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Age related macular degeneration (AMD) and diabetic retinopathy (DR) are multifactorial, neurodegenerative and inflammatory diseases of the eye primarily involving cellular and molecular components of the outer and inner blood-retina barriers (BRB), respectively. Largely contributed by genetic factors, particularly polymorphisms in complement genes, AMD is a paradigm of retinal immune dysregulation. DR, a major complication of diabetes mellitus, typically presents with increased vascular permeability and occlusion of the retinal vasculature that leads, in the proliferative form of the disease, to neovascularization, a pathogenic trait shared with advanced AMD. In spite of distinct etiology and clinical manifestations, both pathologies share common drivers, such as chronic inflammation, either of immune (in AMD) or metabolic (in DR) origin, which initiates and propagates degeneration of the neural retina, yet the underlying mechanisms are still unclear. As a soluble pattern recognition molecule with complement regulatory functions and a marker of vascular damage, long pentraxin 3 (PTX3) is emerging as a novel player in ocular homeostasis and a potential pharmacological target in neurodegenerative disorders of the retina. Physiologically present in the human eye and induced in inflammatory conditions, this protein is strategically positioned at the BRB interface, where it acts as a “molecular trap” for complement, and modulates inflammation both in homeostatic and pathological conditions. Here, we discuss current viewpoints on PTX3 and retinal diseases, with a focus on AMD and DR, the roles therein proposed for this pentraxin, and their implications for the development of new therapeutic strategies.

Abstract Severe febrile illnesses in children encompass life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by diverse pathogens and other severe inflammatory syndromes. A comparative approach to these illnesses may identify shared and distinct features of host immune dysfunction amenable to immunomodulation. Here, using immunophenotyping with mass cytometry and cell stimulation experiments, we illustrate trajectories of immune dysfunction in 74 children with multi-system inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) associated with SARS-CoV-2, 30 with bacterial infection, 16 with viral infection, 8 with Kawasaki disease, and 42 controls. We explore these findings in a secondary cohort of 500 children with these illnesses and 134 controls. We show that neutrophil activation and apoptosis are prominent in multi-system inflammatory syndrome, and that this is partially shared with bacterial infection. We show that memory T cells from patients with multi-system inflammatory syndrome and bacterial infection are exhausted. In contrast, we show viral infection to be characterized by a distinct signature of decreased interferon signaling and lower interferon receptor gene expression. Improved understanding of immune dysfunction may improve approaches to immunomodulator therapy in severe febrile illnesses in children.

The article aims to bring to light a recent discovery with respect to the history of Italian pedagogical museums: 12 years before the official opening of what is recognized as the first. Since 1862 in Turin a section of the Royal Industrial Museum was dedicated to the collection of books and teaching materials dedicated to primary and secondary school. This collection was a direct expression of the London Universal Exhibition of 1861 from which the Royal Commissioners returned with the idea of copying the South Kensington Museum. The article reconstructs the history of the collection and its exposure, following its evolution until its disappearance. The aim of this article is to offer a significant piece of the history of the historical-educational heritage in Italy and its musealization.

The article aims to bring to light a recent discovery with respect to the history of Italian pedagogical museums: 12 years before the official opening of what is recognized as the first. Since 1862, in Turin, a section of the Royal Industrial Museum has been dedicated to the collection of books and teaching materials to the primary and secondary schools. This collection was a direct expression of the London Universal Exhibition of 1861, from which the Royal Commissioners returned with the idea of copying the South Kensington Museum. The article reconstructs the history of the collection and its exposure, following its evolution until its disappearance. The aim of this article is to offer a significant piece of the history of the historical-educational heritage in Italy and its musealization.

Este artículo es una continuación del anterior ensayo aparecido en el número 27 de la revista Cabás titulado Entre la protección del patrimonio y la educación: "construir" el museo escolar con el alumnado y pretende mostrar las implicaciones, en términos de impacto, de un uso activo del patrimonio en la escuela y, en particular, del museo escolar en el aprendizaje. En concreto, queremos hacer hincapié en la relación directa que existe entre un uso activo y en taller de éste y las teorías del aprendizaje, con el objetivo de poner de manifiesto cómo el museo escolar no sólo es una herramienta plenamente actual, sino también un aliado del profesorado, capaz de facilitar la enseñanza diaria y el éxito educativo. Las consideraciones sobre el impacto del uso activo del museo escolar en la práctica profesional del profesorado y la comunidad escolar concluirán la reflexión, mostrando cómo el trabajo activo con el alumnado con el patrimonio escolar puede actuar como motor de la innovación.

L’article fa referència a l’experiència assolida els darrers 10 anys a Torí (Itàlia) a través del projecte «Voleu construir el vostre museu escolar?» i la xarxa relacionada d’escoles que s’ha creat al seu voltant, té com a objectiu avaluar el paper del museu escolar en la formació contínua dels professors. En particular, il·lustra el camí de formació inicial i continuada sobre el tema del patrimoni historicoeducatiu proposat als docents adherits al projecte i intenta traçar un possible model d’ús del museu escolar com a motor d’innovació pedagògica i educativa mitjançant la formació del professorat.

Children and adolescents generally experience mild COVID-19. However, those with underlying physical health conditions are at a significantly increased risk of severe disease. Here, we present a comprehensive analysis of antibody and cellular responses in adolescents with severe neuro-disabilities who received COVID-19 vaccination with either ChAdOx1 (n=6) or an mRNA vaccine (mRNA-1273, n=8, BNT162b2, n=1). Strong immune responses were observed after vaccination and antibody levels and neutralisation titres were both higher after two doses. Both measures were also higher after mRNA vaccination and were further enhanced by prior natural infection where one vaccine dose was sufficient to generate peak antibody response. Robust T-cell responses were generated after dual vaccination and were also higher following mRNA vaccination. Early T-cells were characterised by a dominant effector-memory CD4+ T-cell population with a type-1 cytokine signature with additional production of IL-10. Antibody levels were well-maintained for at least 3 months after vaccination and 3 of 4 donors showed measurable neutralisation titres against the Omicron variant. T-cell responses also remained robust, with generation of a central/stem cell memory pool and showed strong reactivity against Omicron spike. These data demonstrate that COVID-19 vaccines display strong immunogenicity in adolescents and that dual vaccination, or single vaccination following prior infection, generate higher immune responses than seen after natural infection and develop activity against Omicron. Initial evidence suggests that mRNA vaccination elicits stronger immune responses than adenoviral delivery, although the latter is also higher than seen in adult populations. COVID-19 vaccines are therefore highly immunogenic in high-risk adolescents and dual vaccination might be able to provide relative protection against the Omicron variant that is currently globally dominant.

Desde hace más de diez años, la ciudad de Turín (Italia) está llevando a cabo un proyecto de apoyo a escuelas de todos los niveles para la creación de su propio museo escolar. La participación directa de alumnado y profesorado en cada etapa permite combinar el redescubrimiento de un patrimonio olvidado con una acción didáctica capaz de dotar a la escuela de un nuevo laboratorio y un entorno de aprendizaje multidisciplinar. El museo escolar retoma, así, sus funciones decimonónicas de apoyo a la enseñanza. Este artículo presenta el método de trabajo y los resultados obtenidos hasta el momento.