118,994 research outputs found
Resources, scarcities and rents: technological interdependence and the dynamics of socio-economic structures
No full textThe relationship between scarcities and producibility calls attention to the relationship between resources and socio-economic structures, as alternative configurations of interests in society may lead to different patterns of re source utilization and different dynamic trajectories. In this way, the structural analysis of resources leads to the political economy of resources and structural change.
Both the structural and the macroeconomic approaches to scarcities and rents highlight the role of economic and technological history in making visible constraints and opportunities arising from the changing relationship between natural or technological scarcities and the producibility of resources and goods. Different historical contexts also had an important influence in drifting the economists’ attention from scarcity to producibility, or the other way round, and in shaping the economic theory of resources accordingly. The dynamic relationship between scarcity and producibility provides a useful heuristic for assessing the economists’ changing concentration of attention for the allocation of given resources or for the overcoming of re source bottlenecks through the transformation of production structure
Il disturbo da Ansia e da Stress post Catastrofe o Attacco Terroristico (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). Linee Guida nella pratica Clinica per la Diagnosi ed il Management degli Operatori Coinvolti nelle Maxi-Emergenze.
No full textUn giacobino borghese. Melchiorre Gioja e la statistica come aritmetica dell’economia politica
No full textThis essay explores Melchiorre Gioja’s contribution to the definition of the object and method of statistics in Italy during the Napoleonic age. The analysis stems from the terminological issue posed by the expression “bourgeois Jacobin” – employed in the title – which refers to Gioja's relationship with the authorities, in particular with the French authorities. His approach to statistics is then included within the general framework of the state of the art of the discipline in the period
here considered, paying attention to his definition of the object of study, of the method, of the sources, in consistency with the purpose he assigned to statistical
studies. The analysis allows us to highlight some critical implications and some strengths of Gioja’s approach to statistics that have on the one hand limited the impact of his thinking on the discipline and on the other hand fostered it
Iodized salt improves the effectiveness of L-thyroxine therapy after surgery for non-toxic goitre: a prospective and randomized study
No full textOBJECTIVE: To investigate whether the addition of iodized salt to daily diet in thyroidectomized patients for nontoxic goitre could influence the effectiveness of nonsuppressive L-thyroxine (L-T4) therapy on thyroid remnant size, during 12 months' follow-up after thyroid surgery. DESIGN AND PATIENTS: A consecutive series of selected 139 patients (26 males, 113 females; median age 45 years, range 30-69 years) living in a moderate iodine-deficient area, and undergoing thyroid surgery for nontoxic multinodular goitre, was enrolled. Patients were assigned randomly to two different therapeutic regimens: 70 patients received L-T4 therapy alone (Gr. L-T4), while the remaining 69 patients took iodized salt on a daily basis in addition to L-T4 treatment (Gr. L-T4 + I). In both groups, the initial L-T4 dose was 1.5 microg/kg/day, which, in our experience, has been shown to be intermediate between suppressive and replacement doses. To avoid the risks of mild thyrotoxicosis and to limit the excessive TSH stimulation of the thyroid remnant, the L-T4 dose was adjusted in those patients with serum TSH levels outside the lowest two-thirds of the normal range (0.3-2.5 mU/l). An ultrasound evaluation of thyroid remnant size was performed after thyroid surgery and 12 months later. RESULTS: After surgery, the median thyroid remnant volume was 3.5 ml (range 0.4-13.9 ml) in Gr. L-T4 and 4.6 ml (range 0.5-12.7 ml) in Gr. L-T4 + I (P = 0.06). After 1 year of follow-up, the patients treated with L-T4 + I obtained a remnant volume reduction (-39.7%, range -87.0% to +91.2%) significantly (P = 0.006) greater than that observed in patients assuming L-T4 alone (-10.2%, range -89.4% to +85.0%). However, the percentage of patients showing an increase in remnant size in the months following surgery was higher in Gr. L-T4 than in Gr. L-T4 + I (22/60 vs. 9/66; P = 0.01). In Gr. L-T4 patients the thyroid remnant