Study on the presence of sand waves on the Kandestederne coast

The Kandestederne’s coast has been affected by strong erosion for years, therefore it has been subjected to numerous studies to counteract and analyze the phenomenon. The stretch of coast analyzed shows significant variations from season to season from a coastal morphological point of view, being exposed to large waves and powerful westerly winds. The transport of sediments is due both to the action of the wind and to the wave motion

Influence of γ-glutamyltransferase and alkaline phosphatase activity on in vitro fertilisation of bovine frozen/thawed semen

AbstractThe aim of this work was to evaluate whether the residual amount of γ-glutamyl-transferase (GGT) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) in bovine sperm after freezing/thawing is correlated with fertility parameters, including blastocyst rates after in vitro fertilisation (IVF). The enzyme activities were determined in both spermatozoa and supernatant after centrifugation. While ALP was only correlated with sperm viability, GGT activity was correlated with sperm motility (rs = .4; p < .05) both in sperm and supernatant. Interestingly, GGT activity was also correlated with cleavage (rs = .5; p < .05 and .8; p < .01, for sperm and supernatant respectively) and blastocyst (rs = .6 and .9, for sperm and supernatant respectively; p < .01) rates obtained after IVF. These results suggest that GGT could play an important role in the protection of sperm against oxidative stress and could be considered a reliable marker to assess frozen/thawed sperm quality in bovine

Microbiological quality of surface waters of Rome and it’s County from 1890 to 2010: a systematic review of Roman Hygiene School

Research on the quality of surface waters has been erformed in Italy during the development of large urban areas, and in Rome this has been the duty of the Istituto di Igiene of the Sapienza University since 1890. Using MedLine - along with traditional consultation of papers printed before 1968 - we identified 100 articles published in the period from 1890-2010. Thirty of them met the inclusion criteria (to have been written by researchers of Roman universities and to contain microbiological information about the surface waters of Rome). The majority of papers identified (46.6%) were published during the Sixties and Seventies, and 30% in the twenty years that followed (1980-1999). The most frequent microbiological descriptors were “Total coliforms” and “Streptococci”. The body of waters most frequently investigated were the river Tiber and the coastal waters around Fiumicino, where the Tiber flows into the Tyrrhenian sea. The quality of surface waters has always been of central interest to the researchers of the Roman School of Hygiene. The excellent quality of past research, and the renovated interest of International Organizations and of the European Union, should encourage public health researchers to persist in this strategic field of investigation which has strong interconnections with the protection of individual well-being and community health, as well as with environmental preservation

Essential oils: an alternative approach to management of powdery mildew diseases

In recent years there has been growing interest in the application of plant-derived substances in agriculture as alternatives to the use of pesticides, in order to obtain healthy crops and more environmentally sustainable crop production systems. The properties of some essential oils as natural fungicides were evaluated, to promote their use in alternative agriculture. Potentially detrimental effects caused by essential oil residues in soil were also assessed by mutagenicity assays to avoid possible adverse effects related to the use of these materials. Trials in a controlled environment were set up, using ‘Romanesco’ zucchini treated with essential oils, either exclusively or alternated with a synthetic fungicide. The treatments were applied when natural infection by Podosphaera xanthii appeared on test plants, and powdery mildew incidence and severity were assessed after six weeks. Preliminary results indicated that the alternation of natural materials with effective synthetic fungicide maintained effective disease control, and may also assist with management of pesticide resistance in P. xanthii. No relevant mutagenic effects of essential oil residues in soil were revealed, although an appropriate formulation useful under field conditions is required for effective application

Temporal pattern of microbial indicators of ready-to-eat rocket salads during shelf life

 Introduction. From 2001-2009 there have been numerous community alerts and notifications about the rocket salad produced in Italy and distributed in Europe. Our study describes the evolution of the microbial quality of ready to eat rocket salad during shelf life among three different Italian producers.Material and methods. Total Mesophilic Count (TMC) and Escherichia coli (EC) count were measured in 248 samples. We used Wilcoxon test to compare the median values of TMC and EC counts and Kruskal Wallis test to compare the producers. Results. The TMC and EC values differed among producers at the stages of raw material and in the finished product (Kruskall Wallis test, p < 0.05). The evolution of bacterial charges had significant differences among producers at expiration date (Wilcoxon test, p < 0.05). More than half of the samples (54.8%) exceed reference standard for TMC after 48 h from packaging.Conclusion. Differences among producers may linked to the different minimal processing technologies adopted after harvesting. 

