154 research outputs found
Urban Crisis Within Environmental and Industrial Policies in Italy: The Case of the Steel Industry in Taranto
No full textThe chapter aims at representing the results of a case study with concern to the economic and environmental crisis triggered by Ilva in Taranto.
The case study design follows an ethnographic approach. The analysis is based on the collection of some qualitative interviews and documentation related to the environmental conflict engendered by the Ilva of Taranto, which has been the largest steel mill in Europe since the 1990s.
The analysis of the empirical data shows some interesting insights about (a) the growing contradictions in time of crisis in the relationship between the ‘the four pillars’ of sustainability (economy, social justice and society, environment, culture); (b) the importance of the social pillar in playing a key role in the management of local conflicts and in stimulating change within social and economic organizations; (c) the difficulty to promote sustainable policies through a multilevel governance approach able to synthesize the complexity of the scenarios emerging at the local, regional, national and European levels, in order to create an alternative way of development.
The ethnographic approach is useful to analyse in depth the core of the environmental conflict and the divergent developmental scenarios expressed by the different categories of actors
Poesia e teratologia: l'invito a Lesbia Cidonia di Lorenzo Mascheroni nei preparati anatomici
No full textIn 1793 Lorenzo Mascheroni, appointed to the chair of Mathematics at the University of Pavia and well-known poet, wrote
“L’invito di Dafni Orobiano a Lesbia Cidonia”. In the poem he described the beauty of the University of Pavia and its wonders gathered in the scientific collections of the museums. From the beginning, one of the glass cases of the Museum for the History of the University of Pavia shows some of the preparations described in the Mascheroni’s verses. In addition to some fossils, human teratological preparations are also exposed: they recall the verses of the poem dedicated to the description of “monstrous” preparations. However, after a detailed scientific and historical research, the traditional association of the exposed anatomical preparations with the verses is questione
Optimizing Formulation Conditions of PLGA Microparticles to Enhance Indomethacin Encapsulation
Get PDFDrug delivery systems can avoid the drawbacks of Indomethacin (IND), a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug used to treat osteoarthritis and arthritis, which requires high doses to reach therapeutic plasma levels leading to significant systemic side effects. This study aims to optimize poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) microparticles (MPs) for intra-articular IND administration. MPs are prepared by solvent evaporation and freeze-dried for stability. Initial formulations with Tween 80 yield rubbery samples with low drug loading (1%); replacement of Tween 80 with Gelatin produces a stable powder with syringable MPs (particles size: 7 mu m), although, DL (3%) and EE (30%) remain suboptimal, due to IND polymorphic transformation. Differential Scanning Calorimetry and Fourier-Transform Infrared spectroscopy demonstrate a molecular dispersion of IND in PLGA. Adjusting the aqueous phase to pH 3 in the formulation process, i.e below IND pKa, significantly enhances EE (90%) due to the reduction of drug solubility in the external aqueous phase. In vitro release study shows prolonged IND release over several days, confirming an effective drug encapsulation. This study provides a foundational framework toward the optimization of the successful encapsulation of IND in PLGA MPs, potentially advancing future clinical applications of such drug delivery systems.This study aims to optimize PLGA microparticles for intra-articular delivery of Indomethacin (IND). The use of Gelatin as a surfactant in place of Tween 80 limited the plasticizer effect on the polymer, improving stability. Adjusting pH to 3 in the external phase enhanced encapsulation efficiency (90%), leading to prolonged IND release, demonstrating effective drug encapsulation for potential clinical use. imag
Modelli in ceroplastica di Anfibi e Rettili nelle collezioni di Kosmos – Museo di Storia Naturale dell’Università di Pavia
No full textWax models of Amphibians and Reptiles in the Kosmos collections – Natural History Museum of the University of Pavia. Waxworking is a technique used since ancient times to create wax models but only since the 17th century was adopted for scientific purposes and in particular for anatomical studies. During the 19th century, zoological and botanical wax models were quite common in the collections of museums and universities for educational purposes. Kosmos holds 80 waxworks from the former Museum of Comparative Anatomy and Physiology. The oldest specimens are three frog heart models and a series of snake heads, created by Angelo Maestri (1806-1889). More recent preparations were made by Achille Maestri including the development models of amphibians and sauropsida. Finally, there are 35 models purchased from Studio Ziegler company of Friborg which represent the entire development of an anuran amphibian and the formation of the primordial skull in Rana temporaria, Ambystoma mexicanum and Lacerta agili
In vivo β-carotene skin permeation modulated by Nanostructured Lipid Carriers
