Eastern Italy Research Articles

Stratigraphic organization and predictability of mixed coarse‐grained and fine‐grained successions in an upper slope Pleistocene turbidite system of the Peri‐Adriatic basin

ABSTRACTThe early Pleistocene clastic succession of the Peri‐Adriatic basin, eastern central Italy, records the filling of a series of piggyback sub‐basins that formed in response to the development of the eastward‐verging Apennine fold‐thrust belt. During the Gelasian (2·588 to 1·806 Ma), large volumes of Apennine‐derived sediments were routed to these basins through a number of slope turbidite systems. Using a comprehensive outcrop‐based dataset, the current study documents the depositional processes, stratigraphic organization, foraminiferal age and palaeodepth, and stratigraphic evolution of one of these systems exposed in the surroundings of the Castignano village. Analysis of foraminiferal assemblages consistently indicates Gelasian deposition in upper bathyal water depths. Sediments exposed in the study area can be broken into seven main lithofacies, reflecting specific gravity‐induced depositional elements and slope background deposition: (i) clast‐supported conglomerates (conglomerate channel‐fill); (ii) amalgamated sandstones (late stage sandstone channel‐fill); (iii) medium to thick‐bedded tabular sandstones (frontal splay sandstones); (iv) thin to thick‐bedded channelized sandstones (sandy channel‐fill); (v) medium to very thin‐bedded sandstones and mudstones (levée‐overbank deposits); (vi) pebbly mudstones and chaotic beds (mudstone‐rich mass‐transport deposits); and (vii) massive mudstones (hemipelagic deposits). Individual lithofacies combine vertically and laterally to form decametre‐scale, disconformably bounded, fining‐upward lithofacies successions that, in turn, stack to form slope valley fills bounded by deeply incised erosion surfaces. A hierarchical approach to the physical stratigraphy of the slope system indicates that it has evolved through multiple cycles of waxing then waning flow energy at multiple scales and that its packaging can be described in terms of a six‐fold hierarchy of architectural elements and bounding surfaces. In this scheme, the whole system (sixth‐order element) is comprised of three distinct fifth‐order stratigraphic cycles (valley fills), which define sixth‐order initiation, growth and retreat phases of slope deposition, respectively; they are separated by discrete periods of entrenchment that generated erosional valleys interpreted to record fifth‐order initiation phases. Backfilling of individual valleys progressed through deposition of two vertically stacked lithofacies successions (fourth‐order elements), which record fifth‐order growth and retreat phases. Fourth‐order initiation phases are represented by erosional surfaces bounding lithofacies successions. The component lithofacies (third‐order element) record fourth‐order growth and retreat phases. Map trends of erosional valleys and palaeocurrent indicators converge to indicate that the sea floor bathymetric expression of a developing thrust‐related anticline markedly influenced the downslope transport direction of gravity currents and was sufficient to cause a major diversion of the turbidite system around the growing structure. This field‐based study permits the development of a sedimentological model that predicts the evolutionary style of mixed coarse‐grained and fine‐grained turbidite slope systems, the internal distribution of reservoir and non‐reservoir lithofacies within them, and has the potential to serve as an analogue for seismic or outcrop‐based studies of slope valley fills developed in actively deforming structural settings and under severe icehouse regimes.

Autologous cord blood harvesting in North Eastern Italy: ethical questions and emerging hopes for curing diabetes and celiac disease

The Friuli Venezia Giulia (FVG), a region of North Eastern Italy, has passed legislation (Decree No 2324/2010) to regulate the banking of umbilical cord blood samples for personal, autologous, or family-directed use, and to implement the Agreement of the State-Regions Permanent Conference (Decree No 62/CSR/2010). This paper aims to identify the formalities and the reasons why families collect and bank their cord blood in foreign banks for both personal and private use. To this end, at the Institute for Maternal and Child Health of Trieste (the regional capital city of the FVG), Italy, which assists about 1800 pregnant women a year, 129 questionnaires, drafted from January 2010 to December 2011 and concerning the granting of authorization to export samples, were examined. The collected data showed that 75% of involved families had resorted to anonymous public collection, which is available to anyone with therapeutic needs, and provided compatibility and hematologic protocols recognized by the scientific and international community (main indications: leukemia, hemoglobinopaties, and inherited hematologic and immunologic disorders). Conversely, 25.0% requested private storage at a foreign bank for personal or family-dedicated use. The principal motivation by disease was for treatment for diabetes (22.4%) and celiac disease (19.7%) (a multiorgan disease for which the FVG region has provided safeguards by approving a specific law granting support to families; Decree No 561/2007). For these two types of disease we found that information was received from the internet and not from general medical physicians, with a significant difference found using the χ(2) test (P < 0.01). The indication of treating these diseases with cord blood stem cell transplantation appears to be well grounded and encouraging, and has recently been corroborated by the international literature; however, the economic and social motivations promoting cord blood storage, for a fee, in the event of diseases that are still under study, require accurate information through general medical physicians on the actual possibilities of treatment.

