Aspetti della religiosità nuragica tra archeologia, letteratura ed etnografia

Attraverso una ricerca multidisciplinare, basata sull’esame comparativo fra la documentazione archeologica, le fonti classiche e le tradizioni popolari, si propone un’ipotesi relativa alla religiosità nuragica in Sardegna, a partire dall’esame del culto dei morti e delle tipologie funerarie. La successiva analisi di fonti greche e latine relative ad alcune figure mitiche collegate all’isola permette alcune considerazioni sul culto eroico nella tarda età del Bronzo, con il supporto della documentazione archeologica. L’analisi congiunta dei dati presentati porta, infine, a ricostruire per la civiltà nuragica una religione complessa, di tipo fertilistico - naturalistico, nella quale ha un ruolo di spicco la divinità femminile mediterranea.On the basis of a multidisciplinary approach, this paper attempts to outline an hypothesis on religion during the Sardinian Bronze age period, especially through evaluating the cult of the dead and funerary archaeological evidences. By analyzing both ancient (Greek and Latin) sources and some archaeological data, the paper will provide remarks on the heroic cult in the Late Bronze age context. The comparison between archaeological evidences, ancient and ethnographic sources allows to define for the Nuragic civilization a fertilistic – naturalistic religion, in which the Mediterranean goddess seems to have a more important role than it has been hypoth­esized before.

Possibile ruolo dei recettori PPARα in modelli animali di ansia e depressione

Alpha-type peroxisome proliferator-activated nuclear receptors (PPARα), which regulate many important physiological responses such as lipid metabolism, energy balance and inflammation, are the endogenous target of the fatty acid amides oleoylethanolamide (OEA) and palmitoylethanolamide (PEA). Like the endogenous cannabinoid anandamide (AEA), OEA and PEA are synthetized on demand and are primarily degraded by fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH), but do not show affinity for cannabinoid receptors. On the other hand, AEA and other endocannabinoids such as noladin ether and virodhamine, show binding affinity for PPARα receptors and increase their transcriptional activity. Endocannabinoids and PPAR agonists share targets and functions in both the brain and the periphery. Since the endocannabinoid system (ECBs) is involved in several psychiatric disorders like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression, this thesis investigated the role of involvement of OEA and PEA in depression and other disorders. In particular this work characterized the behavioral profiles of OEA and PEA in the tail flick test, elevated plus maze and forced swimming test (FST) in adult male Sprague Dawley rats. For all drugs used in this study, motor activity test was conducted to select doses avoid of any aspecific effect on animal behaviour. Both compounds did not affect the antinociception response of rats in the tail flick test and show neither anxiolytic nor anxiogenic-like effects in the elevated plus maze test. More intriguingly the sub-chronic treatment with OEA (2.5 mg/kg and 5 mg/kg) and PEA (1 mg/kg and 2 mg/kg) significantly decreased the duration of immobility and increased swimming with respect to control rats. The PPARα antagonist MK886, at a dose (1 mg/kg, i.p) that by itself did not show any effect in the FST, fully reversed the effects of OEA and PEA thus confirming the direct involvement of PPARα in the observed antidepressant-like effects. Moreover, the CB1r antagonist/inverse agonist rimonabant, likewise MK886, antagonized the antidepressant-like effect of OEA and PEA, suggesting a possible involvement of the endocannabinoid system. Immunohistochemical staining was conducted on brains of animals treated with OEA and PEA before performing the FST, to evaluate molecular and morphological changes in the hippocampus by studying the expression of glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD67) and microtubule-associated protein-2 (MAP-2), which are known to be involved in several psychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases. These two markers are modified by drug treatments, in line with behavioral data supporting antidepressant-like effects of OEA and PEA. PPAR also mediate the deactivation (phosphorylation) of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) which are widely expressed (particularly the α4β2 and 7 nAChR) in brain areas involved in analgesia, anxiety, depression, reward and cognitive functions. Thus the possibility of a link between the cholinergic system, known to be modulated by ECBs, and PPAR was investigated in the FST by using the specific 7 nAChRs agonist PNU282987 (PNU, 3 mg/kg, i.p), alone and in combination with MK886. In support to this, PNU elicits antidepressant-like effect that are reversed by MK886. Although the mechanisms through which OEA and PEA exert antidepressant –like effects are still to be clarified, the present study suggests that these compounds could have a role in the neurobiology of psychiatric diseases and particularly in depression

