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Background and Aims: The Diverticular Inflammation and Complication Assessment (DICA) endoscopic classification of diverticulosis and diverticular disease (DD) is currently available. It scores severity of the disease as DICA 1, DICA 2 and DICA 3. Our aim was to assess the agreement on this classification in an international endoscopists community setting. Methods: A total of 96 doctors (82.9% endoscopists) independently scored a set of DD endoscopic videos. The percentages of overall agreement on DICA score and a free-marginal multirater kappa (κ) coefficient were reported as statistical measures of interrater agreement. Results: Overall agreement in using DICA was 91.8% with a free-marginal kappa of 88% (95% CI 80-95). The overall agreement levels were: DICA 1, 85.2%; DICA 2, 96.5%; DICA 3, 99.5%. The free marginal κ was: DICA 1 = 0.753, DICA 2 = 0.958, DICA 3 = 0.919. The agreement about the main endoscopic items was 83.4% (k 67%) for diverticular extension, 62.6% (k 65%) for number of diverticula for each district, 86.8% (k 82%) for presence of inflammation, and 98.5 (k 98%) for presence of complications. Conclusions: The overall interrater agreement in this study ranges from good to very good. DICA score is a simple and reproducible endoscopic scoring system for diverticulosis and DD.

The Department Cultures and Societies of the University of Palermo in Italy owns a collection of forty plaster casts of ancient sculpture, dating back to the age of the academic teaching of Antonino Salinas (1841- 1914). In the intentions of the great archaeologist of Palermo, the plaster cast collection was of unavoidable help to teach classical art, in line with the contemporary usages of the Italian and foreign Universities. In the following decades, as everywhere, the collection progressively ended up by losing its central position in the study of archaeology, according to the transformations and the developments of the discipline over the twentieth century. In the latest times, all the extant casts of the collection were recovered and studied, in order to re-establish the unity of the gallery. This was entirely reorganized and opened to the public with a new arrangement on February 27, 2018. Before reaching this important goal, it was necessary to proceed to a series of restorations and repairs, since many casts had suffered from the wear and tear of time. These essential operations were carried out by a team of professional restorers and students of the University of Palermo. The elaborate cleaning operations and the structural consolidations have given back their dignity to artefacts which had been suffering from heavy vandalisms for years, alternating to recurrent repaints or inadequate maintenance. The new arrangement of this academic plaster cast collection has therefore been a notable event: it has allowed, on the one hand, to recover a historic patrimony nearly forgotten so far; on the other hand, to start a path of reflection and research, in order to give back its original purpose to the collection of ancient sculpture.

Pelviureteric junction obstruction (PUJO) due to intrinsic or extrinsic causes is a common problem in childhood. Extrinsic compression by a lower pole-crossing blood vessel can present symptomatically in older children. In these cases, laparoscopies Vascular Hitch can represent a valid alternative to pyeloplasty dismembered. We analyzed the data of 4 children affected by extrinsic PUJO treated at our institution with the laparoscopic Vascular Hitch procedure modified by Chapman. Surgical indications included presence of clinical symptoms, worsening of intermittent hydronephrosis, signs of obstruction on the MAG-3 scan, clear or suspected images of polar crossing vessels on CT scan or Uro-MRI. All procedures were completed laparoscopically. No complications occurred. Mean follow-up was 13 months with resolution of symptoms and PUJ obstruction and significant improvement of hydronephrosis in all cases. When blood vessels crossing lower pole represent the pure mechanical cause of UPJ obstruction the laparoscopic Vascular Hitch procedure represents an excellent alternative to dismembered pyeloplasty. It is less technically demanding then pyeloplasty and is associated with a lower complication rate. The main challenge is to intraoperatively ascertain the absence of associated intrinsic stenosis.

The Cathedral of Monreale (not far from the city of Palermo) is one of the most famous monuments of the Arab-Norman period in Sicily recently added to the World Heritage list by UNESCO. It is well known above all for its structure and the magnificence mosaic decorations inside. In the church it is also conserved a Baptismal Font made of coloured limestone and dated back to the first decade of the 17th century. The present study deals with this valuable object with the aim of obtaining information about the nature and provenance of the coloured limestone constituting the basin. Laboratory analyses were thus carried out on representative stone samples by means of polarized light microscopy as well as C and O stable isotope mass spectrometry. The obtained results revealed the provenance of the coloured marble from the island of Chios (Aegean Sea), accordingly corroborating the suggestive hypothesis of the re-employment of a marble basin (labrum) of Roman age during the Renaissance. This paper provides a new contribution to the understanding of the historical and architectural development of the Cathedral of Monreale highlighting a new example of re-employment and reworking of precious stone in antiquity.

To investigate whether topical nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are useful, in the absence of concomitant corticosteroid therapy, in limiting postoperative inflammation after uncomplicated cataract surgery.A total of 328 patients were enrolled in a prospective, randomized, double-masked, parallel-group, active-controlled study. Anterior chamber inflammation (ACI) was evaluated as the primary efficacy parameter. Only patients with moderate inflammation (ACI score of=4) the day after surgery were randomized and treated with NSAIDs. A novel topical formulation containing 0.2% sodium naproxen was compared with 0.1% diclofenac. Both were administered three times a day for 14 consecutive days. Ocular inflammation was measured after 7 and 14 days by using slit-lamp biomicroscopy. Safety parameters were also evaluated at the same time.Both treatments were equally effective in controlling postsurgical inflammation. No statistically significant differences between treatment groups were observed for the safety variables. No serious adverse events (AEs) occurred during the course of the study. The most frequent AE reported with naproxen was eye redness.NSAIDs can effectively be used without concurrent administration of corticosteroids to control postoperative inflammation after uncomplicated cataract surgery. In addition, naproxen ophthalmic solution may be considered a suitable alternative to the currently available NSAIDs. (Eur J Ophthalmol 2005; 15: 598-606).

