Pensions reforms, workforce ageing and firm-provided welfare

This paper investigates the impact of an exogenous increase in the legal retirement age on the firms’ propensity to provide welfare services voluntarily to their employees. To this purpose we exploit a unique dataset derived from the Employers and Employees Survey, conducted by the National Institute for Public Policies Analysis (Inapp) in 2015 on a large and representative sample of Italian firms. By referring to the existing sociological and economic literature we make the hypothesis that a sudden increase in the share of older workers may motivate the employers to establish welfare schemes as a way to cope with an ageing workforce. The results obtained from different regression models show that firms which, as a consequence of the Law 214/2011 (the so-called “Fornero pension reform”), were forced to give up previously planned hirings increased the probability of providing welfare services at the workplace. This result also holds if propensity score matching methods are used in order to control for sample selection issues

I differenti colori della partecipazione. Il caso del progetto europeo Be SpectACTive!

Focusing on the four years long, large-scale EU project Be SpectACTive!, the authors observe its initial, artistic and strategic, aims and the results in the light of the recent social and political changes as well as the notion of “inter-locality”. The EU priority Audience Development (AD) program and the organizations involved are analyzed highlighting successes and failures as well as their impact on cultural organizations and artists who have taken part in the program

Dolphins Stranded along the Tuscan Coastline (Central Italy) of the “Pelagos Sanctuary”: A Parasitological Investigation

Parasite monitoring is considered a necessary step for cetacean management and conservation. Between February 2013 and July 2015, 26 dolphins (15 Stenella coeruleoalba, 10 Tursiops truncatus, and one Grampus griseus) stranded along the Tuscan coastline of the protected marine area “Pelagos Sanctuary”, were examined. Organs, tissues, and faecal and blood samples taken from all animals were analysed by parasitological, immunological, and molecular techniques. Twenty-one out of 26 dolphins (80.77%) tested positive for at least one parasite species, and 13/15 (86.7%) S. coeruleoalba, 7/10 (70%) T. truncatus, and the single G. griseus were found positive. Identified parasites included the nematodes Skrjabinalius guevarai (7.69%, 2/26), Halocercus lagenorhynchi (3.85%, 1/26), Halocercus delphini (7.69%, 2/26), Stenurus ovatus (7.69%, 2/26), Crassicauda spp. (7.69%, 2/26); the trematodes Pholeter gastrophilus (26.92%, 7/26), Campula palliata (3.85%, 1/26); the cestodes Phyllobothrium delphini (42.31%, 11/26), Monorygma grimaldii (23.08%, 6/26), Tetrabothrium forsteri (7.69%, 2/26), Strobilocephalus triangularis (7.69%, 2/26), and the acanthocephalan Bolbosoma vasculosum (7.69%, 2/26). Moreover, 6/26 (23%) animals scored positive to Toxoplasma gondii at serology, but PCR confirmed the infection (T. gondii Type II genotype) in a single animal. In examined dolphins, obtained results showed a high prevalence of endoparasites, which included species considered as a cause of severe debilitation or deat

Ultrasound tissue characterization detectspreclinical myocardial structural changes inchildren affected by Duchenne muscular dystrophy

AbstractObjectivesOur goal was to identify early changes in myocardial physical properties in children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMDch).BackgroundDuchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is caused by the absence of dystrophin, which triggers complex molecular and biological events in skeletal and cardiac muscle tissues. Although about 30% of patients display overt signs of cardiomyopathy in the late stage of the disease, it is unknown whether changes in myocardial physical properties can be detected in the early (preclinical) stages of the disease.MethodsWe performed an ultrasonic tissue characterization (UTC) analysis of myocardium in DMDch with normal systolic myocardial function and no signs of cardiomyopathy. Both the cyclic variation of integrated backscatter (cvIBS) and the calibrated integrated backscatter (cIBS) were assessed in 8 myocardial regions of 20 DMDch, age 7 ± 2 years (range 4 to 10 years), and in 20 age-matched healthy controls.ResultsWe found large differences in the UTC data between DMDch and controls; the mean value of cvIBS was 4.4 ± 1.5 dB versus 8.8 ± 0.8 dB, whereas the mean value of cIBS was 36.4 ± 7.1 dB versus 26.9 ± 2.0 dB (p < 10−6for both). In DMDch, all eight sampled segments showed cIBS mean values to be significantly higher and cvIBS mean values to be significantly lower than those in the controls. Finally, interindividual differences were greater in DMDch than in controls for both parameters.ConclusionsThe myocardium in DMDch displays UTC features different from those in healthy controls. These results show that lack of dystrophin is commonly associated with changes in myocardial features well before the onset of changes of systolic function and overt cardiomyopathy

Innovative superparamagnetic iron-oxide nanoparticles coated with silica and conjugated with linoleic acid: Effect on tumor cell growth and viability

One of the goals for the development of more effective cancer therapies with reduced toxic side effects is the optimization of innovative treatments to selectively kill tumor cells. The use of nanovectors loaded with targeted therapeutic payloads is one of the most investigated strategies. In this paper superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) coated by a silica shell or uncoated, were functionalized with single-layer and bi-layer conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). Silica was used to protect the magnetic core from oxidation, improve the stability of SPIONs and tailor their surface reactivity. CLA was used as novel grafting biomolecule for its anti-tumor activity and to improve particle dispersibility. Mouse breast cancer 4T1 cells were treated with these different SPIONs. SPIONs functionalized with the highest quantity of CLA and coated with silica shell were the most dispersed. Cell viability was reduced by SPIONs functionalized with CLA in comparison with cells which were untreated or treated with SPIONs without CLA. As regards the types of SPIONs functionalized with CLA, the lowest viability was observed in cells treated with uncoated SPIONs with the highest quantity of CLA. In conclusion, the silica shell free SPIONs functionalized with the highest amount of CLA can be suggested as therapeutic carriers because they have the best dispersion and ability to decrease 4T1 cell viability