Chronic cannabinoid exposure reduces phencyclidine-induced schizophrenia-like positive symptoms in adult rats

Rationale: Chronic cannabis use can induce psychotic states that resemble schizophrenia. Yet, schizophrenic patients often smoke cannabis as a form of self-medication to counter the aversive symptoms of schizophrenia. We recently demonstrated an ameliorating effect of cannabinoid self-administration (SA) on negative and cognitive schizophrenia-like symptoms induced experimentally by the non-competitive N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor antagonist phencyclidine (PCP). Whether cannabinoid SA alleviates or exacerbates schizophrenia-like positive symptoms is still unclear. Objectives: This follow-up study aimed to evaluate the effect of self-administered cannabinoid on PCP-induced schizotypic positive symptoms in adult rats. Methods: Male rats were trained to self-administer either the cannabinoid CB1 receptor agonist WIN 55,212-2 (WIN; 12.5 μg/kg/infusion) or its vehicle (Veh) intravenously. The effects of acute and chronic intermittent intraperitoneal administration of PCP (2.5 mg/kg) on motor parameters were then tested in Veh-SA and WIN-SA. Results: Cannabinoid SA significantly attenuated the psychotomimetic effects of PCP exposure observed in control rats. Following acute PCP administration, WIN-SA animals displayed more frequent rearing and lower anxiety-like profile than Veh-SA rats. WIN-SA rats also exhibited lower behavioural sensitisation to chronic PCP treatment as demonstrated by reduced hyperlocomotion in response to an acute PCP challenge. In addition, parallel experiments performed in experimenter-administered rats that received WIN at comparable SA doses confirmed the ameliorating effects of cannabinoid exposure on PCP-induced schizotypic behaviours, indicating that motivational effects were not responsible for the ameliorative effects of cannabinoids. Conclusions: Our results indicate that cannabis may exert protective effects on positive schizotypic symptoms in adult animals such as hypermotility and anxiety state

Dermoid cyst of the pancreas: presentation and management

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Dermoid cyst of the pancreas is a benign, well-differentiated, extremely rare germ cell neoplasm. Published data indicate that differential diagnosis of cystic lesions of the pancreas is challenging and although ultrasonography, computed tomography and magnetic resonance may be useful, radiological findings are often inconclusive and the diagnosis is intraoperative. We report a case of a dermoid cyst of the tail of the pancreas intraoperatively diagnosed and successfully treated with left pancreatectomy. Further, characteristics, preoperative detection and differential diagnosis of this rare pathology are also discussed.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>This report documents the findings of a 64-year-old male presenting with a well defined echogenic pancreatic mass on ultrasonography. Computerized Tomography (CT) showed a 5 cm cystic tumor arising from pancreatic tail and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) suggested a tumor extension to the middle side of the stomach without defined margins. A left pancreatectomy was performed. On surgical specimen, histological evaluation revealed a dermoid cyst of the tail of the pancreas measuring 8.5 × 3.0 cm.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Given the benign nature of the dermoid cyst, surgical resection most likely represents the definitive treatment and cure. In addition, resection is indicated in consideration of the difficulty in diagnosing dermoid cyst preoperatively. However, endoscopic ultrasound and fine needle aspiration cytology have recently been shown to be effective, safe, reliable and cost-saving preoperative diagnostic tools. Therefore, until more cases of dermoid cyst are identified to further elucidate its natural history and improve the reliability of the preoperative diagnostic tools, surgical resection should be considered the standard therapy in order to exclude malignancy.</p

