La canapa nel Veneto romano: testimonianze epigrafiche

In Roman age hemp was used both as a medicinal plant either, alone or mixed with wool, as a textile fiber, but we have only few literary quotations about its cultivation. Therefore very important are two inscriptions, one on a gravestone and one on a lead label, which document the cultivation and probably the hemp processing and trading in roman Cisalpine. The first, in fact, mentions a cannabetum, that is an hemp field, in the southern ager of Padua, while the second, found in Altinum, is the evidence of the transport of a lot of hemp fiber or, more likely considering the small quantity (3,5 roman pounds), of seeds for agriculture or medicine

Un inedito inventario della collezione di antichità appartenuta a Cesare Nichesola a Ponton

L'inedito verbale di requisizione delle epigrafi di Cesare Nichesola stilato da Gian Giacomo Giusti nel 1612 consente di ampliare notevolmente la conoscenza dell'antica collezione di antichità in parte confluita nel museo maffeiano

Le raffigurazioni di utensili nelle iscrizioni funerarie: da immagini parlanti a simbolo,

Le raffigurazioni di utensili sui monumenti funerari non costituiscono sempre e solo un riferimento all'attivit\ue0 del defunto, ma assumono spesso il valorfe di un simbolo riferibile alle sue qualit\ue0 morali o intellettuali

Iter epigraphicum Compsanum

Pubblicazione di numerose iscrizioni inedite e revisione di testi gi\ue0 noti rinvenuti nella citt\ue0 romana di Compsa in Irpini

Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome in the pediatric age: the role of the anesthesiologist

– OBJECTIVE: Childhood obstructive sleep disordered breathing (SDB) is a sleep-related upper airway obstruction that degrades sleep quality, ventilation and/or oxygenation; obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is one of the most common causes of SDB in children. The aim of this review is to evaluate the role of the anesthesiologist in pediatric OSAS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A literature review has been performed on the following topics: clinical aspects of pediatric OSAS, preoperative investigations including questionnaires, clinical parameters, laboratory polysomnography and home sleep apnea testing, anesthesiologic preoperative management, anesthesiologic perioperative management, anesthesiologic postoperative management including postoperative analgesia, postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV), and post‐tonsillectomy bleeding. RESULTS: OSAS in children is a distinct disorder from the condition that occurs in adults; adenoidectomy and tonsillectomy are the first line of therapy in these patients. Even if these surgical procedures are frequently performed, they represent a great challenge for surgeons and anesthesiologists and are associated with a substantially increased risk of morbidity and mortality. CONCLUSIONS: The role of the anesthesiologist is pediatric OSAS is crucial before, during and after surgery, as pediatric patients are at higher risk of preoperative, perioperative and postoperative adverse events including airway obstruction, PONV, and bleeding

Awake fiberoptic intubation in patients with stenosis of the upper airways. Utility of the laryngeal nerve block

Awake fiberoptic intubation (AFOI) is mandatory to manage difficult airways. Superior laryngeal nerve block (SLNB) could reduce risks and improve patient comfort. The aim of this study is to assess the procedural comfort of SLNB during AFOI in a population of patients undergoing upper airway oncological surgery. Forty patients were randomized into two groups and were treated with continuous infusion of remifentanil, topic anesthesia and intercricoid block. In the study group (=20), SLNB was performed with lidocaine (L-SLNB); in the control group (n=20) SLNB was performed using saline (S-SLNB). AFOI was more comfortable in the L-SLNB group compared to S-SLNB patients [FOICS ≤ 1 in 18 patients (90%) L-SLNB; 2 (10%) S-SLNB (P<0.001)]. Intubation was faster in L-SLNB (47.45 ±15.38 sec) than S-SLNB (80.15 ±37.91 sec) (p<0.001). The SLNB procedure during AFOI is a safe and comfortable procedure in a population of patients undergoing upper airways surgery. Time to intubation was shorter in L-SLNB than in S-SLNB

Kefir consumption does not alter plasma lipid levels or cholesterol fractional synthesis rates relative to milk in hyperlipidemic men: a randomized controlled trial [ISRCTN10820810]

BACKGROUND: Fermented milk products have been shown to affect serum cholesterol concentrations in humans. Kefir, a fermented milk product, has been traditionally consumed for its potential health benefits but has to date not been studied for its hypocholesterolemic properties. METHODS: Thirteen healthy mildly hypercholesterolemic male subjects consumed a dairy supplement in randomized crossover trial for 2 periods of 4 wk each. Subjects were blinded to the dairy supplement consumed. Blood samples were collected at baseline and after 4 wk of supplementation for measurement of plasma total, low-density lipoprotein, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations, as well as fatty acid profile and cholesterol synthesis rate. Fecal samples were collected at baseline and after 2 and 4 wk of supplementation for determination of fecal short chain fatty acid level and bacterial content. RESULTS: Kefir had no effect on total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol or triglyceride concentrations nor on cholesterol fractional synthesis rates after 4 wk of supplementation. No significant change on plasma fatty acid levels was observed with diet. However, both kefir and milk increased (p < 0.05) fecal isobutyric, isovaleric and propionic acids as well as the total amount of fecal short chain fatty acids. Kefir supplementation resulted in increased fecal bacterial content in the majority of the subjects. CONCLUSIONS: Since kefir consumption did not result in lowered plasma lipid concentrations, the results of this study do not support consumption of kefir as a cholesterol-lowering agent

La falsificazione epigrafica. Questioni di metodo e casi di studio

This paper aims to reconsider the manuscript by Jacopo Valvasone (1499-1570), formerly owned by the Earl of Leicester (now British Library, Additional MS 49369), which Theodor Mommsen borrowed and inspected in 1876, just before the publication of the second part of CIL V. In the letter that he wrote to thank the Vicar and Librarian of Halkham Hall, Mommsen declared that Valvasone joined \u201cthe the long list of forgers\u201d. The analysis of forgeries in Valvasone\u2019s manuscript could show whether Mommsen was right in his opinion

Shrub Invasion Decreases Diversity and Alters Community Stability in Northern Chihuahuan Desert Plant Communities

BACKGROUND:Global climate change is rapidly altering species range distributions and interactions within communities. As ranges expand, invading species change interactions in communities which may reduce stability, a mechanism known to affect biodiversity. In aridland ecosystems worldwide, the range of native shrubs is expanding as they invade and replace native grassland vegetation with significant consequences for biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. METHODOLOGY:We used two long-term data sets to determine the effects of shrub encroachment by Larrea tridentata on subdominant community composition and stability in formerly native perennial grassland dominated by Bouteloua eriopoda in New Mexico, USA. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS:Our results indicated that Larrea invasion decreased species richness during the last 100 years. We also found that over shorter temporal scales species-poor subdominant communities in areas invaded by Larrea were less stable (more variable in time) compared to species rich communities in grass-dominated vegetation. Compositional stability increased as cover of Bouteloua increased and decreased as cover of Larrea increased. SIGNIFICANCE:Changes in community stability due to altered interspecific interactions may be one mechanism by which biodiversity declines in grasslands following shrub invasion. As global warming increases, shrub encroachment into native grasslands worldwide will continue to alter species interactions and community stability both of which may lead to a decline in biodiversity