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In the docks of Sicily, surveillance and humanitarianism mingle with traces of lives and deaths beyond the point of entry. Cristiana Giordano explores what happens when migrants rescued at sea arrive at Europe’s shores.

Cardiovascular diseases remain a leading cause of mortality globally, with atherosclerosis representing a significant pathological means, often leading to myocardial infarction. Coronary artery bypass surgery, a common procedure used to treat coronary artery disease, presents challenges due to the limited autologous tissue availability or the shortcomings of synthetic grafts. Consequently, there is a growing interest in tissue engineering approaches to develop vascular substitutes. This review offers an updated picture of the state of the art in vascular tissue engineering, emphasising the design of scaffolds and dynamic culture conditions following a biomimetic approach. By emulating native vessel properties and, in particular, by mimicking the three-layer structure of the vascular wall, tissue-engineered grafts can improve long-term patency and clinical outcomes. Furthermore, ongoing research focuses on enhancing biomimicry through innovative scaffold materials, surface functionalisation strategies, and the use of bioreactors mimicking the physiological microenvironment. Through a multidisciplinary lens, this review provides insight into the latest advancements and future directions of vascular tissue engineering, with particular reference to employing biomimicry to create systems capable of reproducing the structure–function relationships present in the arterial wall. Despite the existence of a gap between benchtop innovation and clinical translation, it appears that the biomimetic technologies developed to date demonstrate promising results in preventing vascular occlusion due to blood clotting under laboratory conditions and in preclinical studies. Therefore, a multifaceted biomimetic approach could represent a winning strategy to ensure the translation of vascular tissue engineering into clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ficus carica L., a typical plant of the Mediterranean environment, presents leaves covered by an extensive indumentum, and a mesophyll full of solid inclusions. The morphology and ultrastructure of the trichomes, calcium carbonate cystoliths and silicified structures of leaves of F. carica cv Dottato were investigated with light, confocal, scanning electron microscopy, and energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy. At the same time, histochemical reactions were also employed to analyse the indumentum composed by glandular and non‐glandular trichomes by applying chemical reagents and fluorescence microscopy. Non‐glandular and glandular trichomes, capitate, are described. Non‐glandular trichomes are unicellular simple, spine‐like and present different morphology and sizes. The capitate glandular trichomes are present on leaf adaxial and abaxial surface and consist of one‐celled stalk and 3/4 cells spherical head. Histochemical characterisation of leaf hairs revealed the presence of flavonoids, while glandular trichome head cells showed a complex mixture of alkaloids, essential oil and flavonoids. Cu and Al were found in the constitutive structures, spike and dome, of the cystoliths. Several epidermal cells and non‐glandular trichomes were silicified. Leaf hairs, trichomes secretions, solid inclusions and silicification of F. carica leaf have significant roles to play in relation to leaf protection from external factors, including high‐intensity radiation, herbivores or pathogens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 2015, the expression the "funnel effect of immigration" has been used to describe the drastic increase in numbers of people arriving in Italy, turning the peninsula into the main gateway to Europe. This expression also points to the contradictions at the heart of the European Union's decisions on how to manage the "refugee crisis" and the frontline role played by the Italian government and civil society. I reflect upon the disembarkation procedures that people rescued at sea go through when they arrive at Italian ports. I approach the sbarco (disembarkation) as an assemblage of techniques that mirror sovereign power's modalities. I then trace the emergence of worlds beyond the scrutiny of the port, such as the shantytowns in Southern Italy, and artists' installations created with the debris left over from the shipwrecks. By paying attention to minor details that exceed the sbarco in the form of traces, a different account of movement and experience may become possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]