Pierre Hadot and Michel Foucault: two readings on self-care in the ancient philosophy

Between the end of the70s and the beginning of the 80s Foucault’s idea of the subject undergoes some important changes. In that period, Foucault starts a study on sexual practice in the Greek-Roman world to conclude his History of Sexuality on which he has been working since mid 70s. Analyzing the self-care, which ancient philosophy used to give as homework to its students, Foucault realizes that the description of the subject as the result of disciplinary measures represents no longer a valid instrument of interpretation, even if it had characterized his previous researches. Indeed, unlike the coercive methods of shelter and prison, what strikes Foucault is that old moral sets itself as a practice of freedom where an individual choice can be achieved. Subsequent researches on parresia and cynics confirm this characteristic of the old thought further on. This topic is developed by another French philosopher, Pierre Hadot, a classicist, committed to highlight particularly the “practical” value of ancient philosophy. Hadot sees in self-care the expression of a real spiritual exercise (anticipating the following Christian experiences) which aims at a conscious individual transformation to make the person act properly in the different life circumstances. Hadot’s analysis on self-practice differs from Foucault’s one. While the first searches above all the original historical meaning, the latter seems to make an internal differentiation, related to Nietzsche’s individualism and to its renewal in the subjectivism of the 60s and 70s

Control and monitoring of the Znosko Glacier in Antarctica

The study and analysis of climate change is a global challenge against which environmental, but also economic and social changes, will be measured. This memorandum illustrates the recent activities carried out by the IGN Peru in collaboration with European institutions

Young at Heart: Pioneering Approaches to Model Nonischaemic Cardiomyopathy with Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

A mere 9 years have passed since the revolutionary report describing the derivation of induced pluripotent stem cells from human fibroblasts and the first in-patient translational use of cells obtained from these stem cells has already been achieved. From the perspectives of clinicians and researchers alike, the promise of induced pluripotent stem cells is alluring if somewhat beguiling. It is now evident that this technology is nascent and many areas for refinement have been identified and need to be considered before induced pluripotent stem cells can be routinely used to stratify, treat and cure patients, and to faithfully model diseases for drug screening purposes. This review specifically addresses the pioneering approaches to improve induced pluripotent stem cell based models of nonischaemic cardiomyopathy

Length of efficacy and effect of implant location in adult tom cats treated with a 9.4 mg deslorelin subcutaneous implant

Objectives The objective of this study was to assess duration of efficacy, side effects and return to fertility following use of the 9.4 mg deslorelin implant (Suprelorin 12; Virbac) in cats, and test whether efficacy and duration of action are influenced by implantation site (interscapular vs periumbilical). Methods Sixteen healthy adult tom cats were checked with (1) reproductive examination, (2) gonadotropin-releasing hormone stimulation test and (3) semen collection until achievement of sterility, then with (1) and (2) only at 2, 4, 6 and 12 months, and every 6 months thereafter until treatment effect disappeared. Results Serum testosterone reached basal levels by 7 days post-treatment. Semen quality improved initially then started to worsen by 1 month post-treatment and after 70 days post-treatment all cats were sterile. Early in the third month post-treatment there was a significant decrease in testicular volume and penile spikes. Testicular histology was normal upon neutering performed after resumption of fertility. No injection site lesions or treatment-related side effects were observed. There was no difference between periumbilical and interscapular placement for all criteria, but there was a trend for the decrease in testicular volume to last longer and for the regression of penile spikes to start sooner after interscapular administration. One of 16 cats did not respond to treatment. Six cats were lost at variable times during the study while fully responding to treatment. In the cats that completed the study, normal fertility was regained after 805 days, on average, but with a variable duration of effect from 750-850 days. Conclusions and relevance Treatment with a 9.4 mg deslorelin implant in male cats was effective for a period of 750-850 days, 1.5-2 times longer than the effect of the 4.7 mg deslorelin implant. Fertility (based on serum testosterone production and presence of penile spikes) was regained at the end of the study. Placing implants in the intrascapular vs periumbilical location did not affect duration of suppression of testosterone production. The interscapular location may be characterised by a better efficacy, although further studies are needed to clarify this issue

A scoping review of scientific concepts concerning motor recovery after stroke as employed in clinical trials

The scientific literature on poststroke rehabilitation is remarkably vast. Over the last decades, dozens of rehabilitation approaches have been investigated. However, sometimes it is challenging to trace new experimental interventions back to some of the known models of motor control and sensorimotor learning. This scoping review aimed to investigate motor control models' diffusion among the literature on motor recovery after stroke. We performed a literature search on Medline, Cochrane, Web of Science, Embase, and Scopus databases. The last search was conducted in September 2023. This scoping review included full-text articles published in English in peer-reviewed journals that provided rehabilitation interventions based on motor control or motor learning frameworks for at least one individual with stroke. For each study, we identified the theoretical framework the authors used to design the experimental treatment. To this aim, we used a previously proposed classification of the known models of motor control, dividing them into the following categories: neuroanatomy, robotics, self-organization, and ecological context. In total, 2,185 studies were originally considered in this scoping review. After the screening process, we included and analyzed 45 studies: 20 studies were randomized controlled trials, 12 were case series, 4 were case reports, 8 were observational longitudinal pilot studies, and 1 was an uncontrolled trial. Only 10 studies explicitly declared the reference theoretical model. Considering their classification, 21 studies referred to the robotics motor control model, 12 to the self-organization model, 8 to the neuroanatomy model, and 4 to the ecological model. Our results showed that most of the rehabilitative interventions purposed in stroke rehabilitation have no clear theoretical bases on motor control and motor learning models. We suggest this is an issue that deserves attention when designing new experimental interventions in stroke rehabilitation

