Il fuoco sul volto : i giorni siciliani di Carlo Levi

I settantré anni dell'arco vitale di Carlo Levi (Torino 1902-Roma 1975) rivelano la straordinaria coerenza d'un intellettuale, del suo fuoco politico, della sua versatilità estetica. Una simbiosi espressiva come cifra di pittura e scrittura: due forme del 'dire' amalgamate in una. Se dal viaggio nel Meridione d'Italia egli distilla l'amore per la Lucania, i suoi 'giorni siciliani', immersi negli anni Cinquanta e condensati nell'opera Le parole sono pietre, irradiano una Sicilia sotterranea e solare abitata dalla violenza e dalla tavolozza di Guttuso. Vige la coinvolgente dinamica dell'ossimoro: anima spirituale, geologica, sociale d'un mondo, quello contadino, sulla soglia della scomparsa.The seventy-three years of Carlo Levi's (Turin 1902-Rome 1975) arch of life reveal his extraordinary coherency as an intellectual, his political flame, and his aesthetic versatility. His life was an expressive symbiosis with painting and writing: two forms of 'saying' amalgamated as one. If his love for Lucania is distilled from his journey to the South of Italy, his 'Sicilian days', framed in the Fifties, and preserved in his novel Words are Stones, radiate a subterranean and solar Sicily inhabited by violence and by Guttuso's palette. The absorbing dynamism of the oxymoron governs the whole: that is, a spiritual, geological, social soul of a world, the peasant one, on the threshold of disappearance

"Dentro l'immobile occhio del bue" : Sciascia tra poesia e fiaba

Se l'esordio di Leonardo Sciascia si affida al lavoro poetico con La Sicilia, il suo cuore e con le Favole della dittatura non è certo un fatto occasionale. Al contrario, trova nella parola quella capacità di intercettare la realtà del profondo e catalizzarne, in questa fase iniziatica della sua vita creativa, l'avvento: da Pirandello a Rosso di San Secondo, da Di Giovanni a Lanza. Ritenere che poi egli abbia allontanato la sostanza dell'azione poetica è un sottovalutarne la sensibilità. Egli, frequentatore della poesia: da Veneziano a Withmann a Ungaretti, da Piccolo a Belli a Trilussa, fu amico di poeti, da Roversi a Pasolini, da Tobino a Vilardo a Frezza, da Campanile ad Addamo.Si bé el debut de Leonardo Sciascia es basa en l'obra poètica amb La Sicília, il suo cuore i amb les Faules de la dictadura, de fet no és certament un fet puntual. Al contrari, troba en la paraula aquesta capacitat d'interceptar la realitat del profund i catalitzar, en aquesta fase iniciàtica de la seva vida creativa, l'adveniment: de Pirandello a Rosso di San Secondo, de Di Giovanni a Lanza. Creure que després va eliminar la substància de l'acció poètica és subestimar la seva sensibilitat. Ell, visitant freqüent de la poesia: de Veneziano i Withmann a Ungaretti, de Piccolo i Belli a Trilussa, era amic de poetes, de Roversi a Pasolini, de Tobino a Vilardo i Frezza, de Campanile a Addamo.Undoubtedly, it is not an occasional fact that Leonardo Sciascia's debut showed his poetic face with La Sicilia, il suo cuore [Sicily, its heart] and with Favole della dittatura [Fairy Tales of Dictatorship]. He certainly got in the using of the poetic word the ability to be able to intercept the truth of the soul and catalyze its advent, in this initial phase of his creative life: from Pirandello to Rosso di San Secondo, from Di Giovanni to Lanza. Moreover if one believes that he removed the substance of the poetic action, makes an underestimation of his sensitivity. He constantly practiced poetry: from Veneziano to Withmann to Ungaretti, from Piccolo to Belli to Trilussa, some poets were his friends, like Roversi, Pasolini, Tobino, Vilardo, Frezza, Campanile, Addamo.Si el debut de Leonardo Sciascia se apoya en la obra poética con Sicilia, su corazón y con las Fábulas de la dictadura ciertamente no es un hecho ocasional. Al contrario, encuentra en la palabra esa capacidad de interceptar la realidad de las profundidades y catalizar su advenimiento, en esta fase iniciática de su vida creativa: de Pirandello a Rosso di San Secondo, de Di Giovanni a Lanza. Creer que luego descartó la sustancia de la acción poética es una subestimación de su sensibilidad. Frecuentaba la poesía: de Veneziano a Withmann a Ungaretti, de Piccolo a Belli a Trilussa, era amigo de los poetas, de Roversi a Pasolini, de Tobino a Vilardo a Frezza, de Campanile a Addamo

Il "giuramento di G. F. Ingrassia nella peste di Palermo del 1575 nel suo 500° genetliaco

L'autore pone una riflessione sul giuramento nell'attività medica sia dal punto di vista etico che deontologico. Richiama il solenne impegno di Ingrassia nella tutela della città di Palermo colpita dalla peste e discute i punti di attualità

Giovanni Filippo Ingrassia: A five-hundred year-long lesson.

