THE COMPLEX POINT CLOUD FOR THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE. SOME EXPERIENCES

The present paper aims to present a series of experiences and experimentations that a group of PhD from the University of Naples Federico II conducted over the past decade. This work has concerned the survey and the graphic restitution of monuments and works of art, finalized to their conservation. The targeted query of complex point cloud acquired by 3D scanners, integrated with photo sensors and thermal imaging, has allowed to explore new possibilities of investigation. In particular, we will present the scientific results of the experiments carried out on some important historical artifacts with distinct morphological and typological characteristics. According to aims and needs that emerged during the connotative process, with the support of archival and iconographic historical research, the laser scanner technology has been used in many different ways. New forms of representation, obtained directly from the point cloud, have been tested for the elaboration of thematic studies for documenting the pathologies and the decay of materials, for correlating visible aspects with invisible aspects of the artifact

Kaempferol, myricetin and fisetin in prostate and bladder cancer: A systematic review of the literature

Prostate and bladder cancer represent the two most frequently diagnosed genito-urinary malignancies. Diet has been implicated in both prostate and bladder cancer. Given their prolonged latency and high prevalence rates, both prostate and bladder cancer represent attractive candidates for dietary preventive measures, including the use of nutritional supplements. Flavonols, a class of flavonoids, are commonly found in fruit and vegetables and are known for their protective effect against diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Furthermore, a higher dietary intake of flavonols was associated with a lower risk of both bladder and prostate cancer in epidemiological studies. In this systematic review, we gathered all available evidence supporting the anti-cancer potential of selected flavonols (kaempferol, fisetin and myricetin) against bladder and prostate cancer. A total of 21, 15 and 7 pre-clinical articles on bladder or prostate cancer reporting on kaempferol, fisetin and myricetin, respectively, were found, while more limited evidence was available from animal models and epidemiological studies or clinical trials. In conclusion, the available evidence supports the potential use of these flavonols in prostate and bladder cancer, with a low expected toxicity, thus providing the rationale for clinical trials that explore dosing, settings for clinical use as well as their use in combination with other pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions

A Comparative Study of the Triglycerides/HDL Ratio and Pseudocholinesterase Levels in Patients with Bladder Cancer

Background: Lipid alterations may serve as potential tumour biomarkers. The ratio of triglycerides to HDL cholesterol (TG/HDL ratio) is associated with various cancers. Pseudocholinesterase (PChE) activity, involved in TG hydrolysis, plays an important role in the metabolism of lipoprotein. There is scarce data assessing the reliability of both the TG/HDL ratio and PChE levels in correctly classifying patients suffering from bladder cancer. Methods: Three hundred and ninety-six patients undergoing cystoscopy or transurethral resection of the bladder (TURB), broken into two major groups, i.e., patients with histologically confirmed, non-metastatic bladder cancer (n = 208) and without bladder cancer (no bladder cancer, n = 188), formed the study population. The last group was split into two subgroups consisting of a cohort of patients never suffering from bladder cancer but with other bladder diseases (no CaBD, n = 100) and another cohort formed by patients characterised by eradicated bladder cancer after TURB with no recurrence during a three-month follow-up (previous bladder cancer, n = 88). Pieces of information by both metabolic derangement (the presence of type 2 diabetes mellitus), hypertension and lipid profile were retrieved from patient records upon entry to the study. Sensitivity, specificity, areas under the ROC (AUROC) of the TG/HDL ratio, and PChE levels were used in diagnostic decision making. Results: The TG/HDL ratio as well as PChE concentrations of bladder cancer patients were significantly different when compared to those with previous bladder cancer and the no CaBD patients (p = 0.023 and 0.0004, respectively). There was an independent role of both the TG/HDL ratio and PChE levels in predicting the presence of bladder cancer (OR: 1.22 and 0.99, respectively), but the reliability of the TG/HDL ratio (AUROC: 0.587) was superior to that of PChE levels (AUROC: 0.374). The AUROC of a new parameter resulting from the combination of the TG/HDL ratio with PChE levels showed a further increment in the discriminant power of the bladder cancer presence (0.6298), interestingly with a negative predictive value (89%) according to the Bayesian approach. The cut-off of the TG/HDL ratio, the main marker of the present study that better distinguishes bladder cancer from no bladder cancer patients, was 2.147. Discussion and Conclusions: The reliability of the TG/HDL ratio is based on the fact that this parameter likely mirrors the insulin resistance (IR) underlying bladder cancer patients. Furthermore, PChE levels evidence both IR and the associated non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. The TG/HDL ratio and PChE levels as well as their combined use could help physicians to assess/confirm the presence of this very common cancer, where early detection is important to ensure the best therapeutical approach

