The boulder berm of Punta Saguerra (Taranto, Italy): a morphological imprint of the Rossano Calabro tsunami of April 24, 1836?

An extended berm of calcarenitic boulders is recognisable at Punta Saguerra, few kilometres south of Taranto (Apulia, Italy) while isolated boulders are sparse in other near localities. The berm is at 2–5 m above present sea level (a.p.s.l), on a rocky headland gently sloping toward the sea; it is separated from the coastline by a large terrace. A detailed study of its stratigraphy and its morphology has been performed in order to define its depositional mechanism; in particular, integrated DGPS and Laser Scanner surveys have provided precise details of each boulder: position, size and distance from the shoreline. The accumulation is constitute of boulders up to 30 tons, which locally are arranged in rows of embricated patterns. The surfaces of the biggest boulders are characterised by biogenic encrustations and by solution potholes that indicate their intertidal/adlittoral/spray zone provenience. Based on direct observations of each boulder (size, shape, weight and long axis azimuth), together with hydrodynamic equations it is possible to hypothesize the extreme event—geodynamic or meteorological— which was responsible for this singular accumulation. AMS age determinations on Vermetid sp. sampled on boulder surfaces and chronicle suggest that the accumulation may be attributed to the tsunami generated by the strong earthquake that occurred on April 24, 1836, the epicentre of which has been localised near Rossano Calabro, along the Ionian coast of northern Calabria

Impact of historical tsunamis on a sandy coastal barrier: an example from the northern Gargano coast, southern Italy

International audienceThe Lesina coastal barrier is characterized by the presence of three wide washover fans. They were formed by three distinct tsunamis which struck the northern coast of the Gargano Promontory (Apulia, Italy) during historical times. A model for their formation is presented. It takes into account the geomorphological data collected and some reports about the effect of recent tsunamis on coastal barriers and beaches. Washover fans were produced by tsunami waves which ran through coseismic cracks developed on dune ridges shaping a narrow, straight and relatively deep trench which constitutes the fan throat. Moreover, each tsunami event most likely caused severe erosion of the coastal barrier, shaping erosive grooves across the dune ridges, causing beach cliffs and causing the nourishment of submarine offshore bars. After the tsunami, a phase of coastal barrier recovery began, forming new dune ridges and closing washover fan throats. Morphological, archeological and radiometric data indicate a pre-Roman age for the oldest event, which was dated at 2430 years BP. The second tsunami struck the Lesina coastal barrier with similar magnitude 1550 years BP; it was caused by the strong earthquake that occurred at Gargano Promontory in the year 493 AD as reported by a medieval sacred legend. The smallest and more recent fan formed following the tsunami that hit the northern coast of Gargano on 30 July 1627

Note di archeologia nei “Bozzetti di viaggio”

Cosimo De Giorgi was an eminent scholar, involved in many fields of knowledge. He also dealt with archaeology by directing excavations in the area of the Lecce’s amphitheatre in the very early years of the 20th century. On the other hand, he had gone through a long period of ‘self-education’ developing an intense field activity that included observation and documentation of anthropic and natural phenomena. The “Bozzetti di Viaggio” fixed this phase of De Giorgi’s life and they constitute a useful tool for modern-day archaeology as well; in fact they can help us to take a journey back in time and see with De Giorgi’s eyes what the Salento peninsula looked like 150 years ago

Note di archeologia nei "Bozzetti di viaggio"

EnCosimo De Giorgi was an eminent scholar, involved in many fields of knowledge. He also dealt with archaeology by directing excavations in the area of the Lecce's amphitheatre in the very early years of the 20th century. On the other hand, he had gone through a long period of 'self-education' developing an intense field activity that included observation and documentation of anthropic and natural phenomena. The "Bozzetti di Viaggio" fixed this phase of De Giorgi's life and they constitute a useful tool for modern-day archaeology as well; in fact they can help us to take a journey back in time and see with De Giorgi's eyes what the Salento peninsula looked like 150 years ago.ItCosimo De Giorgi fu insigne studioso, impegnato in tanti campi del sapere. Egli si occupò anche di archeologia dirigendo gli scavi a Lecce nella zona dell'anfiteatro nei primissimi anni del '900. Egli d'altro canto aveva attraversato un lungo periodo di 'autoformazione' sviluppando un'intensa attività sul campo che includeva osservazione e documentazione di fenomeni antropici e naturali. I "Bozzetti di viaggio" fissano tale fase della vita di De Giorgi e costituiscono uno strumento utile anche all'archeologia dei nostri giorni, per effettuare un viaggio nel tempo e vedere con gli occhi attenti del De Giorgi l'aspetto della penisola salentina 150 anni fa

