L'istituzione delle nuove Provincie (1927): quadro storico,iter e ripercussioni (I)

Quadro storico e iter istitutivo delle nuove provincie italiane (1927). L'articolo è dedicato a ripercorrere il quadro storico delle provincie sin dall'istituzione dello stato nazionale attraverso i provvedimenti studiati e quelli realizzati e l'iter istitutivo dei nuovi enti locali

L'istituzione delle nuove Provincie (1927): quadro storico, iter e ripercussioni (II)

Analisi del processo istitutivo delle nuove provincie italiane (1927) e sue ripercussioni. Il saggio è dedicato allo studio delle ripercussioni avute dal provvedimento che investe e interessa con un cambiamento radicale l'intero territorio nazionale, dal Piemonte, alla Sicilia, alla Sardegna

Ovine Paratuberculosis: A Seroprevalence Study in Dairy Flocks Reared in the Marche Region, Italy

In order to fulfil the seroprevalence gap on Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis infection in ovine dairy farms of Marche region (central Italy), a stratified study was carried out on 2086 adult female sheep randomly chosen from 38 herds selected in Ancona and Macerata provinces. 73.7% flocks resulted infected by a commercial ELISA test (Pourquier, France), with a mean seroprevalence of 6.29% of sampled sheep in both provinces. A higher number of MAP seropositive ewes was recorded in the large herds' consistence than in the small and medium herds' consistence (P = 0.0269), and a greater percentage of infected sheep was obtained among female at early/late than in peak lactation stage (P = 0.0237). MAP infection was confirmed in 12.6% of infected farms by faecal culture. The true sheep-level seroprevalence was 15.1% ± 7.3%

Pathways connecting socioeconomic variables, substance abuse and gambling behaviour: a cross-sectional study on a sample of Italian high-school students

open11OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to elucidate the pathway of associations linking gambling, alcohol intake, smoking habit, cannabis consumption between each other and with demographic and socioeconomic variables. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: A survey was conducted in 2017 on a representative sample of 15 602 Italian 14-year-olds to 17-year-olds attending 201 secondary schools. OUTCOME MEASURES: Structural Equation Models analysis was used to assess the pathway between gambling, alcohol intake, smoking, cannabis consumption, demographics and socioeconomic factors. RESULTS: Irrespective of socioeconomic or demographic variables, gambling is positively associated with alcohol and cannabis consumption, while cannabis consumption is predicted by smoking and by alcohol intake, smoking is predicted by alcohol intake. Adolescents with a higher weekly income are more at risk of gambling, drinking alcohol and smoking, while the degree of economic dissatisfaction was positively associated with alcohol intake, cannabis consumption and smoking. Maternal employment appeared to be positively associated with adolescents' smoking, alcohol intake and cannabis consumption. CONCLUSIONS: This is one of the first studies to shed light on the pathways of associations connecting various health-risk behaviours among adolescents with demographic and socioeconomic factors.openBuja, Alessandra; Mortali, Claudia; Mastrobattista, Luisa; Minutillo, Adele; Pichini, Simona; Genetti, Bruno; Vian, Paolo; Andreotti, Alessandra; Grotto, Giulia; Baldo, Vincenzo; Pacifici, RobertaBuja, Alessandra; Mortali, Claudia; Mastrobattista, Luisa; Minutillo, Adele; Pichini, Simona; Genetti, Bruno; Vian, Paolo; Andreotti, Alessandra; Grotto, Giulia; Baldo, Vincenzo; Pacifici, Robert

Comparative in vitro study on biomechanical behavior of zirconia and polyetheretherketone biomaterials exposed to experimental loading conditions in a prototypal simulator

Zirconia and polyetheretherketone (PEEK) are two biomaterials widely investigated as substitute for metals in oral prosthetic rehabilitation. To achieve a proper biomechanical behavior, the prosthetic biomaterials must ensure a good resistance to loads, as this is a crucial characteristic enabling their use in dental applications. The aim of this study was to investigate differences in the fracture resistance of different biomaterials in an experimental environment: fixed partial dentures (FPDs) screwed in a prototype of biomimetic mandible. 10 Samples of FPDs were allocated in 2 groups (A and B): Group A (n=5) involved FPDs in zirconia-ceramic, and Group B (n=5) involved FPDs in PEEK-composite. The samples were loaded by means of a three-point bending mechanical test, and the load to fracture has been evaluated generating a point-by-point graphics (speed/load and time/deformation). The samples were further analyzed by micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) and described under experimental loading conditions. Zirconia-ceramic FDPs were the samples reporting the worst results, showing a lower value of vertical displacement with respect to PEEK-based samples. The micro-CT results have further confirmed the preliminary results previously described. This in vitro study aims to give analytic data on the reliability of PEEK as a reliable and strong biomaterial for prosthetic treatments.</p

