ARUd’A (Università “G. d’Annunzio CHIETI -PESCARA)
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ANTI-SEMITIC PREJUDICE IN SOME EUROPEAN LEGENDS
No full textThe legends concerning the prodigious transformation of the consecrated host into the flesh and blood of Jesus Christ are extremely widespread in Christian Europe. In the Abruzzi region (central Italy), several miracle legends regard the bleeding of the host. Comparing these local legends with some European parallels enables an anthropological analysis which enables to deepen the study of the “blood libel” feature and to fight against anti-Semitic prejudice in contemporary societies.
This essay tries to extend Alan Dundes analyses on the “blood libel” (Dundes 1991), without however trying to give an exhaustive overview of all the works concerning this folkloric feature. In the preface to his important work on anti-Semitic folklore, the “blood libel” (1991), Dundes warns us about the unpleasant and even “bizarre and dangerous” aspects of the blood libel legends, accusing Jews to kill Christian infants to perform their Easter rituals. In this set of legends, Jews mix the victim’s blood with their matzah, which brings together blood and food in a way which is in many ways comparable with the desecration of the host legends we will speak about. Dundes considers these legends as a sordid story which has caused great grief to countless numbers and generations of Jews (Dundes, 1991). He shows their relationship with the larger category of “ritual murder accusations”, which places them on the same ground as other accusations of human sacrifices or cannibalism, usually the expression of ethnocentrism and of contempt for other cultures (Lévi-Strauss, 1962; Arens, 1979)
Modelling gravity signatures to detect subsurface fluid storage: The GREEN project (Geological stoRagE of hydrogEn and carboN: clean and efficient monitoring methods)
No full textItalian validation of the credibility/ expectancy questionnaire in spinal pain: a useful tool for clinicians and physiotherapist (CEQ-I)
Get PDFBackground: The "credibility" and "expectation" regarding the treatment are important factors in the rehabilitation management of patients with spinal pain (SP).
Objectives: The aim of this study was to translate, culturally adapt, and validate an Italian version of the credibility/expectancy questionnaire (CEQ-I) by Devilly and Borkovec (CEQ) for its application in SP in rehabilitative care.
Design: Cross-sectional observational study.
Methods: Ninety-nine patients (N = 99; mean age of 56.9 years ± 16.3 SD) with acute or chronic SP were recruited from September 2023 to September 2024. To evaluate construct validity, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted using a matrix of polychoric correlations along with promax rotation. The internal consistency and stability of the scale were evaluated using Cronbach's alpha coefficient and test-retest analysis through the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Pearson's analysis between CEQ and other scales (Numeric Rating Scale, NRS; Roland and Morris-Disability Questionnaire, RMDQ; Oswestry Disability Index, ODI; Neuropathic Pain Symptom Inventory, NPSI) was employed to assess external validity.
Results: Ninety-nine subjects were recruited. Test-retest reliability between two consecutive administrations of the CEQ showed an ICC of 0.90 (p < 0.001). The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) statistic was 0.81, indicating suitability for factor analysis. EFA revealed two factors-credibility and expectancy-accounting for 56.6% of the variance. Cronbach's alpha indicated high internal consistency (0.85). External validation using Pearson's correlation found no significant relationships between the CEQ subscale scores and NRS, RMDQ, ODI, and NPSI scales.