Geographical Information Systems for Biomass Estimate and the Search for Renewable Energy Sources

In this paper the attention is drawn on GIS as a support for energy choices for a sustainable development. Given the growing pressures for respecting the environment on one side and on limited non-renewable energy sources, mainly oil-based, on the other side, there is a need to evaluate different alternative sources for integrating those already available and to foster energy saving. This paper is focused on biomasses, and particularly on those originating from cattle and swine breeding. An example is given of localization and quantification of energy potential deriving from animal breeding in Friuli Venezia Giulia Region (North Eastern Italy), focusing on cattle and swine ones, from the analysis of local units and animals registered at municipality level. In this stage of the research, the GIS environment is used to analyse statistical data at municipality level and for computing the theoretical output in energy terms, hypothesising different scenarios.

Influence of substrate depth and vegetation type on temperature and water runoff mitigation by extensive green roofs: shrubs versus herbaceous plants

The relative contribution of substrate depth and vegetation type on temperature mitigation and stormwater runoff reduction was studied in an experimental green roof in North eastern Italy. Two substrate depths (120 and 200 mm) and two vegetation types (herbaceous plants and shrubs, respectively) were used, and compared to control modules with similar substrate depths but left bare of vegetation. Experimental observations showed that: a) green roofs substantially reduce thermal load over the rooftop, with significant effects of substrate depth and no apparent impact of vegetation type; b) thermal effects are strongly influenced by substrate water content; c) green roofs strongly reduce water runoff with significant substrate x vegetation effects. Our data suggest that green roof design addressed to optimization of the thermal functions should take into account adequate planning of substrate depth. Moreover, our data show that vegetated modules out-competed medium-only ones in terms of runoff reduction capacity, in accordance with some previous studies. Both shrub-vegetated and herbaceous modules intercepted and stored more than 90% rainfall during intense precipitation events, with no significant difference between the two vegetation types despite different substrate depths.

Raw material economy in Salento (Apulia, Italy): new perspectives on Neanderthal mobility patterns

This paper presents a case study that questions the behavioral model of a “non-modern” provisioning of raw materials by Neanderthals. The Salento is a peninsula in south eastern Italy rich in Mousterian sites and Neanderthal remains. This region is particularly suitable for raw material economy studies, for its peninsular status and the scarceness of good raw materials. Surveys made in 2006 showed the pattern of utilization of different local raw materials (limestone, siliceous limestone) and the absence of good quality raw materials, that are present in archaeological record. A very long distance provisioning is supposed to be at the origin of their presence in Mousterian Salento sites.

Representations of health and illness by Eastern European, South American and Italian care workers: a qualitative study

This qualitative research examined the representations of health and illness presented by 30 individuals who work as care workers, from three different locations: Eastern Europe, South America and Italy. We led three focus groups for people who came from the same geographical area (intra-ethnic) and two for those from 'mixed' areas (inter-ethnic). From our content analyses, certain similarities and differences between the conceptualizations of health and illness emerged: in the intra-ethnic focus groups, Eastern Europeans focused on 'inner strengths', South Americans on 'love' and Italians on 'personal autonomy'. These peculiar traits were levelled in the inter-ethnic focus groups.

