Adelaide Bernardini: complicity and rivalry

Scrittrice di origini umbre oggi quasi sconosciuta, Adelaide Bernardini fu una delle protagoniste della letteratura italiana del XX secolo. La sua vita si vide coinvolta in diversi scandali e polemiche letterarie con autori molto famosi della letteratura italiana come Marinetti o Pirandello, che non le perdonarono il fatto di essere la moglie di Luigi Capuana e di dimostrare un carattere ribelle.A writer with Umbrian origins and almost unknown today, Adelaide Bernardini was one of the protagonists of Italian literature of the Twentieth Century. Her life was involved in several scandals and literary controversies with very famous authors of Italian literature such as Marinetti or Pirandello, who did not forgive her being the wife of Luigi Capuana and demonstrating a rebellious character

Agatuzza Messia: the “Model Storyteller” who Broke the Stereotype of the Enlightement Woman

Nel presente articolo verranno studiate alcune narrazioni di Agatuzza Messia, donna analfabeta di Palermo, che rompe il canone di donna illuminista, manifestando in modo diverso la visione che la società offriva di sé stessa e delle donne, attraverso la trasmissione della letteratura popolare e delle tradizioni della sua terra natale, grazie alla figura di un mediatore, Giuseppe Pitrè, che farà da trascrittore delle sue conoscenze

Scientific Status Quo of Small Renal Lesions: Diagnostic Assessment and Radiomics

Background: Small renal masses (SRMs) are defined as contrast-enhanced renal lesions less than or equal to 4 cm in maximal diameter, which can be compatible with stage T1a renal cell carcinomas (RCCs). Currently, 50-61% of all renal tumors are found incidentally. Methods: The characteristics of the lesion influence the choice of the type of management, which include several methods SRM of management, including nephrectomy, partial nephrectomy, ablation, observation, and also stereotactic body radiotherapy. Typical imaging methods available for differentiating benign from malignant renal lesions include ultrasound (US), contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS), computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Results: Although ultrasound is the first imaging technique used to detect small renal lesions, it has several limitations. CT is the main and most widely used imaging technique for SRM characterization. The main advantages of MRI compared to CT are the better contrast resolution and tissue characterization, the use of functional imaging sequences, the possibility of performing the examination in patients allergic to iodine-containing contrast medium, and the absence of exposure to ionizing radiation. For a correct evaluation during imaging follow-up, it is necessary to use a reliable method for the assessment of renal lesions, represented by the Bosniak classification system. This classification was initially developed based on contrast-enhanced CT imaging findings, and the 2019 revision proposed the inclusion of MRI features; however, the latest classification has not yet received widespread validation. Conclusions: The use of radiomics in the evaluation of renal masses is an emerging and increasingly central field with several applications such as characterizing renal masses, distinguishing RCC subtypes, monitoring response to targeted therapeutic agents, and prognosis in a metastatic context

Ceftolozane/Tazobactam for Treatment of Severe ESBL-Producing Enterobacterales Infections: A Multicenter Nationwide Clinical Experience (CEFTABUSE II Study)

Background. Few data are reported in the literature about the outcome of patients with severe extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Enterobacterales (ESBL-E) infections treated with ceftolozane/tazobactam (C/T), in empiric or definitive therapy.Methods. A multicenter retrospective study was performed in Italy (June 2016-June 2019). Successful clinical outcome was defined as complete resolution of clinical signs/symptoms related to ESBL-E infection and lack of microbiological evidence of infection. The primary end point was to identify predictors of clinical failure of C/T therapy.Results. C/T treatment was documented in 153 patients: pneumonia was the most common diagnosis (n = 46, 30%), followed by 34 cases of complicated urinary tract infections (22.2%). Septic shock was observed in 42 (27.5%) patients. C/T was used as empiric therapy in 46 (30%) patients and as monotherapy in 127 (83%) patients. Favorable clinical outcome was observed in 128 (83.7%) patients; 25 patients were considered to have failed C/T therapy. Overall, 30-day mortality was reported for 15 (9.8%) patients. At multivariate analysis, Charlson comorbidity index >4 (odds ratio [OR], 2.3; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.9-3.5; P = .02), septic shock (OR, 6.2; 95% CI, 3.8-7.9; P < .001), and continuous renal replacement therapy (OR, 3.1; 95% CI, 1.9-5.3; P = .001) were independently associated with clinical failure, whereas empiric therapy displaying in vitro activity (OR, 0.12; 95% CI, 0.01-0.34; P < .001) and adequate source control of infection (OR, 0.42; 95% CI, 0.14-0.55; P < .001) were associated with clinical success.Conclusions. Data show that C/T could be a valid option in empiric and/or targeted therapy in patients with severe infections caused by ESBL-producing Enterobacterales. Clinicians should be aware of the risk of clinical failure with standard-dose C/T therapy in septic patients receiving CRRT

