Qualitative analysis of the capacity to consent to treatment in patients with a chronic neurodegenerative disease. Alzheimer's Disease.

Objective: Informed consent is an essential element in doctor–patient relationship. In particular, obtaining valid informed consent from patients with neurocognitive diseases is a critical issue at present. For this reason, we decided to conduct research on elderly patients with Alzheimer’s disease (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-5) to assess their capacity to make treatment decisions. Methods: The experimental group comprised 70 Alzheimer patients who were admitted to the Neurodegenerative Disease Unit of the University of Bari. The control group consisted of 83 elderly patients without neurocognitive disorders who were hospitalized in the Geriatric Unit at the same university. After providing written consent to participate in the research, each subject underwent the following assessments: (a) assessment of comprehension sheet, (b) Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) and Global Functioning Evaluation (GFE), (c) neurological evaluation, (d) neuropsychological assessment with a full battery of tests, (d) The MacArthur Treatment Competence Study (MacArthur Competence Assessment Tool for Treatment (MacCAT-T); understanding, appreciating, reasoning and expressing a choice) and (e) a semi-structured interview administered by the patient’s caregiver. Results/conclusion: The present survey was designed to analyze possible qualitative and quantitative correlations between cognitive functioning and capacity to consent in relation to different degrees of severity of the neurodegenerative disorder. A large portion of the patients in our experimental sample did not appear to have the capacity to provide a valid consent. The authors present initial results of this study and discuss their possible implications

Cortical thinning and clinical heterogeneity in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) has heterogeneous clinical features that could be translated into specific patterns of brain atrophy. In the current study we have evaluated the relationship between different clinical expressions of classical ALS and measurements of brain cortical thickness. Cortical thickness analysis was conducted from 3D-MRI using FreeSurfer software in 29 ALS patients and 20 healthy controls. We explored three clinical traits of the disease, subdividing the patients into two groups for each of them: the bulbar or spinal onset, the higher or lower upper motor neuron burden, the faster or slower disease progression. We used both a whole brain vertex-wise analysis and a ROI analysis on primary motor areas. ALS patients showed cortical thinning in bilateral precentral gyrus, bilateral middle frontal gyrus, right superior temporal gyrus and right occipital cortex. ALS patients with higher upper motor neuron burden showed a significant cortical thinning in the right precentral gyrus and in other frontal extra-motor areas, compared to healthy controls. ALS patients with spinal onset showed a significant cortical thinning in the right precentral gyrus and paracentral lobule, compared to healthy controls. ALS patients with faster progressive disease showed a significant cortical thinning in widespread bilateral frontal and temporal areas, including the bilateral precentral gyrus, compared to healthy controls. Focusing on the primary motor areas, the ROI analysis revealed that the mean cortical thickness values were significantly reduced in ALS patients with higher upper motor neuron burden, spinal onset and faster disease progression related to healthy controls. In conclusion, the thickness of primary motor cortex could be a useful surrogate marker of upper motor neuron involvement in ALS; also our results suggest that cortical thinning in motor and non motor areas seem to reflect the clinical heterogeneity of the disease. © 2013 Mezzapesa et al

Use of social networks as a CSR communication tool

The aim of this paper is to analyse the use of online social networks as a tool for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) communication and management. To this end, an analysis was performed of the messages posted by the 20 Spanish companies with the highest market capitalisation and the responses that they received on two of the most popular online social networks, Facebook and Twitter. The results of the analysis of these data show that the tendency has been to use social networks for the one-way communication of aspects of CSR related with the organisation. Therefore, it is necessary to change the way companies communicate their CSR issues by shifting to a two-way communication approach, as has been the case in other kinds of enterprise relations with their stakeholders.The authors received no direct funding for this research

Catalysis over zinc-incorporated berlinite (ZnAlPO4) of the methoxycarbonylation of 1,6-hexanediamine with dimethyl carbonate to form dimethylhexane-1,6-dicarbamate

