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This essay discusses the role that books have had for the Jews living on the southern shore of the Mediterranean during colonial and postcolonial times, reconstructing some of the textual encounters that led me to conduct research on these issues. Books are considered as objects that talk about histories of belonging, exile and migration and that move from one place to another, pass from one person to another, and are lost and found again, objects for which we feel affection or that sometimes we want to give away. Mixing historical analysis with ego-historical reflections on my own research path, the essay looks at books as mirrors of the plurality of (Jewish) identities and memories that can be traced in the Mediterranean until the 1950s and 1960s and, in different ways, until today.

This paper aims to analyse legal recognition of polyamorous relationships and to examine the main obstacles to its feasibility in the short run. Preliminarily, I shall make a few notes on the state of the art in the matter of polyamory, discuss relevant terminology issues, and enumerate some of the main features of polyamorous relationships with a view to framing the debate on their legal recognition. Polyamorous relationships are then contextualized in the light of the radical changes which the traditional family has undergone since the second half of the 20th century. It is my claim that polyamorous relationships can be considered only the latest stage in that process of transformation, and that they will enjoy legal recognition at a sooner or later date. However, I shall acknowledge that this will probably not occur in the short term, and I shall analyse the main reasons why. My concluding argument is, nevertheless, that legal recognition of such relationships may be hailed as desirable.

The work shows the first results of the characterization of the heavily polluted sediments in the Mar Piccolo basin (Taranto, south of Italy), obtained thanks to an integrated investigation method. In the field of the actions promoted by the Italian Government to select the most sustainable remediation strategies, a multidisciplinary investigation of the site has been carried out involving the reconstruction of the geological set-up of the basin, the analysis of the chemical contamination and the geo-mechanical properties of the sediments collected up to 30 m below the sea floor. The devices and methodologies used for the off-shore sampling, storage and transport of the sediments and for the laboratory testing were specifically designed to obtain the best possible picture of the site. The quality of the soil sampling resulted to be high enough for chemical, geochemical and geotechnical characterization and to develop integrated analyses. With this purpose, the paper discusses preliminary correlations of data, focusing on the geotechnical properties of plasticity that have been interpreted in the light of soil composition and chemical and geological facets of the sediments.

This essay focuses on a very interesting Israeli novelist and poet of mizrahi origin, ’Almog Behar (b. 1978), clarifying the most salient characteristics of his works – especially the novel Tchahlah ve-Hezqel – and the main issues there discussed. In order to better understand the works of Behar, I discuss them vis-à-vis the first three generations of mizrahi literature, from the «transit camp» novels of the 1950s to the new wave of the 1980s, up to today. By focusing on Behar, I intend to explain how it is nowadays possible to rewrite Israeli culture and society basing upon one’s family past and memories and, in so doing, open new scenarios for Israeli literature, as well as for mizrahi identity and for Arab-Jewish relations.

Assuming the demands of educating teachers for classroom practice, it is high time researchers investigated beliefs in action deeper. Rokeach’s (1968) concepts of central and peripheral values as gradient for discussing and defining the nature of beliefs, among the contribution of others, have provided Applied Linguistics with a gateway to study the dynamics of belief change. Framed by these studies and the results of a doctoral study on autonomy development, this paper aims at acknowledging a third element into the gradient: supportive beliefs, which for their content, nature and role in human cognition refer to beliefs that cannot be considered peripheral. We present evidence that some currently considered peripheral beliefs are, in fact, supportive beliefs, whose existence protects central beliefs from being banned from cognition whenever challenged. Data to support such claim were collected from a written narrative and a series of five interviews with a 45 year-old woman, taking an intermediate level English course in Brazil, as part of a larger case study. During the interviews, some of this woman’s beliefs were challenged. We discuss how she defended, maintained, modified or totally discarded them and refer to the difficulty of changing beliefs due to their emotional and/or cognitive relevance.

