Building on the Border: Architecture as a Meeting Place

To establish a border signifies defining a fixed point from which to start and to which to refer in order to circumscribe controlled and measured environments. It is not important whether it is a border between states and regions or private and public spaces, because the main effect of the border is to sanction a diversity. This proposal will analyse three case-studies that, starting from antiquity to the contemporary age, have proposed over time different ways of conceiving the border, making architecture the convergence point. The first is the Temple of Diana at Ephesus, a monument created by Greek artists located in Persian territory. It stood on the peninsula of Anatolia, the border land par excellence in the Hellenistic world, a place where the dominant Western cultures of Greece and Persia clashed. The second is Castel Velturno, a border utopia belonging to Prince-Bishop Cristoforo Madruzzo, who deposited his dreams of unification between the North and the South of Christianity which were torn apart by the theological demands addressed during the Council of Trento. Finally, this proposal will examine the contemporary project entitled the Bi-National Community Skyscraper, which proposes a reinterpretation of the walls erected on the border between the USA and Mexico by building a skyscraper on it in which the two communities can meet and merge together

Architectural Instructions in Italy between the 16th and 18th Centuries

Carlo Borromeo’s Instructions represent the only practical application of the Tridentine decrees in architecture. However, historians over time have given little weight to the work, which is mostly considered a simple parish handbook due to its practical-functional nature used to treat the sacred space. New research conducted on the literary work has focused on the massive diffusion of this treatise in the undergrowth of the ecclesiastical literature of the time, testifying to how much the Instructions are linked to the historical context and the spiritual needs of the post-Tridentine Church. The great novelty of the work lies in the fact that it completely overturned the way of writing about architecture. In the writings of Carlo Borromeo, a continuous interweaving between the doctrine of the soul and the sacred building is outlined to give the Church the image of an institution organically constituted in its material and spiritual reality. The influence of this work outside the Milanese context in which Carlo Borromeo worked is still to be clarified, especially in the South of Italy, which experienced the peak of its Counter-Reformation season between the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Here, Instructions will be analyzed along with the Antica Basilicografia of Pompeo Sarnelli (1686) and Il Rettore ecclesiastico of Marcello Cavalieri (1688), two writings born in the diocese of Benevento under the wing of the bishop Vincenzo Maria Orsini, a native of Gravina di Pugli

The Architectural Illusion of Edoardo Tresoldi: The Reconstruction of the Basilica of Siponto

The Ministry of Tourism commissioned Edoardo Tresoldi in 2016 to restore the Basilica of Siponto (Puglia, Italy), of which only ruins remain. The project is obtained through metal wefts that intertwine in the air presumably reconstructing the original environments: it is an example of creative restoration. This essay aims to examine the genesis of this artwork that has rekindled the debate on the usefulness of this type of restoration, introduced for the first time by Cesare Brandi (1906-1988) and Renato Bonelli (1911-2004) who gave rise to a critical discussion on the role that restoration must play in reconstructing the original spaces of a lost monument. Creative restoration tends to include in the concept of “restoration” all those actions of reconstruction necessary to restore “truth” to the lost monument in order to guarantee its enjoyment, making the “evocative fantasy” take over. Faced with an architecture that has now lost its face, the added value of Tresoldi’s creative restoration will be highlighted, which is not only the reconstruction of the Basilica but the possibility, through the wire mesh that generates transparency, to understand the monument not only as a historical document but as an artwork that needs to be experienced aesthetically, safeguarding the genius loci, making the site a place to be rediscovered in its link with the territory

A Reflection on the Crisis of Public Monuments. The case of Historiated Column

The twentieth century generated a crisis of public monuments. This paper proposes a reflection on the choices made by society regarding what aspects of history to remember and how in order to provide a foundation for its collective identity. Since ancient times, the task of public monuments has been to imprint in history the perpetual memory of a character, identified as the ideal model around which the history of their time revolves. With the French Revolution, there was a fundamental change of course on this front. The public no longer needed to follow an ideal sovereign, and the story was no longer calibrated to a single character but to each citizen. The crisis of public monuments after World War II dealt with the concept of durability, a fundamental attribute for this archetype, with the consequent birth of the counter-monument. To fully understand this crisis, the evolution of one of the commemorative monuments par excellence – historiated column – will be analysed through three key examples, far apart in space and time, each exemplifying a precise evolutionary phase: Trajan’s Column, the Vendôme Column and the Monument against Fascism, War, Violence, erected in 1986 by Jochen and Ester Gerz

