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\"Since 2008 the financial sector has been the subject of extensive criticism. Much of this criticism has focussed on the morality the actors involved in the crisis and its extended aftermath. This book analyses the key moral and political philosophical issues of the crisis and relates them to the political economy of finance. It also examines to what extent the financial sector can or should be reformed.This book is unified by the view that the financial sector had been a self-serving and self-regulating elite consumed by greed, speculation and even lawlessness with little sense of responsibility to the wider society or common good. In light of critical analysis by authors from a variety of backgrounds and persuasions, suggestions for reform and improvement are proposed, in some cases radical reform. By placing the world of finance under a microscope this book analyses the assumptions that have led from hubris to disgrace as it provides suggestions for an improved society.Rooted in philosophical reflection this book invites a critical reassessment of finance and its societal role in the 21st century. This book will be of interest to academics, politicians, central bankers and financial regulators who wish to improve the morality of finance. \"-- Provided by publisher.

Abstract Objective The dorsal root ganglion (DRG) is a novel target for neuromodulation, and DRG stimulation is proving to be a viable option in the treatment of chronic intractable neuropathic pain. Although the overall principle of conventional spinal cord stimulation (SCS) and DRG stimulation—in which an electric field is applied to a neural target with the intent of affecting neural pathways to decrease pain perception—is similar, there are significant differences in the anatomy and physiology of the DRG that make it an ideal target for neuromodulation and may account for the superior outcomes observed in the treatment of certain chronic neuropathic pain states. This review highlights the anatomy of the DRG, its function in maintaining homeostasis and its role in neuropathic pain, and the unique value of DRG as a target in neuromodulation for pain. Methods A narrative literature review was performed. Results Overall, the DRG is a critical structure in sensory transduction and modulation, including pain transmission and the maintenance of persistent neuropathic pain states. Unique characteristics including selective somatic organization, specialized membrane characteristics, and accessible and consistent location make the DRG an ideal target for neuromodulation. Because DRG stimulation directly recruits the somata of primary sensory neurons and harnesses the filtering capacity of the pseudounipolar neural architecture, it is differentiated from SCS, peripheral nerve stimulation, and other neuromodulation options. Conclusions There are several advantages to targeting the DRG, including lower energy usage, more focused and posture-independent stimulation, reduced paresthesia, and improved clinical outcomes.

Incidental memory can be challenged by increasing either the retention delay or the memory load. The dorsal hippocampus (dHP) appears to help with both consolidation from short-term (STM) to long-term memory (LTM), and higher memory loads, but the mechanism is not fully understood. Here we find that female mice, despite having the same STM capacity of 6 objects and higher resistance to distraction in our different object recognition task (DOT), when tested over 1 h or 24 h delays appear to transfer to LTM only 4 objects, whereas male mice have an STM capacity of 6 objects in this task. In male mice the dHP shows greater activation (as measured by c-Fos expression), whereas female mice show greater activation of the ventral midline thalamus (VMT). Optogenetic inhibition of the VMT-dHP pathway during off-line memory consolidation enables 6-object LTM retention in females, while chemogenetic VMT-activation impairs it in males. Thus, removing or enhancing sub-cortical inhibitory control over the hippocampus leads to differences in incidental memory. Incidental memory is affected by retention delay, and by memory load. Here the authors show that female and male mice process high memory load through different activation of thalamic-cortical pathways, that makes their incidental memory resistant to distraction and to memory decay, respectively.

In patients with classical Hodgkin lymphoma (c-HL) undergoing ABVD chemotherapy for advanced disease, the optimal strategy to prevent febrile neutropenia (FN)—defined as fever ≥ 38 °C with absolute neutrophil count (ANC) < 1000/mm³—remains debated. Possible prophylaxis approaches include: i ) secondary prophylaxis with on-demand granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF, filgrastim), ii ) primary prophylaxis with filgrastim, or iii ) primary prophylaxis with long-acting G-CSF formulations such as pegylated or glyco-pegylated G-CSF (lipegfilgrastim). We conducted a multicenter retrospective cohort study from 2010 to 2024 involving 450 untreated c-HL patients (Ann Arbor stage IIB-IV) scheduled for six ABVD cycles, divided into three five-year periods, each with a different G-CSF prophylaxis strategy. From 2010 to 2014, 131 patients received on-demand filgrastim when ANC ≤ 1 × 10^9/L ( on-demand - group); from 2015 to 2019, 152 patients systematically received filgrastim six times per cycle ( filgrastim- group); from 2020 to 2024, 167 patients received lipegfilgrastim twice per cycle as primary prophylaxis ( lipegfilgrastim -group). A total of 85 neutropenia episodes occurred: 52 in the on-demand -group, 30 in the filgrastim -group, and 3 in the lipegfilgrastim -group ( P  < 0.001); FN incidence was 24%, 14%, and 2%, respectively ( P  < 0.0001). Chemotherapy disruptions due to FN were 14%, 6%, and 1%, respectively ( P  < 0.001). Grade 3 bone pain occurred in 5% of patients and was managed with analgesics. Primary prophylaxis with lipegfilgrastim significantly reduced FN rates, hospitalizations, and chemotherapy interruptions in patients with advanced-stage c-HL treated with ABVD, demonstrating improved tolerability of chemotherapy.

