A great enigma of the Italian Renaissance: paleopathological study on the death of Giovanni dalle Bande Nere (1498-1526) and historical relevance of a leg amputation.

The Medici project consisted in archeological and paleopathological researches on some members of the great dynasty of the Italian Renaissance. The remains of Giovanni de' Medici, so-called "dalle Bande Nere" (Forli 1498- Mantua 1526) has not been investigated yet. The enigma of the fatal injury and leg amputation of the famous Captain excited curiosity of paleopathologists, medical scientists and Italian Society of Orthopedic and Traumatology which contributed to realize the project of exhumation and study of his skeletal remains. The aim of the study is to report the first anthropological and paleopathological results. The tomb of Giovanni and his wife Maria Salviati was explored and the skeletal remains were investigated. Anthropological and paleopathological examination defined: age at death, physical constitution and activity, skeletal diseases. The bony fragments of the leg were studied macroscopically, under stereoscopic microscope, at X-ray and CT scans to detect type of injury and level of amputation. The skeleton and muscular insertions of Giovanni revealed a young-adult and vigorous man, subjected to stresses of military activity since adolescence. Right tibia was amputated below the proximal half of diaphysis leaving long tibio-fibular fragments with a horizontal cut only at the lateral portion. Thus, the surgeon limited to complete the traumatic hemi-amputation. Amputation in the Sixteenth Century technically consisted in guillotine incisions below the knee using crescent shaped knife and bony saw, usually leaving a quite long tibial fragment. Amputations in the Sixteenth Century were contaminated and grossly performed not providing vascular binding nor wound closure. The surgeon performed the procedure in conformity with surgical knowledge of that period

L'utilizzo di OpenStreetMap all'interno del Club Alpino Italiano

La collaborazione tra il Club Alpino Italiano (CAI) e OpenStreetMap (OSM) è iniziata ufficialmente con la firma di una convenziona tra lo stesso CAI e Wikimedia Italia, il capitolo italiano della OSM Foundation, nel 2016. A tre anni da quella firma molto è stato fatto con un'impennata nell'ultimo anno anche grazie al finanziamento del CAI attraverso il "CONTRATTO PER IL SERVIZIO DI IMPLEMENTAZIONE DATI NEL SISTEMA INFOMONT". Nella presentazione verranno illustrate le attività svolte: - l'inserimento dati in OSM con la procedura utilizzata e la situazione regione per regione - lo sviluppo di un software rilasciato con una licenza FOSS in grado di ottenere i dati relativi al CAI da OSM e svolgere alcune operazioni di conversione e reportistica - le attività di formazion

Local adjuvants in surgical management of bone metastases.

Curettage is one of the most common method for surgical treatment of bone metastasis. Local adjuvant improve most commonly used for improving the effect of curettage in local cancer surgery may exerted their effects either chemically either physically; in Orthopedic Oncology the most common are phenol, liquid nitrogen, laser, and cement. This article reviewed the main characteristics of the most common chemical and physical agents used in bone oncology, emphasizing the toxic effects of some of them, especially phenol and liquid nitrogen

Polar and non-polar organic binder characterization in Pompeian wall paintings: comparison to a simulated painting mimicking an a secco technique.

The use of Fourier transform infrared spectromicroscopy and mass spectrometry (MS) allowed us to characterize the composition of polar and non-polar binders present in sporadic wall paint fragments taken from Pompeii's archaeological excavation. The analyses of the polar and non-polar binder components extracted from paint powder layer showed the presence of amino acids, sugars, and fatty acids but the absence of proteinaceous material. These results are consistent with a water tempera painting mixture composed of pigments, flours, gums, and oils and are in agreement with those obtained from a simulated wall paint sample made for mimicking an ancient "a secco" technique. Notably, for the first time, we report the capability to discriminate by tandem MS the presence of free amino acids in the paint layer

A portable X-ray fluorescence device for in situ analyses of mural paintings

Within the context of a research program for studying with nondestructive methods the preparation and realisation techniques of mural paintings used in the Roman age, a portable ED-XRF device for elemental analysis has been set up. Preliminary tests have been carried out on two Roman mural paintings belonging to the Baia Archaeological Complex (Naples). Datable to different periods, the two paintings show different manufacturing and conservation states, thus representing a good test for verifying the ED-XRF device capability. In situ and laboratory measurements, performed on materials of different origin and nature, have permitted the determination of the pigments and the recognition of pollution traces

A portable X-ray fluorescence device for in situ analyses of mural paintings

Within the context of a research program for studying with nondestructive methods the preparation and realisation techniques of mural paintings used in the Roman age, a portable ED-XRF device for elemental analysis has been set up. Preliminary tests have been carried out on two Roman mural paintings belonging to the Baia Archaeological Complex (Naples). Datable to different periods, the two paintings show different manufacturing and conservation states, thus representing a good test for verifying the ED-XRF device capability. In situ and laboratory measurements, performed on materials of different origin and nature, have permitted the determination of the pigments and the recognition of pollution traces

Characterization of pigments and ligands in a wall painting fragment from Liternum archaeological park (Italy).

