Cerebrospinal Fluid Analysis in Multiple Sclerosis Diagnosis: An Update

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an immune-mediated demyelinating disease of the central nervous system (CNS) with brain neurodegeneration. MS patients present heterogeneous clinical manifestations in which both genetic and environmental factors are involved. The diagnosis is very complex due to the high heterogeneity of the pathophysiology of the disease. The diagnostic criteria have been modified several times over the years. Basically, they include clinical symptoms, presence of typical lesions detected by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and laboratory findings. The analysis of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) allows an evaluation of inflammatory processes circumscribed to the CNS and reflects changes in the immunological pattern due to the progression of the pathology, being fundamental in the diagnosis and monitoring of MS. The detection of the oligoclonal bands (OCBs) in both CSF and serum is recognized as the “gold standard” for laboratory diagnosis of MS, though presents analytical limitations. Indeed, current protocols for OCBs assay are time-consuming and require an operator-dependent interpretation. In recent years, the quantification of free light chain (FLC) in CSF has emerged to assist clinicians in the diagnosis of MS. This article reviews the current knowledge on CSF biomarkers used in the diagnosis of MS, in particular on the validated assays and on the alternative biomarkers of intrathecal synthesis

‘In the Heart of the Roman Metropolis’: an Italian Prologue to Synge’s Investigative Journalism

This article explores Synge’s trip to Italy and his sojourn in Rome in 1896. It will document his immersion into Italian culture as well as touching on the significance of his trip to Rome in light of his successive artistic career. The outcomes of Synge’s Italian journey translated into a newspaper report for the Irish Times which discusses the riots in Piazza Montecitorio caused by Prime Minister Francesco Crispi’s resignation after the Italian defeat by the Emperor of Ethiopia Menelik, during the first Italo-Abyssinian war. This essay will read Synge’s newspaper report “The Demonstrations in Rome (by an eyewitness)” as an antecedent to his travel narratives for the nuanced portrayal of the rioting crowd and his methodological approach from the field – hallmarks of his subsequent prose as evident, for example, in The Aran Islands (1907) and in the Manchester Guardian series “In the Congested Districts” (1905)

Non-skeletal activities of vitamin d: From physiology to brain pathology

Vitamin D is a secosteroid hormone regulating the expression of almost 900 genes, and it is involved in the regulation of calcium and phosphate metabolism, immune response, and brain development. Low blood vitamin D levels have been reported in patients affected by various diseases. Despite a large amount of literature data, there is uncertainty surrounding the role of vitamin D as a serum biomarker in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD). Indeed, the lack of internationally recognized 25(OH)D3 reference measurement procedures and standard materials in the past led to unstandardized serum total 25(OH)D3 results among research and clinical care laboratories. Thus, most of the literature studies reported unstandardized data, which are of little use and make it difficult to draw conclusions of the role of vitamin D in AD and PD. This review summarizes the extra-skeletal actions of vitamin D, focusing its role in immunomodulation and brain function, and reports the issue of lacking standardized literature data concerning the usefulness of vitamin D as a biomarker in AD and PD

Insight into the possible use of the predator Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus as a probiotic

The gut microbiota is a complex microbial ecosystem that coexists with the human organism in the intestinal tract. The members of this ecosystem live together in a balance between them and the host, contributing to its healthy state. Stress, aging, and antibiotic therapies are the principal factors aecting the gut microbiota composition, breaking the mutualistic relationship among microbes and resulting in the overgrowth of potential pathogens. This condition, called dysbiosis, has been linked to several chronic pathologies. In this review, we propose the use of the predator Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus as a possible probiotic to prevent or counteract dysbiotic outcomes and look at the findings of previous research