Tumour cells have long been considered defective in mitochondrial respiration and mostly dependent on glycolytic metabolism. However, this assumption is currently challenged by several lines of evidence in a growing number of tumours. Ovarian cancer (OC) is one of the most lethal cancers worldwide, but it continues to be a poorly understood disease and its metabolic features are far to be elucidated. In this context, we investigated the role of tumour necrosis factor receptor-associated protein 1 (TRAP1), which is found upregulated in several cancer types and is a key modulator of tumour cell metabolism. Surprisingly, we found that TRAP1 expression inversely correlated with grade, stage and lower survival in a large cohort of OC patients. Accordingly, TRAP1 silencing induced resistance to cisplatin, resistant cells showed increased oxidative metabolism compared with their sensitive counterpart, and the bioenergetics cellular index of higher grade tumours indicated increased mitochondrial respiration. Strikingly, cisplatin resistance was reversible upon pharmacological inhibition of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation by metformin/oligomycin. At molecular level, increased oxidative metabolism in low TRAP1-expressing OC cells and tissues enhanced production of inflammatory mediators such as interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-8. Mechanistically, we identified members of the multidrug resistance complex (MDR) as key mediators of such metabolism-driven, inflammation-induced process. Indeed, treatment of OC cell lines with TNF α and IL6 induced a selective increase in the expression of TAP1 and multidrug resistance protein 1, whereas TAP1 silencing sensitized cells to cisplatin-induced apoptosis. Our results unveil a novel role for TRAP1 and oxidative metabolism in cancer progression and suggest the targeting of mitochondrial bioenergetics to increase cisplatin efficacy in human OC.

Diagnosis of multiple system atrophy (MSA) may be improved by using multimodal imaging approaches. We investigated the use of T1-weighted/T2-weighted (T1w/T2w) images ratio combined with voxel-based morphometry to evaluate brain tissue integrity in MSA compared to Parkinson’s disease (PD) and healthy controls (HC). Twenty-six patients with MSA, 43 patients with PD and 56 HC were enrolled. Whole brain voxel-based and local regional analyses were performed to evaluate gray and white matter (GM and WM) tissue integrity and mean regional values were used for patients classification using logistic regression. Increased mean regional values of T1w/T2w in bilateral putamen were detected in MSA-P compared to PD and HC. The combined use of regional GM and T1w/T2w values in the right and left putamen showed the highest accuracy in discriminating MSA-P from PD and good accuracy in discriminating MSA from PD and HC. A good accuracy was also found in discriminating MSA from PD and HC by either combining regional GM and T1w/T2w values in the cerebellum or regional WM and T1w/T2w in the cerebellum and brainstem. The T1w/T2w image ratio alone or combined with validated MRI parameters can be further considered as a potential candidate biomarker for differential diagnosis of MSA.

Lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) is a common degenerative spinal condition that limits function due to reduced space for neurovascular structures. Traditional direct open lumbar decompression (DOLD) is the standard treatment after conservative measures fail. Recently, minimally invasive options such as percutaneous image-guided lumbar decompression (PILD), interspinous spacers (ISS), and interspinous fixation devices (ISFD) have gained popularity for moderate LSS without spinal instability. This retrospective study evaluated the safety and efficacy of ISFD in patients with LSS treated at our center. Data from 45 patients (26 males, 19 females) treated with ISFD between January 2023 and October 2024 were analyzed. Adverse events and pain outcomes were recorded using numerical rating scale (NRS) scores at baseline, 2 weeks, 1 month, and 3 months post-procedure. Only one minor complication was reported on the procedure day. procedure day. Mean NRS pain scores improved from 7.5 (baseline) to 3.5 (2 weeks), 3.0 (1 month), and 3.5 (3 months) (P < 0.001). At 2 weeks, 50% of patients had pain reductions ≥51%; at 1 month, 57.4% experienced ≥51% reduction; and by 3 months, 73% had more than 50% pain reduction (P < 0.001), indicating significant pain improvement over time. This was a single-center retrospective study with a small sample size and relatively short follow-up time. ISFD appears to be a safe and effective minimally invasive treatment for LSS. Larger randomized controlled trials are needed to compare devices and refine procedural techniques.

