Architectural and structural recovery of “mastio” and its courtyard of the new fortress of Volterra

[EN] The recovery of the “mastio” and the surrounding courtyard of the new fortress of Volterra (1472-1474) has as its objective the opening to the public of this fortified work, after 542 years from its construction, with the possibility of being enjoyed without interposing with the prison function of the complex, it also represents the possibility of knowledge and study of a constructive typology in the context of the Renaissance fortified architecture of the Italian school called “transition” with the use of the first artillery. The fortress was born as a military garrison and at the time of Lorenzo the magnificent only a part was used as a prison, it will be definitively transformed into a House of Imprisonment during the Grand Duchy of Lorraine in the middle of the eighteenth century. It is the first work by Francesco di Giovanni di Matteo called the Francione (1428-1495), it has an almost square shape with large cylindrical towers at the corners (rondelle) and at the center of the inner courtyard, a large cylindrical tower like of “mastio” (donjon) and inserted the artillery in the walls. The “mastio” consists of a basement and five floors above ground with a domed roof and connected by a narrow spiral staircase. After the cognitive essays carried out on the internal domes of the “mastio”, placed in the first three floors including the cistern, the presence of “hemispherical domes” emerged, made by workers of the Opera del Duomo in Florence, built entirely in bricks without the carpentry of “centina” (self-supporting), with the system called “alla fiorentina”, as well as the dome of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence by Filippo Brunelleschi. This construction system is also applied in the fortified structures of Pietrasanta, Poggibonsi, Sarzanello, Castrocaro, Pisa and Terra del Sole.Taddei, D.; Calvani, C.; Pistolesi, R.; Taddei, A.; Martini, A. (2020). Recupero architettonico e strutturale del “mastio” e del suo cortile della fortezza nuova di Volterra. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 1425-1432. https://doi.org/10.4995/FORTMED2020.2020.11361OCS1425143

Prefronto-cerebellar transcranial direct current stimulation increases amplituded and decreases latency of P3b component in patients with euthymic bipolar disorder

INTRODUCTION: Neurocognitive impairments have been observed in patients with bipolar disorder (BD) even during the euthymic phase of the disease, potentially representing trait-associated rather than state-associated characteristics of the disorder. In the present study, we used transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) applied to cerebellar and prefrontal cortices to improve the neurophysiological performances of patients with euthymic BD. METHODS: Twenty-five outpatients with BD underwent open-label prefrontocerebellar tDCS for 3 consecutive weeks. Neurophysiological performances were assessed through the examination of the P3b and P3a subcomponents of P300 event-related potential at baseline and after stimulation. RESULTS: Compared to baseline, P3b component after tDCS showed significantly higher amplitude and shorter latency (latency: Fz P=0.02, Cz P=0.03, and Pz P=0.04; amplitude: Fz P=0.24, Cz P=0.02, and Pz P=0.35). CONCLUSION: In our sample of patients with euthymic BD, concomitant prefrontoexcitatory and cerebellar-inhibitory modulations led to improved brain information processing stream. This improvement may at least partially result from neuroplastic modulation of prefrontocerebellar circuitry activity

Orbetello, a fortress on the water. A research for the valorization of the city and its bastioned front

[EN] Orbetello is located in the Southern Tuscany, at the centre of a lagoon. Founded by the Etruscans, its strategic position it has been disputed for centuries by the major European powers until 1559 when it became the capital of the small Spanish State of Presidios. From that moment, the urban fortifications were continuously subjected to modifications and updates, until the final layout in the 17th century. The current state of general neglect and the recent urban expansion of the city have greatly compromised the integrity of these fortifications. This paper intends to report the results of a research that, starting from an in-deep historical analysis, aims to define some guidelines for the recovery of the city walls and their historical value in a wider project of urban regeneration.Cartei, A.; Bevilacqua, MG.; Calvani, C.; Pierini, R.; Taddei, D. (2015). Orbetello, a fortress on the water. A research for the valorization of the city and its bastioned front. En Defensive architecture of the mediterranean: XV to XVIII centuries. Vol. I. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 49-56. https://doi.org/10.4995/FORTMED2015.2015.1722OCS495

Antibody drug conjugates with hydroxamic acid cargos for histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibition.

