Littérature scientifique sur le sujet « Villa Niscemi (Palermo, Italy) »

This article presents the results of a study on plant diversity at different levels in residual forest stands, located in the historical Favorita Park in Palermo, Italy (established and named in 1799 by King Ferdinand IV of the House of Bourbon). These forest aspects have naturally evolved for over two centuries, under minimal conditions of anthropogenic disturbance (e.g. deforestation, fires, grazing activities, etc.). This is especially true in the area known as “Bosco Niscemi”, spread over about 8.5 hectares, in the centre of the park. Bosco Niscemi is characterized by the widespread presence of old trees, abundant necromass and litter. In this study, four different soil profiles were analysed, and classified as follows: (i) Solimovic Regosol (Arenic); ii) Eutric Arenosol (Chromic); (iii) and (iv) Skeletic Regosol (Ochric). From a phytosociological point of view, four forest communities have been identified, two of which are described as new associations (Viburno tini-Phillyreetum latifoliae ass. nova and Teucrio flavi-Phillyreetum latifoliae ass. nova). The species richness was also found to be noteworthy, with the co-occurrence of several taxa (phanerogams and cryptogams) that are of biogeographic interest or rare in Sicily, including: i) vascular flora (e.g. Viburnum tinus and Arbutus unedo, both very rare throughout the western sector of Sicily); ii) bryophytes [Cryphaea heteromalla (new record of a very rare species in Sicily) as well as Hypnum cupressiforme and Leptodon smithii, also never previously found at such low altitudes]; iii) lichens (e.g. Bacidia rosella, Gyalecta derivata, Ramalina roesleri and Waynea stoechadiana); iv) mushrooms (e.g. Eichleriella leucophaea, only known location in Italy). Based on the scientific documentation produced in this study, these woods can be reported as “old-growth forests” to be included in the “National Network” that has been recently established in Italy (Ministerial Decree of 23 June 2023). This area might serve as an ideal control for urban environmental studies, given its pristine ecological setting.

The photogrammetric survey of architectural Cultural Heritage is a very useful and standard process in order to obtain accurate 3D data for the documentation and visualization of historical buildings. In particular, the integration of terrestrial close-range photogrammetry and Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPASs) photogrammetry allows to create accurate and reliable 3D models of buildings and to monitor their state of conservation. The use of RPASs has indeed become more popular in Cultural Heritage survey to measure and detect areas that cannot normally be covered using terrestrial photogrammetry or terrestrial laser scanner.<br> The paper presents the results of a photogrammetric survey executed to document the monumental complex of <i>Villa Lampedusa ai Colli</i> in Palermo (Italy), one of the most important historical buildings of the town. An integrated survey by close-range photogrammetry and RPAS photogrammetry was planned and carried out to reconstruct the 3D digital model of the monumental complex. Different images configurations (terrestrial, aerial nadiral, aerial parallel and oblique to the façades) have been acquired; data have been processed to verify the accuracy of the photogrammetric survey as regards the camera calibration parameters and the number of Ground Control Points (GCPs) measured on building façades.<br> A very detailed 3D digital model and high-resolution ortho-images of the façades were obtained in order to carry out further analysis for historical studies, conservation and restoration project. The final 3D model of <i>Villa Lampedusa ai Colli</i> has been compared with a laser scanner 3D model to evaluate the quality of the photogrammetric approach.<br> Beyond a purely metric assessment, 3D textured model has employed to generate 2D representations, useful for documentation purpose and to highlight the most significant damaged areas. 3D digital models and 2D representations can effectively contribute to monitor the state of conservation of historical buildings and become a very useful support for preliminary restoration works.

Abstract. Conservation actions often challenge traditional planned conservation tools, especially when referring to the management of data relating to the existing building heritage due to the huge amount of information to be acquired and archived. In response to this requirement, the Building Information Modelling (BIM) process, applied to historical buildings as Historical-BIM (HBIM), could be an effective solution for integrating different types of data concerning not only the geometric features but also useful qualitative information in conservation and preservation works (i.e. the type of materials, construction techniques, the presence of degradation and instability, intervention techniques, etc.). Although the BIM process has reached a considerable level of maturity, several aspects related to the application of the method to existing structures through the Scan-to-BIM process require further research; particularly the need to find suitable approaches to integrate, manage and store thematic information. The article describes the work carried out in the case study of Villa Castelnuovo, an eighteenth-century architectural building located in Palermo (Italy), in which, starting from an integrated survey, it was possible to generate an HBIM model to support all the phases concerning preventive maintenance, long-term redevelopment and management of the architectural asset. The research focused mainly on the modelling and information integration phases, developing a procedure applicable to different contexts for storing, managing and analysing the external façade decay necessary for documenting and monitoring the architectural heritage.

