The Directive 2014/95/EU represents one of the main innovations introduced by the European Commission to encourage large companies to disclose their contribution to sustainable development. Since its ...introduction, the Directive 2014/95/EU has put into motion an intense debate about its effectiveness. Academics and policymakers agreed on the need to rethink mandatory non‐financial reporting to enhance the contribution to the 2030 Agenda. In fact, despite a quantitative increase in the overall number of non‐financial reports published yearly in Europe, only a limited number of companies explicitly disclose information about their contribution to the SDGs. In this sense, the disclosure of information about SDGs is driven by factors related to institutional and organizational dynamics. Building on a sample of 873 Public Interest Entities, an empirical analysis was conducted to fill the theoretical gap about the enabling role covered by cultural factors on SDG reporting. The analysis revealed that companies operating in institutional contexts characterized by long‐term orientation and an adequate degree of balance between indulgence and restraints are more oriented to disclose their contributions to the SDGs. Our insights underlined the need to consider cultural dimensions in policymaking and standard‐setting to encourage large companies to voluntarily disclose their contribution to 2030 Agenda.
The introduction of Agenda 2030 has impacted the public and private sectors. Agenda 2030 is a document that aims to promote collaboration and partnership between countries and the population for the ...achievement of 17 SDGs, which cover all the three dimensions of sustainability: environmental, social, and economic. Within the public organizations, higher education institutions (HEIs) have shown certain attention on the topic. In particular, for many HEIs, the publication of sustainability reports has represented an instrument to disclose and publicize their commitment to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). To shed light on the highly fragmented panorama of the disclosure of SDGs in the context of HEIs, the present study employed a content analysis on publicly available sustainability reports published only by the HEIs that adopted the GRI Standards as reporting guidelines. The results show the centrality of the social and environmental issues within the disclosed information. Moreover, the provision of a thematic analysis on the SDGs disclosure sections revealed the interest of the sampled HEIs in increasing the level of involvement of their stakeholders.
•Mid-air manipulation technique for immersive virtual environments.•3D widget based on user hand positional tracking.•Single-handed manipulation technique.•User tests with search and docking tasks.
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In this paper, we present a novel method for object manipulation in immersive virtual environments. The proposed technique exploits a novel widget, called “Smart Pin”, to enable the user to select, translate, rotate and scale objects relying entirely on the positional tracking of a single hand. It is, therefore, suitable for several real-world applications where handheld devices are not available, the surrounding environmental conditions make orientation tracking hard, and the non-dominant hand may be involved in different tasks. We evaluated the method with users on two classical tasks such as detail search and docking, comparing it with a successful two-handed manipulation technique (Handlebar). The measured execution efficiency obtained with the two methods was similar, but most users preferred the Smart Pin for its gestural comfort and ease of use.
Crohn’s disease (CD) is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) which can affect any part of the whole gastrointestinal tract (from mouth to anus). Malnutrition affects 65–75% of CD patients, and ...it is now well acknowledged that diet is of paramount importance in the management of the disease. In this review, we would like to highlight the most recent findings in the field of nutrition for the treatment of CD. Our analysis will cover a wide range of topics, from the well-established diets to the new nutritional theories, along with the recent progress in emerging research fields, such as nutrigenomics.
Summary Background Intervention to achieve alcohol abstinence represents the most effective treatment for alcohol-dependent patients with liver cirrhosis; however, anticraving drugs might worsen ...liver disease. We aimed to investigate the effectiveness and safety of baclofen in achieving and maintaining alcohol abstinence in patients with liver cirrhosis. Methods Between October, 2003, and November, 2006, 148 alcohol-dependent patients with liver cirrhosis were referred to the Institute of Internal Medicine, Rome, Italy. 84 were randomly allocated either oral baclofen or placebo for 12 weeks. Primary outcome was proportion of patients achieving and maintaining alcohol abstinence. Measures of this outcome were total alcohol abstinence and cumulative abstinence duration, which were assessed at outpatient visits. Relapse was defined as alcohol intake of more than four drinks per day or overall consumption of 14 or more drinks per week over a period of at least 4 weeks. Analysis was by intention to treat. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov , number NCT00525252. Findings Of 42 patients allocated baclofen, 30 (71%) achieved and maintained abstinence compared with 12 (29%) of 42 assigned placebo (odds ratio 6·3 95% CI 2·4–16·1; p=0·0001). The number of dropouts (termination of treatment) did not differ between the baclofen (6/42 14%) and placebo (13/42 31%) groups (p=0·12). Cumulative abstinence duration was about twofold higher in patients allocated baclofen than in those assigned placebo (mean 62·8 SE 5·4 vs 30·8 5·5 days; p=0·001). No hepatic side-effects were recorded. Interpretation Baclofen is effective at promoting alcohol abstinence in alcohol-dependent patients with liver cirrhosis. The drug is well tolerated and could have an important role in treatment of these individuals.
