Innovazione sociale, imprese di comunità e rigenerazione urbana

Il tema dell’innovazione sociale sta diventando centrale nel dibattito nazionale ed europeo rispetto ai nuovi approcci nelle politiche di sviluppo locale e rigenerazione urbana nelle grandi città Sullo sfondo, si collocano: i) i fenomeni di contrazione delle prestazioni del welfare pubblico, le difficoltà di rispondere alle domande articolate di una società di minoranze; ii) la grave congiuntura economica di molti paesi della EU e la crisi fiscale dei governi locali; iii) l’emergere dei comportamenti riflessivi e di protagonismo da parte delle comunità locali, o delle comunità di pratiche dei makers urbani. I processi di trasformazione delle città ne sono direttamente influenzati: iniziative di riuso e valorizzazione delle aree urbane dismesse o residuali sono direttamente promosse e agite da gruppi, associazioni di quartiere, cooperative o da quelle che, in Italia, si cominciano a chiamare “imprese di comunità”.Il presente paper intende rintracciare i tratti di questi soggetti emergenti, non tentandone una definizione ma provando a identificarne il profilo attraverso il ricorso ad un caso di studio e a definirne le possibili implicazioni operative per le politiche di sviluppo urbano nel nostro paese

The first record of translocated white-clawed crayfish from the Austropotamobius pallipes complex in Sardinia (Italy)

<p>The white-clawed crayfish <em>Austropotamobius pallipes </em>complex is native to Europe, being present in 18 European countries, Italy included. However, the number and abundance of its populations are today restricted and it has been recently classified as “endangered” by IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature). Here, we report the first record of this freshwater crayfish in Sardinia Island (Italy). Using a fragment of the mitochondrial DNA 16S rRNA gene, we identified three haplotypes that correspond to the <em>A. italicus meridionalis </em>subclade. We provide information about the sampling area, population density and finally discuss hypotheses about the occurrence of this population in Sardinia, comparing it with other Mediterranean populations. Our results improve the existing knowledge about the phylogeography of the taxon across Italy, confirming its complex pattern of distribution. In addition to the non-native status of the Sardinian <em>A. i. meridionalis</em> crayfish, we showed that the most proximal Mediterranean population of white-clawed crayfish existing in Corsica belongs to <em>A. pallipes</em> from Southern France.</p

Effect of Dewaxed Coffee on Gastroesophageal Symptoms in Patients with {GERD}: A Randomized Pilot Study

Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) is multifactorial pathogenesis characterized by the abnormal reflux of stomach contents into the esophagus. Symptoms are worse after the ingestion of certain foods, such as coffee. Hence, a randomized pilot study conducted on 40 Italian subjects was assessed to verify the effect of standard (SC) and dewaxed coffee (DC) consumption on gastroesophageal reflux symptoms and quality of life in patients with gastrointestinal diseases. The assessment of patient diaries highlighted a significant percentage reduction of symptoms frequency when consuming DC and a significant increase in both heartburn-free and regurgitation-free days. Consequentially, patients had a significant increase of antacid-free days during the DC assumption. Moreover, the polyphenolic profile of coffee pods was ascertained through UHPLC-Q-Orbitrap HRMS analysis. Chlorogenic acids (CGAs) were the most abundant investigated compounds with a concentration level ranging between 7.316 (DC) and 6.721 mg/g (SC). Apart from CGAs, caffeine was quantified at a concentration level of 5.691 mg/g and 11.091 for DC and SC, respectively. While still preliminary, data obtained from the present pilot study provide promising evidence for the efficacy of DC consumption in patients with GERD. Therefore, this treatment might represent a feasible way to make coffee more digestible and better tolerated

Orientamento e Autovalutazione per il Miglioramento della Preparazione Richiesta per i Corsi di Laurea Scientifici: Metodologie, Strumenti e Risultati

Nella presentazione vengono descritti i laboratori di simulazione di corsi universitari tenuti per l'autovalutazione degli studenti, nell'ambito del Piano Lauree Scientifiche

Shell recruitment in the Mediterranean hermit crab <i>Clibanarius erythropus</i>

Gastropod shells are vital for the majority of hermit crab species, being essential for their survival, growth, protection, and reproduction. Given their importance, shells are acquired and transferred between crabs through several modalities. We conducted observations and experiments at the Asinara Island (Sardinia, Italy) to investigate the efficacy of the different behavioral tactics adopted by the hermit crab Clibanarius erythropus to acquire shells, such as: (1) locomotion and activity at different tidal phases; (2) attendance at shell-supplying sites (simulated predation sites with five different odors: live and dead gastropods, live and dead crabs, predator); and (3) interactions with conspecifics in aggregations on simulated gastropod predation sites. In each tidal phase, locomotion was slow (0.7 cm min− 1) and, as a consequence, the probability of encountering empty shells and conspecifics was low. Simulated gastropod predation sites quickly attracted a larger number of hermit crabs than the other sites tested. Aggregations seemed to function as shell exchange markets, as previously suggested for other species: the first attendant took the experimental shell and a chain of shell exchanges among conspecifics followed. Our results show that, in C. erythropus, aggregation is the most efficient tactic for the acquisition of new shells, whereas in other species, such as Pagurus longicarpus, it is associated with exploitation ability due to the intense locomotion. The interspecific plasticity in hermit crabs' behavior is confirmed