V Conferencia Internacional YOCOCU (Youth in conservation of cultural heritage), Madrid, 21-23 de septiembre, 2016, During the first decades of 19th century, the Commission for the Antiquities and Fine Arts supervised many excavations and restorations in the major archaeological sites of Sicily, discovering many important finds around the island. Several of them belong to the archaeological collection of Museo Archeologico Regionale (Regional Archaeological Museum) ¿A. Salinas¿ of Palermo. One of the most important finds from this site is the colossal statue of Zeus enthroned, a pseudo acrolithic statue, dated to the 2nd century B.C. and it is one of the few examples of large size statue in Sicily. The statue was discovered in 1825 in the site of the ancient city of Soluntum that is certainly one of the main important archaeological sites in Sicily, not so far from the modern town of Palermo (Sicily). In 1826, the neoclassical sculptor Valerio Villareale restored the colossal statue of Zeus that was found in fragments, for completing the missing parts with stucco. At the beginning, the state of conservation did not allow to distinguish the original matter from that one of the Villareale completing. The recent conservation gave the opportunity to investigate and to study the statue during each of the stages of the work. Thanks to a scientific approach, it was possible to investigate the history and to respect the original matter. The conservative activities were aimed to investigate also the restoration matter as a fundamental requirement for a suitable conservation. Several chemical and structural diagnostic analyses were carried out, both in situ and in laboratory, to deepen into the knowledge of restoration materials, their degradation state and the overlapping with the original surface. In particular, the Ultraviolet Induced Fluorescence imaging, Infrared termography, cover meter relief, X-Ray Fluorescence analysis, UV and Vis optical microscope were carried out in situ to mapping the different materials and to understand the junction method between the original parts and the restoration ones. Supported by the preliminary in situ information, the sampling was realized to deepen into the elemental and compositional characterization of the material used for each restoration stage documented over time. With this aim, optical microscopy (stereomicroscopy and polarizing optical microscopy) scanning electron microscopy (SEM-EDS), FTIR-RAMAN spectroscopy and cross section UV light acquisition were carried out. The analytical results have given precious information to suggest the historical research for a better knowledge of the conservative history of the statue. This work permitted to increase the knowledge about the restoration process during the neoclassical period, in which it was fixed the basis for the modern process of conservation.

The incidence of abnormal cervical cytology in pregnancy is similar to that reported for non-pregnant women. Furthermore, 1% of pregnant women annually screened for cervical cancer will be diagnosed with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) of various degrees. For this reason, Pap smear should be performed in the first trimester of pregnancy. The persistence of HR-HPV infection is related to the development of CIN. However, the relationship between CIN and HR-HPV infection during pregnancy and postpartum can hardly be found. The aim of this work was to assess the proper management of abnormal cytology during and after pregnancy evaluating regression rate, persistence rate and risk of progression and the predictive role of HPV molecular tests.Patients with abnormal cervical cytology were followed-up using colposcopy and colposcopy-directed biopsies every 12 weeks. Molecular tests were performed at the moment of the cytological diagnosis. Patients not treated in pregnancy were re-evaluated with cytology, colposcopy, biopsies, HPV-DNA test and HPV-mRNA test for a final diagnosis 8 weeks postpartum. Women with a persistent CIN 2-3 lesion at this follow-up check, underwent an excisional procedure by LEEP and then re-evaluated every 6 months for a year.HPV-DNA test showed a sensitivity of 90.5% and a negative predictive value of 96.4%. Specificity and positive predictive values were 67.9% and 43.2%, respectively. For HPV-mRNA test, a sensitivity of 76.2% and a NPV of 93.9% were found; specificity and PPV were 98.7% and 94.1% respectively.An observational management based on the use of molecular test and particularly HPV-mRNA test for its higher specificity, is a reasonable possibility in the follow-up of CIN2/3 lesions during pregnancy.

I Sistemi di Gestione Ambientale (SGA) Orientati al Prodotto (POEMS – Product Oriented Environmental Management System) rappresentano un’evoluzione dei SGA già diffusi nel contesto nazionale ed internazionale. I POEMS combinano elementi consolidati dei SGA con aspetti di ciclo di vita dei prodotti, permettendo alle aziende di sviluppare e promuovere nel mercato prodotti che si contraddistinguano per la loro qualità ecologica. L’articolo presenta un’analisi delle peculiarità metodologiche dei POEMS e descrive un’applicazione sperimentale ad un’azienda vitivinicola siciliana.

This work deals with the conservation of a slate slab, representing the map of Grammichele, a small town in the hinterland of South Eastern Sicily. The slab was engraved and painted in 1693, just after the tremendous earthquake that distroyed most of the towns in that area. The conservation process is illustrated through three steps: i) archive research; ii) physical chemical analysis of constitutive materials and degradation products; iii) planning and carrying out of the restoration and conservation operations.