Antonio Gramsci y la antropología médica contemporánea. Hegemonía, “capacidad de actuar” (agency) y transformaciones de la persona

This article has only one aim: to demonstrate the urgency for contemporary medical anthropology of a direct and reflexive reading of the works of Antonio Gramsci (1891-1937). Gramsci’s dialogic and experimental way of thinking seems to elude all the interpretive classifications furnished by the exegetes or by anthropological theory. The author of this article lays stress on Gramsci’s anthropological vocation and explores three main questions: hegemony, agency, and transformations of the person. There is a dramatic and reflexive attention in Gramsci for the bodily esperience of suffering, for the embodiment processes, and at the same time an “engaged observation”, which can be called ethnographic, of the the microphysics of social transformation, the hegemony and the agency of the State, the person, and the collectivity. The Gramscian critique can push contemporary medical anthropology to lay stress on the political aspects of embodiment in order to put into question the health-illness dichotomy and to conceive it instead as a socio-political process. This involves a reinforcement of a critical, reflexive, self-objectifying methodology inside the medical anthropological scientific and academic field itself.Este artículo tiene un solo objetivo: mostrar la urgencia para la antropología médica contemporánea de una lectura directa y reflexiva de la obra de Antonio Gramsci (1891-1937). El pensamiento dialógico y experimental de Gramsci parece eludir todas las clasificaciones interpretativas forjadas por sus exégetas, incluida la teoría antropológica. El autor de este artículo subraya la vocación antropológica de Gramsci, y explora tres grandes cuestiones en particular: hegemonía, agency y transformaciones de la persona. En Gramsci hay una atención dramática y reflexiva a la experiencia corporal del sufrimiento, a los procesos de incorporación, y al mismo tiempo una “observación comprometida” que puede ser calificada de etnográfica, de la microfísica de las transformaciones sociales, de la hegemonía del Estado y de la agency individual y colectiva. La crítica gramsciana puede empujar a la antropología médica contemporánea a enfatizar los aspectos políticos de los procesos de incorporación, con el objetivo de cuestionar la dicotomía salud-enfermedad para concebirla en su lugar como proceso sociopolítico. Ello implica el refuerzo de una metodología crítica, reflexiva y auto-objetivante en el propio campo científico-académico de la antropología médica

Gramsci di Cirese

Contribution to Anniversary Forum Cirese 101: Rereading Antonio Gramsci’s “Observations on Folklore”, Antonio Maria Pusceddu, Filippo M. Zerilli, eds, Anuac, 11, 1, 2022.Contributo a Anniversary Forum Cirese 101: Rileggere le “Osservazioni sul folclore” di Antonio Gramsci, Antonio Maria Pusceddu, Filippo M. Zerilli, a cura di, Anuac, 11, 1, 2022.   &nbsp

Giuseppe Profeta, L’acqua e il vaso nella vascolarità universale, Ortona, Menabò, 2020, pp. 116

Book review of Giuseppe Profeta, L’acqua e il vaso nella vascolarità universale, Ortona, Menabò, 2020, pp. 116.Recensione del libro di Giuseppe Profeta, L’acqua e il vaso nella vascolarità universale, Ortona, Menabò, 2020, pp. 116

Berardino Palumbo, Piegare i santi: Inchini rituali e pratiche mafiose, Bologna, Marietti, 2020, pp. 176

Book review of Berardino Palumbo, Piegare i santi. Inchini rituali e pratiche mafiose, Bologna, Marietti, 2020, pp. 176.Recensione del libro di Berardino Palumbo, Piegare i santi. Inchini rituali e pratiche mafiose, Bologna, Marietti, 2020, pp. 176

Esperienza dell'attesa e retoriche del tempo

Introduzione al tema del fascicolo monografico. L'articolo affronta il tema del ruolo antropologico nel campo sanitario. In particolare si sofferma sul rapporto tra personale medico e paziente, con particolare attenzione alla tematica del tempo e dell'attesa

Cognitive Health of Nonagenarians in Southern Italy: A Descriptive Analysis from a Cross-Sectional, Home-Based Pilot Study of Exceptional Longevity (Cilento Initiative on Aging Outcomes Or CIAO).

