Study of the environmental impact in show caves: A multidisciplinary research

Caves are one of the most important and well-known geological features in the world, an environmental and cultural heritage, as well as an important economic resource for many countries. Their scientific and aesthetic value is often threatened by tourism, which unfortunately exposes them to a series of risks of degradation and, sometimes, irreparably changes. Therefore, the study of underground environment becomes essential in order to protect and preserve it over time. The national project "SHOWCAVE" aims to study, classify and mitigate the environmental impact in the tourist caves to finally propose useful solutions for their management. In particular, the DIATI team of the Politecnico di Torino deals with the acquisition of monitoring data of the main environmental parameters, the analysis of the speleothems corrosion and the analysis of the presence of microplastics in caves. The most advanced geomatics techniques are used to illustrate the topography of these cavities, their development relative to the surface and the studied areas. The researches have just begun, and in this work the study methodologies used and the first results obtained by our multidisciplinary research group are presented

Leadless pacing in cardiac transplant recipients: Primary results of a multicenter case experience

About 4.5–20% of patients after heart transplant require pacemaker (PM) implantation. The high infective risk profile and the low probability of pacing dependency make heart-transplanted patients the ideal candidates for a leadless single-chamber PM. We report the first multicenter experience of leadless PM implantation in a series of heart-transplanted patients with a long-term follow-up. Our data confirm the feasibility and acceptable safety of leadless device in this peculiar kind of patients, despite implantation seems to be slightly more challenging with respect to non-transplanted patients. Although more data are required, a leadless single-chamber surveillance PM seems a valuable option for heart-transplanted patients

PREDESTINATION: PRimary vEntricular fibrillation and suDden dEath during a firST myocardIal iNfArcTION: Genetic basis.

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Acute and long-term outcomes of simultaneous atrioventricular node ablation and leadless pacemaker implantation

Aims: Leadless pacemaker (LDP) allows implantation using a femoral approach. This access could be utilized for conventional atrioventricular nodal ablation (AVNA). It could facilitate unifying the two procedural components. Data regarding its feasibility and long-term outcomes remain lacking. We aim to evaluate the feasibility and long-term outcomes of sequential LDP and AVNA. Methods: Prospective, observational multicenter study including consecutive patients with indication for single-chamber pacemaker placement. In those with additional indication for AVNA, ablation was performed immediately after the LPD through the same sheath. Results: A total of 137 patients were included. Mean age was 77.9 ± 10.5 years; 74 (54%) were men. Immediately following LDP implantation, 27 patients (19.7%) underwent concurrent AVNA. There were six (5.5%) complications in patients referred for LDP procedures and three (11%) in those who underwent a combined approach. None of these complications were solely attributable to the added AVNA component. No mechanical dislodgement, electrical damage to any device, or electromagnetic interference ever took place. During a mean follow-up period of 123 ± 48 days, three patients (3.6%) died of noncardiovascular causes. The remaining population stayed alive without significant arrhythmias. There were no relevant differences with regard to sensing and pacing thresholds between patients in the two groups. Conclusions: AVNA can safely be performed immediately following LDP. A combined approach obviates the need for additional vascular access and optimizes feasibility and comfort for patients and healthcare providers. It offers an acceptable safety and efficacy profile, both acutely and upon intermediate-term follow-up

SHOWCAVE: a multidisciplinary research project to quantify and mitigate the environmental impacts in tourist caves

Over the past decades, interest for the underground karst environments has grown remarkably, not only from the scientific viewpoint, but also from an economic perspective. The so-called “show caves” are caves open to the public for touristic purposes, managed by a governmental or commercial organization. The numbers of visitors (up to 500,000/year/cave) and the profits deriving from such activities have recently gained importance worldwide. The research project of relevant national interest (PRIN 2017) “SHOWCAVE”, aims at providing an in-depth characterization of the environmental impacts related to tourist exploitation in the major Italian show caves. During the first year of the project, 12 Italian show caves were chosen as ideal setting to develop the core of the research program, i.e. the multidisciplinary evaluation of tourism impacts based on a wide set of indicators, encompassing all the abiotic and biotic components. By adopting innovative techniques and original methods, the different research units are currently monitoring: i) physical indicators, namely water and air parameters; ii) geological indicators, such asthe alterations of the carbonate rocks; iii) biological indicators, including invertebrates, lampenflora and the microbiota; iv) palaeontological and archaeological indicators. Side researches are being performed on the contamination by lint, the description of the natural heritage of Italian show caves and the human perception of the tourism impacts in the subterranean environment. The development of the first LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) method to comprehensively evaluate the impacts of the touristic service offered by show caves, together with a review of available literature on show caves, are also being carried out. Preliminary results have already been disseminated in several public engagement and educational activities. At the end, the results obtained by all the research activities will be combined to develop general protection measures and provide specific suggestions for the sustainable use of show caves