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Biofilm-related biomaterial infections are notoriously challenging to treat and can lead to chronic infection and persisting inflammation. To date, a large body of research can be reviewed for coatings which potentially prevent bacterial infection while promoting implant integration. Yet only a very small number has been translated from bench to bedside. This study provides an in-depth analysis of the stability, antibacterial mechanism, and biocompatibility of medical grade polycaprolactone (mPCL), coated with human serum albumin (HSA), the most abundant protein in blood plasma, and tannic acid (TA), a natural polyphenol with antibacterial properties. Molecular docking studies demonstrated that HSA and TA interact mainly through hydrogen-bonding, ionic and hydrophobic interactions, leading to smooth and regular assemblies. In vitro bacteria adhesion testing showed that coated scaffolds maintained their antimicrobial properties over 3 days by significantly reducing S. aureus colonization and biofilm formation. Notably, amplitude modulation-frequency modulation (AMFM) based viscoelasticity mapping and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) data suggested that HSA/TA-coatings cause morphological and mechanical changes on the outer cell membrane of S. aureus leading to membrane disruption and cell death while proving non-toxic to human primary cells. These results support this antibiotic-free approach as an effective and biocompatible strategy to prevent biofilm-related biomaterial infections.

Este artículo de investigación se desarrolló con base en el planteamiento de las siguientes variables, referidas a la percepción, en parques ecoturísticos, de equipos ante emergencias, estado y calidad del equipo de protección personal, estado de la infraestructura de las instalaciones, limpieza de las instalaciones, cantidad de empleados suficiente para atender a los visitantes, señalizaciones de seguridad en las instalaciones, prohibiciones por cuestiones de salud e historial de accidentes registrados. Dichas variables fueron evaluadas por medio de una metodología estadística. El instrumento de recolección de información usado fue una encuesta, que se aplicó a estudiantes de la Facultad de Ingeniería Ambiental de la Universidad Popular Autónoma del Estado de Puebla. De acuerdo con los datos obtenidos mediante una prueba ANOVA y la prueba de Kolmogórov-Smirnov con el software Minitab, se confirma que las variables seleccionadas sí influyen en la percepción del riesgo en los parques ecoturísticos y que unas variables son más relevantes que otras.

This paper starts from an understanding of friendship as a series of gradients – a definition provided firstly by Aristotle – to observe the similarities and differences between interested friendship, disinterested friendship, and market relations. Introducing the notion of surveillance capitalism, the paper discusses the advent of social media and the implicit definition of friendship that underlies it. Social media favours the quantification and bureaucratisation of friendship, transforming it into a measure of personal achievement, i.e. widely promoting instrumental friendship. This transformation raises a number of issues related to alienation, self-exploitation, and the ability to relate to otherness

This paper analyses from a philosophical and interdisciplinary point of view two master plans of the canton Ticino – the first one from 1990, Keynesian, and the second one from 2009, neoliberal. The differences between the former and the latter are highlighted on a conceptual level. While the former stresses the importance of rebalancing and maintaining internal solidarity between the regions of the canton, the latter aims to make the canton more competitive and specialised. The discussion highlights how this type of analysis, by showing the political and moral concepts and criteria underlying a master plan, favours their political discussion and thus, ultimately, the implementation of a more inclusive planning process.

This paper raises two questions: can the Web be a space for public debate? Can this debate be constructive? Adopting a non-normative and not overly narrow definition, it is possible to say that the Web is a space for public debate. However, some of its structural characteristics and some aspects of the dominant social media (individualism and the impossibility of establishing durable bonds of solidarity) can be interpreted as elements that contribute to social polarization on the Web. This makes it difficult to give a clear answer to the second question.

This paper addresses the problems and challenges posed by the development of digital medicine as seen from the perspective of the medical humanities. Beyond the obvious advantages of technological innovation, the paper emphasizes the importance of an in-depth debate on the risks of patient quantification and growing inequalities. The education of new health professionals is a key element for the success of this debate.

This paper discusses the challenges posed by the advent of e-health. To contextualise the phenomenon, it defines the environment in which it arises: digital capitalism. The predatory dynamics of this social structure are likely to transform medical practice. Contemporary medicine seems to be poised between a renewed attention to the patient and their dignity – perspective of the medical humanities – and the reduction of the patient to a mere object of study and discipline – biomedicine. By favouring the quantification of the patient and a depersonalising approach, digital medicine risks breaking the bond between these two sides of medicine. At the same time, the development of medical technologies in a capitalist environment poses other risks that need to be weighed up: from the gratuitous appropriation of personal data to the creation of a discriminatory and classist healthcare system. Only by openly addressing these problems will it be possible to integrate these new technologies in a democratic way that promotes the common good.

