Historically Accurate Reconstruction of the Materials and Conservation Technologies Used on the Facades of the Artistic Buildings in Lecce (Apulia, Italy)

The protection of the stone surfaces of the buildings of the city of Lecce (Apulia, Italy) represents an ancient practice, which has always allowed the conservation of the historical-artistic heritage of the city, which nowadays is an international touristic and cultural destination. The identification of ancient recipes, materials and methodologies for the protection of historical buildings plays an important role in establishing correct protocols in order to ensure the durability of stone surfaces over time. This work presents a historically accurate reconstruction of the materials and conservation technologies used on the facades of the artistic buildings in Lecce. Several historical buildings, both civil and religious, have been selected in order to investigate the treatments applied on their facades and to know the traditions spread in the past in the field of building conservation in the Salento territory. Thanks to non-invasive or micro-destructive techniques (optical microscopy, ATR-FTIR spectroscopy, pyrolysis–gas chromatography–mass spectrometry), the characteristic molecular markers of the materials and the products of degradation have been identified, deepening the knowledge of the mechanisms of deterioration and interaction between the stone material, the surface finish and the surrounding environment. The paper is a valuable tool for the knowledge of ancient traditions and the planning of proper restoration works

Fused Filament Fabrication and Computer Numerical Control Milling in Cultural Heritage Conservation

This paper reports a comparison between the advantages and disadvantages of fused filament fabrication (FFF) and computer numerical control (CNC) milling, when applied to a specific case of conservation of cultural heritage: the reproduction of four missing columns of a 17th-century tabernacle. To make the replica prototypes, European pine wood (the original material) was used for CNC milling, while polyethylene terephthalate glycol (PETG) was used for FFF printing. Neat materials were chemically and structurally characterized (FTIR, XRD, DSC, contact angle measurement, colorimetry, and bending tests) before and after artificial aging, in order to study their durability. The comparison showed that although both materials are subject to a decrease in crystallinity (an increase in amorphous bands in XRD diffractograms) and mechanical performance with aging, these characteristics are less evident in PETG (E = 1.13 +/- 0.01 GPa and sigma = 60.20 +/- 2.11 MPa after aging), which retains water repellent (ca = 95.96 +/- 5.56 degrees) and colorimetric ( increment E = 2.6) properties. Furthermore, the increase in flexural strain (%) in pine wood, from 3.71 +/- 0.03% to 4.11 +/- 0.02%, makes it not suitable for purpose. Both techniques were then used to produce the same column, showing that for this specific application CNC milling is quicker than FFF, but, at the same time, it is also much more expensive and produces a huge amount of waste material compared to FFF printing. Based on these results, it was assessed that FFF is more suitable for the replication of the specific column. For this reason, only the 3D-printed PETG column was used for the subsequent conservative restoration

Scutellaria caucasica A. Ham.: Morphological features and headspace characterization

In the context of a wide research project, a micromorphological and phytochemical characterization was performed on the vegetative and reproductive organs of Scutellaria caucasica A. Ham. (Lamiaceae), cultivated at the Ghirardi Botanic Garden (Toscolano Maderno, BS, Lombardy, Italy). The morphological survey revealed the presence of both non-glandular and glandular trichomes. The latter belonged to three different morphotypes: peltate, short-stalked and long-stalked capitate. Histochemical assays demonstrated that the terpenes biosynthesis mainly took place in the peltates, while short-stalked capitates secreted only polysaccharides; the long-stalked ones mainly produced polysaccharides, coupled with terpene and polyphenolic fractions. An element of novelty was represented by the characterization of the VOC emission profile. Leaves and flowers showed differences in their emissions: the floral profile had a higher number of compounds than that of the leaves (37 vs 29), with a higher heterogeneity. The almost totality of the leaf profile was characterized by sesquiterpene hydrocarbons (98.8 %), while the flowers presented a more varied composition, with sesquiterpene hydrocarbons (87.2 %), monoterpenes (10.4 % oxygenated, 1.8 % hydrocarbons) and non-terpenes derivatives (0.6 %). The most abundant compounds were \u3b3-muurolene (42.6 %) and \u3b2-caryophyllene (35.0 %) in the leaves and in the flowers, respectively. In the flower headspace, 16 exclusive compounds were identified, among which germacrene D (31.7 %) dominated; leaves had 8 exclusive compounds, with valencene (1.8 %) as the most represented one. 21 common compounds were revealed: \u3b2-caryophyllene (34.1 % leaves; 35.0 % flowers), \u3b1-humulene (3.0 % leaves; 3.1 % flowers), alloaromadendrene (2.4 % leaves; 1.0 % flowers), \u3b1-copaene (2.1 % leaves; 2.7 % flowers) and \u3b2-copaene (2.2 % leaves; 1.5 % flowers) were the most abundant ones. \u3b3-Muurolene relative abundances (42.6 % leaves; 0.7 % flowers) were very different between the two profiles. Overall, this work represented the first multidisciplinary study on S. caucasica, combining a scientific research approach with the policies of the Open Science

Tools to tie: Flower characteristics, voc emission profile, and glandular trichomes of two mexican salvia species to attract bees

