Urban Areas In Italy Research Articles

Flexible Charging to Energy Saving—Strategies Assessment with Big Data Analysis for PHEVs Private Cars

In road transport, most vehicles today still rely on internal combustion engines. However, these engines have lower efficiency and generate higher pollution levels compared to electric motors. Consequently, there is a growing interest in the transition from conventional vehicles to electric ones. However, the transition to an electrified road transport system is not without challenges. Among these, the impact that electric vehicle charging will have on the electricity grid is of particular concern. This paper analyzes different charging scenarios for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) and proposes charging strategies to minimize their impact on the electricity grid. The analysis is based on a large dataset of trips in urban areas in Italy. The study shows that smart charging of PHEVs can be implemented to minimize the impact on the electricity grid. The implementation of optimized charging strategies can contribute to making PHEVs a valid, eco-sustainable alternative to conventional vehicles while also promoting the stability and efficiency of the electricity grid. The study aims to verify the effectiveness and efficiency of the flexible charging strategy by comparing the common charging operation (first in–first out) with other, less impactful charging schemes.

Impact of COVID-19 on foreign population resident in urban areas of Italy: selection of indicators, data sources, and definition of geographical stratification levels

to describe indicators, data sources, and levels of geographical stratification used within the framework of the CCM project "Epidemiological Surveillance and Control of COVID-19 in Metropolitan Urban Areas and for the containment of SARS-CoV-2 circulation in the immigrant population in Italy". population-based observational study based on data from the Integrated Covid-19 Surveillance System and the archive of hospital discharge records. interregional collaborative project. Resident population in 5 Italian Regions (Piedmont, Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany, Lazio, and Sicily). crude and age-standardized rates of diagnostic test utilization and positivity, hospitalization (in any department and in intensive care unit), and mortality in COVID-19 cases. starting from the set of 11 indicators from the Italian National Institute for Health, Migration and Poverty (INMP) project "Epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 Infection (COVID-19) and Use of Health Services in the Immigrant Population and Vulnerable Population Groups in Italy", the five most effective indicators for CCM purposes were identified. The INMP project highlighted higher rates of test access and positivity among Italians compared to foreigners, higher standardized hospitalization rates among foreigners, and higher standardized mortality rates among Italians, with geographical and temporal heterogeneity. The intersection between the DEGURBA (degree of urbanisation) classification and altimetric zones defined five levels of territorial stratification characterized by decreasing population density. Approximately 81% of the population involved in the CCM project resided in the first two levels; 43% of Italians lived in areas with intermediate population density in hilly or plain areas, while 48% of foreigners were concentrated in densely populated areas. sharing the collaborative approach and a research methodology already tested, integrated with the analysis of disaggregated indicators by morphological, functional, and administrative characteristics of the residential territory, allowed for assessing differences in the impact of the pandemic between Italians and foreigners residing in more or less densely populated areas.

Zoonotic intestinal helminthes diagnosed in a 6-year period (2015-2020) in privately owned dogs of sub-urban and urban areas of Italy.

Intestinal helminthes of dogs have a relevant role for health and welfare of canine populations and many of them are zoonotic. Thus, a constant surveillance is pivotal to safeguard companion dogs and human health. Data from faecal examinations of pet dogs obtained in the last six years during the routine activity of the laboratory of Parasitology and Parasitic diseases of the University Teaching Veterinary Hospital of the University of Teramo, Italy, are here reported. From 2015 to 2020 a total of 1083 individual faecal samples from privately owned dogs were examined using conventional copro-microscopic techniques. Endoparasite elements were found in 278 (25.7%) dogs, and among them, eggs of intestinal zoonotic helminthes were detected in 184 (17%) samples. The most common zoonotic parasites were Toxocara canis and hookworms (8.9% positivity rate for both). Most dogs (88%) were positive for a single zoonotic parasite while 12% of the positive animals harbored two or more zoonotic helminthes. A statistical analysis showed a significant association between dogs with less than one year of age and positivity to at least one intestinal zoonotic helminth, and that infections by T. canis are significantly more prevalent in dogs under one year of age. Despite being well known in canine clinical practice, these results indicate that zoonotic helminthes are still frequent in owned dogs. Thus, increased awareness of veterinary practitioners and pet owners is necessary to implement current diagnostic and control strategies to minimize the risk of zoonotic transmission of intestinal helminthes.

