Crisi. Quale crisi? Stabilizzazione e caos

This essay aims to reflect on the concept of crisis by focusing on the centrality this term has assumed in the context of contemporary public and political debate, and on the ambiguities that accompany its use in an attempt to normalise its ideological function and role. The ambiguity and conceptual density of the word “crisis” and the multiplicity of meanings that make it versatile and adaptable to the most diverse contexts contribute to fuelling a mechanism of naturalisation, even though its deployment is normally associated with conditions of extraordinariness, exceptionality, and unpredictability. In this perspective, the crisis, a constant and pervasive presence invading every area of social space and life, is unveiled as being the product of specific ideological and political practices, and social conflicts, representing multiple interests coagulated around the needs and objectives of global capitalism. The naturalisation and normalisation of the crisis do not seem to completely close off, however, the possibility of producing the conditions to imagine incisive forms of resistance and opposition. To achieve this aim, it seems imperative to recover the reasons and motivations for a cultural battle that looks at knowledge, in its manifold meanings, as a primary tool for emancipation and liberation

Il colore del denaro, il colore della pelle. Marketing, razzismo e capitale nel calcio: le ambiguità del caso Balotelli

Nel lontano 1918, sulle pagine del quotidiano socialista l'Avanti, Gramsci affrontava iltema della relazione tra classe operaia e tempo libero contrapponendo il calcio ai piùtradizionali passatempi operai da osteria come lo scopone (Bellamy 1994: 73-74). Ilgiovane intellettuale coglieva gli aspetti positivi dell'esercizio fisico all'aria apertaopponendoli all'ambiente malsano ed equivoco dei locali fumosi in cui gli operaiconsumavano le ore libere dal lavoro. Inoltre, per Gramsci quei luoghi contribuivano aindebolire l'affermazione di una coscienza di classe autonoma e costituivano un modoper perpetuare i rapporti di dominio esistenti. Allo stesso tempo Gramsci si rivelavapoco incline a considerare la possibilità che quel gioco di squadra arrivatodall'Inghilterra chiamato football potesse imporsi sulle strutture mentali e culturalidegli italiani. In queste resistenze Gramsci coglieva il riflesso delle differenti..

How to define the relative contraindications to oral anticoagulant therapy

There is currently a lack of consensus on which anticoagulant therapy contraindications should be considered “absolute” and which should be considered “relative”. Guidelines do not clearly identify absolute and relative contraindications to anticoagulant therapy. Recent guidelines on AF of the European Society of Cardiology underline the relevance of several factors and their use in scores, leaving anyway space to the clinical judgment of the physician. A high bleeding risk score should generally not result per se in a contraindication to anticoagulant therapy. Rather, bleeding risk factors should be identified and treatable factors corrected. A combined use of a more hierarchical classification of the different bleeding risk factors and the risk scores probably represents the best approach to maximize the benefit of anticoagulant therapy in various clinical settings

Beta-blockers after myocardial infarction: Are they useful to all patients? And how long should be the beta-blocker therapy?

Some observational studies raised questions about the need for β-blockers in all patients after a first heart attack. Surprisingly, in some clinical settings, a limited mortality reduction was found in those who received β-blockade.Some studies suggest that patients without heart failure may not need post-MI β-blockers. The lack of data from randomized controlled clinical trials has led to clinical uncertainty and conflicting recommendations. Therefore, there are multiple information to revaluate the value of β-blocker therapy after a heart attack in absence of heart failure or left ventricular dysfunction and the time for new trials of an old group of drugs has arrived

Prevalence and prevention of venous thromboembolism in patients with acute exacerbations of COPD

Abstract BACKGROUND: Little information exists on the prevalence and prevention of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) in patients admitted for acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). OBJECTIVE: To review available literature, we performed a Medline search on papers published on this topic between 1966 and 2003. DATA SYNTHESIS: Pulmonary emboli have been frequently found (up to 30% of cases) in autoptic series that included patients who died from acute exacerbation of COPD, while the real incidence of PE during exacerbation has never been prospectively evaluated by large-scale clinical studies. Diagnosis of concomitant PE in these patients is often missed because symptoms of acute exacerbation of COPD may mimic PE, and non-invasive evaluation by pulmonary scintigraphy or CT scan is less specific. Even if not fatal, undetected and untreated PE may lead to long-term morbidity from pulmonary hypertension and predispose to recurrent venous thromboembolism (VTE). DVT of the lower extremities affects about 10% of patients with acute exacerbation of COPD at admission, but the rate is likely to be underestimated. The results of clinical trials conducted on general medical patients, including COPD patients, indicate that unfractionated heparin (UH) and low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) significantly reduce VTE rates. However, subgroup data on COPD patients are generally not available. In a single randomised, controlled trial specifically conducted on COPD patients, nadroparin reduced the rate of DVT from 28% to 15% without affecting mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Despite a substantial lack of consistent data, VTE appears as a major threat to patients admitted for acute exacerbation of COPD, and pharmacologic prophylaxis should be considered in all high risk situations. However, methodologically rigorous studies in this setting are still needed

The weight of water

Leonardo da Vinci’s pioneering work on hydrostatics combined traditional knowledge and innovative empiricism in an attempt to understand an object fraught with paradox: the water-filled container

Erectile dysfunction and cardiovascular disease: Focus on

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a common clinical problem and its prevalence increases in frequency with age. ED is a risk marker for major cardiovascular events independently of other more common risk factors in men with and without known cardiovascular disease. On the basis of the “artery-size hypothesis” patients with cardiovascular disease often report ED before disease detection, in average 3 years. Thus, by an early identification of ED, the cardiologist is given a unique opportunity to better assess the cardiovascular risk of each patient. Although there is a general impression that ED has an important predictive role, its diagnosis in clinical practice is widely suboptimal owing to misconceptions from the side of the patient and a suboptimal management of the personal relationship from the side of the physician. This paper explores the critical connection between ED and cardiovascular disease and evaluates how this association may influence clinical practice