The bioconjugation of hydroxamic acids to antibodies has been made possible through a non-cleavable linker based on the p-mercaptobenzyl alcohol structure that releases hydroxamates in the cells

Randomized trial on the effects of a combined physical/cognitive training in aged MCI subjects: the Train the Brain study

Age-related cognitive impairment and dementia are an increasing societal burden. Epidemiological studies indicate that lifestyle factors, e.g. physical, cognitive and social activities, correlate with reduced dementia risk; moreover, positive effects on cognition of physical/cognitive training have been found in cognitively unimpaired elders. Less is known about effectiveness and action mechanisms of physical/cognitive training in elders already suffering from Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), a population at high risk for dementia. We assessed in 113 MCI subjects aged 65-89 years, the efficacy of combined physical-cognitive training on cognitive decline, Gray Matter (GM) volume loss and Cerebral Blood Flow (CBF) in hippocampus and parahippocampal areas, and on brain-blood-oxygenation-level-dependent (BOLD) activity elicited by a cognitive task, measured by ADAS-Cog scale, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Arterial Spin Labeling (ASL) and fMRI, respectively, before and after 7 months of training vs. usual life. Cognitive status significantly decreased in MCI-no training and significantly increased in MCI-training subjects; training increased parahippocampal CBF, but no effect on GM volume loss was evident; BOLD activity increase, indicative of neural efficiency decline, was found only in MCI-no training subjects. These results show that a non pharmacological, multicomponent intervention improves cognitive status and indicators of brain health in MCI subjects

Colorectal Cancer Stage at Diagnosis Before vs During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Italy

IMPORTANCE Delays in screening programs and the reluctance of patients to seek medical attention because of the outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 could be associated with the risk of more advanced colorectal cancers at diagnosis. OBJECTIVE To evaluate whether the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic was associated with more advanced oncologic stage and change in clinical presentation for patients with colorectal cancer. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This retrospective, multicenter cohort study included all 17 938 adult patients who underwent surgery for colorectal cancer from March 1, 2020, to December 31, 2021 (pandemic period), and from January 1, 2018, to February 29, 2020 (prepandemic period), in 81 participating centers in Italy, including tertiary centers and community hospitals. Follow-up was 30 days from surgery. EXPOSURES Any type of surgical procedure for colorectal cancer, including explorative surgery, palliative procedures, and atypical or segmental resections. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary outcome was advanced stage of colorectal cancer at diagnosis. Secondary outcomes were distant metastasis, T4 stage, aggressive biology (defined as cancer with at least 1 of the following characteristics: signet ring cells, mucinous tumor, budding, lymphovascular invasion, perineural invasion, and lymphangitis), stenotic lesion, emergency surgery, and palliative surgery. The independent association between the pandemic period and the outcomes was assessed using multivariate random-effects logistic regression, with hospital as the cluster variable. RESULTS A total of 17 938 patients (10 007 men [55.8%]; mean [SD] age, 70.6 [12.2] years) underwent surgery for colorectal cancer: 7796 (43.5%) during the pandemic period and 10 142 (56.5%) during the prepandemic period. Logistic regression indicated that the pandemic period was significantly associated with an increased rate of advanced-stage colorectal cancer (odds ratio [OR], 1.07; 95%CI, 1.01-1.13; P = .03), aggressive biology (OR, 1.32; 95%CI, 1.15-1.53; P < .001), and stenotic lesions (OR, 1.15; 95%CI, 1.01-1.31; P = .03). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE This cohort study suggests a significant association between the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and the risk of a more advanced oncologic stage at diagnosis among patients undergoing surgery for colorectal cancer and might indicate a potential reduction of survival for these patients