A New Disease for Europe of Ficus microcarpa Caused by Botryosphaeriaceae Species.

The Indian laurel-leaf fig (Ficus microcarpa) is an important ornamental tree widely distributed in the urban areas of Italy. Surveys conducted in 2019 and 2020 on several tree-lined streets, squares, and public parks in Catania and Siracusa provinces (Sicily, southern Italy) revealed the presence of a new disease on mature trees. About 9% of approximately 450 mature plants showed extensive branch cankers and dieback. Isolations from woody tissues obtained from ten symptomatic plants consistently yielded species belonging to the Botryosphaeriaceae family. The identification of the recovered fungal isolates was based on a multi-loci phylogenetic (maximum parsimony and maximum likelihood) approach of the ITS, tef1-α, and tub2 gene regions. The results of the analyses confirmed the presence of three species: Botryosphaeria dothidea, Neofusicoccum mediterraneum, and N. parvum. Pathogenicity tests were conducted on potted, healthy, 4-year-old trees using the mycelial plug technique. The inoculation experiments revealed that all the Botryosphaeriaceae species identified in this study were pathogenic to this host. Previous studies conducted in California showed similar disease caused by Botryosphaeriaceae spp., and the pathogenic role of these fungi was demonstrated. To our knowledge, this is the first report of Botryosphaeriaceae affecting Ficus microcarpa in Europe.

Multi-elemental profile and enviromagnetic analysis of moss transplants exposed indoors and outdoors in Italy and Belgium

Air pollution represents one of the major concerns worldwide, fueled by the increasing urbanization and related PM production worsening air quality in open air as well as in confined environments. In the present work, exposure to atmospheric metal pollution was investigated in 20 paired indoor (I)-outdoor (O) sites located in two urban areas of Italy and Belgium, by chemical (ICP-MS) and magnetic (saturation isothermal remanent magnetization, SIRM) analyses of Hypnum cupressiforme moss exposed in bags. After 12 weeks, the elemental profiles of the moss material exposed in the two countries largely overlapped, except for some elements which specifically accumulated in Belgium (Ag, As, Cd, Mo, Pb and Sb) and in Italy (Ca, Mg, Co, Cr, Sr, Ti and U). Element concentrations were higher in moss exposed outdoors, with the Italian sites mostly showing a terrigenous footprint, and the Belgian sites mostly affected by elements of environmental concern (e.g., As, Pb, Sb). The Indoor/Outdoor ratios (mostly lower than 0.75) indicated indoor pollution as strongly affected by outdoor pollution, although specific elements could be of indoor origin or magnified in indoor environments (e.g., Al, Ag, Cd and Co). In line with the chemical analysis, the SIRM signal was significantly higher in outdoor than indoor moss material. A positive, significant correlation was observed between SIRM and several accumulated elements indicating SIRM analysis as a powerful tool to predict the level of metal pollution. Moss bags were confirmed as a useful and versatile tool to highlight metal contamination even in confined environments, an essential prerogative in the perspective of the evaluation of the total exposure risk for humans to these pollutants.

Overweight in Domestic Cats Living in Urban Areas of Italy: Risk Factors for an Emerging Welfare Issue.

