Functional magnetic resonance imaging in oncology: state of the art

In the investigation of tumors with conventional magnetic resonance imaging, both quantitative characteristics, such as size, edema, necrosis, and presence of metastases, and qualitative characteristics, such as contrast enhancement degree, are taken into consideration. However, changes in cell metabolism and tissue physiology which precede morphological changes cannot be detected by the conventional technique. The development of new magnetic resonance imaging techniques has enabled the functional assessment of the structures in order to obtain information on the different physiological processes of the tumor microenvironment, such as oxygenation levels, cellularity and vascularity. The detailed morphological study in association with the new functional imaging techniques allows for an appropriate approach to cancer patients, including the phases of diagnosis, staging, response evaluation and follow-up, with a positive impact on their quality of life and survival rate.

Magnetic resonance imaging of the chest in the evaluation of cancer patients: state of the art

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has several advantages in the evaluation of cancer patients with thoracic lesions, including involvement of the chest wall, pleura, lungs, mediastinum, esophagus and heart. It is a quite useful tool in the diagnosis, staging, surgical planning, treatment response evaluation and follow-up of these patients. In the present review, the authors contextualize the relevance of MRI in the evaluation of thoracic lesions in cancer patients. Considering that MRI is a widely available method with high contrast and spatial resolution and without the risks associated with the use of ionizing radiation, its use combined with new techniques such as cine-MRI and functional methods such as perfusion- and diffusion-weighted imaging may be useful as an alternative tool with performance comparable or complementary to conventional radiological methods such as radiography, computed tomography and PET/CT imaging in the evaluation of patients with thoracic neoplasias.

Whole-body magnetic resonance imaging in children: state of the art

Whole-body imaging in children was classically performed with radiography, positron-emission tomography, either combined or not with computed tomography, the latter with the disadvantage of exposure to ionizing radiation. Whole-body magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), in association with the recently developed metabolic and functional techniques such as diffusion-weighted imaging, has brought the advantage of a comprehensive evaluation of pediatric patients without the risks inherent to ionizing radiation usually present in other conventional imaging methods. It is a rapid and sensitive method, particularly in pediatrics, for detecting and monitoring multifocal lesions in the body as a whole. In pediatrics, it is utilized for both oncologic and non-oncologic indications such as screening and diagnosis of tumors in patients with genetic syndromes, evaluation of disease extent and staging, evaluation of therapeutic response and post-therapy follow-up, evaluation of non neoplastic diseases such as multifocal osteomyelitis, vascular malformations and syndromes affecting multiple regions of the body. The present review was aimed at describing the major indications of whole-body MRI in pediatrics added of technical considerations.

Courts and Courtly Cultures in Early Modern Italy and Europe: Models and Languages

This volume deals with the forms of propaganda and self-representation, through words and images, during the rise of the 'civiltà delle corti' and through processes typical of the time, such as confrontation, adaptation, competition and rivalry. This period, which marked the passage of Italian and European culture from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance, is fundamental in the development of Modern Europe, and it lasted up to the XVIII century and beyond. At the heart of many matters debated here lies the relationship between culture and politics. The formation of a 'Lombard identity', central to the Sinergia project which was the frame of the whole research and its conferences, is closely linked to this broad general context. It places the so called 'questione milanese' - above the traditional hierarchies 'Toscana oriented' - at the centre of many questions regarding Northern Italy as a whole, starting from the dissolution of the Medieval communes, through to the rise of the signorie, from the end of the XIII century and the beginning of the XIV century up to the early XVI century.

Les expositions universelles comme communautés émotionnelles imaginées: du bon usage des émotions dans l'art d'instruire et de divertir

Cette contribution commence par établir que les expositions universelles sont traversées par un ensemble de dynamiques contradictoires qui reflètent celles intervenant dans le processus de la mondialisation qu'elles ont précisément pour vocation de mettre en scène. Parmi ces différents dynamiques, il en est une qui mérite que l'on s'y arrête de nouveau : celle ayant d'abord opposé sciences et loisirs avant de les associer comme organisateurs de la vie sociale. Comment les expositions universelles ont-elles représenté ces deux types d'activités qui leur ont été centrales ? L'article avance que l'évolution de la fonction de normalisation sociale attachée aux sciences et aux divertissements peut être éclairée par une analyse de l'usage qui a été fait des émotions par les organisateurs et commentateurs de ces manifestations. Le phénomène est examiné à la lumière des concepts d'émotionologie, d'émotif et de communauté émotionnelle développés par les historiens des émotions. This article starts from the premise that international exhibitions are driven by the same contradictory dynamics underlying the process of globalization which they seek to stage. Among these various dynamics, there is need to further study the one that has involved science and leisure as organizers of social life in a dyadic relationship evolving historically from opposition to accommodation. Drawing on the concepts of «emotionolgy », « emotives » and « emotional communities », the study attempts to show how changes in the normalizing functions of science and leisure can be highlighted through the shifting use of emotions by the organizers and commentators of world's fairs.

