Territory Of Italy Research Articles

EU2030 biodiversity strategy: Unveiling gaps in the coverage of ecoregions and threatened species within the strictly protected areas of Italy

About 19 % of the Italian territory is covered by protected areas (PAs), 5.1 % of which fall in IUCN categories Ia and II, which can be considered strictly protected areas (StPAs). The 2030 EU Biodiversity Strategy sets a target of 30 % coverage for PAs (of which 10 % should be StPAs). We assessed the area coverage of StPAs, for the territory of Italy, with respect to biogeographical regions, ecoregions, elevation range, habitats, and the distribution of species threatened with extinction according to the IUCN Red List (Vulnerable, VU; Endangered, EN; or Critically Endangered, CR). We found that most of the StPAs are located in the Mediterranean biogeographical region, followed by the Alpine and Continental regions, and that the spatial distribution of such protected areas is biased towards higher elevation. Moreover, we found that three of the fourteen terrestrial ecoregions of Italy are not protected at all by StPAs (i.e., Illyrian, Ligurian-Provencal, and Central-Adriatic), while the Po Plain and the Sicilia Sections are only marginally protected. Moreover, nine habitats are not covered by any StPAs including one priority habitat (Inland salt meadows). Finally, we found unprotected species among freshwater fish (21), amphibians (3 VU, 3 CR), reptiles (1 CR), birds (2 NE), mammals (1 VU), and plants (20 VU, 14 EN, 21 CR). Our findings suggest that the current amount and spatial distribution of StPAs of Italy are far from the targets of the EU Biodiversity Strategy and needs improvements.

ANMCO Position paper: States General 2023 - Role of ANMCO in the setting of clinical research in Cardiology in Italy: current state and future perspectives

For over 40 years, clinical research has been one of the most important aims of the Italian Association of Hospital Cardiologists (ANMCO), being an essential tool in pursuing promotion and fulfillment of good clinical practices in prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of cardiovascular diseases. Since 1992, with the creation of the Research Center (now part of the Heart Care Foundation), ANMCO is capable of independently and professionally managing all the aspects related to planning, management, and publication of the results of clinical studies. The other strength of ANMCO is the network built in Cardiology Departments on the whole territory of Italy, a human capital that allows ANMCO to deal with the new scientific challenges, in a context of profound changes in the social, economic, technological, and methodological setting. This document is based on the debate about the state of clinical research in Italy and the role of ANMCO in this setting that took place during the 2023 ANMCO States General.

Towards a practical geology in Italy: sciences applied to territory in Italy between the ‘20s and the ‘30s of the 20th century

Il prossimo 30 dicembre 2023 ricorrerà il centenario del Vincolo idrogeologico e forestale (R.D.L. 3267/1923). La norma è conosciuta anche come legge Serpieri, in memoria del suo illuminato ideatore e co-redattore assieme al giurista Romualdo Trifone (Roggero, 2022)... [Article in Italian]

«Заметка о русских», посланная генералом Костюшко Исполнительной директории Франции в 1799 году

Introduction. The article publishes a historical source found in the State Archive of the Rostov region in the fund of Kh.I. Popov, the founder and first director of the Don Museum. Title of the document: “General Kosciusko’s description of the Russian army” (translated from the French from the Archive of P.I. Shchukin). The part of the discovered document is indeed a “Note on the Russians,” written by the national hero of Poland, Tadeusz Kosciusko (1746–1817), and addressed to the French Executive Directory in January 1799. Methods and materials. The document is a translation of a letter from the French Executive Directory to General Jourdan, Commander-in-Сhief of the Mainz Army, to which is attached a “Note on the Russians.” The document was drawn up on the eve of military operations between Russia and France on the territory of Italy, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. The Directory recommends General Jourdan pay attention to the “Note,” which really contains a lot of analytical material and characteristics of the various branches of the Russian army in the battles with which T. Kosciusko recently suffered a number of defeats. The purpose of this publication is to show what vision the French leadership and military command had about the Russian army at the beginning of 1799, what the source of these ideas was, and how these ideas corresponded to reality. T. Kosciusko’s combat path, his participation in the battles against the Russian army, and the information and impressions that he could acquire in these battles were analyzed. For this purpose, traditional historical methods were used: comparative-historical, problem-chronological, and anthropological, since a significant part of the “Note” is devoted to the characteristics of a special community – the Cossacks. It was this part of the “Note” that caused its discovery in the fund of the director of the Don Museum in the State Archive of the Rostov Region. Analysis. Creating the Don Museum in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Kh.I. Popov attracted not only employees but also everyone to collect materials about the Cossacks. The published document was sent to the Don Museum by an officer of the Don Cossack Regiment, located in Moscow, S.I. Olenev, who copied it from a translation of a letter from the Directory made by the famous collector P.I. Shchukin for his museum in Moscow. In fact, a copy of the translation was published, which caused some stylistic errors in the document. Results. The publisher concluded that some of the data provided by T. Kosciusko to the French Directory was outdated, but in general, the characteristics of the Russian army correspond to reality.

