Il circolo di Cambridge: dantismo e follia

The ten circles of Dante’s Inferno, with the words that clash in eternity, are the background to the thriller of the Spanish writer who draws copiously from the medieval source and dialogues with Dante through the mad mind of his protagonist who, within a perverse play of mirrors, the poet is identified and assumes the function of guiding the world that ill-lives

Un giallo italiano all’origine della ripresa del culto dantesco

In the essay, the author conducts an intertextual inquiry that highlights the terms of the ‘dialogue’ between ancient and modern, in which Dante’s Comedy invariably returns a source the source, always alive and current, to which Giulio Leoni draws copiously for the writing of the novel I crimes of the Medusa, first effort of ‘his’ Dante cycle, and important ‘apripista’ for the revival of the reuse of Dante in contemporary genre fiction.Nel saggio l’autrice conduce un’indagine intertestuale che evidenzia i termini del ‘dialogo’ tra antico e moderno, in cui la Commedia dantesca ritorna prepotentemente a costituire la fonte, sempre viva e attuale, a cui Giulio Leoni attinge copiosamente per la stesura del romanzo I delitti della Medusa, prima fatica del ‘suo’ ciclo dantesco, e importante ‘apripista’ per il rilancio del riuso dantesco nella narrativa contemporanea di genere

La mediazione in Europa

2010 - 2011Nella prima fase di approccio alla ricerca, si é dedicato attenzione in special modo alla funzione e natura delle procedure di Alternative Dispute Resolution, illustrandone i tratti caratterizzanti e distintivi, anche in ottica di comparazione con le procedure aggiudicative e giurisdizionali. Attraverso ricerche bibliografiche e giurisprudenziali si delinea, poi, il quadro normativo di riferimento a livello comunitario, ovviamente, nel rispetto della finalità del dottorato, ponendo le basi per una efficace comparazione della materia a livello internazionale, con uno sguardo agli altri ordinamenti europei e internazionali. Infine una disamina particolareggiata è dedicata all’ordinamento italiano. Il progetto di lavoro é suddiviso, quindi, in quattro parti: 1. nella prima parte ci si sofferma sulla descrizione delle forme di ADR, specificandone, appunto, la natura, le rispettive funzioni e le differenze anche rispetto i procedimenti giurisdizionali; 2. con la seconda parte é delineato il quadro normativo comunitario, illustrando sia i provvedimenti di carattere generale riguardanti la mediazione, sia le disposizioni relative a specifici settori; 3. la terza parte é dedicata all’ordinamento italiano, con specifico approfondimento sulle forme di conciliazione “obbligatoria” e, naturalmente, sulla recentissima riforma del processo civile in materia di mediazione; 4. l’ultima parte, infine, è dedicata ad un’indagine comparativa di alcuni ordinamenti stranieri, soprattutto europei, al fine di evidenziarne le modalità di recepimento delle disposizioni comunitarie, in confronto con le soluzioni adottate dal Legislatore italiano. La ricerca, dunque, assume uno spiccato carattere di originalità, sia per la natura dei provvedimenti legislativi oggetto della ricerca, tutti recentissimi, se non addirittura approvati nel corso degli ultimi mesi della ricerca, sia per l’approccio seguito, volto essenzialmente a verificare l’impatto sull’ordinamento italiano di uno strumento così estraneo alla nostra cultura giuridica, ed a ricercare, nella comparazione con altri ordinamenti europei, l’esistenza di modelli diversi e più congeniali. [a cura dell'autore]X n.s

Lettura di Paradiso III

La lettura da un lato mira a cogliere l‟equilibrio, che in questo canto si rivela al massimo grado, fra le ragioni dottrinali e teologiche e la persistenza delle memorie terrene, dall‟altro tende a valorizzare l‟interpretazione di Piccarda, anche attraverso il rilevamento di una serie di rapporti intertestuali e un serrato confronto con la bibliografia più accreditata, come „compimento‟ di Francesca e di Pia.Reading aims to capture the balance between the doctrinal and theological reasons and persistence of earthly memories; furthermore, it tends to enhance the interpretation of Piccarda, also through a series of intertextual relations and a close comparison with the most reliable references, as “compimento” of Francesca and Pia

Il ‘mito’ di Dante nella poesia politica del secondo Ottocento

L’Agesilao Milani di Giovanni Francesco Jatta, un poemetto filosabaudo, del se-condo Ottocento, viene letto, in questo saggio, come un esempio, assai eloquente e significativo sul piano intertestuale, del ‘riuso’ del testo della Commedia, ma anche della sua attualizzazione politica.Giovanni Francesco Jatta’s Agesilao Milani, a filosabaudo poem of the second eight hundred, is read, in this essay, as a very eloquent and significant example on the intertextual plane, of the re-use of Commedia, but also of its political ac-tualization

Leonardo Antonio Forleo e la ‘Divina Commedia’: il «libro verseggiato di morale»

The essay proposes the analysis of Guida allo studio di Dante, published in 1844 by Leonardo Antonio Forleo, an Apulian scholar whose crit-ics have recognized the merit of having contrib-uted to the cult and reading of Dante in Salento.Through precise and constant references to the text, the intention of the author is highlighted to detect the poetic, scientific and ethical beau-ties of Dante's Comedy, but also its allegorical contents, in order to instruct the 'valiant Italian youth' to which, motivated with a solid classi-cistic background, Forleo recommends reading and studving the poem as a source of good stud-ies and as the mother of poetry and of the Ital-ian language

C2238/αANP modulates apolipoprotein E through Egr-1/miR199a in vascular smooth muscle cells in vitro

