La comunità educanti fanno scuola

- no spesso sottoutilizzati e degradati. Quale forma acquisterebbe la scuola se fosse ripensata a partire dai contesti territoriali di riferimento e in particolare se si costru- isse nell’alleanza con le comunità educanti? - dotto di un’azione di cura delle comunità educanti, traendo spunto dalla rete dell

Heterogenous forms of dyslipidemiain women with polycystic ovary syndrome

Forms of dyslipidemia are very common in individuals affected by polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), but in addition to plasmatic lipids, it is necessary to evaluate the alterations in the atherogenic lipoproteins (Lp) and apolipoproteins (apo). In our study we measured the concentrations of apoB, Lp(a) and low density lipoproteins (LDL) in 42 patients with PCOS (age: 28 +/- 7 years, body mass index: 27 +/- 5 kg/m-) and 37 healthy women (of the same age and body mass index). Methods: values of Lp(a) >30 mg/dl were considered high, whereas for apoB, values >100 g/l were considered high. Results: the patients with PCOS showed an increase in triglycerides (p=0.0011) and low levels of high density lipoproteins (HDL) (p=0.0131), but the total cholesterol and the LDLs were not significantly different to those of the control group. High levels of Lp(a) were found in 24% of the individuals with PCOS, and a smaller number showed high levels of apoB (14%). This analysis shows that the concentrations of Lp(a) are only correlated to the HDL levels (r =0.378, p= 0.0431). 36% of the patients with PCOS with normal levels of plasmatic lipids show high levels of Lp(a) and apoB, and small and dense LDLs. Conclusions: alterations in the plasmatic lipids are present in 1/3 of the women affected by PCOS. More research is necessary to better understand the mechanisms responsible to reduce the risk of cardiovascular problems in young women with polycystic ovary syndrome

Severe hepatic encephalopathy in a patient with liver cirrhosis after administration of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor/angiotensin II receptor blocker combination therapy: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>A combination therapy of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor blockers has been used to control proteinuria, following initial demonstration of its efficacy. However, recently concerns about the safety of this therapy have emerged, prompting several authors to urge for caution in its use. In the following case report, we describe the occurrence of a serious and unexpected adverse drug reaction after administration of a combination of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor blockers to a patient with nephrotic syndrome and liver cirrhosis with severe portal hypertension.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>We administered this combination therapy to a 40-year-old Caucasian man with liver cirrhosis in our Hepatology Clinic, given the concomitant presence of glomerulopathy associated with severe proteinuria. While the administration of one single drug appeared to be well-tolerated, our patient developed severe acute encephalopathy after the addition of the second one. Discontinuation of the therapy led to the disappearance of the side-effect. A tentative rechallenge with the same drug combination led to a second episode of acute severe encephalopathy.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We speculate that this adverse reaction may be directly related to the effect of angiotensin II on the excretion of blood ammonia. Therefore, we suggest that patients with liver cirrhosis and portal hypertension are at risk of developing clinically relevant encephalopathy when angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor and angiotensin II receptor blocker combination therapy is administered, thus indicating the need for a careful clinical follow-up. In addition, the incidence of this serious side-effect should be rigorously evaluated in all patients with liver cirrhosis administered with this common treatment combination.</p

Sex and Gender in Ageing and Longevity: Highlights from an International Course

Gender medicine is a multidisciplinary science and represents an important perspective for pathophysiological and clinical studies in the third millennium. Here, it is provided an overview of the topics discussed in a recent course on the Role of Sex and Gender in Ageing and Longevity. The paper highlights three themes discussed in the course, i.e., the interaction of gender/sex with, i) the pathophysiology of age-related diseases; ii), the role of genetics and epigenetics in ageing and longevity and, iii) the immune responses of older people to pathogens, vaccines, autoantigens, and allergens. Although largely unexplored, it is clear that sex and gender are modulators of disease biology and treatment outcomes. It is becoming evident that men and women should no longer be considered as subgroups, but as biologically distinct groups of patients deserving consideration for specific therapeutic approaches

Cellular automata with regular behaviour.

The study of cellular automata (CA) was motivated recently by their application to systems whose complex behavior arises from the interaction among simple identical components. Actually, a CA consists of a linear biinfinite array of cells, each one connected with the r cells that precede it on the left-hand side and the r cells that follow it on the right-hand side neighborhood. Each cell is in one of finitely many states. The new state of a cell is computed according to a local rule that is a function of the states of the cells in the neighborhood, besides the old state of the cell. All cells are assumed to change state simultaneously. In [5] CA are classified with respect to their behavior. The great part of CA falls in the third class, that is, the one whose evolution leads to a chaotic pattern. Recently, however, Wilson [3] and Culik [1] exhibited some CA belonging to this class and having a very regular behavior, fractal-like on particular initial configurations. In this paper, we study a class we will call pseudototalistic cellular automata (PTCA)

Insegnare il restauro e la conservazione del patrimonio architettonico. Obiettivi, contenuti, metodi.

This book presents the contributions to the workshop that took place at the University of Genoa, Faculty of Architecture, on October 2007, as a new start for the thematic sub- network on Conservation, within EAAE and ENHSA. The workshop was the occasion to bring together educators in conservation, from various European Schools of Architecture, in order to: -investigate similarities and differences,about contents and pedagogy of teaching, within the field of conservation/restoration of the architectural heritage; - examine the way sin which the teaching of conservation/restoration is presenting the curricula of different schools; - critically compare educational objectives and strategies implemented by the schools in relation to conservation/restoration matters; - exchange ideas and thoughts on new teaching methods and discuss the role of the teaching of conservation/restoration for an architect. The workshop was attended by almost 100 participants representing: Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Rumania, Spain, Turkey