«Napoli a occhio nudo» di Fucini e la nazionalizzazione di un universo discorsivo ‘orientalizzante’ sul Mezzogiorno

Si analizza Napoli a occhio nudo di Renato Fucini, facendo dialogare le strategie retorico-discorsive che nel testo costruiscono l'immagine di Napoli con il dibattito sui processi di 'orientalizzazione' del Mezzogiorno. Se per 'orientalismo' si può intendere «il distribuirsi di una consapevolezza geopolitica entro un insieme di testi poetici, eruditi, economici, sociologici, storiografici e filologici» (E. Said), allora può avere senso chiedersi «come e quando l'Italia meridionale è divenuta “il Sud”, un luogo e un popolo immaginato diverso […]; un serbatoio di residui feudali, pigrizia e squallore da un lato, di contadini pittoreschi, tradizioni popolari ed esotismo dall'altro» (N. Moe). La letteratura italiana post-unitaria sul Mezzogiorno è presa in esame, allora, in quanto valido banco di prova per indagare i caratteri testuali di quello che appare un particolare processo di nazionalizzazione di un universo discorsivo sul Mezzogiorno, nato dallo sguardo eurocentrico del Grand Tour

Borgese, Jovine e Silone prefatori per il Touring Club Italiano

Si mettono a sistema tre brevi testi di tipo etnogeografico con cui si sono cimentati Silone, Jovine e Borgese negli anni Trenta-Quaranta del Novecento, concettualizzando e testualizzando i caratteri più peculiari della propria regione di appartenenza. Prenderò in esame la prefazione che Borgese scrisse per Sicilia (Touring Club Italiano, 1933) e le due prefazioni che Silone e Jovine scrissero per Abruzzo e Molise, (Touring Club Italiano, 1948). Mi ripropongo di innestare le ragioni di questi testi nel dibattito sui processi di “orientalizzazione” del Mezzogiorno italiano, intendendo per orientalizzazione i percorsi culturali di tra- sformazione in categoria metastorica e stereotipata dell'immaginario culturale, caratterizzata da arretratezza, barbarie, prevalenza dell'elemento naturale e dimensione folkloristica (Said), e dunque la costruzione di i- dentità regionali meridionali fondate in prevalenza su processi retorici e rappresentazioni letterarie (Moe). A partire dal riconoscimento della centralità che il campo letterario assume nella maggior parte di tali processi culturali, emerge infatti il ruolo determinante delle strategie retoriche di cui si sostanziano pressoché tutti i processi di “orientalizzazione”, fenomeni che sono per loro stessa natura testuali e dunque in buona parte letterar

Il Mezzogiorno di Bandi e Abba tra esotismi e stigmatizzazioni

Ad eccezione di taccuini, articoli di giornale o lettere, la maggior parte dei memorialisti garibaldini si dedicò alla scrittura solo alcuni anni dopo le imprese della Spedizione dei Mille. Considerando la provenienza non meridionale della maggior parte di loro, è interessante vedere come il Sud sia stato per lo più caratterizzato in senso esotico e memoriale: luogo misterioso e fonte di stereotipi, cullato nella memoria e testualizzato attraverso una scrittura che esalta il dato leggendario

Scrivere del Mezzogiorno.Processi di auto-orientalism nella Letteratura italiana

Questo lavoro guarda al contributo che la letteratura italiana ha dato relativamente alla costruzione e alla sedimentazione, nell'immaginario comune e nella percezione pubblica, dell'identità geografica e culturale del Mezzogiorno, ovvero di quella «consapevolezza geopolitica» di cui parlava Edward Said a proposito di altre aree del globo. Per fare ciò, sono stati identificati e presi in esame due diversi momenti che nella storia d'Italia si sono contraddistinti per una forte ridiscussione dell'immagine delle regioni meridionali del paese. I decenni immediatamente successivi all'Unità, infatti, sono stati caratterizzati da ampi dibattiti in merito al ruolo che il Sud doveva avere all'interno della nuova nazione, e in tale quadro il campo letterario appare aver avuto una funzione tutt'altro che marginale, contribuendo insieme ai campi editoriale, artistico, culturale e politico, a sviluppare le diverse rappresentazioni del Mezzogiorno. Il ventennio fascista, poi, ha dovuto fare i conti con strategie descrittive che del Sud avevano fatto una problematica regione dell'immaginario, di cui si erano messi in risalto in prevalenza gli aspetti di alterità rispetto al resto d'Italia, e le ha riformulate in maniera complessa e disorganica, calandole poi (spesso a fini propagandistici) all'interno di dialettiche che ruotavano intorno alle opposizioni città/campagna, centro/periferia e tradizione/innovazione

Impasse in the management of recurrent basal cell carcinoma of the skull with sagittal sinus erosion

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is a non melanocytic skin cancer that arises from basal cells, affecting commonly fair-skinned human beings. Although the tumor is well known for local recurrences, extension into the intracranial space is reported. A case of a giant BCC of the scalp invading the middle and posterior third of the superior sagittal sinus (SSS) is reported. A 70-year-old male with a basal cell carcinoma history presented with a massive bleeding from the SSS invaded by the tumor. Since the patient refused surgery the bleeding was managed through direct compression by applying a thrombin-based hemostatic agents and sterile dressings. This procedure was performed daily in order to stimulate the spontaneous thrombosis of the dural sinus and development of collateral circle. BCC invading the SSS is rarely reported. A technical description of this case is provided. This case underscores the importance of early and appropriate treatment for high risk BCC, and whenever surgical procedure is not suitable appropriate conservative treatment may be efficacious

Autologous fibrin sealant (Vivostat®) in the neurosurgical practice: Part I: Intracranial surgical procedure

