William Morris and Gabriele D'Annunzio: Kindred Spirits?

In this essay, my aim is to show how, despite a different national background, William Morris's News from Nowhere (1890) and Gabriele D'Annunzio's The Pleasure (1889) reveal a common semantic denominator exemplified by an aesthetic cult of Pre-Raphaelite taste. Not only does interior design prove to be an inexhaustible source of pleasure for both of them, but this motif of idealized compensation in the form of decoration had a special social and cultural significance. Not surprisingly, the Red House (1859) manifested itself as the unfolding of Morris's character in deeds and statements, while "the little red house" (1915) by The Grand Canal in Venice epitomized D'Annunnzio's power of self-expression. Apart from the nostalgic longing for a lost sense of pleasure governing the nineteenth century, these two monumental works show many signs of internal contact, not to say about the relationship of dialogic sort between the Morrisean "Romantic Medusa" in The Earthly Paradise (1868) and D'Annunzio's femme fatale of Il Poema Paradisiaco (1893), female typologies located in a similar pleasure garden. What is more, Morris's and D'Annunzio's literary imaginations are inseparably tied up with Nietzsche's philosophic formula, a vision of totalizing life, measured primarily by the return to an imaginary beautiful homeland, which sheds light on a complex comparison, allowing a variety of textual representations to be investigated as the outstanding examples of Morris's and D'Annunzio's idealisms

“Crime is disease”: Contamination of Media in BBC Sherlock

This paper takes as its starting point the conceptual metaphor “crime is disease” as suggested by George Lakoff in order to advance a new reading of the BBC crime drama television series Sherlock (2010- ) based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes detective stories. Among over 200 film versions of Sherlock Holmes, the 2010 Masterpiece version, created by Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, remediated the Victorian detective stories visualising Sherlock’s deductive reasoning on screen. Defined as “flagrantly unfaithful to the original in some respects” and “wonderfully loyal to [the original]” (Sutcliffe 2010), Sherlock appears to be the perfect depiction of Holmes for our times. I intend to track through these references and look at the issues – the remediation of Victorian crime from page to screen, the metamorphosis of Holmes’s character, adapting techniques in crime scenes, etc – which they raise. But my central purpose will be to re-read Sherlock from a subtitling perspective. I will analyse the linguistics of subtitling and text-reduction shifts from a cognitive perspective in order to demonstrate that crime may be conceptualised in subtitling and that Doyle’s detective stories are reproduced faithfully by audio-visual media. Through dialogues, I suggest, subtitling may be considered as a form of deduction in audio-visual crime fiction

Multiphoton Label-Free ex-vivo imaging using a custom-built dual-wavelength microscope with chromatic aberrations compensation

Label-Free Multiphoton Microscopy is a very powerful optical microscopy that can be applied to study samples with no need for exogenous fluorescent probes, keeping the main benefits of a Multiphoton approach, like longer penetration depths and intrinsic optical sectioning, while opening the possibility of serial examinations with different kinds of techniques. Among the many variations of Label-Free MPM, Higher Harmonic Generation (HHG) is one of the most intriguing due to its generally low photo-toxicity, which enables the examination of specimens particularly susceptible to photo-damages. HHG and common Two-Photon Microscopy (TPM) are well-established techniques, routinely used in several research fields. However, they require a significant amount of fine-tuning in order to be fully exploited and, usually, the optimized conditions greatly differ, making them quite difficult to perform in parallel without any compromise on the extractable information. Here we present our custom-built Multiphoton microscope capable of performing simultaneously TPM and HHG without any kind of compromise on the results thanks to two, separate, individually optimized laser sources with full chromatic aberration compensation. We also apply our setup to the examination of a plethora of ex vivo samples in order to prove the significant advantages of our approach

The light and shadow of senescence and inflammation in cardiovascular pathology and regenerative medicine

Recent epidemiologic studies evidence a dramatic increase of cardiovascular diseases, especially associated with the aging of the world population. During aging, the progressive impairment of the cardiovascular functions results from the compromised tissue abilities to protect the heart against stress. At the molecular level, in fact, a gradual weakening of the cellular processes regulating cardiovascular homeostasis occurs in aging cells. Atherosclerosis and heart failure are particularly correlated with aging-related cardiovascular senescence, that is, the inability of cells to progress in the mitotic program until completion of cytokinesis. In this review, we explore the intrinsic and extrinsic causes of cellular senescence and their role in the onset of these cardiovascular pathologies. Additionally, we dissect the effects of aging on the cardiac endogenous and exogenous reservoirs of stem cells. Finally, we offer an overview on the strategies of regenerative medicine that have been advanced in the quest for heart rejuvenation