Escritoras en lengua italiana (1880-1920). Renovación del canon literario

Reseña de A. Cagnolat

The Transmission of Thought between Cultures through the Semiology of Popular Song: The Case of Bella ciao, from a Partisan Anthem in Italy to the Melody of the Feminist Movement in Spain

Music, like history, the history of art or literature, is a reflection of a historical epoch, of the feeling of a certain society and whose importance lies not only in its value as a historical source, but in his contribution of the point of view of the me, that is, of the first person narration, from a personal perspective not collected in historical or literary manuals and that, they certainly serve to give us an even more objective view of our past. Following these premises, I will focus on the social phenomenon that currently constitutes the Bella ciao, partisan anthem of the Resistance of the second postwar period in Italy, currently rescued by the feminist movement, which maintained its melody, but he adapted his lyrics without going beyond his special purpose: resistance./n La música, al igual que la historia, la historia del arte o la literatura, es un reflejo de una época histórica, del sentimiento de una determinada sociedad y cuya importancia reside no solo en su valor como fuente histórica, sino en su aportación del punto de vista del yo, es decir, de la narración en primera persona, desde una perspectiva personal no recogida en manuales históricos o literarios y que, sin duda, nos sirven para tener una visión aún más objetiva de nuestro pasado. Siguiendo estas premisas, me centraré en el fenómeno social que actualmente constituye el Bella ciao, himno partisano de la Resistenza de la segunda posguerra italiana, actualmente rescatado por el movimiento feminista, que mantuvo su melodía, pero adaptó su letra sin trascender de su especial finalidad: la resistencia social./n

Voces masculinas en la querella de las mujeres dentro de las academias literarias sicilianas del siglo XVIII: la Apologia filosofico-storica (1737) de Vincenzo di Blasi y La morta viva (1737) de Orlando Libertà y la reinterpretación de la Sagradas Escrituras

El presente artículo tiene como objetivo trazar un primer estado de la cuestión sobre el análisis de la Apologia filosofico-storica (1737) de Vincenzo di Blasi y La morta viva (1737) de Orlando Libertad desde la perspectiva de los estudios de género, dentro del contexto de las academias literarias sicilianas del siglo XVIII. En primer lugar, se presenta una breve introducción en la que se exponen las primeras manifestaciones de lo que se denominó “feminismo precursor” siciliano. Posteriormente, se menciona la obra Lu vivu mortu (1734) de Luigi Sarmento, considerada la obra antifeminista de la literatura siciliana y las reacciones que esta obtuvo por parte de aquellos escritores que se posicionaron a favor de las mujeres. Entre ellos, encontramos a Vincenzo di Blasi y Orlando Libertà que, a través de sus obras, realizan una (re)interpretación de los textos bíblicos para contestar a las teorías misóginas de Sarmento

The 2-arachidonoylglycerol effect on myosin light chain phosphorylation in human platelets

In human platelets the endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) stimulates some important pathways leading to thromboxane B2 formation, calcium intracellular elevation, ATP secretion and actin polymerisation. The aim of the present study was to examine the 2-AG effect on myosin light chain (MLC) phosphorylation and to investigate the mechanisms involved. We demonstrated that 2-AG induced a rapid MLC phosphorylation, stimulating both the RhoA kinase (ROCK) and MLC kinase (MLCK) in a dose and time-dependent manner. In addition MLC phosphorylation was strengthened through the MLC phosphatase inhibition. MLC phosphatase inhibition was accomplished through the RhoA/ROCK and protein kinase C mediated phosphorylation of MLC phosphatase inhibiting subunits MYPT1 and CPI-17. The presence of CB1 receptor in human platelets and the involvement of CB1 receptor in MLC phosphorylation and MLC phosphatase inhibition was shown

The anandamide effect on NO/cGMP pathway in human platelets

In this study the effect of the endocannabinoid anandamide on platelet nitric oxide (NO)/cGMP pathway was investigated. Data report that anandamide in a dose- and time-dependent manner increased NO and cGMP levels and stimulated endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) activity. These parameters were significantly reduced by LY294002, selective inhibitor of PI3K and by MK2206, specific inhibitor of AKT. Moreover anandamide stimulated both eNOSser1177 and AKTser473 phosphorylation. Finally the anandamide effect on NO and cGMP levels, eNOS and AKT phosphorylation/activation were inhibited by SR141716, specific cannabinoid receptor 1 antagonist, supporting the involvement of anandamide binding to this receptor. Overall data of this report indicate that low concentrations of anandamide, through PI3K/AKT pathway activation, stimulates eNOS activity and increases NO levels in human platelets. In such way anandamide contributes to extend platelet survival