In questo articolo si espone l'idea che l'Inferno di Dante possa essere inteso come metafora di un Carcere contemporaneo. Nell'istituto penitenziario di Roma Rebibbia i detenuti-attori, resi celebri ...dal film Cesare deve morire dei fratelli Taviani, riflettono sui concetti di colpa, pena, pietas, speranza, liberazione attraverso le visioni della Commedia. Sul palcoscenico del carcere Dante torna a rivelarsi come poeta senza tempo, capace di parlare dell'umano agire e patire con parole e idee sempre attuali e trasversali a tutti i contesti sociali e culturali. Mediante traduzioni multilingue (inglese, spagnolo, persino cinese) e multidialettali colte, le terzine diventano poesia del dolore penitenziario ed il loro ascolto può produrre negli spettatori, ma anche negli interpreti detenuti, un effetto emotivo e spirituale che potrebbe essere paragonato all'idea aristotelica della catarsi.
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•Total reflection FTIR spectroscopy is suitable technique for characterisation of cremated bones.•Degradation products of thermally degraded bones have been non-invasively ...characterised.•A non-invasive reflection FTIR spectral database on temperature dependent bones’ spectral response was created.•Approximate burning temperature of cremated human remains from different Slovenian archaeological sites was estimated.
To better understand and interpret archaeological bone remains, knowledge of thermally induced changes that can be a consequence of cooking or mortuary practices in past cultures are of extreme importance. Due to the high value of the remains, the methods that require no sampling or no sample manipulation should deserve special attention. For that purpose non-invasive spectroscopic analytical research has been carried out on experimentally heated bones to examine their chemical composition, which may represent a starting point for understanding the conservation status of heated bones and the effects of temperature on the detected chemical changes. Total reflection FTIR spectra collected on experimentally heated bones were due to competition of specular and diffuse reflectance phenomena distorted. In the lower spectral region, where specular reflection prevails, the Kramers–Kronig (KK) operation was applied. Derivative-like bands were successfully corrected with the KK operation. However, the most significant band of νs (PO43−) was inverted by the reststrahlen effect in almost all reflection spectra wherein the KK operation fails. Signals in the spectral region of overtones, combination bands, and OH stretching vibrations were enhanced due to domination of volume reflection and represent additional information about chemical composition and changes that occur during the processes of thermal bone degradation. The created reference database contains crucial information about the chemical composition of heated bones and can represent an important tool for non-invasive characterisation of excavated bone materials. Vibrational characterization of heated bones by means of total reflection FTIR spectroscopy with the KK operation was verified for the first time on cremated human remains excavated from three Slovenian archaeological sites of different chronological age and cultural context.
Objective. An increasing incidence of osteonecrosis of the jaws (ONJ) in patients treated with intravenous bisphosphonates has been reported in the literature. The aim of this study was to evaluate ...the clinical aspects, diagnostic investigations, and management of ONJ associated with bisphosphonates in a series of 12 patients. Method. Our patients included 1 asymptomatic and 11 symptomatic subjects. For the symptomatic patients, the osteonecrosis was diagnosed through histological investigations of exposed bone that showed avascular and necrotic tissue with inflammatory infiltrate. The patients were complaining of swelling, fever, and bone exposure involving the jaws. The asymptomatic patient presented as an occasional finding during a routine dental examination and the necrosis was confirmed on the basis of imaging investigations. Radiographic, scintigraphic, and microbiological examinations were carried out for all patients. Treatment included antibiotics, minor surgical interventions, and hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Results. The radiological investigations revealed osteolytic areas and the scintigraphy demonstrated increased bone metabolism. The microbiological analysis showed pathogenic micro-organisms in the majority of patients. Therapy was useful in obtaining short-term symptomatic relief. Conclusions. Histological, radiological, nuclear medicine, and microbiological investigations are important diagnostic tools for patients with bisphosphonates-associated osteonecrosis of the jaws. However, a long-term follow-up is necessary if we are to better understand the treatment outcome.
Dracunculiasis (Guinea Worm Disease) is a terrible disease limited, even historically, to the arid and poor areas of our planet and which in the West has always been seen as an exotic disease and ...therefore has never taken root in the collective imagination. This parasitosis is transmitted to humans by drinking water contaminated with crustacean harboring larvae of
Dracunculus
m
edinensis
, a nematode. The natural history of the disease is caused by adult worms invading connective tissues and causing blistering, ulceration and edema. Well known in Ancient Egypt where the disease was endemic in its southern area, was known in Europe mainly from the reports of medical writers starting from the Roman imperial period but without direct knowledge. In Middle age the descriptions of this disease that physicians and surgeons could read on medical books, at the end, were attributed to veterinary parasitic disease. In Modern age only during the colonialist era dracunculiasis was perceived as a problem, however sporadic. In 1986 Guinea Worm Eradication Program (GWEP) was launch without success. Thus, the disappearance of this parasitosis should still be postponed but not abandoned.