No full textNanostructured Lipid Carriers (NLC) were investigated with the purpose of promoting skin permeation of the highly lipophilic β-carotene (BC) across the stratum corneum (SC) barrier so that it may perform its antioxidant properties in photo-aging and epithelial skin cancer prevention. Two differently sized NLC samples were developed using stearic acid and squalene as lipid matrix and evaluated in comparison with Microstructured Lipid Carriers (MLC). The carriers were characterized for morphology, size, Z-potential, BC loading and release as well as physical state by means of DSC and XRPD analyses. In vivo penetration of the carriers was assessed on humans by determining BC concentrations within the SC stratum disjunctum and stratum compactum layers removed by means of the tape stripping test in comparison with pure BC. Unlike MLC and pure BC that were mostly retained within the outermost layers of the SC, the NLC sample having the smallest size (about 200 nm) has proved to penetrate more deeply into the SC barrier. Accordingly, the goal of providing β-carotene actions against oxidative damages within the looser skin viable tissues could be envisaged
Newly synthesized surfactants for surface mannosylation of respirable SLN assemblies to target macrophages in tuberculosis therapy
No full textThe present study reports about new Solid Lipid Nanoparticle assemblies (SLNas) loaded with rifampicin (RIF) surface-decorated with novel mannose derivatives, designed for anti-tuberculosis (TB) inhaled therapy by dry powder inhaler (DPI). Mannose is considered a relevant ligand to achieve active drug targeting being mannose receptors (MR) overexpressed on membranes of infected alveolar macrophages (AM), which are the preferred site of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Surface decoration of SLNas was obtained by means of newly synthesized functionalizing compounds used as surfactants in the preparation of carriers. SLNas were fully characterized in vitro determining size, morphology, drug loading, drug release, surface mannosylation, cytotoxicity, macrophage internalization extent and ability to bind MR, and intracellular RIF concentration. Moreover, the influence of these new surface functionalizing agents on SLNas aerodynamic performance was assessed by measuring particle respirability features using Next Generation Impactor. SLNas exhibited suitable drug payload, in vitro release, and more efficient ability to enter macrophages (about 80%) compared to bare RIF (about 20%) and to non-functionalized SLNas (about 40%). The involvement of MR specific binding has been demonstrated by saturating MR of J774 cells causing a decrease of RIF intracellular concentration of about 40%. Furthermore, it is noteworthy that the surface-decoration of particles produced a poor cohesive powder with an adequate respirability (fine particle fraction ranging from about 30% to 50%). Therefore, the proposed SLNas may represent an encouraging opportunity in a perspective of an efficacious anti-TB inhaled therapy
Self-assembling organogelators for artificial stratum corneum models: key-role parameters in skin permeation prediction
No full textThe development of in vitro methods to predict in vivo percutaneous absorption of bioactive molecules is a challenge to which the researchers are called in order to eliminate or reduce the pharmacological and toxicological tests on animal models. Artificial stratum corneum (SC) models obtained by self-assembled oganogelators were designed for skin permeation assessment of butyl methoxydibenzoylmethane (BMDBM, log Po/w = 4.68) and methylene blue (MB, log Po/w = 0.91). A multi-analytical approach was adopted to provide detailed understanding about the gelator organization within the models and find possible parameters playing a key-role in in vivo and ex vivo SC permeation prediction. The evaluation of in vitro skin permeation data compared with those obtained ex vivo and previously in vivo on humans for BMDBM showed good correlations vitro/ex vivo and vitro/vivo for both butyl BMDBM, as the lipophilic permeant, and MB, as the hydrophilic permeant, by using TS20 as well as both STS and ME models. With the aim of providing detailed understanding about the organogelator behaviour and organization within the models and find possible parameters playing a key-role in SC permeation prediction a multi-analytical approach was adopted. All the models did not flow upon tube tilting and could be described as gels, with the exception of STS10 model that appeared as thick liquid being gelator concentration lower than mgc value. Unlike SA and TS models that exhibited networks capable of immobilizing completely the solvent, STS and ME10 models revealed the syneresis phenomenon according to gelator concentration. The actual presence of water within STS aggregates (reverse micelles) of ME models was demonstrated by means of TG/DTA analysis showing two thermal events in the range of about 50-130°C related to removal of water molecules. Unlike the pure gelators, XRPD profiles from all the SC models exhibited a broad peak at about 20° 2θ indicating the presence of a networked structure of the gelators where the width of the peak at half maximum is dependent on the crystallinity of the sample, which in turn is dependent on non-covalent interactions amongst the gelator molecules responsible for the formation of an ordered structure. Intermolecular interactions also arisen from FT-IR spectra showing subsided ester group stretching in TS, STS, and ME models. Architectural arrangements of the organogelators within TS, STS, and ME models, as outlined by microscopy analyses, involved round or worm-like architectures of spherulitic clusters. Under polarized light, the occurrence of birefringence revealed the so-called “maltese crosses” in STS models that are characteristic of liquid crystals with lamellar structures. The results demonstrated the relevant role of both the arrangement of gelator packing and crystallinity extent in mimicking SC in vivo/ex vivo skin permeation of both lipophilic and hydrophilic compounds. These findings could account for the behaviour and development of other artificial skin models involving different materials for the skin permeation prediction
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