Sex, environment, and death rate in a dementia cohort: a seven-years Bayesian survival analysis using medications data from a contaminated area in Italy

IntroductionStudies have analyzed the effects of industrial installations on the environment and human health in Taranto, Southern Italy. Literature documented associations between different variables and dementia mortality among both women and men. The present study aims to investigate the associations between sex, environment, age, disease duration, pandemic years, anti-dementia drugs, and death rate.MethodsData from the regional medication registry were used. All women and men with an anti-dementia medication between 2015 and 2021 were included and followed-up to 2021. Bayesian mixed effects logistic and Cox regression models with time varying exposures were fitted using integrated nested Laplace approximations and adjusting for patients and therapy characteristics.ResultsA total of 7,961 person-years were observed. Variables associated with lower prevalence of acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (AChEIs) medication were male sex (OR 0.63, 95% CrI 0.42–0.96), age 70–79 years (OR 0.17, 95% CrI 0.06–0.47) and ≥ 80 years (OR 0.08, 95% CrI 0.03–0.23), disease duration of 2–3 years (OR 0.43, 95% CrI 0.32–0.56) and 4–6 years (OR 0.21, 95% CrI 0.13–0.33), and pandemic years 2020 (OR 0.50, 95% CrI 0.37–0.67) and 2021 (OR 0.47, 95% CrI 0.33–0.65). Variables associated with higher mortality were male sex (HR 2.14, 95% CrI 1.75–2.62), residence in the contaminated site of national interest (SIN) (HR 1.25, 95% CrI 1.02–1.53), age ≥ 80 years (HR 6.06, 95% CrI 1.94–18.95), disease duration of 1 year (HR 1.50, 95% CrI 1.12–2.01), 2–3 years (HR 1.90, 95% CrI 1.45–2.48) and 4–6 years (HR 2.21, 95% CrI 1.60–3.07), and pandemic years 2020 (HR 1.38, 95% CrI 1.06–1.80) and 2021 (HR 1.56, 95% CrI 1.21–2.02). Variables associated with lower mortality were therapy with AChEIs alone (HR 0.69, 95% CrI 0.56–0.86) and in combination with memantine (HR 0.54, 95% CrI 0.37–0.81).DiscussionMale sex, age, disease duration, and pandemic years appeared to be associated with lower AChEIs medications. Male sex, residence in the SIN of Taranto, age, disease duration, and pandemic years seemed to be associated with an increased death rate, while AChEIs medication seemed to be associated with improved survival rate

Studio multidisciplinare del settore meridionale della pianura di Pisa: ricostruzione dell'architettura deposizionale tardo-quaternaria ed implicazioni tettoniche.

Questo studio ha avuto come oggetto l’analisi nel settore meridionale della Pianura Pisana in un’area di c. 335 Km2 a ridosso delle Colline Livornesi e Pisane e a cavallo della porzione occidentale della struttura regionale conosciuta come “Livorno-Sillaro”. Il lavoro è stato articolato in due parti la prima delle quali, partendo dall’analisi bibliografica della letteratura e dei dati delle indagini geologiche disponibili ha cercato di inquadrare dal punto di vista stratigrafico-sequenziale i depositi tardo-quaternari che caratterizzano l’area. Sono stati dapprima definiti i diversi termini di associazione di facies nelle stratigrafie dei sondaggi presenti e successivamente è stata effettuata una correlazione tra gli stessi, a mezzo di sezioni stratigrafiche, al fine di comprendere la loro variabilità latero-verticale. La seconda parte del lavoro ha previsto un’analisi morfotettonica a partire dagli elementi morfologici presenti nell’area (reticoli idrografici, distribuzione del rilievo). Per far ciò sono stati utilizzati i dati Lidar (DTM), forniti dalla Regione Toscana, alla risoluzione 2m e 10m che sono stati elaborati in ambiente GIS, attraverso funzioni dello Spatial Analyst. Nello specifico il sistema fluviale è particolarmente sensibile ai processi di deformazione. Le aste fluviali sono infatti caratterizzate da una bassa inerzia geomorfologica e, dunque, da tempi di risposta di poche centinaia di migliaia d’anni ai processi tettonici in atto. Come risultato dell’analisi multidisciplinare integrata condotta in questo studio è stato possibile mettere in evidenza che oltre ai fattori rappresentati dalla variazione del livello del mare e l’apporto sedimentario del Fiume Arno e dei suoi tributari, un segnale tettonico di deformazione recente ha influito sulla risposta sedimentaria dei depositi della pianura controllando l’architettura deposizionale del settore suddetto

Sistemi, tecniche di approvvigionamento ittico e qualità delle materie prime

Sistemi e tecniche di approvvigionamento ittico e qualità delle materie prim

Effect of dietary safflower cake (Carthamus tinctorius L.) on growth performances, carcass composition and meat quality traits in Garganica breed kids

