Overview of the Implementation of the Farm Advisory System in Member States

By the beginning of 2007 Member States had to set up a system of advising farmers on land and farm management which should cover at least cross compliance requirements (the so-called Farm Advisory System). The report provides an overview on how Member States have set up the Farm Advisory System in the first year of its compulsory implementation. It describes and analyses the information acquired throughout a JRC questionnaire based survey in all Member States. The main topics presented are: the organisation of the system, the bodies that have been accredited to deliver advice, the funding support to farmers for the use of FAS, the way the advice is delivered, the priorities established for farmers and the number of holdings that may be concerned in the service. Finally the main concerns arisen in this first year of FAS implementation are discussed.JRC.G.3-Agricultur

Results of the GAEC workshop 2011

JRC-IES action GeoCap, together with Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management of Austria organised the 2011 Good Agricultural and Environmental Condition (GAEC) workshop. The event was held in Vienna (AT) on 3-5 October 2011 and was attended by 132 delegates coming from 24 EU Member States, two candidates countries (Croatia and Iceland) and the European Commission (DG AGRI, DG ENV and JRC). Technical presentations and discussion focussed on buffer strips, the JRC GAEC database, control issues related to the use of remote sensing and relations between the first and second pillar of the Common Agricultural Policy.JRC.H.4-Monitoring Agricultural Resource

Severe Gram-Negative Intertrigo of the Feet

Introduction: Intertrigo is a common disease of the skin usually caused by fungi and/or bacteria, often involving major or minor skin folds. Here, we report a case of severe, ulcerative intertrigo of all interdigital folds of both feet caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa in a patient with type II diabetes who acquired the infection during a trip to Senegal. Case Presentation: Lesions involved all toe-web spaces and the back of the toes and the soles. Ulcers with a purulent-necrotic bed, with some of them covered by brownish-black eschars associated with a greenish, odiferous discharge were recorded. The patient was treated with piperacillin/tazobactam IM for 14 days, achieving complete remission of the infection. In this article, we underline the importance of an early diagnosis and appropriate treatment to achieve healing of bacterial intertrigo without complications. Topical therapy with antiseptics (potassium permanganate, gentian violet solution, hydrogen peroxide) or antibiotics (gentamicin, amikacin) is effective only in early stages of the infection. Systemic antibiotics must be considered in all extensive and severe cases. The choice of antibiotic should be based on the culture and antibiogram results. When this is not possible, wide-spectrum antibiotics that act on both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria (such as third-generation cephalosporin or quinolone) should be prescribed. Conclusion: The length of treatment should not be less than ten days. In addiction, all patients should be trained to avoid predisposing conditions and adopt preventive measures to reduce the risk of infection

Implementing Good Agricultural and Environmental Condition in the EU - Results of the 2010 GAEC Workshop

JRC-IPSC action GeoCap, together with the Italian Ministry of Agricultural Food and Forestry Policies, the Italian National Rural Network and AGEA organised the 2010 Good Agricultural and Environmental Condition (GAEC) workshop. The event, held in Rome on 6-8 October, was attended by 124 delegates from 23 Member States, 2 accession countries and the European Commission. The technical presentations and discussion covered good practices for the minimum requirements defined by the Member States and their effects of the environmental, and the control of GAEC with remote sensing. The workshop included a field visit to observe the practical implementation of GAEC in Italy and a group exercise aimed at defining a common understanding among delegates of the GAEC framework. The workshop demonstrated that progress has been made on GAEC implementation since cross compliance has been introduced into the CAP. Results will be valuable for future research work on GAEC, mainly on the assessment of good practices implemented at national level.JRC.DG.G.3-Monitoring agricultural resource

The EFA calculator : A software tool to support farmers decisions on Ecological Focus Areas

Farming has a central role to play in the delivery of a number of desirable ecosystem services and the enhancement of biodiversity. However, despite the fact that that there has been significant emphasis placed on environment and biodiversity in policy over the years, it is generally accepted that there is still some way to go if the industry is to deliver what is expected of it in this regard. It is hoped that the introduction of Ecological Focus Areas (EFAs) on the farm will aid in delivering tangible environmental improvements, but this is to some extent dependent on the EFA elements a farmer selects, and their appropriateness to the local environment. Consequently, the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) funded and coordinated a project to develop a tool which will help farmers select EFA elements that can deliver the optimal environmental benefit. The aim of this project was to develop a software application for European farmers and advisory services. The software firstly helps farmers calculate the contribution of different EFA elements to their 5% target. Secondly, it takes into account the farms site specific characteristics and assesses the contribution of EFA elements to biodiversity and a range of ecosystem services. This will help ensure that the EFA elements selected by a farmer offer optimal benefits in terms of ecosystem services and biodiversity and are pragmatic in terms of farm management.Non peer reviewe

