Exploring the Role of the University in the Creation of Knowledge Networks in the Aso Valley, a Rural Area in Marche Region (Italy)

Rural areas are often disadvantaged by their peripheral position, depopulation and the scarcity of primary services, but they also have specific characteristics, especially in terms of cultural capital, that can make them attractive as tourism destinations. Sustainable tourism paths can be developed through collaboration between various actors with complementary skills and areas of expertise, especially local cooperatives and associations. In this context, universities can have a crucial role in creating knowledge networks and enhancing “rural buzz” that is the flow of information and knowledge among the individuals, organizations, and businesses in a rural area through face-to-face interaction. This study focuses on an Italian case study from the Marche Region: the collaboration between the University of Macerata (UNIMC) and a local association, Agritur-Aso, has been chosen as an example of a network for the co-valorization of regional cultural capital

Social Farmers’ Networking for Inclusive Tourism

Source at https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/52054.Social entrepreneurship plays a key role in making tourism an inclusive activity. Literature on the topic is increasing but needs to pay more attention to collaboration, which is crucial for social enterprises. To overcome this gap, the research focuses on the impact that social entrepreneurs’ drivers and barriers towards collaboration might have on providing decent work in rural tourism. The research considers the case of social farming, which has important implications for developing inclusive tourism

Assessing the Learning Outcomes of Food-related Educational Tourism Events for University Students: The Case of the International Student Competition of Fermo, Italy

This paper examines the International Student Competition on Place Branding and Mediterranean Diet held in Fermo, Italy, in the context of the development of rural areas. This one-week food-related educational programme was organised by the University of Macerata’s Department of Education, Cultural Heritage and Tourism in collaboration with The Piceno Laboratory on the Mediterranean Diet, a local network of public and private stakeholders committed to the promotion of Fermo area as a touristic destination based on traditional gastronomy. The aim of this study was to understand how and to what extent such food-related educational events may contribute to providing students with the knowledge, expertise and soft skills needed for careers in the food tourism sector. Of interest also was how such events may benefit the development of rural areas. The ISC was founded in 2016 and continued in 2017, 2018 and 2019. In order to assess students’ perceptions about the experience, specifically regarding what they felt they had learned about food tourism, and which soft skills they had acquired or honed, 13 students who participated in the 2017 event were interviewed for a qualitative study. Moreover, the authors drew upon information gleaned from interactions with students and teachers, as well as with several important actors of the local food and tourism sector, including tourism and hospitality entrepreneurs and representatives of government agencies, with whom they collaborated in the context of planning, running and evaluating the events. The findings show that the ISC can provide students with a good general understanding of the territory and practical knowledge about place branding and food tourism. In terms of career preparation, the combination of fieldwork activities with traditional lectures and group activities was particularly fruitful in promoting soft skills such as communication, efficient use of social media, teamwork, problem-solving and decision making

Hereditary trichilemmal cysts: a proposal for the assessment of diagnostic clinical criteria

Trichilemmal cysts (TCs) can occur as sporadic lesions or in hereditary-familial settings with autosomal dominant transmission. These entities have not been widely analyzed in their peculiar aspects yet. The aim of this study was to describe a cohort of patients with diagnosis of TCs through a clinical and biomolecular characterization, intended to highlight some effective diagnostic criteria for their identification. Among 149 cases of this study, 24 cases of TCs (16.1%) arose in patients with at least one first-degree relative with diagnosis of TCs. Peculiar findings concerning hereditary lesions included the multiple presentation with an early onset age. On the basis of clinical evaluation, we propose a panel of clinical and histologic criteria for the diagnosis of hereditary TCs, which includes: (i) the diagnosis of TCs in at least two first-degree relatives or in three first- or second-degree relatives in two consecutive generations; (ii) at least one of the patients with TCs diagnosed <45 years; and (iii) the diagnosis of multiple or giant (>5-cm lesions) or rare histopathologic features (proliferating and ossifying) TCs

Sphenoid asymmetry associated to other skeletal anomalies in a clear cut case of PTCH1 mutated Gorlin-Goltz syndrome: a novel finding?