Conclusion: The CEQ-I is a valid Italian translation of CEQ that demonstrates acceptable psychometric properties in SP in a rehabilitative setting. However, we recommend further analysis of the construct definition of the CEQ-I
Evaluating the Effectiveness of Cognitive Interventions for Healthy and Mild Cognitive Impairment Adults: A Comprehensive Umbrella Meta-Analysis
No full textExtensive research indicates that cognitive interventions can lead to a general improvement in cognitive functioning throughout the lifespan. In this study, we evaluate the causal evidence supporting this relationship in healthy older adults and older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) by means of an umbrella meta-analysis of meta-analyses. The meta-analytic studies were identified through systematic searches in electronic databases (CINAHL, Cochrane Library, PsycINFO, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science) and were included in this umbrella meta-analysis if they examined the effects of cognitive interventions, not mixed with other approaches, in healthy older adults and individuals with MCI. Of the 9734 publications that were screened, 25 met the inclusion criteria and reported comprehensive data suitable for statistical analysis. Findings showed that although the effect-sizes across studies were variable, they were consistently positive, indicating a significant impact of different cognitive interventions on global cognitive functioning, memory, executive functions, visuospatial ability, and processing speed compared to control groups. This finding suggests that the efficacy of cognitive treatments is the best option for preclinical forms of aging, such as MCI. The underlying mechanisms of the observed improvements and their implications for further studies and clinical practice are discussed
Unraveling the effects of serial intravitreal Aflibercept injections on the ocular surface of patients with glaucoma and retinal comorbidity
No full textTo evaluate ocular surface and eyelid modifications occurring in glaucomatous patients diagnosed with glaucoma therapy-related ocular surface disease (GT-OSD) and retinal comorbidities who previously underwent serial Intravitreal injections (IVIs) of aflibercept. Thirty-two eyes of 32 patients with a diagnosis of GT-OSD and concomitant retinal diseases were enrolled in a two-center retrospective observational study. The main outcome measures were: Noninvasive tear film break-up time (NIBUT), Tear meniscus height (TMH), Bulbar redness score (BRS), fluorescein Tear film Break Up Time (TBUT), Corneal Fluorescence Staining (CFS), Schirmer test I (ST), and inferior eyelid Meibomian Glands (MGs) dropout. Differences between treated and fellow eye (TE, FE), were considered. The median number of IVIs (aflibercept) in TE was 4 (interquartile range (IQR) 3-6.50). Mean BRS was significantly lower (p = 0.011) and median TBUT higher (p = 0.037) in TE compared to FE. Despite CFS and NIBUT did not significantly differ between eyes, their median values showed a marginal tendency for better results in TE compared to FE. Serial IVIs of aflibercept positively affected some features of the GT-OSD, reducing conjunctival hyperemia and improving the tear film stability. These preliminary results could open to new strategies for ocular surface management in glaucoma, whether confirmed in larger prospective studies
Renato Nicolini. Città, architettura e Meraviglioso urbano
No full textTesti di
Orazio Carpenzano, Camilla De Boni, Giorgio de Finis, Carlo Prati, Marilù Prati, Massimiliano Smeriglio, Francesco Spinelli, Francesca Romana Stabile.
Sinossi
Questo volume prende forma a partire dal Convegno “Iper Renato, Genius Loci del Meraviglioso urbano” che l’autore ha curato per il RIF-Festival delle Periferie nel 2024. Una scrittura a più voci, alimentata dal desiderio di approfondire e attualizzare il pensiero progettuale e politico di Renato Nicolini, in rapporto all’architettura, alla città e allo sviluppo di nuove politiche di rigenerazione urbana. La tesi di questo lavoro editoriale è che il Meraviglioso urbano, se correttamente interpretato, può evolvere in un metodo di analisi e in uno strumento di intervento, in grado di offrire risposte alle questioni più stringenti che le metropoli contemporanee si troveranno ad affrontare nel prossimo futuro
Difelikefalin for CKD-aP: real world evidence of efficacy and safety in Italian patients
No full textBackground: Chronic kidney disease-associated pruritus (CKD-aP), defined as moderate to severe itching directly related to kidney disease, affects about one-third of haemodialysis patients and has been associated with poor quality of life, poor sleep, depression and increased mortality. Difelikefalin (DFK) is the first-in-class therapy approved by Food and Drug Administration and European Medicines Agency for this condition. The aim of the present study was to evaluate DFK efficacy and safety in a real-world setting in Italy.
Methods: We retrospectively collected data for 20 patients treated with DFK in a compassionate manner, before the drug was commercialized, after obtaining approval by the relevant Ethics Committee for each individual case. Mean age and dialysis vintage were 72 ± 11 years and 54 ± 44 months, respectively; basal WI-NRS (24-h Worst Itching Intensity Numerical Rating Scale) score was 8.2 and 5D-ITCH was 18.6. Scratching lesions were detected in 15/20 patients. DFK was administered intravenously with weight-based dosing at the end of each dialysis session.
Results: Eighteen of 20 patients were treated for 12 weeks; 2 patients stopped treatment for dizziness (n = 1) and discomfort (n = 1). WI-NRS score improved >3 in 11/18 (61%) at Week 4 and in 16/18 (88%) at Week 12. 5D-ITCH decreased from basal 18.6 to 10.5 at Week 12, while sleep quality at the same time points changed from 2.6 to 5.8; scratching lesions disappeared in 12/15 (80%). Except for the two early therapy breaks, no other side effects were reported.
