Public Engagement, Local Policies, and Citizens' Participation: An Italian Case Study of Civic Collaboration

Since the 1990s, the theme of participation has come to the fore in international debates regarding at least three critical issues: the relationship between representative democracy and deliberative democracy and the possibility of citizens' empowerment through their involvement in policy making; the role of communication and of digital media in promoting new forms of participation; the feeling of disaffection toward politics and of democratic deficit. What we observe is a proliferation of experiences of both bottom-up and top-down enhanced forms of civic engagement. Our article focuses on " public engagement ." We analyze the civic collaboration policy promoted by the Municipality of Bologna (Italy) in the frame of "collaborative governance" of the commons, based on civic involvement and governance transparency. Civic collaboration is characterized by a mixed communication ecology. We focus on the inclusiveness of this form of public engagement with local policies and on the role of digital media in supporting citizen's engagement. Civic collaboration emerges as a new, interesting frontier in top-down enhanced participation in local policies. We are currently witnessing some promising changes in the boundaries of participation, in civic practices and competencies. In conclusion, we argue that the concreteness of the projects of civic collaboration can enhance citizens' trust in the municipal administration, but we wonder whether it is likely to become a substitute for fuller citizen participation in local governance and whether it could also foster a removal of the controversial dimension of the political

Civic Collaboration and Urban Commons. Citizen's Voices on a Public Engagement Experience in an Italian City

The article focuses on "public engagement" and recent modifications in citizen participation through a case study regarding the "collaborative governance" of urban commons in the city of Bologna (Italy). Civic collaboration is an experimental partnership which is being implemented between public administrations and citizens in order to develop, treat and reuse commons with a view to improving the quality of life in cities. The goal of the project is to understand whether, and how, civic collaboration is also transforming citizen participation in local public policies. This article presents the results of research which was performed by interviewing citizens who are involved in the collaborative governance of urban commons. This contribution aims to connect the literature regarding "open government" and its impact on participation with the consolidated debate regarding the role of culture in the conception of citizenship and civic engagement and, as a consequence, in the effectiveness of collaborative governance. Particular attention was paid to citizen engagement, and to the role performed by both public and private platforms and digital media

Contested novel ecosystems: Socio-ecological processes and evidence from Italy

open4noIn the context of contemporary global climate and environmental change, both natural and social scientists have stressed the role green areas play in global warming adaptation strategies and in improving the healthiness of the urban environment. Indeed, in recent years these spaces have become central to institutional political debates and various policies have been designed for their valorization. However, little attention has been paid to rewilded urban spaces, recently defined as novel urban ecosystems, and to their socio-ecological complexity. By adopting an interdisciplinary approach that links natural and social science perspectives, this article aims to highlight the role of novel urban ecosystems in the reconfiguration of urban policies. Indeed, this contribution analyzes ecosystem services coupled with the hybrid, contested socio-ecological nature of four case studies in Italy characterized by grassroots socio-environmental mobilization. Data were collected through comparative quantitative and qualitative methods. The evidence shows that the specific ecological features of novel urban ecosystems are strategic in terms of actual and potential ecosystem service provision for cities and suggests that citizens play a fundamental role in recognizing and valorizing them. In parallel, these spaces, reconceptualized as contested novel ecosystems, emerge as controversial hybrid urban socio-natures that enable community empowerment and produce a heterogeneous, grassroots political space oriented towards urban commons and environmental-climate justiceopenTrentanovi, Giovanni; Zinzani, Andrea; Bartoletti, Roberta; Montanari, FedericoTrentanovi, Giovanni; Zinzani, Andrea; Bartoletti, Roberta; Montanari, Federic

Incorporation of anti-PD1 or anti PD-L1 agents to platinum-based chemotherapy for the primary treatment of advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer. A meta-analysis

