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This essay aims to investigate the category of “otherness” in its moment of maximum pathology, identifying the other as a necessary enemy. I will first proceed to examine how the psychotic projection of the other-enemy becomes, in the psychological structure of socially defined subjects, constitutive of a further category, that of political paranoia, consisting in the elaboration of a delusional reproductive picture of a denied social imaginary. Secondly, I will reflect on the characteristics of two non-identical – and indeed in some ways opposite – political declinations of paranoia: the “paranoia of the sovereign” and the “paranoia of the masses”.

Il presente lavoro intende indagare le conseguenze prodotte dalla dottrina frenologica sul tessuto sociale e politico degli Stati Uniti dell’anteguerra. Sin dal 1832, anno in cui Johan Gaspar Spurzheim si recò in terra americana per un celebre – quanto per lui fatale – ciclo di conferenze, la frenologia si inserì nel dibattito culturale dell’epoca, influenzando in modo non marginale la riflessione relativa a delicate questioni sociali (dalla scienza dell’educazione all’edificazione del prototipo individuale del self-made man) e politiche (in primis la politica razziale e la questione schiavista) di un paese a sua volta alle prese con un momento cruciale per l’edificazione della propria identità nazionale.

Il presente saggio si propone di far luce sull’interesse nutrito per la frenologia da Edgar Allan Poe, il celebre scrittore americano di inizio’800, padre della moderna letteratura dell’orrore e del giallo psicologico. Un interesse segnato da una convinta attrazione iniziale, cui seguì una progressiva e critica presa di distanza. Dopo una premessa volta a contestualizzare l’impatto sociale della frenologia nella società vittoriana, vengono evidenziati alcuni tra i lavori in cui lo scrittore di Boston si serve delle categorie frenologiche, in particolare per le riflessioni relative allo studio della natura della poesia. L’ultima parte è dedicata all’analisi di un deciso revirement avvertibile nei racconti più maturi, particolarmente evidente nell’incipit de “Il demone della Perversità”, in cui Poe, sottolineando la natura surrettiziamente induttiva e aprioristica della teoria frenologica, ne sconfessa il carattere formalmente sperimentale, individuandola invece come una teoria di stampo metafisico al pari delle discipline religiose.

The following paper aims to analyse the symbolic-political structures of the utopic imaginary, particularly focusing on the Late Medieval and Renaissance literary and architectural sources. A theoretical distinction is preliminarily made between the concepts of “utopian genotype” and “utopian phenotype”, characterized by a different force of attraction to the real world, as well as by different actors and forms of exercise (i.e. the intellectual and the book; the architect and the volumes). A second paragraph deals with ideal architectures within some famous utopian books of the Renaissance. A third and final paragraph compares the utopian vision of the architect – on hold between an ideal model and its structural requirements – , and the contemporary will to power of the sovereign, in turn in search of new forms of domination and control.

Il presente lavoro intende approfondire il problematico rapporto tra la dottrina frenologica e l’autorità religiosa, la quale ebbe a criticarne aspramente i presupposti scientifici e lo sfondo antimetafisico. È nostra intenzione provare a chiarire come, sullo fondo della contrapposizione dottrinale, abbia preso progressivamente forma un contrasto ben più ampio, di tipo squisitamente politico, volto a contrapporre una complessa trama di autorità e di poteri in ambito sociale, medico e giuridico. Il saggio si compone di tre parti. La prima si soffermerà sulle origini di tale contrasto, che coinvolgeranno la figura e gli scritti di Joseph Gall, medico tedesco fondatore della frenologia. La seconda approfondirà, in tale prospettiva, l’opera del frenologo Luigi Ferrarese, le cui posizioni sfociarono, a partire dal 1838, in una serie di richiami della Santa Sede, culminati con la reclusione e la sospensione dell’incarico presso la Real Casa de’ Matti di Aversa. L’ultima parte del lavoro riporta nella sua interezza, opportunamente tradotto, il resoconto di una serie di incontri avvenuti nel 1844 tra il medico lucano ed il celebre frenologo scozzese George Combe.