Water-level oscillations in the Adriatic Sea as coherent self-oscillations inferred by independent component analysis

We analyze tide gauge records at four stations of the ISPRA network located in the Adriatic Sea basin (Eastern Italy), namely, going from North to South: Trieste, Ancona, Ortona and Otranto. We use linear and nonlinear methods in the frequency and time domains, including spectral and Independent Component Analysis (ICA), inter-times occurrence, and phase space embedding dimension evaluation. We show that four tidal constituents can be extracted by ICA and interpreted as coherent self-sustained oscillations. Finally, we show that these constituents can be reproduced by adopting a simple nonlinear oscillatory model that generalizes classical Andronov oscillator with the inclusion of a time dependent pumping.

Sedimentology, architecture, and depositional evolution of a coarse-grained submarine canyon fill from the Gelasian (early Pleistocene) of the Peri-Adriatic basin, Offida, central Italy

The early Pleistocene stratigraphic succession of the Peri-Adriatic basin, eastern central Italy, records the filling of an elongate, N–S oriented piggy-back basin located east of the growing Apennine fold-thrust belt. During the Gelasian (2.588–1.806 Ma), large volumes of gravel, sand and mud derived from the emergent Apennines were redistributed into the basin through a number of slope erosional fairways. These sediment conduits are preserved in the rock record as a series of coarse-grained canyon-fill successions that provide an opportunity for assessing, from an outcrop perspective, how this type of deep-water depositional systems evolves and fills. The present study uses measured stratigraphic sections, photopanels, paleocurrent data, careful lithological mapping, and well-log data from a nearby exploration well to constrain the internal organization of one of these canyon fills, referred to herein as the Offida Canyon. A detailed facies analysis suggests that a variety of gravity-driven subaqueous flows were involved in sediment transport and deposition within the submarine canyon, including slumps, cohesive debris flows, and high- and low-density turbidity currents. Five main lithofacies reflecting both canyon-bounding slope deposits and canyon-filling turbidite and debrite depositional elements have been identified within the exposed succession: (i) clast-supported conglomerates (gravel-rich channel complexes); (ii) medium- to thick-bedded sandstones (overbank lobe); (iii) medium- to very thin-bedded sandstones and mudstones (levee-overbank); (iv) pebbly mudstones and chaotic beds (mudstone-rich mass-transport deposits); and (v) massive mudstones (hemipelagic background deposits). These lithofacies are organized in recurring successions and define fining-upward packages that are regarded as the deep-water expression of high-frequency depositional sequences. Each sequence comprises the sedimentary record of major phases of canyon activity and comprises the following surfaces and systems tracts, in ascending stratigraphic order: (i) a pronounced surface of erosion (sequence boundary) generated by efficient turbidity currents during a period of erosion and complete bypass of sediment to more basinward settings; (ii) a lowstand systems tract composed of a diverse assemblage of genetically related lithofacies (channel-complex conglomerates, levee sandy heterolithics, and overbank lobe sheet-like sandstones) laid down by turbidity currents largely bypassing the area; and (iii) a transgressive to forced regressive systems tract comprising mass-transport deposits produced by instability of shelf-edge staging areas and/or failure of canyon walls when coastal sediment sources were far from the shelf edge. Correlation between sequences and oxygen isotope curve suggests that the recurring fluctuations in sedimentary activity of the submarine canyon are related to the switching on and off of coarse clastic sediments to the slope in response to obliquity-driven (41 ky duration) glacio-eustatic sea-level oscillations, which modulated timing of sediment storage on the shelf and its redistribution beyond the shelf edge.

Relationship Among Colorectal Cancer, Advanced Histology and Polyp Size in Patients Undergoing Screening Colonoscopy in North Eastern Italy

Relationship Among Colorectal Cancer, Advanced Histology and Polyp Size in Patients Undergoing Screening Colonoscopy in North Eastern Italy

