Methodologies for the Characterization and Identification of Natural Atacamite as a Pigment in Andean Colonial Painting

Painting materials used in Spanish American Colonial art comprised pigments and binders from European origin as well as those that were already known in pre-Hispanic times. In recent years, we have identified for the first time the mineral atacamite, a basic copper chloride (Cu2Cl(OH)3), in Andean Colonial art pieces (Viceroyalty of Peru, 16th–18th centuries). This work proposes a methodology based on a multitechnical approach to identify and establish the origin (natural or synthetic) of the atacamite pigment in Andean cultural heritage objects. Optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), portable X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (pXRF), attenuated total reflection infrared spectroscopy (FTIR-ATR), micro-Raman spectroscopy, and wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) were applied to analyse green pigments from the altarpiece of the Church of Ancoraimes, atacamite mineral samples from Chile, and atacamite obtained as a secondary product from traditional recipes used to produce verdigris, a copper acetate. Viride salsum by Teófilo Presbítero (SXII) and the Spanish translation by Andrés de Laguna (1566) of “De Materia Médica” from Dioscorides are both texts that include recipes involving the use of metallic copper as a starting material. These studies will contribute to the history of Spanish American Colonial art and to the knowledge on technological capacities and skills in the Andean region during this period.Fil: de Haro, Andrea Mariel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Unidad de Microanálisis y Métodos Físicos en Química Orgánica. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Unidad de Microanálisis y Métodos Físicos en Química Orgánica; ArgentinaFil: Córdova, María de Los Milagros. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Industrial; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Tres de Febrero. Instituto de Investigaciones En Arte y Cultura "Dr. Norberto Griffa". Centro de Investigacion en Arte, Materia y Cultura;Fil: Rua Landa, Carlos. Ministerio de Culturas y Turismo;Fil: Huck Iriart, Cristián. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de San Martín. Escuela de Ciencia y Tecnología; Argentina. ALBA Synchrotron Light Source; EspañaFil: Siracusano, Gabriela Silvana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Tres de Febrero. Instituto de Investigaciones En Arte y Cultura "Dr. Norberto Griffa". Centro de Investigacion en Arte, Materia y Cultura;Fil: Maier, Marta Silvia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Unidad de Microanálisis y Métodos Físicos en Química Orgánica. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Unidad de Microanálisis y Métodos Físicos en Química Orgánica; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Tres de Febrero. Instituto de Investigaciones En Arte y Cultura "Dr. Norberto Griffa". Centro de Investigacion en Arte, Materia y Cultura;Fil: Tomasini, Eugenia Paula. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Tres de Febrero. Instituto de Investigaciones En Arte y Cultura "Dr. Norberto Griffa". Centro de Investigacion en Arte, Materia y Cultura

Identification of pigments and binders of a 17th century mural painting (Bolivia). New report on pigments associated with Andean minerals

Research on the materiality of Andean Colonial artistic heritage contributes to the knowledge on the cultural and social history of the region. In this work we present the results of an interdisciplinary and multi-analytical investigation on a mural painting of the church of Curahuara de Carangas in Bolivia. This painting has been hidden for years behind the main 18th century wooden altarpiece. Its stylistic and pictorial characteristics place it in the early 17th century (1608), while other mural paintings of the temple correspond to a second stage, by 1777. Pigments were identified by scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) and Raman micro-spectroscopy. The application of imaging methods not only allowed the identification and characterization of the materials but also gave information on the manufacturing technique of this mural painting. An outstanding finding in our work was the identification of a mixture of two copper minerals, atacamite [Cu2Cl(OH)3] and antlerite [Cu3SO4(OH)4], as the green pigment. Atacamite and antlerite have been separately identified in a polychrome sculpture and a mural painting, respectively, but this is the first report on their use as a mixture. Other pigments identified in the mural painting were haematite, azurite, red lead, cinnabar, gypsum, cerussite, orpiment, and carmine lake. These results, together with the identification of traces of minerals of the region, indicate the use of local materials by Andean painters from the early Colonial period. This suggests continuity in the cultural practices from pre-Hispanic times and an appropriation and reformulation of traditional European painting practices adapted to new resources. Analysis of lipid and protein materials by gas-chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC–MS) indicated the use of a secco painting technique involving the use of egg as pigment binder. Identification of animal glue suggested its use as the plaster primer. The knowledge of the materials and the painting technique of this artwork will allow the identification of similarities and differences with other mural paintings in churches of the Andean region and give useful information for conservation and preservation of this artwork.Fil: Tomasini, Eugenia Paula. Centro de Investigacion En Arte, Materia y Cultura (materia) ; Instituto de Investigaciones En Arte y Cultura "dr. Norberto Griffa" ; Universidad Nacional de Tres de Febrero; . Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Costantini, Ilaria. Universidad del País Vasco; EspañaFil: Careaga Quiroga, Valeria Pilar. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Unidad de Microanálisis y Métodos Físicos en Química Orgánica. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Unidad de Microanálisis y Métodos Físicos en Química Orgánica; ArgentinaFil: Rua Landa, Carlos. No especifíca;Fil: Castro, Kepa. Universidad del País Vasco; EspañaFil: Madariaga, Juan Manuel. Universidad del País Vasco; EspañaFil: Maier, Marta Silvia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Unidad de Microanálisis y Métodos Físicos en Química Orgánica. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Unidad de Microanálisis y Métodos Físicos en Química Orgánica; ArgentinaFil: Siracusano, Gabriela Silvana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Centro de Investigacion En Arte, Materia y Cultura (materia) ; Instituto de Investigaciones En Arte y Cultura "dr. Norberto Griffa" ; Universidad Nacional de Tres de Febrero

