Bibbia, cristianesimo e letteratura italiana: uno sguardo d'assieme.

L'A. ripercorre la presenza della Bibbia nella letteratura italiana dalle origini ai giorni nostri, sottolineando la persistenza della ripresa del Sacro testo sia nella poesia che nella prosa

The patient-reported disease burden in adults with atopic dermatitis : a cross-sectional study in Europe and Canada

Cross-sectional data on patient burden in adults with atopic dermatitis () from real-world clinical practice are limited. This study compared patient-reported burden associated with adult across severity levels from clinical practices in Canada and Europe. This study included adults (18-65 years) diagnosed with by dermatologists, general practitioners or allergists. Participants categorized as mild (n = 547; 37.3%), moderate (n = 520; 35.4%) or severe (n = 400; 27.3%) based on Investigator's Global Assessment completed a questionnaire that included pruritus and pain numerical rating scales, Patient-Oriented-Scoring of Atopic Dermatitis (PO-SCORAD) itch and sleep visual analogue scales, Dermatology Life Quality Index (), and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Participants were also stratified by inadequate efficacy/intolerance/contraindication to cyclosporine [Cyclo; n = 62 (4 mild, 18 moderate, 40 severe)] and any systemic immunomodulatory agent [; n = 104 (13 mild, 31 moderate, 60 severe)] and compared with the severe group excluding participants identified as Cyclo/. Age was similar across severity groups; the proportion of women was higher in the mild group relative to severe (61.2% vs. 50.5%; P < 0.001). Compared with moderate and mild, participants with severe had more comorbidities, higher itch and pain severity, worse sleep and higher levels of anxiety and depression (all P < 0.001). Mean ± score among participants with severe (16.2 ± 6.9) showed a large effect on quality of life that was higher than those with moderate (10.2 ± 6.3) and mild (5.5 ± 4.9) (both P < 0.001). The burden among Cyclo and subgroups was generally similar to that of participants with severe . Adults with reported a substantial burden across multiple domains that was significantly higher in those with severe disease. The burden among participants in the Cyclo/ subgroups was similar to those with severe

Breast cancer metastasis to gynaecological organs: a clinico-pathological and molecular profiling study

Breast cancer metastasis to gynaecological organs is an understudied pattern of tumour spread. We explored clinico-pathological and molecular features of these metastases to better understand whether this pattern of dissemination is organotropic or a consequence of wider metastatic dissemination. Primary and metastatic tumours from 54 breast cancer patients with gynaecological metastases were analysed using immunohistochemistry, DNA copy-number profiling, and targeted sequencing of 386 cancer-related genes. The median age of primary tumour diagnosis amongst patients with gynaecological metastases was significantly younger compared to a general breast cancer population (46.5 versus 60 years; p < 0.0001). Median age at metastatic diagnosis was 54.4, time to progression was 4.8 years (range 0-20 years), and survival following a diagnosis of metastasis was 1.95 years (range 0-18 years). Patients had an average of five involved sites (most frequently ovary, fallopian tube, omentum/peritoneum), with fewer instances of spread to the lungs, liver, or brain. Invasive lobular histology and luminal A-like phenotype were over-represented in this group (42.8 and 87.5%, respectively) and most patients had involved axillary lymph nodes (p < 0.001). Primary tumours frequently co-expressed oestrogen receptor cofactors (GATA3, FOXA1) and harboured amplifications at 8p12, 8q24, and 11q13. In terms of phenotype conversion, oestrogen receptor status was generally maintained in metastases, FOXA1 increased, and expression of progesterone receptor, androgen receptor, and GATA3 decreased. ESR1 and novel AR mutations were identified. Metastasis to gynaecological organs is a complication frequently affecting young women with invasive lobular carcinoma and luminal A-like breast cancer, and hence may be driven by sustained hormonal signalling. Molecular analyses reveal a spectrum of factors that could contribute to de novo or acquired resistance to therapy and disease progression.Jamie R Kutasovic, Amy E McCart Reed, Renique Males, Sarah Sim, Jodi M Saunus ... Liana Dedina ... et al

Forest Biodiversity Assessment in Peruvian Andean Montane Cloud Forest

Cloud forests are unusual and fragile habitats, being one of the least studied and least understood ecosystems. The tropical Andean dominion is considered one of the most significant places in the world as rega rds biological diversity, with a very high level of endemism. The biodiversity was analysed in an isolated remnant area of a tropical montane cloud forest known as the ?Bosque de Neblina de Cuyas?, in the North of the Peruvian Andean range. Composition, structure and dead wood were measured or estimated. The values obtained were compared with other cloud forests. The study revealed a high level of forest biodiversity, although the level of biodiversity differs from one area to another: in the inner areas, where human pressure is almost inexistent, the biodiversity values increase. The high species richness and the low dominance among species bear testimony to this montane cloud forest as a real enclave of biodiversity

