The implication of MBL deficient haplotypes in acute coronary syndrome

B-type natriuretic peptides and thyroid disease

Association between homocysteinemia and metabolic syndrome in patients with cardiovascular disease

Abstract BACKGROUND: This is an observational study undertaken in aim to evaluate the association between metabolic syndrome (MS) and high homocysteinemia (HHcy) in relation with cardiovascular disease (CVD). METHODS: The study involved 126 subjects with angiographically documented CVD and 65 healthy subjects. MS has been diagnosed according to the ATP III criteria and plasma homocysteine concentration has been evaluated. RESULTS: In patients with CVD the prevalence of MS and HHcy is 17.4% and 25.4% respectively; MS coexists with HHcy in 67.2% of patients; analogous results can be observed among men and women. HHcy and MS are associated with CVD (OR 2.53, 95% CI 1.95-12.43 and OR 5.74, 95% …

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Regionalization processes in agricultural and environmental policies. A regional typologies comparative analysis to identifying fragile areas

This paper, affecting an analysis comparative of the different regional typologies, it analyzes the concept of weakness, with reference to the phenomena of degrade and disarrangement of the grounds, inside the processes of identification of functional territorial articulations to the statistical analysis and the decisions of policy, showing as despite the existence of a fed together of interpretations none of the examined typologies both indeed able to furnish a representation suitable of the phenomenon, since the different procedures of regionalization introduce not suitable discriminatory methodologies.

AREE DISMESSE ED ORTI URBANI: UN “VALORE SOCIALE COMPLESSO” NELLE CITTÀ Abandoned areas and urban gardens: a "complex social value" in the cities

The contribution to the welfare of citizens that urban gardens can generate represents a "social use-value". The social value of horticulture in cities can be expressed by means of an appropriate set of indicators describing the produced values. The proposed work, which is the result of an interdisciplinary collaboration, highlights the potentiality of abandoned and degraded urban areas, and intends to outline a model for the assessment of the social value generated by the introduction of "urban gardens". The proposed model can be utilised for selecting the most suitable areas for the use in question, for monitoring the effects of policies for urban gardens on urban sustainability, and for …

A risk score derived from the analysis of a cluster of 27 serum inflammatory cytokines to predict long term outcome in patients with acute myocardial infarction: A pilot study

Objective. The aim of our study was to evaluate the clinical utility and prognostic significance of a cluster of 27 serum cytokines for risk stratification after myocardial infarction. Materials and Methods. We enrolled 33 consecutive patients admitted to our institution for acute myocardial infarction and prospectively followed. We evaluated traditional cardiovascular risk factors and assayed, during the acute phase, 27 serum cytokines (IL-1, IL-1ra, IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL -7, IL-8, IL-9, IL-10, IL-12, IL-13, IL-15, IL-17, EOTAXIN, FGF, G-CSF, GM-CSF, IFN-γ, IP-10, MCP-1, MIP-1α, MIP-1ß, PDGF, RANTES, TNF-α, VEGF) potentially associated with cardiovascular risk. Patients were divided i…

THE DEVELOPMENT AND FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY OF A TOURIST NETWORK FOR A COASTAL REGION

This study springs from a reflection on the concept of the Slow Network as a tool to strengthen the connection between a territory and its inhabitants, through the rediscovery of the agro-environmental, landscape, historical, artistic, and cultural value of each territory. Creating a slow network means utilising slow mean of mobility thus creating a "greenway" to give life to an ecomuseum and to cultural tourism in an eco-sustainable manner. The resources of an area are enhanced by creating a synergy between them, the tourism industry, and the local economy, which is dedicated to the promotion of an integrated tourism that involves rural areas, natural areas, eno gastronomic tours, and them…

Aspects and problems of changing economic utilization of the land in Italy and the corresponding soil consumption

The study moves from the observation that, in the last fifty years (1961-2010) the territory of our country, like those of other countries with advanced economies, has undergone extensive economic processes of change in the use of land, mostly due to a strong reduction of Agricultural Area Use (AAU), whose consistency - on the basis of official statistics (National Statistics Institute) and, in particular, the results of the General Census of Agriculture - is estimated at around 7,8 million hectares, from 20, 7 million hectares in 1961 to 12,9 million in 2010. It should be noted in fact that the intensity of the processes of reduction of the UAA was much greater in the first three decades, …

Serum Fetuin A concentration in patients on Hemodialysis

Low serum Fetuin A levels and cardiovascular events in End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) patients.

The atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) is frequently observed in End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) patients; according to the hypothesis of non-traditional risk factors for CVD, accelerated atherogenesis in these patients could be linked to both vascular calcification and inflammation. 2-Heremans-Schmid Glycoprotein (AHSG) also known as Fetuin-A, is considered a negative marker of inflammation and represents one of the in vivo circulating calcification modulators; these molecules are proteins working as endogenous inhibitors of Ca×PO4 precipitation and are probably involved in the pathogenesis vascular calcification. Aim of this study is to evaluate the differences in serum Fetuin-A …