23 research outputs found
The Impact of COVID-19 Lockdown on Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Brief Report
No full textBackground: The Italian population's habits changed dramatically during the "COVID-19 lockdown" due to physical distancing and self-isolation. Moreover, medical consultations of patients with chronic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes (T2D), were suspended or postponed, unless urgent or semi-urgent, for several consecutive months. Thus, it is expected that the lockdown could have affected glucometabolic control in T2D. Purpose: The aim of the study was to assess changes in glucometabolic control in a cohort of T2D patients before (T1) and after (T2) the COVID-19 lockdown (March-May 2020). Methods: The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the University of Bari, and all patients provided informed written consent to participate. Medical history, complete physical examination, and laboratory assessment were conducted as real-life clinical practice. Changes in clinical and laboratory variables between T1 and T2 were calculated. Results: In detail, 13 patients were on metformin as monotherapy, 36 on GLP-1RA, 12 on sodium-glucose transporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT-2i), and 2 on dipeptidyl-peptidase 4 inhibitors (DPP4i). The mean age was 65.3 years (43-83). Study participants were mainly men (73%). The body weight (BW) ranged from 56 to 145 kg, and the waist circumference ranged from 88 to 146 cm. The mean HbA1c was 51.0 mmol/mol. At T2, no statistically significant changes were observed from baseline except for BW [-1.6 (-2.60 to -0.62)] and HbA1c [-2.90 (-4.69; -1.12)]. Conclusion: We evaluated the effects of the COVID-19 lockdown on glucometabolic control in patients with background well-controlled T2D. We found that the lockdown had no adverse effects on metabolic profile regardless of background clinical characteristics and antihyperglycemic management. Despite limitations due to the nature of this study (sample size, retrospective observation, lack of data on lifestyle changes in our patients' everyday lives), T2D patients managed in our Diabetes Centers faced the lockdown-related restrictions without any detrimental consequence
Effectiveness and clinical benefits of new anti-diabetic drugs: A real life experience
No full textWe evaluated the clinical impact, in daily clinical practice, of sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) and glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP1RA) therapies in patients with type 2 diabetes. Data from 500 unselected consecutive patients were retrospectively analyzed. Only those with a full assessment at baseline (T0) and after 3 (T3), 6 (T6), and 12 (T12) months of treatment with SGLT2i or GLP1RA were included in the study (n = 167). At baseline, patients had a high mean body weight (BW), abdominal circumference (AC), body mass index (BMI), and HOMA index. Despite normal C-peptide values, 39 patients were being treated with insulin (up to 120 IU/day). During therapy, a progressive improvement in BW, BMI, and AC was observed with both the molecules. Fasting glucose and glycated Hb decrease was already significant at T3 in all patients, while the HOMA index selectively improved with SGLT2i therapy. Renal function parameters remained stable regardless of the drug used. Finally, SGLT2i reduced serum uric acid and improved the lipid profile, while GLP1RA reduced serum levels of liver enzymes. Both the therapeutic regimens allowed a significant reduction or complete suspension of unnecessary insulin therapies. Our real life data confirm the results obtained from randomized clinical trials and should be taken as a warning against inappropriate use of insulin in patients with preserved β-cell function
Clinical phenotyping in sarcoidosis management
No full textSarcoidosis is a heterogeneous granulomatous disease. Biological markers and clinical features could allow specific phenotypes to be associated with different prognosis, severity and treatment responses. This retrospective multicentre study aims to analyse the clinical and immunological features of sarcoidosis and to identify a routine non-invasive biomarker useful in clinical practice. Materials and methods: 129 Caucasian patients with sarcoidosis (median age IQR, 56 (47-62)) were enrolled retrospectively in the study. Medical history, routine laboratory findings, lung function results and radiological features from the last examination of October 2019 - February 2020 were gathered from the patients' clinical records. Results: Regardless their clinical status at disease onset, at the last clinical examination we didn't observe any differences in terms of therapeutic management between symptomatic and asymptomatic patients. Stratifying sarcoidosis population according to therapeutic management, the N/L