Pediatric admissions to emergency departments of North-Western Italy during COVID-19 pandemic: A retrospective observational study

COVID-19 pandemic caused huge decrease of pediatric admissions to Emergency Department (ED), arising concerns about possible delays in diagnosis and treatment of severe disorders

Cheese trademarks: Italian dairy firms’ practices during the 20th century

Trademarks have recently become a very useful sources for business historians. This longitudinal analysis of the twentieth-century trademarking activities of the most important Italian dairy firms of the era, namely Galbani, Invernizzi and Locatelli, demonstrates that trademarks were used both as a protective weapon against competitors and as an innovation carrier to open up new markets. This article also argues that trademark registrations had another dual purpose – not only were they used as buffers against negative shocks but they were also used to support periods of economic growth. A fundamental finding of this work is that trademarks, across various types of registrations, were closely connected to the features on which the companies based their sales strategies

Adozione: le rappresentazioni della genitorialit\ue0 adottiva dei giudici e degli operatori sociali

La ricerca presentata nell'articolo si sofferma sulla dimensione rappresentazionale della genitorialit\ue0 e si contraddistingue soprattutto per il fatto di considerare congiuntamente \u2013 e comparativamente \u2013 tutti gli attori che intervengono nella valutazione ex-ante della genitorialit\ue0 adottiva. L\u2019ambito di indagine riguarda un unico distretto giudiziario (quello del TM di Brescia) e coinvolge i giudici e gli operatori psicosociali che intervengono nella medesima casistica

Alla ricerca del genitore "quasi perfetto". Le rappresentazioni della genitorialit\ue0 adottiva tra i giudici e gli operatori sociali

Si tratta di una ricerca empirica che si sofferma sulla dimensione rappresentazionale della genitorialit\ue0 e che si contraddistingue soprattutto per il fatto di considerare congiuntamente \u2013 e comparativamente \u2013 tutti gli attori che intervengono nella valutazione ex-ante della genitorialit\ue0 adottiva. L\u2019ambito di indagine riguarda un unico distretto giudiziario (il TM di Brescia) e coinvolge i giudici e gli operatori psicosociali che intervengono nella medesima casistica

Una nuova procedura per ridurre i valori di elementi potenzialmente tossici contenuti in fanghi di depurazione urbana

Scopo di questo lavoro \ue8 presentare i risultati di uno studio concernente la messa a punto di una nuova procedura chimico-fisica (brevetto n\ub0 PC2012A000008 del 22/03/2012) realizzata per ridurre le concentrazioni di alcuni elementi potenzialmente tossici in fanghi di depurazione urbani ottenuti tramite digestione anaerobica e per disidratarli efficientemente, rimuovendo l\u2019acqua in essi contenuta con un aumento dei solidi totali, allo scopo di ridurre il volume totale dei fanghi finali e per recuperare elementi nutritivi utili in vista di un loro riutilizzo diretto, o per impiegarli come componenti e/o precursori di nuovi prodotti fertilizzanti da utilizzare in agricoltura. Un trattamento Fenton-simile (classico Fenton + ulteriore acidificazione a pH 2) si \ue8 dimostrato essere pi\uf9 idoneo del trattamento Fenton classico (pH 3,5) per ridurre il contenuto dei metalli, tranne il Pb, con valori medi di riduzione di Zn (77%), Ni (63%), Cd (15%) e Cr (10.5%), per togliere l\u2019acqua dai fanghi aumentando cos\uec la quota di solidi totali (44%) e per consentire di mantenere accettabili valori di Corg nel fango (26,4 g/kg) rispetto ad un valore iniziale di Corg di 28,1 g/kg. I risultati delle prove eseguite in impianto pilota a scala di laboratorio posseggono tutte le peculiarit\ue0 per poter essere estese in modo soddisfacente ad una scala industriale

A Chemical-Physical procedure to reduce levels of potentially toxix elements (PTEs) in municipal sewage sludges