Gorlin-Goltz syndrome is an autosomal dominantly inherited disorder linked to PTCH1 mutation, recognized by a collection of clinical and radiologic signs (macrocephaly, frontal bossing, multiple intracranial calcifications including falx cerebri and atlanto-occipital ligament). We describe here a the case of a family with clear cut criteria for Gorlin-Goltz syndrome presenting the association of cranio-facial and skeletal anomalies together with a peculiar sphenoid variant. Two patients, father and son, were examined because of multiple basal cell carcinomas and keratocystic odontogenic tumours. Other suggestive findings were multiple positive family history, typical skeletal anomalies and a novel PTCH1 germline mutation (c.1041delAA). Craniofacial and other skeletal anomalies displayed at 3D and helical CT scan were: macrocephaly, skull base asymmetry (positional plagiocephaly), mandibular prognathism, mandibular condylar deformation with hyperplasia of the coronoid process, bifidity of multiple ribs and giant multilocular odontogenic jaw cysts. Extensive multilamellar calcifications were found in falx cerebri, tentorium, falx cerebelli and in the apical segment of the atlanto-occipital ligament. Thoracic anomalies included bifid left 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th rib, dismorphic body of the 3rd thoracic vertebra, dorsolumbar scoliosis, sacrum acutum. Interestingly, 3D-CT scan showed asymmetry of both sphenoid wings with thickening of the left wing sphenoid wing together with irregularity of the architecture of trabecular bone with alternating osteolytic and sclerotic areas. Abnormalities of the sphenoid bone are not very common, and consist of differently aggressive entities: some of them are typical of the pediatric age in few hereditary and congenital disorders. The application of new criteria (i.e. peculiar calcifications of ligaments and sphenoid asymmetry) to a wider case series can lead to the early diagnosis of Gorlin syndrome, especially in pediatric patients, when the full phenotype is not yet expressed. The inclusion of bifid ribs as a novel major criteria and the recognition of peculiar cranial anomalies such as sphenoid asymmetry, well detected at volume CT reconstruction, might be useful for the recognition and characterization of misdiagnosed cases

Gambling at the time of COVID-19: results from interviews in an Italian sample of gamblers

© 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of International Society for the Study of Emerging Drugs. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/The coronavirus pandemic affected the life of those suffering from addic- tive behaviors often confined to prolonged periods of self-isolation. To explore the variation of symptoms related to gambling, 46 outpatients of the mental health services in the Trento Province were invited to take part in a phone interview at the start of the national lockdown. Although only 2.17% increased gambling activity during this period, half of the sample (50.00%) experienced irritability, mood fluctuation (43.48%) and anxiety (39.13%). Follow-up studies should assess modifications in their behaviors that occurred after the reopening of gambling venues.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio

Phthalates and Bisphenol A: presence in blood serum and follicular fluid of italian women undergoing assisted reproduction techniques

Background: folliculogenesis is a strictly regulated process that may be affected by endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) through sometimes not so clear molecular mechanisms. Methods: we conducted a multicentric observational study involving six fertility centers across Italy, prospectively recruiting 122 women attending a fertility treatment. Recruited women had age ≤42 years, and normal ovarian reserve. Blood and follicular fluid samples were taken for EDCs measurement using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry and each woman completed an epidemiological questionnaire. Results: The main EDCs found were monobutyl phthalate (MBP) (median blood: 8.96 ng/mL, follicular fluid 6.43 ng/mL), monoethylhexyl phthalate (MEHP) (median blood: 9.16 ng/mL, follicular fluid 7.68 ng/mL) and bisphenol A (BPA) (median blood: 1.89 ng/mL, follicular fluid 1.86 ng/mL). We found that serum MBP concentration was significantly associated with the considered area (p < 0.001, adj. mean: 7.61 ng/mL, 14.40 ng/mL, 13.56 ng/mL; Area 1: Milan–Turin, Area 2: Rome–Naples; Area 3: Catania–Bari, respectively) but negatively with home plastic food packaging (p = 0.004). Follicular MBP was associated with irregular cycles (p = 0.019). No association was detected between EDCs and eating habits and other clinical and epidemiological features. Conclusions: This study represents the first Italian biomonitoring of plastic EDCs in follicular fluid, laying the basis for future prospective evaluation on oocyte quality before assisted reproduction techniques (ART

Uso de cigarros eletrônicos e fatores associados entre estudantes de Medicina em Maringá : Use of eletronic cigarettes and associated factors among Medical students in Maringá

A adesão significativa ao cigarro eletrônico por adultos jovens confirmou o surgimento de uma nova doença intitulada EVALI. Esta pesquisa teve como objetivo identificar a frequência do uso de cigarros convencionais e eletrônicos entre os acadêmicos de Medicina de Maringá. Além disso, avaliou o conhecimento dos estudantes sobre os riscos que esse hábito pode suscitar. Em relação à metodologia, aplicou-se um questionário eletrônico aos estudantes, realizando uma análise dos dados por meio de estatística descritiva por meio do software MS Excel. Participaram 303 alunos, do primeiro ao sexto ano do curso de Medicina da UniCesumar. Por meio da análise dos resultados, foi possível definir que 55% (n=167) dos entrevistados são fumantes, seja de cigarro convencional ou de cigarro eletrônico. Também foi contabilizado que pelo menos 25% dos acadêmicos substituíram o cigarro tradicional por cigarro eletrônico. Observou-se que, mais da metade dos alunos acreditam que as pessoas ficam mais à vontade socialmente com o uso do e-Cigs. Cerca de 43% (n=129) dos entrevistados responderam que não tinham conhecimento que a utilização de cigarro eletrônico pode ocasionar a doença EVALI. Diante dos resultados obtidos, espera-se colaborar ainda mais com o conhecimento científico, evitando a desinformação e o uso desenfreado de cigarros eletrônicos, tanto no meio acadêmico como na sociedade em geral.&nbsp