Este artículo pretende, tras reconocer la importancia de la perspectiva de Mouffe al subrayar que el conflicto es inherente a la sociedad, superar las limitaciones que su enfoque muestra al tratar la dualidad del conflicto y el consenso. Para ello, presenta la idea de que el trío medieval de verdad, bondad y belleza es un concepto-límite inalcanzable, pero necesario para legitimar el proceso político. Partiendo de esta perspectiva, es posible reconceptualizar el debate público: es necesario superar su esterilidad contemporánea, causada al imaginar la democracia como un mercado de ideas, donde no hay intercambio sino sólo competencia entre posiciones distintas y donde el factor determinante es la fuerza (sublimada en el número de votos). El escrito intenta ofrecer algunas formas alternativas de imaginar la democracia como un proceso continuo que respete el pluralismo y haga que el debate público sea constructivo.

The Voronoi design was utilized for a biodegradable patient-specific bone scaffold with macro pores (>4 mm) for the surgical treatment of a critical-sized bone defect. We have focused on the relationship between scaffold design and mechanical properties. Through a combination of experiments and simulations and have presented morphological and mechanical property maps of scaffold designs based on the Voronoi tessellation. Fused filament fabrication (FFF) was explored as the method of fabrication and prototypes were printed in commercial grade Polylactic Acid (PLA). The subsequent in-silico morphology assessment revealed that the pore sizes ranged from 4.0 to 11.8 mm with a total porosity of 71%. The morphological maps capture the distinct geometry shift between as-designed and as-manufactured scaffolds with an average agreement of 76% where most of the deviations were caused by complications innate to 3D printing. Finite element method models were developed to evaluate mechanical properties and the failure locations of the scaffold were accurately predicted, which was validated by the subsequent quasi-static compression test. This study revealed the potential of the Voronoi tessellation to design patient specific bone scaffolds with macro pore sizes that mimic trabecular bone geometry and concluded that FFF is a suitable method of fabrication for it.

Mass tourism is a fundamental phenomenon of the second half of the 20th century, and contributes to urbanisation processes. In order to uncover the evolution of the institutional perspective on urban issues, we mobilise two main conceptual tools: the regulation of capitalism, and the production of space through tourism. Our paper positions itself as an example of “thinking through tourism”, where tourism is used as a means of analysing social change rather than as an object in itself. We ask how institutional discursive destination construction has changed in the Swiss canton of Ticino between the1980s and the 2010s. Our results show a progressive change towards a merely economic and hotel-centred understanding of tourism governance over this period. It exemplifies an increasingly economic and sectoral vision, which abandons a more organic understanding of the touristic phenomenon and neglects its social role. It is an exemplary case of institutional neoliberalisation.

I social media sono realmente la fine della democrazia rappresentativa? In realtà il disinteresse dimostrato da queste imprese rispetto al bene comune e all’interesse pubblico rimanda a una questione di fondo che non è mai stata risolta dal liberalismo: può la contrapposizione di interessi individuali far convergere la società? L’economia privata è generatrice di bene comune?

Infection is the major cause of morbidity after breast implant surgery. Biodegradable medical-grade polycaprolactone (mPCL) scaffolds designed and rooted in evidence-based research offer a promising alternative to overcome the limitations of routinely used silicone implants for breast reconstruction. Nevertheless, as with any implant, biodegradable scaffolds are susceptible to bacterial infection too, especially as bacteria can rapidly colonize the biomaterial surface and form biofilms. Biofilm-related infections are notoriously challenging to treat and can lead to chronic infection and persisting inflammation of surrounding tissue. To date, no clinical solution that allows to efficiently prevent bacterial infection while promoting correct implant integration, has been developed. In this study, we demonstrated for the first time, to our knowledge that the physical immobilization of 1 and 5% human serum albumin (HSA) onto the surface of 3D printed macro- and microporous mPCL scaffolds, resulted in a reduction of Staphylococcus aureus colonization by 71.7 ± 13.6% and 54.3 ± 12.8%, respectively. Notably, when treatment of scaffolds with HSA was followed by tannic acid (TA) crosslinking/stabilization, uniform and stable coatings with improved antibacterial activity were obtained. The HSA/TA-coated scaffolds were shown to be stable when incubated at physiological conditions in cell culture media for 7 days. Moreover, they were capable of inhibiting the growth of S. aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, two most commonly found bacteria in breast implant infections. Most importantly, 1%HSA/10%TA- and 5%HSA/1%TA-coated scaffolds were able to reduce S. aureus colonization on the mPCL surface, by 99.8 ± 0.1% and 98.8 ± 0.6%, respectively, in comparison to the non-coated control specimens. This system offers a new biomaterial strategy to effectively translate the prevention of biofilm-related infections on implant surfaces without relying on the use of prophylactic antibiotic treatment.

