strategy of sustainable development of an industrial archaeology

Abstract "Re-learn" and "Re-value" are the keywords at the base of the sustainable exploitation strategy of cultural heritage, little known but highly cultural and environmental valid, belonging to Southern Italy, already colony of Magna Graecia. The main goals are to "spread" the knowledge of the territory, "enhance" the sense of belonging to a new physical and cultural reality, "develop" the perception of a new metropolitan reality and "promote" the enjoyment of the environment, aiming at a careful and conscious cultural tourism. Within the tourism network, our idea tends to include particularly significant and representative sites of Campania's history and culture, little known ones such as Campi Flegrei, Sorrento and Amalfi Coasts, Liternum, Nola, Cimitile, Amalfi, Agerola, Gragnano, etc. The present case study concerns, in particular, the Valle dei Mulini ("Mills valley") in Gragnano, which is an example of proto-industrial archaeology dating back to the twelfth century as well as an old dirt road connecting with Amalfi republic. This site is featured by canals carved into the rocks, which lead water directly to the mills towers, capable of converting the pressure of the hydraulic machine movement into useful energy. More in detail, the sustainable aspect of this project foresees the production of electricity by exploiting the mechanism of the falling water in water towers, giving rise to the grindstone rotational motion which is turned into electrical energy. The water flow passes from one tower to another one, placed at a lower altitude, and then moves on to the next one. Therefore this strategy would enhance the whole eco-system, by means of site remediation and artifacts restoration, in order to place this resort in the tourism / hospitality circuit and trigger a sustainable process aimed at its future safeguarding

sustainable reuse of disused railway

Abstract Railways, an infrastructure system consisting of 'railway lines', tunnels, toll booths and stations, are considered 'abandoned' when, for various reasons, any regular service of railway type is suspended. About 2 thousand kilometers of lines no longer active railways exist in our Italian territory, in most cases abandoned to decay. European and international examples of redevelopment of these derelict structures in bicycle lanes or otherwise dedicated to sustainable mobility foresee the transformation of old stations and toll booths in dining and reception points (youth hostels, hotels, restaurants), info points for the enhancement of the territory and care centers for bicycles maintenance. These tourism businesses may be of great impetus to the development of employment and economic exploitation, as well as be a driver of growth for tourism and economy of the country. In Italy a possible strategy for sustainable conversion of these paths necessarily has to take account not only of landscape and environmental values, but also the rich archaeological heritage which, in most cases, these routes intercept and connect. In this regard, the recovery of the railway plaza of Velia, a Focea colony of Magna Graecia is emblematic. Founded shortly after 540 BC, Velia is located inside the archaeological area (northern region), associated with an abandoned stretch of nineteenth-century galleries and ancient houses of the archaeological park. According to a view to integrated redevelopment, the project proposal is based on the idea of the "museum" structured on the historic landscape values

Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors as a Neoadjuvant/Adjuvant Treatment of Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer: A Systematic Review

Bladder cancer is the ninth most common cancer worldwide. Over 75% of non-muscle invasive cancer patients require conservative local treatment, while the remaining 25% of patients undergo radical cystectomy or radiotherapy. Immune checkpoint inhibitors represent a novel class of immunotherapy drugs that restore natural antitumoral immune activity via the blockage of inhibitory receptors and ligands expressed on antigen-presenting cells, T lymphocytes and tumour cells. The use of immune checkpoint inhibitors in bladder cancer has been expanded from the neoadjuvant setting, i.e., after radical cystectomy, to the adjuvant setting, i.e., before the operative time or chemotherapy, in order to improve the overall survival and to reduce the morbidity and mortality of both the disease and its treatment. However, some patients do not respond to checkpoint inhibitors. As result, the capability for identifying patients that are eligible for this immunotherapy represent one of the efforts of ongoing studies. The aim of this systematic review is to summarize the most recent evidence regarding the use of immune checkpoint inhibitors, in a neoadjuvant and adjuvant setting, in the treatment of muscle-invasive bladder cancer

Novel Key Ingredients in Urinary Tract Health-The Role of D-mannose, Chondroitin Sulphate, Hyaluronic Acid, and N-acetylcysteine in Urinary Tract Infections (Uroial PLUS®)

: Urinary tract infections represent a common and significant health concern worldwide. The high rate of recurrence and the increasing antibiotic resistance of uropathogens are further worsening the current scenario. Nevertheless, novel key ingredients such as D-mannose, chondroitin sulphate, hyaluronic acid, and N-acetylcysteine could represent an important alternative or adjuvant to the prevention and treatment strategies of urinary tract infections. Several studies have indeed evaluated the efficacy and the potential use of these compounds in urinary tract health. In this review, we aimed to summarize the characteristics, the role, and the application of the previously reported compounds, alone and in combination, in urinary tract health, focusing on their potential role in urinary tract infections

Preoperative Fibrinogen-to-Albumin Ratio as Potential Predictor of Bladder Cancer: A Monocentric Retrospective Study