МІРИ ВАГИ В ІТАЛІЇ В VI – ПЕРШІЙ ПОЛОВИНІ XIX СТОЛІТТЯ

Medieval Italy, which was formed after the fall of the Western Roman Empire at the end of the V century, completely inherited its material and spiritual culture. This does not apply to the state imperial traditions of Ancient Rome. It turned out that during the entire period of the Middle Ages and partly of the New Age – from the end of the V to the second half of the XIX century, Italy was not a single state. At this time, three main regions – Northern, Central and Southern Italy – were gradually formed here. Each region included several historically interconnected regions. In the territory of these regions, there were cities – republics and separate feudal estates. Each region preserved its distinctive features throughout the Middle Ages. Some of these differences have survived even in modern Italy. They arose from the peculiarities of the geographical environment, as well as the political and economic conditions that developed over a long period of time in each of the three regions of Italy. The single system of measures, including weight, which existed in the Roman Empire, in the conditions of political decentralization of Italy, was gradually, over the centuries, replaced by local measures. The basis of most of the newly created systems of weight measures in Italy was the ancient Roman system of weight measures. However, the development of production, domestic and foreign trade caused a constant transformation of the structure of the systems of weight measures, the mass of their units. Gradually, new systems of weight measures were formed in Italy. The structure of the systems of weight measures in Italy had certain common features, but the mass of their units differed among themselves in almost all cases. The weight systems of Italy during the Middle Ages were influenced by the dependence of the Italian lands at certain times on the empire of Charlemagne, the Holy Roman Empire of the German nation, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. As a result, in some areas of Northern and Central Italy, along with the local systems of weight measures, the following measures began to be used: Carolingian silver and troy weight systems, the German Cologne system of weight measures, Austro-Hungarian weight measures. The long-term existence of the leading Italian city-states – the republics of Venice and Genoa, the Duchies of Milan and Tuscany, the Papal State, the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, etc. was a consequence of the use of constantly operating systems of measures and weights in the territory of Italy during the entire period of the Middle Ages.

Forgotten territories in Europe : lessons from Italy, Spain, and Poland.

This paper presents the results of a comparative research on place-based policies towards “left-behind territories” in Europe. It shows the variety of trajectories of putting the territorial question on the agenda and of defining the 'forgotten' territories in Italy, Spain and Poland. This variety reveals specific processes linked to short- and long-term debates on the Nation. The tools used to help these territories tend to converge, under the influence of methods coming from the European Union. However, the functions of these territories are still unclear in national planning strategies, particularly because their possible contributions to ecological transition and the economic models of this transition are only imperfectly defined.

