HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE AND FUNCTIONAL HEALTH STATUS QUESTIONNAIRES IN OROPHARYNGEAL DYSPHAGIA

Background: Oropharyngeal dysphagia negatively affects the quality of life of patients. It may lead to malnutrition, dehydration, aspiration pneumonia and death, especially in older people. Dysphagia and its level of severity have to be assessed accurately and in a timely fashion, because only early intervention can prevent the onset of complications. There are numerous self-administered questionnaires to monitor both the severity of dysphagia and the effectiveness of therapeutic approaches. The objective of this article is to conduct a literature review and to illustrate the characteristics of various self-assessment questionnaires for oropharyngeal dysphagia. Methods: A search of observational studies of adult populations with dysphagia, published from 1990 to June 2014, was performed in the electronic database Pubmed. Results: A total of 23 self-assessment questionnaires, on Health-related Quality of Life and Functional Health status, were identified. Fourteen questionnaires were excluded from the analysis for the following reasons: the questionnaire was written in a language other than English or Italian (n=3); the questionnaire was specific for caregivers (n=1); the questionnaires were not specific for oropharyngeal dysphagia (n=10). Nine questionnaires, validated in adult populations, were examined. Only two self-assessment questionnaires on quality of life - DHI (Dysphagia Handicap Index) and SWAL-QOL (Swallowing Quality Of Life) - were correctly validated; other questionnaires had methodological errors. Conclusions: A specific self-assessment questionnaire for older adults was not found. Almost all of the currently available questionnaires need to be improved methodologically. Furthermore, new questionnaires specifically for older people should be developed

Predictive habitat suitability models to aid conservation of elasmobranch diversity in the central Mediterranean Sea

Commercial fisheries have dramatically impacted elasmobranch populations worldwide. With high capture and bycatch rates, the abundance of many species is rapidly declining and around a quarter of the world’s sharks and rays are threatened with extinction. At a regional scale this negative trend has also been evidenced in the central Mediterranean Sea, where bottom-trawl fisheries have affected the biomass of certain rays (e.g. Raja clavata) and sharks (e.g. Mustelus spp.). Detailed knowledge of elasmobranch habitat requirements is essential for biodiversity conservation and fisheries management, but this is often hampered by a poor understanding of their spatial ecology. Habitat suitability models were used to investigate the habitat preference of nine elasmobranch species and their overall diversity (number of species) in relation to five environmental predictors (i.e. depth, sea surface temperature, surface salinity, slope and rugosity) in the central Mediterranean Sea. Results showed that depth, seafloor morphology and sea surface temperature were the main drivers for elasmobranch habitat suitability. Predictive distribution maps revealed different species-specific patterns of suitable habitat while high assemblage diversity was predicted in deeper offshore waters (400–800 m depth). This study helps to identify priority conservation areas and diversity hot-spots for rare and endangered elasmobranchs in the Mediterranean Sea

Analytical and Methodological Tools for Fisheries Management. The Adriatic Sea

Atti del Convegno annuale della European Association of Fisheries Economist

Geographical patterns in abundance and population structure of Nephrops norvegicus and Parapenaeus longirostris (Crustacea: Decapoda) along the European Mediterranean coasts

The main characteristics concerning distribution, size structure and total mortality of two of the most important decapod crustaceans of commercial interest in the Mediterranean Sea, Nephrops norvegicus and Parapenaeus longirostris, are studied along the European Mediterranean coasts. The study is based on data collected during a series of six trawl surveys performed in spring from 1994 to 1999 from the Gibraltar Straits to the Aegean Sea. The population size structure identified in the different geographical sectors is analysed taking into account two bathymetric sectors: continental shelf and upper slope. Differences in N. norvegicus population demographic structure among geographical sectors, as well as in total mortality, appear to be highly related to different exploitation levels. Size structure in P. longirostris also shows a great heterogeneity throughout the different geographical sectors. Considering that both species are heavily exploited all along the studied area, the observed differences can be interpreted as different responses to exploitation related to the widely differing life history characteristics of the mentioned species. In fact, N. norvegicus is a long-lived, benthic, burrowing species with low growth and mortality rates, and P. longirostris an epibenthic short-lived species characterised by higher rates of growth and mortalityPeer reviewe

Geographical patterns in abundance and population structure of Nephrops norvegicus and Parapenaeus longirostris (Crustacea: Decapoda) along the European Mediterranean coasts

The main characteristics concerning distribution, size structure and total mortality of two of the most important decapod crustaceans of commercial interest in the Mediterranean Sea, Nephrops norvegicus and Parapenaeus longirostris, are studied along the European Mediterranean coasts. The study is based on data collected during a series of six trawl surveys performed in spring from 1994 to 1999 from the Gibraltar Straits to the Aegean Sea. The population size structure identified in the different geographical sectors is analysed taking into account two bathymetric sectors: continental shelf and upper slope. Differences in N. norvegicus population demographic structure among geographical sectors, as well as in total mortality, appear to be highly related to different exploitation levels. Size structure in P. longirostris also shows a great heterogeneity throughout the different geographical sectors. Considering that both species are heavily exploited all along the studied area, the observed differences can be interpreted as different responses to exploitation related to the widely differing life history characteristics of the mentioned species. In fact, N. norvegicus is a long-lived, benthic, burrowing species with low growth and mortality rates, and P. longirostris an epibenthic short-lived species characterised by higher rates of growth and mortalityPeer reviewe

Potential Role of Probiotics for Inflammaging: A Narrative Review

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Inflammaging, a chronic, low-grade inflammation (LGI), is one of the mechanisms of adaptation of an organism to aging. Alterations in the composition of gut microbiota and gut permeability are among the main sources of LGI. They may be modulated by supplementation with live microorganisms, i.e. probiotics. This narrative review was performed with the aim to critically examine the current evidence from randomized clinical trials (RCTs) on the effects of probiotics on pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines and C-reactive protein (CRP) in healthy older subjects. METHODOLOGY: RCTs on the effects of probiotics on inflammatory parameters in subjects older than 65 years published in English and Italian from 1990 to October 2020 were searched in PubMed. Studies that were not RCTs, those using probiotics together with prebiotics (synbiotics), and studies performed in subjects with acute or chronic diseases were excluded. The findings of RCTs were reported in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). RESULTS: A total of nine RCTs met the eligibility criteria and were included in this narrative review. Four articles reported that probiotic supplementation significantly affected inflammatory parameters, respectively, by reducing TGF-β1 concentrations, IL-8, increasing IL-5 and Il-10, and IFN-γ and IL-12. CONCLUSIONS: Based on this narrative review, probiotic supplementation showed a limited effect on inflammatory markers in healthy individuals older than 65 years. Besides being few, the studies analyzed have methodological limitations, are heterogeneous, and provide results which are incomparable