Simple SummaryOverweight and obesity are among the most important health problems in domestic cats. These conditions can be related to several diseases in cats and can influence their general welfare. In the present study, 197 cat owners attending veterinary clinics for routine visits completed a questionnaire focused on their cat demographics, management, environment, dietary habits and behavior. On the same occasion, a researcher assessed the body condition of each cat to determine whether they were underweight, normal or overweight. The cat body condition was statistically related to many of the factors explored by the questionnaire. For instance, age higher than 7 years, neutering, being left alone all day and being stressed were positively associated with overweight cats. Conversely, the presence of other animals was negatively associated with overweight. The identification of the risk factors for feline overweight allows veterinary practitioners and behaviorists to give cat owners appropriate advice on cat management and housing conditions. As a consequence, cat overweight-related risks may be reduced and animal welfare improved. Overweight is common in cats and has health and welfare implications. This study aimed to assess potential predictive/protective factors for feline overweight associated with owner management and their relationship with cat behavior and welfare. A questionnaire was administered to 197 owners to collect information about cat demographics, management, environment, dietary habits and behavior. The feline Body Mass Index was recorded for each cat. Univariate logistic regression was used to evaluate the association of parameters with overweight cats. Variables with a p-value < 0.10 at univariable analyses were selected for the multivariable model. Most cats were mixed- breed, 1–7 years old and neutered; 51.3% were overweight. Age higher than 7 years, neutering, being alone all day and being stressed were predictive for overweight (p < 0.05). Conversely, the presence of other animals had a protective effect (p < 0.05). A general disagreement between owners’ perception and clinical evaluation of cats’ body condition was a common and significant risk factor for overweight (OR = 8.532, 95% CI = 4.073–17.875; p < 0.001). According to the owners, many veterinarians did not inform them about their cat being overweight nor about the risks (p < 0.001). This study provides helpful information on the influence of management and environment on cats’ body condition and its relationship with cat welfare.

FIRST RECORD OF OZOGNATHUS CORNUTUS(LECONTE, 1859) (COLEOPTERAPTINIDAE) FROM SARDINIA, ITALY

Ozognathus cornutus(LeConte, 1859) is recorded on the invasivealien tree Robinia pseudocacia L.(Fabaceae) in an urban areain Italy. The species has already been reported in two other Italian regions, but this is the first record for the Sardinian fauna. Due to the great adaptability of this alienspecies and the increasingly cosmopolitan trend, we suggest monitoringit with caution forearly detection and to plan an appropriate rapid management response.

Linezolid Resistance Genes in Enterococci Isolated from Sediment and Zooplankton in Two Italian Coastal Areas.

Linezolid is a last-resort antibiotic for the treatment of severe infections caused by multidrug-resistant Gram-positive organisms; although linezolid resistance remains uncommon, the number of linezolid-resistant enterococci has increased in recent years due to worldwide spread of acquired resistance genes (cfr, optrA, and poxtA) in clinical, animal, and environmental settings. In this study, we investigated the occurrence of linezolid-resistant enterococci in marine samples from two coastal areas in Italy. Isolates grown on florfenicol-supplemented Slanetz-Bartley agar plates were investigated for their carriage of optrA, poxtA, and cfr genes; optrA was found in one Enterococcus faecalis isolate, poxtA was found in three Enterococcus faecium isolates and two Enterococcus hirae isolates, and cfr was not found. Two of the three poxtA-carrying E. faecium isolates and the two E. hirae isolates showed related pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) profiles. Two E. faecium isolates belonged to the new sequence type 1710, which clustered in clonal complex 94, encompassing nosocomial strains. S1 PFGE/hybridization assays showed a double (chromosome and plasmid) location of poxtA and a plasmid location of optrA Whole-genome sequencing revealed that poxtA was contained in a Tn6657-like element carried by two plasmids (pEfm-EF3 and pEh-GE2) of similar size, found in different species, and that poxtA was flanked by two copies of IS1216 in both plasmids. In mating experiments, all but one strain (E. faecalis EN3) were able to transfer the poxtA gene to E. faecium 64/3. The occurrence of linezolid resistance genes in enterococci from marine samples is of great concern and highlights the need to improve practices aimed at limiting the transmission of linezolid-resistant strains to humans from environmental reservoirs.IMPORTANCE Linezolid is one of the few antimicrobials available to treat severe infections due to drug-resistant Gram-positive bacteria; therefore, the emergence of linezolid-resistant enterococci carrying transferable resistance determinants is of great concern for public health. Linezolid resistance genes (cfr, optrA, and poxtA), often plasmid located, can be transmitted via horizontal gene transfer and have the potential to spread globally. This study highlights the detection of enterococci carrying linezolid resistance genes from sediment and zooplankton samples from two coastal urban areas in Italy. The presence of clinically relevant resistant bacteria, such as linezolid-resistant enterococci, in marine environments could reflect their spillover from human and/or animal reservoirs and could indicate that coastal seawaters also might represent a source of these resistance genes.