ratio was higher in the treated group than in the non-treated group (p=0.0034). Receiver operating curve (ROC) analysis distinguished these two groups according to N/L ratio with an area under the curve (AUC) of 65.3% and a best cut-off value of 2.21. Peripheral N/L ratio was significantly higher in radiological stages 2-4 than in stages 0-1 (p=0.0090) distinguishing these two groups with an AUC of 64% and a best cut-off value of 2.13. Discussion: In our multicentric cohort study similar periodic follow-up can be suggested for symptomatic and asymptomatic sarcoidosis patients at onset. In the heterogeneous context of this disease, N/L ratio proved to be a useful and simple routine laboratory biomarker related to disease activity and need for treatment
Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter 2 Inhibitors Improve Body Composition by Increasing the Skeletal Muscle Mass/Fat Mass Ratio in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: A 52-Week Prospective Real-Life Study
No full textBackground: Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2is) induce body weight loss, but their effect on skeletal muscle mass (SMM) and strength needs to be better elucidated. Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of SGLT2i on SMM in a real-life population setting of patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D). Secondary outcomes included changes in liver steatosis and in anthropometric and glucometabolic parameters. Methods: Seventy-one patients were treated with SGLT2is as an add-on to metformin for 52 consecutive weeks. Visits were scheduled at baseline (T0) and after 6 (T6) and 12 months of therapy (T12) and included the checking of laboratory tests, measurement of anthropometric parameters, bioimpedance analysis of body composition, and abdominal ultrasound (US). Results: Fat mass (FM) and visceral adipose tissue (VAT) progressively decreased compared to the baseline (FM: −2.9 ± 0.6 kg at T6; −2.8 ± 0.6 kg at T12; VAT: −0.3 ± 0.1 L at T6; −0.4 ± 0.1 L at T12; all p < 0.01). Changes in SMM were less pronounced (−0.4 ± 0.3 kg at T6, ns; −0.7 ± 0.4 kg at T12, p < 0.05), yielding a beneficial increase in the SMM/FM ratio (+0.3 ± 0.05 at T6 and +0.2 ± 0.05 at T12, all p < 0.01). No significant changes in sarcopenia, sarcopenic obesity, fat-free mass, muscle strength, and water compartments were observed at the end of the follow-up period. Anthropometric and glucometabolic parameters, insulin resistance, liver enzymes, and biometric indices and US grading of hepatic steatosis improved throughout this study. Conclusions: In a real-life setting, SGLT2i therapy is associated with weight loss attributable to FM rather than SMM loss without any relevant deterioration in muscle strength. In addition, SGLT2is proved to have beneficial effects on steatotic liver disease
Glucagon-Like Peptide 1 Receptor Agonists and Sodium–Glucose Cotransporter 2 Inhibitors Improve Renal Resistive Index in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes: A 26-Week Prospective Observational Real-Life Study
No full textDiabetic kidney disease (DKD) is one of the most life-threatening complications of diabetes and a leading cause of chronic kidney disease. Glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists (GLP1-RAs) or sodium–glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2is) appear to improve renal outcome in patients with Type 2 diabetes (T2D). In this context, the renal resistive index (RRI) is a useful doppler measure to study DKD and predict its evolution. The aim of this work was to study the effect of treatment with GLP1-RA or SGLT2i on RRI and the relationship between RRI and glycometabolic parameters. One hundred forty-five patients with T2D were enrolled in the study and treated for 26 weeks with once-weekly GLP1-RA (38 patients with dulaglutide and 39 with semaglutide), SGLT2i (40 patients), or other therapies (28 control patients). Clinical, anthropometric, and hematochemical parameters and RRI were measured at baseline (T0) and after 6 months of treatment (T6). Changes at 6 months were studied and compared by treatment group. Patients were predominantly male (58.6%), overweight (93.0%) or frankly obese (60.0%), with hypertension (90.0%) and high (> 0.64) or pathological (> 0.7) RRI values (82.0% or 37.0%, respectively). At baseline, RRI correlated positively with age, fasting blood glucose, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), triglycerides, and albuminuria and negatively with estimated-glomerular filtration rate (e-GFR). At T6, patients treated with either GLP1-RA or SGLT2i showed a significant improvement in RRI but not in albuminuria or e-GFR, compared with homologous at baseline. In particular, RRI normalized in 32% and 30% of patients on therapy with GLP1-RA and SGLT2i, respectively, while remaining almost unchanged in controls. Notably, the RRI improvement was independent of age, gender, diabetes duration, and changes in BMI, waist circumference, HbA1c, and e-GFR. In conclusion, RRI can be used to detect early kidney damage and follow the evolution of DKD. GLP1-RA and SGLT2i improve RRI, demonstrating benefits on cardiovascular risk and renal outcomes
