LE BIOBANCHE DI EMBRIONI. DAL DIVIETO ALLA GOVERNANCE.

ABSTRACT LE BIOBANCHE DI EMBRIONI. DAL DIVIETO ALLA GOVERNANCE CANDIDATA: Francesca Pepe L’obiettivo del presente lavoro è analizzare il complesso universo costituito dai trattamenti di procreazione medicalmente assistita, e il tortuoso percorso che ha condotto alla sua attuale, seppur disomogenea e deficitaria, regolamentazione. Si tratta di un argomento problematico e delicato, se si considera la grande portata degli interessi in gioco: diritti fondamentali – salute, autodeterminazione, integrità fisica, procreazione, uguaglianza, vita – degli individui coinvolti, esigenze ineludibili degli ordinamenti giuridici – salvaguardia della salute e dell’ordine pubblici – e opportunità scientificamente e socialmente rilevanti. L’analisi muove, inizialmente, dalle origini storiche dei trattamenti di PMA e dalle tappe che hanno portato alla scoperta e al perfezionamento delle tecniche tuttora utilizzate per la soluzione ai problemi d’infertilità e sterilità umana. La medicina, infatti, dai primi esperimenti di Lazzaro Spallanzani alla nascita di Louise Brown – primo essere umano nato “in provetta” – ha compiuto, nel volgere di poco più di due secoli, progressi notevoli ed inimmaginabili. Le nuove scoperte della ricerca, però, hanno imposto un adeguato, e sovente poco tempestivo, intervento normativo da parte del legislatore, al fine di prevedere una disciplina precisa e puntuale di ogni aspetto da esse coinvolto. La legge italiana n.40 del 2004 ha cercato, con alterne fortune, di disciplinare l’eterogenea materia delle tecniche di PMA in Italia. Ma, mentre la disciplina prevista a livello internazionale e comunitario apriva crescenti possibilità per i soggetti potenzialmente interessati ai trattamenti, la normativa italiana poneva ingiustificati ed illogici ostacoli all’accesso a tali tecniche. Alcuni di essi, come quello relativo al divieto di utilizzo degli embrioni per fini di ricerca medica e scientifica, permangono ancora oggi. Molti altri sono stati,successivamente, rimossi dalle pronunce della Corte Costituzionale – con le sentenze n.151/2009 e 162/2014 – e dei Tribunali Amministrativi (come la sentenza n.398/2008 del Tar del Lazio). In particolare, la dichiarazione d’illegittimità costituzionale del divieto di fecondazione eterologa, di cui all’art. 4 comma 3 della legge 40, ha messo in evidenza un altro aspetto della materia che necessita di regolamentazione: la conservazione degli embrioni. Sebbene si tratti di un elemento costitutivo della PMA che nasce molto prima della sentenza 162/2014 della Consulta – poiché la conservazione degli embrioni soprannumerari diviene possibile sin dalla scoperta delle tecniche di congelamento –, esso diventa un vero e proprio problema nel momento in cui si apre alla possibilità di donare a soggetti terzi, lecitamente e gratuitamente, i propri materiali biologici da riproduzione. Numerose sono, difatti, le implicazioni di natura etica e sociale che tale possibilità porta con sé: requisiti e condizioni per la donazione, rapporti giuridici tra donante e soggetto nato, tempi e modalità di conservazione del materiale biologico, tutela della privacy dell’individuo, modalità di prestazione e ricezione del consenso nonché caratteristiche e prerequisiti della struttura che si occupa della conservazione stessa, la biobanca di embrioni. Dopo aver esaminato la disciplina oggi prevista dall’ordinamento italiano e dalle fonti di diritto comunitario – Decisioni e Direttive del Consiglio d’Europa – sulla donazione di gameti e sulle biobanche di embrioni, la presente tesi si concentra, nella sua parte conclusiva, sulle lacune in essa ravvisabili e sulle possibilità di delineare una normativa nuova, più omogenea e flessibile, la quale, pur mettendo al centro dei suoi obiettivi la tutela dell’embrione quale entità emblematica dell’essenza umana, possa costituire un valido e funzionale compromesso tra tutti gli interessi coinvolti

María Luisa Regueiro Rodríguez: “La meronimia”. Madrid, Arco/Libros, 2018, 96 págs. ISBN: 978-84-7635-968-6.

