Territoriality and urban policy: addressing territorial complexity

In che modo affrontiamo le istanze poste dalla complessità del territorio nelle pratiche e nella definizione di politiche territoriali? Cosa è la territorialità e quali possono le variabli in gioco nei processi di territorializzazione dei fenomeni urbani? Per rispondere a queste domande il contributo introdurrà la nozione di regione, territorio, luogo, territorialità e territorializzazione. In seguito si analizzano le variabili e le dimensioni emerse, nell’abito della sessione Terrioriality and Urban Policies, nell’affrontare le istanze poste dalla complessità territoriale. Tali dimensioni della “produzione territoriale” saranno qui trattate come un punto di partenza per una definizione delle politiche territoriali che sia informata dall’analisi dei fenomeni urbani e il più possibile aderente alla complessità dei territori contemporanei.How do we deal with territorial complexity in present urban territorial policies and practices. What is territoriality and what are the dimension od territorial production ? In order to explore this issue the contribute will unpack in the first paragraph the notion of region, territory, place, territoriality and territorialisation. In the second paragraph it will outline the dimension of territorial production that inform urban and territorial policies as emerged from the conference parallel session on Territoriality and urban policy. These dimension might inform future approach in territorial policy making.Peer Reviewe

Territoriality and urban policy: addressing territorial complexity

In che modo affrontiamo le istanze poste dalla complessità del territorio nelle pratiche e nella definizione di politiche territoriali? Cosa è la territorialità e quali possono le variabli in gioco nei processi di territorializzazione dei fenomeni urbani? Per rispondere a queste domande il contributo introdurrà la nozione di regione, territorio, luogo, territorialità e territorializzazione. In seguito si analizzano le variabili e le dimensioni emerse, nell’abito della sessione Terrioriality and Urban Policies, nell’affrontare le istanze poste dalla complessità territoriale. Tali dimensioni della “produzione territoriale” saranno qui trattate come un punto di partenza per una definizione delle politiche territoriali che sia informata dall’analisi dei fenomeni urbani e il più possibile aderente alla complessità dei territori contemporanei.How do we deal with territorial complexity in present urban territorial policies and practices. What is territoriality and what are the dimension od territorial production ? In order to explore this issue the contribute will unpack in the first paragraph the notion of region, territory, place, territoriality and territorialisation. In the second paragraph it will outline the dimension of territorial production that inform urban and territorial policies as emerged from the conference parallel session on Territoriality and urban policy. These dimension might inform future approach in territorial policy making.Peer Reviewe

Desire for Diversity and Difference in Gentrified Brooklyn. Dialogue between a Planner and a Sociologist

This paper combines two ethnographic experiences conducted in two Brooklyn neighborhoods, with the aim to understand the gentrification process: its plural and multidimensional character and the contextual variables. However, coming from different paradigms they are less interested in doing a comparison of their case studies than presenting how different perspectives see and problematize gentrification and urban change in the face of diversity. In this light, the paper discusses the authors’ first-hand experiences and results from the field research as in a sort of dialogue with the academic reader. Reflection on how do they see and problematize gentrification and diversity, the social effects of displacement and the role of planning conclude the paper

Novel Approach for Evaluation of Bacteroides fragilis Protective Role against Bartonella henselae Liver Damage in Immunocompromised Murine Model

Bartonella henselae is a gram-negative facultative intracellular bacterium and is the causative agent of cat-scratch disease. Our previous data have established that Bacteroides fragilis colonization is able to prevent B. henselae damages through the polysaccharide A (PSA) in an experimental murine model. In order to determine whether the PSA is essential for the protection against pathogenic effects of B. henselae in immunocompromised hosts, SCID mice were co-infected with B. fragilis wild type or its mutant B. fragilis 1PSA and the effects of infection on murine tissues have been observed by High-Frequency Ultrasound (HFUS), histopathological examination, and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). For the first time, echostructure, hepatic lobes length, vascular alterations, and indirect signs of hepatic dysfunctions, routinely used as signs of disease in humans, have been analyzed in an immunocompromised murine model. Our findings showed echostructural alterations in all infected mice compared with the Phosphate Buffer Solution (PBS) control group; further, those infected with B. henselae and co-infected with B. henselae/B. fragilis 1PSA presented the major echostructural alterations. Half of the mice infected with B. henselae and all those co-infected with B. henselae/B. fragilis 1PSA have showed an altered hepatic echogenicity compared with the renal cortex. The echogenicity score of co-infected mice with B. henselae/B. fragilis 1PSA differed significantly compared with the PBS control group (p < 0.05). Moreover the inflammation score of the histopathological evaluation was fairly concordant with ultrasound findings. Ultrastructural analysis performed by TEM revealed no significant alterations in liver samples of SCID mice infected with B. fragilis wild type while those infected with B. fragilis 1PSA showed the presence of collagen around the main vessels compared with the PBS control group. The liver samples of mice infected with B. henselae showed macro-areas rich in collagen, stellate cells, and histiocytic cells. Interestingly, our data demonstrated that immunocompromised SCID mice infected with B. henselaeand co-infected with B. henselae/B. fragilis ΔPSA showed the most severe morpho-structural liver damage. In addition, these results suggests that the HFUS together with histopathological evaluation could be considered good imaging approach to evaluate hepatic alterations

Inflammaging is driven by upregulation of innate immune receptors and systemic interferon signaling and is ameliorated by dietary restriction