Endometrial cancer; ImmunotherapyCàncer d'endometri; ImmunoteràpiaCáncer de endometrio; InmunoterapiaImportance Various randomized trials have explored the efficacy of combining immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) with first-line chemotherapy in advanced endometrial cancer. We aimed to summarize available data and clarify the benefit of adding immunotherapy according to the DNA mismatch repair status (deficient, dMMR or proficient, pMMR) and the specific type of agent used (anti-PD1 or anti-PD-L1). Objective To assess whether the addition of ICIs to standard platinum-based chemotherapy enhances progression-free survival (PFS) for patients with advanced endometrial cancer both overall and based on DNA mismatch repair status. Data sources Electronic databases (PubMed, Embase and Cochrane Library) and conference proceedings were searched for first line, randomized and controlled trials integrating ICIs with chemotherapy for the treatment of advanced endometrial cancer published or presented by November 1, 2023. Study selection Five studies, comprising 2456 patients (1308 received ICIs with chemotherapy and 1148 treated with chemotherapy alone) met the selection criteria and were included in the analysis. Experimental arms included pembrolizumab, dostarlimab (anti-PD1) and durvalumab, atezolizumab and avelumab (anti-PD-L1) combined with standard three-weekly carboplatin-paclitaxel chemotherapy backbone. Endometrial carcinosarcoma were included in 3 out of 5 trials. Data extraction and synthesis For comparison of PFS outcomes, extrapolation of hazard ratios (HRs), 95% confidence intervals (CI) and PFS events was performed for each included study in the overall population and according to subgroups. Data analysis was conducted using a random-effects model. Results The addition of ICIs to chemotherapy improved PFS compared to chemotherapy alone in the overall population (pooled HR, 0.63; 95 % CI, 0.52––0.76; P <.001). In the dMMR subgroup the benefit was more pronounced (pooled HR, 0.34; 95 % CI, 0.27––0.44; P <.001) and not affected by drugs used with pooled HRs of 0.39 (95 % CI, 0.28––0.55; P <.001) and 0.34 (95 % CI, 0.27––0.44; P <.001) for PD-L1 and PD1 inhibitors, respectively. For pMMR patients, a statistically significant benefit in terms of PFS was confirmed only when anti-PD1 were used (anti-PD-1: HR 0.64, 95 % CI: 0.46–0.90, P =.010 vs anti-PD-L1: HR 0.87, 95 % CI: 0.73–1.03, P =.104) Conclusions and relevance This meta-analysis confirmed the advantage in terms of PFS of adding ICIs to standard platinum-based chemotherapy. While dMMR patients benefit from the incorporation of both anti PD-1 or anti PD-L1, this benefit is confined to the association of anti-PD1 agents in pMMR patients. Updated analysis of trials is awaited to clarify the impact of immunotherapy on overall survival

The Efficacy of Umbelliferone, Arbutin, and N-Acetylcysteine to Prevent Microbial Colonization and Biofilm Development on Urinary Catheter Surface: Results from a Preliminary Study

We evaluated, in a preliminary study, the efficacy of umbelliferone, arbutin, and N-acetylcysteine to inhibit biofilm formation on urinary catheter. We used 20 urinary catheters: 5 catheters were incubated with Enterococcus faecalis (control group); 5 catheters were incubated with E. faecalis in presence of umbelliferone (150 mg), arbutin (60 mg), and N-acetylcysteine (150 mg) (group 1); 5 catheters were incubated with E. faecalis in presence of umbelliferone (150 mg), arbutin (60 mg), and N-acetylcysteine (400 mg) (group 2); and 5 catheters were incubated with E. faecalis in presence of umbelliferone (300 mg), arbutin (60 mg), and N-acetylcysteine (150 mg) (group 3). After 72 hours, planktonic microbial growth and microorganisms on catheter surface were assessed. In the control group, we found a planktonic load of ≥105 CFU/mL in the inoculation medium and retrieved 3.69 × 106 CFU/cm from the sessile cells adherent to the catheter surface. A significantly lower amount in planktonic (p < 0.001) and sessile (p = 0.004) bacterial load was found in group 3, showing <100 CFU/mL and 0.12 × 106 CFU/cm in the incubation medium and on the catheter surface, respectively. In groups 1 and 2, 1.67 × 106 CFU/cm and 1.77 × 106 CFU/cm were found on catheter surface. Our results document that umbelliferone, arbutin, and N-acetylcysteine are able to reduce E. faecalis biofilm development on the surface of urinary catheters

