Societal risk due to landslides in the Campania region (Southern Italy)

Background: Obesity is the main risk factor for essential hypertension (EH) in childhood. The O.Si.Me. study (Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome in children and adolescents) evaluated the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) and its constitutive traits in a sample of obese children and adolescents living in Campania, southern Italy. Patients and methods: Four hundred and fifteen children and adolescents consecutively referred to the National Health Service participating Outpatient Clinics for minor health problems and found to have a Body Mass Index (BMI) Z-score > 2.0 were enrolled in the study. The entire sample was screened for MetS, which was defined as the presence of at least 2 of the following alterations in addition to obesity: fasting hyperglycemia, low levels of high-density lipoproteins cholesterol, hypertriglyceridemia, and EH. The present analysis evaluated the clinical characteristics of the O.Si.Me subgroup of EH participants (systolic and/or diastolic BP ≥ 95 th percentile for age, gender and height) as compared with normotensive participants. Results: The prevalence of EH in the O.Si.Me population was 23.6 % (98/415, 48M and 50F.) and two-thirds of the EH participants met the MetS diagnostic criteria. The EH participants featured serum insulin and HOMA-IR levels significantly higher compared with normotensive ones (11.6±0.6 vs. 9.5±0.4 μIU/ml, p = 0.014; 2.6±0.1 vs. 2.2±0.1, p = 0.028 for insulin and HOMA-IR, respectively). These differences were common to boys and girls and remained significant after correction for age, pubertal stage, body weight, length, BMI, gestational age at birth, duration of breastfeeding and anthropometric parental parameters. Accordingly, children and adolescents with EH had a a relative risk of being insulin resistant (defined as a HOMA-IR ≥2.5) significantly greater compared to those without. Moreover, they exhibited higher serum creatinine levels (53.8±7.1 vs. 35.4±6.8 μmol/l, p=0.025) accounting for gender and body weight. Conclusions: More than a quarter of obese children and adolescents meet the diagnostic criteria for EH in the Campania region in southern Italy. These obese boys and girls have an increased prevalence of insulin resistance and apparently an initial reduction in renal function compared with obese children and adolescents with normal BP.

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Debris-flow susceptibility assessment through cellular automata modeling: an example from 15–16 December 1999 disaster at Cervinara and San Martino Valle Caudina (Campania, southern Italy)

Natural Hazards and Earth System Science ◽

10.5194/nhess-3-457-2003 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 3 (5) ◽

pp. 457-468 ◽

Cited By ~ 46

Author(s):

G. Iovine ◽

S. Di Gregorio ◽

V. Lupiano

Keyword(s):

Cellular Automata ◽

Debris Flow ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Debris Flows ◽

Soil Cover ◽

Southern Italy ◽

Landslide Risk ◽

Campania Region ◽

Optimal Values ◽

Debris Flow Susceptibility

Abstract. On 15–16 December 1999, heavy rainfall severely stroke Campania region (southern Italy), triggering numerous debris flows on the slopes of the San Martino Valle Caudina-Cervinara area. Soil slips originated within the weathered volcaniclastic mantle of soil cover overlying the carbonate skeleton of the massif. Debris slides turned into fast flowing mixtures of matrix and large blocks, downslope eroding the soil cover and increasing their original volume. At the base of the slopes, debris flows impacted on the urban areas, causing victims and severe destruction (Vittori et al., 2000). Starting from a recent study on landslide risk conditions in Campania, carried out by the Regional Authority (PAI –Hydrogeological setting plan, in press), an evaluation of the debris-flow susceptibility has been performed for selected areas of the above mentioned villages. According to that study, such zones would be in fact characterised by the highest risk levels within the administrative boundaries of the same villages ("HR-zones"). Our susceptibility analysis has been performed by applying SCIDDICA S3–hex – a hexagonal Cellular Automata model (von Neumann, 1966), specifically developed for simulating the spatial evolution of debris flows (Iovine et al., 2002). In order to apply the model to a given study area, detailed topographic data and a map of the erodable soil cover overlying the bedrock of the massif must be provided (as input matrices); moreover, extent and location of landslide source must also be given. Real landslides, selected among those triggered on winter 1999, have first been utilised for calibrating SCIDDICA S3–hex and for defining "optimal" values for parameters. Calibration has been carried out with a GIS tool, by quantitatively comparing simulations with actual cases: optimal values correspond to best simulations. Through geological evaluations, source locations of new phenomena have then been hypothesised within the HR-zones. Initial volume for these new cases has been estimated by considering the actual statistics of the 1999 landslides. Finally, by merging the results of simulations, a deterministic susceptibility zonation of the considered area has been obtained. In this paper, aiming at illustrating the potential for debris-flow hazard analyses of the model SCIDDICA S3–hex, a methodological example of susceptibility zonation of the Vallicelle HR-zone is presented.

