Food Reputation and Food Preferences: Application of the Food Reputation Map (FRM) in Italy, USA, and China

Given the food challenges that society is facing, we draw upon recent developments in the study of how food reputation affects food preferences and food choices, providing here a starting standard point for measuring every aspect of food reputation in different cultural contexts across the world. Specifically, while previous attempts focused either on specific aspects of food or on measures of food features validated in one language only, the present research validates the Food Reputation Map (FRM) in Italian, English and Chinese over 2,250 participants worldwide. Here we successfully measure food reputation across 23 specific indicators, further grouped into six synthetic indicators of food reputation. Critically, results show that: (a) the specific measurement tool of food reputation can vary across cultural contexts, and that (b) people's reputation of food products or categories changes significantly across different cultural contexts. Therefore, in order to understand people's food preferences and consumption, it is important to take into account the repertoire of cultural differences that underlies the contexts of analysis: the three context-specific versions of the FRM presented here effectively deal with this issue and provide reliable context-specific insights on stakeholders' interests, perspectives, attitudes and behaviors related to food perceptions, assessment, and consumption, which can be effectively leveraged to foster food sustainability

Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt for hepatitis C virus-related portal hypertension after liver transplantation.

hinolfi D, De Simone P, Catalano G, Petruccelli S, Coletti L, Carrai P, Marti J, Tincani G, Cicorelli A, Cioni R, Filipponi F. Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt for hepatitis C virus-related portal hypertension after liver transplantation. Clin Transplant 2012 DOI: 10.1111/j.1399-0012.2011.01595.x. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Abstract:  This is a single center retrospective review of 19 consecutive liver transplant (LT) patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related graft recurrent hepatitis who underwent transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) at a median interval of 21 months (range: 5-50) from LT. Indications were refractory ascites in 11 patients (57.9%), hydrothorax in six (31.6%), and both in two (10.5%). TIPS was successful in 94.7% of cases (18/19) with only one procedure-related mortality (5.3%) owing to sepsis on day 35. At a median follow-up of 23 months (range: one month-nine yr), TIPS allowed for symptoms resolution in 16 patients (84.2%), with ascites resolving in all cases and hydrothorax persisting in 2. Post-TIPS patient survival at six months, one yr, and three yr was 84.2%, 73.7%, and 56.8%, respectively. We compared these results with a control group of 29 patients with HCV recurrence but without unresponsive ascites or hydrothorax. Patients in the control group had better survival than patients undergoing TIPS placement. However, survival of TIPS patients with a MELD score lower than or equal to 12 was similar to that of the control group. We conclude that TIPS may be used to treat complications secondary to HCV

Evidencia serológica de infección por metapneumovirus en aves comerciales de la provincia de Buenos Aires y Entre Ríos (Argentina)

A serological investigation was made in commercial flocks of Buenos Aires and Entre Rios provinces by ELISA technique. The serological evidence of metapneumovirus infection was determined by testing 933 serum samples from broilers flocks and broiler-breeders between March of 2007 and October of 2008. 169 of these samples were positives. The result of this study was analyzed by statistics methods. The conclusion shows a better possibility to obtain positive results in broiler-breeders than in broilers flocks. This is the first report of avian metapneumovirus serological evidence in the Argentinian Republic.Se realizo un relevamiento serológico en aves comerciales de las provincias de Buenos Aires y Entre Ríos mediante la técnica de ELISA. La evidencia serológica de la infección con metapneumovirus se determino procesando 933 sueros provenientes de pollos parrilleros y gallinas reproductoras, desde el mes de marzo del año 2007 al mes de octubre del año 2008, de los cuales 169 fueron positivos. Estos resultados fueron analizados mediante métodos estadísticos arribando a la conclusión de que existe mayor probabilidad de obtener aves seropositivas en la categoría de reproductores que en la de pollos parrilleros. Así mismo se demuestra por primera vez la evidencia de serología positiva contra metapneumovirus de la República Argentina

The Genomic Ancestry of Individuals from Different Geographical Regions of Brazil Is More Uniform Than Expected

