Between Constraints and Coercion. Marriage and Social Reproduction in Northern and Central Italy, 18th-19th Centuries

In this paper we review the main theories of household and marriage systems, highlighting their inability to account for the astonishing variety of family and marriage patterns that characterized modern Italy. We propose a new interpretative framework, where social reproduction is given pride of place as the main factor shaping marital behavior and household formation in the past. We test our theory analyzing five populations in northern and central Italy, characterized by different ecological, economic, and social conditions. We use an event history analysis approach to model the timing of marriage in the populations under study. The results confirm that coercion mattered much more than Malthusian economic constraints. We conclude suggesting a more general application of our approach to the study of marital behavior, family formation, and residential patterns in the past

Renal progenitors derived from human iPSCs engraft and restore function in a mouse model of acute kidney injury

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is one of the most relevant health issues, leading to millions of deaths. The magnitude of the phenomenon remarks the urgent need for innovative and effective therapeutic approaches. Cell-based therapy with renal progenitor cells (RPCs) has been proposed as a possible strategy. Studies have shown the feasibility of directing embryonic stem cells or induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSCs) towards nephrogenic intermediate mesoderm and metanephric mesenchyme (MM). However, the functional activity of iPSC-derived RPCs has not been tested in animal models of kidney disease. Here, through an efficient inductive protocol, we directed human iPSCs towards RPCs that robustly engrafted into damaged tubuli and restored renal function and structure in cisplatin-mice with AKI. These results demonstrate that iPSCs are a valuable source of engraftable cells with regenerative activity for kidney disease and create the basis for future applications in stem cell-based therapy

Gateways as inter-modal nodes in different ages: The Venetian region, eighteenth to twentieth centuries

This paper focuses on the theoretical implications of a regional case studyfor the analysis of transportation networks and gateway functions. Thestarting point is the result of a research on the changing role of gateways,and on the relocation of the gateway function from one city to a series ofcities in the Venetian region from the eighteenth to the twentieth century.Against this evolution, I test the validity and usefulness of a definition of thegateway as a point of inter-modal exchange for its historical interpretation.Changing transport technologies involve different organisations of inter-modal exchanges, and imply more or less intense economic functions ofgateway cities. These changes intertwine with political events and deci-sions, and more general economic changes: they could at the same time beread as an effect of these transformations, and as a causal factor. From this perspective, a study of intermodality shows to be useful to shed new lighton specific changes in the structure of urban hierarchie

Global management of a common, underrated surgical task during the COVID-19 pandemic. Gallstone disease. An international survery

Background: Since the Coronavirus disease-19(COVID-19) pandemic, the healthcare systems are reallocating their medical resources, with consequent narrowed access to elective surgery for benign conditions such as gallstone disease(GD). This survey represents an overview of the current policies regarding the surgical management of patients with GD during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A Web-based survey was conducted among 36 Hepato-Prancreato-Biliary surgeons from 14 Countries. Through a 17-item questionnaire, participants were asked about the local management of patients with GD since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Results: The majority (n = 26,72.2%) of surgeons reported an alarming decrease in the cholecystectomy rate for GD since the start of the pandemic, regardless of the Country: 19(52.7%) didn't operate any GD, 7(19.4%) reduced their surgical activity by 50–75%, 10(27.8%) by 25–50%, 1(2.8%) maintained regular activity. Currently, only patients with GD complications are operated. Thirty-two (88.9%) participants expect these changes to last for at least 3 months. In 15(41.6%) Centers, patients are currently being screened for SARS-CoV-2 infection before cholecystectomy [in 10(27.8%) Centers only in the presence of suspected infection, in 5(13.9%) routinely]. The majority of surgeons (n = 29,80.6%) have adopted a laparoscopic approach as standard surgery, 5(13.9%) perform open cholecystectomy in patients with known/suspected SARS-CoV-2 infection, and 2(5.6%) in all patients. Conclusion: In the ongoing COVID-19 emergency, the surgical treatment of GD is postponed, resulting in a huge number of untreated patients who could develop severe morbidity. Updated guidelines and dedicated pathways for patients with benign disease awaiting elective surgery are mandatory to prevent further aggravation of the overloaded healthcare systems

Global management of a common, underrated surgical task during the COVID-19 pandemic: Gallstone disease - An international survery

Background: Since the Coronavirus disease-19(COVID-19) pandemic, the healthcare systems are reallocating their medical resources, with consequent narrowed access to elective surgery for benign conditions such as gallstone disease(GD). This survey represents an overview of the current policies regarding the surgical management of patients with GD during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A Web-based survey was conducted among 36 Hepato-Prancreato-Biliary surgeons from 14 Countries. Through a 17-item questionnaire, participants were asked about the local management of patients with GD since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Results: The majority (n = 26,72.2%) of surgeons reported an alarming decrease in the cholecystectomy rate for GD since the start of the pandemic, regardless of the Country: 19(52.7%) didn't operate any GD, 7(19.4%) reduced their surgical activity by 50–75%, 10(27.8%) by 25–50%, 1(2.8%) maintained regular activity. Currently, only patients with GD complications are operated. Thirty-two (88.9%) participants expect these changes to last for at least 3 months. In 15(41.6%) Centers, patients are currently being screened for SARS-CoV-2 infection before cholecystectomy [in 10(27.8%) Centers only in the presence of suspected infection, in 5(13.9%) routinely]. The majority of surgeons (n = 29,80.6%) have adopted a laparoscopic approach as standard surgery, 5(13.9%) perform open cholecystectomy in patients with known/suspected SARS-CoV-2 infection, and 2(5.6%) in all patients. Conclusion

Between Identity and Assimilation: Jewish Fertility in Nineteenth-Century Venice

Jewish fertility is a favorite subject of studies regarding the religious determinants of demographic behavior. A long-standing tradition contrasts the fertility of Western- and Central-European Jews with that of the majority populations among whom they lived, showing that the Jews practiced fertility control significantly earlier than the members of other social groupings or religious affiliations. My study departs from this approach. Its main concern is not – or not primarily – about fertility differentials between Jewish and non-Jewish populations, but rather about intra-Jewish differentials, a viewpoint which is usually lacking in historical studies of Jewish fertility. I show that intra-Jewish differences could be much larger than inter-religious ones, and argue that taking them into account provides a fundamental clue to disentangling the distinctive position of European Jews in the history of fertility transition. As a case study I focus on the Jewish community of Venice, analyzed in the twenty years spanning from 1850 to 1869. During this period the process of social integration into the Catholic majority was still underway: while some Jews were already assimilated, many others still clung to their traditional culture, values, and habits. Comparing the fertility of “assimilated” and “non-assimilated” Jews, I argue that such a process, besides other relevant socioeconomic and cultural implications for the Venetian Jews, had also a significant impact on their reproductive behavior