Effects of the dose of erythropoiesis stimulating agents on cardiovascular events, quality of life, and health-related costs in hemodialysis patients: the clinical evaluation of the dose of erythropoietins (C.E. DOSE) trial protocol

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Anemia is a risk factor for death, adverse cardiovascular outcomes and poor quality of life in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Erythropoietin Stimulating Agents (ESA) are commonly used to increase hemoglobin levels in this population. In observational studies, higher hemoglobin levels (around 11-13 g/dL) are associated with improved survival and quality of life compared to hemoglobin levels around 9-10 g/dL. A systematic review of randomized trials found that targeting higher hemoglobin levels with ESA causes an increased risk of adverse vascular outcomes. It is possible, but has never been formally tested in a randomized trial, that ESA dose rather than targeted hemoglobin concentration itself mediates the increased risk of adverse vascular outcomes. The Clinical Evaluation of the DOSe of Erythropoietins (C.E. DOSE) trial will assess the benefits and harms of a high versus a low fixed ESA dose for the management of anemia in patients with end stage kidney disease.</p> <p>Methods/Design</p> <p>This is a randomized, prospective open label blinded end-point (PROBE) trial due to enrol 2204 hemodialysis patients in Italy. Patients will be randomized 1:1 to 4000 IU/week versus 18000 IU/week of intravenous epoietin alfa or beta, or any other ESA in equivalent doses. The dose will be adjusted only if hemoglobin levels fall outside the 9.5-12.5 g/dL range. The primary outcome will be a composite of all-cause mortality, non fatal stroke, non fatal myocardial infarction and hospitalization for cardiovascular causes. Quality of life and costs will also be assessed.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>The C.E.DOSE study will help inform the optimal therapeutic strategy for the management of anemia of hemodialysis patients, improving clinical outcomes, quality of life and costs, by ascertaining the potential benefits and harms of different fixed ESA doses.</p> <p>Trial registration</p> <p>Clinicaltrials.gov NCT00827021</p

The Association between Household Socioeconomic Position and Prevalent Tuberculosis in Zambia: A Case-Control Study

BACKGROUND: Although historically tuberculosis (TB) has been associated with poverty, few analytical studies from developing countries have tried to: 1. assess the relative impact of poverty on TB after the emergence of HIV; 2. explore the causal mechanism underlying this association; and 3. estimate how many cases of TB could be prevented by improving household socioeconomic position (SEP). METHODS AND FINDINGS: We undertook a case-control study nested within a population-based TB and HIV prevalence survey conducted in 2005-2006 in two Zambian communities. Cases were defined as persons (15+ years of age) culture positive for M. tuberculosis. Controls were randomly drawn from the TB-free participants enrolled in the prevalence survey. We developed a composite index of household SEP combining variables accounting for four different domains of household SEP. The analysis of the mediation pathway between household SEP and TB was driven by a pre-defined conceptual framework. Adjusted Population Attributable Fractions (aPAF) were estimated. Prevalent TB was significantly associated with lower household SEP [aOR = 6.2, 95%CI: 2.0-19.2 and aOR = 3.4, 95%CI: 1.8-7.6 respectively for low and medium household SEP compared to high]. Other risk factors for prevalent TB included having a diet poor in proteins [aOR = 3.1, 95%CI: 1.1-8.7], being HIV positive [aOR = 3.1, 95%CI: 1.7-5.8], not BCG vaccinated [aOR = 7.7, 95%CI: 2.8-20.8], and having a history of migration [aOR = 5.2, 95%CI: 2.7-10.2]. These associations were not confounded by household SEP. The association between household SEP and TB appeared to be mediated by inadequate consumption of protein food. Approximately the same proportion of cases could be attributed to this variable and HIV infection (aPAF = 42% and 36%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: While the fight against HIV remains central for TB control, interventions addressing low household SEP and, especially food availability, may contribute to strengthen our control efforts