Based on pre-DNA racial/color methodology, clinical and pharmacological trials have traditionally considered the different geographical regions of Brazil as being very heterogeneous. We wished to ascertain how such diversity of regional color categories correlated with ancestry. Using a panel of 40 validated ancestry-informative insertion-deletion DNA polymorphisms we estimated individually the European, African and Amerindian ancestry components of 934 self-categorized White, Brown or Black Brazilians from the four most populous regions of the Country. We unraveled great ancestral diversity between and within the different regions. Especially, color categories in the northern part of Brazil diverged significantly in their ancestry proportions from their counterparts in the southern part of the Country, indicating that diverse regional semantics were being used in the self-classification as White, Brown or Black. To circumvent these regional subjective differences in color perception, we estimated the general ancestry proportions of each of the four regions in a form independent of color considerations. For that, we multiplied the proportions of a given ancestry in a given color category by the official census information about the proportion of that color category in the specific region, to arrive at a “total ancestry” estimate. Once such a calculation was performed, there emerged a much higher level of uniformity than previously expected. In all regions studied, the European ancestry was predominant, with proportions ranging from 60.6% in the Northeast to 77.7% in the South. We propose that the immigration of six million Europeans to Brazil in the 19th and 20th centuries - a phenomenon described and intended as the “whitening of Brazil” - is in large part responsible for dissipating previous ancestry dissimilarities that reflected region-specific population histories. These findings, of both clinical and sociological importance for Brazil, should also be relevant to other countries with ancestrally admixed populations

Long Term Running Biphasically Improves Methylglyoxal-Related Metabolism, Redox Homeostasis and Neurotrophic Support within Adult Mouse Brain Cortex

Oxidative stress and neurotrophic support decline seem to be crucially involved in brain aging. Emerging evidences indicate the pro-oxidant methylglyoxal (MG) as a key player in the age-related dicarbonyl stress and molecular damage within the central nervous system. Although exercise promotes the overproduction of reactive oxygen species, habitual exercise may retard cellular aging and reduce the age-dependent cognitive decline through hormetic adaptations, yet molecular mechanisms underlying beneficial effects of exercise are still largely unclear. In particular, whereas adaptive responses induced by exercise initiated in youth have been broadly investigated, the effects of chronic and moderate exercise begun in adult age on biochemical hallmarks of very early senescence in mammal brains have not been extensively studied. This research investigated whether a long-term, forced and moderate running initiated in adult age may affect the interplay between the redox-related profile and the oxidative-/MG-dependent molecular damage patterns in CD1 female mice cortices; as well, we investigated possible exercise-induced effects on the activity of the brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)-dependent pathway. Our findings suggested that after a transient imbalance in almost all parameters investigated, the lately-initiated exercise regimen strongly reduced molecular damage profiles in brains of adult mice, by enhancing activities of the main ROS- and MG-targeting scavenging systems, as well as by preserving the BDNF-dependent signaling through the transition from adult to middle age

Neonatal newborn hearing screening: four years’ experience at Ferrara University Hospital (CHEAP Project): Part 1

The Child Hearing Early Assessment Programme (CHEAP) regional project, was a combined departmental approach (Audiology, Neonatology) of the University Hospital of Ferrara, aimed at identifying neonatal hearing impairment and defining early intervention strategies. Aims of this project have been: i. construction of a neonatal screening programme using evoked otoacoustic emission and auditory brainstem responses; ii. the calculation of a precise estimate of cost-benefits for every child tested; iii. the development of an information flow instrument (database) for the storage of data and the statistical analysis of the results. The present report refers only to the results of the project related to the otoacoustic emission data from well-babies and intensive care unit residents. In the period January 2000-December 2004, 4269 full-term newborns and 654 Neonatal Intensive Care Unit babies were tested at the Neonatology Department. The cost of the Universal Neonatal Hearing Screening was estimated at € 9,20 per child, considering the use of the ILO-292 apparatus, and € 8,28 per child in the case of an automatic screener. In this screening model, the initial hardware costs can be re-iterated into budget in a period of two years, if 1000 children per year are tested

Estimation of pure-tone thresholds in adults using extrapolated distortion product otoacoustic emission input/output-functions and auditory steady state responses

Pure-tone thresholds were used as the reference and compared with extrapolated distortion product otoacoustic emission input/output-functions and auditory steady state responses (ASSR) in hearing-impaired adults, using the Cochlea-Scan and Audera devices. Fifty-three subjects presenting sensorineural deficits were included in the study. The DPOAE data were recorded using the detailed Cochlea-Scan threshold modality, and ASSR responses were assessed at 1.0, 2.0, and 4.0 kHz. The comparison between DPOAE and ASSR threshold values indicated significant mean differences across all tested frequencies. Significant relationships were observed between the behavioral and the DPOAE measurements in the lower frequencies (1.5 and 2.0 kHz). The Cochlea-Scan algorithm seems to overestimate hearing threshold. Logistic regression models (probability of DPOAE response p = 0.9), suggested that the identifiable hearing levels are less than 34 dB HL (at 2.0 and 4.0 kHz) and less or equal to 38 and 40 dB HL at 1.5 and 6.0 kHz respectively. The Cochlea-Scan DPOAE protocols can be used in cases presenting mild hearing deficits (i.e.<40 dB HL)