GLI EDITORI POSTUNITARI E LA DIDATTICA DELL’ITALIANO TRA CARTELLONI E MANUALI

Sulla scorta del magistero di Marino Raicich, sostenitore dell’idea che lo studio della didattica della lingua italiana non possa prescindere dall’“acribia degli storici”, né dall’attenzione all’editoria, il contributo intende presentare alcuni esiti delle più recenti ricerche sulla storia dei libri di testo per le scuole elementari. Dalla politica scolastica, che sulla necessità di utilizzare testi didattici insistette progressivamente all’indomani dell’Unità, alle strategie degli editori, che dal semplice testo di lettura si dedicarono a una produzione sempre più variegata, le vicende che condussero alla proliferazione di testi scolastici a fine Ottocento saranno delineate per poi approfondire un caso di studio, quello delle tavole di nomenclatura. Stampate in volume o proposte sotto forma di cartellone didattico, in un intreccio tra pedagogia pestalozziana, object lessons e necessità di insegnare “i nomi delle cose” ai bambini dialettofoni, queste illustrazioni didattiche rappresentarono un grande mercato per gli editori otto-novecenteschi. Questi ultimi, grazie all’importazione e all’imitazione di materiali di produzione svizzera e tedesca, seppero imprimere maggiore varietà all’offerta ottocentesca di sussidi didattici per l’apprendimento dell’italiano.   Nomenclature books and wall charts. Publishers’ strategies and Italian language teaching after Unification The article aims to outline the results of recent works on the history of textbooks for primary schools in the wake of Marino Raicich’s teachings, i.e. the necessity to include a historical perspective concerning publishing in the research on the history of the Italian language. Post-unification literacy policies that aimed to promote the use of textbooks in schools will be briefly described, as well as the new strategies put into practice by publishers, in order to increase and differentiate the offer of textbooks. In such a context, teaching tools containing illustrated nomenclature will be taken into account. Printed in volumes or as wall charts, their use was fostered by an intertwined interest for Pestalozzian pedagogy, object lessons and the need to teach “the names of things” to dialect-speaking pupils. Importing and imitating illustrated nomenclature materials produced in Switzerland and Germany, Italian publishers contributed to diversifying the offer of didactic tools for teaching the Italian language in the 19th century

PASQUALE FORNARI (1837-1923), UN POLIGRAFO AL SERVIZIO DELLA «PAROLA VIVA»

L’articolo intende ricostruire la biografia intellettuale di Pasquale Fornari, docente e poi direttore del Regio istituto per i sordomuti di Milano e prolifico pubblicista. Dopo aver percorso con gli occhi di Fornari le tappe dell’affermazione del metodo orale in Italia, di cui fu uno dei protagonisti, si indagano le ragioni del successo di questa opzione in relazione al contesto sociale e culturale. Vengono infine passate in rassegna le pubblicazioni di Fornari nell’ambito dell’editoria didattico-educativa, raramente slegate dalla sua esperienza professionale: si trattava molto spesso, infatti, di strumenti didattici di cui anche gli studenti sordi avrebbero notevolmente beneficiato.   Pasquale Fornari (1837-1923), a polygraph at the service of living language The article aims to retrace the intellectual biography of Pasquale Fornari, teacher, later the head of the Regio istituto per i sordomuti [Royal institute for the deaf and dumb] in Milan and a prolific writer. Firstly, the affirmation in Italy of the so-called oral method is reconstructed, highlighting the role played by Fornari; secondly, the reasons for the success of this method will be investigated, taking the socio-cultural context into account. Finally, Fornari’s educational publications will be described, showing how they were closely connected to his profession: in most cases, his books and journals were didactic tools that were likely to be successfully used by deaf pupils as well

Treatment and outcomes of minor salivary gland cancers of the larynx and trachea: a systematic review

