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Background: Epidemiological data regarding the incidence and mortality of sepsis are scarcely available. The present study aimed to delineate the epidemiology of sepsis and related mortality among patients hospitalized in Sicily, Italy. Methods: Data on the discharge forms of all patients with sepsis in all Sicilian hospitals from January 2016 to December 2020 were retrospectively collected. Results: In Sicily, 15,373 hospitalizations associated with sepsis occurred from 2016 to 2020, with an overall in-hospital mortality rate of 36.3%. The percentage of hospitalizations associated with sepsis represented 0.65% of all admissions, with an increase over the years. Most patients were admitted to non-surgical and non-infectious disease units, accounting for 50.3% of total admissions. Stratification of patients according to age, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, and presence of septic shock revealed variations in in-hospital mortality rates. Among adult ICU-admitted patients with septic shock, mortality was highest at 81.0%, followed by non-ICU adult patients with septic shock (63.5%), ICU pediatric patients with septic shock (56.7%), ICU adult patients without septic shock (43.9%), non-ICU pediatric patients with septic shock (37.9%), non-ICU adult patients without septic shock (17.9%), ICU pediatric patients without septic shock (10.4%), and non-ICU pediatric patients without septic shock (1%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a recent non-destructive analytical campaign at Museo Civico, Castello Ursino, in Catania, Italy, several paintings in the permanent collection were investigated by MA-XRF scanning, with a special focus on Matthias Stomer's production. On one depiction of the Mocking of Christ (ca. 1640) donated to the municipality of Catania by G.B. Finocchiaro in 1826, the analysis documented the use of Naples yellow. Sb with Pb was detected in yellow areas of the Mocking of Christ, but not in his work Tobias healing his father. This finding possibly suggested an early use of lead antimonate yellow in South Italy, although it is generally accepted that this pigment was introduced in painting in the eighteenth century. Further details on his technique and later conservation treatments are provided, as well as literary comparisons with the artistic production during the same period, in Sicily and elsewhere. A systematic study of Stomer's works, for example examining paintings produced while he was in Naples or Rome, might determine whether this material choice depended on local availability. Overall, it would shed light on his technique, as well as on the history of Naples yellow in southern Italy and beyond, before this pigment became so popular in the eighteenth century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano (Pacific Ocean) generated a cataclysmic explosion on 15 January 2022, triggering several atmospheric disturbances at a global scale, as a huge increase in the total electron content (TEC) in the ionosphere, and a pressure wave travelling in the troposphere. We collected and analysed data over the Mediterranean to study these disturbances, and in particular, (i) data from the barometric and infrasonic stations installed on Italian active volcanoes by the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV) for investigating the tropospheric pressure waves; (ii) barometric data from the INGV-TROPOMAG and SIAS (Sicilian Agro-meteorological Information System) networks, for investigating the interaction between the orography and pressure waves; (iii) ionograms from the Advanced Ionospheric Sounder-INGV ionosonde at Gibilmanna (Sicily, Italy); (iv) data from the RING (Rete Italiana Integrata GNSS) network, to retrieve the ionospheric TEC; (v) soil CO2 flux data from the INGV surveillance network of Vulcano Island. The analysis of the ground-level barometric data highlights that pressure waves were reflected and diffracted by the topographic surface, creating a complex space–time dynamic of the atmospheric disturbances travelling over Sicily, driven by the interference among the different wavefronts. The ionograms show that a medium-scale travelling ionospheric disturbance (MSTID), with a horizontal wavelength of about 220 km and a period of about 35 min, propagated through the ionospheric plasma in the correspondence of the first barometric variations. Moreover, comparing detrended TEC and barometric data, we further confirmed the presence of the aforementioned MSTID together with its close relation to the tropospheric disturbance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Notification of foodborne outbreaks has been mandatory in Europe since 2005, and surveillance is carried out along the entire food chain. Here we report the results obtained from laboratory investigations about four cases of foodborne outbreaks that occurred in Sicily between 2009 and 2016, deemed to be related to staphylococcal enterotoxins (SEs) and coagulase-positive Staphylococci (CPS) by the Local Public Health Authority. Primosale cheese samples were processed by culture methods for enumeration of CPS and immunoenzymatic assays for detection and differentiation of the SEs possibly contained in food samples. In all cases, the mistrusted foods were found to be contaminated by CPS at bacterial loads between 5 and 8 log CFU/g and contained SE type C (SEC). The reported data confirm the risk of staphylococcal food poisoning associated with the consumption of raw milk cheese. SEC is the most commonly occurring SE in goat milk and dairy products and the most represented enterotoxin in Sicilian dairy products. Our results highlighted the need for improving the current monitoring efficiency and implementing the available laboratory methods to collect more faithful epidemiological data on the current prevalence of staphylococcal toxins in the food chain, including SEs currently not detectable by validated analytical methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mineralized cover preserving soft parts of the Dasycladales, as an external mould, is the only tool allowing to