The current waste policy in EU aims at reducing the amounts of sludges to be disposed in landfill, encouraging their energy reuse (e.g. energy source, fertilizers, etc.). In this perspective a reduction of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) and water is welcome, in view of a more sustainable reutilization of sludges, e.g. in agriculture. Aim of this work was to set up a chemical-physical procedure, named modified Fenton process (patent n° PC2012A000008 of 22/03/2012), which was able to improve the reduction of some PTEs (Zn, Ni, Cu, Pb, Cd and Cr) and water in municipal sewage sludges from anaerobic digestion, better than a conventional Fenton process, avoiding significant decreases of total organic carbon (TOC)

Epidemiological and Clinical Features of SARS-CoV-2 Variants Circulating between April-December 2021 in Italy

SARS-CoV-2 is constantly evolving, leading to new variants. We analysed data from 4400 SARS-CoV-2-positive samples in order to pursue epidemiological variant surveillance and to evaluate their impact on public health in Italy in the period of April–December 2021. The main circulating strain (76.2%) was the Delta variant, followed by the Alpha (13.3%), the Omicron (5.3%), and the Gamma variants (2.9%). The B.1.1 lineages, Eta, Beta, Iota, Mu, and Kappa variants, represented around 1% of cases. There were 48.2% of subjects who had not been vaccinated, and they had a lower median age compared to the vaccinated subjects (47 vs. 61 years). An increasing number of infections in the vaccinated subjects were observed over time, with the highest proportion in November (85.2%). The variants correlated with clinical status; the largest proportion of symptomatic patients (59.6%) was observed with the Delta variant, while subjects harbouring the Gamma variant showed the highest proportion of asymptomatic infection (21.6%), albeit also deaths (5.4%). The Omicron variant was only found in the vaccinated subjects, of which 47% had been hospitalised. The diffusivity and pathogenicity associated with the different SARS-CoV-2 variants are likely to have relevant public health implications, both at the national and international levels. Our study provides data on the rapid changes in the epidemiological landscape of the SARS-CoV-2 variants in Italy

Prevalence, characteristics, and treatment of fatigue in oncological cancer patients in Italy. a cross-sectional study of the Italian Network for Supportive Care in Cancer (NICSO)

Background: Fatigue is one of the most distressing symptoms of cancer patients. Its characteristics and impact on quality of life have not been fully explored and treatment of cancer-related fatigue in Italian oncological centers has not been codified. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out on all patients attending for any reason the 24 participating centers in two non-consecutive days. Patients with fatigue filled out the Brief Fatigue Inventory (BFI) questionnaire and reported any pharmacological or non-pharmacological treatment for fatigue. Results: From October 2014 to May 2015, 1394 cancer patients agreed to participate in the study. Fatigue was referred by 866 (62.1%) of patients; its duration was > 4 months in 441 patients (50.9%). In the investigators’ opinion, the most important (probable or almost sure) determinants of fatigue were reduced physical activity (271 patients), anxiety (149), pain (131), insomnia (125), anemia (123), and depression (123). Fatigue of moderate/severe intensity was reported by 43%/29.2% of patients, while usual fatigue in the last 24 h by 45%/33.1%, and the worst fatigue in the last 24 h by 33%/54.8%, respectively. Concerning the impact on quality of life, fatigue interfered moderately/severely with general activity in 30.8%/38.6% of patients, with mood in 26.1%/32.8%, with the ability to work in 27.9%/35.6%, with normal work in 26.7%/38.9%, with relationships with others in 21%/23.4% and with the ability to amuse themselves in 22.2%/33.1%. Only 117/866 patients (13.5%) received a pharmacological treatment represented by a corticosteroid in 101 patients (86.3%) while 188 patients (21.7%) received a non-pharmacological treatment such as physical exercise (120 patients, 63.8%) and various alimentary supplements (52 patients, 27.6%). Conclusions: Cancer-related fatigue is frequently reported by oncological patients; its intensity and impact on quality of life is relevant