70 research outputs found
Archaeobotanical analysis from the long-term rural settlement of Contrada Castro (Corleone, Palermo): preliminary data
The project ¿Harvesting Memories: Ecology and Archaeology of Monti Sicani landscapes¿ aims to analyse
the long-term relationship of landscape dynamics and settlement patterns in a Mediterranean inland of
Central-Western Sicily. The project combined different interdisciplinary approaches of vegetation science,
landscape ecology, history and archaeology in order to diachronically understand and reconstruct the human-
society-environment interactions.
From 2017 to 2019 a new rural settlement has been investigated in Contrada Castro (Corleone, Palermo).
The excavation in Contrada Castro showed a clear case of long-term occupation of an hill-top site during
Late Archaic/Classical age (6 th -5 th c. BC) and the Byzantine and Islamic period (7 th -11 th c. AD).
Soils from the archaeological excavation were sampled to obtain evidences about paleo-vegetation and
vegetal paleo-diet. Archaeobotanical data (seeds and charcoal remains) represent an informative source in
human-environmental dynamics to collect specific data on a small scale in terms of chronology and
topography (Hastorf, Popper 1988; Pearsall 2009). Furthermore, presence of edible plants as cereals, pulses
and fruit characterize their use as economical resources. Unfortunately, archaeobotanical analyses from
archaeological sites in Sicily are still not very common (see http://brainplants.successoterra.net/sites.html).
For the reconstruction of the paleo-environment and the use of arboreal resources from the three
chronological phases of the site, a total of 239 liters of soils were analysed. Taxonomical identification was
made by optical microscopy through the comparison with the reference collection and specific atlases (fig.).
More than 400 wood charcoals were observed, about 80% of them was identified. Thanks to comparisons
with the current vegetation, so far 8 species have been identified - Quercus cfr. ilex (fig.), Pistacia cfr.
terebinthus, Rhamnus alathernus, Fraxinus ornus, Ulmus canescens, Acer cfr. campestris, Ostrya
carpinifolia, Populus cf. nigra; identification reached the detail of genus or subfamily in 6 cases - Quercus
cf. robur / pubescens, Phillyrea sp., Sorbus sp., Rosacea cfr. Pirus sp. and maybe Moracea. The arboreal
vegetation is therefore represented by evergreen oaks, semi- and deciduous oaks, maples, ash trees,
associated with riparian species such as elm, poplar and hornbeam, and shrub species such as backthorn,
terebinth, sorb, plum. Cultivated species are mostly not represented. Despite the widespread presence of the
evergreen oaks in the whole record, differences between the three chronological phases were identified,
highlighting a selective use of the wild species present in the area and a specific collection of wood for the
hearths.
1) Hastorf C.A., Popper V.F.1988, Current Paleoethnobotany. Analytical Methods and Cultural Interpretations of
Archaeological Plant Remains, Chicago. ISBN: 978022631893
2) Pearsall D. M. 2009, Paleoethnobotany: A Handbook of Procedures, Second Edition, Walnut Creek. ISBN-10:
1598744720
3) BRAIN Network, http://brainplants.successoterra.net/sites.htmlFinanciación: beca "Juan de la Cierva-incorporación, IJCI-2017-31494, MINECO), IJCI-2017-31494" y proyecto "Harvesting Memories" de la Universidad de Palermo (financiado por Bona Furtuna LLC)
CHANGES OF NATRIURETIC PEPTIDES PREDICT HOSPITAL ADMISSIONS IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC HEART FAILURE: A META-ANALYSIS
Faecal calprotectin and ultrasonography as non-invasive screening tools for detecting colorectal polyps in children with sporadic rectal bleeding. a prospective study
Background: Colorectal polyps are reported in 6,1% of paediatric colonoscopies and in 12% of those performed for
lower gastrointestinal bleeding. Although colonoscopy is widely used in paediatric patients, it requires bowel
preparation and general anaesthesia or deep sedation, and in rare cases, it can cause complications. Non-invasive
screening techniques able to predict polyps in children with isolated and sporadic rectal bleeding may play a key
role in the selection of patients needing colonoscopy.
Methods: We enrolled all children undergoing colonoscopy for isolated and sporadic rectal bleeding to determine
the diagnostic accuracy of faecal calprotectin, ultrasonography (US) and digital rectal examination as diagnostic
methods for screening colorectal polyps.
Results: A total of 26 of 59 enrolled patients (44.1%) had colonic polyps, one patient had multiple polyps, and 23%
of children had polyps proximal to the splenic flexure. The diagnostic accuracy of faecal calprotectin for detecting
colorectal polyps was 96.6%, with a sensitivity of 100%. False-positive faecal calprotectin was shown in 2 patients
with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug-related lesions. The diagnostic accuracy of ultrasound was 77.9%. Polyps
not seen with ultrasound tended to be relatively smaller (1.5 vs 2.3, p = 0.001) and located in the rectum. The
combined use of FC, US and digital rectal examination obtained a specificity and PPV of 100%.
