The Sustainability of Meat and Cured Meats in Italy

From the mid-1980s, meat consumption in Italy and the western world have stabilised and, in the face of a well-established food security, we have witnessed a changed sensitivity for ethical issues, such as animal welfare and environmental impacts of farms. Analysing the sustainability of meat and cured meats means studying in the most objective way possible different topics concerning both the consumer and the livestock production. This volume presents an interdisciplinary study to describe the “5 faces” of meat sustainability: nutrition, environmental impacts and the circular economy applied to farms and industry, food security and animal welfare, the economic aspects of supply chains and the fight against food waste

EN 16883: Una norma per migliorare l'efficienza energetica degli edifici storici

La EN 16883 fornisce ai soggetti coinvolti nel processo di miglioramento del rendimento energetico di un edificio storico uno strumento per pianificare e selezionare le procedure più adeguate da seguir

The Sustainability of Meat and Cured Meats in Italy

From the mid-1980s, meat consumption in Italy and the western world have stabilised and, in the face of a well-established food security, we have witnessed a changed sensitivity for ethical issues, such as animal welfare and environmental impacts of farms. Analysing the sustainability of meat and cured meats means studying in the most objective way possible different topics concerning both the consumer and the livestock production. This volume presents an interdisciplinary study to describe the “5 faces” of meat sustainability: nutrition, environmental impacts and the circular economy applied to farms and industry, food security and animal welfare, the economic aspects of supply chains and the fight against food waste

Diet in neurogenic bowel management: a viewpoint on spinal cord injury

The aim of this review is to offer dietary advice for individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) and neurogenic bowel dysfunction. With this in mind, we consider health conditions that are dependent on the level of lesion including skeletal muscle atrophy, autonomic dysreflexia and neurogenic bladder. In addition, SCI is often associated with a sedentary lifestyle, which increases risk for osteoporosis and diseases associated with chronic low-grade inflammation, including cardiovascular and chronic kidney diseases. The Mediterranean diet, along with exercise and dietary supplements, has been suggested as an anti-inflammatory intervention in individuals with SCI. However, individuals with chronic SCI have a daily intake of whole fruit, vegetables and whole grains lower than the recommended dietary allowance for the general population. Some studies have reported an increase in neurogenic bowel dysfunction symptoms after high fiber intake; therefore, this finding could explain the low consumption of plant foods. Low consumption of fibre induces dysbiosis, which is associated with both endotoxemia and inflammation. Dysbiosis can be reduced by exercise and diet in individuals with SCI. Therefore, to summarize our viewpoint, we developed a Mediterranean diet-based diet and exercise pyramid to integrate nutritional recommendations and exercise guidelines. Nutritional guidelines come from previously suggested recommendations for military veterans with disabilities and individuals with SCI, chronic kidney diseases, chronic pain and irritable bowel syndrome. We also considered the recent exercise guidelines and position stands for adults with SCI to improve muscle strength, flexibility and cardiorespiratory fitness and to obtain cardiometabolic benefits. Finally, dietary advice for Paralympic athletes is suggested

In vitro Digestion of Phaseolus vulgaris L. Cooked Beans Induces Autophagy in Colon Cancer Cells

Phaseolus vulgaris L. (common bean) contains high levels of proteins, unsaturated fatty acids, minerals, fibers, and vitamins, and for this reason, it represents an essential component of the diet. More than 40,000 varieties of beans have been recognized and are staple foods in the traditional cuisine of many countries. In addition to its high nutritional value, P. vulgaris is also characterized by its nutraceutical properties and favors environmental sustainability. In this manuscript, we studied two different varieties of P. vulgaris, Cannellino and Piattellino. We investigated the effects of traditional processing (soaking and cooking) and in vitro gastrointestinal digestion of beans on their phytochemical composition and anticancer activity. Using HT29 and HCT116 colon cancer cell lines, we showed that the extract obtained after gastrointestinal digestion of cooked beans (the bioaccessible fraction, BF) induces cell death through the induction of the autophagic process. We demonstrated that the BF of Cannellino and Piattellino beans at the concentration of 100 μg/mL reduces cell vitality, measured by MMT assay, of both HT29 (88.41% ± 5.79 and 94.38% ± 0.47) and HCT116 (86.29% ± 4.3 and 91.23% ± 0.52) cell lines. Consistently, the treatment of HT29 cells with 100 μg/mL of Cannellino and Piattellino BFs reduced clonogenicity by 95% ± 2.14 and 96% ± 0.49, respectively. Moreover, the activity of extracts appeared to be selective for colon cancer cells. The data shown in this work further confirm P. vulgaris to be among foods with beneficial effects for human health. © 2023 by the authors

correction on the stability of manganese tris β diketonate complexes as redox mediators in dsscs

Correction for 'On the stability of manganese tris(β-diketonate) complexes as redox mediators in DSSCs' by Stefano Carli et al., Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2016, 18, 5949–5956

The pharmacology and activity of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs): a review of their use as an adjuvant treatment in patients with HBV and HCV chronic hepatitis

Introduction: Different DNA and RNA viruses exploit common strategies to support their persistence and replication in infected individuals. In particular, the hepatitis B virus (HBV) and the hepatitis C virus (HCV) cause major health problems worldwide. These pathogens exert an immunosuppressive role by inducing the persistent activation of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and an increased synthesis of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). The suppression of this proinflammatory network by non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) has been proposed as a therapeutic approach to decrease viral replication. Materials and methods: In this review, the role of inflammation in the support of viral replication and NSAIDs and ketoprofen pharmacology are briefly discussed. In addition, studies that have investigated the use of NSAIDs for the treatment of HBV and HCV chronic hepatitis, which were identified by a systematic literature search of PubMed and MEDLINE, are reported. Results: To date, pegylated-interferon (PEG-IFN) and/or nucleot(s)ide analogues and PEG-IFN and ribavirin remain the standard therapy for HBV and HCV chronic hepatitis, respectively. Discussion: The use of NSAIDs in patients with chronic viral hepatitis has only a ''historical'' interest. Nevertheless, the possible usefulness of ketoprofen with PEG-IFN and ribavirin for HCVinfected patients, non-responders to standard therapy or with genotype 1, should be evaluated in future clinical studies

Characterization and performance of a toluene-degrading biofilm developed on pumice stones

BACKGROUND: Hydrocarbon-degrading biofilms in the treatment of contaminated groundwaters have received increasing attention due to the role played in the so-called "biobarriers". These are bioremediation systems in which a microbial consortium adherent to a solid support is placed across the flow of a contaminated plume, thus promoting biodegradation of the pollutant. RESULTS: A microbial consortium adherent to pumice granules (biofilm) developed from a toluene-enriched microflora in a mini-scale system, following continuous supply of a mineral medium containing toluene, over a 12-month period. Observation by scanning electron microscopy, together with quantification of the biomass attached to pumice, evidenced the presence of abundant exopolymeric material surrounding the cells in the biofilm. Toluene removal monitored during 12-month operation, reached 99%. Identification of the species, based on comparative 16S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) sequence analysis, revealed that Rhodococcus erythropolis and Pseudomonas marginalis were the predominant bacterial species in the microbial consortium. CONCLUSION: A structurally complex toluene-degrading biofilm, mainly formed by Rhodococcus erythropolis and Pseudomonas marginalis, developed on pumice granules, in a mini-scale apparatus continuously fed with toluene