Administrative boundaries and urban areas in Italy: A perspective from scaling laws

Delineating boundaries of urban areas is no easy task, due to the inherent complexity of the problem, heterogeneity of relevant data and little consensus on how to properly measure the results. Any such delineation must eventually be cast onto administrative boundaries, an essential requirement for real-world applications. In the effort of relating administrative and alternative boundaries, we investigated in Italy the validity of general scaling laws, such as the area-population relation, and proposed a practical application. Relying on open data for population, settlements and road networks, we showed the extent to which scaling relations hold for different boundaries for urban areas, and how they compare to each other. We considered, beside Italian municipalities, urban areas based on the idea of “natural cities”, obtained using head/tail breaks of areas related to human mobility as an explicit indicator of existence of a city. Area-population data for administrative boundaries can be reconciled with scaling relations valid for both the world’s cities data and with those obtained from natural cities, provided an effective area is adopted in place of polygon planimetric area of municipalities. We eventually proposed an aggregation of administrative units using the empirical scaling relation as an objective function for accepting or rejecting pairwise fusion of boundaries. We suggest considering such a method, along with expert considerations, as an additional tool for real-world urban planning as seen from the very general perspective of seemingly abstract scaling laws.

Mutating City: Designing Events as a Matter of Social Innovation

Contemporary European cities have become so large and complex that is extremely difficult, especially in times of economic crisis, to set up for them a top-down type of project. Cities can respond in a more measured way to the inevitable ongoing change by continuously mutating, in a process of collective awareness about their real-time status. This position was built up through a plethora of bottom-up, shared actions that are co-designed and implemented, and belong to a process that encompasses also what is transient and temporary, what is ad-hoc and what relates to the digital sphere. Faced with this challenging backdrop, the subject matter of design comes into play and, by operating on services, events and analogical and digital communications, it sets itself up as a discipline that can mediate between the need to govern continuous urban mutation and the way in which this proposal can take an effective and appropriate shape. In this article, the authors take stock of the role of design within the processes of mutation that are occurring within several large urban areas in Italy, in the cities where a culture of design is prevailing over grand projects of modern-day “urban mysticism”. This study will closely examine the class of events that form a process rather than a product. As such, they can adapt easily to a logic of continuous mutation that is feather-light, sustainable and engenders participation, both when design is their pretext and when design is the instrument to give events substance and a tangible form.

The importance of ponds for the conservation of bats in urban landscapes

Ponds have an important role in the ecology of urban areas, as they provide essential habitats to aquatic species, as well as fundamental resources to terrestrial wildlife. Artificial water sites such as urban ponds provide foraging and drinking resources to synurbic wildlife, among which bats stand out as an important group. Availability of water sources may thus strongly influence the persistence of animal populations in urban habitats. Pond characteristics, as well as landscape structural patterns in the surrounding area, may modulate the use of such water sites by bats. We investigated bat species richness and activity levels in a pond archipelago within the city of Rome, one of the largest urban areas in Italy. We hypothesized that the presence of woody vegetation and hedgerows affects activity rates over ponds and that bat responses to habitat and landscape structures as well as artificial illumination are species-specific. Bat species richness was mainly influenced by the availability of wooded vegetation within 1000 m around ponds, with minor effects of the amount of bank habitat, while bat activity was affected by different habitat features in a species-specific way. All species responded positively to pond proximity to linear landscape elements such as hedgerows and to the amount of bank habitat. The presence of natural banks, the amount of woodland and that of open green areas positively influenced the activity of different species at different scales, while distances between ponds and artificial lights had a species-specific effect direction. Our results highlight the importance of key factors characterizing ponds and the surrounding habitat in urban landscapes whose appropriate management may improve the viability of synurbic bat populations.