The “polonium in vivo” study. Polonium-210 in bronchial lavages of patients with suspected lung cancer

Few studies have reported on polonium-210, a decay breakdown product of radon-222 and lead-210, in human lungs and there has been no study in patients with suspected lung cancer. The main aim of this "Polonium in vivo" study was to evaluate polonium-210 radioactivity in bronchopulmonary systems of smoker, ex-smoker and never smoker patients with suspected lung cancer. Alpha-spectrometric analyses were performed on bronchial lavage (BL) fluids from two Italian hospitals in 2013-2016. Socio-demographic, smoking, occupational and spirometric characteristics, lung cancer confirmation and histologic type and radon-222 concentration in patients' homes were collected. Seventy BL samples from never (n = 13), former (n = 35) and current smokers (n = 22) were analyzed; polonium-210 was detected in all samples from current and former smokers and in 54% of samples from never smokers (p &lt; 0.001; median values: 1.20, 1.43 and 0.40 mBq, respectively). Polonium-210 levels were significantly higher in COPD versus no COPD patients (median value: 3.60 vs. 0.97 mBq; p = 0.007); former and current smokers, without and with COPD, had significantly increased polonium-210 levels (p = 0.012); 96% of confirmed versus 69% of non-confirmed lung cancer patients recorded detectable polonium-210 levels (p = 0.018). A polonium-210 detectable activity was measured in BL samples from all current and former smokers. Polonium-210 in the lungs could be the result of lead-210 entrapment, which, with its half-life of 22 years, could provide a continuous emission of alpha radioactivity, even many years after quitting, thus proposing a possible explanation for the onset of lung cancer, particularly in former smokers

Covid-19 and the role of smoking: the protocol of the multicentric prospective study COSMO-IT (COvid19 and SMOking in ITaly).

The emergency caused by Covid-19 pandemic raised interest in studying lifestyles and comorbidities as important determinants of poor Covid-19 prognosis. Data on tobacco smoking, alcohol consumption and obesity are still limited, while no data are available on the role of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products (HTP). To clarify the role of tobacco smoking and other lifestyle habits on COVID-19 severity and progression, we designed a longitudinal observational study titled COvid19 and SMOking in ITaly (COSMO-IT). About 30 Italian hospitals in North, Centre and South of Italy joined the study. Its main aims are: 1) to quantify the role of tobacco smoking and smoking cessation on the severity and progression of COVID-19 in hospitalized patients; 2) to compare smoking prevalence and severity of the disease in relation to smoking in hospitalized COVID-19 patients versus patients treated at home; 3) to quantify the association between other lifestyle factors, such as e-cigarette and HTP use, alcohol and obesity and the risk of unfavourable COVID-19 outcomes. Socio-demographic, lifestyle and medical history information will be gathered for around 3000 hospitalized and 700-1000 home-isolated, laboratory-confirmed, COVID-19 patients. Given the current absence of a vaccine against SARS-COV-2 and the lack of a specific treatment for -COVID-19, prevention strategies are of extreme importance. This project, designed to highly contribute to the international scientific debate on the role of avoidable lifestyle habits on COVID-19 severity, will provide valuable epidemiological data in order to support important recommendations to prevent COVID-19 incidence, progression and mortality

A multi-layer approach for estimating the Energy Use Intensity on an urban scale

Various governments are planning their cities to be climate responsive by reducing the energy consumption and carbon emissions according to different scenarios whilst maintaining good indoor comfort conditions. A robust and reliable tool that can estimate the Energy Use Intensity (EUI) of a city is required. This paper presents a new bottom-up engineering-based multi-layer approach able to analyse the energy performance of existing settlements of every size by retaining as much information as possible about their complexities. The process involves i) creating a 3D model of the urban area, ii) building up templates representing different building characteristics such as functions, the age-band of the buildings and operating schedules, iii) running dynamic thermal simulations and iv) displaying the EUI or total energy demand in the 3D model which can be post-processed for further analysis. This approach offers a flexible simulation process according to various purposes, which is particularly useful in decision-making for urban energy retrofitting or planning for new areas. The hourly high-resolution outcomes would benefit the detailed analysis of energy efficiency strategies in order to achieve carbon reduction. The application of this approach is demonstrated for the case of Yuzhong district in Chongqing municipality, China

L'epidemia colerica del 1884 in Italia, con particolare riguardo a Napoli

Ricostruzione delle cause e delle conseguenze dell'epidemia colerica del 1884 in Italia. Si ripercorrono i precedenti normativi emanati dallo Stato in occasione di epidemie e di pericoli per la salute pubblica. Viene poi esaminata la vicenda del 1884, dall'inizio alla conclusione, guardando con particolare attenzione la situazione registratasi a Napoli, la città maggiormente colpita