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This paper introduces a new survey project, located on the north-west flank of Etna, and presents the preliminary results of the first season of fieldwork (2006). The project research area includes the territories of the comuni of Bronte, Maletto and Maniace (Catania) in the upper valley of the river Simeto. Many individual archaeological sites and features have been identified in this area in the past, but there has been no systematic survey coverage. The long-term aim of the project is to investigate the transformation of the human and physical landscapes of this upland area from prehistory to modern times. But in contrast to many approaches to Sicily which have conceived of cultural change in terms of a series of external conquests, this project aims to use settlement and material culture to assess the changing human and physical landscapes of Sicily from the 'inside out'.

Growing numbers of asymptomatic women who become aware of carrying a breast cancer gene mutation (BRCA) mutation are choosing to undergo risk-reducing bilateral mastectomies with immediate breast reconstruction. We reviewed the literature with the aim of assessing the oncological safety of nipple-sparing mastectomy (NSM) as a risk-reduction procedure in BRCA-mutated patients. Nine studies reporting on the incidence of primary breast cancer post NSM in asymptomatic BRCA mutated patients undergoing risk-reducing bilateral procedures met the inclusion criteria. NSM appears to be a safe option for BRCA mutation carriers from an oncological point of view, with low reported rates of new breast cancers, low rates of postoperative complications, and high levels of satisfaction and postoperative quality of life. However, larger multi-institutional studies with longer follow-up are needed to establish this procedure as the best surgical option in this setting.