Subjects carrying the T2238C ANP gene variant have a higher risk to suffer a stroke or myocardial infarction. The mechanisms through which T2238C/αANP exerts detrimental vascular effects need to be fully clarified. In the present work we aimed at exploring the impact of C2238/αANP (mutant form) on atherosclerosis-related pathways. As a first step, an atherosclerosis gene expression macroarray analysis was performed in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) exposed to either T2238/αANP (wild type) or C2238/αANP. The major finding was that apolipoprotein E (ApoE) gene expression was significantly downregulated by C2238/αANP and it was upregulated by T2238/αANP. We subsequently found that C2238/αANP induces ApoE downregulation through type C natriuretic peptide receptor (NPR-C)-dependent mechanisms involving the upregulation of miR199a-3p and miR199a-5p and the downregulation of DNAJA4. In fact, NPR-C knockdown rescued ApoE level. Upregulation of miR199a by NPR-C was mediated by a reactive oxygen species-dependent increase of the early growth response protein-1 (Egr-1) transcription factor. In fact, Egr-1 knockdown abolished the impact of C2238/αANP on ApoE and miR199a. Of note, downregulation of ApoE by C2238/αANP was associated with a significant increase in inflammation, apoptosis and necrosis that was completely rescued by the exogenous administration of recombinant ApoE. In conclusion, our study dissected a novel mechanism of vascular damage exerted by C2238/αANP that is mediated by ApoE downregulation. We provide the first demonstration that C2238/αANP downregulates ApoE in VSMCs through NPR-C-dependent activation of Egr-1 and the consequent upregulation of miR199a. Restoring ApoE levels could represent a potential therapeutic strategy to counteract the harmful effects of C2238/αANP

Impact of Age at Administration, Lysosomal Storage, and Transgene Regulatory Elements on AAV2/8-Mediated Rat Liver Transduction

Liver-directed gene transfer is being investigated for the treatment of systemic or liver-specific diseases. Recombinant vectors based on adeno-associated virus serotype 8 (AAV2/8) efficiently transduce liver cells allowing long term transgene expression after a single administration in animal models and in patients

Reduced brain UCP2 expression mediated by microRNA-503 contributes to increased stroke susceptibility in the high-salt fed stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rat

UCP2 maps nearby the lod score peak of STR1-stroke QTL in the SHRSP rat strain. We explored the potential contribution of UCP2 to the high-salt diet (JD)-dependent increased stroke susceptibility of SHRSP. Male SHRSP, SHRSR, two reciprocal SHRSR/SHRSP-STR1/QTL stroke congenic lines received JD for 4 weeks to detect brain UCP2 gene/protein modulation as compared with regular diet (RD). Brains were also analyzed for NF-κB protein expression, oxidative stress level and UCP2-targeted microRNAs expression level. Next, based on knowledge that fenofibrate and Brassica Oleracea (BO) stimulate UCP2 expression through PPARα activation, we monitored stroke occurrence in SHRSP receiving JD plus fenofibrate versus vehicle, JD plus BO juice versus BO juice plus PPARα inhibitor. Brain UCP2 expression was markedly reduced by JD in SHRSP and in the (SHRsr.SHRsp-(D1Rat134-Mt1pa)) congenic line, whereas NF-κB expression and oxidative stress level increased. The opposite phenomenon was observed in the SHRSR and in the (SHRsp.SHRsr-(D1Rat134-Mt1pa)) reciprocal congenic line. Interestingly, the UCP2-targeted rno-microRNA-503 was significantly upregulated in SHRSP and decreased in SHRSR upon JD, with consistent changes in the two reciprocal congenic lines. Both fenofibrate and BO significantly decreased brain microRNA-503 level, upregulated UCP2 expression and protected SHRSP from stroke occurrence. In vitro overexpression of microRNA-503 in endothelial cells suppressed UCP2 expression and led to a significant increase of cell mortality with decreased cell viability. Brain UCP2 downregulation is a determinant of increased stroke predisposition in high-salt-fed SHRSP. In this context, UCP2 can be modulated by both pharmacological and nutraceutical agents. The microRNA-503 significantly contributes to mediate brain UCP2 downregulation in JD-fed SHRSP

Beneficial Effects of Citrus Bergamia Polyphenolic Fraction on Saline Load-Induced Injury in Primary Cerebral Endothelial Cells from the Stroke-Prone Spontaneously Hypertensive Rat Model

High salt load is a known noxious stimulus for vascular cells and a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases in both animal models and humans. The stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHRSP) accelerates stroke predisposition upon high-salt dietary feeding. We previously demonstrated that high salt load causes severe injury in primary cerebral endothelial cells isolated from SHRSP. This cellular model offers a unique opportunity to test the impact of substances toward the mechanisms underlying high-salt-induced vascular damage. We tested the effects of a bergamot polyphenolic fraction (BPF) on high-salt-induced injury in SHRSP cerebral endothelial cells. Cells were exposed to 20 mM NaCl for 72 h either in the absence or the presence of BPF. As a result, we confirmed that high salt load increased cellular ROS level, reduced viability, impaired angiogenesis, and caused mitochondrial dysfunction with a significant increase in mitochondrial oxidative stress. The addition of BPF reduced oxidative stress, rescued cell viability and angiogenesis, and recovered mitochondrial function with a significant decrease in mitochondrial oxidative stress. In conclusion, BPF counteracts the key molecular mechanisms underlying high-salt-induced endothelial cell damage. This natural antioxidant substance may represent a valuable adjuvant to treat vascular disorders