Erectile and sexual dysfunction in male and female patients with celiac disease: A cross-sectional observational study

Introduction: Sexual function is often impaired in patients with chronic illnesses. Several patients with chronic gastrointestinal and liver disorders have been shown to suffer from sexual dysfunction, and celiac disease is a highly prevalent gastroenterological disorder. Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the sexual function incidence and the risk factors for sexual dysfunction in both male and female celiac disease patients. Methods: Two hundred and eighty-four patients (170 females, 114 males) participated in this cross-sectional observational study in an anonymous manner. Female sexual function was assessed through the Female Sexual Function Index questionnaire. Male sexual function was assessed through the International Index of Erectile Function-5 questionnaire. Clinical-demographic variables were recorded. We investigated differences in the patient-reported outcomes among the different subgroups and whether there were clinical-demographic predictors of sexual dysfunction in our setting. Main outcome measures: Prevalence and assessment of sexual dysfunction in celiac disease patients. Results: In the female group, 85 subjects (50%) had a total score compatible with sexual dysfunction: 43 (61.42%) showed low desire, 79 (46.47%) showed arousal disorder, 66 (38.82%) lubrication disorder, and 84 (49.41%) inability of obtaining an orgasm. Also, a large proportion of our female patients, 161 (94.70%), showed sexual discomfort during intercourse. In the male group, 79 patients (62.2%) showed scores compatible with normal erectile function, eight (7.01%) had mild erectile dysfunction, 24 (21.05%) mild to moderate erectile dysfunction, and three (2.63%) presented severe erectile dysfunction. Altered body mass index was significantly associated with sexual dysfunction both in male and female patients. Early age at diagnosis was a significant predictor of sexual dysfunction in male celiac disease patients. Conclusions: A significant proportion of celiac disease patients present sexual dysfunction. Early age at diagnosis and high body mass index seem to predict sexual dysfunction in this clinical setting. Assessment of sexual function should be part of the initial evaluation of celiac disease patients in order to establish a prompt diagnosis and early treatment

The Role of Testosterone in the Elderly: What Do We Know?

Testosterone is the most important hormone in male health. Aging is characterized by testosterone deficiency due to decreasing testosterone levels associated with low testicular production, genetic factors, adiposity, and illness. Low testosterone levels in men are associated with sexual dysfunction (low sexual desire, erectile dysfunction), reduced skeletal muscle mass and strength, decreased bone mineral density, increased cardiovascular risk and alterations of the glycometabolic profile. Testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) shows several therapeutic effects while maintaining a good safety profile in hypogonadal men. TRT restores normal levels of serum testosterone in men, increasing libido and energy level and producing beneficial effects on bone density, strength and muscle as well as yielding cardioprotective effects. Nevertheless, TRT could be contraindicated in men with untreated prostate cancer, although poor findings are reported in the literature. In addition, different potential side effects, such as polycythemia, cardiac events and obstructive sleep apnea, should be monitored. The aim of our review is to provide an updated background regarding the pros and cons of TRT, evaluating its role and its clinical applicability in different domains

La chiesa dei Santi Filippo e Giacomo in Napoli: interventi di consolidamento nel XX secolo

