere supplente. Per contro, le diversit\ue0 nei risultati sportivi e le diverse abilit\ue0 organizzative tra attori localizzati al nord o al sud del Mediterraneo permangono e, anzi, il confronto sia agonistico sia gestionale sembra giocare un ruolo di consolidamento della leadership sportiva e geopolitica di alcuni paesi europei mediterranei, segnatamente Italia e Francia. Tra quelli affrontati, un argomento che merita e necessita maggiori approfondimenti di ricerca \ue8 senza dubbio quello della partecipazione delle donne ai Giochi del Mediterraneo

Viticulture and Landscape in the Italian Northwestern Alpine Region

Three Northern Italian regions, Valle d\u2019Aosta, Piedmont and Liguria, have specific identities though united by deep geographical and historical common traits. They are traditional wine-growing regions, producing several renowned wines, often in difficult areas. The \u2018heroic\u2019 viticulture, vineyard sites at altitudes over 500 meters (1,600 feet), vines planted on slopes greater than 30% on terraces or embankments, is a cultural element of the wine-growing system in all the three regions, each having a share of mountain and slope areas. Liguria and Valle d\u2019Aosta are much smaller regions than Piedmont; they have a big share of mountain area of the total regional surface. The paper aims describing the diversity of wine landscapes in the three regions, all of them having a large mountain and slope area within the respective total geographical surface. Data have been collected following the Grounded theory, i.e. retrieving data from very diverse sources, including direct observations. Results are that the reality of the heroic viticulture is a fundamental part of the local wine-making in Valle d\u2019Aosta and Liguria

Guardando al «Siculorum» del 1948

Riflettere sulla prima annata del «Siculorum», datata 1948, vuol dire anzitutto per noi riconnetterci simbolicamente al principio, alle pagine da cui tutto ha avuto inizio, ma significa anche specchiarci in una temperie sociale, culturale e politica molto diversa. Si tratta, in altre parole, di un'occasione per comprendere noi stessi a partire da un passato recente ma lontanissimo, vista la velocità estrema dei cambiamenti succedutisi lungo questi settant'anni. Cominciamo insomma la nostra sezione di reprint non da un dibattito intorno ad un tema specifico, sollecitato dalla ristampa digitale di un grande libro, bensì da un tentativo di conversazione e di pensiero sul nostro ieri e sul nostro oggi, in vista di un domani incerto, difficilmente prevedibile ma (altrettanto) ineludibile. In questa riflessione, i primi due numeri del «Siculorum Gymnasium» ci fanno da falsariga e da apripista, in quanto pongono implicitamente alcune questioni decisive, anche in ordine al senso della cultura umanistica, al suo ruolo e ai suoi spazi nella società, ai suoi orizzonti di ricerca e ai suoi atteggiamenti etici, ai suoi saperi e alle sue forme. Abbiamo inviato i due numeri della prima annata in digitale a quattro studiosi, rappresentanti di diverse aree della ricerca umanistica. Abbiamo richiesto loro di rispondere ad alcune questioni poste dalla redazione

Stability Enhancement Using Hyaluronic Acid Gels for Delivery of Human Fetal Progenitor Tenocytes.

Tendon afflictions are very common, and their negative impact is high both at the workplace and in leisure activities. Tendinopathies are increasing in prevalence and can lead to tendon ruptures, where healing is a long process with outcomes that are often disappointing. Human fetal progenitor tenocytes (hFPTs) have been recently tested in vitro as a potential cell source to stimulate tendon regeneration. The aim of the present study was to compare different commercial hyaluronic acid (HA) gels, which could be used to resuspend hFPTs in a formulation that would allow for good delivery of the cells. No medium or growth supplement was used in the formulation in order to make it therapeutically dispensable. These conditions are stringent for cells, but surprisingly, we found that different formulations could allow a good survival for up to 3 days when stored at 4°C (refrigerator stable). The gels must allow a good survival of the cells in parallel with a good stability of the preparation over time and sufficient viscosity to remain in place if deposited on a wounded location. Moreover, the cells must conserve their ability to attach and to proliferate. hFPTs were able to survive and to recover from all of the tested gels, but some products showed some advantages over others in terms of survival and viscosity. Finally, the Ostenil Tendon HA gel fulfilled all of the requirements and presented the best compromise between a good survival and sufficient rheological characteristics to create an interesting cell delivery system