International experience in organizing medical care for the population of Italy and Serbia by military medical specialists during the COVID-19 pandemic

Based on the decision of the President of the Russian Federation, interservice teams of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation were formed to combat a new coronavirus infection (COVID-19) in Italy and Serbia. Eight medical and nursing teams were formed from the medical personnel in each detachment, led by epidemiologists, each consisting of an anaesthesiologist (resuscitator), an infectious disease specialist (therapist), and an anesthesiologist nurse. Their main task was to provide medical care for patients with new coronavirus infection in the medical and preventive organizations of these countries. In order to accomplish their tasks and to provide high-quality medical care (protection of personnel from contamination by biological agents), each group was equipped with personal protective equipment. The work of the medical teams on the territory of Italy and Serbia consisted in sanitary and epidemiological reconnaissance, epidemiological examination of the outbreaks of the new coronavirus infection, organization of anti-epidemic measures and treatment of patients with COVID-19 in the medical and preventive organizations of these countries. Calculations of mobile aerosol disinfection complexes and auto-filling stations of the radiation, chemical and biological protection troops were involved in carrying out anti-epidemic measures on a daily basis. As a result of the measures taken, experience was gained in using the forces and resources of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation to localize the outbreaks of the new coronavirus infection in the territory of foreign countries. The joint work of the group of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and local authorities has reduced the incidence of a new coronavirus infection among the local population of Italy and Serbia.

PROGNOSTIC CUTOFF OF TRIGLYCERIDES PREDICTING CARDIOVASCULAR OUTCOME IN A LARGE REGIONAL-BASED ITALIAN DATABASE

Objective: Searching for a prognostic cut-off value of triglycerides (TG) in predicting cardiovascular (CV) outcome in a large regional-based Italian database of men and women. Design and method: A nationwide multicentre database collects data on subjects aged 18 to 95 years recruited on a regional community basis from all the territory of Italy with at least 1 measure of TG and a mean follow-up of 110.1 ± 64.3 months. A total of 18,784 subjects were included in the analysis. CV outcome was defined on the basis of ICD10 codes and double-checked with general practitioners and hospital files. Multivariate dichotomic Cox regression models having CV outcome as dependent variable, adjusted for age, sex, serum uric acid, body mass index, total and HDL-cholesterol, arterial hypertension, diabetes, chronic renal disease, smoking habit, use of antihypertensive and lipid lowering drugs were preliminarily used to search for an association between TG log-transformed as a continuous variable and CV event. The conventional cut-off value of TG (150 mg/d) and the prognostic cut-off value of TG identified by means of receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves, both able to discriminate between subjects developing a CV event, were used as independent predictors in further multivariate Cox models adjusted for the confounders listed above. Results: During 172,329 person-years of follow-up, 1910 participants experienced CV events (11.1 per 1000 age-adjusted person-years). In Cox analysis, TG as a continuous variable was a significant predictor of CV event [odds ratio, OR, 1.189 (1.060–1.334), p = 0.003]. ROC curve showed that > 105 mg/dl (95%CI 75.8–129.3, sensitivity 61.7, specificity 48.8, p < 0.0001) was the prognostic cut-off value for CV event. The conventional cut-off (150 mg/dl) and that identified by ROC curve (105 mg/dl) were both accepted as multivariate predictors in separate Cox analyses, the hazard ratios being 1.157 (95%CI 1.037–1.290, p = 0.009) and 1.137 (95%CI 1.023–1.263, p = 0.016), respectively. Nevertheless, we observed that cut-offs of TG between 89 and 105 mg/dl, when played in the multivariate Cox analyses, seems to be protective as well. Conclusions: In conclusion, lower than expected prognostic cut-off value of TG for CV event do exist.

Reception and vulgarization of Roman law by barbaric legislation on the example of the Edict of Theodoric (VI century)