The Rapidly Evolving Concept of Whole Heart Engineering

Whole heart engineering represents an incredible journey with as final destination the challenging aim to solve end-stage cardiac failure with a biocompatible and living organ equivalent. Its evolution started in 2008 with rodent organs and is nowadays moving closer to clinical application thanks to scaling-up strategies to human hearts. This review will offer a comprehensive examination on the important stages to be reached for the bioengineering of the whole heart, by describing the approaches of organ decellularization, repopulation, and maturation so far applied and the novel technologies of potential interest. In addition, it will carefully address important demands that still need to be satisfied in order to move to a real clinical translation of the whole bioengineering heart concept

A Comprehensive Comparison of Bovine and Porcine Decellularized Pericardia: New Insights for Surgical Applications

Xenogeneic pericardium-based substitutes are employed for several surgical indications after chemical shielding, limiting their biocompatibility and therapeutic durability. Adverse responses to these replacements might be prevented by tissue decellularization, ideally removing cells and preserving the original extracellular matrix (ECM). The aim of this study was to compare the mostly applied pericardia in clinics, i.e. bovine and porcine tissues, after their decellularization, and obtain new insights for their possible surgical use. Bovine and porcine pericardia were submitted to TRICOL decellularization, based on osmotic shock, detergents and nuclease treatment. TRICOL procedure resulted in being effective in cell removal and preservation of ECM architecture of both species' scaffolds. Collagen and elastin were retained but glycosaminoglycans were reduced, significantly for bovine scaffolds. Tissue hydration was varied by decellularization, with a rise for bovine pericardia and a decrease for porcine ones. TRICOL significantly increased porcine pericardial thickness, while a non-significant reduction was observed for the bovine counterpart. The protein secondary structure and thermal denaturation profile of both species' scaffolds were unaltered. Both pericardial tissues showed augmented biomechanical compliance after decellularization. The ECM bioactivity of bovine and porcine pericardia was unaffected by decellularization, sustaining viability and proliferation of human mesenchymal stem cells and endothelial cells. In conclusion, decellularized bovine and porcine pericardia demonstrate possessing the characteristics that are suitable for the creation of novel scaffolds for reconstruction or replacement: differences in water content, thickness and glycosaminoglycans might influence some of their biomechanical properties and, hence, their indication for surgical use

The clinical effectiveness of an integrated multidisciplinary evidence-based program to prevent intraoperative pressure injuries in high-risk children undergoing long-duration surgical procedures: a quality improvement study

The prevention of hospital-acquired pressure injuries (HAPIs) in children undergoing long-duration surgical procedures is of critical importance due to the potential for catastrophic sequelae of these generally preventable injuries for the child and their family. Long-duration surgical procedures in children have the potential to result in high rates of HAPI due to physiological factors and the difficulty or impossibility of repositioning these patients intraoperatively. We developed and implemented a multi-modal, multi-disciplinary translational HAPI prevention quality improvement program at a large European Paediatric University Teaching Hospital. The intervention comprised the establishment of wound prevention teams, modified HAPI risk assessment tools, specific education, and the use of prophylactic dressings and fluidized positioners during long-duration surgical procedures. As part of the evaluation of the effectiveness of the program in reducing intraoperative HAPI, we conducted a prospective cohort study of 200 children undergoing long-duration surgical procedures and compared their outcomes with a matched historical cohort of 200 children who had undergone similar surgery the previous year. The findings demonstrated a reduction in HAPI in the intervention cohort of 80% (p < 0.01) compared to the comparator group when controlling for age, pathology, comorbidity, and surgical duration. We believe that the findings demonstrate that it is possible to significantly decrease HAPI incidence in these highly vulnerable children by using an evidence-based, multi-modal, multidisciplinary HAPI prevention strategy

Canagliflozin and Cardiovascular and Renal Outcomes in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Chronic Kidney Disease in Primary and Secondary Cardiovascular Prevention Groups

