L\u2019inizio dell\u2019architettura monumentale a Cerveteri: la tomba 1 del tumulo del Colonnello

Il tumulo del Colonnello, uno dei maggiori per dimensioni e complessa organizzazione planimetrica ed architettonica, si trova nel cuore della necropoli della Banditaccia, all\u2019interno del c.d. Nuovo Recinto (Figg. 1-2), in un\u2019area in parte esplorata da Raniero Mengarelli - nel corso di quello straordinario scavo estensivo protrattosi per pi\uf9 di 25 anni dal 1910 che mise in luce migliaia di tombe a partire dalla tomba delle Cinque Sedie fino a giungere al fondo di Via del Manganello \u2013 ed in parte scavata negli anni Cinquanta da Mario Moretti, che prosegu\uec quelle ricerche, scoprendo peraltro nel 1947 un altro tumulo colossale, quello Mengarelli, quasi attiguo a quello del Colonnello. Il tumulo, ben noto per la complessit\ue0 della sua architettura e per le caratteristiche modanature esterne del tamburo (Figg. 3-4), spesso citato nella letteratura scientifica sia per la particolare architettura delle sue tombe, sia per alcuni straordinari vasi appartenenti ai suoi ricchissimi corredi, \ue8 rimasto di fatto inedito, per le difficolt\ue0 di identificare gli oggetti dei corredi elencati al momento dello scavo, ma non pi\uf9 reperibili a partire dal dopoguerra, quando i materiali degli scavi Mengarelli, riseppelliti all\u2019interno di alcuni ipogei ceretani per evitare depredazioni e danni durante i lunghi anni della guerra, furono poi riportati nei magazzini dove sono rimasti in attesa di essere risistemati dopo le inevitabili confusioni dei materiali che le vicende belliche avevano causato

Prunkvolle Bestattungen. Die Gr\ue4ber der etruskischen F\ufcrsten

Panoramica delle necropoli etrusch

- Leptis e il suo anfiteatro

L\u2019anfiteatro, che sorge a Nord della citt\ue0, a circa un chilometro e mezzo dal porto antico, accanto al circo con il quale risulta collegato, \ue8 oggi ben visibile con la sua eccezionale mole. Era stato identificato nel 1865 dallo studioso tedesco G. Rohlfs, e dopo le notizie date da H. M\ue9hier de Mathuisieulx nel 1902, che ne forniva anche un primo, ma provvisorio, posizionamento su una carta topografica, e il ricordo di Pietro Romanelli - \u201cun\u2019ampia affossatura ellittica ..completamente interrata\u201d - fu oggetto nel 1959 dei primi scavi da parte di Ernesto Vergara Caffarelli, che malato ed in procinto di tornare in Italia nel 1961, affid\uf2 ad Antonino Di Vita, gi\ue0 prescelto quale nuovo adviser alle antichit\ue0 della Tripolitania, il prosieguo delle operazioni. A partire dal 1962 dunque Antonino Di Vita, tra i tanti impegni che lo vedevano occupato sia a Sabratha, nello scavo dei mausolei A e B, che a Tripoli stessa, continu\uf2 lo scavo dell\u2019anfiteatro di Leptis, che si presentava ancora coperto da pi\uf9 di 60.000 mc di sabbia che lo seppellivano quasi interamente, lasciando visibile solo qualche tratto delle murature di coronamento pi\uf9 alte

Presentazione del volume Carthage:Maîtresse de la Méditerranée, Capitale de l’Afrique (IX siècle avant J.-C. – XIIe siècle), a cura di Samir Aounallah e Attilio Mastino (Histoires et Monuments 1), Tunis 2018.

Presentation of the volume Carthage: Maîtresse de la Méditerranée, Capitale de l'Afrique (IX siècle avant J.-C. - XIIe siècle), edited by Samir Aounallah and Attilio Mastino (Histoires et Monuments 1), Tunis 2018.Presentazione del volume Carthage:Maîtresse de la Méditerranée, Capitale de l’Afrique (IX siècle avant J.-C. – XIIe siècle), a cura di Samir Aounallah e Attilio Mastino (Histoires et Monuments 1), Tunis 201

- La necropoli del Laghetto tra vecchi e nuovi scavi

Le necropoli ceretane dell’età del Ferro, venute in luce sia durante gli scavi condotti da Raniero Mengarelli nelle aree del Sorbo e di Cava della Pozzolana, sia durante quelli portati avanti dalla Fondazione Lerici negli anni ’60 in località Laghetto, attendono ancora una pubblicazione definitiva, se si esclude quella del Sorbo, a suo tempo resa nota da Roberto Vighi nel volume dei Monumenti dei Lincei del 1955, poi riedita da Ingrid Pohl nel 1972. La tomba è databile, in base alla tipologia e alle associazioni dei materiali tra la fine del terzo e l’inizio dell’ultimo quarto dell’VIII sec. a.C

