La pericolosità sismica in Italia e nell’area dello stretto di Messina

Le stime probabilistiche della pericolosità sismica sono alla base di qualsiasi politica di prevenzione dei danni da terremoto, sia perché utilizzate per definire le aree prioritarie per interventi di riduzione del rischio sismico, sia perché su di esse si basa la normativa tecnica per le costruzioni. Eppure, nonostante la loro importanza, non esiste una procedura standard universalmente riconosciuta per definire con precisione la pericolosità sismica di un’area

Valproate Use Is Associated With Posterior Cortical Thinning and Ventricular Enlargement in Epilepsy Patients

Valproate is a drug widely used to treat epilepsy, bipolar disorder, and occasionally to prevent migraine headache. Despite its clinical efficacy, prenatal exposure to valproate is associated with neurodevelopmental impairments and its use in children and adults was associated with rare cases of reversible brain atrophy and ventricular enlargement. To determine whether valproate use is related with structural brain changes we examined through a cross-sectional study cortical and subcortical structures in a group of 152 people with epilepsy and a normal clinical brain MRI. Patients were grouped into those currently using valproate (n = 54), those taking drugs other than valproate (n = 47), and drug-naïve patients (n = 51) at the time of MRI, irrespectively of their epilepsy syndrome. Cortical thickness and subcortical volumes were analyzed using Freesurfer, version 5.0. Subjects exposed to valproate (either in mono- or polytherapy) showed reduced cortical thickness in the occipital lobe, more precisely in the cuneus bilaterally, in the left lingual gyrus, and in left and right pericalcarine gyri when compared to patients who used other antiepileptic drugs, to drug-naïve epilepsy patients, and to healthy controls. Considering the subgroup of patients using valproate monotherapy (n = 25), both comparisons with healthy controls and drug-naïve groups confirmed occipital lobe cortical thickness reduction. Moreover, patients using valproate showed increased left and right lateral ventricle volume compared to all other groups. Notably, subjects who were non-valproate users at the time of MRI, but who had valproate exposure in the past (n = 27) did not show these cortical or subcortical brain changes. Cortical changes in the posterior cortex, particularly in the visual cortex, and ventricular enlargement, are present in people with epilepsy using valproate, independently from clinical and demographical variables. These findings are relevant both for the efficacy and adverse events profile of valproate use in people with epilepsy

Valproate Use Is Associated With Posterior Cortical Thinning and Ventricular Enlargement in Epilepsy Patients

Valproate is a drug widely used to treat epilepsy, bipolar disorder, and occasionally to prevent migraine headache. Despite its clinical efficacy, prenatal exposure to valproate is associated with neurodevelopmental impairments and its use in children and adults was associated with rare cases of reversible brain atrophy and ventricular enlargement. To determine whether valproate use is related with structural brain changes we examined through a cross-sectional study cortical and subcortical structures in a group of 152 people with epilepsy and a normal clinical brain MRI. Patients were grouped into those currently using valproate (n = 54), those taking drugs other than valproate (n = 47), and drug-naïve patients (n = 51) at the time of MRI, irrespectively of their epilepsy syndrome. Cortical thickness and subcortical volumes were analyzed using Freesurfer, version 5.0. Subjects exposed to valproate (either in mono- or polytherapy) showed reduced cortical thickness in the occipital lobe, more precisely in the cuneus bilaterally, in the left lingual gyrus, and in left and right pericalcarine gyri when compared to patients who used other antiepileptic drugs, to drug-naïve epilepsy patients, and to healthy controls. Considering the subgroup of patients using valproate monotherapy (n = 25), both comparisons with healthy controls and drug-naïve groups confirmed occipital lobe cortical thickness reduction. Moreover, patients using valproate showed increased left and right lateral ventricle volume compared to all other groups. Notably, subjects who were non-valproate users at the time of MRI, but who had valproate exposure in the past (n = 27) did not show these cortical or subcortical brain changes. Cortical changes in the posterior cortex, particularly in the visual cortex, and ventricular enlargement, are present in people with epilepsy using valproate, independently from clinical and demographical variables. These findings are relevant both for the efficacy and adverse events profile of valproate use in people with epilepsy

Nowcasting of Earthquake Consequences Using Big Social Data

Messages posted to social media in the aftermath of a natural disaster have value beyond detecting the event itself. Mining such deliberately dropped digital traces allows a precise situational awareness, to help provide a timely estimate of the disaster’s consequences on the population and infrastructures. Yet, to date, the automatic assessment of damage has received little attention. Here, the authors explore feeding predictive models by tweets conveying on-the-ground social sensors’ observations, to nowcast the perceived intensity of earthquakes

Gli effetti dell’introduzione della nuova mappa di pericolosità sulla valutazione del rischio sismico in Italia.

