"COOPETITION" FOR CULTURAL TOURISM: AN ACCOUNTING HISTORY PERSPECTIVE

This research proposes an accounting history perspective on “coopetition”—a competitive approach based on cooperation—in the cultural tourism sector. The analysis is based on the International Museums Campaigns proclaimed by UNESCO in 1956 and 1957 and investigates the contribution of the Egyptian Museum of Turin, in the context of the local tourism system, in constructing an event and its related communication campaign. The purpose is to highlight, through accounting documents, the importance of coopetition in stimulating visitors’ presence and reaching higher shared socio-economic results

Environmental profile of the manufacturing process of perovskite photovoltaics: Harmonization of life cycle assessment studies

The development of perovskite solar cell technology is steadily increasing. The extremely high photoconversion efficiency drives factor that makes these devices so attractive for photovoltaic energy production. However, the environmental impact of this technology could represent a crucial matter for industrial development, and the sustainability of perovskite solar cell is at the center of the scientific debate. The life cycle assessment studies available in the literature evaluate the environmental profile of this technology, but the outcomes vary consistently depending on the methodological choices and assumptions made by authors. In this work, we performed the harmonization of these life cycle assessment results to understand which are effectively the environmental hotspots of the perovskite solar cell fabrication. The outcomes of this analysis allowed us to outline an environmental ranking of the profiles of the several cell configurations investigated and, most importantly, to identify the material and energy flows that mostly contribute to the technology in terms of environmental impac

Diarylureas as antitumor agents

The diarylurea is a scaffold of great importance in medicinal chemistry as it is present in numerous heterocyclic compounds with antithrombotic, antimalarial, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory properties. Some diarylureas, serine-threonine kinase or tyrosine kinase inhibitors, were recently reported in literature. The first to come into the market as an anticancer agent was sorafenib, followed by some others. In this review, we survey progress over the past 10 years in the development of new diarylureas as anticancer agents

Thallium use, toxicity, and detoxification therapy: An overview

Thallium (Tl) is released into the environment, where is present at very low levels, from both natural and anthropogenic sources. Tl is considered as one of the most toxic heavy metals; it is a non‐essential metal, present in low concentrations in humans. Tl toxicity causes dermatological and gastrointestinal diseases and disorders of the nervous system, and may even result in death. Many isotopes of Tl exist, with different uses. One of the isotopes of this metal (201Tl) is used in cardiovascular scintigraphy and for the diagnosis of malignant tumors such as breast or lung cancer and osteosarcoma bone cancer. Many Tl compounds are tasteless, colorless, and odorless. Due to these characteristics and their high toxicity, they have been used as poisons in suicides and murders for criminal purposes, as well as instances of accidental poisoning. Impaired glutathione metabolism, oxidative stress, and disruption of potassium‐regulated homeostasis may play a role in the mechanism of Tl toxicity. Solanum nigrum L. and Callitriche cophocarpa have been suggested as promising agents for the phytoremediation of Tl. In addition, macrocyclic compounds such as crown ethers (18‐crown‐6) are good candidates to absorb Tl from wastewater. Through this review, we present an update to general information about the uses and toxicity of Tl. Furthermore, the attention is focused on detoxification therapies

The double face of metals: The intriguing case of chromium

Chromium (Cr) is a common element in the Earth’s crust. It may exist in different oxidation states, Cr(0), Cr(III) and Cr(VI), with Cr(III) and Cr(VI) being relatively stable and largely predominant. Chromium’s peculiarity is that its behavior relies on its valence state. Cr(III) is a trace element in humans and plays a major role in glucose and fat metabolism. The beneficial effects of Cr(III) in obesity and types 2 diabetes are known. It has been long considered an essential element, but now it has been reclassified as a nutritional supplement. On the other hand, Cr(VI) is a human carcinogen and exposure to it occurs both in occupational and environmental contexts. It induces also epigenetic effects on DNA, histone tails and microRNA; its toxicity seems to be related to its higher mobility in soil and swifter penetration through cell membranes than Cr(III). The microorganisms Acinetobacter sp. Cr1 and Pseudomonas sp. Cr13 have been suggested as a promising agent for bioremediation of Cr(VI). This review intends to underline the important role of Cr(III) for human health and the dangerousness of Cr(VI) as a toxic element. The dual and opposing roles of this metal make it particularly interesting. An overview of the recent literature is reported in support

