Il mio nome vero: sul rapporto tra realtà e finzione nella pentalogia di Mauro Covacich

The article focuses on the relation between fiction, non-fiction and identity in the work of the Italian contemporary writer Mauro Covacich with regard to his «pentalogy», consisting of four novels and a video installation (A perdifiato, Fiona, Prima di sparire, L’umiliazione delle stelle, A nome tuo). Covacich draws a peculiar case within Italian literature of the past twenty years, which expresses the necessity to discover new narrative solutions, the tendency towards hybridization of genres and the overcoming of the dialectics within actuality and artifice. This paper aims to investigate how the author uses a plurality of voices and forms, factual and fictional elements as a tool for exploring the Self. Acting as a witness to the world through his own experience, he constantly looks for the possibility to go beyond the limits of derealization and reach «the truest truth of the self, the personally encrypted code hidden in the fibre of writing»

In nome del corpo: Mauro Covacich e James Joyce a confronto

This paper focuses on the comparison between some common human and artistic traits of two authors, Mauro Covacich and James Joyce, who, despite working in different historical times and ways, shared the same urban spaces and similar life paths. The aim is to demonstrate how body dimension is central to the personal and literary experience of both writers. The occasion for these reflections was a lecture-monologue held by Covacich, which took place in 2022 in Trieste. It was an event organized at the Bloomsday festival where he presented Joyce’s work, in particular Ulysses and Finnegans Wake, using different keywords like ear, tongue, eye, arm, inner ear and genitals, ending with the mind. There are several autobiographical notes that Covacich refers to in his comparison with the Irish writer, revealing an affinity that takes different forms. On the basis of these considerations, it seems reasonable to invite Covacich’s readers to use the same interpretative criteria proposed by the author for Joyce’s work in order to render their compelling corpo a corpo

Transversus Abdominis Plane (TAP) Block in Rabbit Cadavers: Anatomical Description and Measurements of Injectate Spread Using One- and Two-Point Approaches

Simple Summary Anesthetic risk in rabbits is higher than in other species such as dogs and cats and, furthermore, the treatment of their perioperative pain is sometimes inadequate. Loco-regional anesthesia is seeing increasing application in veterinary medicine, as it allows a reduction in the systemic administration of drugs. The block of the transversus abdominis plane (TAP) is an anesthetic technique of great interest for locoregional anesthesia in veterinary practice. This technique is used to desensitize the abdominal wall and consists of injecting a volume of local anesthetic into the TAP with the aim of obtaining its distribution on the branches of the thoracolumbar nerve located in the fascial plane between the internal oblique and transversus abdominis muscles. In both human and veterinary medicine, this technique is considered promising for producing analgesia for surgical procedures performed on the abdominal wall (e.g., laparoscopies, mastectomies, abdominal hernias), representing a valid alternative to epidural analgesia. Different approaches to performing ultrasound-guided TAP block have been described. The preiliac approach is one of the most used; however, it seems to be useful in managing pain in the caudal abdomen, but the cranial diffusion of the local anesthetic does not seem to be sufficient to achieve complete desensitization of the abdominal wall. Alternative approaches, involving further retrocostal and/or subcostal infiltration, have been successfully studied in dogs, cats, calves and ponies to ensure effective desensitization of the cranial abdomen and, in part, also of the thorax; but these techniques do not have yet been described in rabbits.Abstract The aim of this study was to describe one-point (preiliac approach) and two-point (preiliac and retrocostal approach) blocks of the Transversus Abdominis Plane (TAP) on a cadaveric model. For this purpose, ultrasound-guided infiltration of the plane between the internal oblique and transversus abdominis muscles was performed and, after dissection of tissues, the areas and percentage of nerve fibers involved were analyzed. Injection into the TAP plexus of a 1 mL/kg solution of 2% lidocaine and 1% methylene blue (1:1) was performed in 30 rabbit cadavers. In fifteen rabbits (group S), the solution was inoculated at the preiliac level. In the other 15 rabbits (group D), the solution was divided into two inoculations (0.5 mL/kg at the retrocostal level and 0.5 mL/kg at the preiliac level). All cadavers were then dissected and stained spinal nerve branches were measured. Moreover, the percentage of length, height and the total area of the stained tissue were calculated. In the S group, T10, T11 and T12 nerve eminences were successfully stained in 18%, 52% and 75% of cases, respectively. Furthermore, L1, L2, L3 and L4 were stained in 95%, 100%, 60% and 40% of cases, respectively. In group D, the ventromedial eminence of T10, T11 and T12 were stained in 68.1%, 100% and 98% of cases, respectively, and L1, L2, L3 and L4 were stained in 88%, 100%, 62% and 31% of cases, respectively. In conclusion, a two-point TAP block is more effective in covering the nerve eminences of the cranial abdomen than the preiliac approach alone