Spectroscopic and MS techniques were used to characterize the pigments and the composition of polar and nonpolar binders of a stray wall painting fragment from Liternum (Italy) archaeological excavation. X-ray fluorescence and diffraction analysis of the decorations indicated mainly the presence of calcite, quartz, hematite, cinnabar, and cuprorivaite. Infrared spectroscopy, GC coupled to flame-ionization detector, and MS analysis of the polar and nonpolar components extracted from paint layers from three different color regions revealed the presence of free amino acids, sugars, and fatty acids. Interestingly, LC-MS shotgun analysis of the red painting region showed the presence of αS1-casein of buffalo origin. Compared to our previous results from Pompeii's wall paintings, even though the Liternum painting mixture contained also binders of animal origin, the data strongly suggest that in both cases a tempera painting technique was utilized

Tracing the footprints of SARS-CoV-2 in oceanic waters

The detection of SARS-CoV-2 in water environments has predominantly focused on wastewater, neglecting its presence in oceanic waters. This study aimed to fill this knowledge gap by investigating the occurrence of SARS-CoV-2 in remote sea and oceanic waters, at large distances from the coastline. Forty-three 500-liter samples were collected between May 2022 and January 2023 from the Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea, the Arctic region, the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea. Using molecular detection methods including real-time RT-qPCR and nested PCR followed by sequencing, we successfully detected SARS-CoV-2 RNA in 7 of the 43 marine water samples (16.3 %), and specifically in samples taken from the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. The estimated concentrations of SARS-CoV-2 genome copies in the positive samples ranged from 6 to 470 per 100 l. The presence of mutations characteristic of the Omicron variant was identified in these samples by amplicon sequencing. These findings provide evidence of the unforeseen presence of SARS-CoV-2 in marine waters even at distances of miles from the coastline and in open ocean waters. It is important to consider that these findings only display the occurrence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA, and further investigations are required to assess if infectious virus can be present in the marine environment

Global quantification and distribution of antibiotic resistance genes in oceans and seas: Anthropogenic impacts and regional variability

The global spread of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in the marine environment poses a significant threat to public health and natural ecosystems. This study quantified and analysed the distribution and co-occurrence patterns of ARGs in a wide range of oceans and high seas, including the Atlantic, Arctic and Indian Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea and the Persian Gulf. Focusing on beta-lactamases (blaOXA-48, blaCTX-M-1 group, and blaTEM), sulfonamides (sul1) and tetracycline (tetA), our results showed that sul1 was ubiquitous, indicating widespread dissemination. Notably, the Mediterranean Sea exhibited higher levels of multiple ARGs in single samples, suggesting significant anthropogenic impact. Interestingly, the Arctic Ocean, particularly around the Svalbard Islands, also showed the presence of multiple ARGs, highlighting the pervasive occurrence of antibiotic resistance in remote areas. We employed two clustering approaches to explore ARG patterns, primarily focusing on identifying geographic trends and differences in ARG abundance. Additionally, we investigated potential sources of contamination, including proximity to wastewater treatment plants, ports, marine traffic, and currents. These findings clearly demonstrate that antibiotic resistance gene contamination is widespread across diverse marine environments, with significant regional variations. This underscores the urgent need for tailored intervention strategies and global collaboration to mitigate the spread of ARGs and manage their complex dynamics in marine ecosystems

Investigation of conduction band structure, electron scattering mechanisms and phase transitions in indium selenide by means of transport measurements under pressure

In this work we report on Hall effect, resistivity and thermopower measurements in n-type indium selenide at room temperature under either hydrostatic and quasi-hydrostatic pressure. Up to 40 kbar (= 4 GPa), the decrease of carrier concentration as the pressure increases is explained through the existence of a subsidiary minimum in the conduction band. This minimum shifts towards lower energies under pressure, with a pressure coefficient of about -105 meV/GPa, and its related impurity level traps electrons as it reaches the band gap and approaches the Fermi level. The pressure value at which the electron trapping starts is shown to depend on the electron concentration at ambient pressure and the dimensionality of the electron gas. At low pressures the electron mobility increases under pressure for both 3D and 2D electrons, the increase rate being higher for 2D electrons, which is shown to be coherent with previous scattering mechanisms models. The phase transition from the semiconductor layered phase to the metallic sodium cloride phase is observed as a drop in resistivity around 105 kbar, but above 40 kbar a sharp nonreversible increase of the carrier concentration is observed, which is attributed to the formation of donor defects as precursors of the phase transition.Comment: 18 pages, Latex, 10 postscript figure