Piedmont Region Research Articles

A nationwide pest risk analysis in the context of the ongoing Japanese beetle invasion in Continental Europe: The case of metropolitan France.

The Japanese beetle, Popillia japonica, is native to Japan and became established in North America in the early twentieth century. The beetle was detected in Europe, first in Italy in 2014 and then in Switzerland in 2017. Metropolitan France is at the forefront of the Japanese beetle threat, due to its geographical proximity to the European populations established in the Piedmont, Lombardy and Ticino regions. An express pest risk analysis for metropolitan France was therefore conducted. The most likely pathways for entry include (i) natural dispersion, (ii) trades of plant products with adherent soil and (iii) hitchhiking behaviour, leading to a high probability of entry. The spread rate of P. japonica was also evaluated as high, resulting from natural spread as well as human activities. Given the absence of significant limiting factors, the potential impacts of P. japonica in France will likely be as important as in its current geographic distribution. Although several sources of uncertainty were highlighted throughout the evaluation, none of them has significant impact on the conclusions of the present express pest risk analysis. Measures to prevent entry, establishment and spread of P. japonica are recommended and include surveillance with pheromone traps and control via integrated pest management strategies. However, most efforts should be concentrated on eradication measures while P. japonica is still in the early stages of invasion.

Geotechnical Screening of Linear Earth Structures: Electric and Seismic Streamer Data for Hydraulic Conductivity Assessment of the Arignano Earth Dam, Italy

River embankments and small earth dams are linear retaining structures commonly used to protect densely populated areas from flood phenomena and to provide water reservoirs for human or agricultural use. Their continuity and uniformity are fundamental to their structural efficiency. Due to their significant length and the localized nature of potential weakness points, their characterization cannot rely only on local geotechnical investigations: it requires the application of efficient and affordable investigation methods. The need for new screening tools is becoming increasingly important worldwide because most river embankments and small earth dams are reaching their design life limit due to aging. This study used a new electric streamer and a seismic streamer for the combined measurement of resistivity and shear wave velocity to investigate the Arignano earth dam (Piedmont Region, northwestern Italy), a historical reservoir used for agricultural purposes. A procedure is also proposed to assess hydraulic conductivity from the measured geophysical parameters. The results of this assessment were compared with available geotechnical investigations and also used for calibrating the proposed procedure. Results are in good agreement when compared with local geotechnical investigations. The proposed procedure can therefore provide engineers and local authorities with information to plan maintenance or urgent measures for reducing flood risk.

COVID-19 Responses and Pivots in the Piedmont Region of North Carolina: A Call for Policy Reforms for Small Farmers

While the United States prioritizes agricultural legislation and assistance, policies passed both federally and locally are not always developed with small-scale farms in mind. This inequity became apparent during the COVID-19 pandemic. By identifying how aid money was distributed during times of crisis, we were able to see how small-scale farms are supported through words rather than action. We examine small-scale farmers prior to and during the pandemic in the North Carolina Piedmont region. We focus on the role small-scale farmers and farmers markets play in a local agro-food system through a political economy perspective and highlight some of the challenges, barriers, and responses during the pandemic, including access to farm aid. In addition, we identify strategies for how small-scale farmers persisted during unprecedented times, especially during COVID-19.

Replacing Agricultural Diesel Fuel with Biomethane from Agricultural Waste: Assessment of Biomass Availability and Potential Energy Supply in Piedmont (North-West Italy)