Prospective observational cohort study on grading the severity of postoperative complications in global surgery research

Background The Clavien–Dindo classification is perhaps the most widely used approach for reporting postoperative complications in clinical trials. This system classifies complication severity by the treatment provided. However, it is unclear whether the Clavien–Dindo system can be used internationally in studies across differing healthcare systems in high- (HICs) and low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Methods This was a secondary analysis of the International Surgical Outcomes Study (ISOS), a prospective observational cohort study of elective surgery in adults. Data collection occurred over a 7-day period. Severity of complications was graded using Clavien–Dindo and the simpler ISOS grading (mild, moderate or severe, based on guided investigator judgement). Severity grading was compared using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Data are presented as frequencies and ICC values (with 95 per cent c.i.). The analysis was stratified by income status of the country, comparing HICs with LMICs. Results A total of 44 814 patients were recruited from 474 hospitals in 27 countries (19 HICs and 8 LMICs). Some 7508 patients (16·8 per cent) experienced at least one postoperative complication, equivalent to 11 664 complications in total. Using the ISOS classification, 5504 of 11 664 complications (47·2 per cent) were graded as mild, 4244 (36·4 per cent) as moderate and 1916 (16·4 per cent) as severe. Using Clavien–Dindo, 6781 of 11 664 complications (58·1 per cent) were graded as I or II, 1740 (14·9 per cent) as III, 2408 (20·6 per cent) as IV and 735 (6·3 per cent) as V. Agreement between classification systems was poor overall (ICC 0·41, 95 per cent c.i. 0·20 to 0·55), and in LMICs (ICC 0·23, 0·05 to 0·38) and HICs (ICC 0·46, 0·25 to 0·59). Conclusion Caution is recommended when using a treatment approach to grade complications in global surgery studies, as this may introduce bias unintentionally

The surgical safety checklist and patient outcomes after surgery: a prospective observational cohort study, systematic review and meta-analysis

© 2017 British Journal of Anaesthesia Background: The surgical safety checklist is widely used to improve the quality of perioperative care. However, clinicians continue to debate the clinical effectiveness of this tool. Methods: Prospective analysis of data from the International Surgical Outcomes Study (ISOS), an international observational study of elective in-patient surgery, accompanied by a systematic review and meta-analysis of published literature. The exposure was surgical safety checklist use. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality and the secondary outcome was postoperative complications. In the ISOS cohort, a multivariable multi-level generalized linear model was used to test associations. To further contextualise these findings, we included the results from the ISOS cohort in a meta-analysis. Results are reported as odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals. Results: We included 44 814 patients from 497 hospitals in 27 countries in the ISOS analysis. There were 40 245 (89.8%) patients exposed to the checklist, whilst 7508 (16.8%) sustained ≥1 postoperative complications and 207 (0.5%) died before hospital discharge. Checklist exposure was associated with reduced mortality [odds ratio (OR) 0.49 (0.32–0.77); P\u3c0.01], but no difference in complication rates [OR 1.02 (0.88–1.19); P=0.75]. In a systematic review, we screened 3732 records and identified 11 eligible studies of 453 292 patients including the ISOS cohort. Checklist exposure was associated with both reduced postoperative mortality [OR 0.75 (0.62–0.92); P\u3c0.01; I2=87%] and reduced complication rates [OR 0.73 (0.61–0.88); P\u3c0.01; I2=89%). Conclusions: Patients exposed to a surgical safety checklist experience better postoperative outcomes, but this could simply reflect wider quality of care in hospitals where checklist use is routine

Critical care admission following elective surgery was not associated with survival benefit: prospective analysis of data from 27 countries

This was an investigator initiated study funded by Nestle Health Sciences through an unrestricted research grant, and by a National Institute for Health Research (UK) Professorship held by RP. The study was sponsored by Queen Mary University of London