Conclusions: In haemodialysis patients affected by CKD-aP, DFK is an effective and safe treatment that might clearly improve this distressing and overlooked condition
Ridare centralità al rapporto tra piano urbanistico e paesaggio. Il caso del comune di Salve nell’Area interna “Sud Salento”.
No full textIl saggio analizza la scissione tra pianificazione urbanistica e tutela/valorizzazione del paesaggio rurale nel comune di Salve (Lecce), caso emblematico dell’Area Interna Sud Salento. I contenuti del Programma di Fabbricazione (PdF) del 1974 risultano profondamente distanti da quelli del Piano Paesaggistico Territoriale Regionale (PPTR, 2015). In dodici dei diciotto comuni dell’area, sono vigenti strumenti urbanistici superati, fenomeno diffuso in tante regioni italiane, specie nel Sud.
Il PdF, nato nel 1942 come allegato ai regolamenti edilizi, avrebbe dovuto garantire una disciplina urbanistica minima e differenziare le tipologie edilizie per tutelare alcuni ambienti, ma nel tempo ha assunto la stessa valenza giuridica di un Piano Regolatore Generale. La legislazione regionale ha di fatto sancito la necessità di sostituirlo, rimasta però inattuata in molti comuni, tra cui Salve.
Dal 1974 non è stato integrato alcun principio paesaggistico nella pianificazione comunale. Il divario tra pianificazione e realtà territoriale è evidente. Il PdF individua una vasta zona agricola (E1 ed E2), soprattutto la E2 (circa 2.500 ettari), dove si sono verificate tre trasformazioni chiave:
- incremento straordinario del consumo di suolo, rilevato dal progetto europeo Corine Land Cover e confermato dai dati ISPRA e dalla Carta Tecnica Regionale.
- aumento della densità del costruito, con radicale cambiamento del paesaggio delle masserie (oggi inglobate da residenze e strutture turistico-ricettive), come documentato dalle ortofoto e dall’analisi catastale.
- mutamento della tipologia di edificazione, con parcellizzazione dei fondi agricoli (media 4.500 mq) e prezzi di vendita dei terreni distorti (anche dieci volte superiori al valore agricolo), effetto di una generalizzata conversione d’uso a fini edificatori o turistici.
Queste trasformazioni hanno stravolto l’assetto rurale e ostacolato una pianificazione futura efficace. Il saggio conclude sottolineando come il caso di Salve sia paradigmatico: la sopravvivenza passiva del PdF ha contribuito a dissipare risorse paesaggistiche e indebolire la coesione territoriale. Oggi, con il Piano Nazionale di Ripresa e Resilienza (PNRR) e programmi regionali (APQ Sud Salento), si riconosce il valore strategico del paesaggio per identità urbana e qualità della vita. Diventa quindi fondamentale adottare un modello di interdipendenza tra pianificazione urbanistica e progetto di paesaggio, superando la logica frammentaria degli strumenti obsoleti, per costruire una rigenerazione territoriale sostenibile e resiliente, pienamente integrata con le nuove politiche nazionali e regionali
Alienatio mentis, Humor, Contemplation. Luigi Pirandello and the Poetics of Disinterest
No full textWith the novel Si gira... (1916), later revised as Quaderni di Serafino Gubbio operatore (1925), Luigi Pirandello wrote a fundamental chapter of twentieth-century Italian literature on alienation. Nevertheless, Serafino’s alienation also assumes a positive value: it mimics the contemplative activity of the artist, who empties his conscience to let the characters who inhabit it speak. In fact, since the Middle Ages, alienation and contemplation have gone hand in hand, under the sign of that melancholy which also represents the starting point of Pirandello’s essay L’umorismo (1908).
This article aims to reconsider Si gira... in the light of the moral theory of Alfred Fouillée, an important source of Pirandello that has only recently been brought to light. In his essay on the Fondemens psychologiques et métaphysiques de l’idée morale (1889), the French philosopher postulated the necessity of placing human relationships on the plane of disinterest, in order to welcome others into us by seeing them as they see themselves, feeling them as they feel themselves, willing them as they will themselves. This well-known refrain belongs to Fouillée and was adopted by Pirandello as an aesthetic principle, to the point of suggesting to him a particular form of alienation: not passive, but receptive and reactive; not estranged, but capable of grasping, through the tools of art, the profound truths of human existence