Transforming activities of Chlamydia pneumoniae in human mesothelial cells

Knowledge in viral oncology has made considerable progress in the field of cancer fight. However, the role of bacteria as mediators of oncogenesis has not yet been elucidated. As cancer still is the leading cause of death in developed countries, understanding the long-term effects of bacteria has become of great importance as a possible means of cancer prevention. This study reports that Chlamydia pneumoniae infection induce transformation of human mesothelial cells. Mes1 cells infected with C. pneumoniae at a multiplicity of infection of 4 inclusion-forming units/cell showed many intracellular inclusion bodies. After a 7-day infection an increased proliferative activity was also observed. Real-time PCR analysis revealed a strong induction of calretinin, Wilms’ tumour gene 1, osteopontin, matrix metalloproteinases-2, and  membrane-type 1 metalloproteinases gene expression in Mes1 cell, infected for a longer period (14 days). The results were confirmed by western blot analysis. Zymography analysis showed that C. pneumoniae modulated the in-vitro secretion of MMP-2 in Mes1 cells both at 7 and 14 days. Cell invasion, as measured by matrigel-coated filter, increased after 7 and 14 days infection with C. pneumoniae, compared with uninfected Mes1 cells. The results of this study suggest that C. pneumoniae infection might support cellular transformation, thus increasing lung cancer risk. [Int Microbiol 2014; 17(4):185-193]Keywords: Chlamydia pneumoniae · cytotoxicity · human mesothelial cells · cellular transformation · tumoral marker

Morphological and chemical analysis of Tremolite related to natural asbestos in the road paving

Tremolite group minerals could be present in the aggregate used as filler in the mix asphalt floor in the road sur- faces and are subject to wear for vehicular traffic and materials ageing. Dust produced by the degradation of asphalt surfaces can disperse tremolite group minerals present in road paving causing exposure by asbestos fiber to an increasing number of people and animals. In recent years, attention has been focused on naturally occurring asbestos (NOA) as the greatest frequency of lung cancer has been observed in environments characterized by rocks and soils rich in Tremolite that characterize asbestos minerals. Asphalt samples object of this study were collected in a motorway segment of the Lombardia Region (north of Italy) for an exposure assessment research on road paving workers. The evaluation was performed using a metrological approach based on petrographic and mineralogical analyses in order to reduce the epidemiologic risks and to define the best treatment strategies on waste management with sustainable costs in fulfilment of Council Directive 67/548/EEC (1967) and EC Regulation 1272/2008 (2008) (Paglietti et al., 2016). The fibers are generally not broken down to other compounds in the environment, but asbestos hazard could be related to the occurrence of tremolite fiber in road paving arises when natural weathering processes (e.g., erosion) or human activities (e.g., continuous passage of motorized vehicles) separate and breakdown the fibers, which could be lost into the environment as airborne and easily penetrate into the human respiratory tract (Punturo et al., 2019). Despite this, this work is not an epidemiological risk analysis but obtained data could be useful to other specialists to define the exposure risks

Evaluation of the radionuclide concentration in the sediments of the Sacca di Goro (Italy)

Chernobyl accident introduced many radionuclides into the environment and Sacca di Goro, in the Adriatic Sea (north of Italy) is one of the areas affected by the contamination of Chernobyl products. Since the average lifetime of many radionuclides emitted by the fall-out is now over, a further campaign was carry out to check the current situation of these radionuclides. Sediment samples were collected in the lagoon of Sacca di Goro (Ferrara, Italy). The radionuclide concentration was analyzed by High Purity Germanium Radiation Detectors. The results allow to create a complete mapping describing the spatial distribution of 137Cs, 40K, 238U, 232Th and 226Ra in the sediment of Sacca di Goro after Chernobyl radionuclide contamination

Vitamin D Receptor Activators and Clinical Outcomes in Chronic Kidney Disease

Vitamin D deficiency appears to be an underestimated risk factor for cardiovascular disease in patients with chronic kidney disease. Evidence from both basic science and clinical studies supports the possible protective role of vitamin D beyond its effect on mineral metabolism. Toxicity of pharmacologic doses of active vitamin D metabolites, in particular calcitriol, is mainly due to the possibility of positive calcium and phosphorus balance. Therefore, vitamin D analogs have been developed, which suppress PTH secretion and synthesis with reduced calcemic and phosphatemic effects. Observational studies suggest that in hemodialysis patients the use of a vitamin D receptor (VDR) activator, such as calcitriol, doxercalciferol, paricalcitol, or alfacalcidol, is associated with a reduced mortality when compared with nonusers of any VDR activator. In this article the existing literature on the topic is reviewed, although a more robust answer to the question of whether or not VDR activators have beneficial effects in hemodialysis patients will hopefully come from a randomized controlled trial