Young people and the future: sustainable consumerism and responsible tourism

Trattando del futuro dell'umanità e del pianeta, concetti come "rischio" e "sostenibilità" sono ultimamente divenuti oggetto comune di discussione. Ma quanto i giovani sono veramente consapevoli di questo problema? Con quanta ansia lo affrontano? Quanto criticamente valutano questo fenomeno? Come si comportano nella vita quotidiana e come tutto ciò influenza le loro decisioni riguardo il consumo e il turismo? Per rispondere a questi interrogativi, abbiamo condotto una ricerca che costituisce l’oggetto del presente saggio. Il campione analizzato è costituito da 470 studenti dell’Università IULM di Milano, scelti con le stesse caratteristiche del campione utilizzato per una precedente ricerca sullo stesso tema condotta sempre dal nostro gruppo e sempre sugli studenti IULM, 20 anni prima, nel 1983. Nello specifico, la finalità della ricerca era duplice. Il primo scopo era quello di verificare se, nei giovani, esiste una corrispondenza fra la loro visione del mondo e la percezione del futuro in genere da un lato, un comportamento responsabile di fronte ai rischi principali in cui incorre il nostro pianeta, dall’altro. In particolare, nella prima parte della ricerca, abbiamo analizzato che cosa significano per I giovani sostenibilità e turismo sostenibile. Il secondo scopo era quello di confrontare gli atteggiamenti e i comportamenti dei giovani del 2003 con quelli emersi dai risultati della ricerca svolta nel 1983 e di analizzare i cambiamenti avvenuti nel ventennio intercorso.Risk and sustainability in terms of the future of man and our planet have become popular topics for discussion of late. In particular with regard to the future of humanity. However, to what extent are young Italians really aware of this problem? How anxious are they when faced with it? How do they evaluate critical phenomena? And how do they behave in everyday life, and how does it affect their decisions concerning consumption and tourism? Using these questions as a point of departure, we carried out a research project that is the subject of this essay. The sample group of the study was composed of 470 students from IULM University in Milan, and presented the same characteristics as the similar research project of 1983 carried out by our team on the same subject. The purpose of our research was twofold. The first was to see if, in young people, there is a correspondence between their vision of the world and perception of the future in general on the one hand, and responsible behaviour with respect to the main dangers we encounter in our world on the other. In particular, in one part of our investigation, we analyzed what sustainability and sustainable tourism mean for young people. The second purpose was to compare the attitudes and behaviour of the young people of 2003 with the results of the previous study of 1983, and analyse the changes

“Gestione manifestazioni psicotiche associate a disturbi bipolari - focus su gli antipsicotici atipici”, Società Italiana di Neuropsicofarmacologia (SINPF), Torino 3-6 giugno 2014. Co-relatori: Marco Vaggi, Carlo Ignazio Cattaneo, Raffaella Ada Colombo.

Psicosi affettiv

Central nervous system involvement in systemic lupus erythematosus: a new therapeutic approach with intrathecal dexamethasone and methotrexate.

In systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), neurological involvement has been reported to occur with frequencies ranging from 14% (severe cases) to 83% (mild forms included). In spite of early diagnosis and aggressive treatment, neuropsychiatric SLE may represent a serious problem of management. We describe three cases, one with acute transverse myelitis, one with hemiparesis, and one with signs of focal and diffuse cerebral dysfunction, in whom improvement following intrathecal therapy with methotrexate and dexamethasone was observed

Molecular pathways undergoing dramatic transcriptomic changes during tumor development in the human colon

Abstract Background The malignant transformation of precancerous colorectal lesions involves progressive alterations at both the molecular and morphologic levels, the latter consisting of increases in size and in the degree of cellular atypia. Analyzing preinvasive tumors of different sizes can therefore shed light on the sequence of these alterations. Methods We used a molecular pathway-based approach to analyze transcriptomic profiles of 59 colorectal tumors representing early and late preinvasive stages and the invasive stage of tumorigenesis. Random set analysis was used to identify biological pathways enriched for genes differentially regulated in tumors (compared with 59 samples of normal mucosa). Results Of the 880 canonical pathways we investigated, 112 displayed significant tumor-related upregulation or downregulation at one or more stages of tumorigenesis. This allowed us to distinguish between pathways whose dysregulation is probably necessary throughout tumorigenesis and those whose involvement specifically drives progression from one stage to the next. We were also able to pinpoint specific changes within each gene set that seem to play key roles at each transition. The early preinvasive stage was characterized by cell-cycle checkpoint activation triggered by DNA replication stress and dramatic downregulation of basic transmembrane signaling processes that maintain epithelial/stromal homeostasis in the normal mucosa. In late preinvasive lesions, there was also downregulation of signal transduction pathways (e.g., those mediated by G proteins and nuclear hormone receptors) involved in cell differentiation and upregulation of pathways governing nuclear envelope dynamics and the G2>M transition in the cell cycle. The main features of the invasive stage were activation of the G1>S transition in the cell cycle, upregulated expression of tumor-promoting microenvironmental factors, and profound dysregulation of metabolic pathways (e.g., increased aerobic glycolysis, downregulation of pathways that metabolize drugs and xenobiotics). Conclusions Our analysis revealed specific pathways whose dysregulation might play a role in each transition of the transformation process. This is the first study in which such an approach has been used to gain further insights into colorectal tumorigenesis. Therefore, these data provide a launchpad for further exploration of the molecular characterization of colorectal tumorigenesis using systems biology approaches.</p