The subject of the study was the reception (borrowing) of the norms of Roman law by the legislation of barbarian states that gained independence after the fall of the Western Roman Empire, as well as the accompanying vulgarization (simplification) of legal norms. The object of the study was the Edict of Theodoric - a collection of legal norms of the VI century, adopted on the territory of Italy on the initiative of the Ostrogothic ruler Theodoric the Great. This document was aimed at ensuring the peaceful coexistence of the Gothic and Roman populations of Italy, which is why it demonstrates the mechanism for including the norms of Roman law familiar to a significant part of the population into a single system of legislation of the barbarian Ostrogothic Kingdom. The main research methods were comparative legal and historical. The main conclusions of the study are the following: 1) the reception of Roman law by barbaric legislation, on the example of the Edict of Theodoric, took place in three directions - the expansion of the original norm, its narrowing and qualitative reinterpretation; 2) vulgarization was an integral part of the reception, but one should not perceive the process of simplifying the norms of Roman law as exclusively negative, vulgarization was one of the mechanisms that ensured the survival of Roman law and the subsequent revival in the legal systems of continental Europe. The novelty of the research is based on the use of comparative legal and historical methods: they allowed to identify the main sources of the Theodoric Edict, compare the provisions of the original norms with their interpretation in the text of the Edict, identify the reasons for verbatim borrowing or rethinking of specific norms.

Climate Extrapolations in Hydrology: The Expanded Bluecat Methodology

Bluecat is a recently proposed methodology to upgrade a deterministic model (D-model) into a stochastic one (S-model), based on the hypothesis that the information contained in a time series of observations and the concurrent predictions made by the D-model is sufficient to support this upgrade. The prominent characteristics of the methodology are its simplicity and transparency, which allow its easy use in practical applications, without sophisticated computational means. In this paper, we utilize the Bluecat methodology and expand it in order to be combined with climate model outputs, which often require extrapolation out of the range of values covered by observations. We apply the expanded methodology to the precipitation and temperature processes in a large area, namely the entire territory of Italy. The results showcase the appropriateness of the method for hydroclimatic studies, as regards the assessment of the performance of the climate projections, as well as their stochastic conversion with simultaneous bias correction and uncertainty quantification.

Visualization of the Image of the Nile: Cultural and Geographical Environment of Nilotic Scenes fromthe Julio-Claudian Period

This article addresses the problem of the cross-­cultural dialogue between Egypt and Rome on the example of the image of the Nile, visually embodied in the Nilotic scenes. The geographical scope of the research is limited to the territory of Italy, since this region most accurately reflected the Roman perception of Egyptian culture and was least dependent on the historical prejudices of inhabitants of other provinces of the Roman Empire. It is emphasized that the particularity of the Nilotic scenes is that they are based not on a set of predetermined illustrations of the daily life of the Egyptians, but on a stylistic image that unites the themes of the Nile Flood. Simultaneously, the Nilotic scenes under study have several common features. First, there always is an image of the water element, which in most cases is quite accurately identified as a river valley. Second, there is a typical Nilotic flora and fauna. Third, images of river vessels often occur: from single reed shuttles to ships with deck superstructures and a crew of several people. Fourth and finally, the inhabitants of the Nile Valley are represented as dwarfs. The conclusion is that the political component, which was supposed to remind of the events of the late first century BC, was embodied in special ways of artistic expression of Egyptian realities, particularly in the appearance of dwarfs in the Nilotic scenes. In certain cases, the political context could also be highlighted with colour, such as in the frescoes from the cubicula of the House of Livia on the Palatine Hill, where the yellow frame symbolizes the Golden Age and the glory of Augustus, recalling his victory over Egypt. Generally, the given research suggests that, from the reign of the Julio-­Claudians on, the image of the Nile gradually became involved in the process of transformation of the topoi of the Egyptian civilization into symbols of the new Roman imperial culture. Egypt became a part of the Roman world, and the empire accepted and accommodated cultural diversity of the new province.

Malleable monuments and comparative cultural property law: The Balbo monument between the United States and Italy

Abstract Still standing in situ today, the Balbo monument in Chicago has presented an especially monumental challenge for the Chicago community, including members of the Italian American community in Chicago. This article considers the laws which regulate cultural heritage in the separate territories of Italy and the United States, cultural property law and historic preservation law, respectively, in light of archival research on the behind-the-scenes maneuvers of the Balbo monument’s installation. In certain circumstances, historic property is not the same as cultural property, even though historic property and cultural property may at times overlap. Identity may more greatly inform one category over another through the law’s terminology, connections to place, and resulting historical connections. The central proposal of this article is that some monuments, as they are defined with reference to history under the law, seem so specific to certain histories and historical narratives that they might be meant to be, perhaps counterintuitively, malleable monuments. Despite their characterization as historic property or cultural property, malleable monuments should, can, and, at times, already do, proverbially bend to our shifting and evolving notions of identity as they are inevitably tied to our histories. In Italy, “malleable” may mean tangible monuments with changing symbolism and cultural significance; in the United States, “malleable” may mean embodied symbolism and cultural significance with the impermanence of tangible monuments. Permanence is not definitive of malleable monuments’ existence; rather, impermanence is. Recognizing the complexity of what it means to be Italian in America today through the Balbo monument, the article concludes, may mean accepting the Balbo monument as a malleable monument.