L’introduzione di una versione aggiornata della mappa di pericolosità sismica, definita per diversi periodi di ritorno e per svariati valori di ordinate spettrali, porta inevitabilmente a dei cambiamenti sul livello di rischio sismico del costruito italiano. Poiché la relazione tra domanda e capacità non è lineare per tutto il range di periodi di vibrazione strutturale, è necessario valutare il cambiamento del livello di rischio sismico calcolando esplicitamente la vulnerabilità sismica di strutture esistenti con diversi periodi di vibrazione, per diversi stati limite e considerando sia la nuova che la precedente definizione di pericolosità. Nel presente lavoro è stato eseguito un primo studio degli effetti che l’introduzione di mappe aggiornate della pericolosità sismica potrebbe avere sulla valutazione dei livelli di rischio sismico nel territorio italiano. Le caratteristiche generali del costruito sono state ricavate dai dati del 14° Censimento Generale della Popolazione e delle Abitazioni (ISTAT 2001), mentre una procedura probabilistica di valutazione sismica per edifici esistenti a scala urbana è stata impiegata per stimare la capacità. Sono stati considerati tutti i tre stati limite prescritti dall’Ordinanza (danno lieve, danno severo, collasso) in corrispondenza dei rispettivi valori di domanda, così come il cambiamento delle forme spettrali in funzione della localizzazione e del periodo di ritorno. I risultati dimostrano che la nuova mappa di pericolosità sismica porta a dei livelli di rischio sismico più realistici e meno allarmanti, rendendo leggermente meno gravoso, anche se non privo di problematiche, il panorama attuale di rischio in Italia

New onset status epilepticus in influenza associated encephalopathy: The presenting manifestation of genetic generalized epilepsy

We hereby present a case of a young woman with no history of seizures or epilepsy who experienced a de novo generalized Non Convulsive Status Epilepticus (NCSE) followed by encephalopathy lasting for several days during influenza B infection. Influenza can have a broad spectrum of presentation ranging from an uncomplicated illness to many serious conditions as is the case of influenza associated encephalitis/encephalopathy (IAE). In this context however, it is possible to observe seizures and/or status epilepticus as the presenting manifestation of a genetic generalized epilepsy

A WebGIS tool for the dissemination of earthquake data

In 2004 a new seismic hazard map of Italy (MPS Working Group, 2004) has been released by a task force that produced an amount of new or updated data, such as a new version of the earthquake catalogue (CPTI04; CPTI Working Group, 2004) and an updated seismogenic zonation. A set of WebGIS tools has been designed for the data dissemination to the scientific community and the general public. The design of the WebGIS tools focused first on the consultation of the DBM04 macroseismic database (DBM Working Group, 2005), which contains the macroseismic intensity data-points (IDP) of the earthquakes listed in the CPTI04 catalogue. The WebGIS tool design and development process had to fulfill: 1) simplicity, 2) responsiveness and 3) readiness for future extensions. The specific requirements for the macroseismic database consultation interface were: - data access by place and by earthquake; - IDP maps with queryable points; - data download in both tabular and map format; - easily upgradable content; - quick and user friendly interface

Seismic hazard assessment in terms of macroseismic intensity for the Italian area

