Aby Warburg: His Aims and Methods

In this issue of Engramma: Giulia Zanon’s "Zooming Mnemosyne" deals with the use of details in Warburg’s Bilderatlas, Monica Centanni’s "Collateral effects of the “visibile parlare” (Dante, Pg. X, v. 95)" reconstructs the hypothesis of a visual model for the legend of Trajan’s Justice, according to Warburg intuition about it; this contribution is connected of the paper by Filippo Perfetti’s "Dante, Botticelli, and Trajan. An Open Note" where the author investigates how Botticelli could have come to know that the bas-relief of the Arch of Constantine liberatori urbis was related to an episode in Trajan's life”. The focus of this issue is then extended to Warburg's cultural environment. Matilde Sergio’s "Aby Warburg, Walter Benjaming, and the Memory of Images" investigates the influence of Warburg's essay about Luther, on Benjamin's thought, while Dorothee Gelhard’s "Gertrud Bing’s Scientific Beginnings" reconstructs the intellectual history of Bing's doctoral thesis and its influences on Warburgian work. The theme of Warburg’s Denkraum is the focal point of Salvatore Settis’ "Anselm Kiefer's Logic of Inversion": a fundamental overview of Kiefer's Questi scritti, quando verranno bruciati, daranno finalmente un po’ di luce (Andrea Emo) on display at Sala dello Scrutinio in Palazzo Ducale, Venezia from March to October 2022. The third section of the issue is dedicated to new publications and exhibitions. Echoing Settis’ reflection on Denkraum, we present Clio Nicastro’s "La Dialettica del Denkraum in Aby Warburg", published this year for Palermo University Press; an introduction to "Cultural Memories": a series published by Peter Lang and edited by Katia Pizzi. Giacomo Calandra di Roccolino with "Mary Hertz Warburg: Free and Unconventional" reviews the exhibition of the artist Mary Hertz Warburg. The issue closes with the important "Choral Reading of "Il metodo di Aby Warburg" by Kurt W. Forster. L’antico dei gesti. Il futuro della memoria", where Barbara Baert, Victoria Cirlot, Georges Didi-Huberman, Michael Diers, Andrea Pinotti and Ianick Takaes offer us their personal reading of Warburg’s life and thought as they are presented by Forster’s newly translated book, edited by Ronzani editore

CCAAT/enhancer-binding proteins are key regulators of human type two deiodinase expression in a placenta cell line

An appropriate concentration of intracellular T(3) is a critical determinant of placenta development and function and is mainly controlled by the activity of type II deiodinase (D2). The levels of this enzyme are finely regulated in different tissues by coordinated transcriptional mechanisms, which rely on dedicated promoter sequences (e.g. cAMP response element and TATA elements) that impart inducibility and tissue specificity to Dio2 mRNA expression. Here we show that CCAAT enhancer-binding proteins α and β (C/EBPα and C/EBPβ) promote Dio2 expression in the trophoblastic cell line JEG3 through a conserved CCAAT element, which is a novel key component of the Dio2 promoter code that confers tissue-specific expression of D2 in these cells. Increased C/EBPs levels potently induce Dio2 transcription, whereas their ablation results in loss of Dio2 mRNA. By measuring the activity of several deletion and point mutant promoter constructs, we have identified the functional CCAAT element responsible for this effect, which is located in close proximity to the most 5' TATA box. Notably, this newly identified sequence is highly conserved throughout the species and binds in vivo and in vitro C/EBP, indicating the relevance of this regulatory mechanism. Together, our results unveil a novel mechanism of regulation of D2 expression in a trophoblastic cell line, which may play a relevant role during placenta development

Phonological and lexical influences on phonological awareness in children with specific language impairment and dyslexia

Children with dyslexia and/or specific language impairment have marked deficits in phonological processing, putting them at an increased risk for reading deficits. The current study sought to examine the influence of word-level phonological and lexical characteristics on phonological awareness. Children with dyslexia and/or specific language impairment were tested using a phoneme deletion task in which stimuli differed orthogonally by sound similarity and neighborhood density. Phonological and lexical factors influenced performance differently across groups. Children with dyslexia appeared to have a more immature and aberrant pattern of phonological and lexical influence (e.g., favoring sparse and similar features). Children with SLI performed less well than children who were typically developing, but followed a similar pattern of performance (e.g., favoring dense and dissimilar features). Collectively, our results point to both quantitative and qualitative differences in lexical organization and phonological representations in children with SLI and in children with dyslexia

Context-dependent Neural Responses to Minor Notes in Frontal and Temporal Regions Distinguish Musicians from Nonmusicians