Agricultural and livestock wastes are an important resource for the production of renewable fuels such as biomethane, and the effective management of the components of supply chain, such as available biomass feedstock, are critical to the transition to a low-carbon circular economy. Considering that more than half of the emissions (CO2eq) generated in agriculture come from the use of fossil fuels to power tractors and other agricultural machinery, replacing diesel fuel in tractors with biofuels produced within the agricultural supply chain could contribute to greenhouse gas emissions reduction and to energy self-sufficiency for the local agricultural sectors. This study evaluated, at the regional level (Piedmont—north-west Italy), the potential production of biomethane from local agricultural wastes (crop residues and livestock manure), the potential energy supply to power tractors and the potential CO2 emission reduction by replacing diesel fuel. Based on mean annual available agricultural wastes over the last seven years (2015–2021) in the Piedmont region, the annual potential biomethane yield of 910 × 106 m3 year−1 was estimated, equivalent to a thermal energy of 30.1 × 109 MJ year−1, which is 3.8 times higher than the energy requirements for the regional tractors’ fleet. The estimated potential CO2 emission reduction is about 93.8 t of CO2 year−1, corresponding to 16.8% potential reduction. The study demonstrates the potential of local agriculture to replace diesel fuel with biomethane from waste to meet energy needs and carbon neutrality.

Use of Wild Ungulates as Sentinels of TBEV Circulation in a Naïve Area of the Northwestern Alps, Italy.

Wild and domestic animals can be usefully employed as sentinels for the surveillance of diseases with an impact on public health. In the case of tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV), the detection of antibodies in animals can be more effective than screening ticks for detecting TBEV foci, due to the patchy distribution of the virus. In the Piedmont region, northwestern Italy, TBEV is considered absent, but an increase in tick densities, of Ixodes ricinus in particular, has been observed, and TBEV is spreading in bordering countries, e.g., Switzerland. Therefore, we collected sera from wild ungulates during the hunting season (October-December) from 2017 to 2019 in the Susa Valley, Italian western Alps, and screened them for TBEV antibodies by a commercial competitive ELISA test. We collected 267 serum samples by endocranial venous sinuses puncture from red deer, roe deer and northern chamois carcasses. The animals were hunted in 13 different municipalities, at altitudes ranging between 750 and 2800 m a.s.l. The serological survey for TBEV yielded negative results. Borderline results for five serum samples were further confirmed as negative for TBEV by a plaque reduction neutralisation test. To date, our results indicate that TBEV is not circulating in western Piedmont. However, monitoring of TBEV should continue since TBEV and its vector are spreading in Europe. The wide-range distribution of wild ungulates and their role as feeding hosts, make them useful indicators of the health threats posed by Ixodid ticks.

Inequalities in the Health Impact of the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Piedmont Region, Italy.

(1) Introduction: Several studies observe a social gradient in the incidence and health consequences of SARS-CoV-2 infection, but they rely mainly on spatial associations because individual-level data are lacking. (2) Objectives: To assess the impact of social inequalities in the health outcomes of COVID-19 during the first epidemic wave in Piedmont Region, Italy, evaluating the role of the unequal social distribution of comorbidities and the capacity of the healthcare system to promote equity. (3) Methods: Subjects aged over 35, resident in Piedmont on 22 February 2020, were followed up until 30 May 2020 for access to swabs, infection, hospitalization, admission to intensive care unit, in-hospital death, COVID-19, and all-cause death. Inequalities were assessed through an Index of Socioeconomic Disadvantage composed of information on education, overcrowding, housing conditions, and neighborhood deprivation. Relative incidence measures and Relative Index of Inequality were estimated through Poisson regression models, stratifying by gender and age groups (35-64 years; ≥65 years), adjusting for comorbidity. (4) Results: Social inequalities were found in the various outcomes, in the female population, and among elderly males. Inequalities in ICU were lower, but analyses only on in-patients discount the hypothesis of preferential access by the most advantaged. Comorbidities contribute to no more than 30% of inequalities. (5) Conclusions: Despite the presence of significant inequities, the pandemic does not appear to have further exacerbated health inequalities, partly due to the fairness of the healthcare system. It is necessary to reduce inequalities in the occurrence of comorbidities that confer susceptibility to COVID-19 and promote prevention policies that limit inequalities in the mechanisms of contagion and improve out-of-hospital timely treatment.

Estimating the Burden of Heat-Related Illness Morbidity Attributable to Anthropogenic Climate Change in North Carolina.

