Search results for "Italy"
showing 10 items of 2893 documents
Variant GII.4 noroviruses in Italian children
2009
Objectives: Among human noroviruses (NoVs), a few genogroup II strains of genotype 4 (GII.4) are dominant worldwide. GII.4 NoVs evolve rapidly and in 2006 two new epidemic variants have been identified. To investigate the circulation of GII.4 NoV variants in Italy a sequence analysis was performed on NoV strains obtained from children hospitalized for sporadic viral gastroenteritis in Palermo. Methods: A total of 465 faecal specimens were collected from children (< 5 years) hospitalized from January 2005 to December 2006. The presence of NoVs was detected by RT-PCR using primers JV12/JV13, targeting the region A of the RNA-dependent RNA-polymerase (RdRp) gene. NoV strains were genotyped by …
The forest vegetation from the Garda lake
1998
A study about the forest vegetation occurring along the shores of the Garda lake is presented. The investigation emphasized a noteworthy vegetation diversity, related both to the habitat heterogenity and to the still present traces of several climatic changes that affected the area beginning from the Quaternary period. The examinated woodlands are the result of a compenetration between evergreen characteristic species of the Quercetea ilicis class, representing relicts of the climacic vegetation during the peak of the post-glacial anathermic phase, and deciduous mesothermophilous elements belonging to the Querco-Fagetea class order, which better reflect the present macroclimate. On the basi…
Le "due Italie" nella medievistica dell'Otto-Novecento
2021
ITALIANO: L’ormai più che secolare dibattito sulla Questione meridionale ha una stretta relazione con le tendenze della medievistica italiana nell’epoca della sua professionalizzazione. Lo schema di “due Italie”, rispettivamente caratterizzate dallo sviluppo comunale del Centro-Nord e dalla “arretratezza feudale” del Mezzogiorno, ha origine soprattutto nella costruzione di un canone interpretativo che ha fatto della “civiltà comunale” il centro caratterizzante del Medioevo italiano, leggendo la vicenda meridionale in termini di “assenza di sviluppo”. Tale lettura è stata condivisa dalla storiografia internazionale e da quella italiana fino a tempi recenti. Il saggio illustra e discute le ra…
Nutritional profile of Ager cheese selection
2021
Food labels are the main method to ensure that consumers are appropriately informed as regards the food they consume. In Europe, the provision of food information to consumers is regulated by specific laws, including (i) the European Regulation (EU) no 1169/2011, which regulates the mandatory food information including a list of mandatory particulars and nutritional declarations and (ii) the European Regulation (CE) no 1924/2006, concerning the voluntary nutrition and health claims (NHC) made on foods. Nutrient profiling involves the classification and ranking of foods according to their nutritional composition to prevent disease and promote health. For this purpose, the following 14 cheese…
OZOGNATHUS CORNUTUS (LECONTE, 1859) (Coleoptera Anobiidae), NEW RECORD FOR ITALY
2014
Prima segnalazione di Ozognathus cornutus (LeConte, 1859) (Coleoptera Anobiidae) in Italia
Materials and Tools across Volcanoes: Exploitation of Georesources in Piano dei Cardoni (Ustica, Italy) during Prehistory.
2021
The paper aims at merging the first results from the analyses of the georesources exploited in the site of Piano dei Cardoni (Ustica island, Italy) during the Neolithic phases of its occupation (Middle-Late Neolithic, 4.7-4.2 ka cal BC). Grinding tools consist of a very varied typology of local volcanic rocks, easy to collect and available very close to the investigated site. A selection of shapes and lithology is applied to reach the best performance of the tools. The elevated number of grinders, pestles, mortars testify to an intense activity of food/plant processing in the site. The absence of chert or obsidian resources on the island pushed the human communities to import such raw ma…
Bioaccessibility of Deoxynivalenol and its natural co-occurrence with Ochratoxin A and Aflatoxin B1 in Italian commercial pasta
2012
Abstract Cereals products for direct human consumption are rarely contaminated by moulds, unlike raw materials, which are often infected, either in the field or during storage. In this study, 27 samples of dried pasta characterised by size, packaging and marketing intended for young children consumption were collected and analysed by liquid chromatography (LC) and liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) for Deoxynivalenol (DON), Ochratoxin A (OTA) and Aflatoxin B 1 (AFB 1 ) determination. The samples that showed the highest amounts of one of the mycotoxins were cooked for 10 min, digested with an in vitro gastrointestinal protocol and bioaccessibility values were calculate…
Mycotoxin contamination of animal feedingstuff: detoxification by gamma irradiation and reduction of aflatoxins and ochratoxin A concentrations
2014
Mycotoxins are fungal secondary metabolites identified in many agricultural products screened for toxigenic moulds. They have been reported to be carcinogenic, teratogenic, tremorogenic, haemorrhagic and dermatitic to a wide range of organisms. With the increasing stringent regulations for mycotoxins imposed by importing countries such as those of the European Union, many cereals that are not safe for human consumption are used in formulations intended for animal feed. Gamma-rays are reported in the scientific literature to destroy ochratoxin A and aflatoxin in food crops and feed. The present study provides preliminary data for establishing the effect of dose of gamma-irradiation, ranging …
Presence of ochratoxin A (OTA) mycotoxin in alcoholic drinks from southern European countries: wine and beer.
2014
The main filamentous fungi producers of mycotoxins are Aspergillus spp., Penicillium spp., and Fusarium spp. Their effect can provoke a broad range of toxic properties including carcinogenicity and neurotoxicity, as well as reproductive and developmental toxicities. Ochratoxin A (OTA) is produced by Aspergillus and Penicillium spp. The purpose of this review was to evaluate the risk assessment of OTA in alcoholic drinks (beer and wine) by compiling the results obtained from studies and reviews related to the presence of OTA in these two drinks from southern European countries in the period 2005–2013 and comparing those results with the legislation available in the European Union.
A polyphasic approach to the identification of ochratoxin A-producing black Aspergillus isolates from vineyards in Sicily.
2008
Aspergillus strains belonging to section Nigri isolated during a two year survey in eight Sicilian vineyards located on the slopes of Mount Etna (Sicily, Italy) were analysed analyzed in order to characterize species responsible for ochratoxin A (OTA) contamination of grapes. The polyphasic approach permitted analysis of biodiversity of Aspergillus isolates in relation to their morphology, ochratoxigenicity and genetic variability. We assessed OTA production by A. carbonarius, A. niger, A. tubingensis and A. japonicus using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. A. carbonarius isolates were the strongest OTA producers. A subset of 66 representative strains was selected for further DNA-based …