Vine Physiology, Yield Parameters and Berry Composition of Sangiovese Grape under Two Different Canopy Shapes and Irrigation Regimes

Vitis vinifera L. adapts well to a scarce availability of water in the soil. However, in recent decades, the combination of thermal stress with prolonged water scarcity could have dramatic consequences on the vine’s physiological status. In this paper, we evaluated the effects of two canopy shapes and two irrigation regimes at veraison on vine physiology, yield parameters and grape composition through biochemical and molecular approaches. The water shortage strongly influenced the physiology of Sangiovese only when the stress was moderate to severe. Neither the water stress limited to veraison nor the canopy shape were able to influence the yield parameters and sugar content, and a strong induction of the expression of the genes involved in the biosynthesis of anthocyanins was recorded only in conditions of moderate-to-severe stress. This phenomenon led to an increase in the anthocyanin content in berry skins until the end of veraison. Conversely, no significant effects occurred in terms of biochemical and molecular performance after re-watering and at harvest. Though the shape of the canopy could play a role only under elevated temperature and prolonged drought, severe water stress can affect the vine physiology and berry ripening during the veraison stag

Can the combination of rehabilitation and vitamin D supplementation improve fibromyalgia symptoms at all ages?

Several studies have indicated a correlation between vitamin D deficiency and widespread chronic pain syndromes, such as fibromyalgia. During this study, the effect of supplementation with vitamin D in association with physical exercise in patients with fibromyalgia was evaluated, in terms of improvement of pain, functional capacity and quality of life, also evaluating the presence of any differences in age. A single-center, observational, comparative study was conducted in 80 fibromyalgia patients. They are randomized into 2 groups: Group A, consisting of patients ≤50 years; and group B, consisting of patients >50 years. Both received weekly supplementation with 50,000 IU cholecalciferol for 3 months in association with a rehabilitation protocol. Patients were assessed at enrollment (T0), 3 months (T1), and 6 months (T2) from the initial assessment with blood vitamin D dosage and administration of rating scales (NRS, FIQ, and SF-12). From the comparison between the two groups, we have seen that in young people, supplementation with high-dose vitamin D improves short-term musculoskeletal pain and long-term functional capacity. Conversely, musculoskeletal pain and long-term quality of life improve in the elderly. Supplementing with high doses of vitamin D in fibromyalgia patients improves the quality of life and pain in the elderly and also the functional capacity in the young

Population-level benefits of increasing influenza vaccination uptake among Italian older adults: results from a granular panel model

BackgroundThe impact of seasonal influenza vaccination (SIV) on mortality is still controversial; some studies have claimed that increasing vaccination coverage rates is beneficial, while others have found no significant association. This study aimed to construct a granular longitudinal dataset of local VCRs and assess their effect on pneumonia- and influenza-related (P&I) mortality among Italian adults aged ≥ 65 years.MethodsNUTS-3 (nomenclature of territorial units for statistics) level data on SIV coverage were collected via a survey of local data holders. Fixed- and random-effects panel regression modeling, when adjusted for potential confounders, was performed to assess the association between local SIV coverage rates and P&I mortality in older adults.ResultsA total of 1,144 local VCRs from 2003 to 2019 were ascertained. In the fully adjusted fixed-effects model, each 1% increase in vaccination coverage was associated (P < 0.001) with a 0.6% (95% CI: 0.3–0.9%) average over-time decrease in P&I mortality. With an annual average of 9,293 P&I deaths in Italy, this model suggested that 56 deaths could have been avoided each year by increasing SIV coverage by 1%. The random-effects model produced similar results. The base-case results were robust in a sensitivity analysis.ConclusionOver the last two decades, Italian jurisdictions with higher SIV uptake had, on average, fewer P&I deaths among older adults. Local policy-makers should implement effective strategies to increase SIV coverage in the Italian senior population

The rapid spread of SARS-COV-2 Omicron variant in Italy reflected early through wastewater surveillance

The SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant emerged in South Africa in November 2021, and has later been identified worldwide, raising serious concerns. A real-time RT-PCR assay was designed for the rapid screening of the Omicron variant, targeting characteristic mutations of the spike gene. The assay was used to test 737 sewage samples collected throughout Italy (19/21 Regions) between 11 November and 25 December 2021, with the aim of assessing the spread of the Omicron variant in the country. Positive samples were also tested with a real-time RT-PCR developed by the European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), and through nested RT-PCR followed by Sanger sequencing. Overall, 115 samples tested positive for Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant. The first occurrence was detected on 7 December, in Veneto, North Italy. Later on, the variant spread extremely fast in three weeks, with prevalence of positive wastewater samples rising from 1.0% (1/104 samples) in the week 5–11 December, to 17.5% (25/143 samples) in the week 12–18, to 65.9% (89/135 samples) in the week 19–25, in line with the increase in cases of infection with the Omicron variant observed during December in Italy. Similarly, the number of Regions/Autonomous Provinces in which the variant was detected increased fromone in the first week, to 11 in the second, and to 17 in the last one. The presence of the Omicron variant was confirmed by the JRC real-time RT-PCR in 79.1% (91/115) of the positive samples, and by Sanger sequencing in 66% (64/97) of PCR amplicons

The rapid spread of SARS-COV-2 Omicron variant in Italy reflected early through wastewater surveillance

The SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant emerged in South Africa in November 2021, and has later been identified worldwide, raising serious concerns. A real-time RT-PCR assay was designed for the rapid screening of the Omicron variant, targeting characteristic mutations of the spike gene. The assay was used to test 737 sewage samples collected throughout Italy (19/21 Regions) between 11 November and 25 December 2021, with the aim of assessing the spread of the Omicron variant in the country. Positive samples were also tested with a real-time RT-PCR developed by the European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), and through nested RT-PCR followed by Sanger sequencing. Overall, 115 samples tested positive for Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant. The first occurrence was detected on 7 December, in Veneto, North Italy. Later on, the variant spread extremely fast in three weeks, with prevalence of positive wastewater samples rising from 1.0% (1/104 samples) in the week 5-11 December, to 17.5% (25/143 samples) in the week 12-18, to 65.9% (89/135 samples) in the week 19-25, in line with the increase in cases of infection with the Omicron variant observed during December in Italy. Similarly, the number of Regions/Autonomous Provinces in which the variant was detected increased from one in the first week, to 11 in the second, and to 17 in the last one. The presence of the Omicron variant was confirmed by the JRC real-time RT-PCR in 79.1% (91/115) of the positive samples, and by Sanger sequencing in 66% (64/97) of PCR amplicons. In conclusion, we designed an RT-qPCR assay capable to detect the Omicron variant, which can be successfully used for the purpose of wastewater-based epidemiology. We also described the history of the introduction and diffusion of the Omicron variant in the Italian population and territory, confirming the effectiveness of sewage monitoring as a powerful surveillance tool

Tabagismo e Periodontite, Efeitos do tabagismo sobre a resposta à terapia periodontal

O tabagismo se encontra muito difundido a nível mundial, e pode ser considerado uma epidemia, afetando a saúde em múltiplos tecidos, órgãos e sistemas, e o periodonto não é exceção. De fato, fumar cigarros é considerado o fator de risco mutável mais importante no desenvolvimento da doença periodontal crónica. A presente revisão bibliográfica tem como objetivo geral conhecer os efeitos do tabaco nos aspectos fisiopatológicos e clínicos da doença periodontal, e especificamente nos aspectos da microflora oral, dos hábitos de higiene oral, da secreção salivar, da resposta imunológica, do fluído crevicular gengival, assim como os efeitos da interrupção ou da persistência do hábito tabágico na evolução dos pacientes com periodontite. As evidências científicas disponíveis até hoje apoiam de forma contundente e com fundamentos fisiopatológicos específicos a associação do tabagismo com o estabelecimento, a cronificação, o agravamento e a evolução deficiente da periodontite nos pacientes fumadores após o tratamento. Entretanto, as complexas interações fisiopatológicas que ocorrem no periodonto ainda são objeto de diferentes linhas de investigação, particularmente quanto à influência do tabagismo na microflora oral e no perfil da resposta inflamatória característica da periodontite crónica. A interrupção do tabagismo ou a persistência deste hábito podem ser considerados como os principais fatores determinantes dos resultados do tratamento da periodontite. Neste sentido, é muito importante o papel dos Medicos Dentistas e dos Higienistas Orais na prevenção e na promoção da saúde

Inflammatory bowel diseases and the general practitioner’s role in a region of Central Italy

Paolo Sossai1,2, Fabio Filippetti3, Ali Ahmad Muselmani4, Giambattista Catalini41Department of Medicine, “Enrico Mattei” Hospital, Viale Europa, I-62024 Matelica, Italy; 2Center of Clinical Research, Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Camerino, Via M Scalzino, 3, I-62032 Camerino, Italy; 3Epidemiological Unit, Marche Region, Via Gentile da Fabriano, 3, I-60125 Ancona, Italy; 4Department of Surgery, General Hospital, Via Caselle, I-62032 Camerino, ItalyBackground: Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are a serious burden for both patients and health care providers because of the young age at which they occur and their chronic course.Aim: The purpose of this study was to assess how general practitioners (GPs) in the area of Camerino-Matelica, Marche (Central Italy) manage their patients with IBD.Materials and methods: Before providing an educational course about IBD to GPs, we administered a simple questionnaire containing 10 multiple-choice questions, allowing for only one possible answer, to GPs in the target area. After the educational course we administered a satisfaction questionnaire and evaluated the hospitalization rates for IBD in the catchment area in the year following the course.Results: In our GP sample, 71.8% indicated that they needed better instruction regarding IBD to enable them to diagnose the conditions given the difficulties posed by nonspecific symptoms and the need to use invasive diagnostic methods such as colonoscopy. Early results after the educational course for GPs indicate a reduced rate of hospitalization for IBD but these data must be confirmed by future research.Conclusions: If specialists and GPs managed IBD patients more carefully, their patients would probably suffer from fewer relapses and would have a better quality of life, which would be likely to mean considerable cost savings for the public health care system and society in general.Keywords: inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, general practitione

Il cordone libero meccanizzato dalla potatura alla vendemmia

Il vitigno Sangiovese ha portamento e crescita dei germogli di tipo intermedio tra assurgente (verso l’alto) e procombente (verso il basso) e tale caratteristica, associata alla notevole fertilità delle gemme basali, consente di adottare potature invernali molto corte e perfettamente integrate con la potatura meccanic