A plant can combine physical and chemical tools to interact with other organisms. Some are designed for pollinator attraction (i.e., colors and volatile organic compounds-VOCs); others can act to discourage herbivores (i.e., non-glandular trichomes). Few studies fully address available tools in a single species; notwithstanding, this information can be pivotal in understanding new interactions out of the home range. We characterized flower traits, emission profiles of constitutive compounds from flowers and leaves, micro-morphology of the glandular trichomes, and listed flower visitors of two Mexican bird-pollinated Salvia species (S. blepharophylla and S. greggii), growing in an Italian botanical garden. Flowers were highly variable in their morphometric characteristics. In both species, four trichome morphotypes with similar histochemistry and distribution were documented for leaves and flowers except the calyx abaxial side. The vegetative emission profiles were qualitatively more complex than the floral ones; however, common compounds occurring in high relative percentages were β-caryophyllene and germacrene D. Floral bouquets were dominated by limonene and β-pinene in S. greggii and by 1,8-cineole in S. blepharophylla. Two potential (non-bird) pollinators were especially abundant: small bees belonging to the genus Lasioglossum and large bees belonging to the species Xylocopa violacea. Our study highlights the plasticity of these plants, as well as tools that can be conveniently used to establish novel interactions

BUILDING BRIDGES FOR INNOVATION IN AGEING : SYNERGIES BETWEEN ACTION GROUPS OF THE EIP ON AHA

The Strategic Implementation Plan of the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing (EIP on AHA) proposed six Action Groups. After almost three years of activity, many achievements have been obtained through commitments or collaborative work of the Action Groups. However, they have often worked in silos and, consequently, synergies between Action Groups have been proposed to strengthen the triple win of the EIP on AHA. The paper presents the methodology and current status of the Task Force on EIP on AHA synergies. Synergies are in line with the Action Groups' new Renovated Action Plan (2016-2018) to ensure that their future objectives are coherent and fully connected. The outcomes and impact of synergies are using the Monitoring and Assessment Framework for the EIP on AHA (MAFEIP). Eight proposals for synergies have been approved by the Task Force: Five cross-cutting synergies which can be used for all current and future synergies as they consider overarching domains (appropriate polypharmacy, citizen empowerment, teaching and coaching on AHA, deployment of synergies to EU regions, Responsible Research and Innovation), and three cross-cutting synergies focussing on current Action Group activities (falls, frailty, integrated care and chronic respiratory diseases).Peer reviewe

Characterization of Super-Responder Profile in Chronic Plaque Psoriatic Patients under Guselkumab Treatment: A Long-Term Real-Life Experience

background: the term "super responder" identifies a group of patients who exhibit a rapid and optimal response to biological treatment compared to the overall treated population. the primary objective of our study is to characterize this subgroup of patients to enable the early identification of those who will respond most effectively to the proposed treatment while also evaluating clinical efficacy. methods: this retrospective study evaluated 232 patients treated with guselkumab in monotherapy for at least 20 weeks between november 2018 and november 2023. patients were divided into two groups: those who achieved complete clear skin (PASI = 0) during the first 20 weeks of treatment were defined as super responders (SRe) and non-super responders (nSRe) were the remaining patients. PASI was assessed at weeks 0, 4, and subsequently every eight weeks. predictors of the SRe status were evaluated by univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses. results: the univariate analyses showed that patients with psoriatic arthritis at the baseline, bio-na & iuml;ve patients, or those who had not received an interleukin (IL) 17 inhibitor as their last therapy before guselkumab administration were more likely to be super responders to the proposed treatment. multivariate logistic analysis models suggested that the combination of psoriatic arthritis at the baseline and the bio-na & iuml;ve condition was the strongest predictive model for the SRe status. at week 204, the main difference between the two groups concerned the achievement of PASI100, maintained by 86.8 of SRe compared to 62.8% of nSRe. conclusions: the efficacy and safety of guselkumab are confirmed in our real-life experience. Identifying the SRe status will undoubtedly play a role in clinical practice and the therapeutic decision-making algorithm

Extraction Method and Analysis of Cannabinoids in Cannabis Olive Oil Preparations

Recently, an increasing number of pharmacists had to supply medicinal products based on Cannabis sativa L. (Cannabaceae), prescribed by physicians to individual patients. Cannabis olive oil preparation is the first choice as a concentrated extract of cannabinoids, even though standardized operative conditions for obtaining it are still not available. In this work, the impact of temperature and extraction time on the concentration of active principles was studied to harmonize the different compounding methods, optimize the extraction process, and reduce the variability among preparations. Moreover, starting from the cannabis inflorescence, the effect of temperature on tetrahydrocannabinolic acid decarboxylation was evaluated. For the analysis, a GC/MS method, as suggested by the Italian Ministry of Health, and a GC/flame ionization detection method were developed, validated, and compared

Scaling up health knowledge at European level requires sharing integrated data: An approach for collection of database specification

Computerized health care databases have been widely described as an excellent opportunity for research. The availability of “big data” has brought about a wave of innovation in projects when conducting health services research. Most of the available secondary data sources are restricted to the geographical scope of a given country and present heterogeneous structure and content. Under the umbrella of the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing, collaborative work conducted by the partners of the group on “adherence to prescription and medical plans” identified the use of observational and large-population databases to monitor medication-taking behavior in the elderly. This article describes the methodology used to gather the information from available databases among the Adherence Action Group partners with the aim of improving data sharing on a European level. A total of six databases belonging to three different European countries (Spain, Republic of Ireland, and Italy) were included in the analysis. Preliminary results suggest that there are some similarities. However, these results should be applied in different contexts and European countries, supporting the idea that large European studies should be designed in order to get the most of already available databases