Climate change is known to increase the frequency and intensity of hot days (daily maximum temperature ≥30°C), both globally and locally. Exposure to extreme heat is associated with numerous adverse human health outcomes. This study estimated the burden of heat-related illness (HRI) attributable to anthropogenic climate change in North Carolina physiographic divisions (Coastal and Piedmont) during the summer months from 2011 to 2016. Additionally, assuming intermediate and high greenhouse gas emission scenarios, future HRI morbidity burden attributable to climate change was estimated. The association between daily maximum temperature and the rate of HRI was evaluated using the Generalized Additive Model. The rate of HRI assuming natural simulations (i.e., absence of greenhouse gas emissions) and future greenhouse gas emission scenarios were predicted to estimate the HRI attributable to climate change. Over 4years (2011, 2012, 2014, and 2015), we observed a significant decrease in the rate of HRI assuming natural simulations compared to the observed. About 3 out of 20 HRI visits are attributable to anthropogenic climate change in Coastal (13.40% [IQR: -34.90,95.52]) and Piedmont (16.39% [IQR: -35.18,148.26]) regions. During the future periods, the median rate of HRI was significantly higher (78.65%: Coastal and 65.85%: Piedmont), assuming a higher emission scenario than the intermediate emission scenario. We observed significant associations between anthropogenic climate change and adverse human health outcomes. Our findings indicate the need for evidence-based public health interventions to protect human health from climate-related exposures, like extreme heat, while minimizing greenhouse gas emissions.

Screening della colonizzazione vagino-rettale da streptococco di gruppo B in gravidanza

Group B beta-haemolytic streptococcus (GBS) is a bacterium that colonizes the genito-intestinal tract of many women and is one of the main causes of neonatal sepsis if screening and antibiotic prophylaxis are not carried out during pregnancy. The best strategy for identifying colonized women (and therefore subjecting them to intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis) is based on universal cultural screening with the execution of a vagino-rectal swab at 36-37 weeks of gestational age. In 2007, the prevalence of GBS-colonized pregnant women was on average 15.5% in the Piedmont Region (Italy) laboratories that followed the international culture guidelines, while it was 10.5% in the laboratories that did not follow them. In 2010 the Piedmont Regional Health Department carried out an awareness-raising intervention that led to an increase in the average prevalence of GBS (19.2% in 2018), resulting in a net reduction in false negatives. Accurate identification of the carriers to undergo intrapartum prophylaxis makes it possible to prevent the greatest number of early neonatal infections.

Ten-Year Trend in Emergency Department Visits for Sexually Transmitted Infections among Adolescents: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Study in Italy.

to describe the last ten years of emergency department (ED) visits for STIs among adolescents. a retrospective cross-sectional observation was carried out in the Piedmont region in Italy. Data were retrieved through the Italian National Information System database. ED visits related to specific ICD-9-CM codes carried out on 11 to 19-year-old youths between 2011 and 2020 were investigated. Age-specific, crude, and standardized rates and admission ratios, with 95% confidence intervals (CIs), were calculated to estimate the STI trend. from a total of 1,219,075 ED visits, 339 were related to STIs, representing an increasing ratio of 28 per 100,000 visits, primarily in females. Most infections occurred in girls (83.5%) and among 17 to 19-year-olds (71.5%). A drop in both ED visits and STI cases was observed in 2020. Genital Herpes and Genital Warts were more frequent in girls while Gonorrhea was more frequent in boys. the increasing trend of ED visits for STIs, particularly in girls, represents an emerging relevant public health issue that needs to be urgently tackled.

Management of patients with bleeding disorders and educational needs regarding hemophilia a in 23 italian emergency departments - Results from a survey conducted in Piedmont.

