"Thermoluminescence dating laboratory improvements tested on an archaeological rescue site in Trino, Vercelli province, Italy"

Thermoluminescence (TL) is a reliable radiation-based technique for the dating and authentication of ceramic objects, allowing the evaluation of the time elapsed since their last exposure to high temperatures (e.g. firing in kiln or later fire events). The TL laboratory developed in the last decade at the Physics Department of the University of Torino, currently operating within the INFN (National Institute of Nuclear Physics) CHNet network, is presented. The 10-years-long experience in the field resulted in the enhancement of the procedures, with the development of customised α and β irradiation systems and the optimisation of sampling approach and chemical pre-treatment. In collaboration with TecnArt S.r.l., the improved procedures were employed for dating two structures from a rescue archaeological site in the Vercelli province (Italy)

Carlo Cristini: un ricordo a più voci

Ricordo di Carlo Cristini quale ricercatore nell'ambito della psicologia dell'invecchiament

Abnormal DNA Methylation Induced by Hyperglycemia Reduces CXCR 4 Gene Expression in CD 34+ Stem Cells

Background CD 34+ stem/progenitor cells are involved in vascular homeostasis and in neovascularization of ischemic tissues. The number of circulating CD 34+ stem cells is a predictive biomarker of adverse cardiovascular outcomes in diabetic patients. Here, we provide evidence that hyperglycemia can be "memorized" by the stem cells through epigenetic changes that contribute to onset and maintenance of their dysfunction in diabetes mellitus. Methods and Results Cord-blood-derived CD 34+ stem cells exposed to high glucose displayed increased reactive oxygen species production, overexpression of p66shc gene, and downregulation of antioxidant genes catalase and manganese superoxide dismutase when compared with normoglycemic cells. This altered oxidative state was associated with impaired migration ability toward stromal-cell-derived factor 1 alpha and reduced protein and mRNA expression of the C-X-C chemokine receptor type 4 ( CXCR 4) receptor. The methylation analysis by bisulfite Sanger sequencing of the CXCR 4 promoter revealed a significant increase in DNA methylation density in high-glucose CD 34+ stem cells that negatively correlated with mRNA expression (Pearson r=-0.76; P=0.004). Consistently, we found, by chromatin immunoprecipitation assay, a more transcriptionally inactive chromatin conformation and reduced RNA polymerase II engagement on the CXCR 4 promoter. Notably, alteration of CXCR 4 DNA methylation, as well as transcriptional and functional defects, persisted in high-glucose CD 34+ stem cells despite recovery in normoglycemic conditions. Importantly, such an epigenetic modification was thoroughly confirmed in bone marrow CD 34+ stem cells isolated from sternal biopsies of diabetic patients undergoing coronary bypass surgery. Conclusions CD 34+ stem cells "memorize" the hyperglycemic environment in the form of epigenetic modifications that collude to alter CXCR 4 receptor expression and migration

Standard di Servizio delle Comunità Terapeutiche per l’Infanzia e l’Adolescenza. Adattamento alla cultura italiana degli standard prodotti dal programma di miglioramento di qualità “Community of Communities”

