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From Courts to Contracts: The Nexus between Strategic Litigation and Collective Bargaining
No full textThe term “strategic litigation” is increasingly used by labour-law scholars to denote high-profile cases typically promoted or supported by trade unions. This paper surveys how the concept is framed across disciplines and examines expectations about its significance for workers and unions, drawing on industrial relations, socio-legal studies, and social-movement theory.
While scepticism about law’s transformative capacity remains central to understanding how social actors engage with legal institutions, it does not foreclose episodic challenges to the status quo. On this premise, the paper analyses the dynamic interplay between strategic litigation and collective bargaining, considering how litigation shapes bargaining processes and outcomes.
Traditionally, the adversarial character of litigation and the delegation of dispute resolution to a third party have been viewed as counterproductive to collective-bargaining objectives; accordingly, litigation is often cast as a last resort. Yet strategic litigation can also generate leverage for future negotiations: by protecting workers’ and unions’ rights, establishing precedents that structure the bargaining process, and reshaping the broader context in which bargaining occurs. From this perspective, litigation and collective bargaining can be complementary.
The paper argues that whether strategic litigation undermines or supports collective bargaining cannot be determined in the abstract; its effects are highly context-dependent. It calls for further research into the conditions under which litigation can effectively advance collective-bargaining goals
Impact of cardiac magnetic resonance on the clinical management of patients with Fabry disease: Data from the CMR Italian research and CLinical nEtwork for Fabry disease (CIRCLE-FD)
No full textObjectives: Since 2016, IRCCS Policlinico San Donato has led a network of referral centres for Fabry Disease (FD), performing over 350 cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) scans with T1/T2 mapping in FD patients. A survey assessing the impact of CMR on the clinical management of FD patients was sent to the referring clinicians within this network, called CIRCLE-FD (CMR Italian Research and Clinical Network for FD). Results: Of the 217 questionnaires submitted, 191 (88 %) were completed by 17 clinicians. Most patients were female (59 %), aged 20-60 (74 %), left ventricle hypertrophy (LVH) negative (67 %) with no late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) (74 %) and low myocardial T1 (61 %). CMR was considered crucial in managing FD patients in 138 cases (72 %): in 116 cases to manage FD-specific therapy; in 32 cases to support decisions regarding cardiological therapy; in 68 cases to plan follow-up; and in 65 cases for more than one of the above options. Overall, the most useful CMR data was the T1 value (53 % of responses), followed by the severity of LVH (29 % of responses) and LGE extension (18 % of responses). The initiation of FD-specific therapies was prompted in LVHnegative patients with low T1, while follow-up was extended for patients, mainly females, with normal T1. Conclusions: CMR performed within the CIRCLE-FD was considered useful for managing FD patients. To optimise its efficacy, this examination should be performed by expert personnel and include T1/T2 mapping in the scan protocol, possibly with the purpose of answering clinical issues through research projects
Tumor-associated macrophages enhance peripheral nerve tumor infiltration and spinal cord repair
No full textTumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) enhance cancer progression by promoting angiogenesis, extracellular matrix remodeling, and immune suppression. Nerve infiltration also contributes to tumor growth. However, the role of TAMs in promoting intratumoral nerve growth remains unclear. In this study, we have shown that TAMs express a distinct neural growth gene signature. TAMs actively enhanced neural growth within tumors and directly promoted in vitro neurite outgrowth. We identified secreted phosphoprotein 1 (SPP1) as a required mediator of TAM-driven neural growth and mTORC2 activation. Leveraging this TAM-neural growth function, we explored TAM neuroregenerative potential. Adoptive transfer of TAMs in severe complete-compressive-contusive spinal cord injury (scSCI) increased neuronal survival, axonal regrowth, and motor function recovery. Moreover, TAMs healed scSCI microenvironment and remodeled the cyst. Functional and proteomic analyses confirmed SPP1 and neural Rictor as necessary molecular mediators for TAM-induced regeneration. Our data unveil a role for TAMs in tumor innervation and neural tissue repair
Plasticity and Discontinuity. Morphogenesis beyond Structure