Haemophilia and von Willebrand disease are the bleeding disorders most frequently encountered in the emergency department (ED), that are often the first point of contact for patients. Evidence suggests that management in the ED is currently suboptimal, mainly because the physicians have few opportunities to deal with this kind of patients. We carried out a survey to investigate the management of patients with haemophilia A in Emergency Departments (EDs), and to understand the training needs of the involved physicians. Overall, in Piedmont Region there are 32 EDs, and considering that our survey was conducted on 21 physicians working in 23 Emergency Departments (EDs), this number is representative of the Region's reality. The interviews were conducted through face-to-face meetings, including general aspects regarding the clinical characteristics and the management of patients, and self-evaluation of knowledge and interest in receiving information about the disease. In 2019, 131 patients with haemophilia A were admitted (108 adults, 23 paediatric). The best-known and most widely available and used treatments were plasma derivatives, followed by first- and second-generation recombinant FVIII. More recent recombinant and bypassing agents were less known. Half of the interviewees considered their -knowledge of bleeding disorders in general and haemophilia in particular to be "basic", and only one third defined it as "good"; however, 86% expressed great interest in receiving information about the topic. The survey confirms the needs related to the clinical management of rare inherited clotting disorders in EDs. The physicians involved are keen to overcome this lack of knowledge, and proper initiatives should be implemented.

Culture-Based Practices as Driver of Local Development Processes in Mountain Areas—Evidence from the Alpine Region of the Province of Cuneo (Italy)

Over the last few decades, Alpine communities have been affected by many social, cultural, economic and demographic changes that have challenged the hegemonic development models of the 20th century and questioned the city–country cleavage. Nevertheless, the huge potential expressed by culture-based practices in low-density areas—such as the Alps—still represents an unexplored field of research. In order to progress in research in the field, through the analysis of a case study in the Italian Western Alps (Cuneo, Piedmont Region), the article proposes a new methodology of analysis and highlights that new places of cultural production are emerging and that the related culture-based practices can play the role of driver of innovative and sustainable development paths. Based on the results of the case-study analysis, the article presents a taxonomy of new practices in which the binomial culture–territory acts as a driver and explores how these processes can be transferred to similar contexts, in particular, other low-density areas.

Temporal trends of suicidality among adolescents in the last decade in Piedmont, Northwestern Italy

Abstract Background Over the last decade, trends of suicidality among adolescents remain unclear. We conducted a cross-sectional study using surveillance data collected over the past 10 years in the Piedmont region, Italy, to explore temporal trends in suicidality among hospitalized adolescents. Methods This was a retrospective study over an 11-year period of time. The target cohort was adolescents aged 13-19 discharged from inpatient/day-hospital care with at least one suicidality-related ICD9-CM code (i.e., suicidal ideation-SI, suicidal risk-SR and suspected suicide-SS) between 2011 and 2021 in Piedmont (Northwestern Italy). Social-economic related data is available from Census 2011. Yearly incidence rates (IR) were calculated based on the overall hospitals’ catchment population and by sex. Poisson regression model was estimated to evaluate the trend over time and the association with sex, and a potential effect of the COVID-19 pandemic. A non-linear trend was allowed by modelling natural splines. Results We included 490 adolescents (median age: 15 years, IQR: 13-16), 380 girls and 110 boys, with ICD9-CM codes for SI (264; 53.9%), SR (142; 29%), SS (90; 18.4%) at first discharge. Girls showed a higher risk of repeated inpatient care than boys (19.2% vs 7.3%, p < 0.01). Since 2013, yearly suicidality IRs started increasing linearly in boys (+1.7/100,000 per year, 95%CI: 0.7-2.8). Apparently, suicidality IRs increasing in girls were observed since 2011 (+5.8/100,000 per year, 95%CI 2.8-8.9) and were significantly higher than in boys (p < 0.001). Conclusions Suicidality among young inpatients increased in Piedmont during the last decade. Females seemed to be more affected than males. Further research is needed to better understand gender-related risk factors for suicidality. Key messages • There has been an increase in the number of adolescents reporting suicidal ideation in the last decade, especially in girls. • Intervention strategies are urgently needed to reverse a potentially alarming trend in suicidality among young people.

