Ricerc@Sapienza

Background: Dry eye disease (DED) affects more than 14% of the elderly population causing decrease of quality of life, high costs and vision impairment. Current treatments for DED aim at lubricating and controlling inflammation of the ocular surface. Development of novel therapies targeting different pathogenic mechanisms is sought-after. The aim of this study is to evaluate safety and efficacy of recombinant human nerve growth factor (rhNGF) eye drops in patients with DED.

The involvement of neuro-inflammation has been demonstrated in asthma, allergic rhinitis (AR), conjunctivitis and atopic dermatitis. Allergic reaction is associated with local production and release of neuromediators such as Nerve Growth Factor (NGF), substance P and Calcitonine-gene related peptide. Patients with allergic diseases showed increased serum and local NGF levels during inflammation or after allergen challenge.

Laryngopharyngeal reflux disease (LPRD) is defined as the retrograde flow of stomach content to the upper aero-digestive structures, with an estimate incidence about 4-10% of the general population.(1). LPRD is used to describe the pathological condition caused by the reflux of gastric and/or duodenal juices to the larynx, oropharynx and/or nasopharynx, through the upper oesophagus sphincter (UES). The most frequent symptoms are dysphonia, chronic cough, sore throat, excess throat mucus and pharyngeus globous. Endoscopy

The paper analyses two passages from Thyestes and Oedipus, where the protagonists cry unexpectantly and involuntarily. In the first case, where Thyestes has a sort of metamorphoses in a werewolf, there is an exploration of all the semantic possibilities for this attitude: any of them is in part true. It is interesting the comparison with two Homeric passages, one where Odysseus manage to stop his tears, another where the unexpected crying is due to the goddess Athena. Oedipus cries after the revelation, when he represent the incarnation of rage.