374 research outputs found
Hearing rehabilitation in neurofibromatosis type 2 patients: cochlear versus auditory brainstem implantation
No full textAudiol Neurootol. 2008;13(4):273-80. Epub 2008 Feb 7.
Hearing rehabilitation in neurofibromatosis type 2 patients: cochlear versus auditory brainstem implantation.
Vincenti V, Pasanisi E, Guida M, Di Trapani G, Sanna M.
SourceDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, University of Parma, Parma, Italy. [email protected]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: We aimed to evaluate and compare the auditory performance of neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2) patients with bilateral total deafness fitted with cochlear or auditory brainstem implants.
PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective case review was performed. Nine patients suffering from NF2 who underwent hearing rehabilitation by means of cochlear (4 patients) or auditory brainstem (5 patients) implantation participated in the study. Postoperative auditory performance was assessed using closed- and open-set tests.
RESULTS: In the group of patients fitted with a cochlear implant, 3 subjects achieved open-set speech recognition abilities comparable to those of standard adult postlingual implant patients; the remaining patient scored 0% in all open-set format tests, reporting benefits only in environmental sound detection and lip-reading. Among the 5 patients who underwent auditory brainstem implantation, 1 reached good open-set speech recognition skills, scoring 70% in the common phrases comprehension test, and she was able to communicate on the telephone. Two other patients achieved open-set speech understanding (respectively, 33 and 41% in the common phrases comprehension test), reporting daily use of their device. The remaining 2 patients did not achieve any level of open-set speech perception, obtaining only improved access to environmental sound and lip-reading skills.
CONCLUSIONS: Our study confirmed literature data reporting that cochlear implantation may offer open-set speech communication in NF2 patients. In this small cohort, cochlear implant patients performed better than auditory brainstem implant patients, even if variability in auditory performance was observed with both devices. More studies are needed in order to clarify the role and reliability of electrophysiological tests in predicting the residual functionality of the cochlear nerve after tumor removal
Eleonora Duse. Appunti per una biografia (1969): l’attrice e il mito
No full textIn 1969 the Italian Radio-Television Broadcasting- RAI produced the screenplay, Eleonora Duse. Notes for a biography. G. Loverso and C. Serino were the author of the script, directed by F. Bollini (1924-78). Having analyzed the screenplay, we are able to un- derstand how the myth of E. Duse was structured. The analysis also explains why she became famous among the television audience of the second half of the 20th century. The screenplay sparked considera- ble debate and contrasting reactions, especially based on the interpretation of the actress in the role of Duse, L. Brignone (1913-84). Many admirers wrote to Brignone about her interpretation of the great tragedienne. The actress and writer E. De Giorgi (1914-97) sent Brignone her study on E. Duse, that allows us to focus on some distinctive features of Duse’s acting, dividing the actress from the myth
NASAL POLYPOSIS IN CHURG-STRAUSS SYNDROME
No full textLaryngoscope. 2008 Feb;118(2):325-9.
Nasal polyposis in Churg-Strauss syndrome.
Bacciu A, Buzio C, Giordano D, Pasanisi E, Vincenti V, Mercante G, Grasselli C, Bacciu S.
SourceDepartment of Otolaryngology, University of Parma, Parma, Italy. [email protected]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: Churg-Strauss syndrome (CSS) is a systemic vasculitic disorder of unknown etiology that affects small-to-medium-size blood vessels. Patients affected by CSS frequently show ear, nose, and throat manifestations, which are often present at the time of disease onset. The purpose of this study was to determine the frequency of nasal polyposis in a series of 29 patients with CSS and to correlate the nasal findings to the total health situation of these patients.
STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective analysis.
SETTING: Department of Otolaryngology and Department of Clinical Medicine, Nephrology and Health Science, University of Parma.
METHODS: Twenty-nine patients with CSS were identified. Of the 29 patients, 17 (58.6%) had nasal polyposis and were enrolled in this study. The nasal polyps were graded according to the Lund and Mackay endoscopic and radiological classifications.
RESULTS: At diagnosis, endoscopic intranasal evaluation identified nasal polyposis of grade 3 in nine cases (52.9%), grade 2 in six cases (35.2%), and grade 1 in the remaining case (5.8%). After corticosteroid and immunosuppressive therapy, clinical remission was achieved in 14 patients (82.3%), whereas 3 patients experienced a relapse. Posttreatment endoscopic evaluation showed a permanent disappearance (grade 0) of nasal polyps in eight patients (47%). The other nine patients (52.92%) were found to have a small polyp situated in the middle meatus (grade 1).
