Satellite-Based Reconstruction of the Volcanic Deposits during the December 2015 Etna Eruption

Satellite-derived data, including an estimation of the eruption rate, proximal volcanic deposits and lava flow morphometric parameters (area, maximum length, thickness, and volume) are provided for the eruption that occurred at Mt Etna on 6–8 December 2015. This eruption took place at the New Southeast Crater (NSEC), the youngest of the summit craters of Etna, shortly after a sequence of four violent paroxysmal events took place in 65 h (3–5 December) at "Voragine", the oldest summit crater. Multispectral SEVIRI images at 15 min sampling time have been used to compute time-averaged eruption rate curves, while tri-stereo Pléiades images, at 50 cm spatial resolution, provided the pre-eruptive topography and topographic changes due to volcanic deposits. In addition to the two types of satellite data, other parameters have been inferred, such as probable vesicularity and pyroclastic deposits

Characterization of the response of spring-based relative gravimeters during paroxysmal eruptions at Etna volcano

Gravity time sequences collected at Etna volcano by continuously recording spring-based relative gravimeters showed significant variations in temporal correspondence with paroxysmal eruptions. Since the observed gravity variations can only be partially related to subsurface mass redistribution phenomena, we investigated the instrumental effects due to ground vibrations such as those that accompany explosive activity. We simulated the performances of relative gravimeters with laboratory experiments to estimate their response to vertical and horizontal excitations. Laboratory tests were carried out using a vibrating platform capable of accelerating the instruments with intensities and frequencies, in both the vertical and horizontal directions, observed in the ground vibrations associated with paroxysmal events. The seismic signals recorded at Etna volcano during the 10 April 2011 lava fountain were analyzed to retrieve the parameters used to drive the vibration platform. We tested two gravimeters used for Etna volcano monitoring: the LaCoste & Romberg D#185 (Lafayette, CO, USA) and the Scintrex CG-3 M#9310234 (Concord, ON, Canada). The experiment results highlight that the vibrations resembling the seismic waves propagated during paroxysmal events cause an amplitude response in the gravity readings on the order of several hundred microgals (μGal). Generally, the relationship between the vibrations and the gravimeter response is nonlinear, with a fairly complex dependence on the frequencies and amplitudes of the signals acting on the gravimeters

ABSOLUTE AND RELATIVE GRAVITY MEASUREMENTS AT ETNA VOLCANO (ITALY)

Employing both absolute and relative gravimeters, we carried out three hybrid microgravity surveys at Etna volcano between 2007 and 2009. The repeated measurements highlighted the spatio-time evolution of the gravity field associated with the volcanic unrest. We detected a gravity increase attained an amplitude of about 80 µGal on the summit area of the volcano between July 2008 and July 2009. The observed gravity increase could reflect mass accumulations into shallow magma storage system of the volcano located at 1÷2 km below sea level. We present here data and the advantages in using the combined approach of relative and absolute measurements performed at Etna volcano.PublishedSaint Petersburg, Russia2.6. TTC - Laboratorio di gravimetria, magnetismo ed elettromagnetismo in aree attiveope

The VEI 2 Christmas 2018 Etna Eruption: A Small But Intense Eruptive Event or the Starting Phase of a Larger One?

The Etna flank eruption that started on 24 December 2018 lasted a few days and involved the opening of an eruptive fissure, accompanied by a seismic swarm and shallow earthquakes, significant SO2 flux release, and by large and widespread ground deformation, especially on the eastern flank of the volcano. Lava fountains and ash plumes from the uppermost eruptive fissure accompanied the opening stage, causing disruption to Catania International Airport, and were followed by a quiet lava effusion within the barren Valle del Bove depression until 27 December. This was the first flank eruption to occur at Etna in the last decade, during which eruptive activity was confined to the summit craters and resulted in lava fountains and lava flow output from the crater rims. In this paper, we used ground and satellite remote sensing techniques to describe the sequence of events, quantify the erupted volumes of lava, gas, and tephra, and assess volcanic hazards.Publishedid 9056V. Pericolosità vulcanica e contributi alla stima del rischioJCR Journa

Mapping Volcanic Deposits of the 2011–2015 Etna Eruptive Events Using Satellite Remote Sensing

Estimates of lava volumes provide important data on the lava flooding history and evolution of a volcano. For mapping volcanic deposits, including lava flows, the advancement of satellite remote sensing techniques offers a great potential. Here we characterize the eruptive events occurred at Mt Etna between January 2011 and December 2015 leading to the emplacement of numerous lava flows and to the formation of a new pyroclastic cone (NSEC) on the eastern flank of the South East Crater. The HOTSAT system is used to analyze remote sensing data acquired by the SEVIRI sensor in order to detect the thermal anomalies from active lava flows and calculate the associated radiative power. The time-series analysis of SEVIRI data provides an estimation of event magnitude and intensity of the effusive material erupted during each event. The cumulative volume estimated from SEVIRI images from 2011 to 2015 adds up to ~106 millions of cubic meters of lava, with a time-averaged rate of ~0.68 m3 s−1. This estimate is independently supported and bounded using a topographic approach, i.e., by subtracting the last topography of Etna updated to 2005 from a 2015 digital elevation model (DEM), produced using tri-stereo Pléiades satellite images acquired on December 18, 2015. The total volume of products erupted from 2005 to 2015, calculated from topography difference by integration of the thickness distribution over the area covered, is about 287 × 106 m3, of which ~55 × 106 m3 is the volume of the NSEC cone. This 10-year volume is below the typical erupted volumes on decadal scale at Mt Etna, interrupting its stable and resilient output trend