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Mapping, cluster detection and evaluation of risk factors of ovine toxoplasmosis in Southern Italy

Geospatial health ◽

10.4081/gh.2016.432 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Roberto Condoleo ◽

Vincenzo Musella ◽

Maria Paola Maurelli ◽

Antonio Bosco ◽

Giuseppe Cringoli ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Geographical Information Systems ◽

Southern Italy ◽

Geographical Information ◽

Economic Losses ◽

Common Source ◽

High Exposure ◽

Campania Region ◽

Source Of Infection ◽

Serological Data

Toxoplasmosis, an important cause of reproductive failure in sheep, is responsible for significant economic losses to the ovine industry worldwide. Moreover, ovine meat contaminated by the parasite Toxoplasma gondii is considered as a common source of infection for humans. The aim of this study was to develop point and risk profiling maps of T. gondii seroprevalence in sheep bred in Campania Region (Southern Italy) and analyse risk factors associated at the flock-level. We used serological data from a previous survey of 117 sheep flocks, while environmental and farm management information were obtained from an analysis based on geographical information systems and a questionnaire purveyance, respectively. An univariate Poisson regression model revealed that the type of farm production (milk and meat vs only meat) was the only independent variable associated with T. gondii positivity (P<0.02); the higher within-flock seroprevalence in milking herds suggests that milking practices might influence the spread of the infection on the farm. Neither environmental nor other management variables were significant. Since a majority of flocks were seasonally or permanently on pasture, the animals have a high exposure to infectious T. gondii oocysts, so the high within-flock seroprevalence might derive from this management factor. However, further studies are needed to better assess the actual epidemiological situation of toxoplasmosis in sheep and to clarify the factors that influence its presence and distribution.

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Temporal evolution of flow-like landslide hazard for a road infrastructure in the municipality of Nocera Inferiore (southern Italy) under the effect of climate change

Natural Hazards and Earth System Science ◽

10.5194/nhess-18-3019-2018 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 18 (11) ◽

pp. 3019-3035 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Marco Uzielli ◽

Guido Rianna ◽

Fabio Ciervo ◽

Paola Mercogliano ◽

Unni K. Eidsvig

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Southern Italy ◽

Spatial Location ◽

Temporal Variations ◽

Landslide Hazard ◽

Climate Projections ◽

Atmospheric Concentration ◽

Campania Region ◽

Event Occurrence

Abstract. In recent years, flow-like landslides have extensively affected pyroclastic covers in the Campania region in southern Italy, causing human suffering and conspicuous economic damages. Due to the high criticality of the area, a proper assessment of future variations in event occurrences due to expected climate changes is crucial. The study assesses the temporal variation in flow-like landslide hazard for a section of the A3 “Salerno–Napoli” motorway, which runs across the toe of the Monte Albino relief in the Nocera Inferiore municipality. Hazard is estimated spatially depending on (1) the likelihood of rainfall-induced event occurrence within the study area and (2) the probability that the any specific location in the study area will be affected during the runout. The probability of occurrence of an event is calculated through the application of Bayesian theory. Temporal variations due to climate change are estimated up to the year 2100 through an ensemble of high-resolution climate projections, accounting for current uncertainties in the characterization of variations in rainfall patterns. Reach probability, or defining the probability that a given spatial location is affected by flow-like landslides, is calculated spatially based on a distributed empirical model. The outputs of the study predict substantial increases in occurrence probability over time for two different scenarios of future socioeconomic growth and atmospheric concentration of greenhouse gases.

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