No full textThis book analyses the concept of creation from the perspective of philosophy, psychoanalysis, and Life sciences. What does it mean to think life beyond form? The essays gathered in this book enact a shared gesture: to interrogate the living, the subject, the body, and knowledge not from the standpoint of what is given, but from that which erupts, from that which emerges without guarantee, from that which occurs without having been foreseen. Situated at the intersections of ethics and science, biology and psychoanalysis, ontology and aesthetics, these texts compose a theoretical cartography of discontinuity. They traverse conceptual figures such as fulguratio, the ontological leap, generative regression, the infans, the infinitesimal, intensity, and modulation—not fixed categories, but vital tensions capable of opening the real to non-deductive, non-identitarian, non-evolutionary modes of thought. At the core of this inquiry, the germ cell emerges as a theoretical figure: not as a biological foundation, but as a symbolic locus of openness, a crossing point between writing and generation, where the living exposes itself to its own originary discontinuity. Here, the living is no longer the object of science, but a field of inscription, a surface traversed by forces, modulations, and drifts, every subject is an unstable trace, every beginning a rupture. Knowledge, in this perspective, does not describe the world; it accompanies its becoming, attending to the unforeseen of its emergence
Climate Litigation Risk: Comparing Linear and Non Linear Losses of Insurances
No full textWe introduce a methodology for quantifying climate litigation risks stemming from insurers’ investment in fossil fuels-related assets. It builds on recent advances in liability attribution of climate warming damages to fossil fuel producers, obtaining the Carbon Majors Index (CMI) as a cumulative emission-weighted portfolio of major polluters’ stocks. We validate the CDI by showing that the percentage of fossil fuel investments is a significant determinant of the yearly exposure to the CMI. We compare linear losses from linear exposures and non-linear losses from Exposure CoVaR. The size of the large polluters’ possible losses from climate litigation is calibrated using losses of Tobacco companies after the US Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement. Our results show that linear and non-linear losses differ in size and ranking of institutions. This suggests the importance of a non-linear long-tail risks approach in assessing climate litigation risk for insurance
Blood culture practices and microbiological capacity for sepsis diagnostics in Europe (2021-2022): a cross-sectional analysis of the European Sepsis Care Survey
No full textBackground: Blood cultures (BCs) are key diagnostic elements for sepsis patients. Accurate preanalytical procedures are substantial, and results should be available as soon as possible to guide adequate antimicrobial treatment. This study aimed to evaluate BC collection practices and diagnostic capacity across European hospitals. Methods: This cross-sectional survey investigated BC diagnostics in acute care hospitals across 37 European countries in the years 2021 and 2022. Analyses included BC guidelines, collection sites, number of BC sets in emergency departments (EDs), wards, and intensive care units (ICUs). We also examined transfer after collection, the use of on-site vs. external laboratories, opening hours, rapid testing capacity, and turn-around times of BCs processed in microbiology laboratories with different infrastructures. Findings: Responses were collected from 907 hospitals in Europe. BC guidelines were available in 84·4% (741/878) of the hospitals. BCs were preferably collected by multiple-site sampling in EDs (62·7%, 461/735), in wards (64·0%, 513/802) and ICUs (68·5%, 518/756). One BC set was preferred in EDs in 38·4% (270/704), in wards in 40·5% (314/775), and ICUs in 34·9% (261/748). Two BC sets were preferred in EDs in 31·0% (218/704), in wards in 28·1% (218/775), and ICUs in 39·2% (293/748). 48·0% (402/838) of hospitals used on-site and 52·0% (436/838) external microbiology laboratories. Around-the-clock microbiological services were available in 10⋅0% (91/907), and rapid pathogen identification in 43·7% (396/907) of hospitals. Infrastructure with around-the-clock microbiological service and rapid testing was available in 7·4% (62/840) of hospitals, and probability of a final microbiological result within two days was highest in these hospitals compared to hospitals with limited microbiology service (for BC collected on wards: 19·6% vs. 52·7%, Odds Ratio 4·59 [95% CI 2·50-7·79], p < 0·0001). Interpretation: Despite the availability of BC guidelines in many hospitals, current recommendations for BC collection were often neglected. Rapid testing capacity was limited in most microbiological laboratories, and around-the-clock service for BCs was very rare. As delay in results may have a detrimental impact on patient outcomes, strategies to improve these processes are urgently needed. Funding: The European Sepsis Alliance and a grant by Becton and Dickinson
Tailored molecularly imprinted polymers nanoparticles as recognition elements for high-performance sensing platforms
No full textQuesta tesi di dottorato è incentrata sulla progettazione, fabbricazione e valutazione
analitica di piattaforme sensoriali basate su polimeri a stampo molecolare
(Molecularly Imprinted Polymers), con l’obiettivo di sviluppare sensori altamente
selettivi e sensibili per la rilevazione di analiti a concentrazioni ultrabasse. La
tecnica dell’imprinting molecolare rappresenta un approccio potente e versatile per
la realizzazione di recettori sintetici dotati di capacità di riconoscimento
biomimetico, combinando la selettività tipica dei recettori naturali con la robustezza
chimica e fisica dei polimeri sintetici. In questo contesto, il lavoro di ricerca qui
presentato esplora diverse strategie volte a migliorare le prestazioni complessive
dei sensori basati su MIPs.
