Lo Zimbabwe è il futuro del Sudafrica? Analisi comparata della transizione istituzionale nei due paesi

Obiettivo del lavoro è dimostrare, utilizzando l’impianto teorico neoistituzionalista, basato in particolare sull’opera del premio Nobel per l’economia Douglass C. North, l’importanza, che nei processi di trasformazione istituzionale e di sviluppo in generale, riveste la complessa interazione fra i vincoli istituzionali di natura formale, con quelli derivanti dalle specificità afferenti alla sfera culturale e i vincoli al comportamento umano che ne derivano, determinando sentieri di sviluppo differenti. Di particolare interesse risulta a questo proposito la storia dell’evoluzione istituzionale dei PVS e, in particolare, della persistenza di modelli di sviluppo inefficaci. Il lavoro si apre con una descrizione del processo di sviluppo, mutuandone la definizione dall’opera di Hirschman, come la risultante nel tempo dell’interazione fra una dimensione oggettiva (disponibilità di risorse) e una soggettiva (capacità dei soggetti coinvolti), che rende questa definizione particolarmente adatta all’impianto teorico neoistituzionalista sviluppato da North. Quest’ultimo sottolinea l’importanza che nel processo di sviluppo assumono le istituzioni in quanto regole di comportamento, sia formali che informali, volte a ridurre l’imprevedibilità e l’incertezza tipiche dell’ambiante umano e a creare così le premesse per lo sviluppo. Tuttavia, la natura estremamente variabile dei vincoli che l’uomo è in grado di porre in essere, soprattutto a livello culturale, e conseguentemente le combinazioni possibili, contribuisce a determinare l’estrema varietà delle esperienze umane e, in particolare, dei possibili sentieri di sviluppo. Questi ultimi possono dare vita a processi di crescita o viceversa di stagnazione se non addirittura di declino. Attraverso lo studio e la comparazione del processo di transizione politica vissuta dal Sudafrica e dallo Zimbabwe nell’ultimo scorcio del XX secolo è possibile dimostrare che, anche a partire da un impianto istituzionale formale simile, il percorso di sviluppo imboccato dai processi di cambiamento economico, sociale e politico, dipendono fortemente, in ultima analisi, dal ruolo svolto dai vincoli di natura culturale (in particolare dalle credenze che guidano le scelte dei soggetti coinvolti nel processo di sviluppo). A questo scopo vengono comparati i passaggi che hanno segnato, in entrambi i paesi, l’evoluzione di un sistema istituzionale in partenza simile – entrambi gli stati hanno vissuto l’esperienza di un regime di minoranza basato sulla segregazione razziale e sulla codificazione del razzismo a livello normativo – in due sistemi a vocazione democratica. Mentre in Sudafrica il regime democratico, sia pure con alcune importanti criticità, sembra aver tenuto nel corso del tempo, lo Zimbabwe, dopo una fase iniziale particolarmente promettente dal punto di vista del rispetto dei principi democratici e multirazziali, ha vissuto un processo di degenerazione in senso autoritario delle istituzioni, che ha portato ad una profonda crisi non solo politica ma anche economica e sociale di dimensioni eccezionali

How the cognitive reserve interacts with β-amyloid deposition in mitigating FDG metabolism: An observational study

This observational study had the aim to assess the interaction between cognitive reserve (CR) and cerebrospinal fluid β-amyloid1-42 (Aβ1-42) in modulating brain [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) metabolism in patients with moderate Alzheimer disease (AD).Twenty-seven patients with probable AD and 25 neurological normal subjects (NNS) entered the study. All participants had an FDG-PET scan, and AD patients also received a lumbar puncture to measure Aβ1-42, 181p-tau, and Tau concentrations. Based on years of formal education, AD patients were classified as highly educated-AD (years of formal education >5) or less educated-AD (years of formal education <5). By using a voxel-wise approach, we first investigated differences in the cerebral glucose uptake between AD and NNS, then we assessed the interaction between level of education (a proxy of CR) and cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers on FDG-PET metabolism in the patient groups.Significantly lower glucose uptake was observed in the posterior cingulate gyrus, in the precuneus, in the inferior and medial temporal gyrus, and in the inferior parietal lobule of AD patients compared with NNS. A significant interaction was found between CR and Aβ1-42 values on brain metabolism in the inferior and medial temporal gyrus bilaterally.The AD patients with higher CR level and marked signs of neuropathology showed glucose hypometabolism in regions typically targeted by AD pathology. This finding supports the hypothesis that CR partially compensates for the effect of Aβ plaques on cognitive impairment, helps in patients' clinical staging, and opens new possibilities for the development of nonpharmacological interventions