Musical training is required for individuals to correctly label musical modes using the terms “major” and “minor,” whereas no training is required to label these modes as “happy” or “sad.” Despite the high accuracy of nonmusicians in happy/sad labeling,previous research suggests that these individuals may exhibit differences in the neural response to the critical note—the note (the third of the relevant key) that defines a melody as major or minor. The current study replicates the presence of a late positive component (LPC) to the minor melody in musicians only. Importantly, we also extend this finding to examine additional neural correlates of critical notes in a melody. Although there was no evidence of an LPC response to a second occurrence of the critical note in either group, there was a strong early right anterior negativity response in the inferior frontal gyrus in musicians in response to the first critical note in the minor mode. This response was sufficient to classify participants based on their musical training group. Furthermore, there were no differences in prefrontal asymmetry in the alpha or beta bands during the critical notes. These findings support the hypothesis thatmusical training may enhance the neural response to the information content of critical note in a minor scale but not the neural response to the emotional content of a melody

The relationship between thyroid disorders and vitamin A. A narrative minireview

: The terms "vitamin A" and "retinoids" encompass a group of fat-soluble compounds essential for human nutrition. Some of them (retinol, retinal, 9-cis-retinoic acid, tretinoin, and 13-cis-retinoic acid) are fully natural, while others are synthetic compounds used mostly for therapeutic purposes. Some evidence indicates that the nutritional status of these retinoids (i.e., the presence or absence of deficiency) is able to modulate thyroid gland metabolism. Vitamin A deficiency is tightly correlated with structural and functional impairment of the thyroid gland and is often associated with iodine deficiency. Furthermore, retinoids are involved in different immune functions, as well as in the process of activation, proliferation, and differentiation of regulatory T cells (Treg). This is particularly significant given the high prevalence of thyroid autoimmune disorders, whose pathogenesis seems to be related to the altered homeostasis of regulatory T cells. Retinoids are also involved in the modulation of gene expression via their interaction with nuclear receptors, and they also act as cofactors in cell growth and differentiation. The ability of retinoic acid to increase iodine uptake and sodium-iodine symporter activity in human thyroid cancer cell lines suggests that some retinoids and their derivatives may be of use in the treatment of different thyroid tumors. This minireview summarizes the current knowledge on the link between nutritional intake of vitamin A and various thyroid disorders

Figli di Marte 2022 : Immagini in guerra

Since its first issues, Engramma has come to terms with images in war. In 2001, after the attack on the Twin Towers; in 2015, an issue dedicated to the abecedaries of Aby Warburg, Bertolt Brecht, and Ernst Jünger; at the end of 2015, an issue on the martyrdom of Palmyra, dedicated to the archaeologist Khaled Al Asaad. But already since 2008 Engramma has hosted various contributions and devoted several monographic issues to the protection of cultural heritage, wartime destruction and post-war reconstruction. March 2022 – and it is war time again. The first section of this special issue is dedicated to James Hillman and his reflections on Ares and the "terrible love of war". The third section collects interviews and interventions by Italian intellectuals who speak with voices that are dissonant with the stadium choirs that pollute the senses and dull critical intelligence: Nadia Fusini, Luciano Canfora, Lorenzo Braccesi, Moni Ovadia, Massimo Cacciari, and Salvatore Settis. At the heart of this issue of Engramma, you can find an Image Gallery, edited by Seminario Mnemosyne in six chapters: I. Enlisting Icons; II. Pornographic Romanticism; III. The Crusade of the Children; IV. "Still Dead"; V. In hoc signo; VI. Despite everything, Images

Testo con figura

The Engramma issue “Text and Image” is a collection of case studies where a clear, univocal relationship between a text and an image emerges in a complex relation. Images here are not mere illustrations – just as texts are not mere captions. In this framework, we publish the following contributions: Piermario Vescovo, "Tre astrologi e la luna"; Francesca Bortolanza, "Un nuovo documento su Altadona, madre di Giorgione"; Monica Centanni, "Figura con testo. Nota su una assonanza tra il Capitolo dell’Ingratitudine di Machiavelli e la Calunnia di Botticelli"; Chiara Italiano, "Un dragonesco Giorgio nella cattedrale della Recherche. San Giorgio di Mantegna nel Cahier 46 di Sodome et Gomorrhe"; Davide Susanetti, "Jung, Polifilo e la Ninfa"; Nicola Giaccone, "Ade e Barbablù. Una genealogia?"; Orazio Licandro, "Dictator o tyrannus? Propaganda in figura, in un denario di Bruto"; Silvia Ronchey, "Caterina / Ipazia. La Santa fantasma", and Francesco Monticini, "Παῖδας ἐγὼ λόγους ἐγεννησάμην. Libri come figli. Fra testo e figura: Teodoro Metochita e Sinesio di Cirene". We also publish three reviews: Maria Grazia Ciani reviews Lorenzo Braccesi’s "Un poeta per Cassandra", Filippo Perfetti presents Giovanni Careri’s "Ebrei e cristiani nella Cappella Sistina", and Daniela Sacco presents James Hillman, Silvia Ronchey, "L’ultima immagine", Rizzoli Milano 2021