La prima parte della tesi fornisce un approfondito inquadramento teorico sui sensori
e sui polimeri a stampo molecolare. La seconda parte raccoglie i risultati
sperimentali, illustrati attraverso quattro lavori scientifici, ciascuno dei quali
descrive una specifica strategia sviluppata per incrementare la sensibilità e le
prestazioni complessive dei sensori basati sui MIPs.
Il Paper I descrive lo sviluppo di nanoparticelle MIP fluorescenti per la rivelazione
di contaminanti proteici, utilizzando l’albumina sierica umana come proof-of
concept. Il lavoro introduce una strategia basata sull’incorporazione controllata di
fluorofori nella matrice polimerica, dimostrando che l’ottimizzazione del rapporto
fluoroforo–templato durante la polimerizzazione incrementa la sensibilità del
sensore e consente l’efficace integrazione degli MIP come elementi di
riconoscimento in un approccio di trasduzione ottica basato sulla spettroscopia di
fluorescenza risolta nel tempo.
Il Paper II analizza l’influenza dell’omogeneità dei siti di riconoscimento dei MIP
sulle prestazioni analitiche di sensori elettrochimici. Sono state confrontate due
architetture: uno strato elettropolimerizzato di polianilina imprintato, caratterizzato
da una distribuzione non omogenea dei siti di riconoscimento, e uno strato di
polianilina in cui sono state incorporate nanoparticelle MIP pre-sintetizzate e
omogenee. Utilizzando il 17β-estradiolo come analita modello, lo studio dimostra che la configurazione contenente nanoparticelle MIP uniformi offre maggiore
sensibilità e limiti di rilevazione più bassi.
Il Paper III presenta lo sviluppo di nanoparticelle MIP “green” come recettori
sintetici biocompatibili e sostenibili per la rilevazione della troponina cardiaca I, un
biomarcatore chiave dell’infarto miocardico. Il lavoro propone una strategia di
sintesi dei MIP basata sull’utilizzo di un componente derivato da olio di ricino,
impiegato come monomero funzionale che consente di ottenere nanoparticelle
stabili e dotate di elevate prestazioni di riconoscimento.
Il Paper IV descrive lo sviluppo di un sensore ottico ad alta sensibilità per la
rilevazione della troponina cardiaca I, ottenuto integrando le nanoparticelle MIP
“green” derivate da olio di ricino con un trasduttore plasmonico miniaturizzato
basato su fibra ottica in plastica. Lo studio valuta la possibilità di impiegare questi
nanorecettori sostenibili in configurazioni plasmoniche, ottenendo rilevazioni ultra
sensibili e selettive adatte ad applicazioni diagnostiche point-of-care.This PhD thesis focuses on the design, fabrication and analytical evaluation of
molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP)-based sensing platforms, with the goal of
developing highly selective and sensitive sensors for the detection of analytes at
ultra-low concentrations.
Molecular imprinting offers a powerful and versatile approach to create synthetic
receptors with biomimetic recognition capabilities, combining the selectivity of
natural receptors with the chemical and physical robustness of synthetic polymers.
Within this framework, the research presented herein explores different strategies
aimed at enhancing the overall performance of MIP-based sensors.
The first part of the thesis provides an in-depth theoretical background on sensors
and molecular imprinting polymers. The second part assembles the research results,
which are illustrated through four scientific publications, each describing a specific
strategy developed to improve the sensitivity and the overall performance of MIP
based sensors.
Paper I presents the development of fluorescent MIP nanoparticles for the ultra
low detection of protein contaminants, using human serum albumin as a proof-of
concept. The work introduces a strategy based on the controlled incorporation of
fluorophores into the polymer matrix to maximize signal responsiveness. By fine
tuning the fluorophore-to-template ratio during polymerization, the study achieves
enhanced sensitivity and demonstrates the successful integration of MIP-based
recognition elements with time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy as an effective
optical transduction approach.
Paper II investigates how the structural homogeneity of imprinted binding sites
influences the analytical performance of electrochemical MIP-based sensors. Two
architectures were compared: an electropolymerized imprinted polyaniline layer,
representing an inhomogeneous distribution of recognition sites, and a polyaniline
layer doped with pre-synthesized uniform MIP nanoparticles. Using 17β-estradiol
as analyte, the study demonstrates that the configuration with homogeneous MIP
nanoparticles provides enhanced sensitivity and lower detection limits, confirming that structural uniformity is a key factor in achieving high-performance
electrochemical sensing.