International audienceThe Italian translation and adaptation of The Service Standards for Therapeutic Communities for Children and Young People 2nd Edition. Edited by Community of Communities - John O’Sullivan & Sarah Paget The translation is the result of a joint work of the major Italian Associations involved in therapeutic communities for children and residential services for children and adolescents and a group of researcher at University of Palermo. It was now edited in Italy by A. Feruta, G. Foresti, M. Vigorelli on the handbook “Le comunità terapeutiche” (2012). In particular, the work of adapting the Community of Communities standards to the Italian culture has been developed through a comparison between the TC members of “Mito & Realtà” Association (past Presidents has been Enrico Pedriali and Giovanni Foresti and now leaded by Marta Vigorelli), particularly four TC “Rosa dei Venti”, “Gruppo Calimero”, “Lo Scarabocchio, “I Delfini”“, in the improvement group meetings at the Hospital “Niguarda Ca' Grande” in Milano, and some Sicilian Communities for children, in the supervision meetings conducted, by Raffaele Barone and Simone Bruschetta, within the activities of the “Laboratorio di Grouppoanalisi” Association. Associations Mito&Realtà, Il Nodo Group, TCTC (the new organization of the Association for Therapeutic Communities - London) and “Rosa dei venti” have realized in Italy a workhsop “learning living”, leaded by R.Hinselwood and Luca Mingarelli, that is part and item of the Manual. University of Palermo and Professor Francesca Giannone, with the help of Cinzia Guarnaccia, Isabella Giuliano and Olivia Marchese, have also realized a questionnaire based on the items of the Manual and are improving the assessment practice of TC by this questionnaire. The associations Mito&Realtà, Laboratorio di Gruppoanalisi and AIRSAM (Italian Association of Residence/resources for Mental Health – past President Raffaele Barone and Angelo Malinconico and now leaded by Marco D’Alema), are developing a joint programof peer accreditation of therapeutic communities and housing communities for children and adolescents, leaded by Simone Bruschetta and Francesca Giannone, on the model of the Community of Communities, in which will be used the standard translation and the questionnaire realized at University of Palermo. We have tried to remain as faithful as possible to the Community of Communities clinical sense, organizational and psychodynamic statements, while still trying to locate the huge experience behind the philosophy of the therapeutic community in the socio-political Italian context. In Italy, health work is heavily regulated within public institutions with their own competences that cover specific administrative services, different types of users and particular territorial areas. Especially in the health services to childhood, the institutional and legal powers that law administration attaches to families, public schools, social services of territorial competence and local health authorities, require an articulated taking charge, involving all these institutions, which is often added to the Juvenile Court of Justice, with its almost limitless powers of decree. For this reason, in chapter 5.4. of list (collaborating), we proposed two additional items (5.4.3 and 5.4.4), to 5.4.1 and 5.4.2, to better define the design mode of the clinical taking care by communities in Italian context and culture. These are the only items added to the text. Il Community of Communities (C. of C.) è un programma di miglioramento della qualità e di accreditamento tra pari per le Comunità Terapeutiche (CT), attivo nel Regno Unito, ma aperto anche a partecipazioni internazionali, avviato nel 2002 dal Royal College of Psychiatrist su iniziativa dell'Association of Therapeutic Communities (ATC). Il Community of Communities, in questi dieci anni di attività, ha costruito un network scientifico-professionale fondato su di una sere di programmi di miglioramento di qualità e di accreditamento tra pari e sviluppato dal College Centre for Quality Improvement (CCQI) del Royal College of Psychiatrist, che rappresenta una delle più importanti matrici socio-organizzative delle Best Practices sviluppate a livello internazionale sulle Comunità Terapeutiche. Fino ad oggi, il C. of C. ha prodotto diverse edizioni di Service-Standard per comunità terapeutiche specializzate nella cura in diversi setting istituzionali tra i quali due edizioni di Service-Standard per minori ed adolescenti. La seconda edizione curata da John O'Sullivan & Sarah Paget è quella qui tradotta ed adattata alla cultura italiana, con l’approvazione, nella sua stesura finale, del Community of Communities Project Team e del Community of Communities Children and Young People’s Reference Group.The translation is the result of a joint work of the major Italian Associations involved in therapeutic communities for children and residential services for children and adolescents and a group of researcher at University of Palermo. It was now edited in Italy by A. Feruta, G. Foresti, M. Vigorelli on the handbook “Le comunità terapeutiche” (2012).In particular, the work of adapting the Community of Communities standards to the Italian culture has been developed through a comparison between the TC members of “Mito & Realtà” Association (past Presidents has been Enrico Pedriali and Giovanni Foresti and now leaded by Marta Vigorelli), particularly four TC “Rosa dei Venti”, “Gruppo Calimero”, “Lo Scarabocchio, “I Delfini”“, in the improvement group meetings at the Hospital “Niguarda Ca' Grande” in Milano, and some Sicilian Communities for children, in the supervision meetings conducted, by Raffaele Barone and Simone Bruschetta, within the activities of the “Laboratorio di Grouppoanalisi” Association (past Presidenta has been Girolomo Lo Verso, Giuseppe Ruvolo and Corrado Pontalti and now leaded by Ugo Corino).Associations Mito&Realtà, Il Nodo Group, TCTC (the new organization of the Association for Therapeutic Communities - London) and “Rosa dei venti” have realized in Italy a workhsop “learning living”, leaded by R.Hinselwood and Luca Mingarelli, that is part and item of the Manual.University of Palermo and Professor Francesca Giannone, with the help of Cinzia Guarnaccia, Isabella Giuliano and Olivia Marchese, have also realized a questionnaire based on the items of the Manual and are improving the assessment practice of TC by this questionnaire.The associations Mito&Realtà, Laboratorio di Gruppoanalisi and AIRSAM (Italian Association of Residence/resources for Mental Health – past President Raffaele Barone and Angelo Malinconico and now leaded by Marco D’Alema), are developing a joint programof peer accreditation of therapeutic communities and housing communities for children and adolescents, leaded by Simone Bruschetta and Francesca Giannone, on the model of the Community of Communities, in which will be used the standard translation and the questionnaire realized at University of Palermo.We have tried to remain as faithful as possible to the Community of Communities clinical sense, organizational and psychodynamic statements, while still trying to locate the huge experience behind the philosophy of the therapeutic community in the socio-political Italian context. In Italy, health work is heavily regulated within public institutions with their own competences that cover specific administrative services, different types of users and particular territorial areas. Especially in the health services to childhood, the institutional and legal powers that law administration attaches to families, public schools, social services of territorial competence and local health authorities, require an articulated taking charge, involving all these institutions, which is often added to the Juvenile Court of Justice, with its almost limitless powers of decree. For this reason, in chapter 5.4. of list (collaborating), we proposed two additional items (5.4.3 and 5.4.4), to 5.4.1 and 5.4.2, to better define the design mode of the clinical taking care by communities in Italian context and culture. These are the only items added to the text

Adattamento Italiano degli Standard di Servizio delle Comunità Terapeutiche per l’Infanzia e l’Adolescenza

Il Community of Communities (C. of C.) è un programma di miglioramento della qualità e di accreditamento tra pari per le Comunità Terapeutiche (CT), attivo nel Regno Unito, ma aperto anche a partecipazioni internazionali, avviato nel 2002 dal Royal College of Psychiatrist su iniziativa dell’Association of Therapeutic Communities (ATC). Il Community of Communities, in questi dieci anni di attività, ha costruito un network scientifico-professionale fondato su di una sere di programmi di miglioramento di qualità e di accreditamento tra pari e sviluppato dal College Centre for Quality Improvement (CCQI) del Royal College of Psychiatrist, che rappresenta una delle più importanti matrici socio-organizzative delle Best Practices sviluppate a livello internazionale sulle Comunità Terapeutiche. Fino ad oggi, il C. of C. ha prodotto diverse edizioni di Service-Standard per comunità terapeutiche specializzate nella cura in diversi setting istituzionali tra i quali due edizioni di Service-Standard per minori ed adolescenti. La seconda edizione curata da John O’Sullivan & Sarah Paget è quella qui tradotta ed adattata alla cultura italiana, con l’approvazione, nella sua stesura finale, del Community of Communities Project Team e del Community of Communities Children and Young People’s Reference Group