109 research outputs found
A State of Flux: On Bleeding
No full textThere are few non-medical reflections on haemophilia and chronic bleeding disorders (CBDs), and what there is often turn out to be wrong, outdated, or fanciful. CBDs are often hidden experiences, aside from the lack of treatment in literature, academic or not. This article re-frames CBDs through a philosophical, yet subjective, treatment that seeks to describe it as a cluster of experiences that often step outside of the bounds of the medical definition. Why have CBDs been so elusive? Partly because of their multi-layered, temporally structured, socially organized ontology, which makes them hard to define, locate, and reduce to one clear-cut perspective. Are they in the genes, in actual bleedings, in secondary disabilities, in the social adjustments involved, in iatrogenic complications; or are they to be located in the joints, the liver, or other organs that may be affected as a consequence of
treatments? Do they affect individuals, families, genetic carriers, sexual partners, or even future generations? Drawing partly upon personal history, conversations, semi-structured
interviews, published biographical narrations, and the shared experience of patients’ groups, the article amends some misinterpretations and captures salient aspects of this illness experience
Navigating parental decision-making: Intersex surgeries in Italy
No full textDecision-making dynamics in Italian paediatric care for Intersex and Variations of Sex Characteristics (VSC) involve a complex interplay between medical practices, parental perspectives, and socio-cultural factors. This article explores how medical professionals and parents make decisions amid cultural debates on gender, the body, and autonomy. It addresses aspects of why surgical intervention, with limited child involvement, is often seen as the ‘only option’ in the ‘conservative’ culture of Italy. The article continues to highlight the rise of parent-led human rights-based activism in Italy, challenging prevailing narratives in intersex/VSC paediatric care. Using qualitative data from two studies, including interviews with 15 Italian stakeholders and 38 Italian parents, as well as participant action research, the article provides insights into Italian medical and parental perspectives. The findings emphasize the need for nuanced support, education, and resources to empower parents in order to uphold the rights and well-being of intersex individuals
Le biblioteche di Luigi Crocetti
No full textThe book which is discussed collects 180 writings by Luigi Crocetti, whose relevance today consists not so much in the solution proposed by the author, as in his method and argumentation. The collected papers can help today’s reader in clearing up some critical issues, in a juncture – as the one we’re living in – of great uncertainty in the perception of library’s role and social function.Il volume di cui di discute raccoglie 180 scritti di Luigi Crocetti, la cui indubbia attualità consiste non tanto nelle soluzioni offerte, quanto nel metodo e nel modo di ragionare dell’autore. Gli articoli presenti nella raccolta infatti possono aiutare il lettore di oggi a dipanare alcuni nodi concettuali di stringente attualità in un momento – come questo – di grande incertezza nella percezione del ruolo e della funzione sociale delle biblioteche
Il desiderio muto al centro del canto
No full textA book review of _Alle isole via terra_. recent collection of poems by Denise Levertov, edited and It. trans. by Paola Splendore. Postface by Massimo Bacigalupo. Milano. Crocetti editore, 2024
Levels and determinants of urinary and blood metals in the geothermal area of Mt. Amiata in Tuscany (Italy)
No full textLike parents, like children... this is not always the case! A longitudinal study on the family transmission of intergroup contact
No full textDuring adolescence, opportunities for interethnic interactions can shape future attitudes toward diversity. However, it is unclear how family can influence adolescents' quality of contact in different life contexts. This study aims to fill this gap. A sample of 702 Italian adolescents (Mage = 15.61, SDage = 1.11, 48.58% girls) and their parents (615 mothers, Mage = 48.45, SDage = 4.34; 487 fathers, Mage = 51.22, SDage = 4.92) completed questionnaires at two time points. Cross-lagged models indicated that adolescents' intergroup contact at T1 was associated with mothers' contact over time, mainly in structured (i.e., school and work) contexts. No significant associations were found regarding fathers' intergroup contact and unstructured contexts. These results shed new light on the process of family transmission during adolescence, particularly regarding intergroup dynamics