Analysis of a test system for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 in children attending school

Abstract Background During the COVID-19 pandemic, in order to keep schools open and reduce SARS-CoV spreading, SARS-CoV-2 positive paediatric patients (PP) need to be isolated early. The aim of this study was to describe the appropriateness of school hot spot (HS) for SARS-CoV 2 testing based on open access of PP in a paediatric hospital in Turin, Italy. Methods A cross-sectional study was performed between September 2020 and March 2021. The data collected included: date of swab execution, type of swab, execution setting of the swab, result of the swab, sex, age of PP and the mean value of the Rt (reproductive number) of pandemic in the Piedmont region. We collected data about PP from four different hospital settings (HS, Emergency department, day hospital and hospital wards) of Regina Margherita Children’s Hospital (Turin, Italy). We analyzed a sample of 13,283 PP (aged 0-19 years) testing for SARS-CoV-2. The main outcome was the likelihood of testing positive in different settings and in different age groups. Results In Our sample, females were 45.8%. The median age was 6.8 years (IQR 3.0-11.2). The swabs executed in all the hospital settings had a lower likelihood of resulting positive compared with the school HS setting. Newborns below 3 months (adj OR 1.85, 95%CI 1.14 - 3) and patients aged between 11 and 13 years old (adj OR 1.32, 95%CI 1.07 - 1.63) reported a higher probability of a swab tested positive compared to adolescents. Instead, children aged between 3 months and 2 years (adj OR 0.77, 95%CI 0.61 - 0.96) and aged between 3 years and 5 years (adj OR 0.66, 95%CI 0.53 - 0.83) were less likely to result positive. Conclusions We found a high prevalence of PP positive to the test for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 at the school hot spot compared with other settings. The open access modality to the nasopharyngeal swab was effective in identifying PP with COVID-19. Public health authorities should implement this testing modality in order to reduce SARS-CoV-2 infections in PP. Key messages • Open access testing system to detect SARS-CoV-2 is important to do as many tests as possible to identify COVID-19 patients and isolate them in the pediatric population. • The open access testing modality to detect COVID-19 patients saves time for doctors who, instead of carrying out the patient history, can devote themselves to other clinical activities.

Detection and counting of meadow cuts by copernicus sentinel-2 imagery in the framework of the common agricultural policy (CAP)

ABSTRACT Greening is a subsidy provided by the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), related to mowing and designed to protect environment. National or regional paying agencies (PP) monitor and verify compliance of farmers’ declarations with CAP rules. In this work, an operational procedure is proposed aimed at supporting PPs in detecting, mapping and quantifying the number of times mowing occurred in a meadow field. In particular, 72,539 meadows fields within the Piemonte region (NW – Italy) were analysed with a time series of Sentinel-2 (S2) data. The procedure is based on the processing of filtered and regularized time series of NDVI maps. The Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) was applied at field level to decompose the local NDVI temporal profile. The frequency ( ω p e a k ) corresponding to the maximum amplitude ( A p e a k ) was therefore considered. A p e a k value was used to detect not-mowed meadows by thresholding based on the application of the non-parametric Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. Mowing counting were achieved with reference to ω p e a k and the correspondent map (called MCM) generated for the study area. MCM was, finally, tested against the validation set (285 fields). Results showed an Overall Accuracy (OA) > 87%, confirming the effectiveness of the proposed procedure in detecting, mapping and quantifying the number of times mowing occurred.

Autochthonous starter culture selection for Salame Piemonte PGI production

Salame Piemonte is a dry-fermented meat product typical of the Piedmont region in Italy, manufactured using commercial starter cultures. This study aimed to select autochthonous starter cultures (ASCs) that could be used for sausage fermentation in order to strengthen the link with the geographical area of production and improve the sensory properties of the final product. A culture-dependent approach was adopted during three different spontaneous sausage fermentation processes to isolate and characterise the main bacterial resources involved. Dominant lactic acid bacteria (LAB) in each batch were Pediococcus pentosaceus, Latilactobacillus sakei, and Latilactobacillus curvatus; Staphylococcus xylosus was the most dominant coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS) in all the studied batches. LAB and presumptive CNS isolates were further evaluated for their physiological properties and biotechnological potential. Thereafter, 11 strains were selected and evaluated for safety. Five selected strains (two P. pentosaceus, two L. sakei, and one S. xylosus strain) were used for pilot-scale Salame Piemonte production with seven different strain combinations. Based on the liking test, three ASC combinations led to the highest liking score compared to industrial products. These three ASCs were then used for the second pilot-scale sausage production confirming the high liking score. In summary, the use of P. pentosaceus and S. xylosus ASC significantly improved product sensory properties compared with that obtained using commercial starter cultures.