Maternal immune activation disrupts dopamine system in the offspring

Background: In utero exposure to maternal viral infections is associated with a higher incidence of psychiatric disorders with a supposed neurodevelopmental origin, including schizophrenia. Hence, immune response factors exert a negative impact on brain maturation that predisposes the offspring to the emergence of pathological phenotypes later in life. Although ventral tegmental area dopamine neurons and their target regions play essential roles in the pathophysiology of psychoses, it remains to be fully elucidated how dopamine activity and functionality are disrupted in maternal immune activation models of schizophrenia. Methods: Here, we used an immune-mediated neurodevelopmental disruption model based on prenatal administration of the polyriboinosinic-polyribocytidilic acid in rats, which mimics a viral infection and recapitulates behavioral abnormalities relevant to psychiatric disorders in the offspring. Extracellular dopamine levels were measured by brain microdialysis in both the nucleus accumbens shell and the medial prefrontal cortex, whereas dopamine neurons in ventral tegmental area were studied by in vivo electrophysiology. Results: Polyriboinosinic-polyribocytidilic acid-treated animals, at adulthood, displayed deficits in sensorimotor gating, memory, and social interaction and increased baseline extracellular dopamine levels in the nucleus accumbens, but not in the prefrontal cortex. In polyriboinosinic-polyribocytidilic acid rats, dopamine neurons showed reduced spontaneously firing rate and population activity. Conclusions: These results confirm that maternal immune activation severely impairs dopamine system and that the polyriboinosinic-polyribocytidilic acid model can be considered a proper animal model of a psychiatric condition that fulfills a multidimensional set of validity criteria predictive of a human patholog

New process in superfluid 4^He detectors: The coherent elastic neutrino-atom scattering

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Un romanzo in un endecasillabo?

Durante il corso di Letteratura italiana (anno 2017/18), dedicato alla Commedia di Dante, gli studenti sono stati invitati a cimentarsi nell’impresa di concentrare un romanzo nello spazio conchiuso di un endecasillabo o più terzine dantesche – o, in alternativa, nella misura di un tweet: si trattava (in un certo senso) di emulare la capacità del sommo poeta di distillare un’intera esistenza (Paolo e Francesca, Ulisse, Conte Ugolino…) nel volgere di poche terzine. Una giuria di ‘addetti ai lavori’ ha selezionato i migliori componimenti – sorvolando, di tanto in tanto, su alcune infrazioni creative rispetto alle misure canoniche

Health Technology Assessment of Belimumab: A New Monoclonal Antibody for the Treatment of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Objective. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is treated with anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive drugs and off-label biologics. Belimumab is the first biologic approved after 50 years as an add-on therapy for active disease. This paper summarizes a health technology assessment performed in Italy. Methods. SLE epidemiology and burden were assessed using the best published international and national evidences and efficacy and safety of belimumab were synthesized using clinical data. A cost-effectiveness analysis was performed by a lifetime microsimulation model comparing belimumab to standard of care (SoC). Organizational and ethical implications were discussed. Results. Literature review showed that SLE affects 47 per 100,000 people for a total of 28,500 patients in Italy, 50% of whom are affected by active form of the disease despite SoC. These patients, if autoantibodies and anti-dsDNA positive with low complement, are eligible for belimumab. SLE determines work disability and a 2-5-fold increase in mortality. Belimumab with SoC may prevent 4,742 flares in three years being cost-effective with an incremental costeffectiveness ratio of C32,859 per quality adjusted life year gained. From the organizational perspective, the development of clear and comprehensive clinical pathways is crucial. Conclusions. The assessment supports the use of belimumab into the SLE treatment paradigm in Italy

Les droits disciplinaires des fonctions publiques : « unification », « harmonisation » ou « distanciation ». A propos de la loi du 26 avril 2016 relative à la déontologie et aux droits et obligations des fonctionnaires

The production of tt‾ , W+bb‾ and W+cc‾ is studied in the forward region of proton–proton collisions collected at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV by the LHCb experiment, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.98±0.02 fb−1 . The W bosons are reconstructed in the decays W→ℓν , where ℓ denotes muon or electron, while the b and c quarks are reconstructed as jets. All measured cross-sections are in agreement with next-to-leading-order Standard Model predictions.The production of $t\overline{t}$, $W+b\overline{b}$ and $W+c\overline{c}$ is studied in the forward region of proton-proton collisions collected at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV by the LHCb experiment, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.98 $\pm$ 0.02 \mbox{fb}^{-1}. The $W$ bosons are reconstructed in the decays $W\rightarrow\ell\nu$, where $\ell$ denotes muon or electron, while the $b$ and $c$ quarks are reconstructed as jets. All measured cross-sections are in agreement with next-to-leading-order Standard Model predictions