Respiratory syncytial virus bronchiolitis, weather conditions and air pollution in an Italian urban area: An observational study

BackgroundIn this study we sought to evaluate the association between viral bronchiolitis, weather conditions, and air pollution in an urban area in Italy. MethodsWe included infants hospitalized for acute bronchiolitis from 2004 to 2014. All infants underwent a nasal washing for virus detection. A regional agency network collected meteorological data (mean temperature, relative humidity and wind velocity) and the following air pollutants: sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide, ozone, benzene and suspended particulate matter measuring less than 10 µm (PM10) and less than 2.5 µm (PM2.5) in aerodynamic diameter. We obtained mean weekly concentration data for the day of admission, from the urban background monitoring sites nearest to each child's home address. Overdispersed Poisson regression model was fitted and adjusted for seasonality of the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection, to evaluate the impact of individual characteristics and environmental factors on the probability of a being positive RSV. ResultsOf the 723 nasal washings from the infants enrolled, 266 (68%) contained RSV, 63 (16.1%) rhinovirus, 26 (6.6%) human bocavirus, 20 (5.1%) human metapneumovirus, and 16 (2.2%) other viruses. The number of RSV-positive infants correlated negatively with temperature (p < 0.001), and positively with relative humidity (p < 0.001). Air pollutant concentrations differed significantly during the peak RSV months and the other months. Benzene concentration was independently associated with RSV incidence (p = 0.0124). ConclusionsSeasonal weather conditions and concentration of air pollutants seem to influence RSV-related bronchiolitis epidemics in an Italian urban area.

Social housing mediation: education path for social workers

ABSTRACTSocial mediation constitutes an alternative method to legal proceedings, providing effective support for the management and resolution of the most common types of conflicts between individuals, within families and among neighbours, as well as other types of disputes that can arise from interactions between people. Over the last 20 years, urban areas in Italy with high concentrations of public housing have gradually become zones of social disadvantage in which conflict is widespread, due to a number of different factors. On the local level, some municipalities have started promoting innovative initiatives, thanks in part to the sharing of successful practices, both nationally and internationally. This paper presents the methodology and results of an innovative intervention of social mediation in public housing contexts, carried out in a number of municipalities in the Marche Region with financing provided under two projects of the European Fund for the Integration of non-EU Immigrants. Particular attention is given to training courses for social workers, as well as to actions carried out in public housing neighbourhoods, together with the public housing tenants, in order to manage the various issues related to housing and to prevent and deal with conflicts by reinforcing relations between neighbours.

On the effect of summer heatwaves and urban overheating on building thermal-energy performance in central Italy

Local climate phenomena impose a serious threat to the built environment. In particular, urban heat island and heatwaves can significantly affect buildings’ thermal-energy performance. The purpose of this study is to investigate summer hot periods and their impact on building thermal-energy behavior in an urban area in Italy. To this aim, the statistical analysis of the microclimate variation during monitored hot periods is performed by the analysis of local weather parameters collected from a dedicated meteorological station. Moreover, the numerical analysis of representative Italian residential buildings is carried out to determine the role of such phenomena on indoor thermal comfort and cooling energy requirements, by considering the consequences arising from heatwaves due to the indoor overheating stress. The analysis showed a strong negative correlation between temperature and relative humidity during extreme hot periods (∼−0.92). Positive correlation was noted between temperature and solar irradiance (∼0.62) and temperature and wind velocity (∼0.33). The southern winds registered in normal hot periods reduced the heat stress by cooling-down the south-facing urban surfaces. The numerical analysis demonstrated higher indoor temperature for insulated buildings, requiring more than three times the cooling requirement of traditional non-insulated buildings in extreme hot periods and exacerbating the occupants’ vulnerability.