HmtDB, a genomic resource for mitochondrion-based human variability studies

HmtDB (http://www.hmtdb.uniba.it:8080/hmdb) is a open resource created to support population genetics and mitochondrial disease studies. The database hosts human mitochondrial genome sequences annotated with population and variability data, the latter being estimated through the application of the SiteVar software based on site-specific nucleotide and amino acid variability calculations. The annotations are manually curated thus adding value to the quality of the information provided to the end-user. Classifier tools implemented in HmtDB allow the prediction of the haplogroup for any human mitochondrial genome currently stored in HmtDB or externally submitted de novo by an end-user. Haplogroup definition is based on the Phylotree system. End-users accessing HmtDB are hence allowed to (i) browse the database through the use of a multi-criterion ‘query’ system; (ii) analyze their own human mitochondrial sequences via the ‘classify’ tool (for complete genomes) or by downloading the ‘fragment-classifier’ tool (for partial sequences); (iii) download multi-alignments with reference genomes as well as variability data

Civic Collaboration and Urban Commons. Citizen's Voices on a Public Engagement Experience in an Italian City

The article focuses on "public engagement" and recent modifications in citizen participation through a case study regarding the "collaborative governance" of urban commons in the city of Bologna (Italy). Civic collaboration is an experimental partnership which is being implemented between public administrations and citizens in order to develop, treat and reuse commons with a view to improving the quality of life in cities. The goal of the project is to understand whether, and how, civic collaboration is also transforming citizen participation in local public policies. This article presents the results of research which was performed by interviewing citizens who are involved in the collaborative governance of urban commons. This contribution aims to connect the literature regarding "open government" and its impact on participation with the consolidated debate regarding the role of culture in the conception of citizenship and civic engagement and, as a consequence, in the effectiveness of collaborative governance. Particular attention was paid to citizen engagement, and to the role performed by both public and private platforms and digital media

Orti e giardini collettivi: pratiche grassroots e politiche urbane

The Author focus on the recent resurgence of urban gardening in Western cities and on the effects of this grassroots cultural and social innovation on the evolution of urban public policies. Traditionally vegetable gardens (allotments) are associated to popular classes and subsistence economy, but recently we register a new movement in collective and critical gardening that redesign their identity, purposes and meanings. The analysis focus on three case studies of innovative urban policies: the pioneering experience of community gardens in New York City and the Green Thumb municipality program; the Main Verte shared gardens program (jardins partagés) of the municipality of Paris (France); and the public program of «social » allotments for elderly people of the municipality of Bologna (Italy), recently reformed in order to open the policy to all citizens and generations. The aim is to analyse challenges, opportunities and problems for urban public policies interested in a dialogue with grassroots practices in collective and critical gardening

Consumi, sostenibilità ed etica ambientale

La sostenibilità dei consumi è una preoccupazione al centro degli studi sociologici da diversi decenni, e le relazioni tra consumi e ambiente stanno conquistando una rilevanza crescente, a fronte della consapevolezza delle conseguenze della crisi ecologica e climatica. La società dei consumi è una configurazione socioculturale, economica e tecnologica che si è affermata nel corso di diversi secoli e che oggi possiamo considerare ormai matura. Già nella seconda metà del Novecento è stata criticata in quanto società dello spreco, di un’abbondanza superflua che presuppone uno sfruttamento dell’ambiente naturale. Ma è proprio la centralità dei consumi nelle nostre vite a renderli oggi uno strumento non marginale per ripensare il nostro rapporto con quello che concepiamo come ambiente naturale, anche se in forme paradossali, e pur nell’ambito di retoriche che assegnano all’individuo una responsabilità eccessiva, a fronte di fattori strutturali che non sono pienamente sotto il suo controllo. Nel capitolo contribuiamo alla riflessione sulle forme attuali del rapporto tra consumo ed etica ambientale con una ricerca qualitativa sulla relazione tra consumi e crisi ecologica realizzata nel 2021 in Italia nell’ambito di un workshop con gli studenti magistrali di Sociologia dei consumi dell’Università di Urbino Carlo Bo