0000000000538373
AUTHOR
Guido Signorino
Assessment of humoral and cell-mediated immunity against Bordetella pertussis in adolescent, adult, and senior subjects in Italy
SUMMARYHumoral and cell-mediated immunity (CMI) againstB. pertussiswas assessed in a sample of adolescent, adult and senior subjects distributed in five different geographical areas in Italy. Most (99·1%) subjects had IgG anti-pertussis toxin (PT) antibodies exceeding the minimum detection level [⩾2 ELISA units (EU)/ml]. There were no significant differences between the genders; 6·2% samples recorded titres ⩾100 EU/ml. CMI was positive [stimulation index (SI) ⩾5] against PT in 39·0% of all samples. This study suggests thatB. pertussiscontinues to circulate in age groups that have been previously considered to be uninvolved in the circulation of this pathogen and that adolescent and adult pe…
Territorial Gap and Territorial Distribution of Public Investments in Italy
The problem of regional imbalances is a central issue in the cohesion policy debate in Europe. This paper verifies whether the territorial dynamics of in-vestment (and especially of public investment) in Italy has satisfied the principle of territorial rebalancing between the Central-Northern areas and the “Mezzogiorno” regions. The empirical evidence produced by the analy-sis of the flows of capital expenditure of investments, using the data of the territorial public accounts system, shows that the territorial gaps in recent years have widened, penalizing the regions of the South. It is necessary to think of a differential dynamic in the overall territorial flows of invest-ments in order t…