Chemopreventive molecules of coffee and beneficial metabolic effects

Among all the plant species examined, together with the food products that derive from it, coffee has a reputation that over the course of history has had a rather controversial evolution: some episodes are emblematic of the mistrust that, in the first decades of its diffusion in Europe and in the World, accompanied the drink. Coffee is obtained by infusing the powder obtained by grinding the toasted seeds of some species of tropical shrubs belonging to the genus Coffea, practiced through various techniques; although there are over 100 species, those used for food consumption are very few, and almost all of the market is aimed at only two of them: Coffea arabica and Coffea canephora, better known commercially (but improperly) with the name of Robusta. Today it can be said that the antioxidant activity of coffee, intended both as a vegetable and as a drink, has been known for some time and has been evaluated through different methods; various studies have shown that the high content of polyphenols in coffee plays an important role in its strong antioxidant action. Since 1997, the year in which the first works on this activity were presented, the concern about the potential risks related to coffee intake has rapidly diminished and a line of research has originated aimed at evaluating its therapeutic effects, especially chemopreventive, antidiabetic and anticarginogenic effects. It was immediately proposed that, at the head of the wide family of active polyphenolic compounds, there were chlorogenic acids, whose remarkable ability to prevent oxidative cell damage was immediately determined

Catalytic and biological activity of silver and gold complexes stabilized by nhc with hydroxy derivatives on nitrogen atoms

In this paper is reported the synthesis of N,N′ hydroxy derivative of NHC silver (3a–4a) and gold(I) (3b–4b) complexes of general formula [M(NHC)2 ]+ [MX2 ]−. All compounds were characterized by spectroscopic and analytic techniques. The complexes turned out to be effective in both catalytic and biological applications. They catalyzed the coupling of aldehyde, piperidine, and phenylacetylene in A3-reaction to produce propargylamines and showed antimicrobial activity. In fact, minimal inhibition concentration (MIC) tests with Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria demonstrated that the silver compounds are selective toward E. coli, whereas the gold analogues are active against S. aureus. Moreover, the N,N′ hydroxy derivative of NHC silver complexes 3a and 4a exhibited good anticancer activity on the HeLA cancer cells (3a-IC50 = 12.2 ± 0.1 µM, 4a-IC50 = 11.9 ± 1.2 µM), whereas gold complex 4b displayed good anticancer activity towards the MCF-7 cells (IC50 = 12.2 ± 1.2 µM)

Multidrug Resistance (MDR): A Widespread Phenomenon in Pharmacological Therapies

Multidrug resistance is a leading concern in public health. It describes a complex phenotype whose predominant feature is resistance to a wide range of structurally unrelated cytotoxic compounds, many of which are anticancer agents. Multidrug resistance may be also related to antimicrobial drugs, and is known to be one of the most serious global public health threats of this century. Indeed, this phenomenon has increased both mortality and morbidity as a consequence of treatment failures and its incidence in healthcare costs. The large amounts of antibiotics used in human therapies, as well as for farm animals and even for fishes in aquaculture, resulted in the selection of pathogenic bacteria resistant to multiple drugs. It is not negligible that the ongoing COVID‐19 pandemic may further contribute to antimicrobial resistance. In this paper, multidrug resistance and antimicrobial resistance are underlined, focusing on the therapeutic options to overcome these obstacles in drug treatments. Lastly, some recent studies on nanodrug delivery systems have been reviewed since they may represent a significant approach for overcoming resistance

Schiff bases: Interesting scaffolds with promising antitumoral properties

Schiff bases, named after Hugo Schiff, are highly reactive organic compounds broadly used as pigments and dyes, catalysts, intermediates in organic synthesis, and polymer stabilizers. Lots of Schiff bases are described in the literature for various biological activities, including antimalarial, antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, and antiviral. Schiff bases are also known for their ability to form complexes with several metals. Very often, complexes of Schiff bases with metals and Schiff bases alone have demonstrated interesting antitumor activity. Given the innumerable vastness of data regarding antitumor activity of all these compounds, we focused our attention on mono-and bis-Schiff bases alone as antitumor agents. We will highlight the most significant examples of compounds belonging to this class reported in the literature

LYCOPENE AND THE ROLE IN METABOLIC PREVENTION

The origin of the tomato plant seems to be South America, in particular Chile and Ecuador, where it grows as a wild plant due to the tropical climate and is able to bear fruit throughout the year, while in European regions, if cultivated in 'open, has a seasonal cycle limited to the summer period. From here, it later spread to Central America and it was the Spaniards who made it known in Europe in the 16th century. Only at the end of the 18th century, the cultivation of tomatoes for food purposes experienced a strong boost in Europe, mainly in France and Southern Italy. Starting from the 19th century, the tomato was finally included in European gastronomic treaties, favoring a conspicuous diffusion both on the tables of the richest and those of the less well-off. Today tomatoes are a staple of our diet a series of researches have identified the effects that the consumption of this particular food, in its many variations, has on our health. If previously the effects that tomatoes have on the improvement of blood lipids were recognized, now researchers have identified a direct correlation between the risk of cardiovascular mortality and the consumption of the fruit, for the presence of Lycopene, a carotenoid antioxidant. It is lycopene, in particular, that produces the greatest benefits for our body. It is a powerful antioxidant that determines, among other things, the particular red color of the tomato. Through research on the effects of a diet rich in tomatoes on the body, the experts found a progressive decrease in the concentration of cholesterol accompanied by a decrease in cardiovascular risk