The church, built in 1593 by the Art of Silk Guild, was completely renovated in 1759, under the direction of the architect Gennaro Papa, recovering surviving elements of the 16th-century structure. It has a single nave with four chapels on each side and a large apse. Damaged during the war and the 1980 earthquake, the monument has been object of restorations and consolidation in the 20th century. In particular, the instabilities on which they intervened were in the masonry of the last two chapels to the right of the nave and in the hypogeum: armed perforations, reinforced fixing of walls’ corners, injections of binding mixtures were carried out. These works make us think about the evolution of the approach in anti-seismic legislation and the disciplinary acquisitions on the restoration/consolidation relationship, particularly as regards to the concept of seismic "improvement"

Il paesaggio storico culturale di Ischia. Spunti di riflessione

The ‘reading’ of the historical cultural landscape of the island ‘green’ at the end of the Campi Flegrei is complex for multiple values to consider. It is a territory that already from its origin is characterized by unique and specific aspects; In fact, the geological experts define it ‘laccolith’, that an island born from an eruption marina. This singularity is not only a matter, but even permeates the site today in which the Epomeo mountain top overlooking a context of evident traces of lava flows and an intense forest vegetation, providing spectacular views, to the coast overlooking the sea, where even today special names connote sites, such as the creek called ‘scarrupata’. On this island there is still a significant historical and archaeological stratification since the early settlements of the Greek colonists. In the six municipalities that exist today - the result of an administrative breakdown of the completely incongruous with consequent parochial pressures - they have alternated different civilizations, were built urban centers and the first of these towers, part of a defense system against Saracen invasions which had in castle its strategic bulwark. The historical centers have been heavily modified, with extensions animals and use of the land: they wanted the characters to the stratified period which followed the Second World War, as evidenced by the travels of Cesare Brandi, who develops the character still "rural" the island territory at the time of his travels before and after this conflict. A historic agricultural vocation, despite the fact that the sea surrounds it completely, based on traditional crops that tear rough edges to the area of land and, taking advantage of the sun exposure and the fertile volcanic soil, determine the engraftment of vineyards, whose wines are very popular today. Among the extraordinary island resources are added, still, hot springs, always linked to the volcanic nature of the site, which in some cases visually characterize the territory. Natural and cultural resources that characterize the historical and cultural landscape, then, are many and the contribution that it has tried to provide a diachronic reading, useful to start a process that integrated conservation, environmental protection and preservation, can interpret correctly instances of exploitation

L'isola di Ischia: una sostenibilità per la politica di difesa e valorizzazione delle risorse ambientali

L’Isola d’Ischia, collocata nel golfo di Napoli, è ben nota per le sue risorse ambientali, naturali, storiche e paesaggistiche. Tali risorse si integrano nel paesaggio creato nei secoli dal lavoro dell’uomo che comprende le aree coltivate soprattutto a vigneto, l’edilizia rurale sparsa e i piccoli centri abitati, nonché il sistema delle torri e l’architettura di interesse storico-artistico e ambientale. L’economia turistica, con punte altissime di presenze, ha comportato uno sviluppo abnorme dell’edilizia, in particolare delle seconde case, con un consumo del territorio ai limiti della sostenibilità. Tuttavia sopravvivono aree agricole, soprattutto lungo i declivi collinari, in cui si continua la coltivazione della vite secondo tecniche millenarie che contribuiscono a conservare alcuni tratti del tradizionale paesaggio ischitano: attualmente le aree coltivate a vigneto coprono 400 ettari. All’interno della città metropolitana di Napoli mancano Piani strategici per un’area omogenea che potrebbe individuarsi nei comuni della Baia di Napoli e, tra questi, i sei comuni dell’isola di Ischia. Il piano paesistico vigente è del tutto anacronistico e si attende un Piano Paesaggistico Territoriale varato dalla Regione, ispirato alla logica della conservazione, ma anche a quella dello sviluppo e, dunque, alla sostenibilità ambientale. Invece, l’interesse attuale sembra rivolto esclusivamente al varo dell’ennesimo condono per i comuni colpiti dal recente sisma. Oltre che segnalare i caratteri del paesaggio ischitano, si vuole contribuire alla sensibilizzazione per la conservazione di un modello di sviluppo sostenibile e compatibile con le ridotte disponibilità territoriali dell’isola