Farm to Fork strategy and restrictions on the use of chemical inputs: Impacts on the various types of farming and territories of Italy

This study evaluates the impacts of reduction in chemical inputs use, as defined to the Farm to Fork strategy, on the Italian agricultural sector based on current production practices and technologies, as well as market and political framework. The impacts are evaluated in terms of some economic, environmental and social indicators, and are shown and discussed both geographic area and types of farming. The analysis was conducted on all Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN) sample of Italian farms in various years, about 40,000 farms, by using the AGRITALIM model.The main results show an improvement in environmental sustainability of agricultural production in terms of lower use of chemical. Negative socio-economic and productive impacts are observed overall in the national territory, but some areas are more affected. The reduction of income could especially affect some types of farming and smaller farms.In conclusion, the Farm to Fork strategy could be a fundamental impetus to review some failings and weaknesses of European agriculture. Our analysis shows that targeted and forward-looking interventions are especially important for some types of farming, production sectors and territories. New research is needed to support the choices of stakeholders regarding policy support and innovation in agriculture. Political interventions are needed to incentivize farmers to adopt environmentally friendly agricultural practices and limit income losses. Genetic and technological innovations could play a fundamental role in limiting the reductions of agricultural production and modernizing farms.

Synergistic effects of contaminants in Lombardy waters

Quantifying synergistic environmental effects in water contamination is still an open issue. Here, we have analyzed geolocalized data of pollutants recorded in 2018 in surface and groundwater of Lombardy, one of the areas with the highest agricultural production rates, not only in Italy, but also in Europe. Both herbicides and insecticides are present at concentration levels above the legal limit, mainly in surface waters. Geolocalized analysis allows us to identify interesting areas particularly affected by a combination of multiple pesticides. We thus investigated possible synergistic effects of these compounds on the environment, using the alga C. reinhardtii as a biosensor. Our results show that exposure for 7 days to four compounds, that we found present together at high concentration in surface waters, was able to induce a stress in the algae, as indicated by the presence of palmelloids. Our work results in a pipeline that could easily be exported to monitor other territories in Italy and abroad.

Characterization of the Volatile Profile of Cultivated and Wild-Type Italian Celery (Apium graveolens L.) Varieties by HS-SPME/GC-MS

Celery (Apium graveolens L.) is a vegetable belonging to the Apiaceae family that is widely used for its distinct flavor and contains a variety of bioactive metabolites with healthy properties. Some celery ecotypes cultivated in specific territories of Italy have recently attracted the attention of consumers and scientists because of their peculiar sensorial and nutritional properties. In this work, the volatile profiles of white celery “Sedano Bianco di Sperlonga” Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) ecotype, black celery “Sedano Nero di Torricella Peligna” and wild-type celery were investigated using head-space solid-phase microextraction combined with gas-chromatography/mass spectrometry (HS-SPME/GC-MS) and compared to that of the common ribbed celery. Exploratory multivariate statistical analyses were conducted using principal component analysis (PCA) on HS-SPME/GC-MS patterns, separately collected from celery leaves and petioles, to assess similarity/dissimilarity in the flavor composition of the investigated varieties. PCA revealed a clear differentiation of wild-type celery from the cultivated varieties. Among the cultivated varieties, black celery “Sedano Nero di Torricella Peligna” exhibited a significantly different composition in volatile profile in both leaves and petioles compared to the white celery and the prevalent commercial variety. The chemical components of aroma, potentially useful for the classification of celery according to the variety/origin, were identified.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DIURETIC RELATED HYPERURICEMIA AND CARDIOVASCULAR EVENTS: DATA FROM THE URRAH (URIC ACID RIGHT FOR HEART HEALTH) STUDY