deduce the anatomical parts of these algae. Problems arise when voids within the calcareous skeleton do not reflect accurately the original soft parts due to a loss of mineralization. Based on a rich material collected from the type locality in Languedoc (France), a detailed study was carried out on Chinianella ellenbergeri, the type species of Chinianella. Previous interpretation of voids in the calcified fossil considered the alga to be made of an alternation of fertile and further ramified sterile whorls. Our study shows that large cavities previously interpreted as corresponding to fertile whorls, actually denote empty spaces. Therefore, the alga essentially consists of spaced-out whorls of sterile primary laterals, distally bearing a tuft of three-four phloiophorous secondary laterals. A small number of specimens show the presence of calcified structures interpreted as corresponding to external, subterminal reproductive organs. Consequently, an emended diagnosis is proposed for C. ellenbergeri and for the Chinianella. Present interpretation of Chinianella adds a new step to the understanding of the emergence of external reproductive organs during the geological history of this group of green algae. Chinianella ellenbergeri shows that choristosporate reproduction sensu lato was already well represented and diversified in the Early Jurassic. Other Late Triassic-earliest Jurassic species formerly attributed to Chinianella (namely C. carpatica, C. crosii, C. zanklii, C. micropora, and C. macropora) reveal that the large, fertile primary lateral is a compound pore with a structure like in Cymopolia, i.e., made of a short primary lateral with a terminal gametophore embraced by secondary laterals. Therefore, these species have been referred to the new genus Distefanopolia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Archaeological excavations carried out in the town of Palermo revealed important traces of metallurgical activity related to the Punic Panormos. Five samples of iron slags, recovered during the digging, were characterized by micro-structural, mineralogical and chemical investigations as well as by environmental scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray powder diffraction and X-ray fluorescence. The studied remains are spongy, rust colored, with a plano-convex shape and their textural and mineralogical features suggest they are metallurgical slags produced during smithing process. Wüstite, magnetite, fayalite, kirschsteinite, hedembergite, cristobalite and quartz are the main identified mineral phases, while goethite, lepidocrocite and calcite occur as minor secondary phases. The iron slags show heterogeneous structures such as hammering clues, layering in wustite crystals and presence of calcium-rich minerals which are consistent with a broad variation of the forging temperature due to the use of different smithing techniques. This assumption is confirmed by the different crystallization temperatures of the detected mineral phases. Skeletal and dendritic shapes are indicative of rapid cooling and, possibly, quenching. The chemical composition is dominated by iron, silicon and calcium and it is almost constant for all the samples suggesting that they were produced with similar raw materials and technology. The high Ca content suggests the use of carbonate-bearing rocks, widely outcropping over the Palermo territory, probably exploited as fluxing ores for the metallurgical process. The multidisciplinary approach adopted in this study provided new data for a better understanding of the metallurgical techniques evolution in the Sicilian territory in ancient times. Since the studied iron slags represent the unique traces so far known of metallurgical activity in the ancient Palermo town, our results open interesting perspectives for future study of metallurgy in ancient Sicily. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To assess whether arthropod bites promote Kaposi sarcoma (KS), we determined the seroprevalence of Sicilian (SFSV) and Toscana (TOSV) phlebovirus antibodies in 30 patients with classic KS and 100 controls in Sicily. Nine (6.9%) subjects, all controls, were positive for SFSV, whereas 41 (31.5%) were positive for TOSV. Seroprevalence with immunoglobulin (Ig) M or IgG against either virus was significantly higher in controls (43% vs 13.3% in case patients; P < .01). Adjusted for age, IgG seroprevalence was significantly lower in KS patients compared to controls (adjusted odds ratio, 0.22; 95% confidence interval, .07-.72). Low phlebovirus seroprevalence in patients with KS may reflect incapacity to produce robust, persistent antibody responses, and suggests that arthropod bites do not promote KS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The presence or absence of genetic heterogeneity in Sicily has long been debated. Through the analysis of the variation of Y-chromosome lineages, using the combination of haplogroups and short tandem repeats from several areas of Sicily, we show that traces of genetic flows occurred in the island, due to ancient Greek colonization and to northern African contributions, are still visible on the basis of the distribution of some lineages. The genetic contribution of Greek chromosomes to the Sicilian gene pool is estimated to be about 37% whereas the contribution of North African populations is estimated to be around 6%.In particular, the presence of a modal haplotype coming from the southern Balkan Peninsula and of its one-step derivates associated to E3b1a2-V13, supports a common genetic heritage between Sicilians and Greeks. The estimate of Time to Most Recent Common Ancestor is about 2380 years before present, which broadly agrees with the archaeological traces of the Greek classic era. The Eastern and Western part of Sicily appear to be significantly different by the χ2-analysis, although the extent of such differentiation is not very high according to an analysis of molecular variance. The presence of a high number of different haplogroups in the island makes its gene diversity to reach about 0.9. The general heterogeneous composition of haplogroups in our Sicilian data is similar to the patterns observed in other major islands of the Mediterranean, reflecting the complex histories of settlements in Sicily.European Journal of Human Genetics (2009) 17, 91–99; doi:10.1038/ejhg.2008.120; published online 6 August 2008 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