USING PIXEL-BASED AND OBJECT-BASED METHODS TO CLASSIFY URBAN HYPERSPECTRAL FEATURES

Object-based image analysis methods have been developed recently. They have since become a very active research topic in the remote sensing community. This is mainly because the researchers have begun to study the spatial structures within the data. In contrast, pixel-based methods only use the spectral content of data. To evaluate the applicability of object-based image analysis methods for land-cover information extraction from hyperspectral data, a comprehensive comparative analysis was performed. In this study, six supervised classification methods were selected from pixel-based category, including the maximum likelihood (ML), fisher linear likelihood (FLL), support vector machine (SVM), binary encoding (BE), spectral angle mapper (SAM) and spectral information divergence (SID). The classifiers were conducted on several features extracted from original spectral bands in order to avoid the problem of the Hughes phenomenon, and obtain a sufficient number of training samples. Three supervised and four unsupervised feature extraction methods were used. Pixel based classification was conducted in the first step of the proposed algorithm. The effective feature number (EFN) was then obtained. Image objects were thereafter created using the fractal net evolution approach (FNEA), the segmentation method implemented in eCognition software. Several experiments have been carried out to find the best segmentation parameters. The classification accuracy of these objects was compared with the accuracy of the pixel-based methods. In these experiments, the Pavia University Campus hyperspectral dataset was used. This dataset was collected by the ROSIS sensor over an urban area in Italy. The results reveal that when using any combination of feature extraction and classification methods, the performance of object-based methods was better than pixel-based ones. Furthermore the statistical analysis of results shows that on average, there is almost an 8 percent improvement in classification accuracy when we use the object-based methods.

Patterns of Sprawl: The Socioeconomic and Territorial Profile of Dispersed Urban Areas in Italy

Salvati L. and Carlucci M. Patterns of sprawl: the socioeconomic and territorial profile of dispersed urban areas in Italy, Regional Studies. The debate on the causes and consequences of urban sprawl has not led to a widely accepted interpretative framework so far. However, to formulate effective sustainable development policies, a comprehensive analysis of sprawl is becoming more and more urgent in Europe. Through an exploratory data analysis of the spatial distribution of 132 indicators (regarded as socioeconomic and environmental factors of urban sprawl) in 8100 Italian municipalities affected by different levels of settlement dispersion, this study discusses place-specific factors that depend on the socioeconomic context and lead to diverging models of sprawl throughout the country. The illustrated methodology produces an informative base possibly supporting urban containment and sustainable development policies in ‘sprawling’ regions.

Dietary intake of trace elements, minerals, and vitamins of patients on chronic hemodialysis

We aimed to estimate dietary intakes of trace elements, minerals, and vitamins in hemodialysis patients (HDP) of three centers in one metropolitan and two urban areas of Italy. Daily dietary intake was assessed using a 3-day diet diary in 128 HDP. Mean daily intakes of trace elements were as follows: zinc, 7.6 ± 5.4 mg; copper, 14.3 ± 11.8 mg; selenium, 28.3 ± 18.1 μg; and iron, 7.2 ± 4.1 mg (7.8 ± 2.6 mg in women, 6.9 ± 2.4 mg in men). The distribution of patients by daily intakes of trace elements showed most were under the recommended values, with the exception of copper intake, which was much higher. Mean daily intakes of minerals were as follows: magnesium, 174.4 ± 94.3 mg; phosphorus, 842.6 ± 576.8 mg; calcium, 371.8 ± 363.7 mg; potassium, 1,616.2 ± 897.3 mg; and sodium, 1,350 ± 1,281 mg. Mean daily intakes of vitamins were as follows: vitamin A, 486.1 ± 544.6 μg; vitamin B1, 0.86 ± 0.7 mg; vitamin B2, 1.1 ± 0.7 mg; vitamin B3, 13.3 ± 8.1 mg; vitamin C, 47.8 ± 50.3 mg; and vitamin E, 9.5 ± 3.6 mg. The distribution of patients by daily intakes of vitamins showed most were under the recommended values. Daily intakes of trace elements and vitamins were similar among the three centers and did not differ between dialysis and non-dialysis days. Many HDP have daily dietary intakes of trace elements and vitamins below the recommended values, whereas the intake of copper is much higher.