Background: It has been estimated that 5-7% of the world's population carries a mutated gene affecting the production or function of the haemoglobin molecule, and that around 56,000 new individuals affected by Thalassemia Dependent Transfusion (TDT) are born every year worldwide. Innovative treatment (IT), such as gene addition therapy (GT), gene editing (GE) and ineffective erythropoiesis modulating drugs (IEMD), have been developing for the cure of TDT patients, offering chances for obtaining durable transfusion independence (TI). The possibility of bringing IT to the “bed-site” of the patient requires sustainable cost for the worldwide health systems. The accessibility to IT may be different according to the private or public organization of the different Country's health systems, this heterogeneity representing one of the main issues to be solved, even in Countries with high gross domestic product like many of those present in Europe. Therefore, the precise definition of the current costs for TDT lifetime treatment in Countries where thalassemia is common is pivotal for the accessibility of IT to the National Health System. Methods: The main aim of this study was to provide an updated information on the current direct cost of TDT patient management, in a region (Sicily, Italy), where there is a Western Public Funded Healthcare System (WPFHS), high incidence of TDT, with well-organized prevention and treatment program, and accurate control of TDT/birth-rate incidence, implemented from 1983 by the Regional Registry on Thalassemia, for assessing the economic impact of well-organized TDT management in a WPFHS. This monocentric study involved adult TDT patients undergoing regular and intensive treatment, at Campus Hematology Franco and Piera Cutino, AOR Villa Sofia-V. Cervello- Palermo (Italy), from 1980 to today. The estimated costs of management of TDT patients included, besides red blood cell transfusions, staff salary, iron chelation with necessary equipment, side-effects monitoring and complications costs (assumed to be equal in Italy, as estimated by Alta Scuola di Economia e Management dei Sistemi Sanitari, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Rome, Italy). Results: The summary of results of calculated direct costs for TDT patients management, estimated on 135 patients, are reported on Table I. The overall cost of the lifetime treatment was calculated for the median life (44 years) of TDT patients in Italy, for the 1 st (30.5 years) and 3 rd quartile (53.5years) of our population, respectively. The blood requirement of 2 blood units, with an interval between transfusions of 15 days, was considered as the standard cost for transfusion treatment. Therefore, the transfusion cost for pediatric patients will be less, while a small cohort of adult patients may have higher cost. Table I shows how the cost for managing complications increases with patient age. The direct cost of oral iron chelators, Deferiprone and Deferasirox, was updated, because chelator patents expired (Tab. I). It is noteworthy to underline how, after oral chelators patents expired, DFO is today the most expensive chelation treatment (Tab. I). The social cost and those related to the loss of working days was not calculated in this study. The three estimation costs may be useful for comparing cost of TDT according to the variation of the median life among different Countries.Conclusion: The cost of TDT patient in WPFHS decreased over the last years, because of the oral iron chelator patents expiring. This cost changes according to age, because of the different incidence of complications, increasing from € 1.035.422,49 (30.5 years) to € 1.816.232,89 (53,5 years)with a median life cost of € 1.493.724,24.These data support the concept that any kind of IT has to be offered at competitive cost in comparison with that of conventional treatment. Finally, considering the permanence of “uncertainty area” for the sustained patient benefit, a reimbursement based on the “pay at result” approach should be considered.