Objectives: Malignant minor salivary glands carcinomas (MiSGC) of the larynx and trachea are rare tumours and published evidence is sparse. We conducted a systematic review to describe shareable treatment strategies and oncological outcomes of these neoplastic entities. Methods: Full text English manuscripts published from January 1st 2000 to December 14th 2022 were included. Data on demographics, treatments and outcomes were collected. A pooled analysis of 5-year overall survival (OS) was performed. Results: Seventeen articles and 365 patients met the inclusion criteria. The most common subsites involved were subglottic and distal trachea. Adenoid cystic carcinoma was, by far, the most frequent histotype. The first-choice treatment strategy was surgery (86.8%), while adjuvant treatments were delivered in 57.4% of patients. Only 12.9% were treated with definitive radiotherapy with/without chemotherapy. The mean follow-up was 68.3 months. One hundred nine (34.9%) deaths were recorded and 62.4% were cancer-related. Five-year OS ranged from 20% to 100% and, at pooled analysis, it was 83% (range, 78%-87%). Conclusions: In case of MiSGC of the larynx and trachea, surgery remains the mainstay of treatment. Adjuvant treatments are frequently delivered. Survival estimates are good overall, but highly heterogeneous

Red blood cell distribution width as a novel prognostic marker after myocardial revascularization or cardiac valve surgery

The red blood cell distribution width (RDW) measures the variability in the size of circulating erythrocytes. Previous studies suggested a powerful correlation between RDW obtained from a standard complete blood count and cardiovascular diseases in both primary and secondary cardiovascular prevention. The current study aimed to evaluate the prognostic role of RDW in patients undergoing cardiac rehabilitation after myocardial revascularization and/or cardiac valve surgery. The study included 1.031 patients with available RDW levels, prospectively followed for a mean of 4.5 +/- 3.5 years. The mean age was 68 +/- 12 years, the mean RDW was 14.7 +/- 1.8%; 492 patients (48%) underwent cardiac rehabilitation after myocardial revascularization, 371 (36%) after cardiac valve surgery, 102 (10%) after valve-plus-coronary artery by-pass graft surgery, 66 (6%) for other indications. Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox hazard analysis were used to associate RDW with mortality. Kaplan-Meier analysis demonstrated worse survival curves free from overall (log-rank p<0.0001) and cardiovascular (log-rank p<0.0001) mortality in the highest RDW tertile. Cox analysis showed RDW levels correlated significantly with the probability of overall (HR 1.26; 95% CI 1.19-1.32; p<0.001) and cardiovascular (HR 1.31; 95% CI 1.23-1.40; p<0.001) mortality. After multiple adjustments for cardiovascular risk factors, hemoglobin, hematocrit, C-reactive protein, microalbuminuria, atrial fibrillation, glomerular filtration rate,left ventricular ejection fraction and number of exercise training sessions attended, the increased risk of overall (HR 1.10; 95% CI 1.01-1.27; p=0.039) and cardiovascular (HR 1.13; 95% CI 1.01-1.34; p=0.036)mortality with increasing RDW values remained significant. The RDW represents an independent predictor of overall and cardiovascular mortality in secondary cardiovascular prevention patients undergoing cardiac rehabilitation

Pro-active monitoring and social interventions at community level mitigate the impact of coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic on older adults' mortality in Italy: A retrospective cohort analysis