Lo scompenso cardiaco (SC) acuto impegna le strutture ospedaliere in tutto il mondo e, a confronto con altre patologie cardiache acute come le sindromi coronariche, determina esiti a distanza marcatamente sfavorevoli: il tasso di mortalità o riospedalizzazione a 3 mesi è pari al 33%, la mortalità ad 1 anno dal ricovero varia tra 25% e 50%. Un fattore critico nella gestione dello SC acuto è rappresentato dalla molteplicità di professionisti sanitari coinvolti nel percorso diagnostico-terapeutico di questa sindrome, medici di medicina generale, medici di emergenza, cardiologi, internisti, anestesisti-rianimatori, e quindi dalla necessità di integrare conoscenze e competenze diverse e di convergere su obiettivi assistenziali in grado di migliorare gli esiti clinici. Questo documento di consenso origina dal lavoro congiunto delle Società Scientifiche espressione delle diverse figure professionali coinvolte nell’assistenza ai pazienti con SC acuto e ha condiviso strategie e percorsi volti a garantire sia livelli assistenziali di qualità che esiti migliori. Il documento dettaglia l’intero percorso del paziente con SC acuto dall’esordio dei sintomi a domicilio, dalla diagnosi, gestione domiciliare o invio in Pronto Soccorso/Dipartimento di Emergenza-Accettazione (PS/DEA), modalità di trasporto, terapia precoce, attraverso i percorsi clinici strumentali per la diagnosi in PS/DEA e il trattamento, la stratificazione del rischio e la dimissione del paziente in degenza ordinaria o a domicilio. Si analizza il possibile ruolo del “fast-track” cardiologico, dell’Osservazione Breve Intensiva e la presa in carico dell’assistenza territoriale attraverso la medicina generale e l’ambulatorio specialistico per la cura dello SC. Il crescente carico assistenziale e le complesse problematiche generate dallo SC acuto non possono trovare adeguata soluzione al di fuori di un approccio integrato multidisciplinare che ponga efficacemente in rete le strutture di emergenza con le unità di degenza intensiva e ordinaria e con il contesto delle cure territoriali. Il documento, grazie all’apporto delle più qualificate Società Scientifiche, persegue questo obiettivo proponendo un percorso strutturato, condiviso ed applicabile, in grado di contribuire ad una gestione del problema omogenea sul territorio nazionale.

The present paper analyzes Neil MacCormick’s L. H. A. Hart, first published in 1981, mainly dedicated to the analysis of Herbert Hart’s The Concept of Law. We will deepen MacCormick’s explanations concerning the distinction between legal and moral rules, primary and secondary rules, promises and power-conferring rules, internal and external point of view, as well as some key figures of Hart’s normative terminology – namely “acceptance” and “group”. Some exclusive outputs by the Scottish philosopher – namely the “hermeneutic point of view” and the “cutoff point” – will be also scrutinized. Finally, we will in turn propose some adjustments to the Author’s theories.

The present essay, inspired by Bouchard’s Social Myths and Collective Imaginaries by Gerard Bouchard, aims to propose a symbolic reading of some ideological, historical, juridical and political events. Perceived as a multifaceted set of combined symbolic forces, collective imaginary will be used as a key point to analyse the categories of sovereignty and utopia, the eighteenth-century myth of Reason and finally some aspects of the current socio-political scenario.

The following paper analyzes the political theory of Neil MacCormick, a prominent figure of recent political and legal philosophy and a member of the of the European Parliament from 1999 to 2004. The article falls into three parts. The first one examines the main features of his ‘Institutional Theory of Law’ as a normative construction of commonly accepted social issues. The second part investigates his idea of sovereignty in its main aspects (political and legal, internal and external), deepening further on the differences between Rechstaat and Polizeistaat and on the operative issues of the rule of law in a constitutional perspective. A third and final part will try to ponder MacCormick's main thesis in the light of the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union in June 2016 (so-called ‘brexit’).

The article outlines the main characteristics of the research of Giuseppe Limone, a contemporary Neapolitan philosopher, particularly focusing on the symbolic implications of the relationship between political power and legal right(s). In the first five paragraphs Limone’s theories are compared with those of some wellknown authors (Rousseau, Kelsen, Hart, Habermas, Dworkin) in order to briefly define theoretical differences and similarities; the sixth and final paragraph outlines a possible operational – i.e. from a legal standpoint – implementation of “personalism” as a philosophical perspective, conceived as a hermeneutical tool able to equally focus and increase the protection of fundamental rights as stated in different sources of international and supranational Law.