Mineral nitrogen dynamics in soil during sugar beet and winter wheat crop growth

Nitrogen (N) is the crop nutrient which most directly influences the production and quality of sugar beet ( Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris L., SB) root. It is therefore important to accurately estimate the amount of N to be supplied to the crop. Past research has focused on predicting the amount of N available at the beginning of the growth season, whereas the amount of N in soil during crop growth is less considered. The aim of this work was to improve our knowledge of N availability for SB during the crop growth season, by monitoring the mineral N content in the cultivated soil layer in the spring-early summer period. The N dynamics in soil under rain-fed SB was compared to that under winter wheat ( Triticum aestivum L., WW). Three experiments were carried out in three locations of the Po Valley, North Eastern Italy, on silty clay (San Prospero, Modena, 2004), silty clay loam (Rovigo, 2006), and loam (Bovolone, Verona, 2008) soils. The experimental design was a strip-plot, with crops (SB, WW) in the main plots and three N rates in the sub-plots (0, 40 and 80 kg N ha −1 for SB and 80, 120 and 200 kg N ha −1 for WW, at San Prospero; 0, 60 and 120 kg N ha −1 for both crops, at Rovigo and Bovolone). Increasing N rates did not influence crop N removal, or only slightly increased it. In the period of simultaneous crop growth, in the three locations, the mean mineral N content of the soil samples under SB was on average more than twice that under WW, even though crop N removal by SB was on average higher than that of WW (more than twice, at Rovigo, and up to three times, at Bovolone). Our results suggest that N recommendations should be formulated by taking into account, besides the usually considered N balance terms, the soil N availability linked to specific crop management and growth patterns.

Tag–single nucleotide polymorphism–based human leukocyte antigen genotyping in celiac disease patients from northeastern Italy

We genotyped celiac disease (CD)–associated haplotypes DQ2.5, DQ8, DQ2.2, and DQ7 in 1005 CD patients from North Eastern Italy using a Tag–single nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs) approach and real time PCR platform, checking the accuracy and reliability of the method and comparing it to traditional PCR-SSP. Only 14 of 2010 chromosomes analyzed (0.7%) showed discrepancies between the Tag-SNPs real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method and the PCR–single-strand polymorphism (SSP) technique, indicating a high sensitivity and specificity (ranging from 0.987 to 1 and from 0.998 to 0.999, respectively) for tagging with respect to corresponding human leukocyte antigen (HLA) alleles identified by PCR-SSP. Moreover, the overall cost of the Tag-SNPs HLA typing method was low (3 to 4 €/sample instead of 35 to 70 €/sample with commercial kits), making it suitable for mass screenings. Hence, we believe that the Tag-SNPs HLA typing could be used to complement or replace classic HLA typing in at high-risk groups, for research purposes and eventually in population screening programs.

Imported Rabies, European Union and Switzerland, 2001–2010

To the Editor: Europe is progressively becoming free of sylvatic rabies. However, reintroduction remains a threat. We report the incidence of rabies importation into the European Union (EU) and Switzerland and highlight common pathways for rabies introduction. Rabies is a notifiable disease within the EU. Through comprehensive oral vaccination campaigns most EU member states have eliminated the disease. Despite this success, the danger of reintroduction of the disease is ever present. Rabies could be reintroduced through direct reentry of infected animals across land borders, as has happened in eastern Italy with an outbreak of fox rabies originating from the western Balkan region (1). Alternatively, reintroduction can occur through illegal or accidental import of an infected animal. In an attempt to mitigate direct reentry, vaccination campaigns and technical assistance in nonmember states and in the EU have attempted to reduce the incidence of disease throughout the continent. Avoidance of importation of infected companion animals is achieved through enforcement of legislation. EU regulation No. 998/2003 defines the requirements that dogs or cats must meet before entry into the EU with the aim of preventing an infected but asymptomatic dog or cat from entering a member state from another country. Entry requirements include that the animal is identifiable by a microchip or tattoo, has been vaccinated against rabies, and, depending on the status of the country of origin according to Annex II of regulation No. 998/2003, has been serologically tested. A veterinary certificate should accompany the animal during the period of travel. Failure to meet these requirements could lead to the animal being returned to its country of origin, isolation of the animal until it meets the requirements, or, as a last resort if the first 2 options are not feasible, euthanasia of the animal. Certain member states also stipulate application of antiparasite treatments before entry. Despite these regulations, importation of animals incubating rabies can still occur through failure of border controls, ignorance of importation rules, or active subversion of these rules. The Technical Appendix lists documented cases during 2001–2010 of rabid dogs brought into the EU. Control measures in the form of euthanizing animals and contact investigation have ensured that the disease did not become established in a carnivore reservoir and no human incidence of disease resulted. Vigilance at the level of veterinary practitioners has also enabled quick discovery of suspected animal cases, which limited the number of secondary animal cases (Technical Appendix). However, these discoveries point to a persistent trend of illegal animal movement into the EU. Ignorance on the part of tourists of the danger of importing infectious disease and the rules governing animal movement underpin most of the cases. Juvenile dogs feature in many of the reports, presumably because puppies are attractive to tourists and, being small, are easily moved (2,3). A recurring pathway is that of vacationers visiting Morocco and returning to France through the Iberian Peninsula. This pathway has been confirmed in 4 cases and is suspected in several other instances (Technical Appendix; 4). In addition, rabies in dogs has been reported in the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla on the north coast of Africa in recent years (5). A further route of introduction appears to be from western Balkan countries into Germany (6). The costs associated with such introductions are numerous. These costs include the diagnostic investigation of suspected cases, particularly if molecular analysis is required to confirm the source of the incursion, as was required when rabies was detected in a puppy in Switzerland (7). Subsequent investigations to identify animal and human contact cases, often requiring >1 national or international agency, are needed to ensure that the disease has not spread and potential human contacts receive appropriate postexposure prophylaxis. In some cases the implementation of hotlines and several press releases was necessary to cope with the demand for information by the public (4). However, although media attention in such cases reached its primary and immediate objective, i.e., no secondary human rabies cases were reported, it may also have contributed to enhancing the sense of rabies risk, thereby prompting persons to associate dog bites in general with rabies and thus leading to increased numbers of persons seeking postexposure prophylaxis unnecessarily for several months (8). Further costs are also incurred in the euthanasia or quarantine of contact animals. The evidence suggests that this trend for importation of animals incubating rabies will continue, requiring member states to maintain vigilance with measures appropriate to the potential risk and consequences of a rabies outbreak. This vigilance should involve rapid investigation of suspected cases of disease, maintenance of rabies diagnostic capacity and contingency plans, and improved coordination between member states to deal with disease introduction.