The expression of leucine-rich repeat gene family members in colorectal cancer

This study was conducted to evaluate the association of the leucine-rich repeat (LRR) gene family with colorectal cancer (CRC). The expression of members of the LRR gene family were analyzed in 17 CRC specimens and in 59 healthy colorectal tissues by using Human Exon1.0ST microarray, and in 25 CRC specimens and 32 healthy colorectal tissues by U133Plus2.0 microarray. An association was found for 25 genes belonging to the plant-specific (PS) class of LRR genes (P = 0.05 for Exon1.0 ST and P = 0.04 for U133Plus2.0). In both data-sets, in CRC, we found down-regulation of SHOC2 (P < 0.00003) and LRRC28 (P < 0.01) and up-regulation of LRSAM1 (P < 0.000001), while up-regulation of MFHAS1 (P = 0.0005) and down-regulation of WDFY3 (P = 0.026) were found only in the Exon1.0 ST data-set. The PS LLR gene class encodes proteins that activate immune cells and might play a key role in programmed cell death and autophagy. SHOC2 and LRRC28 genes involved in RAS-mediated signaling, which hinders nutrient deprivation-induced autophagy, might be a possible link between the negative control of autophagy and tumorigenesis

Molecular pathways undergoing dramatic transcriptomic changes during tumor development in the human colon

BACKGROUND: The malignant transformation of precancerous colorectal lesions involves progressive alterations at both the molecular and morphologic levels, the latter consisting of increases in size and in the degree of cellular atypia. Analyzing preinvasive tumors of different sizes can therefore shed light on the sequence of these alterations. METHODS: We used a molecular pathway-based approach to analyze transcriptomic profiles of 59 colorectal tumors representing early and late preinvasive stages and the invasive stage of tumorigenesis. Random set analysis was used to identify biological pathways enriched for genes differentially regulated in tumors (compared with 59 samples of normal mucosa). RESULTS: Of the 880 canonical pathways we investigated, 112 displayed significant tumor-related upregulation or downregulation at one or more stages of tumorigenesis. This allowed us to distinguish between pathways whose dysregulation is probably necessary throughout tumorigenesis and those whose involvement specifically drives progression from one stage to the next. We were also able to pinpoint specific changes within each gene set that seem to play key roles at each transition. The early preinvasive stage was characterized by cell-cycle checkpoint activation triggered by DNA replication stress and dramatic downregulation of basic transmembrane signaling processes that maintain epithelial/stromal homeostasis in the normal mucosa. In late preinvasive lesions, there was also downregulation of signal transduction pathways (e.g., those mediated by G proteins and nuclear hormone receptors) involved in cell differentiation and upregulation of pathways governing nuclear envelope dynamics and the G2>M transition in the cell cycle. The main features of the invasive stage were activation of the G1>S transition in the cell cycle, upregulated expression of tumor-promoting microenvironmental factors, and profound dysregulation of metabolic pathways (e.g., increased aerobic glycolysis, downregulation of pathways that metabolize drugs and xenobiotics). CONCLUSIONS: Our analysis revealed specific pathways whose dysregulation might play a role in each transition of the transformation process. This is the first study in which such an approach has been used to gain further insights into colorectal tumorigenesis. Therefore, these data provide a launchpad for further exploration of the molecular characterization of colorectal tumorigenesis using systems biology approaches

Exploring influences on food choice in a large population sample: The Italian Taste project

Food choice is influenced by many interacting factors in humans. Its multidimensional and complex nature is well recognized, particularly within the sensory and consumer food science field. However, the vast majority of the studies aimed at understanding determinants of food choices, preferences, and eating behaviours are affected by important limitations: the limited number of factors that are considered at once and the sample size. Furthermore, sensory and hedonic responses to actual food stimuli are often not included in such studies. The Italian Taste project is a large-scale study (three thousand respondents in three years) launched by the Italian Sensory Science Society aimed at addressing these limitations by exploring the associations among a variety of measures – biological, genetic, physiological, psychological and personality-related, socio-cultural – describing the dimensions of food liking, preference, behaviour and choice, and their relevance in determining individual differences within a given food culture framework. In addition, the study includes also the collection of sensory and hedonic responses to actual food stimuli commonly consumed in Italy and prepared to elicit a variation in the strength (from weak to strong) of bitterness, sweetness, saltiness, sourness, pungency, umami and astringency. The aims of the present paper are twofold. Firstly, the paper is aimed to illustrate the variables selected to explore the different dimensions of food choice and to report the experimental procedure adopted for data collection. Secondly, the paper is aimed at showing the potential of the Italian Taste dataset on the basis of the data collected in the first year of the project. For the purpose, we selected a small number of variables known to influence food choices from data collected in the first year of the project on 1225 individuals

Giustizia e letteratura I

The book explores and links different cultures, disciplines and perspectives, with a much more original and broad approach to the relations between \u201cJustice\u201d and \u201cLiterature\u201d than more traditional works focused on \u201cLaw\u201d and \u201cLiterature\u201d topics. The many contributions from writers, literary critics, and criminal law scholars, build a complex and interdisciplinary path through primary works of Italian and international literature, with the aim of prompting readers\u2019 reflections about core issues related to law, crime, and responsibility. Through the analysis of masterpieces of literature, theatre, music and cinema, this book aims at stimulating a dialogue and debate, as well as the critical ability and the sense of justice, amongst both law professionals and citizens at large. Literature and the other narrative arts are presented here as the key to approach long-standing questions about (amongst other) juridical formalism and equity; law and ethics; responsibility, culpability and forgiveness; rules, legality and how people relate to these concepts; the value of narration as a strategy to resist injustice and to seek justice; and so on. Through this quest for justice in literature and arts, the book proposes a wider cultural and research project which defies traditional formalistic and retributive approaches to criminal law, in order to open new perspectives for restorative and reintegrative strategies