Biliary and reticuloendothelial impairment in hepatocarcinogenesis: the diagnostic role of tissue-specific MR contrast media
No full textThe development and progression of a hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in a chronically diseased liver, i.e., the carcinogenesis, comprise a multistep and long-term process. Morphologically, this process is associated with the presence of distinct nodular lesions in the liver that are called 'preneoplastic lesions.' These preneoplastic lesions are associated with and can precede the growth and progression of well-differentiated HCCs . The characterization of nodular lesions and demonstration of the multistep development of HCC in the cirrhotic liver by imaging modalities represent a challenging issue. The arterial hypervascular supply, depicted by different dynamic studies, represents a fundamental radiological criterion for the diagnosis of HCC in cirrhosis. Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging performed with tissue-specific contrast media can help to investigate the "grey area" of carcinogenesis, in which significant histological changes are already present without any imaging evidence of neoangiogenesis. The purpose of this review is to provide information on the properties of tissue-specific MR contrast agents and on their usefulness in the demonstration of the pathologic changes that take place at the level of the biliary and reticuloendothelial systems during the carcinogenetic process in liver cirrhosis
The Molecular Genetics Testing Lab. On the Fringe of Personhood
No full textThis article proposes to consider the deterministic potential of genetic testing by confronting the genetic “mystique” portrayed in popular culture (and in certain scientific literature), in which DNA is seen as the soul of the cell and genes as master molecules (Lindee and Nelkin 2004), with molecular genetic testing laboratory practices. We will look at the question of what genetic testing does, that is, the practice of genetic testing itself. The particular molecular testing laboratory we will be looking at tests for genetic markers associated with DSD (Disorders of Sex Development). The testing process reveals a previously invisible component of the body through the aid of technology, and a complex picture unravels regarding the role genes play in being considered “un-well”
Psychometric properties of the Italian Tinnitus Functional Index (TFI)
No full textDiversi questionari sono utilizzati per valutare l’impatto dell’acufene sulla qualità della vita. Il Tinnitus Functional Index (TFI) proposto da Meikle et al, nel 2012, ha dimostrato proprietà eccellenti per misurare la gravità e le modificazioni indotte dal trattamento degli acufeni, sia in ambito clinico che di ricerca. Lo scopo di questo studio è stato valutare le proprietà psicometriche della versione italiana del TFI, in particolare, l’analisi fattoriale, la consistenza interna, l’affidabilità e la validità. La versione originale inglese del TFI è stata tradotta in italiano secondo la procedura translation - back translation; 137 partecipanti con acufeni da almeno 3 mesi (39,4% femmine, età: 18-80 anni, età media: 48,26, SD: 14,08), reclutati presso la Tinnitus Clinic di Milano, hanno completato la versione italiana del TFI, il Tinnitus Handicap Inventory, la Beck Depression Inventory - Versione Primary Care e la scala di valutazione numerica per il fastidio. Una parte del campione, 57 pazienti, ha completato la versione italiana del TFI in una seconda visita, dopo 7-14 giorni, prima di ricevere qualsiasi tipo di trattamen- to, per ricavare i dati per la valutazione della riproducibilità. Le proprietà psicometriche sono state studiate attraverso un’analisi fattoriale esplorativa ed il calcolo di misure di consistenza interna e affidabilità test-retest. La validità convergente è stata valutata mediante i coefficienti di correlazione con le restanti misure. La versione italiana del TFI ha mostrato una struttura a quattro fattori, parzialmente diversa dalla struttura originale a otto fattori. L’adattamento italiano del TFI ha rivelato buoni livelli di consistenza interna (0,92 ≤ α ≤ 0,96) e affidabilità test-retest (0,79 ≤ α ≤ 0,85). In termini di validità convergente, ha mostrato buone correlazioni con i punteggi del THI (r = 0,77) e della scala del fastidio (r = 0,70) e correlazioni medie con i punteggi del BDI (r = 0,46). Le difficoltà nel riprodurre la struttura originale a otto