Imported Rabies, European Union and Switzerland, 2001–2010

To the Editor: Europe is progressively becoming free of sylvatic rabies. However, reintroduction remains a threat. We report the incidence of rabies importation into the European Union (EU) and Switzerland and highlight common pathways for rabies introduction. Rabies is a notifiable disease within the EU. Through comprehensive oral vaccination campaigns most EU member states have eliminated the disease. Despite this success, the danger of reintroduction of the disease is ever present. Rabies could be reintroduced through direct reentry of infected animals across land borders, as has happened in eastern Italy with an outbreak of fox rabies originating from the western Balkan region (1). Alternatively, reintroduction can occur through illegal or accidental import of an infected animal. In an attempt to mitigate direct reentry, vaccination campaigns and technical assistance in nonmember states and in the EU have attempted to reduce the incidence of disease throughout the continent. Avoidance of importation of infected companion animals is achieved through enforcement of legislation. EU regulation No. 998/2003 defines the requirements that dogs or cats must meet before entry into the EU with the aim of preventing an infected but asymptomatic dog or cat from entering a member state from another country. Entry requirements include that the animal is identifiable by a microchip or tattoo, has been vaccinated against rabies, and, depending on the status of the country of origin according to Annex II of regulation No. 998/2003, has been serologically tested. A veterinary certificate should accompany the animal during the period of travel. Failure to meet these requirements could lead to the animal being returned to its country of origin, isolation of the animal until it meets the requirements, or, as a last resort if the first 2 options are not feasible, euthanasia of the animal. Certain member states also stipulate application of antiparasite treatments before entry. Despite these regulations, importation of animals incubating rabies can still occur through failure of border controls, ignorance of importation rules, or active subversion of these rules. The Technical Appendix lists documented cases during 2001–2010 of rabid dogs brought into the EU. Control measures in the form of euthanizing animals and contact investigation have ensured that the disease did not become established in a carnivore reservoir and no human incidence of disease resulted. Vigilance at the level of veterinary practitioners has also enabled quick discovery of suspected animal cases, which limited the number of secondary animal cases (Technical Appendix). However, these discoveries point to a persistent trend of illegal animal movement into the EU. Ignorance on the part of tourists of the danger of importing infectious disease and the rules governing animal movement underpin most of the cases. Juvenile dogs feature in many of the reports, presumably because puppies are attractive to tourists and, being small, are easily moved (2,3). A recurring pathway is that of vacationers visiting Morocco and returning to France through the Iberian Peninsula. This pathway has been confirmed in 4 cases and is suspected in several other instances (Technical Appendix; 4). In addition, rabies in dogs has been reported in the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla on the north coast of Africa in recent years (5). A further route of introduction appears to be from western Balkan countries into Germany (6). The costs associated with such introductions are numerous. These costs include the diagnostic investigation of suspected cases, particularly if molecular analysis is required to confirm the source of the incursion, as was required when rabies was detected in a puppy in Switzerland (7). Subsequent investigations to identify animal and human contact cases, often requiring >1 national or international agency, are needed to ensure that the disease has not spread and potential human contacts receive appropriate postexposure prophylaxis. In some cases the implementation of hotlines and several press releases was necessary to cope with the demand for information by the public (4). However, although media attention in such cases reached its primary and immediate objective, i.e., no secondary human rabies cases were reported, it may also have contributed to enhancing the sense of rabies risk, thereby prompting persons to associate dog bites in general with rabies and thus leading to increased numbers of persons seeking postexposure prophylaxis unnecessarily for several months (8). Further costs are also incurred in the euthanasia or quarantine of contact animals. The evidence suggests that this trend for importation of animals incubating rabies will continue, requiring member states to maintain vigilance with measures appropriate to the potential risk and consequences of a rabies outbreak. This vigilance should involve rapid investigation of suspected cases of disease, maintenance of rabies diagnostic capacity and contingency plans, and improved coordination between member states to deal with disease introduction.

