Cambios en la estructura social del Mezzogiorno

En este trabajo sobre los cambios en la estructura social en la Italia meridional se tratan tres categorías de problemas. La primera es relativa a la evolución del bloque social dominante y de su estructura interna; la segunda, a la evolución de la relación ciudad-campo en el Sur y el papel que desempeña la realidad urbana en relación a los procesos de industrialización del territorio y de intervención del sector público en la economía meridional; la tercera, en cambio, se refiere sobre todo a la composición de las clases subalternas tomando en cuenta el origen y los aspectos de la estructura socio-profesional, fundamentalmente en lo concerniente a los estratos que se pueden agregar al bloque dominante, y en particular sectores de la pequeña burguesía. Se trata de tres aspectos estrechamente interrelacionados. La nueva relación ciudad-campo se expresa también en la progresiva concentración del poder económico y político en la ciudad, en que las clases –o, para ser más precisos, las fracciones de clase– que constituyen el bloque dominante son esencialmente urbanas, y en que la nueva estructura socio-profesional asiste a la consolidación de figuras sociales típicamente urbanas, con el drástico redimensionamiento de figuras sociales ligadas a la agricultura

Operations and Performance of the CMS DT and RPC muon systems

The muon spectrometer of the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) at the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is equipped with a redundant muon system based on Drift Tubes (DT) Chambers, Cathode Strip Chambers (CSC) and Resistive Plate Chambers (RPC) for muon identification, precise momentum measurement and triggering. On 30th March 2010, LHC started proton proton collisions at a center of mass energy of 7 TeV. The operations and performance of the DT and RPC systems during the first three years of LHC activity with increasing instantaneous luminosity will be reported. The DT local trigger performance is described, showing how the challenging design goals have been met. Special attention will be given to the RPC working point calibration procedure and to the efficiency stability of the RPC system, confirming the excellent behavior and the fulfillment of the CMS requirements. Finally the radiation background levels in the DT and RPC systems have been measured. Extrapolations to the LHC design conditions are also discussed

Association of Trimethylamine N-Oxide (TMAO) with the Clinical Severity of Hidradenitis Suppurativa (Acne Inversa)

: In this case-control, cross-sectional, observational study, we evaluated circulating trimethylamine n-oxide (TMAO) levels, a gut-derived metabolite associated with inflammation and cardiometabolic risk, in patients with hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), a highly disabling inflammatory skin disease associated with an elevated prevalence of comorbidities, especially cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. In this study, we enrolled 35 naive-treatment patients with HS and 35 controls, matched for sex, age, and body mass index (BMI). HS Sartorius score was 49.0 (33.0-75.0), while according to the Harley system 12 and 23 patients presented grade 1 and grade 2 severity, respectively. HS patients had a lower adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MD) (p = 0.002), lower phase angle (PhA) (p < 0.001), and higher circulating TMAO levels (p < 0.001) than the control group. HS patients with grade 2 rather than grade 1 of Harley grade severity showed a higher BMI (p = 0.007), waist circumference (p = 0.016), total energy intake (p = 0.005), and lower PhA (p < 0.001) and adherence to the MD (p = 0.003). Of interest, patients with Hurley grade 2 of severity exhibited higher circulating TMAO levels (p < 0.001) compared to grade 1. Circulating TMAO levels showed a positive correlation with HS Sartorius score even after adjustment for confounding covariates, including BMI, waist circumference, adherence to the MD, total energy intake, and PhA (r = 0.570, p = 0.001). Using a linear regression model, circulating TMAO levels and PhA were the main predictors of the clinical severity of HS

Seasonal response of benthic foraminifera to anthropogenic pressure in two stations of the Gulf of Trieste (northern Adriatic Sea, Italy): the marine protected area of Miramare versus the Servola water sewage outfall