Les “Esquimaux des Lumières”: Archéologie d’un regard entravé

The present paper retraces, in an ethno-historical perspective, the genesis of the oriented, elliptic, simplistic and reductive representation of the Eskimos in the Diderot & d’Alembert’s Encyclopaedia. Adopting an inter-disciplinary approach (historical, anthropological and textual, as well), the paper wonders upon the mechanisms which have governed the construction of the Eskimos’ image, and deciphers them considering the philosophical challenges and the ideological conditioning of the Century of Lights. The Eskimos’ image conveyed by the Encyclopaedia emphasizes their bestiality and primitivism, to stick them as the prototype of the savagery, the personification of a degenerated and shy humanity of the borders. The image of the Inuit - stereotyped, preformed and caricatured - is built through bias, omissions, and generalizations. It is intended to present them as fully antonymic to civilisation. In the Diderot and Chevalier de Jaucourt’s writing, the fierce and anthropophagic Inuit are the archetypal symbol of an extreme and terrifying anthropological difference which is the outcome of a geographical and climatic determinism. Far away the highly idealized and aesthetically-oriented image of the Good Savage, the Eskimos show-up in the writing of the Century of Lights‟ scholars a borderline humanity, deprived of any culture mark, but, nevertheless belonging to the human family.The present paper retraces, in an ethno-historical perspective, the genesis of the oriented, elliptic, simplistic and reductive representation of the Eskimos in the Diderot & d’Alembert’s Encyclopaedia. Adopting an inter-disciplinary approach (historical, anthropological and textual, as well), the paper wonders upon the mechanisms which have governed the construction of the Eskimos’ image, and deciphers them considering the philosophical challenges and the ideological conditioning of the Century of Lights. The Eskimos’ image conveyed by the Encyclopaedia emphasizes their bestiality and primitivism, to stick them as the prototype of the savagery, the personification of a degenerated and shy humanity of the borders. The image of the Inuit - stereotyped, preformed and caricatured - is built through bias, omissions, and generalizations. It is intended to present them as fully antonymic to civilisation. In the Diderot and Chevalier de Jaucourt’s writing, the fierce and anthropophagic Inuit are the archetypal symbol of an extreme and terrifying anthropological difference which is the outcome of a geographical and climatic determinism. Far away the highly idealized and aesthetically-oriented image of the Good Savage, the Eskimos show-up in the writing of the Century of Lights‟ scholars a borderline humanity, deprived of any culture mark, but, nevertheless belonging to the human family

Letture incrociate

Review article of Monique Mund-Dopchie, Ultima Thulé: Histoire d’un lieu et genèse d’un mythe, Genève, Librairie Droz, 2009, pp. 494; Davide Bigalli, Il mito della Terra Perduta: Da Atlantide a Thule, Milano/Roma, Francesco Bevivino Editore, 2010, pp. 235.Review article of Monique Mund-Dopchie, Ultima Thulé: Histoire d’un lieu et genèse d’un mythe, Genève, Librairie Droz, 2009, pp. 494; Davide Bigalli, Il mito della Terra Perduta: Da Atlantide a Thule, Milano/Roma, Francesco Bevivino Editore, 2010, pp. 235

François de Ravignan, La fame: perché? Una sfida sempre aperta, traduzione di Daniele Zappalà, Firenze, Libreria Editrice Fiorentina, 2012, pp. 113

Book review of François de Ravignan, La fame: perché? Una sfida sempre aperta, translated by Daniele Zappalà, Firenze, Libreria Editrice Fiorentina, 2012, pp. 113.Recensione di François de Ravignan, La fame: perché? Una sfida sempre aperta, traduzione di Daniele Zappalà, Firenze, Libreria Editrice Fiorentina, 2012, pp. 113

Survivance, mémoire et identité: Conversation avec l’ethnohistorienne Joëlle Rostkowski

Interview with Joëlle Rostkowski.  Intervista a Joëlle Rostkowski

En marge de la XXIVe Journée Mondiale de la Poésie: Quand le je devient nous: éloge de la fraternité

Review of En marge de la XXIVe Journée Mondiale de la Poésie: Quand le je devient nous: éloge de la fraternité.Recensione di En marge de la XXIVe Journée Mondiale de la Poésie: Quand le je devient nous: éloge de la fraternité

Gli inuit del labrador nelle fonti documentarie dei secoli XVI - XVII - XVIII

This article focuses on the subject of the merveilleux, having as backdrop the North Pole, the Nordic world, the"empire of the cold", between the 16th and 17th centuries. Based on 13 original documents concerning esquimos, this article retraces the European perception of the physical environment, social life and material culture of this people, until then unknown.Este artigo trata do tema do maravilhoso tendo como cenário o Pólo Norte, o mundo nórdico,"o império do frio", entre os séculos XVI e XVIII. Baseado em 13 documentos originais sobre os esquimós, busca retraçar a percepção do olhar europeu sobre o aspecto físico, a vida social e a cultura material deste povo, até então desconhecido