Lipid profile changes in patients with rheumatic diseases receiving a treatment with TNF-α blockers: a meta-analysis of prospective studies.

Some studies showed an anti-atherogenic effect of TNF-α blockers on lipid profile, but these data have been challenged.To perform a meta-analysis on lipid profile changes induced by TNF-α blocker treatment.Prospective studies on rheumatic patients receiving TNF-α blockers and providing before-and-after treatment values of triglycerides (TGs), total cholesterol (TC), HDL-cholesterol (HDLc), LDL-cholesterol (LDLc), and atherogenic index (AI) were included. Standardized mean differences (SMD) in lipid profile were analyzed at short-term (2-12 weeks), middle-term (13-24 weeks), and long-term (25-52 weeks) assessments.Thirty articles (1707 patients) were included. TNF-α blockers determined an increase in TC at short-term, middle-term, and long-term assessments (SMD: 0.20 mmol/L [95% CI: 0.04, 0.35]; SMD: 0.27 mmol/L [95% CI: 0.08, 0.46]; SMD: 0.22 mmol/L [95% CI: 0.01, 0.43]). HDLc increased only at the short-term assessment (SMD: 0.19 mmol/L [95% CI: 0.10, 0.28]), and TGs achieved a significant increase at the long-term assessment (SMD: 0.19 mmol/L [95% CI: 0.04, 0.34]). LDLc and AI were not affected by TNF-α blocker treatment.Slight but significant increases in TC occurred without any significant change in LDLc and AI. Changes in HDLc and TGs were not consistent among the different time point assessments. These quantitative changes in lipid profile do not seem to be able to explain cardiovascular risk improvement reported in patients receiving TNF-α blockers. Further studies on other mechanisms are needed to address this issue

Reply to “Comment on ‘The 21 August 2017 Md 4.0 Casamicciola Earthquake: First Evidence of Coseismic Normal Surface Faulting at the Ischia Volcanic Island’ by Nappi et al. (2018)” by V. De Novellis, S. Carlino, R. Castaldo, A. Tramelli, C. De Luca, N. A. Pino, S. Pepe, V. Convertito, I. Zinno, P. De Martino, M. Bonano, F. Giudicepietro, F. Casu, G. Macedonio, M. Manunta, M. Manzo, G. Solaro, P. Tizzani, G. Zeni, and R. Lanari

In this article, we show why the geological model of the 21 August 2017 earthquake proposed by Nappi et al. (2018) has less uncertainty than the sourcemodel proposed by De Novellis et al. (2018). As a matter of fact, the Nappi et al. (2018) model takes into account all geophysical and geological information collected soon after the earthquake. On the contrary, the model proposed by DeNovellis et al. (2018) is based on a limited database, which does not include (1) the available geological and macroseismic information and (2) the extensive scientific literature concerning the correlation between seismic source and surface faulting, also in volcanic areas similar to Ischia. Nevertheless, we are grateful for the comments from De Novellis et al. (2018) because they give us the opportunity to consider the epistemological landscape in which we should frame the research for the best source model of the 21 August 2017 Casamicciola earthquake.Published316-3211T. Deformazione crostale attivaJCR Journa

The 21 August 2017 Md 4.0 Casamicciola Earthquake: First Evidence of Coseismic Normal Surface Faulting at the Ischia Volcanic Island

On 21 August 2017, a shallow earthquake of Md 4.0 struck the CasamicciolaTerme village in the north of Ischia volcanic island (Italy). It caused two fatalities and heavy damage in a restricted area of a few square kilometers. Casamicciola Terme has been recurrently destroyed in the last centuries by similar volcano-tectonic earthquakes (1762, 1767, 1796, 1828, 1881, and 1883). After the catastrophic 1883 Casamicciola event (2343 casualties), this is the first heavy damaging earthquake at Ischia that provides, for the first time, the opportunity of integrating historical seismicity, macroseismic observations, instrumental information, and detailed mapping of coseismic geological effects. Soon after the 2017 mainshock we surveyed the epicentral area to collect data on the coseismic ground effects, recording more than 100 geological field observations. Mapped effects define a belt which closely follows the trace of the Casamicciola E–W-trending normal fault system, bounding the northern slope of Mt. Epomeo, previously known as a Latest Pleistocene to Holocene normal fault with a slip rate of ∼3:0 cm=yr. We found significant evidence for coseismic surface faulting, testified by a main alignment of ruptures for a 2 km end-to-end length and normal dip-slip displacement of 1–3 cm. The geometry and regularity of the structural pattern, together with constant kinematics of the coseismic ruptures with the north side down, strongly suggest a primary tectonic origin for the mapped ruptures and strongly supports an E–W normal-faulting focal mechanism for the 2017 Casamicciola earthquake.Macroseismic information supports the notion that previous historical events also had a similar style of faulting.Published1323-13343T. Sorgente sismicaJCR Journa