Es una reseña de la obra: María Luisa Regueiro Rodríguez: “La meronimia”. Madrid, Arco/Libros, 2018, 96 págs. ISBN: 978-84-7635-968-6.It´s a review of the work: María Luisa Regueiro Rodríguez: “La meronimia”. Madrid, Arco/Libros, 2018, 96 págs. ISBN: 978-84-7635-968-6

beyond the orthodoxy of new public management the outcome evaluation in the italian strategic cities

Collaboration is still being debated in public management studies. As specific way of creating public value, the collaborative working is mainly encouraged by the austerity, that implies putting resources together, not only the financial ones. Hence, new forms of service integration are asked in order to improve public service delivery in a more efficient and effectiveness way. Even if public administrations have embraced this trend, the focus adopted is mainly oriented to the planning and the programming approach rather than to the evaluation phase. What is the outcome of public service delivered through a collaborative approach? What is the outcome evaluation of the collaborative process? These kinds of outcome are evaluated? This study aims at investigating which kind of outcome is outlined by the Italian Strategic Cities in their collaborative strategic planning for cultural services delivery. As a main finding, the research extends the knowledge on the outcome evaluation of the collaboration in terms of process and in terms of impact of public services delivered

An Atypical Presentation of Extragenital Lichen Sclerosus et Atrophicus

open6noLichen Sclerosus et Atrophicus is a chronic inflammatory,invalidating disorder mainly involving the anogenital skin. Extragenital lesions are uncommon, occurring asmultiple, oval, porcelain-white macules, or papules. Whenpresent, they are mostly observed on the superior trunk, axillae, buttocks, and extremities, following Blaschko lines.openSabina Vaccari, Alessia Barisani, Francesca Pepe, Carlotta Baraldi, Bianca Maria Piraccini, Valeria GaspariSabina Vaccari, Alessia Barisani, Francesca Pepe, Carlotta Baraldi, Bianca Maria Piraccini, Valeria Gaspar

Fifty Years of PMV Model: Reliability, Implementation and Design of Software for Its Calculation

In most countries, PMV is the reference index for the assessment of thermal comfort conditions in mechanically conditioned environments. It is also the basis to settle input values of the operative temperature for heating and cooling load calculations, sizing of equipment, and energy calculations according to EN 16798-1 and 16798-2 Standards. Over the years, great effort has been spent to study the reliability of PMV, whereas few investigations were addressed to its calculation. To study this issue, the most significant apps devoted to its calculation have been compared with a reference software compliant with EN ISO 7730 and the well-known ASHRAE Thermal Comfort Tool. It has been revealed that only few apps consider all six variables responsible for the thermal comfort. Relative air velocity is not considered by ASHRAE Thermal Comfort Tool and, finally, the correction of basic insulation values due to body movements introduced by EN ISO 7730 and EN ISO 9920 Standards has only been considered in one case. This implies that most software and apps for the calculation of PMV index should be used with special care, especially by unexperienced users. This applies to both research and application fields

Pigmented Nodular Basal Cell Carcinomas in Differential Diagnosis with Nodular Melanomas: Confocal Microscopy as a Reliable Tool for In Vivo Histologic Diagnosis

Nodular basal cell carcinoma, especially when pigmented, can be in differential diagnosis with nodular melanomas, clinically and dermoscopically. Reflectance confocal microscopy is a relatively new imaging technique that permits to evaluate in vivo skin tumors with a nearly histological resolution. Here, we present four cases of challenging nodular lesions where confocal microscopy was able to clarify the diagnosis

Modulation of thymidilate synthase and p53 expression by HDAC inhibitor vorinostat resulted in synergistic antitumor effect in combination with 5FU or raltitrexed.