Stratigraphical and palaeontological data from the Early Pleistocene Pirro 10 site of Pirro Nord (Puglia, south eastern Italy)

The Pirro Nord palaeontological and archaeological locality has been the object of recent field research to investigate the fossil content of its Early Pleistocene vertebrate palaeocommunities, and to understand the genesis of the karst network and related deposits that delivered the lithic industry representing the earliest human occupation of Europe known so far, spanning 1.7–1.3Ma. The succession of the Pirro 10 site has been described in terms of facies and fossil vertebrate content of the 37 distinguished Sedimentary Units (SU). On the whole, the succession is made of chemical and clastic sediments that include debris fall and alluvial deposits. SU are distinguished according to lithology, colour, discontinuities, lamination, fossil concentration, and taphonomical parameters. Palaeomagnetic data and biochronological characteristics refer the Pirro 10 site to the latest Late Villafranchian Mammal Age of the Italian biochronological mammal scale.The fossil content is quite homogenous. Common taxa are Axis eurygonos, Hystrix refossa, Ursus etruscus, Canis mosbachensis together with small mammal remains mainly represented by Chiroptera and the arvicolid Microtus (Allophaiomys) ex gr. ruffoi. A significant change in the taxonomic record occurs in SU 22 and 108, where a clear increase of Equus altidens and Bison (Eobison) degiulii remains indicates shifting towards drier and more open environments and possibly deteriorating local climatic conditions. In general, for all phases, taphonomic evidence suggests that (1) bone accumulation results from carcass transport into the cave system by accident, (2) skeletons were decomposed and partially disarticulated near the cave entrance, (3) the cave environment caused corrosion, desquamation and pitting, and (4) bones were moved within the cave system by water flow, usually for short distances.Pirro 10, Pirro 13 and all karst structures of the Pirro Nord locality during Early Pleistocene were part of a complex interconnected karst system. Dissolution was more effective along the highly fractured core-zones of the Pliocene fault that bounded the “Apricena horst” to the south, where Pirro 10 gallery and Pirro 13 shaft are located. At that time, Pirro 10 was developed within the vadose zone whereas Pirro 13 represented a vertical structure connecting the surface to an underground karst floor. In general, the filling of Pirro 10 indicates fluctuations of the base level: water flow circulation in phreatic and epiphreatic conditions led to the deposition of clastic sediments, whereas flowstones reflect base level lowerings.