"Mezziuomini, mezzedonne e piglianculo". Rappresentazioni e relazioni nella Sicilia Occidentale

Se nei confronti degli “uomini” è possibile attribuire, per inferenza, qualità quali la coerenza, la libertà di giudizio e l'onestà, sia i “mezzi uomini” che, di rimando, le “mezze donne” e i “piglianculo” nascondono un lato oscuro, una percentuale imprecisata di disvalore. Essa è fornita dalle stigmatizzazioni periodiche a cui sono sottoposti nell’incontro con gli altri. Perché, se gli ominicchi scimmiottano, i pigliainculo non avendo, dal termine che li addita, una “integrità autoriflessiva”, e subendo una espropriazione relazionale del proprio sé autentico, sperimentano in modi differenti l’incontro con l’altri. Il sagggio ripercorre alcuni lemmi che dalla vita quotidiana alla letteratura siciliana ripercorrono le rappresentazioni che dell'omosessualità la società insulare ha a lungo conservato. Svolge poi, attraverso i risultati una ricerca condotta fra giovani omossessuali dichiarati siciliani, un confronto con le attuali rappresentazioni dell'omosessualità

LE NUOVE FRONTIERE NEL CONTROLLO DEL DOLORE POST-OPERATORIO IN CHIRURGIA ORTOPEDICA PROTESICA

Il dolore acuto post-operatorio è seguito da dolore persistente in una percentuale di casi compresa tra il 10% e il 50% a seconda dell’intervento chirurgico cui il paziente viene sottoposto. Lo sviluppo e la persistenza della sintomatologia dolorosa sono alla base di un processo di sensibilizzazione nervosa centrale e periferica. La prima indica una dissociazione tra attività centrale e periferica con iperalgesia secondaria; la seconda è invece caratteristica del dolore post-operatorio di cui quello post-chirurgico ne è un esempio. Lo schema di riferimento della terapia del dolore suggerito dalle linee guida WHO è stato recentemente modificato e integrato da linee guida promulgate da autorevoli società scientifiche con la modifica della strategia della gestione del dolore a tre gradini, a favore dell’utilizzo di oppiacei forti anche nel dolore lieve-moderato. Scopo del nostro studio è stato quello di individuare e valutare i benefici di un protocollo innovativo di pre-emptive analgesia con somministrazione principale dei farmaci per via orale, da applicare nella chirurgia ortopedica protesica elettiva (protesi d’anca e di ginocchio). Abbiamo istituito due protocolli utilizzando due farmaci: il primo basato sulla somministrazione di gabapentin e oxicodone/naloxone e il secondo basato solo sulla somministrazione di oxicodone/naloxone, valutando l’efficacia in termini di controllo del dolore tramite la scala NRS al tempo T0,T1,T2 e T3; il numero di somministrazioni di farmaci rescue, gli effetti collaterali legati alla somministrazione dei farmaci oggetto del nostro studio. Da Febbraio 2015 ad Aprile 2015 abbiamo arruolato 38 pazienti. Il protocollo con gabapentin oxicodone/naloxone è stato applicato solo ad 8 pazienti ed interrotto per la superiorità del secondo protocollo (solo oxicodone/naloxone) applicato a ben 30 pazienti evidenziando: - buon controllo del dolore con una riduzione importante di questo in terza giornata post-operatoria - bassa richiesta di farmaci rescue - effetti collaterali trascurabili - non evidenza di differenze significative tra i gruppi protesi d’anca e di ginocchio in termini di efficacia del controllo del dolore - facilità di prescrizione da parte dei sanitari - semplicità di somministrazione del farmaco - gradimento da parte dei pazienti Tutto ciò, pone le basi per ottenere una migliore aderenza dei paziente ai protocolli fisioterapici tramite una precoce mobilizzazione post-operatoria; inoltre permetterebbe una riduzione importante dei costi sia in termini di degenza, sia in termini di costi veri e propri relativi all’utilizzo di tale farmaco

Endolimax nana and urticaria

Endolimax nana is a commensal protozoan of the colon. We report a case of chronic urticaria associated with E. nana in a 34-year-old Italian woman. The patient suffered from abdominal pain, diarrhoea and weight loss. The disease appeared after a trip to Vietnam. Laboratory examinations showed mild blood eosinophilia. Three coproparasitological examinations were positive for cysts of E. nana. The patient was successfully treated with two courses of metronidazole (2 g/day for 10 days each). No antihistamines were used. Three coproparasitological examinations, carried out at the end of the therapy, were negative. Follow up (six months) was negative. E. nana can be responsible for very rare cases of abdominal pain, diarrhoea, polyarthritis and urticaria