Background: Canagliflozin reduces the risk of kidney failure in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and chronic kidney disease, but effects on specific cardiovascular outcomes are uncertain, as are effects in people without previous cardiovascular disease (primary prevention). Methods: In CREDENCE (Canagliflozin and Renal Events in Diabetes With Established Nephropathy Clinical Evaluation), 4401 participants with type 2 diabetes mellitus and chronic kidney disease were randomly assigned to canagliflozin or placebo on a background of optimized standard of care. Results: Primary prevention participants (n=2181, 49.6%) were younger (61 versus 65 years), were more often female (37% versus 31%), and had shorter duration of diabetes mellitus (15 years versus 16 years) compared with secondary prevention participants (n=2220, 50.4%). Canagliflozin reduced the risk of major cardiovascular events overall (hazard ratio [HR], 0.80 [95% CI, 0.67-0.95]; P=0.01), with consistent reductions in both the primary (HR, 0.68 [95% CI, 0.49-0.94]) and secondary (HR, 0.85 [95% CI, 0.69-1.06]) prevention groups (P for interaction=0.25). Effects were also similar for the components of the composite including cardiovascular death (HR, 0.78 [95% CI, 0.61-1.00]), nonfatal myocardial infarction (HR, 0.81 [95% CI, 0.59-1.10]), and nonfatal stroke (HR, 0.80 [95% CI, 0.56-1.15]). The risk of the primary composite renal outcome and the composite of cardiovascular death or hospitalization for heart failure were also consistently reduced in both the primary and secondary prevention groups (P for interaction >0.5 for each outcome). Conclusions: Canagliflozin significantly reduced major cardiovascular events and kidney failure in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and chronic kidney disease, including in participants who did not have previous cardiovascular disease

Canagliflozin and renal outcomes in type 2 diabetes and nephropathy

BACKGROUND Type 2 diabetes mellitus is the leading cause of kidney failure worldwide, but few effective long-term treatments are available. In cardiovascular trials of inhibitors of sodium–glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2), exploratory results have suggested that such drugs may improve renal outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes. METHODS In this double-blind, randomized trial, we assigned patients with type 2 diabetes and albuminuric chronic kidney disease to receive canagliflozin, an oral SGLT2 inhibitor, at a dose of 100 mg daily or placebo. All the patients had an estimated glomerular filtration rate (GFR) of 30 to <90 ml per minute per 1.73 m2 of body-surface area and albuminuria (ratio of albumin [mg] to creatinine [g], >300 to 5000) and were treated with renin–angiotensin system blockade. The primary outcome was a composite of end-stage kidney disease (dialysis, transplantation, or a sustained estimated GFR of <15 ml per minute per 1.73 m2), a doubling of the serum creatinine level, or death from renal or cardiovascular causes. Prespecified secondary outcomes were tested hierarchically. RESULTS The trial was stopped early after a planned interim analysis on the recommendation of the data and safety monitoring committee. At that time, 4401 patients had undergone randomization, with a median follow-up of 2.62 years. The relative risk of the primary outcome was 30% lower in the canagliflozin group than in the placebo group, with event rates of 43.2 and 61.2 per 1000 patient-years, respectively (hazard ratio, 0.70; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.59 to 0.82; P=0.00001). The relative risk of the renal-specific composite of end-stage kidney disease, a doubling of the creatinine level, or death from renal causes was lower by 34% (hazard ratio, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.53 to 0.81; P<0.001), and the relative risk of end-stage kidney disease was lower by 32% (hazard ratio, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.54 to 0.86; P=0.002). The canagliflozin group also had a lower risk of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, or stroke (hazard ratio, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.67 to 0.95; P=0.01) and hospitalization for heart failure (hazard ratio, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.47 to 0.80; P<0.001). There were no significant differences in rates of amputation or fracture. CONCLUSIONS In patients with type 2 diabetes and kidney disease, the risk of kidney failure and cardiovascular events was lower in the canagliflozin group than in the placebo group at a median follow-up of 2.62 years

Le savant et son époque à travers sa correspondance Seeger A. Bonebakker (1923-2005) et quelques notes sur Ḫalīl b. Aybak al-Ṣafadī (696-764/1297-1363)

This article proposes a survey of two great scholars’ in Arabic literature correspondences: a European of the 20th century, Seeger Adrianus Bonebakker, who is of special interest for us because he bequeathed all of his great library, personal notes and correspondence to Università Ca’ Foscari, and a subject of study of the former, Ḫalīl b. Aybak al-Ṣafadī, great littérateur and scholar of the first century of the Mamluk period. Letters sent and received are preserved in both cases and are primary sources on their network, but also on their personal life, personality and methodology