The objective of the present study was to assess the effects of a diet containing safflower cake in pelleted total mixed rations (TMR) on growth performance, carcass parameters and meat quality of kids. Sixteen male Garganica breed kids (12.0±0.4 kg), weaned at 40±3 days, were randomly divided into two equal groups blocked by BW. Kids were fed for 50 d, from weaning to slaughtering age, with one of the following dietary treatments: the control diet (Control) without safflower cake inclusion, and diet containing safflower cake (SFC, 200 g/kg). Findings of the performance trial of kids reported that feed conversion ratio was enhanced by dietary SFC (P<0.01). None of the traits evaluated at slaughter were modified by diets. Safflower cake supplementation positively affected colour indexes of meat from longissimus lumborum and semimembranosus muscles. The current study confirms that SFC can be used in lamb TMR diets as no significant reduction of productive performance and meat quality. It may be concluded that the use of a safflower cake in kid feeding may be considered as a sustainable and economically viable strategy because of the lower cost of the safflower byproduct

Stratigrafia dei «butti»: su alcuni contesti «chiusi» da Egnazia (Fasano, Italia)

Il contributo presenta gli esiti delle indagini archeologiche, condotte nell'ambito del a partire dal 2001, che hanno interessato numerosi settori dell'impianto urbano di Gnatia e hanno permesso significative acquisizioni sugli scambi commerciali che coinvolgono la città, importante approdo sulla costa adriatica della Puglia centromeridionale, posto tra i porti di Bari e Brindisi, attraversato dalla via Minucia, in seguito ripresa dalla via Traiana. In particolare, vengono presentati i risultati dello studio di tre contesti chiusi: un pozzo-cisterna nell'area della basilica episcopale, una vasca-pozzo nel quartiere residenziale e produttivo a Sud della viaTraiana e due immondezzai nell'area delle terme del foro (fig. 1)

Prevalence of caries and dental malocclusions in the apulian paediatric population: an epidemiological study

AIM: The purpose of this epidemiological study was to assess the prevalence of malocclusion, its association with caries experience, and level of oral hygiene in the Apulian population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Study design: A total of 530 paediatric patients (267 girls, 263 boys), aged 8-10 years (±SD 1.2) were randomly selected from primary schools in Apulia (Italy). The Decayed, Missing and Filled Teeth (DMFT/dmtf) index, the Dental Aesthetic Index (DAI), recorded according to the WHO criteria, were used by two calibrated examiners to diagnose dental caries and malocclusion, respectively. RESULTS: Except for the presence of dental calculus, Class II malocclusion, open bite and dental crowding, (p>0.05), all variables in the negative binomial regression showed a significant relationship with the incidence rate of caries in deciduous teeth. STATISTICS: Children were clinically examined in a community dental office. Statistical analysis was carried out using R version 3.5.1. CONCLUSION: The study outcomes underline the need for preventive care programmes to improve oral health conditions as well as to decrease oral pathology risk factors in the Apulia region

<i>Camelina sativa</i> (L. Crantz) Fresh Forage Productive Performance and Quality at Different Vegetative Stages: Effects of Dietary Supplementation in Ionica Goats on Milk Quality

The research meant to study the productive performances of Camelina sativa and the effects of feeding Camelina fresh forage harvested during five phenological stages (I: main stem elongation; II: maximum stem elongation: III: inflorescence appearance; IV: flowering; V: fruit set visible) on the yield, chemical composition and fatty acid profile of milk from autochthonous Ionica goats. Goats were randomly assigned to two groups (n = 15) that received a traditional forage mixture (Control) or Camelina forage harvested at different stages (CAM). The field experiment was conducted in two years; no significant differences between years were recorded for any of the Camelina production traits. The total biomass increased (p Camelina sativa is a multi-purpose crop that may be successfully cultivated in Southern Italy regions and used as fresh forage for goat feeding. Milk obtained from Camelina fed goats showed satisfactory chemical and fatty acid composition, with potential benefits for human health

Combining Methods to Estimate Post-Fire Soil Erosion Using Remote Sensing Data

The increasing number of wildfires in southern Europe is making our ecosystem more vulnerable to water erosion; i.e., the loss of vegetation and subsequent runoff increase cause a shift in large quantities of sediment. Fire severity has been recognized as one of the most important parameters controlling the magnitude of post-fire soil erosion. In this paper, we adopted a combination of methods to easily assess post-fire erosion and prevent potential risk in subsequent rain events. The model presented is structured into three modules that were implemented in a GIS environment. The first module estimates fire severity with the Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity (MTBS) method; the second estimates runoff with rainfall depth–duration curves and the Soil Conservation Service Curve Number (SCS-CN) method; and the third estimates pre- and post-fire soil erosion. In addition, two post-fire scenarios were analyzed to assess the influence of fire severity on soil erosion: the former based on the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and the latter on the Relative differenced Normalized Burn Index (RdNBR). The results obtained in both scenarios are quite similar and demonstrate that transitional areas, such as rangelands and rangelands with bush, are the most vulnerable because they show a significant increase in erosion following a fire event. The study findings are of secondary importance to the combined approach devised because the focal point of the study is to create the basis for a future tool to facilitate decision making in landscape management