Comparison of the Transdermal and Intravenous Administration of Buprenorphine in the Management of Intra- and Postoperative Pain in Dogs Undergoing a Unilateral Mastectomy

The aim of this prospective clinical study was to evaluate the effectiveness of transdermal patches of buprenorphine as an alternative route for the management of perioperative pain in dogs undergoing a unilateral mastectomy. Our hypothesis was that the transdermal route would allow the obtainment of an analgesic plan comparable to that of the injectable administration. Twelve dogs were divided in two groups. In the BupreP group (six dogs), buprenorphine patches were applied 40 h before the start of the surgery, guaranteeing a dosage of 5-6 μg/kg/h. In the BupreI group (six dogs), 20 μg/kg of buprenorphine was administered intravenously 30 min before the induction of anesthesia, and this was repeated every 6 h for 24 h. The main physiological parameters, sedation scores (0 = no sedation; 11 = deep sedation), and pain scores were monitored from 30 min before the surgery to 24 h after the end of anesthesia. All p values < 0.05 were defined as statistically significant. Thirty minutes before the surgery, the sedation scores were higher in BupreI (score = 10) compared to the BupreP group (score = 1). Moreover, during the mastectomy, the mean arterial pressure significantly increased in both groups even if nobody required additional analgesia. In the postoperative period, the pain scores did not show statistically significant differences between the two groups, maintaining values below the pain threshold at all times of the study. In conclusion, the transdermal administration of buprenorphine could guarantee an analgesic quality equal to that of the injectable route

Comparative study of 1H-NMR metabolomic profile of canine synovial fluid in patients affected by four progressive stages of spontaneous osteoarthritis

The study aimed to assess the metabolomic profile of the synovial fluid (SF) of dogs affected by spontaneous osteoarthritis (OA) and compare any differences based on disease progression. Sixty client-owned dogs affected by spontaneous OA underwent clinical, radiographic, and cytologic evaluations to confirm the diagnosis. The affected joints were divided into four study groups based on the Kallgreen-Lawrence classification: OA1 (mild), OA2 (moderate), OA3 (severe), and OA4 (extremely severe/deforming). The osteoarthritic joint's SF was subjected to cytologic examination and H-1-NMR analysis. The metabolomic profiles of the study groups' SF samples were statistically compared using one-way ANOVA. Sixty osteoarthritic joints (45 stifles, 10 shoulders and 5 elbows) were included in the study. Fourteen, 28, and 18 joints were included in the OA1, OA2, and OA3 groups, respectively (0 joints in the OA4 group). Metabolomic analysis identified 48 metabolites, five of which were significantly different between study groups: Mannose and betaine were elevated in the OA1 group compared with the OA2 group, and the 2-hydroxyisobutyrate concentration decreased with OA progression; in contrast, isoleucine was less concentrated in mild vs. moderate OA, and lactate increased in severe OA. This study identified different H-1-NMR metabolomic profiles of canine SF in patients with progressive degrees of spontaneous OA, suggesting H-1-NMR metabolomic analysis as a potential alternative method for monitoring OA progression. In addition, the results suggest the therapeutic potentials of the metabolomic pathways that involve mannose, betaine, 2-hydroxyisobutyrate, isoleucine, and lactate