Seeking optimization of LT4 treatment in patients with differentiated thyroid cancer

: Levothyroxine sodium (LT4) is the mainstay treatment to replace thyroid hormonal production in thyroidectomized patients, but, depending on the aggressiveness of the cancer and on the risk of recurrence, patients with differentiated thyroid cancer may also be treated in a TSH-suppressive or semi-suppressive mode. The pathophysiological rationale for this LT4 treatment stems from the role of TSH, considered to be a growth factor for follicular cells, potentially inducing initiation or progression of follicular cell-derived thyroid cancer. Therefore, accurate tailoring of treatment, taking into account both patient characteristics (age and comorbidities) and risk of persistent/recurrent disease, is highly recommended. Furthermore, adjustments to traditional LT4 treatment should be made in thyroidectomized patients due to the lack of thyroidal contribution to whole body triiodothyronine (T3) concentration. Since LT4 exhibits a narrow therapeutic index and the side effects of over- and under-treatment could be deleterious, particularly in this category of patients, caution is required in dose individualization, in the mode of ingestion, and in potential pharmacological and other types of interference as well. Our aim was to analyze the current knowledge concerning LT4 dose requirements in patients with thyroid cancer according to different therapeutic approaches, taking into account a number of factors causing interference with LT4 efficacy. Specific mention is also made about the use of the novel LT4 formulations

Tracce, finestre, visioni

The issue of Engramma “Tracce Finestre Visioni” (Traces Windows Visions) collects a series of contributions focused on the relationship between text and image, with particular insistence on the boundary between them as labile, porous and fragile: with holes and gaps that take the form of windows; latencies and wounds that appear like visions; persistences that are perceivable as traces. The first section includes a group of essays on contemporary arts: Marina Apollonio, Fusionecircolare/ Endings. Tra arte cinetica e testo usicale elettroacustico, by Guglielmo Bottin; Embodiment vs Rejectingness. Per una evoluzione del “sistema di filtri” nell’opera di Pierre Bonnard (1925-1935), by Mario De Angelis; Esposizioni di niente/Testi per niente, by Massimo Maiorino; L’indicibile rappresentabile. Su Wittgenstein e Klee, by Enrico Palma; Indovinelli compositivi. Esercizi di John Hejduk per gli architetti del nuovo millennio, by Susanna Pisciella; Finestre letterarie e finestre visive. Sguardi esteriori e interiori fra tecnica e metafora, by Silvia Urbini; Pages d’un Journal de Chantier. Riflessi di Jean Cocteau in Berthold Lubetkin, by Chiara Velicogna; Steve McQueen. How Does One Believe in the Future? by Angela Vettese. The second section “Note e Recensioni” (Notes and Reviews) readings and reviews of exhibitions in display in Venice, more or less directly related to the Biennale 2022, are presented: Venezia “maternamente oscura”. Anish Kapoor alle Gallerie dell’Accademia e a Palazzo Manfrin (aprile/ottobre 2022), by Michela Maguolo; An Archaeology of Silence. Recensione della mostra di Kehinde Wiley (Venezia 2022), by Asia Benedetti; L’incantesimo del fuoco. Sulla mostra “On Fire” alla Fondazione Cini (Venezia 2022), by Andrea Cortellessa; “Cromocracy”. Sulla mostra di Abel Herrero alla Galleria Castello (Venezia 2022), by Andrea Cortellessa. The section also includes a Note on the comparison between 1968 and 2022 wartime covers of the periodical “Time”: What a Time! Il ritorno del passato tra shock e continuità in due copertine del “Time”, by Francesco Giosuè. Closing the section, as well as the issue itself, are the presentations of three recent volumes that intersect the theme of the text/image/vision relationship: La memoria di un gesto. Presentazione di La memoria in tasca di Emanuele Pellegrini, by Silvia De Min; Sogno e visione, secondo David Lynch. Presentazione di: Nicola Settis, Chi è il sognatore? Guida alla visione di Twin Peaks 3, edited by Ilaria Grippa and Monica Centanni; abbecedari di Architettura di Sergio Polano. Presentazione di Beppe Cantele