The Island where Future Possibilities Bloom. Language, gender, and identity issues in Li Kotomi’s Higanbana ga saku shima

Starting from the utopian label given to The Island where Spider Lilies Bloom (Higanbana ga saku shima, 2021), in this paper I shall analyse the language, gender and identity issues depicted in the novel to explain how they function in the economy of the story and how Li Kotomi uses them to explore the complexity of the individual and the collective. Higanbana ga saku shima is set on an anonymous island where the family system is deconstructed and there are no such things as mothers or fathers, and women called “noro” rule the community using a language exclusively for women. However, what at first glance seems to be a utopian society and a story of empowerment turns out to be another example of an exclusive society, where familiar, old tropes are flipped, but fail to create inclusivity. After exploring the societal constructions and clarifying the reasons for this “failure” with reference to the trope of “liminality,” I will take “failure” as a starting point to rethink the concept of utopia and explain how it functions as a basis for moving towards a “not-yet here” critical utopianism and queer futurism.Starting from the utopian label given to The Island where Spider Lilies Bloom (Higanbana ga saku shima, 2021), in this paper I shall analyse the language, gender and identity issues depicted in the novel to explain how they function in the economy of the story and how Li Kotomi uses them to explore the complexity of the individual and the collective. Higanbana ga saku shima is set on an anonymous island where the family system is deconstructed and there are no such things as mothers or fathers, and women called “noro” rule the community using a language exclusively for women. However, what at first glance seems to be a utopian society and a story of empowerment turns out to be another example of an exclusive society, where familiar, old tropes are flipped, but fail to create inclusivity. After exploring the societal constructions and clarifying the reasons for this “failure” with reference to the trope of “liminality,” I will take “failure” as a starting point to rethink the concept of utopia and explain how it functions as a basis for moving towards a “not-yet here” critical utopianism and queer futurism.Starting from the utopian label given to The Island where Spider Lilies Bloom (Higanbana ga saku shima, 2021), in this paper I shall analyse the language, gender and identity issues depicted in the novel to explain how they function in the economy of the story and how Li Kotomi uses them to explore the complexity of the individual and the collective. Higanbana ga saku shima is set on an anonymous island where the family system is deconstructed and there are no such things as mothers or fathers, and women called “noro” rule the community using a language exclusively for women. However, what at first glance seems to be a utopian society and a story of empowerment turns out to be another example of an exclusive society, where familiar, old tropes are flipped, but fail to create inclusivity. After exploring the societal constructions and clarifying the reasons for this “failure” with reference to the trope of “liminality,” I will take “failure” as a starting point to rethink the concept of utopia and explain how it functions as a basis for moving towards a “not-yet here” critical utopianism and queer futurism.Starting from the utopian label given to The Island where Spider Lilies Bloom (Higanbana ga saku shima, 2021), in this paper I shall analyse the language, gender and identity issues depicted in the novel to explain how they function in the economy of the story and how Li Kotomi uses them to explore the complexity of the individual and the collective. Higanbana ga saku shima is set on an anonymous island where the family system is deconstructed and there are no such things as mothers or fathers, and women called “noro” rule the community using a language exclusively for women. However, what at first glance seems to be a utopian society and a story of empowerment turns out to be another example of an exclusive society, where familiar, old tropes are flipped, but fail to create inclusivity. After exploring the societal constructions and clarifying the reasons for this “failure” with reference to the trope of “liminality,” I will take “failure” as a starting point to rethink the concept of utopia and explain how it functions as a basis for moving towards a “not-yet here” critical utopianism and queer futurism

Long-term safety and effectiveness of zonisamide in the treatment of epilepsy: a review of the literature

Zonisamide (ZNS) efficacy and safety in epilepsy have been demonstrated in four double-blind, placebo-controlled studies. In the present article, we examined all long-term studies performed with this drug. Nine open-label studies, in which ZNS had been administered as an add-on or as monotherapy to epileptic patients for at least 6 months, were selected for our analysis. Four outcome measures were searched. Retention of this drug after 1 year varied between 45% and 65%. The percentages of patients achieving a ≥50% seizure reduction, with respect to baseline, ranged between 37% and 65%. In patients with drug-resistant forms of epilepsy, the percentage of patients reaching a 6-month seizure freedom period was 9%. The percentages of patients who discontinued the experimental drug due to adverse effects ranged between 4% and 24%. Somnolence and dizziness were the most frequently reported adverse effects. Long-term studies demonstrate that ZNS has a good efficacy and tolerability profile, and support its use as adjunctive therapy for epileptic patients