Introduction Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a monogenic, yet highly phenotypically variable disease with multisystem pathology. HbS is prone to polymerization upon deoxygenation, and this property underlies all the pathophysiology of SCD. The net result is a chronic hemolytic anemia, with intravascular and extravascular components, and a tendency for microvascular obstruction or vaso-occlusion (VOC). The ability to predict ''severe disease'' depends on the ability to define it specifically and reproducibly. Many genetic, clinical and laboratory modifiers have been suggested as possible predictors of a "severe disease". Despite of this wealth of data the modelling of predictor variable continues to be difficult (Quinn et al, 2016). Considering that the hallmark of SCD is the chronic hemolitic anemia causing increasing of gastro-intestinal iron absorption, our aim was to evaluate if LIC-R2 (Ferriscan) determination may be related with phenotype severity of SCD. Methods This was a retrospective study of patients with SCD attending 7 Italian centres participating in the LICNET-S (Liver Iron Cutino NETwork in Sickle Cell Disease), collected at the Campus of Hematology Franco and Piera Cutino, AOOR Villa Sofia-V. Cervello (Palermo, Italy). The LICNET-S protocol was established on June 2018 by Foundation Franco and Piera Cutino of Palermo and approved by our Ethics Committee on 4, July 2018. This analysis included data from LIC-R2 for those patients presenting between July 2018 and July 2019. The MRI-R2 used protocol was that of St Pierre et al, 2005. Retrieved information included laboratory and clinical findings. These are shown as mean±sd and percentages. A linear regression model (LRM) (Draper & Smith, 1998) was used to study the correlation between LIC-R2 and some potential indicators of phenotype severity. All statistical analyses were performed using Stata 12 (StataCorp, College Station, TX, USA). Results Overall 65 patients (32 (49.3%) females) whom 16 patients with S/S, 15 with S/beta+ tahalseemia and 34 with S/beta0 thalassemia were enrolled in the study. Table 1 shows summary of the main clinical findings included in the study to evaluate the LIC-R2 predictivity based on SCD phenotype severity. Table 2 shows the results of the LRM analysis. The variables statistically significant were the number of the VOC, the Aseptic Avascular Necrosis (AVN) and the Chelation Treatment (CT) (Table 2). However, transfusion regimen was not related with LIC-R2 value, suggesting that chronic hemolitic anemia causing increasing of gastro-intestinal iron absorption rather than transfusion treatment was the main determinant in the LIC-R2 values. This issue is supported by the report of high LIC-R2 in non transfused patients with SCD (Yassim et al, 2017). Table 2 shows even the relationship between the impairment of the single indicator (VOC, AVN, CT) and the LIC-R2 value. All other laboratory and main clinical findings included in Table 2 were not statistically significant. The value of VOC in determining phenotype severity is well known. AVN is a consequence of a chronic ischaemia with inflammatory process evolving at the same time as medullary osteoblastic activity (Mukizi-Musaka et al, 2010). Therefore, it may be related with the chronic hemolitic anemia condition in SCD. Finally, the relationship between CT and LIC-R2 may be explained considering that patients with higher iron body burden are those who received earlier chelation treatment. Conclusions This study suggests, as LIC-R2 value is a strong predictive indicator of phenotype severity in SCD. Probably, this is due because of LIC-R2 is related both with acute and chronic hemolitic anemia of SCD causing an increase, during the years, of gastro-intestinal iron absorption. Therefore, the possibility of preventing VOC, even using new anti-sickling drugs, should be hardly pursued. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Abstract Introduction. In the last few decades, the life expectancy of Thalassemia Major (TM) patients has progressively been increasing. The improvement can be due to several factors, including introduction of chelation treatment (Deferoxamine 1965, Deferiprone 1987, Deferasirox 2006), screening of blood for the most common viral agents, aggressive treatment of infection and improved treatment of cardiac complications. However, no comparative survival curves between TM versus Thalassemia Intermedia (TI) have been so far reported. Moreover, no data on life expectancy, after introduction of chelation treatment have been described. Methods. Data coming from several randomized clinical trials, carried ahead by Campus of Hematology Franco and Piera Cutino-A.O.O.R Villa Sofia-V. Cervello, Palermo (Italy), were retrospectively considered for this study. Primary goal of the study was to provide evidence of