Prescription appropriateness of anti-diabetes drugs in elderly patients hospitalized in a clinical setting: evidence from the REPOSI Register

Diabetes is an increasing global health burden with the highest prevalence (24.0%) observed in elderly people. Older diabetic adults have a greater risk of hospitalization and several geriatric syndromes than older nondiabetic adults. For these conditions, special care is required in prescribing therapies including anti- diabetes drugs. Aim of this study was to evaluate the appropriateness and the adherence to safety recommendations in the prescriptions of glucose-lowering drugs in hospitalized elderly patients with diabetes. Data for this cross-sectional study were obtained from the REgistro POliterapie-Società Italiana Medicina Interna (REPOSI) that collected clinical information on patients aged ≥ 65 years acutely admitted to Italian internal medicine and geriatric non-intensive care units (ICU) from 2010 up to 2019. Prescription appropriateness was assessed according to the 2019 AGS Beers Criteria and anti-diabetes drug data sheets.Among 5349 patients, 1624 (30.3%) had diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. At admission, 37.7% of diabetic patients received treatment with metformin, 37.3% insulin therapy, 16.4% sulfonylureas, and 11.4% glinides. Surprisingly, only 3.1% of diabetic patients were treated with new classes of anti- diabetes drugs. According to prescription criteria, at admission 15.4% of patients treated with metformin and 2.6% with sulfonylureas received inappropriately these treatments. At discharge, the inappropriateness of metformin therapy decreased (10.2%, P < 0.0001). According to Beers criteria, the inappropriate prescriptions of sulfonylureas raised to 29% both at admission and at discharge. This study shows a poor adherence to current guidelines on diabetes management in hospitalized elderly people with a high prevalence of inappropriate use of sulfonylureas according to the Beers criteria

Clinical features and outcomes of elderly hospitalised patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, heart failure or both

Background and objective: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and heart failure (HF) mutually increase the risk of being present in the same patient, especially if older. Whether or not this coexistence may be associated with a worse prognosis is debated. Therefore, employing data derived from the REPOSI register, we evaluated the clinical features and outcomes in a population of elderly patients admitted to internal medicine wards and having COPD, HF or COPD + HF. Methods: We measured socio-demographic and anthropometric characteristics, severity and prevalence of comorbidities, clinical and laboratory features during hospitalization, mood disorders, functional independence, drug prescriptions and discharge destination. The primary study outcome was the risk of death. Results: We considered 2,343 elderly hospitalized patients (median age 81 years), of whom 1,154 (49%) had COPD, 813 (35%) HF, and 376 (16%) COPD + HF. Patients with COPD + HF had different characteristics than those with COPD or HF, such as a higher prevalence of previous hospitalizations, comorbidities (especially chronic kidney disease), higher respiratory rate at admission and number of prescribed drugs. Patients with COPD + HF (hazard ratio HR 1.74, 95% confidence intervals CI 1.16-2.61) and patients with dementia (HR 1.75, 95% CI 1.06-2.90) had a higher risk of death at one year. The Kaplan-Meier curves showed a higher mortality risk in the group of patients with COPD + HF for all causes (p = 0.010), respiratory causes (p = 0.006), cardiovascular causes (p = 0.046) and respiratory plus cardiovascular causes (p = 0.009). Conclusion: In this real-life cohort of hospitalized elderly patients, the coexistence of COPD and HF significantly worsened prognosis at one year. This finding may help to better define the care needs of this population

The “Diabetes Comorbidome”: A Different Way for Health Professionals to Approach the Comorbidity Burden of Diabetes

(1) Background: The disease burden related to diabetes is increasing greatly, particularly in older subjects. A more comprehensive approach towards the assessment and management of diabetes’ comorbidities is necessary. The aim of this study was to implement our previous data identifying and representing the prevalence of the comorbidities, their association with mortality, and the strength of their relationship in hospitalized elderly patients with diabetes, developing, at the same time, a new graphic representation model of the comorbidome called “Diabetes Comorbidome”. (2) Methods: Data were collected from the RePoSi register. Comorbidities, socio-demographic data, severity and comorbidity indexes (Cumulative Illness rating Scale CIRS-SI and CIRS-CI), and functional status (Barthel Index), were recorded. Mortality rates were assessed in hospital and 3 and 12 months after discharge. (3) Results: Of the 4714 hospitalized elderly patients, 1378 had diabetes. The comorbidities distribution showed that arterial hypertension (57.1%), ischemic heart disease (31.4%), chronic renal failure (28.8%), atrial fibrillation (25.6%), and COPD (22.7%), were the more frequent in subjects with diabetes. The graphic comorbidome showed that the strongest predictors of death at in hospital and at the 3-month follow-up were dementia and cancer. At the 1-year follow-up, cancer was the first comorbidity independently associated with mortality. (4) Conclusions: The “Diabetes Comorbidome” represents the perfect instrument for determining the prevalence of comorbidities and the strength of their relationship with risk of death, as well as the need for an effective treatment for improving clinical outcomes