A seismic hazard map, in terms of macro seismic intensity with 10% probability of exceedance in 50 years, is proposed for the Italian territory. The input elements used to evaluate the seismic hazard are: the seismogenic zoning ZS9 (Meletti et al., 2007), the earthquake catalogue CPTI04 (Gruppo di lavoro CPTI04, 2004) and intensity attenuation relationships. The first two elements and the historical and statistical completeness of the catalogue are those used in the national seismic hazard map for Italy MPS04 (Gruppo di Lavoro MPS, 2004). Two intensity attenuation models are used: 1) one national relationship obtained with a new approach by Pasolini et al. (2006) and a relationship for the Etna volcanic zone proposed by Azzaro et al. (2006) 2) a set of regional relationships derived from a previous cubic model (Berardi et al., 1993) which is recalibrated in the present study using the macro seismic intensity database DBMI04 (Stucchi et al., 2007), which was used for compiling CPTI04. The computer code adopted to evaluate the seismic hazard, with the elements cited above, is SeisRisk III (Bender and Perkins, 1987), which has been modified within this study to incorporate the aleatory variability of the ground motion (macroseismic intensity). A logic-tree framework allowed to explore some possible alternatives of epistemic character. The seismic hazard map obtained in terms of intensity was subsequently transformed into PGA by means of a linear relation between intensity and PGA, in order to compare it with the recently national seismic hazard map MPS04

Seismic hazard in the Po Plain and the 2012 Emilia earthquakes

The Emilia earthquakes of May 20, 2012 (ML 5.9, INGV; MW 6.11, http://www.bo.ingv.it/RCMT/) and May 29, 2012 (ML 5.8, INGV; MW 5.96, http://www.bo.ingv.it/RCMT/) struck an area that in the national reference seismic hazard model [MPS04; http://zonesismiche.mi.ingv.it, and Stucchi et al. 2011] is characterized by expected horizontal peak ground acceleration (PGA) with a 10% probability of exceedance in 50 years that ranges between 0.10 g and 0.15 g (Figure 1), which is a medium level of seismic hazard in Italy. The strong impact of the earthquakes on a region that is not included among the most hazardous areas of Italy, and the ground motion data recorded by accelerometric networks, have given the impression to the population and the media that the current seismic hazard map is not correct, and thus needs to be updated. Since the MPS04 seismic hazard model was adopted by the current Italian building code [Norme Tecniche per le Costruzioni 2008, hereafter termed NTC08; http://www.cslp. it/cslp/] as the basis to define seismic action (the design spectra), any modification to the seismic hazard model would also affect the building code. The aim of this paper is to briefly present the data that support the seismic hazard model in the area, and to perform some comparisons between recorded ground motion with seismic hazard estimates and design spectra. All of the comparisons presented in this study are for the horizontal components only, as the Italian hazard model did not perform any estimates for the vertical component

Electrographic seizure duration and inter-seizure intervals in focal status epilepticus

Objective: To characterize the duration of seizures and inter-seizure intervals in focal status epilepticus (SE). Methods: We reviewed consecutive scalp EEG recordings from adult patients who were admitted for a first episode of focal status epilepticus. We identified electrographic seizure duration and inter-seizure intervals in the first diagnostic pretreatment EEG. We also reviewed isolated focal self-limiting seizures in epilepsy patients, as a comparison group for seizure duration. Results: We recorded 307 focal seizures in 100 consecutive focal SE episodes, with a median seizure duration of 107 s (IQR: 54–186), and 134 isolated focal self-limiting seizures in 42 epilepsy patients, with a median duration of 59 s (IQR: 30–90; p <.001). The only clinical feature of SE that significantly increased seizure duration was acute symptomatic etiology. In SE, 15% and 7% of seizures lasted longer than 300 and 600 s, respectively (t1 of the actual definition for tonic–clonic and focal SE), while only 1% of self-limiting seizures lasted longer than 300 s, and none lasted longer than 600 s. The analysis of inter-seizure intervals in SE with multiple seizures showed that 50% of the inter-seizure periods were shorter than 60 s, and 95% were shorter than 540 s (9 min). Patients who had an increase in seizure duration (last versus first) of at least 1.4 times showed an increased 30-day mortality. Significance: Focal seizures within a SE episode showed a wide range of duration, partly overlapping with the duration of focal self-limiting seizures but with a longer median duration. Inter-seizure intervals within an episode of SE were shorter than 1 min in 50% of the seizures and never lasted more than 10 min. Finally, an increase in seizure duration could represent an “electrophysiological biomarker” of a more severe SE episode, which may require more aggressive and rapid treatment