Seismic Performance Assessment of the Historical Reggio Calabria Cathedral

Background: Italy's church buildings' cultural and architectural significance cannot be overstated. Objective: This paper addresses the seismic vulnerability of the cathedral located in Reggio Calabria, Italy. The analysis of this building is interesting as it was retrofitted after the destructive 1908 Messina-Reggio Calabria earthquake. Methods: The original design illustrating the static schemes and the considered actions of the church are described. Structural drawings of that time are also reported, which proved to be fundamental for the numerical modelling of the building. The issues and assumptions made during the modelling phase of the structure with the seismic actions are also illustrated. All the transverse and longitudinal frames were analysed using nonlinear analysis to evaluate the seismic capacity and vulnerability indicators in terms of accelerations and periods. Results: The results provided by the modal analysis are presented and discussed to highlight the global dynamic behaviour of the church. Conclusion: The seismic vulnerability indicators have been calculated by considering the seismic actions recommended by the current technical standards and concerning the 1975 Messina earthquake, which represents the most severe earthquake experienced by the church

Dimethyl fumarate: Regulatory effects on the immune system in the treatment of multiple sclerosis

Dimethyl fumarate (DMF) is an important oral treatment option for various autoimmune diseases, such as multiple sclerosis (MS) and psoriasis. DMF and its dynamic metabolite, monomethyl fumarate (MMF) are the major compounds that exert therapeutic effects on several pathologic conditions in part, through downregulation of immune responses. The exact mechanism of DMF is yet to be fully understood even though its beneficial effects on the immune system are extensively studied. It has been shown that DMF/MMF can affect various immune cells, which can get involved in both the naive and adaptive immune systems, such as T cells, B cells, dendritic cells, macrophages, neutrophils, and natural killer cells. It is suggested that DMF/MMF may exert their effect on immune cells through inhibition of nuclear factor-κB translocation, upregulation of nuclear factor erythroid-derived 2(E2)-related factor antioxidant pathway, and activation of hydroxyl carboxylic acid receptor 2. In this review, the mechanisms underlying the modulatory functions of DMF or MMF on the main immune cell populations involved in the immunopathogenesis of MS are discusse