About 50% of persons with an alcohol use disorder may have symptoms of alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS) when they reduce or discontinue their alcohol consumption. Protracted alcohol withdrawal ...(PAW), an underestimated and not yet clearly defined clinical condition that follows the acute stage of AWS, is characterized by the presence of substance-specific signs and symptoms (i.e. anxiety, irritability, mood instability, insomnia, craving) common to acute AWS, but persisting beyond the generally expected acute AWS time frames. Considering that PAW symptoms are mainly related to the neuro-adaptive changes of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) systems, naltrexone, nalmefene, and disulfiram may not be able to suppress the symptoms of PAW. After treatment of the acute phase of AWS, a more specifically pharmacological therapy able to suppress PAW symptoms could perhaps be used earlier and may be more helpful in preventing the risk of alcohol relapse, which remains higher during the first months of treatment. In light of this, medications acting on GABA and NMDA neurotransmitter systems to counterbalance the up-regulation of NMDA and the down-regulation of GABA could be employed in combination and started as soon as possible.
Gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) represents the major inhibitory neurotransmitter of the central nervous system. Ethanol as well as benzodiazepines (BDZs) and some anticonvulsant drugs directly affect ...GABAA receptors inducing similar anxiolytic, sedativehypnotic, and anticonvulsant effects. Since BDZs have proven their efficacy in ameliorating symptoms and in decreasing the risk of seizures and delirium tremens, they are the drugs of choice for the treatment of alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS). However, due to their addictive potential and lack of safety when combined with alcohol, BDZs are usually not recommended for the maintenance of alcohol abstinence. Other GABA-ergic medications represent potentially promising drugs useful in the treatment of AWS and in maintaining alcohol abstinence. Indeed, available studies have demonstrated that clomethiazole, gabapentin and gamma hydroxybutyrate (GHB) present a similar efficacy to BDZs in suppressing AWS. In addition, current evidence also indicates that gabapentin and GHB do not have significant interactions with ethanol that render them safe to use in maintaining alcohol abstinence. Moreover, gabapentin and valproic acid may be beneficial in maintaining alcohol abstinence in alcoholics with psychiatric co-morbidity. Pregabalin, neurosteroids, tiagabine, and vigabatrin need further clinical evidence of efficacy, safety and tolerability. Thus, given the importance of GABA-ergic mechanisms in the development and maintenance of alcohol dependence, and the very interesting results currently achieved, more research on GABAergic agents is warranted.
Background: Celiac disease (CD) is an autoimmune disorder triggered by gluten ingestion. Herein, we assessed clinical, serological and histopathological findings of a single-center, large cohort of ...CD patients diagnosed and followed-up over forty years. Methods: From January 1980 to December 2020, 1547 CD patients (1170 females; age range: 8–81 years; F:M ratio = 3.1:1) were diagnosed in an Italian tertiary referral center. Comorbidities and complications were recorded at diagnosis and during follow-up. Results: CD diagnoses quadrupled after 2000. The most frequent phenotype was the non-classical CD (63.3%), and the most prevalent histotype was Marsh 3C (44.7%). Gastrointestinal manifestations, detectable in 51% of patients, were diarrhea (24.3%), bloating (28%) and aphthous stomatitis (19.7%). The most common CD-associated disorder was osteopenia (59.9%), predominant in females (64.3%); extraintestinal manifestations included anemia (35.8% iron-deficiency; 87% folic acid malabsorption), cryptogenic hypertransaminasemia (27.9%), and recurrent miscarriages (11.5%). Thyroiditis (26.9%), type 1 diabetes mellitus (2.9%), and dermatitis herpetiformis (1.4%) were the most common CD-related autoimmune disorders. Six patients had inflammatory bowel disease. Complications and mortality rate occurred in 1.8% and 1.9%, respectively. Conclusions: This single-center, large cohort analysis confirmed that CD presentation changed over the years, with an increase of non-classical and subclinical clinical phenotypes.
Since the rise of awareness of gluten/wheat-related disorders in the academic and clinical field in the last few decades, misinformation regarding the gluten-free diet (GFD) and its impact on health ...has been spreading among the general population. Despite the established link between gluten and celiac disease (CD), where a GFD is mandatory to reach clinical and histological remission, things are more complicated when it comes to non-celiac gluten/wheat sensitivity (NCGWS) and other autoimmune/dysimmune disorders. In the last conditions, a beneficial effect of gluten withdrawal has not been properly assessed, but still is often suggested without strong supporting evidence. In this context, women have always been exposed, more than men, to higher social pressure related to nutritional behaviors and greater engagement in controlling body weight. With this narrative review, we aim to summarize current evidence on the adherence to a GFD, with particular attention to the impact on women's health.
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