Effect of Lactoferrin on Clinical Outcomes of Hospitalized Patients with COVID-19: The LAC Randomized Clinical Trial

As lactoferrin is a nutritional supplement with proven antiviral and immunomodulatory abilities, it may be used to improve the clinical course of COVID-19. The clinical efficacy and safety of bovine lactoferrin were evaluated in the LAC randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial. A total of 218 hospitalized adult patients with moderate-to-severe COVID-19 were randomized to receive 800 mg/die oral bovine lactoferrin (n = 113) or placebo (n = 105), both given in combination with standard COVID-19 therapy. No differences in lactoferrin vs. placebo were observed in the primary outcomes: the proportion of death or intensive care unit admission (risk ratio of 1.06 (95% CI 0.63–1.79)) or proportion of discharge or National Early Warning Score 2 (NEWS2) ≤ 2 within 14 days from enrollment (RR of 0.85 (95% CI 0.70–1.04)). Lactoferrin showed an excellent safety and tolerability profile. Even though bovine lactoferrin is safe and tolerable, our results do not support its use in hospitalized patients with moderate-to-severe COVID-19

The evolution of the Miocene platform-basin system in the northern Apennines: what can we learn from seep-carbonates?

Cold seep-carbonates documenting the expulsion of fluids enriched in methane have been identified in a variety of basin margins and tectonic-sedimentary settings. A number of geological factors influences methane seep activity, but primarily regional and local tectonics, mainly at the deformation front of accretionary prism and inner foredeep. Tectonics constrains the fluid circulation system, with faults and fractures serving as conduits and channelling water and methane up to the seafloor. Recent studies suggest that seep-carbonates occurrence is also controlled by climatic changes and their formation seems to correlate with cold periods and sea level low-stand. A drop of the hydraulic pressure on the plumbing system during sea level lowering in glacial phase could increase methane flows at seeps, inducing carbonate precipitation. The correlation between methane-derived carbonates and climate has been recently suggested for the Miocene of the northern Apennines by means of a sedimentological and biostratigraphic study of seep-carbonates and the enclosing hemipelagic marls (Vicchio Formation) (Fontana et al., 2013). The study suggests a correlation between the carbonate precipitation and the middle Miocene glacial cooling event (Mi3b). The triggering of the ascent and emission of methane-rich fluids may be related to the eustatic fall and in turn to the water pressure drop. A detailed stratigraphic and biostratigraphic study of seep-carbonates and enclosing marls in foredeep deposits of the Tuscan-Romagna Apennines has allowed a precise dating of seepage in slope and basinal successions. The analysis of the δ18O and δ13C records of carbonates, δ13Corg excursion of organic matter and TOC on the marls enclosing the authigenic carbonates has been performed in order to verify a correlative trend in correspondence of the climatic cooling event. A paleoecological study on benthic foraminifera assemblages has also allowed to detail these peculiar environments. The events defined from this study in basinal deposits have been correlated with depositional changes and discontinuity surfaces in the adjacent temperate-type carbonate platforms, and have contributed to the definition of modes and rates of the demise of carbonate deposition. The identification of cold phases and lowering of sea level in slope-basinal deposits and their detailed timing, may be a useful tool for correlation between deep depositional setting and coeval shallow-water successions. This approach may also provide important constrains in the reconstruction of the evolution of the Miocene platform-basin system in this complex compressive setting of the northern Apennines. Fontana D., Conti S., Grillenzoni C., Mecozzi S., Petrucci F. & Turco E. 2013. Evidence of climatic control on hydrocarbon seepage in the Miocene of the northern Apennines

Land planning and resources evaluation for public investments: Resources evaluation for territorial planning

The paper examines the planning process in Italy, focusing on the innovations introduced by the EEC Directive 85/337 and by subsequent national legislation on resources used for public investments. To permit a satisfactory resources allocation, so as to satisfactorily achieve the given objectives at the lowest costs, the adoption of a plurality of evaluation techniques is necessary to support the decision process. Recommendations favour the solutions which entail less environmental impact, i.e. adopting environmental compatibility criteria. The overall evaluation must therefore be economic, social and environmental and must permit the achievement of a plurality of independent, complementary or, more often, accommodate conflicting objectives. The guide-line would be consistent with the sustainability issues. Given the assumption that countryside stewardship may contribute to the solution of, or at least to ameliorate, many of the emerging problems of the metropolitan areas, the paper presents three case studies carried out by a research group in different professional circumstances, taking into account rural space and landscape

Classification of Italian honeys by mid-infrared diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRIFTS)

Diffuse reflectance mid-infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS) and multivariate statistical analysis methods were used for the identification and classification of honey from different floral sources. The 82 honey samples (robinia, chestnut, citrus, polyfloral) were scanned by DRIFTS in the region 4000–600 cm−1 and also transformed in 1st and 2nd derivatives. Spectral data were analyzed by principal component analysis, general discriminant analysis and classification tree analysis. Classification accuracy near 100% was obtained by discriminant and classification tree analyses. Classification models were successfully validated with one-third leave out method and a classification of about 100% were achieved

Forecasting non-stationary time series by wavelet process modelling

Many time series in the applied sciences display a time-varying second order structure. In this article, we address the problem of how to forecast these nonstationary time series by means of non-decimated wavelets. Using the class of Locally Stationary Wavelet processes, we introduce a new predictor based on wavelets and derive the prediction equations as a generalisation of the Yule-Walker equations. We propose an automatic computational procedure for choosing the parameters of the forecasting algorithm. Finally, we apply the prediction algorithm to a meteorological time series