BackgroundThe COVID-19 epidemic in Italy has severely affected people aged more than 80, especially socially isolated. Aim of this paper is to assess whether a social and health program reduced mortality associated to the epidemic.MethodsAn observational retrospective cohort analysis of deaths recorded among > 80 years in three Italian cities has been carried out to compare death rate of the general population and "Long Live the Elderly!" (LLE) program. Parametric and non-parametric tests have been performed to assess differences of means between the two populations. A multivariable analysis to assess the impact of covariates on weekly mortality has been carried out by setting up a linear mixed model.ResultsThe total number of services delivered to the LLE population (including phone calls and home visits) was 34,528, 1 every 20 day per person on average, one every 15 days during March and April. From January to April 2019, the same population received one service every 41 days on average, without differences between January-February and March-April. The January-April 2020 cumulative crude death rate was 34.8% (9,718 deaths out of 279,249 individuals; CI95%: 34.1-35.5) and 28.9% (166 deaths out of 5,727 individuals; CI95%:24.7-33.7) for the general population and the LLE sample respectively. The general population weekly death rate increased after the 11th calendar week that was not the case among the LLE program participants (p<0.001). The Standardized Mortality Ratio was 0.83; (CI95%: 0.71-0.97). Mortality adjusted for age, gender, COVID-19 weekly incidence and prevalence of people living in nursing homes was lower in the LLE program than in the general population (p<0.001).ConclusionsLLE program is likely to limit mortality associated with COVID-19. Further studies are needed to establish whether it is due to the impact of social care that allows a better clients' adherence to the recommendations of physical distancing or to an improved surveillance of older adults that prevents negative outcomes associated with COVID-19

Carcinoma adenosquamoso del distretto testa-collo: studio retrospettivo monocentrico

n/

Sports activity limitation during the COVID-19 pandemic in young Italian athletes: impact on mental health in children, adolescents, and young adults

IntroductionThe closure of sports centres was implemented as a preventive measure to mitigate the transmission of SARS-CoV-2. Given the observed global decline in physical activity and concurrent rise in sedentary behaviour, even among younger age groups, a retrospective cross-sectional study was undertaken to evaluate the effects of this measure on mental health in children, adolescents, and young adults during the initial phases of the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsA total of 1,717 non-professional athletes (age range: 6–25; 53.9% males, 44.6% females) completed an online questionnaire including widely used and validated measures for mental health assessment (SDQ and PGWB-S) and questions regarding sociodemographic characteristics (such as gender), physical activity, and screen time. The association between mental health and sociodemographic characteristics, physical activity, and screen time was evaluated by using univariate and multivariable logistic regression models.ResultsIn children and adolescents, the incidence of psychological difficulties was associated with not being physically active (OR = 1.49; 95% CI: 1.09, 2.07; p = 0.015). Engaging in physical activity during the period of closures, particularly if more than twice a week, was significantly associated with less psychological difficulties for children/adolescents (OR = 0.54; 95% CI: 0.35, 0.82; p = 0.004) and psychological symptoms (i.e., psychological well-being lower than the median) for youth/young adults (OR = 0.25; 95% CI: 0.14, 0.45; p < 0.001). More psychological difficulties were also found in males for children and adolescents (OR = 1.37; 95% CI: 1.06, 1.79; p = 0.018). However, young adult males showed less psychological symptoms than females (OR = 0.35; 95% CI: 0.22, 0.55; p = 0.001). Additionally, a greater amount of screen time was associated with a higher incidence of psychological symptoms in the whole sample.ConclusionsOur results confirm the positive impact of physical activity on mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic among younger age groups. They also provide valuable insights into the risk-benefit relationship of interrupting sports activities as a preventive measure for infectious diseases

Translating for the Common Reader An Ongoing Research on Science and Education in the Italian Book Trade, 1865-1903

The article aims at presenting the first results of a current research on works, series, periodicals translated and adapted for the Italian recently broadened audience of the late 19th century, especially during the age of Positivism. It presents two case studies: 1. translation and adaptation of geographical publications by Emilio Treves; 2. reuse of images in educational publications for object lessons, mainly published by Hoepli, Vallardi, Paravia. The two case studies are meant to give account of publishers’ strategies, influenced by the emergence of new readers, and favoured by a still-undefined international copyright legislation. Publishers often translated and adapted texts from abroad in order to save money and satisfy their audience; by doing so, they acted as relevant transcultural mediators in an age of mass education. In the conclusions, the debate on the controversial reception of Positivism in Italy, which determines the time span of the article, is mentioned as likely to benefit from the study of the coeval book trade. Namely, it can be argued that the surprising diffusion of scientism at every rank of society during the so- called liberal age drew upon on the described strategies of transcultural adaptation