Importance of trabecular anisotropy in finite element predictions of patellar strain after Total Knee Arthroplasty

Patellar fracture and anterior knee pain remain major complications after Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA). Patient-specific finite element (FE) models should help improve understanding of these complications through estimation of joint and bone mechanics. However, sensitivity of predictions on modeling tech- niques and approaches is not fully investigated. In particular, the importance of patellar bone anisotropy, usually omitted in FE models, on strain prediction is still unknown. The objective of this study was thus to estimate the influence of modeling patellar trabecular anisotropy on prediction of patellar strain in TKA models. We compared FE-derived strain predictions with isotopic and anisotropic material properties using 17 validated FE models of the patella after TKA. We considered both non-resurfaced and resurfaced patellae, in a load-bearing TKA joint. We evaluated and compared the bone volume above a strain threshold and, in addition, estimated if the difference in isotopic and anisotropic predictions was consistent between patellae of different average bone volume fraction. Compared to the anisotropic reference, the isotropic prediction of strained volume was 3.7 ± 1.8 times higher for non-resurfaced patellae and 1.5 ± 0.4 times for resurfaced patellae. This difference was higher for patellae with lower average bone volume fraction. This study indicates that strain predictions acquired via isotropic patellar FE models should be inter- preted with caution, especially when patellae of different average bone volume fraction are compared

Plasticity of fetal cartilaginous cells.

Tissue-specific stem cells found in adult tissues can participate in the repair process following injury. However, adult tissues, such as articular cartilage and intervertebral disc, have low regeneration capacity, whereas fetal tissues, such as articular cartilage, show high regeneration ability. The presence of fetal stem cells in fetal cartilaginous tissues and their involvement in the regeneration of fetal cartilage is unknown. The aim of the study was to assess the chondrogenic differentiation and the plasticity of fetal cartilaginous cells. We compared the TGF-β3-induced chondrogenic differentiation of human fetal cells isolated from spine and cartilage tissues to that of human bone marrow stromal cells (BMSC). Stem cell surface markers and adipogenic and osteogenic plasticity of the two fetal cell types were also assessed. TGF-β3 stimulation of fetal cells cultured in high cell density led to the production of aggrecan, type I and II collagens, and variable levels of type X collagen. Although fetal cells showed the same pattern of surface stem cell markers as BMSCs, both type of fetal cells had lower adipogenic and osteogenic differentiation capacity than BMSCs. Fetal cells from femoral head showed higher adipogenic differentiation than fetal cells from spine. These results show that fetal cells are already differentiated cells and may be a good compromise between stem cells and adult tissue cells for a cell-based therapy

The influence of wear particles in the expression of osteoclastogenesis factors by osteoblasts

Orthopedic implant failures are often associated with peri-implant osteolysis. Particles generated from the wear process have been suspected to play an important role in this situation. Indeed, the peri-implant osteolysis could be due to the presence of particles stimulating the osteoclastogenesis process. We hypothesize then that the presence of a low particle concentration positively influences osteoblasts to produce osteoclastogenesis factors. If true, this hypothesis would then support the idea that the particles could be at the origin of the process leading to implant loosening. To check the validity of this hypothesis, we quantified in vitro the production of different genes involved in the osteoclastogenesis process using primary isolated human osteoblasts treated or not with particles. Results showed that low concentrations of particles might have a stimulating effect on osteoblasts to produce osteoclastogenesis factors as demonstrated by the increase of RANKL and CSF-1 gene expression in the particle group