Nella consapevolezza di sé come sfida al tempo inesorabile, nella dimensione talora sovraesposta eppur personalissima del dolore, nell'estasi come metafora concreta dell'anima si compiono alcune vicende cruciali della vita di un essere umano. I tre saggi qui presentati si soffermano su alcuni luoghi-limite della persona, spesso oscurati dalle coltri di una modernità abituata a negare l'inspiegabile e il non evidente. Svelandone, ove possibile e con delicatezza, le caratteristiche.

Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest (COI) is used by biomedical journals to guarantee credibility and transparency of the scientific process. COI disclosure, however, is not systematically nor consistently dealt with by journals. Recent joint editorial efforts paved the way towards the implementation of uniform vehicles for COI disclosure. This paper provides a comprehensive editorial perspective on classical COI-related issues. New insights into current COI policies and practices among European Society of Cardiology national cardiovascular journals, as derived from a cross-sectional survey using a standardised questionnaire, are discussed.

The clinical heterogeneity of acute heart failure and the low number of controlled trials, to date, are the main causes of the lack of agreement on therapeutic objectives, uncertainty on the most appropriate management, and difficulties to obtain robust evidence for the treatment of this syndrome. The inappropriate use of inotropic agents is one the most common pitfalls shown by registries. Two to 10% of patients admitted for acute heart failure present with a low output syndrome, a clinical profile associated with high mortality, where inotropes may be a rational therapeutic choice. Crucial points for an effective use of inotropes are an accurate evaluation and selection of patients, tailoring of therapeutic schemes and strict patient monitoring. Beta-adrenergic agonists and phosphodiesterase inhibitors increase myocardial oxygen demand, favor arrhythmias and may cause peripheral vasodilation with a secondary decrease in coronary perfusion pressure. These effects may translate in myocardial ischemia, loss of cardiomyocytes and accelerated ventricular remodeling with worse prognosis. Levosimendan, a novel inotropic agent studied according to the principles of evidence-based medicine, augments myocardial contractility without changes in intracellular calcium concentrations, and with minimal impact on myocardial oxygen consumption. This paper, based on an expert consensus, aims to suggest criteria for the appropriate use of inotropic agents in acute heart failure, based on a critical appraisal of the existing evidence and clinical experience. © 2009 AIM Publishing Srl.

For more than 30 years, beta-blockers have widely been used in the treatment of patients with myocardial infarction, angina pectoris, heart failure, certain cardiac arrhythmias and hypertension. Quite recently, however, beta-blockers have been put under trial by results of some controlled studies and meta-analyses conducted in patients with essential hypertension. In summary, beta-blockers proved not better, or even worse, than alternative treatments and only marginally better than placebo. However, some arguments of caveat must be remarked. First, most of these studies have been conducted in hypertensive subjects of old age or complicated by several concomitant risk factors. A considerable portion of hypertensive patients most frequently examined in the usual practice would have not meet inclusion criteria for the above trials. In addition, several methodological issues of meta-analyses raised concern. Results were mainly driven from two major trials (LIFE and ASCOT). Unexpectedly, recent hypertension guidelines issued by the British Hypertension Society fully endorsed these results and recommended beta-blockers as fourth-line drugs in hypertensive patients with blood pressure not adequately controlled by angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, calcium channel blockers and diuretics in combination. Because most of the above trials used atenolol, several lines of evidence warn against extending limitations to beta-blockers to the entire class of these drugs. Some new-generation beta-blockers, although not yet widely tested in outcome-based studies, induce peripheral vasodilatation and do not exert the detrimental effect of atenolol on central blood pressure and arterial distensibility. The present review addresses facts and theories related to the actual concern on the role of beta-blockers in the modern management of hypertensive patients.

We analyse the radiative decay $��\to ��^+��^- ��^0��$ in the low--energy expansion of the Standard Model. We employ the notion of ``generalized bremsstrahlung'' to take full advantage of the theoretical and experimental information on the corresponding non-radiative $��\to 3 ��$ decay. The direct emission amplitude of ${\cal O}(p^4)$ is due to one-loop diagrams with intermediate pions (isospin violating) and kaons (isospin conserving). The isospin conserving contributions to direct emission, including vector meson exchange appearing at ${\cal O}(p^6)$, are suppressed., 13 pages, 1 fig; minor modifications (results unchanged)