Diagnosis of neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis type 2 (CLN2 disease): Expert recommendations for early detection and laboratory diagnosis

Neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses (NCLs) are a heterogeneous group of lysosomal storage disorders. NCLs include the rare autosomal recessive neurodegenerative disorder neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis type 2 (CLN2) disease, caused by mutations in the tripeptidyl peptidase 1 (TPP1)/CLN2 gene and the resulting TPP1 enzyme deficiency. CLN2 disease most commonly presents with seizures and/or ataxia in the late-infantile period (ages 2-4), often in combination with a history of language delay, followed by progressive childhood dementia, motor and visual deterioration, and early death. Atypical phenotypes are characterized by later onset and, in some instances, longer life expectancies. Early diagnosis is important to optimize clinical care and improve outcomes; however, currently, delays in diagnosis are common due to low disease awareness, nonspecific clinical presentation, and limited access to diagnostic testing in some regions. In May 2015, international experts met to recommend best laboratory practices for early diagnosis of CLN2 disease. When clinical signs suggest an NCL, TPP1 enzyme activity should be among the first tests performed (together with the palmitoyl-protein thioesterase enzyme activity assay to rule out CLN1 disease). However, reaching an initial suspicion of an NCL or CLN2 disease can be challenging; thus, use of an epilepsy gene panel for investigation of unexplained seizures in the late-infantile/childhood ages is encouraged. To confirm clinical suspicion of CLN2 disease, the recommended gold standard for laboratory diagnosis is demonstration of deficient TPP1 enzyme activity (in leukocytes, fibroblasts, or dried blood spots) and the identification of causative mutations in each allele of the TPP1/CLN2 gene. When it is not possible to perform both analyses, either demonstration of a) deficient TPP1 enzyme activity in leukocytes or fibroblasts, or b) detection of two pathogenic mutations in trans is diagnostic for CLN2 disease

New paradigms for the treatment of pediatric monogenic epilepsies: Progressing toward precision medicine

Despite the availability of 28 antiseizure medications (ASMs), one-third of people with epilepsy fail to achieve sustained freedom from seizures. Clinical outcome is even poorer for children with developmental and epileptic encephalopathies (DEEs), many of which are due to single-gene mutations. Discovery of causative genes, however, has paved the way to understanding the molecular mechanism underlying these epilepsies, and to the rational application, or development, of precision treatments aimed at correcting the specific functional defects or their consequences. This article provides an overview of current progress toward precision medicine (PM) in the management of monogenic pediatric epilepsies, by focusing on four different scenarios, namely (a) rational selection of ASMs targeting specifically the underlying pathogenetic mechanisms; (b) development of targeted therapies based on novel molecules; (c) use of dietary treatments or food constituents aimed at correcting specific metabolic defects; and (d) repurposing of medications originally approved for other indications. This article is part of the Special Issue "Severe Infantile Epilepsies"

A/Void Pregnancy? Yagi Emi’s Kūshin techō and Fake Pregnancy as a Means of Exploring Women’s Struggles

Kūshin techō (Diary of a void), Yagi Emi’s brilliant debut in the Japanese literary scene, was published in 2020 and proceeded to win the 36 th Osamu Dazai Prize. With its provocative tones, the novel addresses maternal issues during a very crucial moment for literature. Indeed, contemporary women’s writing from all over the world is growing more and more engaged with issues such as illness, disease, healthcare, medical practice, and clinical institutions, as well as with the topic of “care,” usually depicted as a women’s responsibility. In this paper, I argue that, through the parody of the Maternal and Child Health Handbook, Yagi Emi advances a critique of the condition of Japanese women in contemporary Japan. More specifically, the use of the fake pregnancy and the diary as a narrative strategy serve as a means to explore contradictions and gender gaps women face during pregnancy, in the workplace and at home, such as sekuhara (sexual harassment) and matahara (maternal harassment), social pressure, prejudice and stigma, and economic inequality. At the same time, I argue that the absence of a male partner throughout the narrative reveals the prejudice and stigma surrounding unmarried pregnant women in Japan, and on the other hand, it makes it possible to read Kūshin techō as an example of Hélène Cixous’ écriture feminine