Non-neural phenotype of spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy: Results from a large cohort of Italian patients

Objective: To carry out a deep characterisation of the main androgen-responsive tissues involved in spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA). Methods: 73 consecutive Italian patients underwent a full clinical protocol including biochemical and hormonal analyses, genitourinary examination, bone metabolism and densitometry, cardiological evaluation and muscle pathology. Results: Creatine kinase levels were slightly to markedly elevated in almost all cases (68 of the 73; 94%). 30 (41%) patients had fasting glucose above the reference limit, and many patients had total cholesterol (40; 54.7%), low-density lipoproteins cholesterol (29; 39.7%) and triglyceride (35; 48%) levels above the recommended values. Although testosterone, luteinising hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone values were generally normal, in one-third of cases we calculated an increased Androgen Sensitivity Index reflecting the presence of androgen resistance in these patients. According to the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), 7/70 (10%) patients reported severe lower urinal tract symptoms (IPSS score >19), and 21/73 (30%) patients were moderately symptomatic (IPSS score from 8 to 19). In addition, 3 patients were carriers of an indwelling bladder catheter. Videourodynamic evaluation indicated that 4 of the 7 patients reporting severe urinary symptoms had an overt prostate-unrelated bladder outlet obstruction. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scan data were consistent with low bone mass in 25/61 (41%) patients. Low bone mass was more frequent at the femoral than at the lumbar level. Skeletal muscle biopsy was carried out in 20 patients and myogenic changes in addition to the neurogenic atrophy were mostly observed. Conclusions: Our study provides evidence of a wide non-neural clinical phenotype in SBMA, suggesting the need for comprehensive multidisciplinary protocols for these patients. \ua9 2016 Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited

The Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy region on 4qter and the homologous locus on 10qter evolved independently under different evolutionary pressure

BACKGROUND: The homologous 4q and 10q subtelomeric regions include two distinctive polymorphic arrays of 3.3 kb repeats, named D4Z4. An additional BlnI restriction site on the 10q-type sequence allows to distinguish the chromosomal origin of the repeats. Reduction in the number of D4Z4 repeats below a threshold of 10 at the 4q locus is tightly linked to Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy (FSHD), while similar contractions at 10q locus, are not pathogenic. Sequence variations due to the presence of BlnI-sensitive repeats (10q-type) on chromosome 4 or viceversa of BlnI-resistant repeats (4q-type) on chromosome 10 are observed in both alleles. RESULTS: We analysed DNA samples from 116 healthy subiects and 114 FSHD patients and determined the size distributions of polymorphic 4q and 10q alleles, the frequency and the D4Z4 repeat assortment of variant alleles, and finally the telomeric sequences both in standard and variant alleles. We observed the same frequency and types of variant alleles in FSHD patients and controls, but we found marked differences between the repeat arrays of the 4q and 10q chromosomes. In particular we detected 10q alleles completely replaced by the 4q subtelomeric region, consisting in the whole set of 4q-type repeats and the distal telomeric markers. However the reciprocal event, 10q-type subtelomeric region on chromosome 4, was never observed. At 4q locus we always identified hybrid alleles containing a mixture of 4q and 10q-type repeats. CONCLUSION: The different size distribution and different structure of 10q variant alleles as compared with 4q suggests that these loci evolved in a different manner, since the 4q locus is linked to FSHD, while no inheritable disease is associated with mutations in 10qter genomic region. Hybrid alleles on chromosome 4 always retain a minimum number of 4q type repeats, as they are probably essential for maintaining the structural and functional properties of this subtelomeric region. In addition we found: i) several instances of variant alleles that could be misinterpreted and interfere with a correct diagnosis of FSHD; ii) the presence of borderline alleles in the range of 30–40 kb that carried a qA type telomere and were not associated with the disease

Innovative superparamagnetic iron-oxide nanoparticles coated with silica and conjugated with linoleic acid: Effect on tumor cell growth and viability

One of the goals for the development of more effective cancer therapies with reduced toxic side effects is the optimization of innovative treatments to selectively kill tumor cells. The use of nanovectors loaded with targeted therapeutic payloads is one of the most investigated strategies. In this paper superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) coated by a silica shell or uncoated, were functionalized with single-layer and bi-layer conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). Silica was used to protect the magnetic core from oxidation, improve the stability of SPIONs and tailor their surface reactivity. CLA was used as novel grafting biomolecule for its anti-tumor activity and to improve particle dispersibility. Mouse breast cancer 4T1 cells were treated with these different SPIONs. SPIONs functionalized with the highest quantity of CLA and coated with silica shell were the most dispersed. Cell viability was reduced by SPIONs functionalized with CLA in comparison with cells which were untreated or treated with SPIONs without CLA. As regards the types of SPIONs functionalized with CLA, the lowest viability was observed in cells treated with uncoated SPIONs with the highest quantity of CLA. In conclusion, the silica shell free SPIONs functionalized with the highest amount of CLA can be suggested as therapeutic carriers because they have the best dispersion and ability to decrease 4T1 cell viability