Non è gentile accontentarsi delle parole. Il dono del senso

Questo scritto tratta alcuni aspetti caratteristici del dono nella società giapponese. Nello scambio del dono, l’oggetto conferito e gli agenti che vi partecipano si trasformano in simboli e la relazione che li lega può essere avvicinata al linguaggio, al logos

La consulenza genetica: un ponte tra autopoiesi ed autotrascendimento

Questo lavoro tratta della consulenza genetica attraverso l’analisi delle sue fonti nazionali ed internazionali. La c.g., è un dialogo che può prendere le sembianze di una relazione terapeutica, ovvero di una pratica filosofica. Il lavoro fornirà gli argomenti per poter considerare la c.g. un dialogo di tipo socratico in grado di dischiudere, attraverso l’esperienza parresiastica, una via di appercezione della propria persona

Neurocivilizzazione

Neuroscience develops a particular idea of civilization: a neuro-civilization; whereby improvements of society are brought about by certain strategies. Firstly, through a definition of the role of the neuroscientists in Courts and Public debates. Secondly it creates new paradigms in these cultural debates about the structure of Society and the Law. And finally through reductive neuro-law characterized by the progressive substitution of traditional normative sources with new neuroscientific standards. Thus, the more the neuroscientific establishment justifies itself in its attempt to define standards of normality (for example), the more the possibility opens up of invasive interventions with unpredictable effects upon the patient, which stray perhaps involuntarily from the paradigms of direct intervention. Such questions mask a fundamental importance, since there is a risk that a certain neuroscientific idea of normality imposes itself not for deeper theoretical reasons, but for dangerous current practices

Adverse Selection and Information Advantages of Training Firms

The possibility of adverse selection by training firms is common theoretical argument for company-sponsored investments in general skills. The paper derives a public and a private signal after apprenticeship training and shows that training firms are able to positively select graduates they keep. The public signal has a stronger impact on entry wages of employer changers than for stayers and private signals shows exactly the opposite pattern

A BARF1-specific mAb as a new immunotherapeutic tool for the management of EBV-related tumors.

The use of monoclonal antibodies (mAb) for the diagnosis and treatment of malignancies is acquiring an increasing clinical importance, thanks to their specificity, efficacy and relative easiness of use. However, in the context of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-related malignancies, only cancers of B-cell origin can benefit from therapeutic mAb targeting specific B-cell lineage antigens. To overcome this limitation, we generated a new mAb specific for BARF1, an EBV-encoded protein with transforming and immune-modulating properties. BARF1 is expressed as a latent protein in nasopharyngeal (NPC) and gastric carcinoma (GC), and also in neoplastic B cells mainly upon lytic cycle induction, thus representing a potential target for all EBV-related malignancies. Considering that BARF1 is largely but not exclusively secreted, the BARF1 mAb was selected on the basis of its ability to bind a domain of the protein retained at the cell surface of tumor cells. In vitro, the newly generated mAb recognized the target molecule in its native conformation, and was highly effective in mediating both ADCC and CDC against BARF1-positive tumor cells. In vivo, biodistribution analysis in mice engrafted with BARF1-positive and -negative tumor cells confirmed its high specificity for the target. More importantly, the mAb disclosed a relevant antitumor potential in preclinical models of NPC and lymphoma, as evaluated in terms of both reduction of tumor masses and long-term survival. Taken together, these data not only confirm BARF1 as a promising target for immunotherapeutic interventions, but also pave the way for a successful translation of this new mAb to the clinical use

The mitochondrial calcium uniporter regulates breast cancer progression via HIF-1α

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) represents the most aggressive breast tumor subtype. However, the molecular determinants responsible for the metastatic TNBC phenotype are only partially understood. We here show that expression of the mitochondrial calcium uniporter (MCU), the selective channel responsible for mitochondrial Ca(2+) uptake, correlates with tumor size and lymph node infiltration, suggesting that mitochondrial Ca(2+) uptake might be instrumental for tumor growth and metastatic formation. Accordingly, MCU downregulation hampered cell motility and invasiveness and reduced tumor growth, lymph node infiltration, and lung metastasis in TNBC xenografts. In MCU-silenced cells, production of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (mROS) is blunted and expression of the hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) is reduced, suggesting a signaling role for mROS and HIF-1α, downstream of mitochondrial Ca(2+) Finally, in breast cancer mRNA samples, a positive correlation of MCU expression with HIF-1α signaling route is present. Our results indicate that MCU plays a central role in TNBC growth and metastasis formation and suggest that mitochondrial Ca(2+) uptake is a potential novel therapeutic target for clinical intervention

Health data ethics in the time of Covid-19: A legal perspective

Taking the cue from research on the bioethical and biolegal debate surrounding access to genetic data from the 1990s, this paper explores the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic from a bioethical as well as biolegal point of view. At first, by illustrating some of the risks associated with measures for the containment and contrast of the spread of the coronavirus. Subsequently, by considering the implications of such measures on people as individuals as well as workers, and by discussing the legal implications of a potential sacrifice of privacy for safety, as opposed to necessity and public interest. In this sense, the concept of genetic counseling initially proposed by Sommaggio (2010) is resumed and updated

Not all woods are equal: local, rather than landscape, factors are important to conserve a xylosaprophagous hoverfly

Among the many forest-dwelling invertebrates, saproxylic species play a key role in decomposition and nutrient cycling. Several saproxylic insects are threatened with extinction and depend on strict microhabitat features. Hoverflies play a key role in pollination and can be used as bioindicators of habitat conditions. Mallota fuciformis is a rarely observed saproxylic hoverfly internationally recognised as a species of conservation interest. We sampled Mallota fuciformis in oak-hornbeam stands and alluvial woodland with a standardised observation protocol of adults on flowering Prunus trees. This new sampling method proved to be efficient and non-invasive, eliminating the need to collect specimens of this rare species. Overall, 48 out of 86 sites investigated were found to be positive for the presence of the species, significantly increasing knowledge about its distribution in the region. We tested several environmental predictors to explain M. fuciformis detection, but only three were significant for the model: the presence of overmature Quercus trees, the presence of alluvial plants and the current size of the forest. Other predictors considered as proxies of landscape and past condition of the woodland showed no effect. These data confirmed the importance of the quality of forest woods (mainly the presence of large oak trees that ensure larvae development) to allow the presence of this saproxylic species.In the present study, we investigate the distribution and habitat requirements of M. fuciformis in order to find forest features that could be beneficial also for other, more threatened saproxylic species. This research underlines the importance of veteran trees and their microhabitats in the conservation of saproxylic species of hoverflies. We also provide an effective ad hoc protocol to monitor the target hoverfly species, which can be implemented in the assessment of rare species