Paper III reports the development of green MIP nanoparticles as biocompatible
and sustainable synthetic receptors for the detection of cardiac troponin I, a key
biomarker of myocardial infarction. The study introduces a design strategy based
on renewable castor oil–derived monomers as eco-friendly functional components
in MIP synthesis. The resulting MIP nanoparticles exhibit excellent stability and
high recognition performance, demonstrating that environmentally sustainable
materials can effectively replace conventional monomers in advanced MIP-based
sensors.
Paper IV presents the development of a high-sensitivity optical sensor for cardiac
troponin I detection, integrating castor oil-derived green MIP nanoparticles into a
miniaturized plastic optical fiber surface plasmon resonance transducer. The study
evaluates the feasibility of employing these sustainable nanoreceptors in a
plasmonic configuration to achieve ultrasensitive and selective detection suitable
for point-of-care diagnostics
MASLD in Adults With Type 1 Diabetes and Type 2 Diabetes Undergoing Vibration-Controlled Transient Elastography
No full textBackground: There is limited evidence on the prevalence of, and factors contributing to, metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) among individuals with type 1 (T1DM) and type 2 (T2DM) diabetes mellitus. Methods: We consecutively enrolled 1304 adult individuals with T1DM (n = 237) or T2DM (n = 1067) who underwent vibration-controlled transient elastography (VCTE) with liver stiffness measurement (LSM) and controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) assessment. MASLD was defined as a CAP ≥ 248 dB/m in the presence of diabetes. Significant and advanced liver fibrosis were defined as LSM ≥ 8 kPa and ≥ 10 kPa, respectively. Results: Compared to adult patients with T1DM, those with T2DM had higher prevalence rates of MASLD (65.7% vs. 38.4%, p < 0.001), significant liver fibrosis (18.6% vs. 5.1%, p < 0.001) and advanced fibrosis (9.8% vs. 3.8%, p = 0.003). Adiposity measures (higher BMI and larger waist circumference) and increased plasma triglyceride levels were the strongest predictors of MASLD in both patient groups. After a propensity score matching analysis for age, sex and BMI, patients with T2DM maintained a higher prevalence of MASLD (65.7% vs. 52.6%, p = 0.033) than those with T1DM, but they had similar rates of significant and advanced liver fibrosis. Conclusions: Patients with T2DM have higher prevalence rates of MASLD, significant and advanced hepatic fibrosis, as detected by VCTE, compared to adult patients with T1DM. Biomarkers of insulin resistance (such as higher BMI, larger waist circumference and higher plasma triglycerides) are equally important in explaining the presence of MASLD in patients with T1DM and T2DM
Signals of pericardial and myocardial events associated with antiangiogenic drugs: a disproportionality analysis on FAERS®
No full textNo abstract availabl
History of miscarriage and postpartum depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies
Full text linkObjective: To assess the association between postpartum depression (PPD) and miscarriage history and the role of moderators. Methods: We identified observational studies of PPD rates in women with vs. without miscarriage history in Embase and Medline in July 2023 and updated in October 2024. Study quality was evaluated using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. The primary outcome was the odds ratio (OR, 95 % confidence intervals [95 %CI]) of PPD in women with vs. without miscarriage history. Meta-regression analyses included the effects of age, marital status, history of depression/anxiety and parity; subgroup analyses were based on PPD assessment methods and timepoint, cohorts from low-/middle-vs. high-income countries and cohorts with single vs. multiple miscarriages. We performed sensitivity analyses excluding poor-quality, cross-sectional studies and sequentially each study. Results: Seventeen and two studies were rated as poor- and fair-quality, respectively. In 19 studies (n = 111,772), women with miscarriage history were at higher PPD risk compared to women without miscarriage (OR = 1.62, 95 % CI = 1.26 to 2.07, p < 0.001), with substantial heterogeneity (I2 = 99.8 %). We detected some asymmetry in the funnel plot. The Egger's test was positive (p = 0.04). The OR using the trim-and-fill method was 0.98 (95 %CI = 0.70 to 1.37, p = 0.91). Higher miscarriage-related PPD ORs were estimated in low-/middle-vs. high-income countries (OR = 2.09, 95 %CI = 1.47 to 2.95, k = 10, n = 5,665, vs. 1.23, 95 %CI = 0.96 to 1.58, k = 9, n = 106,107, p = 0.02). After excluding low-quality studies the PPD OR dropped (1.15, 95 %CI = 0.50 to 2.64, k = 2, n = 2,911, p = 0.75). Conclusions: Women with miscarriage history had higher PPD risk, although small study effects and low study quality may have led to an overestimation