CONCLUSIONS: Nasal polyposis in patients with CSS may represent the initial phase of the syndrome, though patients often have concurrent pulmonary disease. Corticosteroid therapy either alone or combined with immunosuppressive drugs usually yielded improvement or stabilization
Un ‘gioco di specchi’. “Il metodo Catalanotti” di Andrea Camilleri e il teatro nel romanzo
No full textAndrea Camilleri concludes the Commissario Montalbano saga with the novels Il metodo Catalanotti (2018), Il cuoco dell’Alcyon (2019), Riccardino (2020).Particularly, Il metodo Catalanotti includes the theatrical story of the author and his past as a stage director and teacher at the National Academy of Dramatic Art of Rome. The novel also contains elements of the theatre of the absurd and of the Pirandello theatre. This essay aims both to investigate the references to contemporary dramaturgy and theatrical practice present in the novel. These topics will be contextualized in Camilleri’s existential and artistic path.Il metodo Catalanotti (2018) di Andrea Camilleri è il romanzo che, insieme a Il cuoco dell’Alcyon (2019) e Riccardino (2020), conclude la saga dedicata al Commissario Montalbano.L’autore costruisce una narrazione in cui confluiscono la sua storia teatrale e il suo passato di regista e di allievo e maestro dell’Accademia Nazionale d’Arte Drammatica. In particolare, nel Metodo Catalanotti si riverberano gli echi del teatro dell’assurdo e della produzione teatrale pirandelliana. Questo studio si prefigge l’obiettivo di individuare e indagare i rimandi alla drammaturgia contemporanea e alla pratica teatrale di matrice accademica, e non solo, presenti nel romanzo, contestualizzandoli nella parabola esistenziale e artistica dell’autore siciliano
Limits and Possibilities of Social Theatre
No full textLa trilogia del naufragio by Lina Prosa and La trilogia del deserto by Riccardo Vannuccini are two of the most representative Italian productions on migration. On the one hand, Lina Prosa portrays the distress of immigrants. Her dramaturgy is lyrical, but it is also able to decry one of the most traumatic events of contemporary history. On the other hand, La trilogia del deserto is remarkable in that some refugees become involved in a workshop run by Vannuccini, and that they begin to become actors in their own stories. In Vannuccini’s production, the text ceases to be the core. It emerges how the interaction
with the experience of the refugees becomes an integral part of the production by way of “a sort of ” text as context. The main goal of this chapter is to investigate how contemporary drama continuesto involve itself in social and political reality and why, consequently, it calls for new forms and techniques. According to Prosa and Vannuccini, the tales of immigrants aim to mirror the multiple complexities of our times; the analyses of their works also highlight how and why the concept of inclusion has undoubtedly become a fundamental theme of our time
Donne e teatro: prospettive e direzioni per un percorso in evoluzione
No full textThe essay outlines the state of art regarding Italian studies on ac- tresses and women theatre directors. Although a clear research per- spective based on women’s studies and gender studies has not yet been systematised, some changes have been introduced, especially by some female scholars who have researched women working in the theatre from a perspective that takes into account these disciplines and women’s history. Therefore, the author illustrates new directions that have been pursued so far in the Italian theatre studies. Various lines of research emerge, focused on female theatre company leaders, first actresses, the relationship between women and dramaturgy, and between women and stage direction. These research paths disclose interesting cases of rehabilitation of historical memories removed from the canon
The mtDNA 15497 G/A polymorphism in cytochrome b in severe obese subjects from Southern Italy
No full textAbstract
BACKGROUND AND AIM:
A large number of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations have been implicated in degenerative diseases and aging. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the 15497 G/A mtDNA polymorphism (G251S) in the cytochrome b subunit of respiratory complex III, which has been associated with obesity-related variables and lipid metabolism in a Japanese population, is associated with severe obesity also in adult Caucasians from southern Italy.