Three-axial Fiber Bragg Grating Strain Sensor for Volcano Monitoring

Fiber optic and FBGs sensors have attained a large diffusion in the last years as cost-effective monitoring and diagnostic devices in civil engineering. However, in spite of their potential impact, these instruments have found very limited application in geophysics. In order to study earthquakes and volcanoes, the measurement of crustal deformation is of crucial importance. Stress and strain behaviour is among the best indicators of changes in the activity of volcanoes .. Deep bore-hole dilatometers and strainmeters have been employed for volcano monitoring. These instruments are very sensitive and reliable, but are not cost-effective and their installation requires a large effort. Fiber optic based devices offer low cost, small size, wide frequency band, easier deployment and even the possibility of creating a local network with several sensors linked in an array. We present the realization, installation and first results of a shallow-borehole (8,5 meters depth) three-axial Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) strain sensor prototype. This sensor has been developed in the framework of the MED-SUV project and installed on Etna volcano, in the facilities of the Serra La Nave astrophysical observatory. The installation siteis about 7 Km South-West of the summit craters, at an elevation of about 1740 m. The main goal of our work is the realization of a three-axial device having a high resolution and accuracy in static and dynamic strain measurements, with special attention to the trade-off among resolution, cost and power consumption. The sensor structure and its read-out system are innovative and offer practical advantages in comparison with traditional strain meters. Here we present data collected during the first five months of operation. In particular, the very clear signals recorded in the occurrence of the Central Italy seismic event of October 30th demonstrate the performances of our device.PublishedWien7TM. Sviluppo e Trasferimento Tecnologic

SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination in the Context of Ongoing HIV Cure-Related Research Studies

To the Editors: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has affected research efforts worldwide. Previously, we described our strategy to mitigate COVID-19 transmission risk during an ongoing HIV cure-related clinical trial. SARS-CoV-2 vaccines recently have been authorized for emergency use and will become available to people with HIV imminently. As a result, researchers must determine how to adjust study protocols to incorporate the likelihood that participants may be vaccinated

Analysis of tourism in Campania as a tool for the development of high-quality cultural services for sightseers: The “Reale Osservatorio Vesuviano” case history

The purpose of this work is to identify the guidelines for the development and diversification of the cultural touristic offer achievable at the Reale Osservatorio Vesuviano (ROV). Founded in 1841, it is the oldest volcano observatory in the world and it has always had the vocation for scientific-naturalistic and formative tourism. The present study investigates the connections between the sociology of tourism and the ROV’s sustainability and competitiveness as a tourist destination. Here it is performed a study of the tourist flow, based on the sociology of tourism and on the correct processing of data sets, distinguishing the ''statistical information on tourism" from "tourism statistics", as such a study is the basis of a proper market strategy in different sectors. Tourism remains, in fact, an important phenomenon in world economy: despite the economic crisis of recent years, international tourist arrivals show a positive development of the trend in all the major sub-areas into which the large international areas are traditionally divided. The principles for a future marketing plan were outlined after collecting all the relevant information. The plan was designed to enhance the overall touristic offer of the ROV, never ceasing to consider the integration of natural- scientific aspects and cultural events to be offered within the observatory itself.Published64-872TM. Divulgazione Scientifica6TM. Poli Museali1VV. AltroN/A or not JC