Early Prediction of In-Hospital Mortality in Patients with Acute Infections: Development of the Acute Severity Infection Score (ASIs)
No full textIntroduction: Early prognostic stratification in patients hospitalized for acute infections is a major clinical challenge. Existing tools, such as the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score and Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), were not specifically developed for this purpose. Objectives: We aimed to design a novel multidimensional prognostic score, the Acute Severity Infection score (ASIs), to predict in-hospital mortality using routinely available clinical data. Methods: This retrospective cohort study included 149 adults admitted with acute infections to an internal medicine unit between January 2023 and December 2024. In-hospital all-cause mortality was the primary outcome. Demographic, clinical and laboratory variables obtained within 12 h of admission were analyzed. Variables significantly associated with mortality in both univariate and multivariate regression were incorporated into the ASIs, which ranges from 0 to 7 points. Its performance was compared to SOFA and CCI using ROC curve and Cox regression models. Results: In-hospital mortality occurred in 25.5% of patients. Five variables were independently associated with mortality: lactate ≥ 2.2 mmol/l, frailty composite (confined to bed status, long-term oxygen therapy or advanced malignancy), hemodynamic instability or need for non-invasive ventilation, age ≥ 79.5 years and symptom onset ≥ 3.5 days before admission. ASIs showed the highest discriminative ability (AUC = 0.883) compared to SOFA (AUC = 0.612) and CCI (AUC = 0.742). In multivariate models including all three scores, only ASIs retained independent prognostic significance. Conclusions: The ASIs is a simple tool for early prognostic stratification of patients hospitalized with acute infections. It outperforms existing scores and may enhance clinical decision-making in real-world medical settings
Once-Weekly Semaglutide Induces an Early Improvement in Body Composition in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: A 26-Week Prospective Real-Life Study
No full textBackground: Body weight (BW) loss is an essential therapeutic goal in type 2 diabetes (T2D). Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists are effective in reducing BW, but their effect on body composition has not yet been fully explored. The study aim was to assess the impact of Semaglutide on body composition in patients with T2D. Methods: Forty patients with T2D were treated with subcutaneous Semaglutide and evaluated at the baseline (T0) and after three (T3) and six (T6) months. Body composition was assessed by a phase-sensitive bioimpedance analyzer. Visceral adipose tissue (VAT) thickness was also measured with an ultrasonographic method (US-VAT). Anthropometric variables, muscular strength, and laboratory tests were analyzed and compared. Results: A significant decrease in VAT, the fat mass index (FMI), and BW loss was observed at all observation times. US-VAT, the skeletal mass index (SMI), the fat-free mass index (FFMI), waist circumferences, and glycated hemoglobin had lessened after three months and remained stable at T6. No variations in muscle strength, the muscle quality index, and body water were found. Discussion: In a real-life setting, Semaglutide provided significant weight loss mainly due to a reduction in the FMI and VAT, with non-clinically relevant changes in the SMI, the FFMI, and muscle strength. Most importantly, the results were obtained after three months of treatment and persisted thereafter
«Dicevo queste cose già prima che il nome di Lutero fosse noto». La riforma mancata di Pietro Speziale da Cittadella (1478-1554)
No full textPietro Speziale from Cittadella (1478-1554), a character as prolific as it is underestimated, is remembered by the general historiography for having been the author of one of the most important treatises about the God’s grace and free will – the Tractatus de Gratia Dei – of the so-called Italian Reformation. But Speziale was also the author of a Latin grammar enchiridion, of satires and more; he had a correspondence with the circles of humanists of Vicenza and Padua; during the years of his imprisonment, he was exalted as a "martyr of the Gospel" by Italian Protestants and by German radicals. Speziale lived a transition "from Catholicism to Catholicism", passing through the reading, the study and the re-elaboration of the main writings of the Reformation, such as