Dietary intake of macronutrients and fiber in Mediterranean patients on chronic hemodialysis

We aimed to measure the dietary intake of calories, proteins, carbohydrates, lipids and fiber in patients on chronic hemodialysis (HD) at 3 centers in 1 metropolitan and 2 urban areas of Italy, and to evaluate whether it met the dietary guidelines for cardiovascular risk reduction. Daily dietary intake was assessed through a 3-day diet diary in 128 HD patients at the hemodialysis units of the Catholic University of Rome, Hospital A. Murri of Jesi and Hospital Principe di Piemonte of Senigallia, Italy. Mean dietary calorie and protein intakes were 22.9 ± 9.1 kcal/kg per day and 0.95 ± 0.76 g protein/kg per day, respectively. Daily carbohydrate and lipid intakes as a percentage of total calorie intake were 51.8% ± 8.9% and 32.1% ± 7.1%. Mean daily dietary cholesterol intake was 206.6 ± 173.6 mg. Mean daily dietary intakes of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids were 0.49 ± 0.28 g and 5.1 ± 2.5 g, respectively, while the mean ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 intake was 11.5 ± 4.8. Forty-eighty percent of patients had an omega-6 to omega-3 ratio =10. Mean daily dietary intakes of saturated fatty acids (SFAs), monounsaturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids were 5.5 ± 3.3 g, 28.9 ± 9.1 g and 3.1 ± 1.7 g, respectively. Ninety-six percent of HD patients had an SFA intake <10% of total calories. Most unsaturated fatty acids intakes were under the value of =30%. Mean daily dietary fiber intake was 11.8 ± 6.1 g. In HD patients from a Mediterranean country (Italy), daily intakes of calories, proteins and fiber were lower than the recommended values, whereas the intake of lipids was closer to being adequate.

A Comparative Analysis of Powered Two Wheelers Crash Severity among Different Urban Areas

Powered Two-Wheelers are greatly represented in fatal crashes, above all in urban areas accounting for 21% of all road fatalities by mode of transport in EU. In an international comparison of PTWs crashes, Italy assumes a leadership accounting 30% of deaths on the total losses in crashes in urban area. In this paper a Bayesian approach is used to analyze proportion of PTWs fatal crashes with respect to total number involving a PTW in different urban areas in Italy. Proportion of fatalities is used as measure of severity risk which can be ranked in order to identify anomalous situations.

High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein Is Within Normal Levels at the Very Onset of First ST-Segment Elevation Acute Myocardial Infarction in 41% of Cases: A Multiethnic Case-Control Study

This study sought to assess the prevalence of normal levels of high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) at the very onset of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Levels of hsCRP ≥2 mg/l identify individuals who benefit from lipid lowering and possibly anti-inflammatory agents, but how many patients develop infarction in spite of hsCRP levels <2 mg/l and thus would be ineligible for these treatments? We studied 887 patients with unequivocally documented STEMI as the first manifestation of coronary disease and 887 matched control subjects from urban areas of Italy, Scotland, and China. Blood samples were obtained before reperfusion strategies <6 h from symptoms onset in order to limit acute event-related increases. hsCRP values were similar in samples obtained <2 h, 2 to 4 h, and 4 to 6 h from symptoms onset in all ethnic groups, consistent with the delayed hsCRP elevation after myocardial necrosis and thus indicative of pre-infarction levels. Median hsCRP values were significantly higher in patients than in control subjects: 2.49 (interquartile range [IQR]: 1.18 to 5.55) mg/l versus 1.32 (IQR: 0.58 to 3.10) mg/l (p < 0.0001), which is consistent with previous findings. However, 41% of patients had hsCRP levels <2 mg/l and conversely, 37% of control subjects had values ≥2 mg/l. The measurement of hsCRP, with a 2 mg/l cutoff, would not have predicted 41% of unequivocally documented STEMIs in 3 ethnic groups without evidence of previous coronary disease, thus indicating both its limitations as an individual prognostic marker and as an indicator of a generalized inflammatory pathogenetic component of STEMI. New specific prognostic and therapeutic approaches should be found for such a large fraction of patients at risk.