Search

The study of prehabilitation and rehabilitation ([p]rehabilitation) to alleviate the sequelae of bladder cancer and its treatment has generated numerous opportunities to improve the quality of life of bladder cancer survivors. The authors conducted a scoping review of randomized clinical trials (RCTs) to identify knowledge gaps in and research directions for (p)rehabilitative support for those affected by bladder cancer. The authors systematically searched six databases and synthesized key findings from RCTs conducted from January 1, 2004, through March 15, 2022, that enrolled participants with bladder cancer, survivors, or caregivers in outpatient (p)rehabilitative programs (e.g., exercise, nutrition, or psychological support). Outcomes were characterized according to eight prespecified, clinically relevant categories. The search retrieved 10,968 records, 27 of which met the inclusion criteria, and 24 described unique RCTs with 2471 enrolled participants. Of 24 interventions, 17 (71%) yielded statistically significant results for the outcome of interest. Only one RCT included a cost‐effectiveness analysis, and only two characterized the efficacy of interventions for caregivers. Of 11 RCTs involving psychological support, eight yielded statistically significant results, as did nine of 11 RCTs with physical exercise interventions, three of four RCTs with educational interventions, three of four RCTs with nutritional support interventions, one of two RCTs with pharmacologic medications, and zero of one RCT with physical therapy. The most promising interventions for inclusion in multimodal, personalized (p)rehabilitation programs included exercise, stress management training, cognitive training, smoking and alcohol cessation counseling, immunonutrition, stoma education, and penile rehabilitation. Further studies of the cost effectiveness and efficacy for caregivers of such interventions are needed. Plain Language Summary: In a scoping review of all randomized clinical trials involving prehabilitative or rehabilitative diet, exercise, and psychological support interventions for patients with bladder cancer, survivors, and their caregivers, 17 of 24 (71%) interventions yielded statistically significant improvements in the outcome of interest.Clinicians should consider implementing such interventions for those affected by bladder cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coronaviruses (CoVs) share key genomic elements critical for viral replication, suggesting the feasibility of developing therapeutics with efficacy across different viruses. In a previous work, we demonstrated the antiviral activity of the antipsychotic drug lurasidone against both SARS-CoV-2 and HCoV-OC43. In this study, our investigations on the mechanism of action of lurasidone suggested that the drug exhibits antiviral activity by targeting the papain-like protease (PL-Pro) of both viruses, and the Spike protein of SARS-CoV-2, thereby hampering both the entry and the viral replication. In vitro assays demonstrate that lurasidone significantly reduces viral load in infected cells, showing that the drug is a promising candidate for further development as a dual-action antiviral, offering a potential new strategy in the fight against COVID-19 and other coronavirus-related diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The anti-Alzheimer disease (AD) activity reported for an aqueous cinnamon bark extract prompted us to investigate and compare the anti-amyloidogenic properties of cinnamon extracts obtained from both bark and bud, the latter being a very little explored matrix. We prepared the extracts with different procedures (alcoholic, hydroalcoholic, or aqueous extractions). An efficient protocol for the rapid analysis of NMR spectra of cinnamon bud and bark extracts was set up, enabling the automatic identification and quantification of metabolites. Moreover, we exploited preparative reverse-phase (RP) chromatography to prepare fractions enriched in polyphenols, further characterized by UPLC-HR-MS. Then, we combined NMR-based molecular recognition studies, atomic force microscopy, and in vitro biochemical and cellular assays to investigate the anti-amyloidogenic activity of our extracts. Both bud and bark extracts showed a potent anti-amyloidogenic activity. Flavanols, particularly procyanidins, and cinnamaldehydes, are the chemical components of cinnamon hindering Aβ peptide on-pathway aggregation and toxicity in a human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cell line. Together with the previously reported ability to hinder tau aggregation and filament formation, these data indicate cinnamon polyphenols as natural products possessing multitarget anti-AD activity. Since cinnamon is a spice increasingly present in the human diet, our results support its use to prepare nutraceuticals useful in preventing AD through an active contrast to the biochemical processes that underlie the onset of this disease. Moreover, the structures of cinnamon components responsible for cinnamon anti-AD activities represent molecular templates for designing and synthesizing new anti-amyloidogenic drugs.

The article investigates the role of mafias in the gambling sector in Italy. The gambling sector is a field of business that has recently undergone radical and decisive changes, affected above all by a process of accelerated legalisation that has made it one of the most dynamic legal gambling markets in the world in terms of volume of money gambled. Although gambling has become legal, the demand for illegal gambling services has not definitely disappeared. In the article we first reconstruct the business chain of the gambling industry, identifying both the most relevant aspects of its recent development and the various actors working in this business sector. Based on some judicial documents, we then offer a picture of the role of the mafias in the gambling sector, focusing on the aspects that most attract mafia interests or make it vulnerable to predatory action by mafias. Finally, we present a particularly significant case study of the action of an entrepreneur close to the mafias in the field of gambling activities relying on the consultation of court documents and interviews with qualified witnesses. The emerging picture highlights how the criminal rise is being combined with the process of “regulated opening” of the gambling market, which is being transformed relatively quickly from a black market to a fully legal one.

This paper examines the age at retirement for men and women in Italy. Despite the expansion of women’s educational attainments, they still display lower employment rates, are frequently engaged in involuntary part-time jobs and have more fragmented careers. As a consequence, the mean age at which women receive a pension is higher than that of men. Using Labour Force Survey (2006 and 2012), the authors test the hypothesis that women’s higher age at retirement is determined by a selection bias towards more educated and work oriented women. A Heckman selection model has been developed. Results show that the main disadvantage is suffered by women with medium and low levels of education who show the highest estimated age at retirement, whereas higher educated women retire on average before men with the same level of education. The authors argue that pension policies, without interventions in the field of work-life balance policies, end up penalizing women with lower levels of education.

The expansion of higher education has led to a more diverse student population, theorized around the concept of the non-traditional student. This term is used to describe students whose socio-demographic characteristics, motivations, study engagement and experiences differ from those of traditional higher education participants. The non-traditional student population is a highly heterogeneous group in which the individual student presents with specific motivations, needs, and constraints, but a common requirement is for more flexible teaching and learning methods to meet their complex educational needs. We here examine this demand for flexibility through the preferences students express for online teaching methods, and we investigate whether differences between traditional and non-traditional students are mainly due to inequalities, the role of parental education in particular, or on the contrary, whether they are related to certain characteristics such as age, employment and residential status. The data used in this investigation was collected during the period characterized by the containment measures linked to the Covid-19 pandemic from students enrolled at the University of Bologna. The results of the investigation presented below confirm that non-traditional students exhibit a clear preference for online as opposed to face-to-face learning and that parental education is particularly relevant for those under 25. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Civil society actors have always been crucial players in the development of welfare systems. Far before the appearance of the welfare state, the provision of services to those in need was the domain of charities and guilds, and later on of the mutual aid organizations related to the labour movement. To-gether with providing services, civil society actors have exerted political pressure on the state, demanding an enlargement of social rights or challenging the principles of public intervention. Such a relevant role became even more pivotal after the '70s, when the welfare mix model paved the way for the entrance of third sector organizations into public service provision and governance processes. Within this scenario, this article aims to develop a historically-based conceptual framework, through which the huge heterogeneity of civil society actors and functions can be analyzed. The possibility of performing several roles represents an opportunity for civil society actors, but at the same times engenders contradictions and trade-offs for social movements and the third sector.