Objective: Hyperuricemia can be both determined by overproduction (due to xanthine oxidase hyperactivity) or renal hypoexcretion. In this latter case, also diuretic use (particularly hydrochlorotiazhide) can be involved. While the relationship between hyperuricemia and CardioVascular (CV) events has been definitively linked in many studies, data on diuretic related hyperuricemia are still lacking. The objective of this analysis is to assess the relationship between diuretic induced hyperuricemia and CV events. Design and method: The URic acid Right for heArt Health study is a nationwide, multicentre, observational cohort study involving data on individuals aged 18–95 years recruited on a regional community basis from all the territory of Italy under the patronage of the Italian Society of Hypertension with a mean follow-up period of 122 ± 66.9 months. Patients were classified into four groups accordingly to the diuretic use (yes vs no) and Uric Acid (UA) levels (higher or lower than the median value of 4.9 mg/dL). All cause death, CV deaths and CV events were consiedered as outcomes. Results: A total of 17747 individuals were included in the analysis. Mean age was 57.1 ± 15.2 years, males were 45.3%, SBP/DBP were 144.1/85.2 ± 24.6/13.2. 17.2% of the subjects use diuretic of whom 58% presents UA higher than median values. As showed in figure 1, patients with Hpeuricemia without diuretic use served as reference group. In multivariate adjusted analysis (for sex, age, SBP, BMI, glycemia, total cholesterol and creatinine) subjects without hyperuricemia and without diuretic show a significant lower risk for the three outcomes. Subjects without hyperuricemia with diuretic use have lower risk of all cause death but similar risk of CV death and events. Finally subjects with hyperuricemia and diuretic use exhibit a similar risk for the three outcomes as compared with the reference group. Conclusions: Our study showed that diuretic related hyperuricemia is related to CV events similarly to the subjects that present hyperuricemia without diuretics.

Normanlar, “Gesta Roberti Wiscardi” ve Malazgirt Savaşı

In the second half of the 11th century, while the Byzantine Empire was struggling with Turks for Anatolia in the east, it lost its last territory in Italy in the west and was trying to stop the Normans from advancing towards the Balkans. The Norman threat from the west prevented Byzantium from mobilizing its military forces in the Balkans entirely for Anatolia. Therefore, it so happened that the Normans played a role in favor of the Turks in the Battle of Manzikert. Gesta Roberti Wiscardi, which was written by Guillaume d’Apulie / William of Apulia, is one of the most significant Latin-Norman sources whose main theme is the existence of Normans in South Italy and especially the political control of Robert Guiscard in that region. This work, which is contemporary with the battle of Manzikert, essentially aims to increase the dignity and bravery of Robert Guiscard. Naturally this work also contains information on Byzantium and the battle of Manzikert. In our article, the Norman source, Gesta Roberti Wiscardi will be evaluated in terms of its importance and its information related to the battle of Manzikert.

The role of valuation in the construction industry of the post-Covid era / Il ruolo del settore delle costruzioni nell’epoca del dopo corona virus

