87 research outputs found

    Natural stones used in a Royal House of Piedmont (Italy)

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    Villa della Regina", built at the beginning of the 17th century, on the hill of Turin (Italy), is the last example of a "Vigna" residence with Italian gardens, palace, woods and vineyard. Gardens, park, and palace were enlarged and modified many times in the following centuries and suffered reparations, damages and substitution. From 1994 the "Villa" is in charge of the "Soprintendenza per il Patrimonio Storico e Artistico di Torino" who is carrying on the restoration. The works gave a chance to analyze the stone materials, to assess the present state of the manufacts, to locate the extraction sites, and to reconstruct the historical stages of the building and repair works. The authors provide a description of the stones employed in the different parts through a petrographic characterization, of the observed decay, of the identified quarry sites, and an evaluation of the results of the conservative intervention. Stones employed in the "Villa della Regina" represent a catalog of the ancient fine marbles and decorative limestones of Piedmont, most of them no longer exploited. In the conclusions a sinthetic account is given of the inter-relation between architectural development and local marble industry in the 17th-18th centur

    Characteristic clinical and biochemical profile of recurrent calcium-oxalate nephrolithiasis in patients with metabolic syndrome.

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    BACKGROUND: Metabolic syndrome is a risk factor for nephrolithiasis. This study was performed to evaluate the clinical and biochemical profile of calcium-oxalate nephrolithiasis in stone formers with metabolic syndrome. METHODS: A total of 526 recurrent stone formers, 184 of them with metabolic syndrome, and 214 controls were examined on a free diet and after a sodium-restricted diet (sodium intake < 100 mmol/24 h). RESULTS: On free diet, stone formers with metabolic syndrome showed higher sodium excretion [mean (95% confidence interval), 196 (176-218) vs 160 (150-168) mmol/24 h; P < 0.01] and lower citrate excretion [2.23 (1.99-2.58) vs 2.84 (2.51-3.17) mmol/24 h; P < 0.01] compared to controls, whereas stone formers without metabolic syndrome showed higher calcium and oxalate excretion [5.43 (5.01-5.82) vs 3.58 (2.84-4.19) and 0.34 (0.32-0.36) vs 0.26 (0.20-0.31)m mmol/24 h for calcium and oxalate, respectively; P < 0.01] and lower citrate excretion [2.18 (1.98-2.38) vs 2.84 (2.51-3.17) mmol/24 h; P < 0.01] compared to controls. The ion activity product of urinary calcium-oxalate salts was similar between stone formers with and without metabolic syndrome [1.41 (1.31-1.59) vs 1.40 (1.35-1.45); P > 0.05]. After the test diet, this index was lower in diet-compliant stone formers with metabolic syndrome compared to diet-compliant stone formers without metabolic syndrome [1.15 (1.10-1.21) vs 1.39 (1.31-1.45); P < 0.01]. CONCLUSIONS: The biochemical profiles and responses to the sodium-restricted diet were significantly different between stone formers with metabolic syndrome and those without. Dietary habits play a central role in the pathogenesis of nephrolithiasis in stone formers with metabolic syndrome
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