Phenotyping of Urochloa humidicola grass hybrids for agronomic and environmental performance in the Piedmont region of the Orinoquian savannas of Colombia

AbstractIn the low fertility acid soils of the Orinoquian savannas of Colombia, Urochloa humidicola cv. Tully or Humidicola is one of the most widely planted tropical forage grasses for improving livestock productivity. Low nutritional quality of this grass limits sustainable livestock production in this region. In this study, we conducted a phenotypic evaluation under field and greenhouse conditions of one of the first hybrid populations of U. humidicola generated from the forage breeding program of CIAT. Our objective was to identify a set of new hybrids of U. humidicola that combine improved productivity and nutritional quality plus the biological nitrification inhibition (BNI) trait/ability to reduce nitrogen (N) losses via leaching and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions. To this end, we tested 118 hybrids (planted in pots) in the greenhouse for over 6 months and measured potential nitrification rates (NR) using soil microcosm incubation. NR values observed ranged from 0.27 to 5.75 mg N‐NO3− kg soil−1 day−1. Later, 12 hybrids with different levels of NR were selected and field‐tested in the Orinoquia region over a 4 years period (2013–2017) for dry matter production, nutrition quality (crude protein, in vitro digestibility and fibres content) and NR in each year. In the rainy season of 2018, two hybrids with superior agronomic performance and contrasting field level NR (Uh08/1149 and 0450) were subjected to analysis of soil‐borne N2O emissions after fertilization during 13 days. The NR values recorded were not directly correlated with the forage quality parameters evaluated, however, the two grasses with the lowest NR values were among those with the highest biomass production, crude protein content, and N uptake. The grass hybrid Uh08/1149 and the germplasm accession CIAT 16888 were found as materials with superior forage value, with production of 14.1 and 14.6 tons dry matter ha−1 year−1 (up to 8% higher than the cv. Tully), crude protein of 11.5 and 9.1% per cut (up to 20% higher than the cv. Tully), and N uptake of 31.6 and 25.7 kg N ha−1 cut−1 (up to 30% higher than the cv. Tully). Additionally, these two grasses are likely to exhibit high‐BNI ability, with potential to improve N use efficiency in managed pastures.

Comparison of Vegetation Types for Prevention of Erosion and Shallow Slope Failure on Steep Slopes in the Southeastern USA

Shallow slope failures due to erosion are common occurrences along roadways. The use of deep-rooted vegetative covers is a potential solution to stabilize newly constructed slopes or repair shallow landslides. This study compared species that may provide slope stabilization for sites in the Piedmont region of the southeastern USA. Six species were tested on experimental plots under natural rainfall conditions, and vegetation health and establishment were monitored. Two methods were used to measure surface erosion, measurement of total suspended solids in collected runoff and erosion pins. While measurement uncertainty was high for both methods, differences were evident between species in the spatial distribution of surface erosion that was related to the quality of vegetation establishment. For three species that established well, soil cores were collected to measure root biomass at depths up to 40 cm. Vetiver grass (Vetiveria zizaniodies) had substantially higher mean root biomass (3.75 kg/m3) than juniper shrubs (Juniperus chinensis; 0.45 kg/m3) and fescue grass (Lolium arundinaceum; 1.28 kg/m3), with the most pronounced difference in the deepest soil layers. Seeding with turf grass such as fescue is a common practice for erosion control in the region but replacing this with vetiver on steep slopes may help prevent shallow landslides due to the additional root reinforcement. Additional work is needed to measure the magnitude of the strength gain.