Dial M for Murder: A Case of Passion Killing, Criminal Evidence and Sultanic Power in Medieval India

This paper considers the structures and applications of the criminal judicial system in the Islamic Later Middle Period as it developed in India under the sultans of Delhi (1200-1400 CE). A fundamental issue in crime and punishment is the relationship between sultanic power and religious authority. Particularly at stake in this relationship is the question of who can sanction the highest form of punishment, i.e. the death penalty (siyāsa). Contemporary historians and scholars in the study of religion investigating the relationship between sharīʿa and siyāsa to reveal the extent and limits of sultanic power show a system of governance that allowed for the delegation of authority, particularly in the area of the judiciary, from the sultan down to viziers and judges. Some scholars depict the relationship between the ʿulamāʾ and the sultan as a kind of stand off. The actual dynamics of legal jurisdiction were much more complex. This study proposes a new interpretive framework for understanding the relationship between political power and religious authority through a critical analysis of the criminal judicial system, law, and historical narrative. In particular, I consider a murder case described by Shams al-dīn Sirāj ʿAfīf in one of the most significant histories written in the later Delhi Sultanate, the Tārīkh-i Fīrūzshāhī.

Tècnica d'execució del frontal gòtic de Sant Llorenç de Morunys: a propòsit del dibuix preparatori

Els traços primigenis del dibuix preparatori del Frontal de Sant Llorenç de Morunys, al Museu Diocesà i Comarcal de Solsona, s"observen a ull nu, sense haver d"emprar tècniques sofisticades, a causa d"una pèrdua important de l"estrat pictòric que, de conservar-se, impediria la lectura de les capes més profundes. S"han examinat aquestes traces, font de documentació privilegiada que se"ns ofereix per incrementar el coneixement de l"obra i també, per comprendre el procés d"elaboració d"una pintura sobre taula en el context del bisbat d"Urgell al tombant del segle XIII. Durant l"estudi ha estat possible reconstruir, amb el suport inestimable dels tractats medievals, la seqüència d"execució del dibuix preliminar: primer, la distribució provisional de les línies mestres a mà alçada, amb carbonet, seguit de la seva fixació amb una punta metàl·lica dura; segon, el traçat de l"esbós figuratiu, amb un estil tou, i el posterior repàs definitiu amb una agulla o punta afilada sobre l"estrat preparatori, creant un dibuix incís que romandria visible després de recobrir tota la superfície amb una làmina d"estany. Finalment, s"aplicaria una complexa policromia, que combinaria tècniques opaques i vernissos translúcids. La revisió d"un corpus d"obres catalanes de característiques similars, moltes en les reserves dels museus pel seu precari estat de conservació, podria aportar dades rellevants quant a les diferents tècniques del dibuix preparatori emprades en la pintura sobre taula d"època medieval.

Un casal medieval amb torre: "La pabordia" de Girona

Article sobre l'edifici de 'La Pabordia' de Girona, un casal medieval amb torre. Es fa una reflexió i un estudi sobre l'estructura de l'edifici, les tècniques constructives emprades en cada fase i la relació existent entre els seus diversos àmbits i cossos, tenint en compte la documentació planimètrica, la informació gràfica a través de fotografies, i la consulta puntual de documentació medieval

Chemical characterization of tin-lead glazed pottery from the Iberian Peninsula and the Canary Islands: initial steps toward a better understanding of Spanish Colonial pottery in Americas

Majolica pottery was the most characteristic tableware produced in Europe during the Medieval and Renaissance periods. Because of the prestige and importance attributed to this ware, Spanish majolica was imported in vast quantities into the Americas during the Spanish Colonial period. A study of Spanish majolica was conducted on a set of 186 samples from the 10 primary majolica production centres on the Iberian Peninsula and 22 sherds from two early colonial archaeological sites on the Canary Islands. The samples were analysed by neutron activation analysis (NAA), and the resulting data were interpreted using an array of multivariate statistical approaches. Our results show a clear discrimination between different production centres, allowing a reliable provenance attribution of the sherds from the Canary Islands.

Noves dades sobre la producció de ceràmica medieval de Barcelona. La caracterització arqueomètrica del taller del Carrer de Carders

Arran de la troballa d'un taller ceràmic al carrer de Carders de Barcelona, datat entre els segles XII i XIII, s'ha dut a terme la caracterització arqueomètrica de 31 individus per tal de definir les característiques químiques i petrogràfiques de la seva producció. A més, s'han contrastat els resultats amb els obtinguts per a l'altre taller del segle XIII conegut a la ciutat, el del carrer de l'Hospital. L'estudi ha permès de definir el grup de referència (GR) del carrer de Carders, com també indicar l'existència d"individus procedents d'aquesta excavació però que es relacionen amb la producció del carrer de l'Hospital. I a la inversa, l'existència d'individus procedents del carrer de l'Hospital que es relacionen amb el carrer de Carders. Finalment, entre els materials procedents del carrer de Carders s'han identificat dues noves produccions no conegudes anteriorment.