fattori sono coerenti con altri studi di validazione del TFI nelle lingue europee. Nonostante tali discrepanze, la versione italiana del TFI ha mostrato una struttura fattoriale caratterizzata da alti livelli di affidabilità e validità. Nel complesso, l’adattamento italiano di TFI si è rivelato idoneo a misurare l’impatto degli acufeni sulla vita quotidiana degli individui.Various questionnaires are used to assess the impact of tinnitus on the quality of life. The Tinnitus Functional Index (TFI) has excellent properties for scaling the severity of tinnitus and treatment-related changes in both clinical and research settings. The aim of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Italian version of the TFI with particular emphasis on factor analysis, internal consistency, reliability and validity. The original English version of the TFI was translated into Italian using the translation/back - translation process; 137 participants who were re- cruited at the Tinnitus Clinic in Milan and had suffered from tinnitus for at least three months (39.4% females, age: 18-80 years, mean age: 48.26, SD: 14.08) completed the Italian version of the TFI, the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI), the Beck Depression Inventory - Primary Care Version (BDI-PC) and the Numeric Rating Scale of annoyance (NRS-A). Of these patients, 57 completed the TFI again at a second visit 7-14 days later, before undergoing any intervention, in order to provide data for reproducibility assessment. The psychometric properties were investigated using exploratory factor analysis and internal consistency and test-retest reliability instruments. The convergent validity of the TFI was evalu- ated using correlation coefficients obtained from the remaining measurements. The Italian TFI has a four-factor structure that was somewhat different from the original. The internal consistency proved to be good (0.92 ≤ α ≤ 0.96) as did the test-retest reliability (0.79 ≤ α ≤ 0.85). In terms of convergent validity, the TFI showed high correlations with the THI (r = 0.77) and the NRS-A (r = 0.70) scores, and moderate correlations with the BDI-PC scores (r = 0.46). The difficulties encountered when attempting to reproduce the original eight-factor structure were consistent with other studies in which the TFI was translated into European languages. In spite of this, the factorial structure of the Italian version of the TFI was characterised by high levels of reliability and validity. Overall, the Italian adaptation of the TFI was shown to be suitable to measure the impact of tinnitus on the daily lives of individuals
Ex-vivo human pancreatic specimen evaluation by 7 Tesla MRI: a prospective radiological-pathological correlation study
No full textPurpose To compare the characteristics detected by 7Tesla (7 T) MR and the histological composition of ex-vivo specimens from lesions diagnosed at preoperative CT scan as Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Materials and methods Ten pancreatic specimens were examined. The 7 T imaging protocol included both morphologic and quantitative sequences; the latter was acquired by conventional methods and a novel multiparametric method, the magnetic resonance fingerprinting (MRF) sequence. Two radiologists reviewed the images to: (1) evaluate the quality of the morphological and quantitative sequences by assigning an "image consistency score" on a 4-point scale; (2) identify the lesion, recording its characteristics; (3) perform the quantitative analysis on "target lesion" and "non target tissue". Finally, the specimen was analysed by two pathologists. Results Seven out of 10 lesions were PDAC, 2/10 were biliary carcinomas, whereas one lesion was an ampullary adenocarcinoma. The quality of the morphological sequences was judged "excellent". The "image consistency score" for the conventional quantitative sequences and MRF were 2.8 +/- 0.42 and 2.9 +/- 0.57; the "overall MR examination score" was 3.5 +/- 0.53. A statistical correlation was found between the relaxation time values of conventional and MRF T1-weighted sequences (p < 0.0001), as well as between conventional and MRF fat- and water-fraction maps (p < 0.05). The "target lesion" and "non target tissue" relaxation time values were statistically different according to conventional T1-, T2-weighted, and MRF T1-weighted sequences. Conclusions Conventional T1-, T2-weighted sequences and MRF derived relaxometries may be useful in differentiating between tumour and non-target pancreatic tissue. Moreover, the MRF sequence can be used to obtain reliable relaxation time data
- …