Insights into malaria susceptibility using genome-wide data on 17,000 individuals from Africa, Asia and Oceania

The human genetic factors that affect resistance to infectious disease are poorly understood. Here we report a genome-wide association study in 17,000 severe malaria cases and population controls from 11 countries, informed by sequencing of family trios and by direct typing of candidate loci in an additional 15,000 samples. We identify five replicable associations with genome-wide levels of evidence including a newly implicated variant on chromosome 6. Jointly, these variants account for around one-tenth of the heritability of severe malaria, which we estimate as -23% using genome-wide genotypes. We interrogate available functional data and discover an erythroid-specific transcription start site underlying the known association in ATP2B4, but are unable to identify a likely causal mechanism at the chromosome 6 locus. Previously reported HLA associations do not replicate in these samples. This large dataset will provide a foundation for further research on thegenetic determinants of malaria resistance in diverse populations.Peer reviewe

Size Doesn't Matter: Towards a More Inclusive Philosophy of Biology

notes: As the primary author, O’Malley drafted the paper, and gathered and analysed data (scientific papers and talks). Conceptual analysis was conducted by both authors.publication-status: Publishedtypes: ArticlePhilosophers of biology, along with everyone else, generally perceive life to fall into two broad categories, the microbes and macrobes, and then pay most of their attention to the latter. ‘Macrobe’ is the word we propose for larger life forms, and we use it as part of an argument for microbial equality. We suggest that taking more notice of microbes – the dominant life form on the planet, both now and throughout evolutionary history – will transform some of the philosophy of biology’s standard ideas on ontology, evolution, taxonomy and biodiversity. We set out a number of recent developments in microbiology – including biofilm formation, chemotaxis, quorum sensing and gene transfer – that highlight microbial capacities for cooperation and communication and break down conventional thinking that microbes are solely or primarily single-celled organisms. These insights also bring new perspectives to the levels of selection debate, as well as to discussions of the evolution and nature of multicellularity, and to neo-Darwinian understandings of evolutionary mechanisms. We show how these revisions lead to further complications for microbial classification and the philosophies of systematics and biodiversity. Incorporating microbial insights into the philosophy of biology will challenge many of its assumptions, but also give greater scope and depth to its investigations

Tracking development assistance for health and for COVID-19 : a review of development assistance, government, out-of-pocket, and other private spending on health for 204 countries and territories, 1990-2050

Background The rapid spread of COVID-19 renewed the focus on how health systems across the globe are financed, especially during public health emergencies. Development assistance is an important source of health financing in many low-income countries, yet little is known about how much of this funding was disbursed for COVID-19. We aimed to put development assistance for health for COVID-19 in the context of broader trends in global health financing, and to estimate total health spending from 1995 to 2050 and development assistance for COVID-19 in 2020. Methods We estimated domestic health spending and development assistance for health to generate total health-sector spending estimates for 204 countries and territories. We leveraged data from the WHO Global Health Expenditure Database to produce estimates of domestic health spending. To generate estimates for development assistance for health, we relied on project-level disbursement data from the major international development agencies' online databases and annual financial statements and reports for information on income sources. To adjust our estimates for 2020 to include disbursements related to COVID-19, we extracted project data on commitments and disbursements from a broader set of databases (because not all of the data sources used to estimate the historical series extend to 2020), including the UN Office of Humanitarian Assistance Financial Tracking Service and the International Aid Transparency Initiative. We reported all the historic and future spending estimates in inflation-adjusted 2020 US$, 2020 US$ per capita, purchasing-power parity-adjusted US$per capita, and as a proportion of gross domestic product. We used various models to generate future health spending to 2050. Findings In 2019, health spending globally reached$8. 8 trillion (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 8.7-8.8) or $1132 (1119-1143) per person. Spending on health varied within and across income groups and geographical regions. Of this total,$40.4 billion (0.5%, 95% UI 0.5-0.5) was development assistance for health provided to low-income and middle-income countries, which made up 24.6% (UI 24.0-25.1) of total spending in low-income countries. We estimate that $54.8 billion in development assistance for health was disbursed in 2020. Of this,$13.7 billion was targeted toward the COVID-19 health response. $12.3 billion was newly committed and$1.4 billion was repurposed from existing health projects. $3.1 billion (22.4$2.4 billion (17.9%) was for supply chain and logistics. Only $714.4 million (7.7$1519 (1448-1591) per person in 2050, although spending across countries is expected to remain varied. Interpretation Global health spending is expected to continue to grow, but remain unequally distributed between countries. We estimate that development organisations substantially increased the amount of development assistance for health provided in 2020. Continued efforts are needed to raise sufficient resources to mitigate the pandemic for the most vulnerable, and to help curtail the pandemic for all. Copyright (C) 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.Peer reviewe