Objective The aim of the study was to provide a paleopathologic and radiologic overview of the jaws and teeth of 3 Egyptian mummies preserved in the Civic Museum of History and Art in Trieste. ...Computerized tomography (CT) imaging and postprocessing techniques were used to examine the oral structures. Study design A 16-slice CT scanner was used (Aquilion 16; Toshiba Medical Systems Europe, Zoetermeer, The Netherlands). Scans were obtained at high resolution. Orthogonal-plane and 3-dimensional (3D) reconstructions were created along with curved reconstructions of the lower and upper jaws. Determination of decayed/missing teeth (DMT) and decayed/missing/tooth surfaces (DMTs) were made with 3D images. Results Analyses revealed differences in the embalming techniques and state of preservation of the bodies. Marked wear of the occlusal surfaces was a characteristic finding in all of the mummies. The DMT and DMTs were low compared with values for contemporary populations. Two mummies had fully erupted third molars. All mummies exhibited bone changes consistent with periodontitis. Conclusion The CT evaluations of the oral structures of the mummies provided insight into the dental status and oral diseases of these ancient Egyptians. The low DMT and DMTs values and indications of periodontitis may be associated with the lifestyle of these Egyptians. The fully erupted and well aligned third molars may represent a morphologic adaptation of the arches to the muscular activity associated with grinding tough foods.
•New plastered skull specimens from Neolithic Anatolia are described.•Bioarchaeological, paleoradiological and archaeometric analyses employed in analyses plastered skulls.•Examination of production ...and transformation of plastered skulls are examined.•Restoration/renovation phases in construction and long-term use of the plastered skulls are investigated.•Plastered skulls are considered as part of a general skull cult not just an ancestor cult.
Plastered skulls were one of the most prominent phenomena in Southwest Asia during the Neolithic period. These cult objects observed in Anatolia and the Levant are of particular importance since they were produced from the remains of people who lived at that time. Although many studies have so far been conducted in different contexts, multi-model analyses of the samples with the help of advanced technologies are critical for developing new perspectives on the subject. This study combines bioarcheological, paleoradiological, and other archaeometrical methods to analyze seven plastered cranial elements from the archaeological settlement of Tepecik-Çiftlik. This research aims to understand the formation process of these ritualistic objects with a focus on how these cult objects were produced. The plastered skulls and crania examined in this study belong to young male and female adults and a child. Results of analyses clearly indicate the important findings revealed by cut marks related to the preparation phase and the presence of restoration phases of the plastering processes. Also, many pigments (e.g., azurite and goethite) were found to have been used as colorants. In sum, the authors argue that the production and retention of such performative objects were generally influenced by various socio-cultural motivations in addition to specific regional resources, craftsmanship, and processes related to long-term use.
Purpose
We aimed to describe the morphological changes in the thoracic cage and spinal column induced in New Zealand White (NZW) prepubertal rabbits subjected to dorsal arthrodesis and observed at ...skeletal maturity by computed tomography (CT) scans. This was done to evaluate the plasticity of the thoracic cage of rabbits with non-deformed spine, by highlighting its modifications after spinal arthrodesis. Emogas data analysis, echocardiographic assessment and cardio-pulmonary measurements completed the evaluation.
Methods
Surgery was performed in 16 female rabbits, 6 weeks old. Nine were subjected to T1–T12 dorsal arthrodesis, while seven were sham-operated. Surgery involved the implant of two C-shaped stainless steel bars and heterologous bone graft. CT scans were performed before surgery, 2, 6 and 12 months after surgery. One week after the last CT scan, echocardiographic and emogas evaluations were performed.
Results
Chest depth (8 %), thoracic kyphosis (ThK) (23 %), dorsal and ventral length of the thoracic spine (11 %) and sternal length (7 %) were significantly reduced in operated compared to sham-operated rabbits. Mean values ± standard deviation (SD) of PaCO
2
, PaO
2
and sO
2
were not significantly different. Mean values ± SD of echocardiographic measurements were not significantly different between the two groups of rabbits, except for thickness of the interventricular septum in systole, contractile capacity of the left ventricle and ejection fraction.
Conclusions
T1–T12 dorsal arthrodesis in prepubertal NZW rabbits with non-deformed spine induced changes of the thoracic cage morphology. However, those changes are source of cardio-pulmonary complications not severe enough to reproduce a clinical picture comparable to thoracic insufficiency syndrome in humans.
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