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The alkoxycarbonylation of diamines with dialkyl carbonates presents promising route for the synthesis of dicarbamates, one that is potentially 'greener' owing to the lack of a reliance on phosgene. While a few homogeneous catalysts have been reported, no heterogeneous catalyst could be found in the literature for use in the synthesis of dicarbamates from diamines and dialkyl carbonates. Because heterogeneous catalysts are more manageable than homogeneous catalysts as regards separation and recycling, in our study, we hydrothermally synthesized and used pure berlinite (AlPO₄) and zinc-incorporated berlinite (ZnAlPO₄) as heterogeneous catalysts in the production of dimethylhexane-1,6-dicarbamate from 1,6-hexanediamine (HDA) and dimethyl carbonate (DMC). The catalysts were characterized by means of XRD, FT-IR and XPS. Various influencing factors, such as the HDA/DMC molar ratio, reaction temperature, reaction time, and ZnAlPO₄/HDA ratio, were investigated systematically.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The XRD characterization identified a berlinite structure associated with both the AlPO₄and ZnAlPO₄catalysts. The FT-IR result confirmed the incorporation of zinc into the berlinite framework for ZnAlPO₄. The XPS measurement revealed that the zinc ions in the ZnAlPO₄structure possessed a higher binding energy than those in ZnO, and as a result, a greater electron-attracting ability. It was found that ZnAlPO₄catalyzed the formation of dimethylhexane-1,6-dicarbamate from the methoxycarbonylation of HDA with DMC, while no activity was detected on using AlPO₄. Under optimum reaction conditions (i.e. a DMC/HDA molar ratio of 8:1, reaction temperature of 349 K, reaction time of 8 h, and ZnAlPO₄/HDA ratio of 5 (mg/mmol)), a yield of up to 92.5% of dimethylhexane-1,6-dicarbamate (with almost 100% conversion of HDA) was obtained. Based on these results, a possible mechanism for the methoxycarbonylation over ZnAlPO₄was also proposed.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>As a heterogeneous catalyst ZnAlPO₄berlinite is highly active and selective for the methoxycarbonylation of HDA with DMC. We propose that dimethylhexane-1,6-dicarbamate is formed <it>via </it>a catalytic cycle, which involves activation of the DMC by a key active intermediate species, formed from the coordination of the carbonyl oxygen with Zn(II), as well as a reaction intermediate formed from the nucleophilic attack of the amino group on the carbonyl carbon.</p

Thermophilic Carboxylesterases from Hydrothermal Vents of the Volcanic Island of Ischia Active on Synthetic and Biobased Polymers and Mycotoxins

