131 research outputs found
L\u27economia integrale del Toniolo
No full textThe author of the contribution, who is also the author of the book Economia umana. La lezione e la profezia di Giuseppe Toniolo: una rilettura sistematica (Milan 2021) - Human Economy. The Lesson and Prophecy of Giuseppe Toniolo: A Systematic Review - reacts to various interventions of economists and jurists, who have reflected on the book in a roundtable. He adds a reflection on the actuality of Toniolo, confronting his economic thinking and that of a contemporary economist, Kate Raworth, whose book, Doughnut Economics: Seven Ways to Think like a 21st-century Economist (London 2017), radically questioned the mainstream economy, advocating a renewal in theory and praxis, such that the economy is well regulated within the incontrovertible demands of the respect for human rights and of the environment. Sorrentino holds that the thought of Toniolo, albeit long marginalized, shows itself to be an ample forerunner of this perspective, and, moreover, offers an ethical anchorage, which recalls the structure of the human being and thereby a recognition of the Transcendent, unpleasant to the dominant culture, but necessary, in order that the same ethical renewal of the economy has a solid foundation and does not dissolve into vague and contrasting subjective ethics.L’autore del contributo, che è anche l’autore del libro Economia umana. La lezione e la profezia di Giuseppe Toniolo: una rilettura sistematica (Milano 2021), reagisce ai vari interventi di economisti e giuristi che hanno riflettuto sul libro in una tavola rotonda. Aggiunge una riflessione sull’attualità del Toniolo, facendo un confronto tra il suo pensiero economico e quello di una economista contemporanea, Kate Raworth, il cui libro L’economia della ciambella. Sette mosse per pensare come un economista del XXI secolo (Milano 2017) ha posto interrogativi radicali all’economia mainstream, perorando un rinnovamento nella teoria e nella prassi, perché l’economia sia ben regolata dentro le istanze incontrovertibili del rispetto dei diritti umani e del rispetto dell’ambiente. Sorrentino ritiene che il pensiero del Toniolo, purtroppo a lungo emarginato, si rivela ampiamente anticipatore rispetto a questa prospettiva, ed offre in più un ancoraggio etico che si richiama alla struttura dell’essere umano ed offre in questo un richiamo alla Trascendenza ostico alla cultura dominante ma necessario perché lo stesso rinnovamento etico dell’economia abbia solide basi e non si dissolva in etiche soggettive vaghe e contrastant
Synergistic activity of Pleconaril and Ritonavir against Coxsackievirus B4 Infection In Vitro
No full textWord and image. Italian Illuminations in the manuscripts of the Marquard Gude’s collection at the Herzog August Bibliothek in Wolfenbüttel
No full textThe essay presents the illuminations of eight manuscripts realized in Italy between the fourteenth and the fifteenth century and belonged to the collection of Marquard Gude. These codices are very different from each other: study books, large volumes of the Fathers of the Church, a Book of Hours, and especially some works containing the Latin classics. The painted images or the decorations have been analyzed in relation to the texts, in the effort to understand their function and the clients’choices.
In two cases, the identification of the coat of arms allowed us to recognize the original owners with the members of noble families such as the Venetian Diedo and a Cardinal of the Borgia family. The illuminations, the portraits of the author, or the all’antica or realistic decorations were produced in the Venetian area, in Florence, and in Ferrara, and in some cases were realized by important masters such as Bartolomeo Varnucci author of a Terence belonged to Pietro da Montagnana. The items analyzed show how Gude, certainly more interested in the texts, was able, during his trip to Italy, to purchase several works very important from the point of view of the history of illumination
Metal-binding ability of Calcitermin, an antimicrobial peptide of human airways
No full textCalcitermin is a 15-mer peptide recently isolated in the human airways [1]. Its sequence
(VAIALKAAHYHTHKE) exactly corresponds to the C-terminal domain of Calgranulin C, a
calcium-binding protein of the S100 family which have been shown to have antimicrobial
properties. While Calcitermin did not show any antimicrobial activity in phosphate buffer at
pH 7.4, when pH was lowered to 5.4, it was active against E. coli, P. aeruginosa and C.
albicans. In addition, it was demonstrated that zinc improves the antimicrobial activity of
Calcitermin against both E. coli and L. monocytogenes [1].
Calcitermin possesses a putative metal-binding domain, containing three histidines
separated by one different amino acid. The above results prompted us to deeply investigate
complex-formation equilibria of Calcitermin with Zn(II) and Cu(II), two endogenic and
competing metal ions. Three peptide analogues, where one His residue has been substituted
by an alanine (VAIALKAAAYHTHKE, VAIALKAAHYATHKE, VAIALKAAHYHTAKE) have been also
studied, for the sake of comparison, in order to shed light on the role played by each
histidine in the sequence. The experiments have been performed in aqueous solution, at 25
°C and I = 0.1 M (KCl), by potentiometry, mass spectrometry and several spectroscopic
techniques.