The real-time multiparametric network of Campi Flegrei and Vesuvius

Volcanic processes operate over a wide range of time scale that requires different instruments and techniques to be monitored. The best approach to survey a volcanic unrest is to jointly monitor all the geophysical quantities that could vary before an eruption. The monitoring techniques are sometimes peculiar for each volcano, which has its own behavior. The simultaneous investigation of all the geophysical and geochemical parameters improves the sensibility and the understanding of any variation in the volcanic system. The Osservatorio Vesuviano is the INGV division charged of the Campi Flegrei and Vesuvius monitoring, two of the highest risk volcanic complexes in the world due to the large number of people living on or close to them. Each of them have peculiarities that increase the monitoring challenge: Campi Flegrei has high anthropic noise due to people living within its numerous craters; Vesuvius has a sharp topography that complicates the data transmission and analysis. The real time monitoring of the two areas involves several geophysical fields and the data are transmitted by a wide data-communication wired or radio infrastructure to the Monitoring Centre of Osservatorio Vesuviano: - The seismic network counts of 20 station sites in Campi Flegrei and 23 in Vesuvius equipped with velocimetric, accelerometric and infrasonic sensors. Some of them are borehole stations. - The GPS network counts of 25 stations operating at Campi Flegrei caldera and 9 stations at Vesuvius volcano. All the procedures for remote stations managing (raw data downloading, data quality control and data processing) take place automatically and the computed data are shown in the Monitoring Centre. - The mareographic network counts of 4 stations in the Campi Flegrei caldera coast and 3 close to the Vesuvius that transmit to the Monitoring Centre where the data are elaborated. - The tiltmetric network consist of 10 stations distributed around Pozzuoli harbor, the area of maximum ground uplift of Campi Flegrei, evidenced since 2005, and 7 stations distributed around the Vesuvius crater. Each tiltmetric station is also equipped with a temperature and magnetic sensor. The signals recorded are sent to the Monitoring Centre. - The 4 marine multiparametric stations installed in the Pozzuoli gulf send accelerometric, broad band, hydrophonic and GPS data to the Monitoring Centre. - The geochemical network counts of 4 multiparametric stations in the fumarolic areas of Campi Flegrei and 2 stations in the Vesuvius crater (rim and bottom) with data transmission to the Monitoring Centre. They collect soil CO2 flux, temperature gradient and environmental and meteorological parameters and transmit them directly to the Monitoring Centre. - The permanent thermal infrared surveillance network (TIRNet) is composed of 6 stations distributed among Campi Flegrei and Vesuvius. The stations acquire IR scenes at night-time of highly diffuse degassing areas. IR data are processed by an automated system of IR analysis and the temperatures values are sent to the Monitoring CentrePublishedVienna, Austria1IT. Reti di monitoraggio e sorveglianz

VULCANI DELL’AREA NAPOLETANA E DI STROMBOLI - MONITORAGGIO SISMICO (a cura dell’INGV – Osservatorio Vesuviano, Napoli) . Rendiconto dell'attività svolta nel primo semestre 2006.

La Rete Sismica dell’Osservatorio Vesuviano (RSOV) è costituita da stazioni sismiche analogiche a corto periodo (20 a una componente e 12 a 3 componenti), stazioni digitali a larga banda (4 a 3 componenti) e dilatometri (6) con trasmissione continua dei segnali al Centro di Monitoraggio. La Rete è progettata per il monitoraggio delle aree vulcaniche attive della Campania (Vesuvio, Campi Flegrei, Ischia) e fornisce informazioni relative alla sismicità a scala regionale in collaborazione con la Rete Sismica Nazionale Centralizzata (INGV – Centro Nazionale Terremoti). L'attuale geometria della rete, in condizioni di basso rumore sismico di fondo, consente di localizzare in maniera affidabile anche alcuni eventi sismici con M<=1, nelle aree del Vesuvio e dei Campi Flegrei. La ricezione dei segnali delle stazioni della RSOV è centralizzata presso un punto di raccolta dati sito in via Manzoni ed è basato prevalentemente su trasmissione radio e subordinatamente su linee telefoniche dedicate. Da qui i dati sono trasmessi al Centro di Monitoraggio, sito in via Diocleziano mediante protocollo TCP/IP su linea dedicata. In Tab. 1 sono riportati i dettagli di configurazione delle stazioni della rete permanente OV e nella Fig. 1 è rappresentata la relativa mappa. Le stazioni analogiche sono equipaggiate con sismometri a corto periodo (1s); quelle a componente verticale con sensori Mark L4-C o Geotech S13, mentre quelle a tre componenti sono dotate di sensori Mark L4-3D o terne di sensori Geotech S13. Gli apparati di amplificazione e modulazione sono stati sviluppati e realizzati dal Laboratorio di Manutenzione e Sviluppo della Rete Sismica (sistema MARCAP). Questi apparati hanno sostituito i precedenti modulatori in esercizio (Lennartz Mars-66), ormai obsoleti. La trasmissione dei segnali è effettuata prevalentemente mediante telemetria UHF con apparati radio sintetizzati a banda stretta (ERE PMDU2000) programmabili via porta RS-232 su tutta la banda operativa (430-450 MHz). Per alcune stazioni (NIS, STH, DMP, SFT, PE9 e TR9) la trasmissione è realizzata mediante linea telefonica dedicata (CDA). Le stazioni digitali a larga banda sono equipaggiate con sensori a 3 componenti Guralp CMG-40T con risposta tra 60s e 50Hz. I dati sono digitalizzati a 100 cps da un acquisitore locale costituito da una stazione Kinemetrics K2 e trasmessi in continuo via porta seriale RS-232 a 9600 baud mediante telemetria UHF. Gli apparati ricetrasmettitori sono costituiti da radio-modem SATEL mod. SATELLINE 3AS a banda stretta con canalizzazione a 12.5 kHz. Per tutte le stazioni il sistema di alimentazione primaria è garantito dalla linea elettrica o da pannelli solari da 75W.ingv sezione di napoli "Osservatorio Vesuviano"Published1IT. Reti di monitoraggio e sorveglianz

VULCANI DELL’AREA NAPOLETANA E DI STROMBOLI - MONITORAGGIO SISMICO (a cura dell’INGV – Osservatorio Vesuviano, Napoli) . Rendiconto dell'attività svolta nel secondo semestre 2006.