Climate impact assessment to the groundwater levels based on long time-series analysis in a paddy field area (Piedmont region, NW Italy): preliminary results

The analysis of the time-series of groundwater level are extremely important to observe the behaviours of groundwater over time and to identify any critical situations. The studied area is an agricultural district characterised by paddy fields, located in the eastern part of Piedmont, on the border with Lombardy. In this area long time-series of groundwater level, starting from the 1960s, have been collected in 16 wells. Water table data have a good completeness (in the majority of the cases >90%). Firstly, the groundwater hydrodynamic behaviour, based on water table levels, was investigated to highlight the response of groundwater to the recharge. A basic statistical analysis was performed (mean, median, standard deviation, maximum, minima), and then trends of water table levels were evaluated in order to better observe the long-term behaviour of groundwater. These analyses allowed to observe a groundwater hydrodynamic behaviour characterised by a repeating annual pattern (minimum in February/March and maximum in August/September) in correspondence to the period of irrigation. Moreover, trend analysis highlighted the presence of both wells with a decreasing water table (with maximum lowering of 4.3 m in 60 years) and wells with an increasing water table (with maximum rises of 2.8 m in 35 years). Furthermore, in most cases, it can be observed that all three trends analysed agree on being positive or negative. Future insights will be the comparison of these long time-series with the meteorological data, and the investigation of other factors (e.g. anthropic withdrawal, variations of cultivation practices and irrigation, geology of the subsoil) to better understand the causes of the water table fluctuations and trends.

Seroprevalence of infection-induced SARS-CoV-2 antibodies among health care users of Northern Italy: results from two serosurveys (October-November 2019 and September-October 2021)

ObjectivesThe objective was to estimate the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in autumn 2019 (before case zero was identified in Italy) and 2021 among residual sera samples from health care users in the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy. MethodsTwo serosurveys were conducted. Using a semiquantitative method, samples were tested for the presence of immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies against the S1 domain of the spike protein. Samples with positive test results from the 2019 survey were independently retested using a multiplex panel to detect IgG antibodies against the receptor binding domain, S1 and S2 domains, and nucleocapsid. Samples with positive test results from the 2021 survey underwent repeat testing with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to detect anti-nucleocapsid IgG antibodies. Prevalence rates according to gender and age groups, together with their respective 95% confidence intervals (CIs), were calculated. ResultsOverall, the proportion of samples with positive test results was 2/353 in 2019 and 22/363 in 2021, with an estimated seroprevalence of 0.27% (95% CI 0-1.86) and 6.21% (95% CI 3.9-9.31) in 2019 and 2021 respectively. ConclusionResults of this study support the hypothesis that the virus was circulating in Italy as early as autumn 2019. The role of these early cases in broader transmission dynamics remains to be determined.

Application of chemometric tools combined with instrument-agnostic GC-fingerprinting for hazelnut quality assessment

The European hazelnut (Corylus avellana L.) is a tree nut that is mainly produced in Turkey, Italy and USA and used by the confectionery industry to obtain sweets and chocolate spreads. Among all the known cultivars/origins, the "Tonda Gentile Trilobata" from Piedmont (Italy) is highly appreciated due to its organoleptic properties and considered, for many applications, as a "Gold standard". Although the use of marker compounds is widely used in food quality evaluation, the fingerprinting methodology could provide additional information related to hazelnut quality by making use of non-explicit information embedded in the instrumental fingerprint. In this work, the instrument-agnostic fingerprints obtained from the analysis of volatile organic compounds present in hazelnuts using GC-MS were used to evaluate the differences among samples from the Italian Piedmont region and other hazelnut samples of industrial interest from different regions of Italy and Turkey. The PCA revealed that the differences contained in the instrument-agnostic fingerprint were due to country of origin, growing region, storage time and conditions of each sample. Three classification models (SIMCA, PLS-DA, and SVM) were developed to distinguish Piedmont samples from the remaining ones. After testing several data pre-processing methods, PLS-DA and SVM were the best performing classification algorithms.