DNA samples from 465 blood donors living in 7 towns of Sicily, the largest island of Italy, have been collected according to well defined criteria, and their genetic heterogeneity tested on the basis of 9 autosomal microsatellite and mitochondrial DNA polymorphisms for a total of 85 microsatellite allele and 10 mtDNA haplogroup frequencies. A preliminary account of the results shows that: a) the samples are genetically heterogeneous; b) the first principal coordinates of the samples are correlated more with their longitude than with their latitude, and this result is even more remarkable when one outlier sample (Butera) is not considered; c) distances among samples calculated from allele and haplogroup frequencies and from the isonymy matrix are weakly correlated (r = 0.43, P = 0.06) but such correlation disappears (r = 0.16) if the mtDNA haplogroups alone are taken into account; d) mtDNA haplogroups and microsatellite distances suggest settlements of people occurred at different times: divergence times inferred from microsatellite data seem to describe a genetic composition of the town of Sciacca mainly derived from settlements after the Roman conquest of Sicily (First Punic war, 246 BC), while all other divergence times take root from the second to the first millennium BC, and therefore seem to backdate to the pre-Hellenistic period. A more reliable association of these diachronic genetic strata to different historical populations (e.g. Sicani, Elymi, Siculi), if possible, must be postponed to the analysis of more samples and hopefully more informative uniparental DNA markers such as the recently available DHPLC-SNP polymorphisms of the Y chromosome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the most general terms, assessing tsunami hazard and damage for a given geographic area requires a structured approach involving the identification and the characterization of the potential tsunamigenic sources of interest for that area, the availability of adequate and reliable topographic and bathymetric databases, the quantification of the physical observables related to tsunami impact relevant from the scientific, engineering and civil protection perspectives, a reasonable approach to assess vulnerability and to combine it with the hazard outputs to obtain the damage, and a robust strategy to evaluate the uncertainties to be associated to the final results. When it comes to practical applications, the choice of the methodology that is most appropriate for each specific steps of the procedure above can be strongly dependent on the extension of the area of interest and on the type of tsunamigenic sources involved, not to mention the availability of sufficiently detailed topographies and bathymetries and of appropriate funding/computational resources. A typical example is represented by the computation of high-resolution inundation maps, which can turn out to be a prohibitive task when the geographical scales are regional or even national/transnational.The study presented here is the result of the synergy among three research groups belonging to three Italian institutions that had the possibility to work together in the frame of the recently completed Italian National Project SPOT ("Sismicità Potenzialmente innescabile Offshore e Tsunami"), funded by the Italian Ministry of Economic Development MISE). The main goal of the collaboration was to investigate the possibility of defining and applying a shared approach to the modelling of the propagation and impact of tsunamis generated by earthquakes and landslides over the Italian coasts facing the Adriatic sea, the Ionian sea and the Sicily Channel. The different expertise and know-how of the three research groups allowed to develop a methodology covering all the main steps and approximations required for modelling, with a computationally cheap approach and in the absence of very detailed topo-bathymetric models, tsunami scenarios and their impact on coastal structures in the context of tsunami hazard-to-damage assessment. We briefly comment on the key points of the methodology and then we present some applications related to scenarios of tsunamis generated by earthquakes and landslides and affecting the coasts of the Gulf of Gela (southern Sicily, Italy). The results are provided in terms of maximum water height inland and of damage to buildings and are discussed also in relation to the methodology limitations and to the still open problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Objectives: High Toscana virus (TOSV) antibody seropositivity rates have been documented in the last decade, especially in the Mediterranean area. It is unclear if these rates are associated with a recent or past exposure to the virus. This is of importance, as primary infection can cause neurologic complications, especially in adults. The aim of the present study was to assess the current active TOSV circulation in western Sicily. Methods: A cross-sectional seroprevalence study was conducted on 271 individuals aged 4–92 years, sampled from the general population of a small city. Each participant completed a self-administered questionnaire and provided serum, which was analyzed for the presence of specific anti-TOSV IgM and IgG. Results: Anti-TOSV IgM was detected in eight (3.0%) participants, of whom only three had anti-TOSV IgG. The prevalence of anti-TOSV IgM was highest in subjects aged 25–34 and 35–44 years (7.1% and 4.8%, respectively). All subjects positive for anti-TOSV IgM were resident in the suburban area. Conclusions: The detection of IgM documented the circulation of TOSV, a Phlebovirus, in a random population sample of Sicilian adults. The highest risk of TOSV seroconversion in subjects living in the suburbs appears to suggest a high density of TOSV vectors in peri-urban areas. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]