Conclusions: FC combined with US and digital rectal examination is a good and promising non-invasive screening
test for detecting colorectal polyps in children with isolated and sporadic rectal bleeding
[Clinical and therapeutic value of carotid intima-media thickness].
Carotid Intima Media Thickness (IMT) has been widely used to predict cardiovascular events in primary and secondary prevention studies. Yet, the power of IMT to reclassify risk level on top of conventional risk assessment based on classical risk factors remains unsettled. In fact, recent data indicate that the prognostic power of IMT is lower than that provided by the identification of carotid plaques. The role of IMT as surrogate endpoint to assess the efficacy of cardiovascular protective therapies is also still debated. In fact, no studies have ever been designed and powered to show a relationship between changes in carotid IMT during follow-up and cardiovascular events. Recently, two metaanalysis of trials using IMT as surrogate endpoint failed to demonstrate an association between IMT regression and cardiovascular events. The reasons for the lack of predictive role for changes in IMT are uncertain. It has been shown that IMT is not a pure atherosclerotic index, being substantially affected by age and hemodynamic factors including blood pressure and vessel wall shear stress. In addition, the status of carotid vessels does not strictly reflect that of coronary arteries. Finally, intra and inter-observer variability of measurements may further limit the association between IMT changes in individual patients and cardiovascular risk. Thus, IMT represents a valuable risk marker in population studies but its role for tailoring cardiovascular therapy in clinical practice remains currently uncertain
Human-environment interactions in Sicilian inland during the Early Middle Ages (8th-11th c. AD): the case of Contrada Castro (C-W Sicily)
Poster at 40th Association for Environmental Archaeology Conference, 30/11-01/12/2019, University of Sheffield (UK)Within the project "Harvesting memories: ecology and archaeology of Monti Sicani landscapes" this paper aims to reconstruct human-environment relationship in the inland of Central-Western Sicily during the Early Middle Ages through a comparative analysis between archaeological data and vegetation dynamics in current landscape. The environmental archaeological record (faunal remains and anthracological/ carpological finds) has been analysed from different layers of the rural settlement (Contrada Castro, Corleone, Palermo) -excavated in 2017, 2018 and 2019- mainly occupied during Byzantine age and Islamic period (8th-11th c. AD). The first examination of charcoals provided the identification of the plant species selected and exploited in the surrounding landscape of the site for each chronological phase. The archaeobotanical data indicates punctual and qualitative picture on the historical vegetation of this area. The phytosociological data allowed the spatial arrangements of archaeobotanical finds within plant communities and its ecological distribution. The archaeozoological data added more information on the reconstruction of rural economy, husbandry management and its ecological environment. An integrated comparison between the structure and composition of current phytocoenoses with archaeobotanical and archaeozoological data allowed to interpret the dynamics of interaction between a rural community and its environment.Financiación: beca "Juan de la Cierva-incorporación, IJCI-2017-31494, MINECO), IJCI-2017-31494" y proyecto "Harvesting Memories" de la Universidad de Palermo (financiado por Bona Furtuna LLC)
The role of spatio-temporal image correlation (STIC) with tomographic ultrasound imaging (TUI) in the sequential analysis of fetal congenital heart disease.
Objective
Spatio-temporal image correlation associated with the tomographic ultrasound imaging mode (TUI-STIC) is a new modality that allows a complete sequential analysis of cardiac structures to be displayed on a single panel by showing all echocardiographic transverse views at the same time. The aims of this study were to identify the best settings for displaying the classic echocardiographic views at different gestational ages and to investigate the role of TUI-STIC in the sequential segmental analysis of complex congenital heart disease (CHD).
Methods
Four-dimensional volumes from 103 cases of confirmed fetal CHD diagnosed and managed at our referral center were evaluated using TUI-STIC. To select the best interslice distance for adequate display of the central cardiovascular connections, each volume was opened and the TUI mode activated, having as a reference the apical four-chamber view. The number of slices was set at nine. The volume was then scrolled until the most significant echocardiographic views were displayed on the screen windows. Then, if too many windows showed intermediate non-diagnostic views, the slice distance was adjusted finely until all key echocardiographic views showed up in the various windows. The interslice distance was regressed against gestational age and the best-fitting curve was identified.
Results
A sequential segmental analysis could be shown with TUI-STIC in all cases. A linear regression equation best fitted the correlation between interslice distance and advancing gestational age (r2 = 0.9042), with the mean interslice distance being 2.7 (SD, 0.3) mm at 19–23 gestational weeks, and 4.0 (SD, 0.4) mm at 30–33 weeks. These settings allowed a complete sequential analysis in all cases.
Conclusions
TUI-STIC allows a complete sequential analysis of CHD in the fetus. The most suitable interslice distances for all gestational ages could be identified. These data may be used while adopting this imaging modality in the four-dimensional evaluation of fetal CHD. Copyright © 2006 ISUOG
Prenatal detection of multiple fetal anomalies following inadvertent exposure to cyclophosphamide in the first trimester of pregnancy
- …