La Rete Sismica dell’Osservatorio Vesuviano (RSOV) è costituita da stazioni sismiche a corto periodo (20 a componente verticale e 12 a 3 componenti analogiche, una a 3 componenti digitale), da stazioni digitali a larga banda (8 a 3 componenti), da dilatometri (6 volumetrici in pozzo), da un array sismico (16 elementi a 3 componenti e corto periodo) e da un microfono infrasonico. La Rete è progettata per il monitoraggio delle aree vulcaniche attive della Campania (Vesuvio, Campi Flegrei, Ischia) e fornisce informazioni relative alla sismicità a scala regionale, in collaborazione con la Rete Sismica Nazionale Centralizzata (INGV – Centro Nazionale Terremoti). L'attuale geometria della rete, in condizioni di basso rumore sismico di fondo, consente di localizzare in maniera affidabile nelle aree del Vesuvio e dei Campi Flegrei anche alcuni eventi sismici con M<=1. I segnali delle stazioni della RSOV sono centralizzati presso il Centro di Monitoraggio di Via Diocleziano, in parte transitando per il Centro di Acquisizione di Posillipo in via Manzoni. Il Centro di Posillipo, che è collocato provvisoriamente dal febbraio 2004 in un container messo a disposizione del Dipartimento di Protezione Civile, centralizza le stazioni analogiche sia in trasmissione radio che su linee telefoniche dedicate ed ospita i sistemi di acquisizione in formato numerico dei segnali ricevuti. Nello stesso Centro vengono acquisiti anche i dati di alcune stazioni digitali del Vesuvio, tra cui l’array sismico, trasmessi tramite un ponte wireless dalla sede storica dell’OV. Dal Centro di Posillipo tutti i segnali sono convogliati al Centro di Monitoraggio in via Diocleziano tramite rete intranet e protocollo TCP/IP su linea numerica dedicata da 2 Mb/s. Le rimanenti stazioni broadband digitali che utilizzano per la trasmissione dei segnali linee ADSL e rete GARR, la stazione broadband SOB ed il microfono SFB, che trasmettono i segnali via wireless, sono direttamente centralizzati al Centro di Monitoraggio di Via Diocleziano. Il flusso dati complessivo realizzato dalla rete RSOV è di circa 3.7 GBytes/giorno. In Tab.1 sono riportati i dettagli di configurazione delle stazioni della rete permanente OV e nella Fig.1 è rappresentata la relativa mappa. Le stazioni analogiche sono equipaggiate con sismometri a corto periodo (1s); quelle a componente verticale con sensori Mark L4-C o Geotech S13, mentre quelle a tre componenti sono dotate di sensori Mark L4-3D o terne di sensori Geotech S13. Gli apparati di amplificazione e modulazione sono stati sviluppati e realizzati dal Laboratorio di Manutenzione e Sviluppo della Rete Sismica (sistema MARCAP). La trasmissione dei segnali è effettuata prevalentemente mediante telemetria UHF, con apparati radio sintetizzati a banda stretta (ERE PMDU2000), programmabili via porta RS-232 su tutta la banda operativa (430-450 MHz). Per 1 A cura di: M. Martini, G. Borriello, C. Buonocunto, M. Capello, A. Caputo, L. D’Auria, W. De Cesare, A. Esposito, F. Giudicepietro, D. Lo Bascio, M. Orazi, R. Peluso, P. Ricciolino, G. Scarpato, G. Talarico 54 alcune stazioni (NIS, STH, DMP, SFT, PE9 e TR9) la trasmissione è realizzata mediante linea telefonica dedicata (CDA). Le stazioni digitali a larga banda sono equipaggiate con sensori a 3 componenti Guralp CMG-40T con risposta tra 60s e 50Hz, quelle a corto periodo (array Vesuvio e stazione OV2) con sensori Lennartz LE3D da 1s. I dati sono acquisti localmente in formato numerico a 100 cps da apparati di acquisizione realizzati dall’INGV e trasmessi in continuo via porta seriale RS-232 a 9600 baud mediante telemetria UHF e wireless.ingv sezione di Napoli "Osservatorio Vesuviano"Published1IT. Reti di monitoraggio e sorveglianz