Ripercorrendo liberamente il periodo greco e quello medievale si cercherà di trovare delle risposte alla crisi dell'educazione contemporanea. È vero che il rapporto tra libertà e verità non può che essere escludente? Dietro la lotta per l'uguaglianza di status tra professore e alunni si celano interessi democratici o plutocratici? Queste alcune delle domande principali attorno cui ruota questo articolo, che vuol essere uno spunto di riflessione che cerchi di riscoprire ciò che di buono esisteva nel passato e che oggi potrebbe tornarci utile.

The tuneability of hydrogels renders them promising candidates for local drug delivery to prevent and treat local surgical site infection (SSI) while avoiding the systemic side-effects of intravenous antibiotic injections. Here, we present a newly developed gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA)-based hydrogel drug delivery system (GelMA-DDS) to locally deliver the broad-spectrum antibiotic cefazolin for SSI prophylaxis and treatment. Antibiotic doses from 3 µg to 90 µg were loaded in photocrosslinked GelMA hydrogel discs with 5 to 15% w/v polymer concentration and drug encapsulation efficiencies, mechanical properties, crosslinking and release kinetics, as well as bacterial growth inhibition were assessed. Our results demonstrate that all GelMA groups supported excellent drug encapsulation efficiencies of up to 99%. Mechanical properties of the GelMA-DDS were highly tuneable and unaffected by the loading of small to medium doses of cefazolin. The diffusive and the proteolytic in vitro drug delivery of all investigated cefazolin doses was characterized by a burst release, and the delivered cefazolin amount was directly proportional to the encapsulated dose. Accelerated enzymatic degradation of the GelMA-DDS followed zero-order kinetics and was dependent on both the cefazolin dose and GelMA concentration (3–13 h). Finally, we demonstrate that cefazolin delivered from GelMA induced a dose-dependent antibacterial efficacy against S. aureus, in both a broth and a diffusive assay. The cefazolin-loaded GelMA-DDS presented here provides a highly tuneable and easy-to-use local delivery system for the prophylaxis and treatment of SSI.

In questo testo si riflette liberamente attorno alla questione identitaria. In che modo la classe borghese manifesta la sua essenza influenzando la società di oggi? Questa è una delle domande fondamentali a cui questo scritto tenta di rispondere.

Una breve ri essione sulla pericolosità di certi slogan in politica.

Este artí­culo retoma el carácter propositivo de la Didáctica como uno de los temas/problemas que enfrenta la Didáctica General en la actualidad. La contribución responde a la intención de reconfirmar el compromiso de la disciplina con las prácticas docentes y de enseñanza en un momento de desconfianza hacia la escuela, los docentes y las instituciones que los forman. El abordaje del tema impone considerar una actualización de los debates acerca de la relación entre conocimiento y acción, colocando a los saberes o conocimientos docentes como un constructo potencialmente articulador. Finalmente, se proponen algunas notas o rasgos orientadores que debiera presentar la producción didáctica para contribuir con las acciones de los docentes en los contextos de sus prácticas cotidianas.

L’università di oggi soffre una crisi strutturale. Da una parte il processo generativo del sapere, caotico e vitale, non può sottomettersi alla burocrazia e ai limiti imposti dall’amministrazione universitaria; dall’altra, senza un coordinamento, questo processo caotico rimarrebbe tale, sterile e socialmente inutile. Occorre dunque un’analisi che vada a scoprire le caratteristiche originali dell’università nel momento della propria nascita – il medioevo – per comprendere meglio i problemi attuali.

Ripercorrendo criticamente i primi nove articoli della quaestio 22 del De Veritate, vedremo come Tommaso formula la propria posizione partendo da considerazioni sull’insieme del mondo fino ad arrivare alla definizione di volontà e al suo rapporto rispetto alle influenze esterne. In un commento successivo, cercheremo di mettere il luce le relazioni che intercorrono tra la posizione tomista e vicende politico-morali che occupano la contemporaneità, cercando di riflettere dunque sull’attualità del pensiero tommasiano e sulla sua forza liberatrice rispetto a modelli antropologici di diversa impostazione.

La contemporaneidad asiste a la desaparición de la Universidad como institución. Su mercantilización, no obstante, no puede ser enfrentada si no se analizan antes el discurso ontológico que ha llevado a ella y sus consecuencias políticas. Así, se intentará demostrar como la necesidad de una educación y – por lo tanto – de una Universidad planteen problemas para el ideal democrático y el pensa- miento económico, volviendo a poner sobre la mesa el platonismo político como una válida alternativa.