The evaluation of a health education campaign on the use of leave from work during pregnancy

BackgroundThe Italian Protective Maternity Legislation allows a woman to apply for early maternity leave from work during pregnancy if she is affected by health problems (option A) or if her working conditions are incompatible with pregnancy (option B). A community based health education program, implemented between 1995 to 1998 in North Eastern Italy, provided counseling (by a team of gynecologists, pediatricians, geneticists, psychologists and occupational physicians), and an information leaflet detailing the risks during pregnancy and the governmental benefits available to expectant mothers. This leaflet was distributed to women who were under occupational medical surveillance and to women attending any healthcare office and outpatient department and was also mailed to women working at home as shoemakers.The effectiveness of this intervention has been evaluated in this investigation using an evidence based approach.MethodsA quasi-experimental design was adopted, applying several outcome measurements before (1989 to 1994) and after (1999 to 2005) the intervention. The outcome (ratio B/A) is the number of women receiving approval for B (circumstance where the pregnant woman is employed to undertake activities forbidden under the Article 7 of Law 151/2001, and it is impossible to change her duties) to those receiving approval for A (risky pregnancy due to personal medical conditions, Article 17 of the same Law). A linear regression coefficient (for B/A against years) was obtained separately for time periods "before" (1989-94) and "after" (1999-2005) the intervention program. The two regression coefficients were compared using a t-test.ResultsThe trend over-time for the ratio B/A was steady before the initial intervention (y = 0.008x - 16.087; t = 2.09; p > 0.05) then increased considerably (y = 0.0426x - 84.89; t = 19.55; p < 0.001) in coincidence with the start of the education campaign. There was a significant difference between the two regression coefficients (t = 7.58; p < 0.001).ConclusionFrom a bureaucratic perspective Option B is far more complicated than A. In fact it implies an active approach involving an arrangement between the claimant and the employer, who has to certify to the relevant Authority that the woman's working conditions are incompatible with pregnancy. The increasing number of women availing of option B, as recommended, therefore suggests the suitability of such educational campaign(s).

Characteristics of adolescents who expressed indifference or no interest towards body art

BackgroundThis study examines the underlying characteristics of adolescents attending Italian secondary school who expressed indifference towards or no interest at all in body art.MethodsA convenience sample of 4,277 secondary school students from the North Eastern Italy were surveyed with a self-reported questionnaire collecting extensive socio-demographic information. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was employed to investigate the characteristics of those who were not interested or indifferent towards piercing and tattoo, reporting adjusted Odds Ratios (aOR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI).ResultsPrevalence of tattoo was 6%, whereas body piercing was 20%; 66% (= 558/840) of those with a piercing were underage (<18 years of age), the equivalent for tattoo being 62% (= 159/258). 166 individuals reported having both piercing and tattoo and 152 of these (92% = 152/166) were <18 years of age. The factors found to be predominately higher in those indifferent or who did not indicate interest in body art were: higher school year, increasing father's education and a greater perception of the associated health risks.DiscussionProactive health education campaigns by school educators and family physicians should focus on adolescents of less educated fathers and pupils less aware of the health risks associated with body art. In this respect junior secondary school students can be regarded as the ideal target of such campaigns.

Variable number tandem repeat (VNTR) typing of strains of Mycoplasma mycoides subspecies mycoides small colony isolated from the north-eastern regions of Italy between 1990 and 1993

The origin of the outbreaks of contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP) in Italy between 1990 and 1993 were never successfully traced mainly due to the close similarity of the strains of the causative mycoplasma, Mycoplasma mycoides subspecies mycoides small colony (MmmSC) and the limitations of the typing tools available at the time. In this report we examined a selection of strains isolated in the Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia regions of Italy by the highly discriminatory variable number tandem repeat (VNTR) procedure. Results were analysed for the first time by a capillary sequencer-based method. It was shown that all the MmmSC strains were genetically very similar and all belonged to the same profiles for both VNTR 4 and 5. This suggests that the outbreaks in Northern Eastern Italy, which eventually spread to other parts of the country, originated from a single source.