A seasonal survey of living benthic foraminifera was performed in 2013 in the Gulf of Trieste (N Adriatic Sea) to compare two marine coastal sites with different degrees of anthropogenic influence. An assessment of ecological quality statuses showed that the station located near the end of an urban pipeline (Ser station), has worse ecological conditions than the site located in a protected marine area (Res station) all year around. Stressed conditions at Ser station were mainly related to high contents of total organic carbon (TOC) and Zn in the bioavailable fraction, which were a limiting factor for the studied foraminiferal communities. Ammonia tepida, Bolivina spp., and Bulimina spp., which characterised this station, were the most tolerant taxa of the studied assemblage. Conversely, Elphidium spp., H. depressula, N. iridea, Quiqueloculina spp., R. nana and Textularia spp., could be considered less tolerant species as they benefitted from the less stressful conditions recorded at Res station, despite slightly higher concentrations of some potentially toxic elements (PTEs), especially Pb, being recorded in this station in comparison to Ser station. Furthermore, foraminiferal assemblages were found to be quite resilient over an annual cycle, being able to recover from a seasonal unbalanced state to a mature one. The beginning of spring and latest summer would be the best period to assess the ecological quality status to avoid any under- or overestimation of the health of the environment

Chronotype. what role in the context of gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors?

Background Chronotype is defined as a trait determining the subject circadian preference in behavioral and biological rhythms relative to external light-dark cycle. Although individual differences in chronotype have been associated with an increased risk of developing some types of cancer, no studies have been carried out in gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NET). Materials We investigate the differences in chronotype between 109 GEP-NET and 109 healthy subjects, gender-, age-, and BMI-matched; and its correlation with tumor aggressiveness. Results GEP-NET patients have a lower chronotype score (p = 0.035) and a higher percentage of evening chronotype (p = 0.003) than controls. GEP-NET patients with morning chronotype had lower BMI, waist circumference, and higher percentage of MetS (p &lt; 0.001) than evening type. Interestingly, considering the clinical pathological characteristics, patients with the presence of metastasis, grading G2, and in progressive disease presented the lower chronotype score (p = 0.004, p &lt; 0.001, and p = 0.002; respectively) compared to other categories. Chronotype score was negatively associated with anthropometric measurements, metabolic profile, percentage of MetS, and Ki67 index (p &lt; 0.001 for all). Conclusions GEP-NET patients have an unhealthy metabolic profile and present more commonly an evening chronotype. These results support the importance of including the assessment of chronotype in an adjunctive tool for the prevention of metabolic alterations and tumor aggressiveness of GEP-NET

The influence of cognitive factors on pathological gambling

The purpose of this study wasto examine the role of cognitive factors, such as superstition, locus of control, decision-making and unrealistic optimism,on gambling.Eighty-six subjects participated in this study. They were divided into four groups: non-players, social players, problem gamblers, and pathological gamblers. Groups were formed on the basis of South Oaks Gambling Screen  Scale. Results showed that pathological gamblers group obtained a high superstition index. With reference to unrealistic optimism, gambler groupbelieved that they had a better chance of success compared to non-gamblers. They also showed a higher impulsivity index in decision making than non-gamblers. This study supports the idea that cognitive factors such as superstition, unrealistic optimism, impulsivity and external locus of control are involved in gambling

Psychological factors may impacton postmenopausal women fracture risk

Anxiety and osteoporosis are common diseases and major public health problems. The association between  anxiety levels and bone loss was poorly investigated, thus we aimed to explore whether anxiety severity could be considered as an independent fracture risk. In a setting of postmenopausal women we measured anxiety levels by Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAMA), depressive symptoms by Beck Depression Inventory and evaluated quality of life by the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) questionnaire. Women with higher anxiety levels showed lower BMD at lumbar spine and femoral neck, and exhibited a poorer quality of life after grouping our population in tertiles of HAMA score. Anxiety levels were predictive of reduced BMD after correcting for other known clinical risk of fractures

Comparison between hospitalized patients affected or not by COVID-19 (RESILIENCY study)