volume variation throughout 12 months of treatment was correlated significantly with the size of the thyroid remnant found at the first ultrasound evaluation (R(2) = 0.3; P < 0.001). No such correlation was found in Gr. L-T4 + I patients, for whom the therapy maintains a similar effectiveness in patients with either a large or a small postsurgery thyroid remnant. In patients treated with L-T4 alone, the remnant volume variation was correlated significantly with the median serum TSH values attained in the course of treatment (R2 = 0.4; P < 0.001). The highest reduction in remnant volume was observed only by lowering the serum TSH concentrations. In patients treated with L-T4 plus iodine, instead, the thyroid remnant volume reduction occurred independently of the plasma TSH levels attained in the course of treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Our short-term prospective and randomized study leads us to conclude that, in patients living in a moderate iodine-deficient area and undergoing thyroid surgery for nontoxic goitre: (1) the iodine prophylaxis improves the effects of postsurgery nonsuppressive L-T4 therapy on thyroid remnant size. (2) In patients treated with L-T4 alone the therapeutic effectiveness decreases in the presence of a large postsurgery thyroid remnant. With the addition of iodine, the L-T4 maintains a similar efficacy in patients with either a large or a small remnant. (3) During treatment with L-T4 alone the highest therapeutic effectiveness is attained by lowering the plasma TSH concentration. With the addition of iodized salt to the daily diet the effects of L-T4 on remnant size are relevant independently of the TSH levels
L’economia politica in prospettiva. In ricordo di Siro Lombardini
No full textVengono qui pubblicati gli atti del Convegno in ricordo di Siro Lombardini “L’Economia politica in prospettiva” tenutosi a Roma, presso l’Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, il 20 maggio 2015.
All’ideazione dell’evento ha lavorato con impegno un Comitato Ordinatore composto da allievi di Siro Lombardini – Terenzio Cozzi, Carlo D’Adda, PierCarlo Nicola, Luigi L. Pasinetti, Romano Prodi, Alberto Quadrio Curzio – con la collaborazione di Enrico Bellino e di Claudia Rotondi.
Lombardini è stato Socio dell’Accademia dei Lincei dal 1992 e l’Accademia ha voluto ricordarne l’alta figura di studioso, ben testimoniata anche dai contributi inclusi in questi atti. Alle relazioni tenute al Convegno si è ritenuto di aggiungere una breve antologia di scritti su Siro Lombardini, certamente non esaustiva ma utile a definirne ulteriormente la personalità scientific
Dialysate calcium concentration during calcimimetic treatment: a neglected issue
No full textHypocalcaemia is a well-known effect of the treatment of
secondary hyperparathyroidism when using calcimimetics.
In a retrospective, observational, study, which was published
recently in this Journal [1], Louie et al. investigated
the frequency, predictors, and consequences of cinacalcetinduced
hypocalcaemia in a cohort of over one thousand
haemodialysis patients. They found that hypocalcaemia
occurred in more than two third of the treated patients
and was mild in many cases. Nonetheless, in one third it
was moderate (1.87– < 2.0 mmol/L; 23%) or even severe
(< 1.87 mmol/L; 9%). These results coming from a “realworld”
setting raise questions on the true potentially negative
impact of hypocalcaemia per se or of its treatment,
including the increase of dialysate calcium concentration
COVID-19-Associated Subacute Thyroiditis: Evidence-Based Data From a Systematic Review
No full textSubacute thyroiditis (SAT) is a thyroid disease of viral or post-viral origin. Whether SAT represents a complication of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is still unclear. Our aim was to systematically review the literature to 1) explore the size of the literature about SAT in COVID-19 and 2) evaluate the clinical characteristics of SAT. PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, and Scopus were searched until April 20, 2021. Original papers, case reports, and case series reporting SAT in COVID-19 patients were included. Authors and their country, journal, year of publication, COVID-19 and SAT clinical presentation, thyroid function, therapy, and follow-up data were extracted. Nineteen papers (17 case reports and 2 case series) were included, describing 27 patients, 74.1% females, aged 18 to 69 years. COVID-19 was diagnosed by nasopharyngeal swab in 66.7% cases and required hospitalization in 11.1%. In 83.3% cases, SAT occurred after COVID-19. Neck pain was present in 92.6% cases and fever in 74.1%. Median TSH, fT3, and fT4 were 0.01 mU/l, 10.79 pmol/l, and 27.2 pmol/l, respectively. C-reactive-protein and erythrocyte sedimentation rate were elevated in 96% of cases. Typical ultrasonographic characteristics of SAT were observed in 83.3% of cases. Steroids were the most frequent SAT therapy. Complete remission of SAT was recorded in most cases. In conclusion, the size and quality of published data of SAT in COVID-19 patients are poor, with only case reports and case series being available. SAT clinical presentation in COVID-19 patients seems to be similar to what is generally expected