Background: Nonagenarians and centenarians (NCs) are an extremely fragile population, particularly in regard to their physical and cognitive function. The aim of this study was to define the neurocognitive profiles among 29 NCs and their 49 younger cohabitants aged 50-75 years from The Cilento Initiative on Aging Outcomes (CIAO) Pilot study in the South of Italy that had provided initial hypotheses regarding positive psychological traits related to exceptional longevity. Methods: During the home visits, lifestyle information with specific questionnaires, functional autonomy and the neuropsychological Mini Mental Scale Examination (MMSE), and the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive (ADAS-Cog) scale were obtained by qualified study personnel. The total blood oxidative capacity was also determined by testing the reactive derivative of oxygen metabolites (d-ROM) and by the Biological Antioxidant Potential (BAP). In all individuals, the APOE genotype determination was also performed. Results: All the subjects in both groups showed high adherence to the Mediterranean Diet. None of the NCs had severe cognitive impairment, and a very low incidence of dementia was found. The data obtained on the Activities ed Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (ADL-IADL) scale showed that the majority of NCs (16/29) were autonomous in daily life activities. The comparative assessment of NCs and cohabitants showed no significant differences in the laboratory assessment of oxidative stress and APOE genotype. Conclusion: In the Cilento Region of Southern Italy, NCs seemed to have good cognitive status when compared to younger cohabitants aging 50-65 years without significant differences in oxidative stress markers or APOE genotype. These results might be related to optimal adherence to the Mediterranean diet, although other lifestyle factors and positive personality traits may also contribute to their healthy aging. Further studies on a larger population should be performed to confirm the results of this pilot study

Qualitative profile and quantitative determination of flavonoids from Crocus sativus L. petals by LC-MS/MS

From the methanolic extract of Crocus sativus petals nine known flavonoids have been isolated and identified, including glycosidic derivatives of quercetin and kaempferol as major compounds (1–2), and their methoxylated and acetylated derivatives. Additionally, LC-ESI-MS qualitative and LC-ESI-MS/MS quantitative studies of the major compounds of the methanolic extract were performed. The high content of glycosylated flavonoids could give value to C. sativus petals, which are a waste product in the production of the spice saffron

The Objective Buttocks Assessment Scale (OBAS): a new and complete method to assess the gluteal region

Introduction: New treatment methods to improve and enhance buttocks appearance require globally accepted scales for aesthetic research and patient evaluation. The purpose of our study was to develop a set of grading scales for objective assessment of the gluteal region and assess their reliability and validity. Materials and methods: Twelve photonumeric grading scales were created. Eleven aesthetic experts rated photographs of 650 women in 2 validation sessions. Responses were analyzed to assess inter-rater and intra-rater reliability. The Rasch model was used as part of the validation process. Results: All the scales exceeded criteria for acceptability, reliability and validity. Overall inter-rater reliability and intra-rater reliability were both “almost perfect” (p=0.15 and p=0.16 respectively). Conclusion: Consistent outcomes between raters and by individual raters at 2 time points confirm the reliability of the Objective Buttocks Assessment Scale in female patients and suggest it will be a valuable tool for use in research and clinical practice

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and Hepatic Steatosis: Could Low-Grade Chronic Inflammation Be Mediated by the Spleen?:

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is characterized by an extreme variety of phenotypes and controversial metabolic implications. Hepatic Steatosis (HS) and low-grade chronic inflammation (LGCI) might be common findings in PCOS. We conducted a cross-sectional study to evaluate the LGCI and HS in young women with PCOS according to their Body Mass index (BMI), Insulin Resistance (IR), and PCOS phenotypes. Sixty young premenopausal PCOS women and 20 age-matched controls participated. Primary outcome measures were the presence/severity of HS; LGCI index evaluated as spleen longitudinal diameter (SLD) by UltraSound, C-Reactive Protein (CRP) and Interleukin (IL)-6 levels; BMI and the Homeostasis Model Assessment (HoMA) of IR. The second outcome measures were testosterone, Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin (SHBG) levels, and Free Androgen Index (FAI). The presence of HS and LGCI was not significantly different between NW and O/O patients, while there were significant differences particularly when the PCOS-women were grouped according to IR or to PCOS phenotypes. At multiple regression adjusted for BMI, HoMA-IR and the spleen size were the major determinants of the severity of HS (β= 0.36, p=0.007, and β= 0.28, p=0.034, respectively). At multiple regression SLD represented the unique predictor of FAI (β=0.32; p=0.018). In young women with PCOS, HS was detected independently from obesity and was well predicted not only by IR but also by spleen size, with variable expression of the liver-spleen axis across the different PCOS subtypes. A possible role of the spleen in determining LGCI also in women with PCOS is emphasized