The SIMBIO-SYS (Spectrometer and Imaging for MPO BepiColombo Integrated Observatory SYStem) is a complex instrument suite part of the scientific payload of the Mercury Planetary Orbiter for the BepiColombo mission, the last of the cornerstone missions of the European Space Agency (ESA) Horizon + science program. The SIMBIO-SYS instrument will provide all the science imaging capability of the BepiColombo MPO spacecraft. It consists of three channels: the STereo imaging Channel (STC), with a broad spectral band in the 400-950 nm range and medium spatial resolution (at best 58 m/px), that will provide Digital Terrain Model of the entire surface of the planet with an accuracy better than 80 m; the High Resolution Imaging Channel (HRIC), with broad spectral bands in the 400-900 nm range and high spatial resolution (at best 6 m/px), that will provide high-resolution images of about 20% of the surface, and the Visible and near-Infrared Hyperspectral Imaging channel (VIHI), with high spectral resolution (6 nm at finest) in the 400-2000 nm range and spatial resolution reaching 120 m/px, it will provide global coverage at 480 m/px with the spectral information, assuming the first orbit around Mercury with periherm at 480 km from the surface. SIMBIO-SYS will provide high-resolution images, the Digital Terrain Model of the entire surface, and the surface composition using a wide spectral range, as for instance detecting sulphides or material derived by sulphur and carbon oxidation, at resolutions and coverage higher than the MESSENGER mission with a full co-alignment of the three channels. All the data that will be acquired will allow to cover a wide range of scientific objectives, from the surface processes and cartography up to the internal structure, contributing to the libration experiment, and the surface-exosphere interaction. The global 3D and spectral mapping will allow to study the morphology and the composition of any surface feature. In this work, we describe the on-ground calibrations and the results obtained, providing an important overview of the instrument performances. The calibrations have been performed at channel and at system levels, utilizing specific setup in most of the cases realized for SIMBIO-SYS. In the case of the stereo camera (STC), it has been necessary to have a validation of the new stereo concept adopted, based on the push-frame. This work describes also the results of the Near-Earth Commissioning Phase performed few weeks after the Launch (20 October 2018). According to the calibration results and the first commissioning the three channels are working very well.

To better understand the effects of short-term computer-based cognitive rehabilitation (cCR) on cognitive performances and default mode network (DMN) intrinsic functional connectivity (FC) in cognitively impaired relapsing remitting (RR) multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. Eighteen cognitively impaired RRMS patients underwent neuropsychological evaluation by the Rao’s brief repeatable battery and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging to evaluate FC of the DMN before and after a short-term (8 weeks, twice a week) cCR. A control group of 14 cognitively impaired RRMS patients was assigned to an aspecific cognitive training (aCT), and underwent the same study protocol. Correlations between DMN and cognitive performances were also tested. After cCR, there was a significant improvement of the following tests: SDMT ( p  < 0.01), PASAT 3″ ( p  < 0.00), PASAT 2″ ( p  < 0.03), SRT-D ( p  < 0.02), and 10/36 SPART-D ( p  < 0.04); as well as a significant increase of the FC of the DMN in the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) and bilateral inferior parietal cortex (IPC). After cCR, a significant negative correlation between Stroop Color–Word Interference Test and FC in the PCC emerged. After aCT, the control group did not show any significant effect either on FC or neuropsychological tests. No significant differences were found in brain volumes and lesion load in both groups when comparing data acquired at baseline and after cCR or aCT. In cognitively impaired RRMS patients, cCR improves cognitive performances (i.e., processing speed and visual and verbal sustained memory), and increases FC in the PCC and IPC of the DMN. This exploratory study suggests that cCR may induce adaptive cortical reorganization favoring better cognitive performances, thus strengthening the value of cognitive exercise in the general perspective of building either cognitive or brain reserve.

Vasomotor response is related to the capacity of the vessel to maintain vascular tone within a narrow range. Two main control mechanisms are involved: the autonomic control of the sympathetic neural drive (global control) and the endothelial smooth cells capacity to respond to mechanical stress by releasing vasoactive factors (peripheral control). The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of respiratory muscle training (RMT) on vasomotor response, assessed by flow-mediated dilation (FMD) and heart rate variability, in young healthy females. The hypothesis was that RMT could enhance the balance between sympathetic and parasympathetic neural drive and reduce vessel shear stress. Thus, twenty-four women were randomly assigned to either RMT or SHAM group. Maximal inspiratory mouth pressure and maximum voluntary ventilation were utilized to assess the effectiveness of the RMT program, which consisted of three sessions of isocapnic hyperventilation/ week for eight weeks, (twenty-four training sessions). Heart rate variability assessed autonomic balance, a global factor regulating the vasomotor response. Endothelial function was determined by measuring brachial artery vasodilation normalized by shear rate (%FMD/SR). After RMT, but not SHAM, maximal inspiratory mouth pressure and maximum voluntary ventilation increased significantly (+31% and +16%, respectively). Changes in heart rate variability were negligible in both groups. Only RMT exhibited a significant increase in %FMD/SR (+45%; p<0.05). These data suggest a positive effect of RMT on vasomotor response that may be due to a reduction in arterial shear stress, and not through modulation of sympatho-vagal balance.