Dear Editor, in the recent report of Munblit and coworkers [1], authors observed that the combination of clinical features was sufficient to diagnose COVID-19 indicating that laboratory testing is not critical in real-life clinical practice. To date, all patients admitted to Emergency Department with acute respiratory failure and/or fever should be considered as a suspected SARS-CoV-2 infection [2-3], and an early recognition of etiology and the prompt therapeutic management are crucial to improve survival [4-5]. From March to July 2020, we performed a prospective, multicenter study (RESILIENCY study). During the study period, all patients hospitalized for suspected or confirmed COVID-19 were prospectively recruited in 3 large hospitals in Rome, Italy. All patients with suspected SARS-CoV-2 infection, admitted to the hospital in case of fever and/or hypoxemic respiratory failure (PaO2 &lt;60 mmHg at rest in ambient air) or of exacerbation of underlying diseases or severe symptoms not manageable outside the hospital, were evaluated according to a predefined protocol (see Figure 1). Overall, 653 patients were included in the study: 309 (47.3%) patients with confirmed COVID-19 and 344 (52.7%) without COVID-19, hospitalized for other causes. Baseline characteristics and outcomes of the study population showed that the main causes of hospitalization among patients without COVID-19 were: acute heart failure (47%), bacterial pneumonia (38.5%), and pulmonary embolism (9.2%). Overall, 67 (21.7%) patients of COVID-19 group and 45 (13.1%) hospitalized for other causes were admitted to intensive care unit; 30-day mortality was observed in 59 (19%) patients of COVID-19 group and 62 (18%) of non-COVID-19 group. The multivariate analysis about risk factors for COVID-19 etiology at time of hospitalization showed that dry cough (OR 3.76, CI 95% 1.98-7.92, P&lt;0.001), duration of fever&gt;3 days (OR 5.21, CI 95% 2.34-9.21, P&lt;0.001), lymphocytopenia (OR 1.98, CI 95% Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/cid/advance-article/doi/10.1093/cid/ciaa1745/5989494 by Sapienza Università di Roma user on 01 December 2020 Accepted Manuscript 3 1.27-4.22, P=0.002) and PaO2/FiO2 ratio&lt;250 (OR 4.98, CI 95% 2.22-9.71, P&lt;0.001) were independently associated with COVID-19 etiology, while procalcitonin value&gt;1 ng/ mL (OR 0.21, CI 95% 0.08-0.82, p&lt;0.001), and lactate&gt;2 mmol/L (OR 0.41, CI 95% 0.15-0.77, p&lt;0.001) were associated with non-COVID-19 etiology. Finally, analysis about predictors of 30-day mortality showed that age (per-year increase OR 1.33; CI 95% 1.11-2.10; p&lt;0.001), cardiovascular disease (OR 4.58; CI 95% 2.07-8.25; p&lt;0.001), and ICU admission (OR 2.1; CI 95% 1.48-4.4; p&lt;0.001) were independently associated with all-cause 30-day mortality, while the use of low-molecularweight heparin (OR 0.22, CI 95% 0.03-0.45, p=0.002) was associated with survival. The findings of the present study can be summarized as follows:1) the prompt identification of specific clinical characteristics (like dry cough or duration of fever&gt;3 days), and laboratory findings (like lymphocytopenia, PaO2/FiO2 ratio&lt;250, procalcitonin value&gt;1 ng/ mL, and lactate&gt;2 mmol/L) can help physicians to distinguish rapidly between COVID19 or other etiologies [6]; 2) the application of a standard approach to management of patients with acute respiratory failure and/or fever associated with the knowledge of clinical and laboratory characteristics of COVID-19 can early drive physicians to therapeutic choices; and 3) age, cardiovascular disease, and ICU admission show an independent association with all-cause 30-day mortality [7], while the use of low-molecular-weight heparin was associated with survival [8]. In conclusion, COVID-19 syndrome is characterized by a heterogeneous clinical, laboratoristic, and radiological presentation, especially at its onset [9]. However, the application of a standard approach to management of patients with acute respiratory failure and/or fever and the knowledge of clinical and laboratory characteristics of COVID-19 can early drive therapeutic choic