Objectif: Comparer les profils glycémiques nycthéméraux obtenus par enregistrement continu avec vildagliptine versus sitagliptine, ajoutées à la metformine chez des patients diabétiques de type 2 insuffisamment contrôlés (HbA1c 6,5–8,0 %). Matériels et méthodes: Étude multicentrique, prospective, randomisée, en ouvert, avec analyse en aveugle du critère primaire (profils glycémiques, variabilité et contrôle nycthéméral). Les profils glycémiques ont été enregistrés par holter (CGMS®, iPro™ Medtronic) sur 72 hr, initialement sous metformine seule puis 8 semaines après l’ajout de vildagliptine (n=14) ou sitagliptine (n=16) et analysés de façon centralisée. Résultats: Dans des populations comparables, avec HbA1c initiale moyenne à 7,1 %, la variabilité glycémique des 24 heures - mesurée par l’amplitude moyenne des excursions glycémiques et la déviation standard de la moyenne glycémique – était significativement réduite après l’addition d’un inhibiteur de la DPP-4, sans différence entre les 2 molécules. En revanche, les paramètres mesurant le contrôle glycémique nycthéméral – glycémie moyenne des 24 heures, temps passé en euglycémie (0,70–1,40g/L) et en hyperglycémie (au delà de 1,40 et de 1,80g/L), ainsi que les aires sous courbes (ASC) correspondantes – ont tous montré un meilleur contrôle sous vildagliptine. L’exposition totale au glucose (ASC[24 h] 1,00g/l) était réduite de 37 % sous vildagliptine (p=0,01) vs 9 % (NS) sous sitagliptine, alors que l’hyperglycémie postprandiale (ASC[0-4 h]X3) était significativement réduite dans les deux groupes, suggérant une efficacité plus marquée sur la glycémie basale (ASC[24 h] – ASC[PP]) : de fait celle-ci était réduite uniquement sous vildagliptine [−41 %; p=0,04] notamment pendant la période nocturne. Conclusion: L’addition d’un inhibiteur de la DPP-4 a amélioré significativement la variabilité glycémique versus metformine seule, sans différence entre les deux molécules. Cependant, le profil de contrôle glycémique nycthéméral était meilleur sous vildagliptine, en particulier en raison d’une efficacité plus marquée sur l’hyperglycémie basale, à distance des repas. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Study Aim: Minimally invasive video-assisted parathyroidectomy (MIVAP) was introduced in 1997 for the treatment of sporadic primary hyperparathyroidism (sPHPT). The study aim was to review the entire series of patients operated on in order to analyse the learning curve of this procedure., Patients and Methods: Between February 1997 to January 2001, 185 patients underwent MIVAP. All these patients were divided into three groups: group A (GA) included 63 patients operated on between February 1997 and September 1998; group B (GB) 64 patients operated on between October 1998 and January 2000; Group C (GC) 64 patients operated on between January 2000 and January 2001. Mean operative time, complications and conversions rates of the three groups were compared., Results: The three groups were well matched for age and gender. Mean operative time was significantly shorter in patients of GC (28.3 +/- 13.6 min) when compared with GA (62.3 +/- 24.6 min) and GB (48.4 +/- 18.1 min). Conversion was required in 3 cases of GA (4.8%), in 8 cases of GB (12.8%) and in 4 cases of GC (6.5%). One transient postoperative recurrent nerve palsy and 4 cases of transient postoperative hypocalcemia were observed among patients of GA. No complications were registered in the other groups., Conclusions: This study shows that with increasing experience, the operative time of MIVAP was dramatically reduced, as well as postoperative complications rate. The higher percentage of conversion in groups B and C may be explained by the fact that, with increasing experience, more difficult and ambiguous cases were operated with this technique.

Aim of the Study: To verify the feasibility of video-assisted parathyroidectomy, set up the indications and report the results in a series of 85 patients., Material and Methods: From 1997 to 1999, 85 patients affected by primary hyperparathyroidism due to single gland disease, with an adenoma smaller than 35 mm as demonstrated by preoperative imaging, were referred for video-assisted parathyroidectomy. There were 62 females and 23 males. Mean age was 53 years, (range 23-82). Video-assisted parathyroidectomy was associated with intra-operative PTH quick-assay. Calcium testing was controlled before leaving the hospital, 1 month and 3 months later, and postoperative laryngoscopy was performed in all patients., Results: There were five conversions to open cervicotomy: three due to a contra-lateral second adenoma, two because of an intrathyroidal adenoma. The mean operative time for video-assisted procedure was 59 minutes (range: 25-180). Circulating PTH levels 10 minutes after the removal of the affected gland(s) always dropped significantly, and pathological report confirmed the parathyroid nature of the specimens (mean diameter 13 mm, range 7-35). Morbidity consisted of five cases of transient hypocalcemia and one permanent laryngeal nerve paralysis. We registered no persistent or recurrent disease (mean follow-up 12.8 months, range 1-28)., Conclusions: Video-assisted parathyroidectomy is feasible, and its results are similar to those of traditional procedure, while it seems superior as regards postoperative course and aesthetic results. It also allows different strategical decisions even during operation (i.e. bilateral exploration or thyroid lobectomy) by the same approach.

Tumours arising in a thyroglossal duct cyst are very rare. Most of them develop from ectopic thyroid remnants. Controversies persist concerning th treatment of these neoplasms, some authors preferring local excision (Sistrunk procedure), while others prefer a more radical approach (associated total thyroidectomy). From 1977 to 1996 we observed and treated 10 patients with by a thyroglossal duct tumour: 8 females and 2 males. A mass in the midline of the neck was the presenting complaint in all cases. Each patient was treated by a Sistrunk procedure associated with total thyroidectomy. Histopathology reports showed 7 papillary carcinomas, 1 Hürthle cell carcinoma, 1 follicular carcinoma and 1 insular carcinoma. Systematic examination of the thyroid gland revealed foci of papillary cancer in 4 cases (40%), with only 1 tumour being larger than 1 centimetre. Cervical metastases were found at operation in 1 case. This series suggests that total thyroidectomy for tumours of thyroglossal cysts could be justified by the high incidence of associated papillary carcinomas of the thyroid and by the relatively aggressive nature that some tumors. In these cases, a radical therapeutic attitude allows, better patients management (total scintigraphy, serum thyroglobulin measurement) and allows the possibility of a complementary radioiodine treatment.

Clinical pattern compared with ultrasound, radiology and fine needle acubiopsy allows an exact diagnosis of cystosarcoma phyllodes before surgical operation. Then, even using quite conservative procedures on low-grade tumours, we had very good results.

Report of a bilateral carotid body tumor in a female. Six members of her family also present the same disease. Epidemiology and surgical tactics are discussed. Special attention is focused on the pathogenetic mechanisms.

ystematic analysis of the pectoral muscle and fascia disclosed neoplastic infiltration in 6.2% of our stage T2a cases. Accordingly the authors propose a Halsted type resection in all cases staged T3, T2b and T2a when the tumor is located deep in the gland.