A first-trimester serum TSH in the 4-10 mIU/L range is associated with obstetric complications in thyroid peroxidase antibody-negative women
No full textPurpose The impact of mild subclinical hypothyroidism on pregnancy outcomes in TPOAb-negative women is poorly explored. The aim of the present study was the evaluation in a wide cohort of TPOAb-negative pregnant women the role of subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) on several pregnancy outcomes. Methods The study included women aged & GE; 18 years with a singleton pregnancy without known thyroid disease with serum TSH concentration between 0.4 and 10 mIU/L and TPOAb negative. Data about clinical and demographic features were collected. A blood sample was drown to test TSH, TPOAb, ANA and ENA concentration. The mean uterine artery pulsatility index was measured. Risk of adverse obstetric and fetal outcomes was collected. Results The cohort included 2135 pregnant women. Pregnant women with TSH 4-10 mUI/L had a significantly higher frequency of family history of thyroid diseases, and personal history of celiac disease diseases, type 1 diabetes mellitus, rheumatic disease, antinuclear antibody (ANA) and anti-extractable nuclear antigen (ENA) positive tests. The risk for pre-eclampsia and small for gestational age (SGA) was significantly higher in pregnant women with first-trimester TSH 4-10 mIU/L. A first-trimester TSH serum level greater than 4 mIU/L was associated with a significant increase in the occurrence of abnormal uterine artery pulsatility index, with a more than threefold increase in the risk of developing pre-eclampsia and with the risk of SGA. Conclusions In TPOAb-negative pregnant women, a first-trimester serum TSH level ranging from 4 to 10 mIU/L is significantly and independently linked to an increased uterine artery pulsatility index as well as to negative pregnancy outcomes such as pre-eclampsia, SGA and gestational diabetes
Il Beato Angelico della scuola veneta: Giuseppe Toniolo docente di Economia politica, Statistica, Diritto
No full textRole of Chemokines in Thyroid Cancer Microenvironment: Is CXCL8 the Main Player?
No full textTumor-related inflammation does influence the biological behavior of neoplastic cells and ultimately the patient's outcome. With specific regard to thyroid cancer, the issue of tumor-associated inflammation has been extensively studied and recently reviewed. However, the role of chemokines, which play a crucial role in determining the immuno-phenotype of tumor-related inflammation, was not addressed in previous reviews on the topic. Experimental evidence shows that thyroid cancer cells actively secrete a wide spectrum of chemokines and, at least for some of them, solid scientific data support a role for these immune-active molecules in the aggressive behavior of the tumor. Our proposal for a review article on chemokines and thyroid cancer stems from the notion that chemokines, besides having the ability to attract and maintain immune cells at the tumor site, also produce several pro-tumorigenic actions, which include proangiogenetic, cytoproliferative, and pro-metastatic effects. Studies taking into account the role of CCL15, C-X-C motif ligand 12, CXCL16, CXCL1, CCL20, and CCL2 in the context of thyroid cancer will be reviewed with particular emphasis on CXCL8. The reason for focusing on CXCL8 is that this chemokine is the most studied one in human malignancies, displaying multifaceted pro-tumorigenic effects. These include enhancement of tumor cells growth, metastatization, and angiogenesis overall contributing to the progression of several cancers including thyroid cancer. We aim at reviewing current knowledge on the (i) ability of both normal and tumor thyroid cells to secrete CXCL8; (ii) direct/indirect pro-tumorigenic effects of CXCL8 demonstrated by in vitro and in vivo studies specifically performed on thyroid cancer cells; and (iii) pharmacologic strategies proven to be effective for lowering CXCL8 secretion and/or its effects on thyroid cancer cells
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