The preliminary results show that all the investigated peptides are good ligands for the
considered metal ions (see Fig. 1), although copper complexes are far more stable than zinc
ones. The presence of three His residues makes wild-type Calcitermin the best ligand among
the four peptides.
[1] A.M. Cole, Y.-H. Kim, S. Tahk, T. Hong, P. Weis, A.J. Waring, T. Ganz, Calcitermin, a novel antimicrobial peptide isolated from human airway secretions. FEBS Lett. 504 (2001) 5-10
Zn(II) and Cu(II) binding sites of Calcitermin, an antimicrobial peptide found in human airways
No full textAntimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are evolutionarily conserved molecules with antimicrobial
and/or immunomodulatory properties. Almost all antimicrobial peptides are cationic and
amphipathic. AMPs are widely distributed in many tissues and cells and are potentially present
in any species of invertebrate, plant and animal. They act as mediators of innate host defense,
being able to target Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria as well as fungi and some
enveloped viruses. Therefore, they represent a fertile ground for the design of novel therapeutics
for the treatment of antibiotic-resistant infections and severe sepsis.[1] Mediators of innate host
defense are also found in mucosal secretions of the respiratory tract and include substances, like
antimicrobial proteins and (poly)peptides, that can sequester metal nutrients, such as Zn(II),
Cu(II), Ni(II), Ca(II), etc.[2-3]
Among several uncharacterized molecules that contribute to the overall antimicrobial
activity of human nasal fluid, a 15-residue antimicrobial peptide named Calcitermin has been
identified.[4] Its sequence (VAIALKAAHYHTHKE) exactly corresponds to the C-terminal
domain of Calgranulin C, a calcium-binding pro-inflammatory protein of the S100 family.
Several studies have reported that cleavage fragments of parent proteins have potent
antimicrobial activity (e.g. buforin I,[5] lactoferricin,[6] KDAMP,[7] vasostatin-1[8]).
While Calcitermin does not express, in vitro, any antimicrobial activity in phosphate
buffer at pH 7.4, under more acidic conditions (pH 5.4) – which are quite common in
inflammatory fluids – it was active against E. coli, P. aeruginosa and C. albicans. Furthermore,
it was demonstrated that the presence of micromolar concentrations of Zn(II) enhances its
antimicrobial activity against E. coli and L. monocytogenes.[4]
Calcitermin contains a putative metal-binding domain with three alternated histidine
residues (His9, His11 and His13) and the free terminal amino group. In addition, it has the
potential to adopt a helical conformation in membranes. The above results prompted us to
deeply investigate the complex-formation equilibria of Calcitermin with Zn(II) and Cu(II), two
endogenic and competing metal ions.
The unprotected peptide VAIALKAAHYHTHKE has been considered, along with its
three mutants, in which each His residue is replaced with one alanine (VAIALKAAAYHTHKE,
VAIALKAAHYATHKE, VAIALKAAHYHTAKE). The characterization of the complexes has
been achieved by means of mass spectrometry, potentiometry, UV-Vis spectrophotometry,
circular dichroism (CD) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Biological tests were also
performed.
The comparison among the behaviors of the different analogues helps to shed light on the
role played by each His residue in metal coordination geometry and complex stability also in
the view of its antimicrobial activity. The preliminary results show that all the investigated
peptides are efficient ligands for the considered metal ions and are able to form mono-nuclear
complexes where the histidine residues are by far the first metal anchor (Fig.1).
References:
[1] R. E. W. Hancock, H.-G. Sahl, Nat. Biotechnol. 2006, 24, 1551.
[2] K. A. Brogden, Nat. Rev. Microbiol. 2005, 3, 238.
[3] T. Ganz, Integr. Comp. Biol. 2003, 43, 300-304.
[4] A. M. Cole, Y.-H. Kim, S. Tahk, T. Hong, P. Weis, A. J. Waring, T. Ganz, FEBS Lett. 2001, 504, 5-10.
[5] I. Minn, H. S. Kim, S. C. Kim, Biochim. Biophys. Acta - Molecular Basis of Disease 1998, 1407, 31-39.
[6] K. Yamauchi, M. Tomita, T. J. Giehl, R. T. Ellison, 3rd, Infect. Immun. 1993, 61, 719-728.
[7] C. Tam, J. J. Mun, D. J. Evans, S. M. J. Fleiszig, J. Clin. Investig. 2012, 122, 3665-3677.
[8] K. Lugardon, R. Raffner, Y. Goumon, A. Corti, A. Delmas, P. Bulet, D. Aunis, M. H. Metz-Boutigue, J.