Pienza, il sogno europeo di Papa Pio II Piccolomini

Pienza represents the most faithful portrait of Pope Pius II. Yet studies have not investigated in depth the symbolic relationship that can be traced back between the urban planning project realized in Pienza and the historical utopia of Pope Pius II (born Piccolomini) outlined in De Europa, which accompanied him until his death in the hope of a crusade of a united Europe against the Turkish enemy. Faced with the advance of the Turkish danger, in the words of Pius II Europe was defined on the basis of a common identity on the religious side (Europe as a Christian Republic) and on the civil and cultural side (Europe as civilization - Asia as barbarity). This paper will highlight how the buildings which make up Pienza’s 15th century urban planning intervention are rich in architectural structure of references and dialogues between cultures of different times and places. This characteristic is not a mixture of contradictory stylistic elements, rather they must be interpreted as an attempt to construct that symbolic place where Pius II tried to reconnect the threads between the various realities that made up the European scene, ideally merging them in Pienza «so that the joints fit together perfectly and the protrusions of the stones look like weaving», demonstrating that peaceful coexistence between the most diverse cultures that animate 15th century Europe is possible, under the common denominator of Christianity.Pienza rappresenta il ritratto più fedele di Pio II. Eppure gli studi non hanno del tutto approfondito il rapporto simbolico che può esser rintracciato fra il progetto urbanistico attuato a Pienza e l’utopia storica del Piccolomini delineata nel De Europa, che lo ha accompagnato fino alla morte nella speranza di una crociata di un’Europa unita contro il nemico turco. Di fronte all’avanzata del pericolo turco, nelle parole di Pio II l’Europa si definisce sulla base di una comune identità da un lato religiosa (Europa come Repubblica Cristiana) dall’altro civile e culturale (Europa come civiltà – Asia come barbarie). Il saggio intende evidenziare la relazione diretta tra risultato architettonico e intenzioni programmatiche di Pio II, tramite scelte coscientemente aperte a mondi diversi e lontani. Questa lettura fonda le sue ragioni sulla tradizione storiografica e sugli scritti di papa Piccolomini, considerati come oggettiva trasposizione letteraria delle intenzioni. L'autorevole committente, con l’intervento pientino, ha dimostrato che la convivenza pacifica fra le culture dell’Europa quattrocentesca è possibile, sotto il comune denominatore della Cristianità

Inositol and Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: A Systematic Review on Deficiencies and Supplementation

Liver lipid accumulation is a hallmark of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), broadly associated with insulin resistance. Inositols (INS) are ubiquitous polyols implied in many physiological functions. They are produced endogenously, are present in many foods and in dietary supplements. Alterations in INS metabolism seems to play a role in diseases involving insulin resistance such as diabetes and polycystic ovary syndrome. Given its role in other metabolic syndromes, the hypothesis of an INS role as a supplement in NAFLD is intriguing. We performed a systematic review of the literature to find preclinical and clinical evidence of INS supplementation efficacy in NAFLD patients. We retrieved 10 studies on animal models assessing Myoinosiol or Pinitol deficiency or supplementation and one human randomized controlled trial (RCT). Overall, INS deficiency was associated with increased fatty liver in animals. Conversely, INS supplementation in animal models of fatty liver reduced hepatic triglycerides and cholesterol accumulation and maintained a normal ultrastructural liver histopathology. In the one included RCT, Pinitol supplementation obtained similar results. Pinitol significantly reduced liver fat, post-prandial triglycerides, AST levels, lipid peroxidation increasing glutathione peroxidase activity. These results, despite being limited, indicate the need for further evaluation of INS in NAFLD in larger clinical trials

A severe case of hemobilia and biliary fistula following an open urgent cholecystectomy