Ultrasound and Elastosonographic Features of the Patellar Ligament in Dogs Affected by Cranial Cruciate Ligament Disease

Simple Summary In patients suffering from cranial cruciate ligament disease, the patellar ligament is loaded aphysiologically, resulting in increased stress. To date, however, there have been no studies describing the establishment of anatomical or functional damage to this ligament after cranial cruciate ligament disease. This study aims to evaluate the appearance of the patellar ligament using ultrasound and elastosonography in dogs affected by disease of the cranial cruciate ligament but not yet treated in order to understand whether signs of thickening and a reduction in elasticity increase over time between the day of ligament disease onset and the day of diagnosis and therefore persist before being treated with the surgical procedure of tibial plateau leveling osteotomy or tibial tuberosity advancement. The results suggest that as the time increases between the onset of cranial cruciate ligament disease and diagnosis and treatment, the patellar ligament progressively thickens and has a tendency to lose its elasticity.Abstract This study aims to evaluate the morpho-functional change in the patellar ligament in dogs with cranial cruciate ligament disease. We hypothesized that it may show increased thickening and stiffness with increasing days from onset to diagnosis instead of trauma. Understanding this aspect has implications for the choice of timing for treating patients suffering from cranial cruciate ligament disease, as well as the contextualization of patellar ligament desmitis pictures after surgical treatment with tibial plateau leveling osteotomy or tibial tuberosity advancement. Thirty-three dogs affected by unilateral cranial cruciate disease were examined and divided into three groups based on the time elapsed from the onset of lameness to diagnosis: Group 1 (1-15 days), Group 2 (16-60 days), and Group 3 (over 60 days). Conventional B-mode ultrasonographic and elastosonographic examinations of the patellar ligament were performed without sedation for each dog. Upon ultrasonographic examination, all dogs showed modification in the echostructure of the patellar ligament. In addition, the patellar ligament tended to become harder with increasing days after disease, although there were no significant differences between groups. Our results show that as the time increases between the onset of cranial cruciate ligament disease and diagnosis and treatment, the patellar ligament progressively thickens and loses its elasticity

MRI Evidence of Cerebellar and Extraocular Muscle Atrophy Differently Contributing to Eye Movement Abnormalities in SCA2 and SCA28 Diseases.

PURPOSE Spinocerebellar ataxias type 2 and 28 (SCA2, SCA28) are autosomal dominant disorders characterized by progressive cerebellar and oculomotor abnormalities. We aimed to investigate cerebellar, brainstem, and extraocular muscle involvement in the mitochondrial SCA28 disease compared with SCA2. METHODS We obtained orbital and brain 1.5 T-magnetic resonance images (MRI) in eight SCA28 subjects, nine SCA2, and nine age-matched healthy subjects. Automated segmentation of cerebellum and frontal lobe was performed using Freesurfer software. Manual segmentations for midbrain, pons, and extraocular muscles were performed using OsiriX. RESULTS Eye movement abnormalities in SCA2 subjects were characterized by slow horizontal saccades. Subjects with SCA28 variably presented hypometric saccades, saccadic horizontal pursuit, impaired horizontal gaze holding, and superior eyelid ptosis. Quantitative brain MRI demonstrated that cerebellar and pons volumes were significantly reduced in both SCA2 and SCA28 subjects compared with controls (P < 0.03), and in SCA2 subjects compared with SCA28 (P < 0.01). Midbrain and frontal lobe volumes were also significantly reduced in SCA2 compared to controls (P < 0.03), whereas these volumes did not differ between SCA2 and SCA28 and between SCA28 and control subjects. The extraocular muscle areas were 37% to 48% smaller in SCA28 subjects compared with controls (P < 0.002), and 14% to 36% smaller compared with SCA2 subjects (P < 0.03). Extraocular muscle areas did not differ between SCA2 and controls. CONCLUSIONS Our MRI findings support the hypothesis of different cerebellar and extraocular myopathic contributions in the eye movement abnormalities in SCA2 and SCA28 diseases. In SCA28, a myopathic defect selectively involving the extraocular muscles supports a specific impairment of mitochondrial energy metabolism