1,117 research outputs found
Lectio Magistralis del Prof. Orazio Ciancio in occasione del suo ottantesimo compleanno
Abstract: On december 3rd, 2015 the 80th birthday of prof. Orazio Ciancio has been celebrated at the Italian Academy of Forest Sciences in Florence (Italy) by a meeting organized by the proponents of the "Manifesto of the systemic silviculture". In this special occasion, prof. Ciancio has given his lectio magistralis focused on the systemic silviculture, the culture of complexity, the reference scientific paradigma, the relationships between science and humanism and those among culture, aethics and arts
Impact of Orbital Parameters and Greenhouse Gas on the Climate of MIS 7 and MIS 5 Glacial Inceptions
This work explores the impact of orbital parameters and greenhouse gas concentrations on the climate of marine isotope stage (MIS) 7 glacial inception and compares it to that of MIS 5. The authors use a coupled atmosphere-ocean general circulation model to simulate the mean climate state of six time slices at 115, 122, 125, 229, 236, and 239 kyr, representative of a climate evolution from interglacial to glacial inception conditions. The simulations are designed to separate the effects of orbital parameters from those of greenhouse gas (GHG). Their results show that, in all the time slices considered, MIS 7 boreal lands mean annual climate is colder than the MIS 5 one. This difference is explained at 70% by the impact of the MIS 7 GHG. While the impact of GHG over Northern Hemisphere is homogeneous, the difference in temperature between MIS 7 and MIS 5 due to orbital parameters differs regionally and is linked with the Arctic Oscillation. The perennial snow cover is larger in all the MIS 7 experiments compared to MIS 5, as a result of MIS 7 orbital parameters, strengthened by GHG. At regional scale, Eurasia exhibits the strongest response to MIS 7 cold climate with a perennial snow area 3 times larger than in MIS 5 experiments. This suggests that MIS 7 glacial inception is more favorable over this area than over North America. Furthermore, at 239 kyr, the perennial snow covers an area equivalent to that of MIS 5 glacial inception (115 kyr). The authors suggest that MIS 7 glacial inception is more extensive than MIS 5 glacial inception over the high latitudes
A randomised clinical trial (RCT) of a symbiotic mixture in patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS): effects on symptoms, colonic transit and quality of life
Purpose The aim of this study is to test in a doubleblinded,
randomised placebo-controlled study the effects
of a commercially available multi-strain symbiotic mixture
on symptoms, colonic transit and quality of life in
irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) patients who meet Rome
III criteria.
Background There is only one other double-blinded RCT on
a single-strain symbiotic mixture in IBS.
Methods This is a double-blinded, randomised placebocontrolled
study of a symbiotic mixture (Probinul, 5 g
bid) over 4 weeks after 2 weeks of run-in. The primary
endpoints were global satisfactory relief of abdominal
flatulence and bloating. Responders were patients who
reported at least 50 % of the weeks of treatment with
global satisfactory relief. The secondary endpoints were
change in abdominal bloating, flatulence, pain and urgency by
a 100-mm visual analog scale, stool frequency and bowel
functions on validated adjectival scales (Bristol Scale and
sense of incomplete evacuation). Pre- and post-treatment colonic
transit time (Metcalf) and quality of life (SF-36) were
assessed.
Results Sixty-four IBS patients (symbiotic n032, 64 %
females, mean age 38.7±12.6 years) were studied. This symbiotic
mixture reduced flatulence over a 4-week period of
treatment (repeated-measures analysis of covariance, p<0.05).
Proportions of responders were not significantly different between
groups. At the end of the treatment, a longer rectosigmoid
transit time and a significant improvement in most SF-36
scores were observed in the symbiotic group.
Conclusions This symbiotic mixture has shown a beneficial
effect in decreasing the severity of flatulence in IBS
patients, a lack of adverse events and a good side-effect
profile; however, it failed to achieve an improvement in
global satisfactory relief of abdominal flatulence and bloating.
Further studies are warranted
Carrot productivity and its physiological response to irrigation methods and regimes in arid regions
The aim of this study is to optimize water irrigation management for improving carrot productivity and water-saving in arid regions of southern Tunisia. Field studies were conducted over two seasons (2017-2019) to evaluate the effects of drip irrigation (DI) and surface irrigation (SI) methods coupled with three irrigation regimes on agronomic parameters of carrot crops. Irrigation regimes consisted of water replacements of cumulated crop evapotranspiration (ETc) at levels of 100% (I100), 70% (I70), and 40% (I40) when the readily available water in I100 treatment was depleted. Results showed a reduction in carrot yield by 13-22% and 22-32% with I70 and I40 treatments compared to I100, respectively. Yield is affected by the irrigation method with a reduction of around 6-7% under the surface method for both years. The water productivity (WP) was found to significantly vary among regimes and methods, where the highest values were observed for the I40 regimes and drip method. Drip and I100 irrigation techniques seem to optimize carrot production. Under situations of water shortage, adopting deficit irrigation treatment (DI70) could be an alternative for managing carrot irrigation and improving water productivity
The role of bacterial colonization of the suture thread in early identification and targeted antibiotic treatment of surgical site infections: A prospective cohort study
Background: The aim of the present study is to investigate the role of the colonization of suture thread to identify patients at risk of developing a surgical site infection (SSI) after clean surgical procedures. Methods: Patients who underwent elective clean surgery procedures at the Surgery Unit of the AOU-University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli in a 21-month period were prospectively enrolled. For each patient, a synthetic absorbable thread in Lactomer 9-1 was inserted into the surgical site at the end of surgery and microbiologically evaluated after 48 h. Antibiotic prophylaxis was chosen according to international guidelines. Results: A total of 238 patients were enrolled; 208 (87.4%) of them were subjected to clean procedures without the placement of prosthesis, and 30 (12.6%) with prosthesis. Of the 238 patients, 117 (49.2%) underwent an antimicrobial prophylaxis. Overall, 79 (33.2%) patients showed a bacterial colonization of the thread: among the 208 without the implantation of prosthesis, 19 (21.8%) of the 87 with antibiotic prophylaxis and in 58 (47.9%) of the 121 without it; among the 30 patients with the implantation of prosthesis, only two patients showed a colonized thread. The patients with antibiotic prophylaxis developed a colonization of the thread less frequently than those without it (17.9% vs. 47.9%, p < 0.001). SSI was observed in six (2.5%) patients, all of them showing a colonized thread (7.6% vs. 0%, p < 0.001). The bacteria identified in colonized threads were the same as those found in SSIs. Conclusions: Our study presents a new method that is able to precociously assess patients who have undergone clean procedures who may develop SSI, and identify the microorganism involved
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