Sedimentology, architecture, and sequence stratigraphy of coarse-grained, submarine canyon fills from the Pleistocene (Gelasian-Calabrian) of the Peri-Adriatic basin, central Italy

The Plio-Pleistocene stratigraphic record of the Peri-Adriatic basin (eastern central Italy) is well exposed along the uplifted western margin of the basin and consists of a series of coarse-grained slope canyon fills encased in a thick succession of hemipelagic mudstones. This study deals with the detailed sedimentology, stratal architecture, and sequence-stratigraphic interpretation of two of these submarine canyon-fills (namely CMC1 and CMC2) exposed at Colle Montarone. These strata contain widespread evidence of gravity-driven sedimentation processes, with high- and low-density turbidity currents, slumps and cohesive debris flows being responsible for most of the sediment transport and deposition. Beds are organised into four recurrent lithofacies, each corresponding to a specific deep-water depositional element: (i) clast-supported conglomerates (channel complexes); (ii) thin-bedded sandstones and mudstones (levee-overbank); (iii) very thinly-bedded mudstones (tributary channels); (iv) pebbly mudstones and chaotically bedded mudstones (mass-transport complexes). One of the most conspicuous attributes of the canyon-fill sediments exposed at Colle Montarone is their pronounced cyclic packaging, resulting from several pulses of erosion and fill. The lithofacies listed above combine to form a number of discontinuity-bound stratal packages, or high-frequency depositional sequences, each characteristically having an overall fining-upward character. Within sequences, systematic vertical trends in their constituent lithofacies define two main stratigraphic motifs, namely Motif-1 and Motif-2, which are typical of CMC1 and CMC2, respectively. Each sequence is deemed to reflect cyclical changes in volume, composition, and rheology of sediment gravity flows entering the canyons and comprises a basal unconformity (sequence boundary), succeeded by a high net-gross channel-levee complex (lowstand systems tract), overlain by a succession of either a low net-gross heterolithic deposits (early transgressive systems tract, Motif-1 sequences) or mass-transport deposits (transgressive to falling stage systems tract, Motif-2 sequences). Given the severe Icehouse climatic regime during the Pleistocene, the cyclic arrangement is most reasonably attributed primarily to repeated glacio-eustatic fluctuations in global sea level, which regulated the flux of terrigenous clastic sediment to the slope and basin-floor settings. Results from this paper are directly applicable to the oil and gas industry when making predictions of reservoir and seal relationships within slope turbidite systems developed during periods of high-frequency, eustatic sea-level fluctuations.

Naming Italians in the borderland, 1926–1943

This article places the surname Italianization campaign in Italy's Adriatic borderlands from 1927 to 1943 in the broader context of fascist schemes to promote Italian nationalism and construct the Italian national community. A facet of legislative ethnic engineering, surname alteration policy was common to most successor states in the interwar period. In eastern Italy, while ethnic Slovenes and Croats bore the brunt of forcible acculturation, the measures intended to support nationalist, irredentist and imperial aspirations not to persecute Slavs. The fascist authorities' approach to minorities was more nuanced than scholars have recognized in their attentions to competition between west and east, ‘European’ and ‘Balkan’, Italian and Slav.

Analysis of DEFB1 regulatory SNPs in cystic fibrosis patients from North‐Eastern Italy

Cystic fibrosis (CF) transmembrane regulator protein (CFTR) gene is undoubtedly the main genetic factor involved in the modulation of CF phenotype. However, other factors such as human defensins and the genes encoding for these antimicrobial peptides have been hypothesized as possible modifiers influencing airways infection in CF patients, but their role in the pathogenesis of lung disease is still debated. Since DEFB1 gene encoding for human beta-defensin 1 displays features such as antimicrobial or chemotactic activity playing a role in inflammation, it has been considered as a possible candidate CF modifier gene. We analysed three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the 5'-untranslated region of the DEFB1 gene (namely g-52G>A, g-44C>G and g-20G>A) in a group of 62 CF patients from North Eastern Italy, and in 130 healthy controls, with the aim of verifying the possible association of these functional SNPs with the pulmonary phenotype of CF patients. DEFB1 SNPs have been genotyped by using Taqman allele-specific fluorescent probes and a real-time PCR platform. No significant differences were found for allele, genotype and haplotype frequencies of DEFB1 g-52G>A, g-44C>G and g-20G>A SNPs in CF patients stratified for Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection, as well as in patients with a severe and mild clinical phenotype or in patients stratified for CFTR genotypes. DEFB1 allele, genotype and haplotype frequencies of CF patients globally considered were similar to those of healthy controls. Our findings are discordant with respect to another recent study performed on CF patients coming from Southern Italy, probably due to different ethnicity of the patients.