Biol. Chem. 2000, 275, 10745-10753
Prevalence and characterization of metallo-beta-lactamases in clinical isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa
No full textThe prevalence and the type(s) of metallo-beta-lactamases (MBLs) produced by isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa were investigated. During 2001, 506 nonduplicate isolates were obtained from hospitalized patients. Eighty-two strains were selected because of resistance to carbapenems and/or ceftazidime. Screening for MBL production was performed in the latter isolates by the Etest MBL strips (AB Biodisk, Solna, Sweden) and by a broth microdilution method measuring minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of imipenem alone and in the presence of metal-chelating agents (EDTA and o-phenanthroline). Specific DNA probes were used to investigate the presence of genes coding for IMP- or VIM-type enzymes. Overall, four isolates of P. aeruginosa (obtained from independent patients) were found to carry a blaVIM gene. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) experiments and DNA sequencing revealed that the VIM-2 determinant was present in three cases, whereas VIM-1 was detected in one isolate. Surveillance programs should be adopted to avoid the spread of these worrisome resistance genes
Bioinorganic chemistry of calcitermin-the picklock of its antimicrobial activity
No full textCalcitermin, an antimicrobial peptide from the fluid of the human airways, is a well-conserved, 15 amino acid C-terminal cleavage fragment of calgranulin C (VAIALKAAHYHTHKE), which is active under acidic pH conditions (pH 5.4). In an attempt to understand the impact of the coordination of Zn(ii) and Cu(ii) on the biological activity of calcitermin, we mutated each of the histidines with an alanine and studied the thermodynamics, binding mode and antimicrobial activity of wild type calcitermin and its H9A, H11A and H13A mutants and their Zn(ii) and Cu(ii) complexes. Both metals strongly enhance the antimicrobial activity of calcitermin-like peptides, although the link between the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) values and the stability, charge or structure of the complexes is not so obvious. As expected, the increase in the number of histidines makes the coordination of both metals more effective. There is no preferred Cu(ii) binding site in calcitermin: the stabilities of the Cu(ii)-H9A and Cu(ii)-H13A complexes are almost identical, while the Cu(ii)-H11A complex (in which two histidines are separated by three amino acids and only one His residue is involved in binding) is less stable. On the other hand, the higher stability of the Zn(ii)-H13A complex with respect to those formed by H9A and H11A suggests a pivotal role of His9 and His11 in Zn(ii) complexation. Impressive MIC breakpoints were obtained, similar and lower than those for commonly used antimicrobial agents that treat Candida albicans (Zn(ii) and Cu(ii) complexes of WT calcitermin and H9A, as well as H9A alone), Enterococcus faecalis (H11A, H13A and their metal complexes) and Staphylococcus aureus (H13A and its complexes)
Review of The Burke Collection of Italian Manuscript Paintings. Sandra Hindman and Federica Toniolo, eds. London: Paul Holberton Publishing, 2021. 472 pp. £80.
No full textThe Burke Collection, assembled over the last two decades by T. Robert Burke and Katherine States Burke, is on deposit in Special Collections at the Stanford Libraries of Stanford University. Open to researchers and students, it comprises works produced in Italy from the twelfth to sixteenth centuries, predominantly manuscript paintings and leaves from choir books (antiphonals and graduals that contain the music for the divine offices and the mass, respectively) and their liturgical counterparts (breviaries and missals). Sandra Hindman and Federica Toniolo bring together essays on the collection's forty-two illuminations and two complete manuscripts into a beautiful catalogue, introduced by Christopher de Hamel and organized by chronology and geographic region. Seventeen prominent scholars from North America and Europe contribute artist biographies and individual catalogue entries. While thirty-five artists from six regions of Italy are represented (Umbria, Tuscany, Emilia Romagna, Lombardy, Veneto, and Lazio), the clear strength in the Burke Collection lies in works produced in Florence and Siena during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries.This review is published as :Kyle SR. The Burke Collection of Italian Manuscript Paintings. Sandra Hindman and Federica Toniolo, eds. London: Paul Holberton Publishing, 2021. 472 pp. £80. Renaissance Quarterly. 2022;75(4):1368-1370. doi:10.1017/rqx.2022.374. Posted with permission.Copyright © The Author(s), 2022
Chromosomal rearrangements in Xq and premature ovarian failure: Mapping of 25 new cases and review of the literature
No full textBackground: Chromosomal rearrangements in Xq are frequently associated with premature ovarian failure (POF) and have defined a POF 'critical region'. Search for genes responsible for the disorder has been elusive. Methods: We report mapping of novel breakpoints of X;autosome-balanced translocations and interstitial deletions and a review of published X chromosome rearrangements. Results: All the novel POF-associated rearrangements were mapped outside and often very distant from genes. The majority mapped to a gene-poor region in Xq21. In the same region, deletions were reported in women who apparently did not have problems conceiving. Expression analysis of genes flanking breakpoints clustered in a 2-Mb region of Xq21 failed to demonstrate ovary-specific genes. Conclusions: Our results excluded most of the possible explanations for the POF phenotype and suggested that POF should be ascribed to a position effect of the breakpoints on flanking genes. We also showed that while the X breakpoint may affect X-linked genes in the distal part of Xq, from Xq23 to Xq28, interruption of the critical region in Xq21 could be explained by a position effect of the Xq critical region on genes flanking the autosomal breakpoints. © 2006 Oxford University Press
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