Despite the introduction of several novel anticancer agents almost 50% of colorectal cancer (CRC) patients die for cancer suggesting the necessity of new therapeutical approaches. In this study we demonstrated that the HDAC inhibitor vorinostat exerted potent antiproliferative effect in a panel of mut- and wt-p53 human CRC cell lines. Moreover, in combination with 5-fluorouracil modulated by folinic acid (5FU-FA) or with Raltitrexed (RTX), both commonly used in the treatment of this disease, it showed a clear schedule-dependent synergistic antiproliferative interaction as demonstrated by calculating combination indexes. Only simultaneous, or 24 h pretreatment with vorinostat followed by either agent, produced synergistic effect paralleled by evident cell cycle perturbations with major S-phase arrest. Moreover, we provided for the first time evidences that vorinostat can overcome resistance to both 5FU and RTX. Downmodulation of Thymidilate synthase (TS) protein induced by vorinostat within 24 h, represented a key factor in enhancing the effects of both drugs in sensitive as well as resistant tumor cells. Furthermore, p53, whose wild-type expression is critical for sensitivity to 5FU and RTX, was upregulated by vorinostat in wt- and downregulated in mut-p53 cells, suggesting an additional mechanism of the antiproliferative synergistic interactions observed. Overall these data add new insights in the mechanism of vorinostat antitumor effect and suggested that the association of vorinostat plus 5FU-FA and/or RTX should be clinically explored

New 3D cone beam CT imaging parameters to assist the dentist in treating patients with Osteogenesis Imperfecta

(1) Background: The aim of the work is to identify some imaging parameters in osteogenesis imperfecta to assist the dentist in the diagnosis, planning, and orthodontic treatment of Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI) using 3D cone beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) and the Double Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA) technique. (2) Methods: 14 patients (9 males and 5 females; aged mean ± SD 15 ± 1.5) with a clinical-radiological diagnosis of OI were analyzed and divided into mild and moderate to severe forms. The patients’ samples were compared with a control group of 14 patients (8 males and 6 females; aged mean ± SD 15 ± 1.7), free from osteoporotic pathologies. (3) Results: The statistical analysis allowed us to collect four datasets: in the first dataset (C1 sick population vs. C1 healthy population), the t-test showed a p-value < 0.0001; in the second dataset (C2 sick population vs. C2 healthy population), the t-test showed a p-value < 0.0001; in the third dataset (parameter X of the sick population vs. parameter X of the healthy population), the t-test showed a p-value < 0.0001; in the fourth dataset the bone mineralometry (BMD) value detected by the DEXA technique compared to the C2 value of the OI affected population only) the Welch–Satterthwaite test showed a p-value < 0.0001. (4) Conclusions: The research has produced specific imaging parameters that assist the dentist in making diagnostic decisions in OI patients. This study shows that patients with OI have a characteristic chin-bearing symphysis, thinned, and narrowed towards the center, configuring it with a constant “hourglass” appearance, not reported so far in the literature by any author

Citrus sinensis and Vitis vinifera Protect Cardiomyocytes from Doxorubicin-Induced Oxidative Stress: Evaluation of Onconutraceutical Potential of Vegetable Smoothies

The interest towards nutraceuticals able to counteract drug side effects is continuously growing in current chemotherapeutic protocols. In the present study, we demonstrated that smoothies containing mixtures of Citrus sinensis and Vitis vinifera L. cv. Aglianico N, two typical fruits of the Mediterranean diet, possess bioactive polyphenols that protect cardiomyocytes against doxorubicin-induced oxidative stress. The polyphenolic extracts isolated from Citrus sinensis- and Vitis vinifera-based functional smoothies were deeply characterized by Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry methods. Subsequently, the functional smoothies and relative mixtures were tested to verify their ability to affect cellular viability and oxidative stress parameters in embryonic cardiomyocyte cells (H9c2), and human breast adenocarcinoma cell line (MCF-7) exposed to doxorubicin. Interestingly, we found that the mix resulting from Citrus sinensis and Vitis vinifera association in ratio 1:1 was able to reduce cardiomyocytes damage induced by anthracyclines, without significantly interfering with the pro-apoptotic activity of the drug on breast cancer cells. These results point out the potential use of vegetable smoothies as adjuvants functional foods for chemotherapeutic anticancer protocols