Relationship Between Distance Run Per Week, Omega-3 Index, and Arachidonic Acid (AA)/Eicosapentaenoic Acid (EPA) Ratio: An Observational Retrospective Study in Non-elite Runners

Background: Tissue availability of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) depends on several factors, including dietary intake, physical exercise, genetic variation, and metabolic turnover. However, there is limited evidence whether running training activity per se may influence indices associated with PUFA metabolism such as Omega-3 (ω-3) index and arachidonic acid (AA; 20:4ω-6)/eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA; 20:5ω-3) ratio.Objective: To examine the association between kilometers (Km) run per week and changes in ω-3 index and AA/EPA ratio.Methods: We conducted a retrospective, observational, cohort study of 257 non-elite runners (mean age: 40.85 ± 12.17 years) who consumed no fatty acid supplements and provided a blood sample for analysis. The whole blood samples were collected by finger sticks, stored on absorbent filter paper, and then PUFA were quantified by gas chromatography (GC) and ω-3 index and AA/EPA ratio measured.Results: In a multivariate linear regression model, a gradual decrease of the ω-3 index was observed with higher weekly running distance (β = −0.033; 95% CI −0.039 to −0.026; R2 = 0.447; p < 0.0001). We also found a progressive increase of the AA/EPA ratio in subjects who ran greater weekly distances (β = 0.092; 95% CI 0.038 to 0.146; R2 = 0.320; p = 0.001). No other significant associations were observed with other variables, including years of running training and weekly training frequency (hours/week). Finally, as expected, a significant inverse correlation between ω-3 index and AA/EPA ratio (β = −2.614; 95% CI −3.407 to −1.821; R2 = 0.336; p < 0.0001) was detected.Conclusions: These findings suggest that distance running training and its weekly volume may negatively contribute to changes of the ω-3 index and AA/EPA ratio. Further studies with greater sample size will be required to replicate and extend these data

The third international stroke trial (IST-3) of thrombolysis for acute ischaemic stroke

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Intravenous recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) is approved for use in selected patients with ischaemic stroke within 3 hours of symptom onset. IST-3 seeks to determine whether a wider range of patients may benefit.</p> <p>Design</p> <p>International, multi-centre, prospective, randomized, open, blinded endpoint (PROBE) trial of intravenous rt-PA in acute ischaemic stroke. Suitable patients must be assessed and able to start treatment within 6 hours of developing symptoms, and brain imaging must have excluded intracerebral haemorrhage. With 1000 patients, the trial can detect a 7% absolute difference in the primary outcome. With3500 patients, it can detect a 4.0% absolute benefit & with 6000, (mostly treated between 3 & 6 hours), it can detect a 3% benefit.</p> <p>Trial procedures</p> <p>Patients are entered into the trial by telephoning a fast, secure computerised central randomisation system or via a secure web interface. Repeat brain imaging must be performed at 24–48 hours. The scans are reviewed 'blind' by expert readers. The primary measure of outcome is the proportion of patients alive and independent (Modified Rankin 0–2) at six months (assessed via a postal questionnaire mailed directly to the patient). Secondary outcomes include: events within 7 days (death, recurrent stroke, symptomatic intracranial haemorrhage), outcome at six months (death, functional status, EuroQol).</p> <p>Trial registration</p> <p>ISRCTN25765518</p

Per un'analisi del rapporto Foucault-Nietzsche

In my research it\u2019s possible to show the existence, in Foucault, of three Nietzsches. A Nietzsche who influenced the History of madness, a tragic and dionysiac Nietzsche who refuses the thought of the modern ratio, the metaphisic subjectivity of the cogito and who permits Foucault to give the experience of madness a positive value and to understand, at the same time, the experience of the contemporary literature language. A Nietzsche of the g\ue9n\ue9alogie, that allowed Foucault to deepen the relation among language, ratio and subjectivity, through the concept of epist\ue8me. Finally, a Nietzsche who gives value to Greek wisdom in the direction of the free spirit and a subject who is aware of his own finitude, and who can assume, for that reason, the risk of creating the values of his own existence. These \u201cdifferent\u201d Nietzsches run through the thought of Foucault and \u2013 as I underlined in my work \u2013 they do represent its theoric stages

LA RAGIONE ECOLOGICA. Saggi intorno all'Etica dello spazio

Tema della ricerca contenuta nel volume è la rilettura di alcuni aspetti specifici della tradizione culturale e filosofica occidentale alla luce della grave emergenza ecologica in atto. Il fatto incontrovertibile per cui, a partire dalla modernità, è stato posto come essenziale, nel sapere occidentale, il tema del divenire e della trasformazione senza limiti. Attraverso autori come Bateson, Gorz e Marcuse la ricerca intende fare il punto su questa concezione essenziale all'Occidente, che ha visto nella dialettica hegeliana la sua teorizzazione paradigmatica, e confrontarla con alcune teorizzazioni attuali, come quella della decrescita, che vedono invece nella necessità di ripensare positivamente il concetto limite, una via d'uscita dalle sperequazioni economiche e sociali e dalla stessa crisi ambientale. L'idea che indirizza la ricerca contenuta nel volume è che ogni soluzione in tema di crisi ambientale non possa essere una vera soluzione, se essa non comprenderà, al tempo steso, la decisione di modificare anche il modo di essere, inaugurato dall'Occidente, che è teoretico e culturale, prima ancora che politico e tecnologico