Hydrothermal vents are geographically widespread and host microorganisms with robust enzymes useful in various industrial applications. We examined microbial communities and carboxylesterases of two terrestrial hydrothermal vents of the volcanic island of Ischia (Italy) predominantly composed of Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, and Bacteroidota. High-temperature enrichment cultures with the polyester plastics polyhydroxybutyrate and polylactic acid (PLA) resulted in an increase of Thermus and Geobacillus species and to some extent Fontimonas and Schleiferia species. The screening at 37 to 70°C of metagenomic fosmid libraries from above enrichment cultures identified three hydrolases (IS10, IS11, and IS12), all derived from yet-uncultured Chloroflexota and showing low sequence identity (33 to 56%) to characterized enzymes. Enzymes expressed in Escherichia coli exhibited maximal esterase activity at 70 to 90°C, with IS11 showing the highest thermostability (90% activity after 20-min incubation at 80°C). IS10 and IS12 were highly substrate promiscuous and hydrolyzed all 51 monoester substrates tested. Enzymes were active with PLA, polyethylene terephthalate model substrate, and mycotoxin T-2 (IS12). IS10 and IS12 had a classical a/b-hydrolase core domain with a serine hydrolase catalytic triad (Ser155, His280, and Asp250) in their hydrophobic active sites. The crystal structure of IS11 resolved at 2.92 Å revealed the presence of a N-terminal b-lactamase-like domain and C-terminal lipocalin domain. The catalytic cleft of IS11 included catalytic Ser68, Lys71, Tyr160, and Asn162, whereas the lipocalin domain enclosed the catalytic cleft like a lid and contributed to substrate binding. Our study identified novel thermotolerant carboxylesterases with a broad substrate range, including polyesters and mycotoxins, for potential applications in biotechnology. Copyright © 2023 Distaso et al.This study was conducted under the auspices of the FuturEnzyme Project funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program under grant agreement 101000327. M.F. and F.J.P. also acknowledge grants PID2020-112758RB-I00 (M.F.), PDC2021- 121534-I00 (M.F.), TED2021-130544B-I00 (M.F.), and PID2019-105838RB-C31 (F.J.P.) from MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and the European Union (“NextGenerationEU/PRTR”). M.A.D., T.N.C., R.B., A.N.K., O.V.G., A.F.Y., and P.N.G. are thankful for support fromthe European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the Welsh Government to the Centre for Environmental Biotechnology, project number 81280. P.N.G. and A.F.Y. acknowledge the Natural Environment Research Council UK-funded Plastic Vectors project NE/S004548/1 and the Sêr Cymru program partly funded by the ERDF through the Welsh Government for support of the project BioPOL4Life.We are indebted to Connie Tulloch and GwionWilliams for their technical support.Supporting InformationPeer reviewe

The Italian fund for Alzheimer's and other dementias: strategies and objectives to face the dementia challenge

The Italian Fund for Alzheimer's and other dementias was approved and signed in December 2021. The Fund is financed with 15 million euros in three years. The main goal is to provide new strategies in the field of dementia with a Public Health perspective. The Fund includes eight main activities that will be monitored and supervised by the Italian National Institute of Health: 1) development of a guideline for the assessment, management and support for people with dementia and their families/carers; 2) updating of the Dementia National Plan (DNP); 3) implementation of the documents of the DNP; 4) conducting surveys dedicated to the Italian Dementia Services; 5) promotion of dementia prevention strategies; 6) training strategies for healthcare professionals, families and caregivers; 7) creation of a National Electronic Record for Dementia; 8) evaluation and monitoring of activities promoted by Regions and Autonomous Provinces in the field of dementia, together with the dementia National Permanent Table. These activities are outlined in detail in the present paper

Evaluating the Priorities of the Calabria's Coast FLAGs for the Improvement of the Quality of Life of the Fisheries Communities

In this study we attempt to evaluate, using a multi-criteria decision making methodology, the priorities of the directors of the six Fishery Local Action Groups (FLAGs) in Calabria Region coastal areas on some dimensions of quality of life. More specifically, the focus is on the role of the FLAGs as a policy instrument, in the context of the Community Led Local Development (CLLD), aimed at improving the quality of life of the small fisheries communities. The results have highlighted the strengths and meaningful weaknesses of the level of the perception of the quality of life of the areas where the FLAGs operated in the previous EU programming period

Highly Selective Phosgene-Free Carbamoylation of Aniline by Dimethyl Carbonate under Continuous-Flow Conditions

Over the last 20 years organic carbamates have found numerous applications in pesticides, fungicides, herbicides, dyes, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and as protecting groups and intermediates for polyurethane synthesis. Recently, in order to avoid phosgene-based synthesis of carbamates, many environmentally benign and alternative pathways have been investigated. However, few examples of carbamoylation of aniline in continuous-flow apparatus have been reported. In this work, we report a high-yielding, dimethyl carbonate (DMC)-mediated carbamoylation of aniline in a fixed-bed continuously fed reactor employing basic zinc carbonate as catalyst. Several variables of the system have been investigated (i.e. molar ratio of reagents , flow rate, and reaction temperature) to optimize the operating conditions of the system