METHODS AND RESULTS:
Unrelated severely obese patients (n = 317; BMI > 40kg/m2) and controls (n = 217; BMI < 25kg/m2) from Southern Italy were genotyped by allelic discrimination TaqMan assay for the 15497 G/A mtDNA polymorphism. In obese patients fasting serum total cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL-cholesterol and glucose were measured enzymatically and sitting blood pressure and heart rate were also collected. Mean levels of total cholesterol, triglycerides and glucose were below the upper reference limit for healthy subjects. Female obese subjects showed lower levels of blood pressure and heart rate and higher levels of HDL cholesterol than male obese patients (P < 0.001). All the control subjects and 315/317 severely obese patients were homozygous for the G allele (wild type), whereas only 2/317, were females homozygous for the A allele.
CONCLUSIONS:
The mtDNA 15497 G/A polymorphism in cytochrome b was present in 0.6% obese subjects, two females whose lipid parameters and BMI were similar to those of the overall group. Therefore, this mutation may appear to contribute in rare instances to severe obesity but does not explain the majority of cases in our population. A more extensive genetic haplogroup characterization is required to identify associations to obesity in Caucasians
A quadricuspid aortic valve in an asymptomatic 40-year-old man: A case report
No full textBackground: Integrated transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography enables identification and characterization of a quadricuspid aortic valve anomaly. Case presentation: A totally asymptomatic 40-year-old white man was referred to our Division of Cardiology after accidental finding of a heart murmur. Transesophageal echocardiography detected a quadricuspid aortic valve characterized by four cusps of equal size and severe aortic valvular regurgitation, without any further anomalies. He underwent a successful aortic valve repair. Conclusions: Quadricuspid aortic valve anomaly is a rare congenital cardiac defect that can cause progressive valvular complications
The mtDNA 15497 G/A polymorphism in cytochrome b in severe obese subjects from Southern Italy.
No full textBackground and aim: A large number of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA)
mutations have been implicated in degenerative diseases and aging. The aim of this
study was to evaluate whether the 15497 G/A mtDNA polymorphism (G251S) in the
cytochrome b subunit of respiratory complex III, which has been associated with
obesity-related variables and lipid metabolism in a Japanese population, is
associated with severe obesity also in adult Caucasians from southern Italy.
Methods and results: Unrelated severely obese patients (n Z 317; BMI > 40 kg/m2)
and controls (n Z 217; BMI < 25 kg/m2) from Southern Italy were genotyped by
allelic discrimination TaqMan assay for the 15497 G/A mtDNA polymorphism. In
obese patients fasting serum total cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL-cholesterol and
glucose were measured enzymatically and sitting blood pressure and heart rate
were also collected. Mean levels of total cholesterol, triglycerides and glucose were
below the upper reference limit for healthy subjects. Female obese subjects
showed lower levels of blood pressure and heart rate and higher levels of
HDL cholesterol than male obese patients (P < 0.001). All the control subjects and 315/317 severely obese patients were homozygous for the G allele (wild type),
whereas only 2/317, were females homozygous for the A allele.
Conclusions: The mtDNA 15497 G/A polymorphism in cytochrome b was present in
0.6% obese subjects, two females whose lipid parameters and BMI were similar to
those of the overall group. Therefore, this mutation may appear to contribute in
rare instances to severe obesity but does not explain the majority of cases in our
population. A more extensive genetic haplogroup characterization is required to
identify associations to obesity in Caucasians
”I grandi temi dell’esistenza”. Dialoghi delle carmelitane nella regia di Luca Ronconi (1988)
No full textLuca Ronconi’s theatre is influenced by his youthful years, spent at the National Academy of Dramatic Art in Rome. Ronconi, indeed, attended the Academy from 1951 to 1953 as a student actor. Orazio Costa’s theatrical elements – although Ronconi never obeyed to his master’s method (Ronconi 2000) – emerged in 1988, when Ronconi staged a play on sacred themes: the Dialogues des Carmélites by Georges Berna- nos, written between 1947 and 1948 as a spiritual testament of the author (Béguin 1954). Evaluating the case study of the stage direction of the Dialogues, this essay aims at depicting on one hand the coheren- ce and differences with academic scenic practices, and, on the other hand, to highlighting the value of the Dialogues, and their staging, acquire along the directorial way of Luca Ronconi. Why does Ronconi choo- se Bernanos ’drama? What stylistic and aesthetic devices does Ronconi take to feature “the great issues of existence” on stage? What is Ronconi’s attitude towards the actresses involved in the Dialogues? The above-mentioned questions will be answered through an historical and critical prospective by analyzing the key-moments of the stage direction of the Dialogues and by tracing, at the meantime, the authorial features that characterized them
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