Dipartimento di Scienze documentarie, linguistico-filologiche e geografiche

Review of the world premiere of "Lo specchio magico", Urban Art Dance Opera, music by Fabio Vacchi, libretto by Aldo Nove  (May, 7th 2016, Opera di Firenze, 79th Maggio Musicale Fiorentino). Published online on alfabeta2: https://www.alfabeta2.it/2016/08/26/mare-lo-specchio/

Encyclopedia entry on Music and Cinema between the end of XXth Century and the Beginning of the New Millennium.
Published in Enciclopedia Italiana di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti , IX Appendice vol. 2, 186-189. Roma: Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana Treccani, 2015.

In Italia la gestione degli archivi privati ha rappresentato e rappresenta un elemento di speciale attenzione per gli archivisti, gli storici, ecc. L’intervento sull’archivio dell’Istituto italiano per l’Africa e l’Oriente (IsIAO) mira a ricostruirne la consistenza archivistica, l’organizzazione e la conservazione attuale. I fondi confluiti nell’archivio dell’IsIAO provengono dalla fusione dell’Istituto italiano per il Medio ed Estremo Oriente (IsMEO) e dell’Istituto italo-africano (IIA); è doveroso ricordare che le carte qui conservate tramandano a noi la storia della cultura italiana dalla fine dell’Ottocento ai nostri giorni.

In Italy the theme concerning the private archives has represented and still represents an element of special focus for archivists, historians, etc. The research analyzes the IsIAO archives and aims to evaluate its consistency, order and present conservation. The archives of the Istituto italiano per il Medio ed Estremo Oriente (IsMEO) and of the Istituto italo-africano (IIA) were merged in the IsIAO archives; we should remember that the papers preserved by the IsIAO hand down to us the history of Italian culture from the late XIX century to the present day.

Cyclosporin A (CsA)induced gingival overgrowth represents a tissue of fibrosis and epidermal growth factor (EGF) has been shown to induce extracellular matrix synthesis by fibroblasts. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the expression of EGF-receptor (EGF-r) in frozen sections of CsA-induced overgrown gingival tissue using immunohistochemical and semiquantitative techniques. Gingival biopsies were obtained from 12 renal transplant patients receiving CsA as well as 9 systemically and periodontally healthy individuals. Immunohistochemical staining procedures were carried out in frozen sections of gingival tissue and the expression of EGF-r was compared between the two study groups. The expression of EGF-r was more pronounced in the oral gingival epithelium of CsA-induced overgrown gingiva as compared to those of the clinically healthy gingival specimens. The reactivity in the inflammatory infiltrate and connective tissue cells of both of the study groups was similar. In conclusion, the results of the present study may suggest that CsA affects EGF-r metabolism in gingival keratinocytes resulting in an increased number of cell surface receptors, which may eventually play a role in the pathogenesis of gingival tissue alterations.

Signs and symptoms of sexually-transmitted diseases (STD) do not allow any etiological diagnosis in women. Colposcopic findings are seldom pathognomic. Consequently, the microbiology laboratory with the recent availability of molecular diagnostic tools is required to detect the infectious bacterial and/or viral agents involved in STD. In cervical samples of women submitted to gynaecological screening for past or present signs and symptoms of inflammation and with different colposcopic findings, we searched by molecular approaches Chlamydia trachomatis, Mycoplasma genitalium, herpes simplex virus type 1 and 2, adenovirus and 45 genotypes of papillomaviruses and, by cultural methods Mycoplasma hominis and Ureaplasma urealyticum. Colposcopy permitted us to divide the studied population into three groups: 48 women had negative colposcopic findings, 50 presented signs of flogosis and 100 resulted positive for an abnormal transformation zone (ANTZ) and/or for HPV colposcopic findings. Res...

The aim of this work was to examine different methods of investigation in the diagnosis of the abnormal "low grade" transformation zone of the portio. Over a period of one year 41 patients subjected to colposcopic examination underwent exo-endocervical sampling for oncologic evaluation and for detection of viral and bacterial infections (HPV, HSV, adenovirus, mycoplasmas and chlamydia trachomatis), as well as portio biopsy. A 65.8% correlation was found between cytology and the HPV-DNA test results, while histology and the presence of the HPV virus agreed in 51.4% of cases. In those cases in which minimal histological alterations were found (koilocytosis) a high percentage of HPV negativity was found. In discordant negative cytologic tests that were however positive for HPV by PCR, the genotypes identified were always 6 and 11.

Some evidence suggests that intrauterine infection plays a major role in the pathogenesis of early pregnancy loss, but the implication and prevalence of microrganisms in the aetiology of spontaneous abortion during the first trimester of pregnancy has not yet been well established. In this study, we analysed the tissues relative to the product of conception from abortions during the first trimester (51 spontaneous abortions and 56 voluntary pregnancy interruptions) in women attending the Gynecological Sciences Perinatology and Puericulture Department of "Policlinico Umberto I". Specimens were investigated by cultural methods for the presence of yeasts, gram positive, gram negative bacteria, and genital mycoplasma. By molecular diagnostic procedures, DNA sequences of Chlamydia trachomatis, herpes simplex viruses, adenovirus, human papillomaviruses and human polyomaviruses BK and JC were searched. None of these agents could be found in voluntary pregnancy interruption sample...

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive women are at high risk of co-infection from human papillomavirus (HPV) and of developing squamous intraepithelial lesions of the cervix. From April 1997 to March 1999, 86 women, affected by high-grade squamous intra-epithelial lesions (H-SILs), were enrolled: 41 were HIV+ (CD4+ count >500/ml) and 45 were HIV-. The diagnosis of high-grade squamous intra-epithelial lesion (H-SIL) was established for each patient by Pap test, colposcopy and guided biopsy. For all samples, the HPV/DNA test was also performed by PCR. The patients' lesions and recurrence were treated by cone biopsy or large loop excision (LEEP). Annual controls were performed for 5 years. A high rate of alcohol and drug use (60.7% vs. 31.4%; p=0.004; 80% vs. 27.5%; p<0.001, respectively) and number of male partners (4.5 vs. 3.0; p<0.001) were found in the HIV+ patients, compared to the HIV- patients. Both groups were HPV+ for high-risk types. No difference was found...