Luther’s De servo arbitrio; the imprudent disclosure of his ideas caused him the imprisonment, charged of heresy. In an attempt to consider together the different perspectives of analysis, the thesis is divided into three sections: after a summary of the historiography that dealt with the topic, I considered the biography of Pietro Speziale from Cittadella (1478-1554) in light A) of archival sources; B) literary sources; C) of his correspondence. The first section describes the subject of the research through what has been possible to recover from the archive sources (councils, notaries and litigation), highlighting the potentials and the limitations of this type of research. The second part, however, has as its object the edition of the texts (the so-called "minor works") of the author, with a discussion that takes into account the sources (ancient and contemporary authors), the information that the author provides self or events that proves to know - without forgetting its point of view with respect to the subsequent historical and historiographic reconstruction - and their place in the context of religious reform in Italy. The third part, describes the dense network of central and peripheral relations, of which Speziale had characterized his experience as humanist, demonstrating how the parameter of "geographical border" is insufficient - and indeed, impeding - in research and reconstruction of the biography of such a complex personality.Ma thèse porte sur la reconstruction historique de la biographie de Pietro Speciale Cittadella (1478-1554) en tenant compte des auteurs des trois études qui ont traité sa vie en manière monographique, mais en développant trois points fondamentaux pour une nouveaux recherche : 1) les contacts avec le monde allemand ; 2) son interprétation des auteurs réformés ; 3) l'échec d'une éventuelle Réforme dans le territoire vénitien. Tout d'abord, on aura enquêté sur quatre questions historiographiques qui ont empêché une spéculation plus profonde par les historiens précédents : Emilio Comba, Giuseppe De Leva et Ester Zille.Personalità tanto prolifica quanto sottovalutata, Pietro Speziale da Cittadella (1478-1554) è ricordato dalla storiografia per essere stato l’autore di uno dei più importanti trattati sulla grazia e il libero arbitrio (il Tractatus de Gratia Dei) della cosiddetta “Riforma italiana”. Ma lo Speziale fu anche autore di un manuale di grammatica latina, di satire e altro ancora; intrattenne rapporti epistolari con i circoli degli umanisti vicentini e padovani; fu esaltato, durante gli anni del carcere, come “martire dell'Evangelo” dai protestanti italiani e dai radicali tedeschi. Quella dello Speziale è una parabola dal cattolicesimo al cattolicesimo, passando attraverso la lettura, lo studio e la rielaborazione degli scritti della Riforma; la divulgazione imprudente delle proprie idee gli causò il carcere con l'accusa di eresia. Nel tentativo di considerare insieme le diverse prospettive di analisi, la tesi viene suddivisa in tre sezioni: dopo una doverosa sintesi della storiografia che ha trattato l’argomento, ho considerato la biografia di Pietro Speziale alla luce a) delle fonti archivistiche; b) delle fonti letterarie; c) delle relazioni epistolari. La prima sezione descrive il soggetto della ricerca sulla base di quanto è stato possibile recuperare tra le fonti di archivio (consiliari, notarili e processuali) mettendo in evidenza le potenzialità e i limiti di questo tipo di ricerca. La seconda parte, invece, ha come oggetto l’edizione dei testi (le c.d. “opere minori”) dell’autore, con una discussione che tiene conto delle fonti utilizzate (autori antichi e contemporanei), delle informazioni che l’autore fornisce di sé o degli eventi che dimostra di conoscere – senza dimenticare il suo punto di vista rispetto alla ricostruzione storica e storiografica successiva – e la loro collocazione nel contesto della riforma religiosa in Italia. La terza parte invece, descrive la fitta rete di relazioni, centrali e periferiche, di cui lo Speziale aveva caratterizzato la propria esperienza di umanista, dimostrando come il parametro di “confine geografico” sia insufficiente – e anzi, ostativo – nella ricerca e nella ricostruzione biografica di una personalità così complessa
«Dicevo queste cose già prima che il nome di Lutero fosse noto». La riforma mancata di Pietro Speziale da Cittadella (1478-1554)