: Background and objective: Fibrinogen and albumin are two proteins widely used, singularly and in combination, in cancer patients as biomarkers of nutritional status, inflammation and disease prognosis. The aim of our study was to investigate the preoperative fibrinogen-to-albumin ratio (FAR) as a preoperative predictor of malignancy as well as advanced grade in patients with bladder cancer. Materials and Methods: A retrospective analysis of patients who underwent TURBT at our institution between 2017 and 2021 was conducted. FAR was obtained from preoperative venous blood samples performed within 30 days from scheduled surgery and was analyzed in relation to histopathological reports, as was the presence of malignancy. Statistical analysis was performed using a Kruskal−Wallis Test, and univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis, assuming p < 0.05 to be statistically significant. Results: A total of 510 patients were included in the study (81% male, 19% female), with a mean age of 71.66 ± 11.64 years. The mean FAR was significantly higher in patients with low-grade and high-grade bladder cancer, with values of 80.71 ± 23.15 and 84.93 ± 29.96, respectively, compared to patients without cancer (75.50 ± 24.81) (p = 0.006). Univariate regression analysis reported FAR to be irrelevant when considered as a continuous variable (OR = 1.013, 95% CI = 1.004−1.022; p = 0.004), while when considered as a categorical variable, utilizing a cut-off set at 76, OR was 2.062 (95% CI = 1.378−3.084; p < 0.0001). Nevertheless, the data were not confirmed in the multivariate analysis. Conclusions: Elevated preoperative FAR is a potential predictor of malignancy as well as advanced grade in patients with bladder cancer. Further data are required to suggest a promising role of the fibrinogen-to-albumin ratio as a diagnostic biomarker for bladder tumors

Heikkinen-Komonen: School for Chicken Farmers, Kindia, Guinea

ITALIANO Dopo la fine del Razionalismo e delle pseudo certezze che esso imponeva, la profonda crisi energetica del 1973 e soprattutto dopo la caduta dei "Miti d'oggi" di Roland Barthes, si sono aperte nuove vie, alternative, che coniugano la modernità dei processi costruttivi con il rispetto dei valori culturali, etnici e storici dell'Africa e dei suoi popoli. Questa piccola opera di architetti Finlandesi sbarcati in Guinea, rappresenta una rara occasione di riflessione sui reali scopi e valori dell'architettura, una pausa di silenzio in questo assordante big-bang contemporaneo. Il progetto dello studio Heikkinen-Komomen si sviluppa attorno ad una corte e, vicino ai locali dell’allevamento già precedentemente stabilitosi in questa zona, nasce, su incarico del Centro Agricolo "Kahere", la Scuola di Pollicoltura per incrementare fortemente tale attività in Guinea, addestrandovi giovani di tutto il Paese. Sostanzialmente le finalità del Governo e degli Amministratori sono quelle di aumentare il contenuto di proteine nella dieta della popolazione. La struttura si sviluppa su un'area coperta di 340 mq. ed è composta da tre corpi di fabbrica. Un'aula per dodici studenti con annessa soletta per professori, con copertura inclinata ad una falda e porticato anteriore; un dormitorio di tre camere e servizi igienici, un blocco ad "L" con camere per docenti ed istruttori, con servizi, cucina e sala da pranzo. Chiude la composizione, sul quarto vertice, una piccola torre dell'acqua. La struttura portante è in muratura di mattoni faccia a vista, le coperture in doppia orditura di travi di legno e tegole. Tutta la composizione nasce e si sviluppa sul modulo di m. 1,20 e sottomultiplo 0,60. I materiali utilizzati provengono dal posto, evitando importazioni o tecnologie sofisticate e complesse non accettabili o pesticidi dai committenti e dai fruitori. INGLESE/ENGLISH After the end of Rationalism and the pseudo-certainties imposed by it, the profound energy crisis of 1973 and above all after the collapse of Roland Barthes' "Myths of Today", new, alternative paths have been opened, that combine modern building methods with a respect for the cultural, ethnic and historical values of Africa and its peoples. This small work by Finnish architects who have worked in Guinea represents a concrete opportunity to meditate on the real purposes and values of architecture, a moment of silence in a deafening contemporary cacophony. Around a court and close to the buildings of the farm, that had already been built, the School of Poultry farming has been created on the assignment of the "Kehere" Agricultural Center, in order to boost this activity in Guinea by training youths from all over the country. The institution features a covered area of 340 sqm, and comprises three buildings. A hall for twelve students with an annexed teacher room, with a one-pitch roof and a front porch, a dormitory with three rooms and bathrooms, an L-shaped unit with rooms for teachers and instructors, with bathrooms, kitchen and dining room. The composition is closed, on the fourth side, by a small water tower. The load-bearing structure is in untreated brick, while the roof consists of a double grid of wooden beams and tiles. The entire composition is conceived and developed on the basis of a module of 1.20 m and a sub-multiple of 0.60. The materials used are all local, the architects have avoided to use imported materials or sophisticated and complex technologies that would not be acceptable or manageable by the customers and the users