Congenital rhabdomyosarcoma: a different clinical presentation in two cases

Background: Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS), one of the most common soft tissue sarcomas of childhood, is very rare in the neonatal period (0.4-2% of cases). In order to gain a deeper understanding of this disease at such age, patient and tumor features, as well as treatment modality and outcome need to be reported. Case presentation: We describe two cases with congenital RMS treated at Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital between 2000 and 2016. They represent only 2.24% of all RMS patients diagnosed during that period in our Institution; this data is in agreement with the incidence reported in the literature. They reflect the two different clinical forms in which the disease may manifest itself. One patient, with the alveolar subtype (positive for specific PAX3-FOXO1 fusion transcript) and disseminated disease, had a fatal outcome with central nervous system (CNS) progression despite conventional and high dose chemotherapy. The other child, with the localized embryonal subtype, was treated successfully with conservative surgery and conventional chemotherapy, including prolonged maintenance therapy. He is disease free at 7 years of follow-up. Conclusions: RMS can also be diagnosed during the neonatal period. Given the young age, disease management is often challenging, and especially for the alveolar subtype, the outcome is dismal despite intensified multimodality therapy. In fact, it characteristically manifests with multiple subcutaneous nodules and progression most commonly occurs in the CNS (Rodriguez-Galindo et al., Cancer 92(6):1613-20, 2001). In this context, CNS prophylaxis could play a role in preventing leptomeningeal dissemination, and molecular studies can allow a deeper tumor characterization, treatment stratification and identification of new potential therapeutic targets

New Archaeological Evidences of Relative Sea-level Changes along the Coastlines of Apulia (Southern Italy)

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Anomalous vascularization in a Wnt medulloblastoma: A case report

BACKGROUND: Medulloblastoma is the most common malignant brain tumor in children. To date only few cases of medulloblastoma with hemorrhages have been reported in the literature. Although some studies speculate on the pathogenesis of this anomalous increased vascularization in medulloblastoma, the specific mechanism is still far from clearly understood. A correlation between molecular medulloblastoma subgroups and hemorrhagic features has not been reported, although recent preliminary studies described that WNT-subtype tumors display increased vascularization and hemorrhaging. CASE PRESENTATION: Herein, we describe a child with a Wnt-medulloblastoma presenting as cerebellar-vermian hemorrhagic lesion. Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed the presence of a midline posterior fossa mass with a cystic hemorrhagic component. The differential diagnosis based on imaging included cavernous hemangioma, arteriovenous malformation and traumatic lesion. At surgery, the tumor appeared richly vascularized as documented by the preoperative angiography. CONCLUSIONS: The case we present showed that Wnt medulloblastoma may be associated with anomalous vascularization. Further studies are needed to elucidate if there is a link between the hypervascularization and the Wnt/β-catenin signaling activation and if this abnormal vasculature might influence drug penetration contributing to good prognosis of this medulloblastoma subgroup

Animal sacrificial rituals in pre-Roman Southern Italy: Dog sacrifices in Vaste.

The paper focuses on the results of the archaeological research carried out by the University of Salento in Vaste (Southern Apulia). In the very centre of this ancient settlement, a holy place was set up between the 4th and 3rd centuries BC: three cavities contained the remains of rituals involving the sacrifice of domestic animals with subsequent slaughter, cooking, and collective banquets. Even five dogs were sacrificed, although they were neither slaughtered nor consumed. Ancient authors report that bloody dog rituals were associated with the different aspects of religious behaviour based on the particular value attributed to this animal; this value was often ambiguous, since the dog was associated with many gods and considered impure and unclean. It is possible to identify the use of this rite in several contexts of the Italian peninsula between the Iron Age and Romanization, in which similar acts were clearly distinguished in the stratigraphy and interpreted as “abandonment” or “closing rituals”: the remains of the dogs lay above the layers of votive deposits or in contact with the destruction and abandonment layers. An analysis of the ritual and an explanation of its diffusion, together with an exegesis of the literary sources, can be framed in a research perspective that includes the anthropology of the ritual. It emerges that human alimentary behaviours, even prohibitions in the case of dogs, provide a key to understanding the ritual attitude towards animals; these behaviours are inscribed in the relationship of perpetual tension between the feelings of affinity and distinction, between human society and animal species