Giovanni Filippo Ingrassia was born five centuries ago in Regalbuto, a small town in the center of Sicily. After his medical course in Padua, under the guidance of Vesalius and Fallopius, he gained international fame as a physician and was recruited as a Professor of human anatomy in Naples and later in Palermo. He is remembered as "the new Galen" or "the Sicilian Hippocrates." He contributed to the knowledge of human anatomy through the description of single bones rather than the whole skeleton. In particular, he was the first to describe the "stapes," the "lesser wings of the sphenoid" and various other structures in the head (probably the pharyngotympanic tube) as well as in the reproductive system (corpora cavernosa and seminal vesicles). He was also a pioneer in the study of forensic medicine, hygiene, surgical pathology, and teratology. As Protomedicus of Sicily, he developed the scientific culture in this country. During those years, he faced the spread of malaria and plague with competence and authoritativeness. Indeed, he was one of the first physicians to suppose that certain diseases could be transmitted between individuals, therefore, introducing revolutionary measures of prevention. He is remembered for his intellectual authority and honesty. Five-hundred years after his birth, his teaching is still alive. In this article, we survey the life and contribution of this pioneer of early anatomical study

The Bio-Molecular Dynamics of Dental Pulp in Different Clinical Scenarios

Dental pulp (DP) is a very dynamic tissue both in health and in disease. When exposed to stressors and pathological conditions. It undergoes a complex series of biological reactions whereby alterations affect the pulp tissue at tissue cellular and molecular levels. The aim of this review is to update the reader on the various bio-molecular alterations in the dental pulp under different clinical conditions: orthodontic treatment (OT), caries, pulpitis and others. The morphological changes in the composition of the DP rang from the reversible remodeling to apoptosis and sometimes necrosis. Many apoptotic factors are involved like Bcl2, Bax and the significant increase in Caspases 9 and 3, as well as, Hsp60, its possible role and its mitochodrial localization. The inflammatory responses in dental pulp and the role of diffusible and cellular factors as well as DP stem cells were highlighted, in particular, where caries was involved in the pulpitis.Recent data report changes in tissue metabolism and homeostasis inside the DP caused by OT leading to increased levels of iNOS reactivity in the nerve fibers of the pulp. Moreover, remodeling of the extra cellular matrix(ECM) is an important feature in clinical scenarios like OT and caries whereby alterations in MMP-2 and MMP-9 expression patterns are reported leading to degradation of type IV and V collagens in the ECM. Furthermore, neurogenic factors are also modified after injuries and OT. Neuropeptides play a significant role not onlyin pain perception but also in vascular responses. Substance P increases in DP and enhances pain perception and so is the increase in CGRP which is correlated with concomitant gain in bone morphogenetic protein expression resulting in more dentin formation. The role of stem cells and the possible molecular mechanisms of dentin genesis are presented in this review. They focus on important signaling proteins and the possible role of various scaffolds in this regeneration process. In conclusion, most alterations inpulpal structure are reversible unless the pulp has a history of caries, restorations, trauma or prolonged heavy orthodontic forces. Pulpal symptoms arising from these clinical conditions should be treated appropriately and swiftly.Otherwise, exacerpation of pulpitis and the interplay of the various bio-molecular factors will lead to inhibition of repair and regeneration

ANP (Atrial Natriuretic Peptide) presence in the heart of a tunicate, Ciona intestinalis.

Atrial natriuretic peptide was found in the heart of vertebrates, we studied the ANP presence in the heart of Ciona intestinalis. This is animal is very important because of the its evolutionary position between invertebrates and vertebrates. ANP presence was only revealed in myoepithelial cells of the myocardium. Results suggest the hypothesis that ANP is present not only in the vertebrates but also in the invertebrates and in Ciona heart ANP might play a similar role like in the heart of vertebrates

Atrial natriuretic peptide presence in parotid gland of human foetus at 13th week of development and in adult man

Our immunohistochemical study shows that atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) is present in both human fetal and adult parotid gland. In the fetuses ANP is localized in cell clusters, while in adult parotid gland, the ANP is seen only in the wall of intra- and extralobular ducts. The results suggest that ANP might play a role in the differentiation of the parotid gland similarly as in brain and that during fetal growth ANP may play a role in the regulating the secretion of primitive salivary fluid, even if acini are still not developed. (Folia Histochemica et Cytobiologica 2013, Vol. 51, No. 1, 55-58

Expression of gelatinases (MMP-2, MMP-9) and cyclooxygenases (COX-1, COX-2) in some benign salivary gland tumors.

Salivary gland tumors, most of which are rare benign tumors, represent a histologically heterogenous group with the greatest diversity of morphological and cellular features. The aim of this study is to analyse the expression and possible interactions between gelatinases (MMP-2, MMP-9) and cyclooxygenases (COX-1, COX-2) in some benign salivary gland tumors. We investigated the expression of gelatinases and cyclooxigenases in control salivary gland, Pleomorphic adenoma and Warthin's tumor through immunohistochemistry and Reverse Transcription – Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). We identified the expression of both classes of enzyme in normal samples and in the two types of pathological samples without any quantitative differences. From the present data no significant differences emerge in the expression of these enzymes among the different pathologies examined. Nevertheless, due to the small number of samples included in this study, general statements regarding correlation between the degree of severity of the tumoral pathology and the quantitative expression of these potential tumoral markers can not be made