possible differences in survival curves between TM versus TI. Survival curves in TM versus TI patients were compared using Kaplan-Meier method and the log-rank test before and after the introduction of Deferoxamine (DFO) (1965). Moreover, Cox regression model was even used to explore risk of death between the two diagnoses. Each dead patient was observed from its birth to its death, and each alive patient was observed from its birth to June 30, 2015. Results. Three hundred seventy-nine patients with TM (n=284, dead 40) and TI (n=95, dead 13) entered into the study. Males were 50.7% of this cohort of patients. Among the cohort of dead patients, 15% (6/40) TM and 76.9% (10/13) TI patients were born before introduction of DFO (1965) . The mean age survival was 50.6 (SE 0.9) and 70.6 (SE 1.7) for TM and TI, respectively. Table 1 shows the main causes of death. In TM patients the most common causes of death were heart damage (16 cases, 40%, Tab. 1), followed by cancer (3 cases, 7.5%, Tab. 1), liver cirrhosis (3 cases, 7.5%, Tab. 1) and infections (3 cases, 7.5%, Tab. 1). In TI patients the most common causes of death were cancer (2 cases, 38.5%, Tab. 1), followed by infections (3 cases, 23.1% , Tab. 1), heart damage (2 case, 15.4%, Tab. 1). Kaplan-Meir curves showed statistically significant difference in TM versus TI survival (log-rank test, p- value<0.0001; Figure 1A). Survival was higher for TI subjects (median age was 73.6 years). Cox regression models of TM versus TI suggested that risk of death for TM patients was 6.8 times higher than TI patients (HR 6.8 (3.3), p- value<0.0001). However, the introduction of chelation treatment (DFO, 1965), changed the Kaplan-Meier curves showing that there was not statistically significant difference between TM versus TI patients in life expectancy ( log-rank test, p- value=0.086; Fig. 1B). Conclusion. These results suggest as TM survival, after the introduction of chelation treatment, improved so much that nowadays it is not different in comparison with TI one's. Moreover, the TM risk of death has been decreased from 6.8 to 2.8 (Cox Model HR 2.8 (1.7), p- value=0.099). These findings, if further confirmed, suggest as, in Western countries, our approach for genetic counselling of "at risk couples" for TM should be reconsidered. Table 1. Causes of death in Thalassemia Major and Thalassemia Intermedia patients. Diagnosis Causes of Death TM n (%) TI n (%) Cancer 3 (7,5) 5 (38,5) Heart Damage 16 (40,0) 2 (15,4) Infection 3 (7,5) 3 (23,1) Multi Organ Failure 1 (2,5) 0 (0,0) Stroke 1 (2,5) 0 (0,0) Liver Failure 3 (7,5) 1 (7,7) Not Available 11 (27,5) 1 (7,7) Other complications not related to Thalassemia 2 (5,0) 1 (7,7) Total 13 40 Figure 1. Kaplan-Meier Survival curves of Thalassemia Major versus Thalassemia Intermedia patients before and after the introduction of chelation treatment (DFO, 1965). Figure 1. Kaplan-Meier Survival curves of Thalassemia Major versus Thalassemia Intermedia patients before and after the introduction of chelation treatment (DFO, 1965). Disclosures Pepe: Chiesi: Speakers Bureau; ApoPharma Inc: Speakers Bureau; Novartis: Speakers Bureau.

<span style="font-size: small;"><p>In recent years, detailed geoarcheological investigations have been carried out to search for traces of the ancient Tindari harbor (north-east Sicily, Italy). A digital terrain model supported the hypothesis that 2,000 yr ago the Oliveri Basin was a suitable landing place that was protected from prevailing winds. This model was generated from uplift data, sea level changes, historical cartographic data and three-dimensional reconstruction of the sedimentary succession of the cover. The present position of some historical buildings represent an archeological marker of the shoreline progression. Recent excavations during the construction of the Messina-to-Palermo motorway brought to light some portions of an ancient archeological complex. The thickness of the walls and the volume of the collected archeological material suggests dating between the 1st century BC and the 4th century AD. After that time, heavy environmental changes due to human activities in the area led to inaccurate underestimation of the role of Tindari harbor in the past. A geophysical investigation was carried out in the area surrounding the archeological complex to search for new buried structures related to the ancient settlement, and to be open to any results of the paleotopographic reconstruction of the area. The applied geophysical techniques included passive seismic and ground-penetrating radar. This survey indicates the presence of buried structures, such as walls and floors, that probably belong to a Roman villa. Furthermore, it defines the depth of the Holocene sedimentary cover of the Oliveri coastal plain, which strengthens the hypothesis formulated for its morphological evolution.</p></span>