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Cholecystectomy has been the treatment of choice for symptomatic gallstones, but remains the greatest source of post-operative biliary injuries. Laparoscopic approach has been recently preferred because of short hospitalisation and low morbidity but has an higher incidence of biliary leakages and bile duct injuries than open one due to a technical error or misinterpretation of the anatomy. Even open cholecystectomy presents a small number of complications especially if it was performed in urgency. Hemobilia is one of the most common cause of upper gastrointestinal bleeding from the biliary ducts into the gastrointestinal tract due to trauma, advent of invasive procedures such as percutaneous liver biopsy, transhepatic cholangiography, and biliary drainage.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We report here a case of massive hemobilia in a 60-year-old man who underwent an urgent open cholecystectomy and a subsequent placement of a transhepatic biliary drainage.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The management of these complications enclose endoscopic, percutaneous and surgical therapies. After a diagnosis of biliary fistula, it's most important to assess the adequacy of bile drainage to determine a controlled fistula and to avoid bile collection and peritonitis. Transarterial embolization is the first line of intervention to stop hemobilia while surgical intervention should be considered if embolization fails or is contraindicated.</p

Cervical cancer screening in women vaccinated against human papillomavirus infection: Recommendations from a consensus conference

In Italy, the cohorts of women who were offered Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination in 2007/08 will reach the age (25&nbsp;years) for cervical cancer (CC) screening from 2017. The simultaneous shift from cytology-based screening to HPV test-based screening gives the opportunity for unprecedented reorganisation of CC prevention. The ONS (National Screening Monitoring Centre) Directive and the GISCi (Italian Group for Cervical Screening) identified the consensus conference as the most suitable method for addressing this topic. A summary of consensus recommendations is reported here. The main objective was to define the best screening methods in girls vaccinated against HPV and the knowledge required for defining evidence-based screening strategies. A Jury made recommendations about questions and proposals formulated by a panel of experts representative of Italian scientific societies involved in CC prevention and based on systematic reviews of literature and evidence. The Jury considered changing the screening protocols for girls vaccinated in their twelfth year as appropriate. Tailored screening protocols based on vaccination status could be replaced by \u201cone size fits all\u201d protocols only when a herd immunity effect has been reached. Vaccinated women should start screening at age 30, instead of 25, with HPV test. Furthermore, there is a strong rationale for applying longer intervals for re-screening HPV negative women than the currently recommended 5&nbsp;years, but research is needed to determine the optimal screening time points. For non-vaccinated women and for women vaccinated in their fifteenth year or later, the current protocol should be kept

Clinical and laboratory features associated with macrophage activation syndrome in Still's disease: data from the international AIDA Network Still's Disease Registry

: To characterize clinical and laboratory signs of patients with still's disease experiencing macrophage activation syndrome (MAS) and identify factors associated with MAS development. patients with still's disease classified according to internationally accepted criteria were enrolled in the autoInflammatory disease alliance (AIDA) still's disease registry. clinical and laboratory features observed during the inflammatory attack complicated by MAS were included in univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis to identify factors associated to MAS development. A total of 414 patients with Still's disease were included; 39 (9.4%) of them developed MAS during clinical history. At univariate analyses, the following variables were significantly associated with MAS: classification of arthritis based on the number of joints involved (p = 0.003), liver involvement (p = 0.04), hepatomegaly (p = 0.02), hepatic failure (p = 0.01), axillary lymphadenopathy (p = 0.04), pneumonia (p = 0.03), acute respiratory distress syndrome (p &lt; 0.001), platelet abnormalities (p &lt; 0.001), high serum ferritin levels (p = 0.009), abnormal liver function tests (p = 0.009), hypoalbuminemia (p = 0.002), increased LDH (p = 0.001), and LDH serum levels (p &lt; 0.001). at multivariate analysis, hepatomegaly (OR 8.7, 95% CI 1.9-52.6, p = 0.007) and monoarthritis (OR 15.8, 95% CI 2.9-97.1, p = 0.001), were directly associated with MAS, while the decade of life at Still's disease onset (OR 0.6, 95% CI 0.4-0.9, p = 0.045), a normal platelet count (OR 0.1, 95% CI 0.01-0.8, p = 0.034) or thrombocytosis (OR 0.01, 95% CI 0.0-0.2, p = 0.008) resulted to be protective. clinical and laboratory factors associated with MAS development have been identified in a large cohort of patients based on real-life data