No full textPietro Speziale from Cittadella (1478-1554), a character as prolific as it is underestimated, is remembered by the general historiography for having been the author of one of the most important treatises about the God’s grace and free will – the Tractatus de Gratia Dei – of the so-called Italian Reformation. But Speziale was also the author of a Latin grammar enchiridion, of satires and more; he had a correspondence with the circles of humanists of Vicenza and Padua; during the years of his imprisonment, he was exalted as a "martyr of the Gospel" by Italian Protestants and by German radicals. Speziale lived a transition "from Catholicism to Catholicism", passing through the reading, the study and the re-elaboration of the main writings of the Reformation, such as Luther’s De servo arbitrio; the imprudent disclosure of his ideas caused him the imprisonment, charged of heresy. In an attempt to consider together the different perspectives of analysis, the thesis is divided into three sections: after a summary of the historiography that dealt with the topic, I considered the biography of Pietro Speziale from Cittadella (1478-1554) in light A) of archival sources; B) literary sources; C) of his correspondence. The first section describes the subject of the research through what has been possible to recover from the archive sources (councils, notaries and litigation), highlighting the potentials and the limitations of this type of research. The second part, however, has as its object the edition of the texts (the so-called "minor works") of the author, with a discussion that takes into account the sources (ancient and contemporary authors), the information that the author provides self or events that proves to know - without forgetting its point of view with respect to the subsequent historical and historiographic reconstruction - and their place in the context of religious reform in Italy. The third part, describes the dense network of central and peripheral relations, of which Speziale had characterized his experience as humanist, demonstrating how the parameter of "geographical border" is insufficient - and indeed, impeding - in research and reconstruction of the biography of such a complex personality.Ma thèse porte sur la reconstruction historique de la biographie de Pietro Speciale Cittadella (1478-1554) en tenant compte des auteurs des trois études qui ont traité sa vie en manière monographique, mais en développant trois points fondamentaux pour une nouveaux recherche : 1) les contacts avec le monde allemand ; 2) son interprétation des auteurs réformés ; 3) l'échec d'une éventuelle Réforme dans le territoire vénitien. Tout d'abord, on aura enquêté sur quatre questions historiographiques qui ont empêché une spéculation plus profonde par les historiens précédents : Emilio Comba, Giuseppe De Leva et Ester Zille.Personalità tanto prolifica quanto sottovalutata, Pietro Speziale da Cittadella (1478-1554) è ricordato dalla storiografia per essere stato l’autore di uno dei più importanti trattati sulla grazia e il libero arbitrio (il Tractatus de Gratia Dei) della cosiddetta “Riforma italiana”. Ma lo Speziale fu anche autore di un manuale di grammatica latina, di satire e altro ancora; intrattenne rapporti epistolari con i circoli degli umanisti vicentini e padovani; fu esaltato, durante gli anni del carcere, come “martire dell'Evangelo” dai protestanti italiani e dai radicali tedeschi. Quella dello Speziale è una parabola dal cattolicesimo al cattolicesimo, passando attraverso la lettura, lo studio e la rielaborazione degli scritti della Riforma; la divulgazione imprudente delle proprie idee gli causò il carcere con l'accusa di eresia. Nel tentativo di considerare insieme le diverse prospettive di analisi, la tesi viene suddivisa in tre sezioni: dopo una doverosa sintesi della storiografia che ha trattato l’argomento, ho considerato la biografia di Pietro Speziale alla luce a) delle fonti archivistiche; b) delle fonti letterarie; c) delle relazioni epistolari. La prima sezione descrive il soggetto della ricerca sulla base di quanto è stato possibile recuperare tra le fonti di archivio (consiliari, notarili e processuali) mettendo in evidenza le potenzialità e i limiti di questo tipo di ricerca. La seconda parte, invece, ha come oggetto l’edizione dei testi (le c.d. “opere minori”) dell’autore, con una discussione che tiene conto delle fonti utilizzate (autori antichi e contemporanei), delle informazioni che l’autore fornisce di sé o degli eventi che dimostra di conoscere – senza dimenticare il suo punto di vista rispetto alla ricostruzione storica e storiografica successiva – e la loro collocazione nel contesto della riforma religiosa in Italia. La terza parte invece, descrive la fitta rete di relazioni, centrali e periferiche, di cui lo Speziale aveva caratterizzato la propria esperienza di umanista, dimostrando come il parametro di “confine geografico” sia insufficiente – e anzi, ostativo – nella ricerca e nella ricostruzione biografica di una personalità così complessa
“I have said those words a long before the name of Luther was known”. The failed reformation of Pietro Speciale of Cittadella (1478-1554)