Aging is characterized by a chronic low-grade inflammation known as inflammaging in multiple tissues, representing a risk factor for age-related diseases. Dietary restriction (DR) is the best-known non-invasive method to ameliorate aging in many organisms. However, the molecular mechanism and the signaling pathways that drive inflammaging across different tissues and how they are modulated by DR are not yet understood. Here we identify a multi-tissue gene network regulating inflammaging. This network is characterized by chromatin opening and upregulation in the transcription of innate immune system receptors and by activation of interferon signaling through interferon regulatory factors, inflammatory cytokines, and Stat1-mediated transcription. DR ameliorates aging-induced alterations of chromatin accessibility and RNA transcription of the inflammaging gene network while failing to rescue those alterations on the rest of the genome. Our results present a comprehensive understanding of the molecular network regulating inflammation in aging and DR and provide anti-inflammaging therapeutic targets

Acaricide Residues in Laying Hens Naturally Infested by Red Mite Dermanyssus gallinae

In the poultry industry, control of the red mite D. gallinae primarily relies worldwide on acaricides registered for use in agriculture or for livestock, and those most widely used are carbamates, followed by amidines, pyrethroids and organophosphates. Due to the repeated use of acaricides - sometimes in high concentrations - to control infestation, red mites may become resistant, and acaricides may accumulate in chicken organs and tissues, and also in eggs. To highlight some situations of misuse/abuse of chemicals and of risk to human health, we investigated laying hens, destined to the slaughterhouse, for the presence of acaricide residues in their organs and tissues. We used 45 hens from which we collected a total of 225 samples from the following tissues and organs: skin, fat, liver, muscle, hearth, and kidney. In these samples we analyzed the residual contents of carbaryl and permethrin by LC-MS/MS

Goodbye Hartmann trial: a prospective, international, multicenter, observational study on the current use of a surgical procedure developed a century ago

Background: Literature suggests colonic resection and primary anastomosis (RPA) instead of Hartmann's procedure (HP) for the treatment of left-sided colonic emergencies. We aim to evaluate the surgical options globally used to treat patients with acute left-sided colonic emergencies and the factors that leading to the choice of treatment, comparing HP and RPA. Methods: This is a prospective, international, multicenter, observational study registered on ClinicalTrials.gov. A total 1215 patients with left-sided colonic emergencies who required surgery were included from 204 centers during the period of March 1, 2020, to May 31, 2020. with a 1-year follow-up. Results: 564 patients (43.1%) were females. The mean age was 65.9 ± 15.6&nbsp;years. HP was performed in 697 (57.3%) patients and RPA in 384 (31.6%) cases. Complicated acute diverticulitis was the most common cause of left-sided colonic emergencies (40.2%), followed by colorectal malignancy (36.6%). Severe complications (Clavien-Dindo ≥ 3b) were higher in the HP group (P &lt; 0.001). 30-day mortality was higher in HP patients (13.7%), especially in case of bowel perforation and diffused peritonitis. 1-year follow-up showed no differences on ostomy reversal rate between HP and RPA. (P = 0.127). A backward likelihood logistic regression model showed that RPA was preferred in younger patients, having low ASA score (≤ 3), in case of large bowel obstruction, absence of colonic ischemia, longer time from admission to surgery, operating early at the day working hours, by a surgeon who performed more than 50 colorectal resections. Conclusions: After 100&nbsp;years since the first Hartmann's procedure, HP remains the most common treatment for left-sided colorectal emergencies. Treatment's choice depends on patient characteristics, the time of surgery and the experience of the surgeon. RPA should be considered as the gold standard for surgery, with HP being an exception

Clinical features and outcomes of elderly hospitalised patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, heart failure or both

Background and objective: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and heart failure (HF) mutually increase the risk of being present in the same patient, especially if older. Whether or not this coexistence may be associated with a worse prognosis is debated. Therefore, employing data derived from the REPOSI register, we evaluated the clinical features and outcomes in a population of elderly patients admitted to internal medicine wards and having COPD, HF or COPD + HF. Methods: We measured socio-demographic and anthropometric characteristics, severity and prevalence of comorbidities, clinical and laboratory features during hospitalization, mood disorders, functional independence, drug prescriptions and discharge destination. The primary study outcome was the risk of death. Results: We considered 2,343 elderly hospitalized patients (median age 81&nbsp;years), of whom 1,154 (49%) had COPD, 813 (35%) HF, and 376 (16%) COPD + HF. Patients with COPD + HF had different characteristics than those with COPD or HF, such as a higher prevalence of previous hospitalizations, comorbidities (especially chronic kidney disease), higher respiratory rate at admission and number of prescribed drugs. Patients with COPD + HF (hazard ratio HR 1.74, 95% confidence intervals CI 1.16-2.61) and patients with dementia (HR 1.75, 95% CI 1.06-2.90) had a higher risk of death at one year. The Kaplan-Meier curves showed a higher mortality risk in the group of patients with COPD + HF for all causes (p = 0.010), respiratory causes (p = 0.006), cardiovascular causes (p = 0.046) and respiratory plus cardiovascular causes (p = 0.009). Conclusion: In this real-life cohort of hospitalized elderly patients, the coexistence of COPD and HF significantly worsened prognosis at one year. This finding may help to better define the care needs of this population

Gaming gentrification. An explorative device for urban policy making

Gentrification is an urban phenomenon that can be seen as a game in which a multiplicity of agencies have uneven power to participate. An alternative narrative to the process can only be shaped by intercepting and informing the decision making process that concerns the development of the future gentrifying areas. This can be done with a participatory and educative game that invites participants to re-image the future of the city. This assumption stimulated the creation of a board game called Gentrification: What’s in it for Hackney Wick