Background: Hemorrhages, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) fistula and infections are the most challenging postoperative complications in Neurosurgery. In this study, we report our preliminary results using a fully autologous fibrin sealant agent, the Vivostat® system, in achieving hemostasis and CSF leakage repair during cranio-cerebral procedures. Methods: From January 2012 to March 2014, 77 patients were studied prospectively and data were collected and analyzed. Autologous fibrin sealant, taken from patient's blood, was prepared with the Vivostat® system and applied on the resection bed or above the dura mater to achieve hemostasis and dural sealing. The surgical technique, time to bleeding control and associated complications were recorded. Results: A total of 79 neurosurgical procedures have been performed on 77 patients. In the majority of cases (98%) the same autologous fbrin glue provided rapid hemostasis and dural sealing. No patient developed allergic reactions or systemic complications in association with its application. There were no cases of cerebral hematoma, swelling, infection, or epileptic seizures after surgery whether in the immediate or in late period follow-up. Conclusions: In this preliminary study, the easy and direct application of autologous fibrin sealant agent helped in controlling cerebral bleeding and in providing prompt and efficient dural sealing with resolution of CSF leaks. Although the use of autologous fibrin glue seems to be safe, easy, and effective, further investigations are strongly recommended to quantify real advantages and potential limitations

White cord syndrome after non-contiguous double-level anterior cervical decompression and fusion (ACDF): A "no reflow phenomenon"?

Abstract Study design Case report and review of literature. Objective To report a rare complication of anterior cervical decompression and fusion (ACDF) in a patient with severe cervical cord compression and review of relevant literature. Introduction The white cord syndrome is a very rare condition characterized by an ischemic-edematous lesion of the spinal cord following a surgical procedure, lacking intra o perioperative surgical or anesthesiological complications. Case report A 64-years old male affected by a severe cervical stenosis at multiple levels, with voluminous C3–C4 and C5–C6 disc herniations associated to T2-hyperintense myelomalacic area at C3–C4 level was admitted to our Unit of Neurosurgery in July 2015. A double-level anterior cervical decompression and fusion (ACDF) procedure was performed without intraoperative complications and, in the immediate post-operative period, the patient developed a severe motor weakness to four limbs. The post-operative cervical spine MRI revealed an extension of the hyperintensity on the C5–C6 level. In the immediate post-operative course high doses of dexamethasone were administered, in order to treat the secondary spinal damage. The patient was, after few days, transferred to a Rehabilitation Unit where a partial improvement of the motor weakness was gradually observed. We report the second case of this complication in Literature to support the theory of a possible reperfusion injury after a double ACDF. We speculate an ethiologic mechanism similar to a long-term no-reflow phenomenon, likely during the post-ischemic period in myocardial or cerebral infarction. Conclusions Despite the pathophysiology of non-reflow phenomenon is not widely known, we suspect that an improper blood flow after the double-level discectomy could have led to the changes in medullar hemodynamics

Convolutional Neural Network-Based Automatic Analysis of Chest Radiographs for the Detection of COVID-19 Pneumonia: A Prioritizing Tool in the Emergency Department, Phase I Study and Preliminary “Real Life” Results

The aim of our study is the development of an automatic tool for the prioritization of COVID-19 diagnostic workflow in the emergency department by analyzing chest X-rays (CXRs). The Convolutional Neural Network (CNN)-based method we propose has been tested retrospectively on a single-center set of 542 CXRs evaluated by experienced radiologists. The SARS-CoV-2 positive dataset (n = 234) consists of CXRs collected between March and April 2020, with the COVID-19 infection being confirmed by an RT-PCR test within 24 h. The SARS-CoV-2 negative dataset (n = 308) includes CXRs from 2019, therefore prior to the pandemic. For each image, the CNN computes COVID-19 risk indicators, identifying COVID-19 cases and prioritizing the urgent ones. After installing the software into the hospital RIS, a preliminary comparison between local daily COVID-19 cases and predicted risk indicators for 2918 CXRs in the same period was performed. Significant improvements were obtained for both prioritization and identification using the proposed method. Mean Average Precision (MAP) increased (p < 1.21 × 10(−21) from 43.79% with random sorting to 71.75% with our method. CNN sensitivity was 78.23%, higher than radiologists’ 61.1%; specificity was 64.20%. In the real-life setting, this method had a correlation of 0.873. The proposed CNN-based system effectively prioritizes CXRs according to COVID-19 risk in an experimental setting; preliminary real-life results revealed high concordance with local pandemic incidence

Long-term assessment of plasma lipids in transplant recipients treated with tacrolimus in relation to fatty liver.

Immunosuppression has improved graft and recipient survival in transplantation but is associated with possible adverse effects including cardiovascular diseases. The impact of tacrolimus on the lipidic profile has been debated for several years. Twenty-nine kidney transplant recipients on tacrolimus treatment were monitored for six years, and multiple laboratory parameters investigating the lipid asset, as well as glucose profile, were carried out. Tacrolimus has been responsible for significant changes in plasma lipid concentrations only for the first six months, but not for the remaining time of observation. Similarly, in the same periods, glycemic imbalance was highlighted. The liver enzyme activity showed a modest derangement during the tacrolimus treatment, suggesting the presence of lipid accumulation in the liver. Fatty liver reversed in the long term follow-up. Tacrolimus, although it is not a completely safe option in the first months of the immunosuppressive protocols in organ transplanted recipients, still retains a certain role in the long-term post-transplantation immunosuppressive approach with high cardiovascular risk

Endoscopic Endonasal Resection of a Schwannoma of the Anterior Cranial Fossa.

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