Pandemia e Infodemia. Informazione, conoscenza, automazione

This article aims to explore the connection between the conflicts in information policies occurring during the present pandemic situation and the potential abuse of automation technologies in the processing of information. From a historical point of view, the connection between an effective elaboration of information and the development of automation technologies has been devised by authors such as Norbert Wiener, Claude Shannon and Alan Turing, at the very beginning of the modern theory of information. This seemed to be justified by historical circumstances that are still quoted in order to discipline and “militarise” the spreading of information during the pandemic. By taking reference to authors such as Gilbert Simondon and Bernard Stiegler, on the contrary, it may be shown that automation cannot by itself guarantee the most appropriate diffusion and sharing of information during a global crisis, whereas, according to these authors, a certain margin of indetermination – freedom and concreteness – must be implemented in any automatic process to let a machine, even the most algorythmic one, work properly and rightly serve the cause of its users

ONTOLOGY IN DIALOGUE

In its first section the volume contains contributions dealing with the debate between the German philosopher Markus Gabriel and some scholars in Palermo who discussed the fundaments of his ontology. In the next sections are gathered essays on critical ontology in the modern age, essays on intersubjectivity in social ontology and on ontology of arts and aesthetics

Levothyroxine Monotherapy Cannot Guarantee Euthyroidism in All Athyreotic Patients

CONTEXT: Levothyroxine monotherapy is the treatment of choice for hypothyroid patients because peripheral T4 to T3 conversion is believed to account for the overall tissue requirement for thyroid hormones. However, there are indirect evidences that this may not be the case in all patients. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate in a large series of athyreotic patients whether levothyroxine monotherapy can normalize serum thyroid hormones and thyroid-pituitary feedback. DESIGN: Retrospective study. SETTING: Academic hospital. PATIENTS: 1,811 athyreotic patients with normal TSH levels under levothyroxine monotherapy and 3,875 euthyroid controls. MEASUREMENTS: TSH, FT4 and FT3 concentrations by immunoassays. RESULTS: FT4 levels were significantly higher and FT3 levels were significantly lower (p<0.001 in both cases) in levothyroxine-treated athyreotic patients than in matched euthyroid controls. Among the levothyroxine-treated patients 15.2% had lower serum FT3 and 7.2% had higher serum FT4 compared to euthyroid controls. A wide range of FT3/FT4 ratios indicated a major heterogeneity in the peripheral T3 production capacity in different individuals. The correlation between thyroid hormones and serum TSH levels indicated an abnormal feedback mechanism in levothyroxine-treated patients. CONCLUSIONS: Athyreotic patients have a highly heterogeneous T3 production capacity from orally administered levothyroxine. More than 20% of these patients, despite normal TSH levels, do not maintain FT3 or FT4 values in the reference range, reflecting the inadequacy of peripheral deiodination to compensate for the absent T3 secretion. The long-term effects of chronic tissue exposure to abnormal T3/T4 ratio are unknown but a sensitive marker of target organ response to thyroid hormones (serum TSH) suggests that this condition causes an abnormal pituitary response. A more physiological treatment than levothyroxine monotherapy may be required in some hypothyroid patients

Recommendations for the transition of patients with ADHD from child to adult healthcare services:a consensus statement from the UK adult ADHD network

The aim of this consensus statement was to discuss transition of patients with ADHD from child to adult healthcare services, and formulate recommendations to facilitate successful transition. An expert workshop was convened in June 2012 by the UK Adult ADHD Network (UKAAN), attended by a multidisciplinary team of mental health professionals, allied professionals and patients. It was concluded that transitions must be planned through joint meetings involving referring/receiving services, patients and their families. Negotiation may be required to balance parental desire for continued involvement in their child’s care, and the child’s growing autonomy. Clear transition protocols can maintain standards of care, detailing relevant timeframes, responsibilities of agencies and preparing contingencies. Transition should be viewed as a process not an event, and should normally occur by the age of 18, however flexibility is required to accommodate individual needs. Transition is often poorly experienced, and adherence to clear recommendations is necessary to ensure effective transition and prevent drop-out from services

Nature umane

The volume contains contributions selected from the most relevant papers discussed at the forth edition of Ischia International Festival of Philosophy "La filosofia il castello e la torre". Spanning from biology to anthropology via philosophy of nature, computer sciences, sociology and literature, the various contributions provide with a complex image of today's notion of "human nature" and related issues

A che cosa serve la filosofia? Chi è il filosofo?

The volume includes contributions originally presented as individual papers at Ischia International Festival of Philosophy 2015 and dealing with the concept of philosophy from a multidisciplinary point of vie