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The firearms and ammunition sector for sporting, hunting and civilian use in Europe. Vol. 1
No full textThis work presents the first comprehensive study of the European civilian firearms and ammunition industry, covering 30 countries including all EU Member States, Norway, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. It evaluates the sector’s economic and employment impact, with a focus on production, distribution, and related industries such as sport shooting and hunting. This in-depth work sheds light on a strategically relevant industry, offering valuable insights, figures, and comparative data for policymakers, researchers, and industry professionals seeking to understand its multifaceted contribution to Europe’s economy and employment landscap
Isolated Generalized Chorea in a Patient with Small-Expanded Allele Spinocerebellar Ataxia 17
No full textBackground: Spinocerebellar ataxia type 17 (SCA17) is an autosomal dominant disease caused by a polyglutamine-encoding CAG/CAA repeat expansion within the TATA box-binding protein (TBP) gene. It is characterized by a markedly heterogeneous phenomenology and complex genotype-phenotype relationships. Case description: We describe the clinical, neuropsychological, and neuroimaging findings of a 73-year-old patient who presented a 10-year history of generalized hyperkinetic movements and depressive symptoms. The patient's family history was unremarkable. Neurological examination revealed choreic movements affecting the upper and lower limbs, the face and the trunk with no additional neurological signs. Blood sample analysis, brain imaging, and neuropsychological evaluation revealed normal results. Genetic analysis identified, in the TBP gene, the 41-CAG pathological allele with reduced penetrance. Conclusion: The present case report provides further insight into the small-expanded allele SCA17-associated phenotype, supporting the recently updated genotype-phenotype assessment for SCA17
The Activity of Phytotherapic Extracts Combined in a Unique Formulation Alleviates Oxidative Stress and Protects Mitochondria Against Atorvastatin-Induced Cardiomyopathy
No full textStatins, in addition to their main beneficial lipid-lowering effects (lowering cholesterol and LDL levels), have many additional adverse effects. Among them, the most common is skeletal myopathy. Mitochondria not only play a pivotal role in statin-induced adverse skeletal muscle effects but also seem to be involved in the adverse effects of statins on human cardiac function. However, given that similar oxidative phosphorylation path- ways are relevant in skeletal and cardiac muscles, whether long-term statin treatment may alter cardiac muscle is currently unknown. Natural products have been widely employed in skeletal muscle disorders thanks to their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of a novel phytotherapic formula- tion (PF) composed of Curcuma and Boswellia essential oils, Harpagophytum procumbens root, and Bromelain on the human AC16 cell line in an in vitro model of atorvastatin- induced cardiomyopathy. Our results showed that atorvastatin decreased cell viability by approximately 50% and induced ROS production and mitochondrial structural damage. Interestingly, supplementation of cells with PF reduced oxidative stress by 20%, improved mitochondrial reshape and function, and restored the expression of the Nrf2/HO-1/GPX4 axis. These results provide new insights into statin-induced cardiomyopathy and suggest the employment of PF as a promising agent in the recovery of cardiac function
Inflammatory activity of extracellular vesicles induced by physical exercise
No full textIt is well-known that physical exercise induces systemic adaptations that improve health benefits. Skeletal muscle (SkM) is an important secretory organ releasing myokines and emerging evidence identifies extracellular vesicles (EVs) as key communicators between SkM and other tissues.
First, we explored EV dynamics in response to different exercise programmes. Particularly, acute aerobic exercise (AAE) led to a greater increase in circulating EVs in sedentary individuals compared to trained subjects, revealing an exercise-dependent modulation. Moreover, EV-MyomiRs such as -206, -133b, and -146a increased following AAE in an intensity-dependent manner. These EVs stimulated inflammatory gene expression in THP1 cells, highlighting their role in immunomodulation.
In parallel we performed electrical pulse stimulation (EPS), a well-known model for in vitro exercise mimicking chronic low-frequency muscle contraction of C2C12 myotubes. We isolated two EV populations (10k-EVs and 100k-EVs) and found that chronic EPS induces the release of specific CD81−/α7-INT+ 10k-EV subpopulation. Moreover, qPCR analysis showed that EV mitochondrial DNA content is higher in EPS-derived 10k-EVs compared to no-EPS, suggesting that exercise could drive the upregulation of pro-inflammatory cytokines in murine macrophages.
Altogether our findings confirm that EVs play a key role in exercise-related inflammation and the release of EV-MyomiRs is influenced by exercise: more trained individuals show a reduced increase in circulating EV-MyomiRs after exercise. Moreover, the contraction activity elicited by in vitro chronic sessions of EPS can stimulate the secretion of a specific CD81-/α7-INT+ EV subpopulation from C2C12 myotubes which may have a role in regulating physical adaptations to chronic low frequency exercise
Dialogo immaginario sul tempo libero e anche altro con Manlio Sgalambro
No full textDialogo immaginario tra il sociologo del tempo libero e il filosofo Manlio Sgalambro. In un serrato confronto tra ironia e nichilismo, il tempo libero emerge non come spazio di libertà o realizzazione, ma come illusione moderna: una pausa apparente che cela la stessa costrizione dell’esistenza. Attraverso l’amara lucidità di Sgalambro, l’intervista indaga la condizione umana, il rapporto tra ozio, cultura e disincanto
The Spectres of Bismarck and the Commune: State and Society in Italy from Sedan to Dogali
No full textThe essay explores the Italian political and intellectual debate in the last decades of
the 19th century about the relationship between State, society, and the individual.
The dual shadow cast by the spectres of Bismarck and the Paris Commune drove Italian
liberal intellectuals to demand a stronger executive power against alleged parliamen-
tarist degeneration. In particular, the aim was to promote economic growth and indus-
trial production through tariffs and to prevent upheavals through (albeit insufficient)
social legislation. As the colonial turn of the 1880s contributed to strengthening the
State, the overall effect led to a modernization project run by an administration wary
of social conflict and democratic participation
Spectators’ Experiences of Online Theatre Performance: From Necessity to “Digital-Site-Specific” Audiences
No full textDuring the pandemic, the internet and social media became the sole conduits between theater and its audiences, thrusting the mediatization of performing arts into the spotlight for a broad, non-specialist public. Screen-based digital performances transitioned from niche to mainstream, prompting debates among scholars and artists about whether this shift would redefine digital technology’s role in theater or prove a fleeting interruption. These experiments fostered new knowledge and connections among artists and spurred best practices for integrating digital tools into theater. Yet, post-pandemic, most theater entities abandoned these digital ventures, and audience interest in such performances waned, though not entirely vanished, raising questions about the conditions under which it might endure. This study investigates what spectatorial practices and positions did audiences adopt for digital performances during and after the pandemic. Our case study is Residenze Digitali (RD), launched in April 2020 and now in its fifth edition – a rare Italian case of a digital performance program born during COVID and persisting today. RD annually funds about six online projects by contemporary theater artists, though audience engagement has declined since its peak. Analyzing 2021 (amid lingering theater restrictions), 2022, 2023, and 2024, we observed organizational meetings, artist tutoring sessions, and audience interactions, supplementing this with 24 interviews and five focus groups. Findings indicate that shrinking audience numbers align with a reduced tendency to carve out dedicated space/time for digital performances—a practice that once segmented the digital flow during the pandemic. While RD struggles to retain a broad audience, it has evolved into a “laboratory-like” space. Post-pandemic, digital performance emerges as a digital site-specific form, requiring organizers to build trust networks that guide audiences across transmedial screens, transmateral stages, and transtemporal frameworks