Database search of spontaneous reports and pharmacological investigations on the sulfonylureas and glinides-induced atrophy in skeletal muscle

The ATP-sensitive K+ (KATP) channel is an emerging pathway in the skeletal muscle atrophy which is a comorbidity condition in diabetes. The "in vitro" effects of the sulfonylureas and glinides were evaluated on the protein content/muscle weight, fibers viability, mitochondrial succinic dehydrogenases (SDH) activity, and channel currents in oxidative soleus (SOL), glycolitic/oxidative flexor digitorum brevis (FDB), and glycolitic extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscle fibers of mice using biochemical and cell-counting Kit-8 assay, image analysis, and patch-clamp techniques. The sulfonylureas were: tolbutamide, glibenclamide, and glimepiride; the glinides were: repaglinide and nateglinide. Food and Drug Administration-Adverse Effects Reporting System (FDA-AERS) database searching of atrophy-related signals associated with the use of these drugs in humans has been performed. The drugs after 24 h of incubation time reduced the protein content/muscle weight and fibers viability more effectively in FDB and SOL than in the EDL. The order of efficacy of the drugs in reducing the protein content in FDB was: repaglinide (EC50 = 5.21 Ã\u97 10-6) â\u89¥ glibenclamide(EC50 = 8.84 Ã\u97 10-6) > glimepiride(EC50 = 2.93 Ã\u97 10-5) > tolbutamide(EC50 = 1.07 Ã\u97 10-4) > nateglinide(EC50 = 1.61 Ã\u97 10-4) and it was: repaglinide(7.15 Ã\u97 10-5) â\u89¥Â glibenclamide(EC50 = 9.10 Ã\u97 10-5) > nateglinide(EC50 = 1.80 Ã\u97 10-4) â\u89¥Â tolbutamide(EC50 = 2.19 Ã\u97 10-4) > glimepiride(EC50=-) in SOL. The drug-induced atrophy can be explained by the KATP channel block and by the enhancement of the mitochondrial SDH activity. In an 8-month period, muscle atrophy was found in 0.27% of the glibenclamide reports in humans and in 0.022% of the other not sulfonylureas and glinides drugs. No reports of atrophy were found for the other sulfonylureas and glinides in the FDA-AERS. Glibenclamide induces atrophy in animal experiments and in human patients. Glimepiride shows less potential for inducing atrophy. e0002

Total metabolic tumor volume on 18F-FDG PET/CT is a game-changer for patients with metastatic lung cancer treated with immunotherapy

Purpose Because of atypical response imaging patterns in patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICPIs), new biomarkers are needed for a better monitoring of treatment efficacy. The aim of this prospective study was to evaluate the prognostic value of volume-derived positron-emission tomography (PET) parameters on baseline and follow-up 18F-fluoro-deoxy-glucose PET (18F-FDG-PET) scans and compare it with the conventional PET Response Criteria in Solid Tumors (PERCIST).Methods Patients with metastatic NSCLC were included in two different single-center prospective trials. 18F-FDG-PET studies were performed before the start of immunotherapy (PETbaseline), after 6–8 weeks (PETinterim1) and after 12–16 weeks (PETinterim2) of treatment, using PERCIST criteria for tumor response assessment. Different metabolic parameters were evaluated: absolute values of maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) of the most intense lesion, total metabolic tumor volume (TMTV), total lesion glycolysis (TLG), but also their percentage changes between PET studies (ΔSUVmax, ΔTMTV and ΔTLG). The median follow-up of patients was 31 (7.3–31.8) months. Prognostic values and optimal thresholds of PET parameters were estimated by ROC (Receiver Operating Characteristic) curve analysis of 12-month overall survival (12M-OS) and 6-month progression-free survival (6M-PFS). Tumor progression needed to be confirmed by a multidisciplinary tumor board, considering atypical response patterns on imaging.Results 110 patients were prospectively included. On PETbaseline, TMTV was predictive of 12M-OS [AUC (Area Under Curve) =0.64; 95% CI: 0.61 to 0.66] whereas SUVmax and TLG were not. On PETinterim1 and PETinterim2, all metabolic parameters were predictive for 12M-OS and 6M-PFS, the residual TMTV on PETinterim1 (TMTV1) being the strongest prognostic biomarker (AUC=0.83 and 0.82; 95% CI: 0.74 to 0.91, for 12M-OS and 6M-PFS, respectively). Using the optimal threshold by ROC curve to classify patients into three TMTV1 subgroups (0 cm3; 0–57 cm3; &gt;57 cm3), TMTV1 prognostic stratification was independent of PERCIST criteria on both PFS and OS, and significantly outperformed them. Subgroup analysis demonstrated that TMTV1 remained a strong prognostic biomarker of 12M-OS for non-responding patients (p=0.0003) according to PERCIST criteria. In the specific group of patients with PERCIST progression on PETinterim1, low residual tumor volume (&lt;57 cm3) was still associated with a very favorable patients’ outcome (6M-PFS=73%; 24M-OS=55%).Conclusion The absolute value of residual metabolic tumor volume, assessed 6–8 weeks after the start of ICPI, is an optimal and independent prognostic measure, exceeding and complementing conventional PERCIST criteria. Oncologists should consider it in patients with first tumor progression according to PERCIST criteria, as it helps identify patients who benefit from continued treatment.Trial registration number 2018-A02116-49; NCT03584334