Following the pandemic, investments in theconstruction sector are destined to reach exceptionallevels, with noteworthy effects on economicproduction, all while providing a very real opportunityto carry out projects that could resolve a good many ofthe critical problems currently affecting the towns, citiesand surrounding territory of Italy: problems such asaccessibility, the distribution of public resources andservices, and seismic and hydrogeological safety;foremost among these are problems plaguing structuralfunctions, as well as the lack of social and economicintegration in outlying urban areas. And yet there is arisk that pursuit of these objectives could be seriouslyhampered by distressing levels of inefficiency in theoverall organisation of the processes of intervention, aswell as the unwarranted influence of special interests,including, in some cases, infiltration by organised crime.The resulting situation presents an unacceptable ratioof resources allocated to the quality of results. Thispaper illustrates why significantly different forms ofgovernance should be adopted, together with a totallynew, innovative approach to organising the processesof intervention. A reference found to be especially useful in formulatingthe considerations developed in the paper was a criticalanalysis of the results - ultimately judged to be positive- of the project to replace the Morandi Bridge in Genoa,though mention was also made of the factors thatrender a generalised application of this example tofuture investments unfeasible. Instead we have focussed on certain aspects that, as wesee it, may prove useful in arriving at a new approach tomanaging project programs: first of all, theestablishment, at the heart of any project, and especiallythose that are particularly demanding in terms of sizeand/or quality, of a strong management function that,being in possession of all the necessary powers andknow-how, is responsible for successful performance ofthe work, meaning proper use of the availableresources, compliance with deadlines and pursuit of allthe objectives and standards of performance that gaverise to investment in the first place. To this end, planningquality is held to be of the utmost importance, and soplanning decisions should be supported by effectiveevaluation procedures. And such procedures, the paperargues, prove all the more effective when they supportfor each and every one of the phases of decision-making involved in planning, covering governance ofthe entire process, up to and including the actualexecution of the project.AbstractYou delight in laying down laws, Yet you delight more in breaking them.Like children playing by the ocean who build sand-towerswith constancy and then destroy them with laughter...... But while you build your sand-towers the ocean brings more sand to the shore.From The ProphetKhalil Gibran

Relationships between diuretic-related hyperuricemia and cardiovascular events: data from the URic acid Right for heArt Health study.

Although the relationship between hyperuricemia and cardiovascular events has been extensively examined, data on the role of diuretic-related hyperuricemia are still scanty. The present study was designed to collect information on the relationship between diuretic-related hyperuricemia and cardiovascular events. The URic acid Right for heArt Health (URRAH) study is a nationwide, multicentre, observational cohort study involving data on individuals recruited from all the Italy territory under the patronage of the Italian Society of Hypertension with an average follow-up period of 122.3 ± 66.9 months. Patients were classified into four groups according to the diuretic use (yes vs. no) and serum uric acid (SUA) levels (higher vs. lower than the median value of 4.8 mg/dl). All-cause death, cardiovascular deaths and first cardiovascular event were considered as outcomes. Seventeen thousand, seven hundred and forty-seven individuals were included in the analysis. Mean age was 57.1 ± 15.2 years, men were 45.3% and SBP and DBP amounted to 144.1 ± 24.6 and 85.2 ± 13.2 mmHg. 17.2% of individuals take diuretics of whom 58% had SUA higher than median value. Patients with hyperuricemia without diuretic use served as reference group. In multivariate adjusted analysis (sex, age, SBP, BMI, glucose, total cholesterol, and glomerular filtration rate) individuals with hyperuricemia and diuretic use exhibit a similar risk for the three outcomes as compared with the reference group. Our study showed that diuretic-related hyperuricemia carry a similar risk of cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality when compared with individuals that present hyperuricemia in absence of diuretic therapy.

O NASTANKU ITALIJANSKOG JEZIKA I SPECIFIČNOSTIMA ODNOSA STANDARDNI JEZIK - DIJALEKTI / ON THE ORIGIN OF THE ITALIAN LANGUAGE AND SPECIFICITIES OF THE RELATION BETWEEN THE STANDARD LANGUAGE AND DIALECTS

The subject of this paper is the relation of the standard Italian language to the dialects present on the territory of Italy. In the first part of the paper, we will focus on the basic concepts such as the difference between the standard language and dialects, on the prestige it has in comparison to dialects, as well as on linguistic varieties. Since the issue of language is often related to socio-historical aspects, in the second part of the paper we will look at the development of the Italian language and its role in raising awareness of national identity. We will then explain the concept of dialect and see that, specifically on Italian soil, dialectal differences can as considerable as to prevent communication within the same language. We will briefly look at some Italian dialects, such as Venetian, Sardinian and Neapolitan, and the status they enjoy. We will also mention contemporary attitudes about the use of dialects in Italy and some of the tendencies of the modernItalian language.