La narrazione del fantastico nella versione norrena della Vitae patrum I

The fantastic found in the "Vitae patrum" can be ascribed to the sphere of the Christian supernatural, consisting of miracles, angels and daemons playing important roles in the lives of the desert fathers. The aim of this study is to show the connection between these themes and the narrative structure of the first part of the Old Norse "Vitae patrum". In this work, the translator often names the identity of the speakers in the various sections. This highlights the communicative situation, which ultimately extends to involve the audience. In this way, the text invites the reader or listener to have confidence in what is told, thus reaching its moral purpose more effectively

CD133+ cells isolated from various sources and their role in future clinical perspective

Background. CD133 is a member of a novel family of cell surface glycoproteins. Initially, the expression of CD133 antigen was seen only in the hematopoietic derived CD34+ stem cells. At present, CD133 expression is demonstrated in undifferentiated epithelium, different types of tumors and myogenic cells. CD133+ neurosphere cells isolated from brain are able to differentiate into both neurons and glial cells. These data suggested that CD133 could be a specific marker for various stem and progenitor cell populations. Objectives. The main goal would be to describe the role for CD133 as a marker of stem cells able to engraft and differentiate, to form functional non-hematopoietic adult lineages and contribute to disease amelioration via tissue regeneration. Results/conclusion. In conclusion, since the rise of CD133 antigen as a suitable stem cell marker, the possible use of CD133+ stem cells in therapeutic applications has opened a new promising field in the treatment of degenerating diseases. The human circulating cells expressing the CD133 antigen behave as a stem cell population capable of commitment to hematopoietic, endothelial and myogenic lineages. CD133 cell therapy may represent a promising treatment for many diseases

La tradizione gnomica nelle letterature germaniche medievali

The book is a collection of essays on the gnomic tradition in medieval Germanic literatures. The first essay discusses the most recent research on phraseology and paremiology, while the following texts analyse didascalic elements focusing on linguistic, literary, and socio-cultural issues. The genres considered include riddles, laws, maxims and proverbs, as well as poems, elegies and mystical treatises. The linguistic areas span over Old and Middle English, Middle German, Middle Dutch, and Old Frisian, with references to contacts with the Nordic region. The various gnomic microtexts prove capable of spreading into different cultural milieus, either individually or as part of larger works. Stylistic devices and contents are common to all European areas, thus demonstrating the close bonds of the Germanic world with the classical and biblical-Christian traditions

Vaginal toxicity management in patients with locally advanced cervical cancer following exclusive chemoradiation—a nationwide survey on knowledge and attitudes by the Italian Association of Radiotherapy and Clinical Oncology (AIRO) Gynecology Study Group

Background and Objective: Exclusive radiotherapy, including external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) and interventional radiotherapy/brachytherapy (IRT/BT), with concurrent cisplatin-based chemotherapy, represents the standard of care in patients with locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC). The emerging topic of vaginal toxicity has become a key endpoint in LACC management, although different approaches and non-standardized procedures were available. Our aim was to analyze a nationwide study of the attitudes of Italian gynecological radiation oncology teams in the management of LACC patients' vaginal toxicities. Methods: A nationwide survey of radiation oncologists specializing in the treatment of gynecological malignancies was performed, using the free SurveyMonkey platform, consisting of 26 items. The questionnaire was proposed by the Italian Association of Radiation Oncologists (AIRO) gynecological working group to all 183 Italian radiation oncology institutions, as per AIRO's website. Results: Fifty-eight questionnaires (31%) were completed and returned. The assessment of acute and late vaginal toxicities was systematic in 32 (55.2%) and 26 (44.8%) centers, respectively. In the case of EBRT, 70.7% of centers, according to the contouring and treatment plan data, did not contour the vagina as an organ at risk (OAR). Vaginal dose constraints were heterogeneous for both EBRT and IRT/BT. Local treatment to prevent vaginal toxicity was prescribed by 60.3% of radiation oncologists, mostly vaginal hyaluronic acid cream, and one center recommended vaginal estrogen preparations. During follow-up visits, vaginal toxicity was considered an issue to be investigated always (n = 31) or in sexually active women only (n = 11). Conclusions: This survey showed that wide variation exists with regard to recording and treating vaginal toxicity after exclusive chemoradiation for cervical cancer, underscoring the need to develop more comprehensive guidelines for contouring e-dose reporting of the vagina, so as to implement clinical approaches for vaginal toxicity

Neurofilament light chain: a specific serum biomarker of axonal damage severity in rat models of Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neurotoxicity

Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neurotoxicity (CIPN) is a severe and long-lasting side effect of anticancer therapy, which can severely impair patients’ quality of life. It is a sensory and length-dependent neuropathy, which predominantly affects large myelinated fibers. Easy and reliable monitoring of CIPN in patients is still an unmet clinical need. Since increasing clinical evidence supports the potential use of neurofilament light chain (NfL) as a biomarker of axonal injury, in this study we measured serum NfL levels in animals chronically treated with cisplatin (CDDP) and paclitaxel (PTX), two antineoplastic drugs with different neuronal targets. Wistar rats were treated with CDDP (2 mg/kg i.p. twice/week for 4 weeks) or PTX (10 mg/kg i.v. once/week for 4 weeks). Repeated serum NfL quantification was obtained using the Single Molecule Array (Simoa) technology. The onset and progression of peripheral neurotoxicity were evaluated through neurophysiology, morphological assessments and intraepidermal nerve fibers density quantification. Our results showed that serum NfL measurements correlated with the severity of axonal damage. In fact, both treatments induced serum NfL increase, but higher levels were evidenced in PTX-treated animals, compared with CDDP-treated rats, affected by a milder neurotoxicity. Notably, also the timing of the NfL level increase was associated with the severity of morphological and functional alterations of axonal structure. Therefore, NfL could be a useful biomarker for axonal damage in order to follow the onset and severity of axonal degeneration and possibly limit the occurrence of serious PNS disease