No full textMa thèse porte sur la reconstruction historique de la biographie de Pietro Speciale Cittadella (1478-1554) en tenant compte des auteurs des trois études qui ont traité sa vie en manière monographique, mais en développant trois points fondamentaux pour une nouveaux recherche : 1) les contacts avec le monde allemand ; 2) son interprétation des auteurs réformés ; 3) l'échec d'une éventuelle Réforme dans le territoire vénitien. Tout d'abord, on aura enquêté sur quatre questions historiographiques qui ont empêché une spéculation plus profonde par les historiens précédents : Emilio Comba, Giuseppe De Leva et Ester Zille.Pietro Speziale from Cittadella (1478-1554), a character as prolific as it is underestimated, is remembered by the general historiography for having been the author of one of the most important treatises about the God’s grace and free will – the Tractatus de Gratia Dei – of the so-called Italian Reformation. But Speziale was also the author of a Latin grammar enchiridion, of satires and more; he had a correspondence with the circles of humanists of Vicenza and Padua; during the years of his imprisonment, he was exalted as a "martyr of the Gospel" by Italian Protestants and by German radicals. Speziale lived a transition "from Catholicism to Catholicism", passing through the reading, the study and the re-elaboration of the main writings of the Reformation, such as Luther’s De servo arbitrio; the imprudent disclosure of his ideas caused him the imprisonment, charged of heresy. In an attempt to consider together the different perspectives of analysis, the thesis is divided into three sections: after a summary of the historiography that dealt with the topic, I considered the biography of Pietro Speziale from Cittadella (1478-1554) in light A) of archival sources; B) literary sources; C) of his correspondence. The first section describes the subject of the research through what has been possible to recover from the archive sources (councils, notaries and litigation), highlighting the potentials and the limitations of this type of research. The second part, however, has as its object the edition of the texts (the so-called "minor works") of the author, with a discussion that takes into account the sources (ancient and contemporary authors), the information that the author provides self or events that proves to know - without forgetting its point of view with respect to the subsequent historical and historiographic reconstruction - and their place in the context of religious reform in Italy. The third part, describes the dense network of central and peripheral relations, of which Speziale had characterized his experience as humanist, demonstrating how the parameter of "geographical border" is insufficient - and indeed, impeding - in research and reconstruction of the biography of such a complex personality.Personalità tanto prolifica quanto sottovalutata, Pietro Speziale da Cittadella (1478-1554) è ricordato dalla storiografia per essere stato l’autore di uno dei più importanti trattati sulla grazia e il libero arbitrio (il Tractatus de Gratia Dei) della cosiddetta “Riforma italiana”. Ma lo Speziale fu anche autore di un manuale di grammatica latina, di satire e altro ancora; intrattenne rapporti epistolari con i circoli degli umanisti vicentini e padovani; fu esaltato, durante gli anni del carcere, come “martire dell'Evangelo” dai protestanti italiani e dai radicali tedeschi. Quella dello Speziale è una parabola dal cattolicesimo al cattolicesimo, passando attraverso la lettura, lo studio e la rielaborazione degli scritti della Riforma; la divulgazione imprudente delle proprie idee gli causò il carcere con l'accusa di eresia. Nel tentativo di considerare insieme le diverse prospettive di analisi, la tesi viene suddivisa in tre sezioni: dopo una doverosa sintesi della storiografia che ha trattato l’argomento, ho considerato la biografia di Pietro Speziale alla luce a) delle fonti archivistiche; b) delle fonti letterarie; c) delle relazioni epistolari. La prima sezione descrive il soggetto della ricerca sulla base di quanto è stato possibile recuperare tra le fonti di archivio (consiliari, notarili e processuali) mettendo in evidenza le potenzialità e i limiti di questo tipo di ricerca. La seconda parte, invece, ha come oggetto l’edizione dei testi (le c.d. “opere minori”) dell’autore, con una discussione che tiene conto delle fonti utilizzate (autori antichi e contemporanei), delle informazioni che l’autore fornisce di sé o degli eventi che dimostra di conoscere – senza dimenticare il suo punto di vista rispetto alla ricostruzione storica e storiografica successiva – e la loro collocazione nel contesto della riforma religiosa in Italia. La terza parte invece, descrive la fitta rete di relazioni, centrali e periferiche, di cui lo Speziale aveva caratterizzato la propria esperienza di umanista, dimostrando come il parametro di “confine geografico” sia insufficiente – e anzi, ostativo – nella ricerca e nella ricostruzione biografica di una personalità così complessa
