Search results for "Italy"
showing 10 items of 2893 documents
Altered expression of inflammation-related genes in human carotid atherosclerotic plaques.
2011
Abstract Objective Inflammation is a pivotal process in atherosclerosis development and progression, but the underlying molecular mechanisms remain largely obscure. We have conducted an extensive expression study of atherosclerotic plaques to identify the inflammatory pathways involved in atherosclerosis. Methods We studied 11 human carotid plaques, their respective adjacent regions and 7 control arteries from different subjects. Expression of 92 genes was studied by TaqMan low-density array human inflammation panel. Human aortic endothelial and smooth muscle cells were used for in vitro experiments. Results The mRNA levels of 44/92 genes (48%) differed significantly between the tissues exa…
Metabolic syndrome (MetS) predicts cardio and cerebrovascular events in a twenty years follow-up. A prospective study.
2012
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a cluster of cardiovascular risk factors, considered as emerging and promoting atherosclerosis. This study aimed at the evaluation of the influence of MetS on the prediction of cerebro and cardiovascular events during a 20 years follow-up period in an asymptomatic population of middle-aged subjects. METHODS: We evaluated 529 asymptomatic persons through a prospective study. Study population was divided into two subgroups: patients with and without MetS. Echo-color-Doppler was used in order to assess the presence of subclinical atherosclerosis. A 20 years follow-up study was carried out in order to estimate the incidence of cerebro and car…
Consumer attitude toward using smart shopping carts: a comparative analysis of Italian and Croatian consumer attitudes
2016
This paper aims to explore consumer attitudes toward using smart shopping cart, considering country of origin, gender, age, and intentions to use smart shopping carts while purchasing. Moreover, it investigates the influence of extracted factors on consumers' attitudes toward using smart shopping carts and the users' levels of digital competence. The data was collected through survey questionnaires using a purposive sample of 313 Croatian and Italian respondents. To this end, we applied statistical methodologies such as binary logistic regression, factor analysis, and analysis of variance. We found that, compared with Croatians, Italian respondents have a more positive attitude toward using…
Prominence and centralization: a two-way contrast between lexical and epenthetic non-labial high vowels in Algherese Catalan
2015
Algherese Catalan has the peculiarity of presenting an inserted [i] vowel across words in order to avoid certain consonant codas. In this study, we compare five acoustic features of this epenthetic segment (i.e., duration, intensity, and the three first formants) with those of lexical /i/ vowels, both stressed and unstressed. The results indicate that the three vowels present differences only with respect to duration, F2 and, to a lesser extent, F3. The second formant values decline progressively from the lexical stressed vowels to the inserted unstressed segments, with lexical unstressed segments at an intermediate point. This gradation mirrors the relative prominence of each vowel. The di…
Microbial diversity of traditional Sicilian cheeses
2017
In the last years, the microbial characterisation of traditional Sicilian cheeses, such as Caciocavallo Palermitano, Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) Pecorino Siciliano and PDO Vastedda della valle del Belìce have been the object of different studies conducted by our research group. To this purpose, the aim of the present study was to describe the microbial population of traditional Sicilian cheeses.
Effect of the natural winemaking process applied at industrial level on the microbiological and chemical characteristics of wine.
2013
The composition of yeast and lactic acid bacteria (LAB) communities and the chemical evolution of the large-scale commercial vinification of Catarratto IGT Sicilia, carried out under the biological regime, was followed from grape harvest until bottling. Simultaneously to the maximum growth of yeasts, LAB counts reached high level of concentration (6-7 log CFU mL(-1)) during the first steps of the alcoholic fermentation. Yeast identification was determined applying different molecular methods. The highest species biodiversity was observed on grape and must samples taken soon after pressing. Saccharomyces cerevisiae was detected at dominant concentrations during the entire winemaking process.…
Urban water quality modelling: a parsimonious holistic approach for a complex real case study
2010
In the past three decades, scientific research has focused on the preservation of water resources, and in particular, on the polluting impact of urban areas on natural water bodies. One approach to this research has involved the development of tools to describe the phenomena that take place on the urban catchment during both wet and dry periods. Research has demonstrated the importance of the integrated analysis of all the transformation phases that characterise the delivery and treatment of urban water pollutants from source to outfall. With this aim, numerous integrated urban drainage models have been developed to analyse the fate of pollution from urban catchments to the final receiving …
The Italian validation of the Montreal Global definition and classification of gastroesophageal reflux disease
2009
Recently, a Global definition and a classification of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) were developed by Montreal Consensus Group, composed of international expert gastroenterologists. Guidelines and consensus documents are, however, infrequently accepted and adopted at a local level. The aim of this study was to measure the acceptance of Montreal Global definition of GERD consensus document by specialists in a single country (Italy) and to measure the linguistic, scientific, and practical differences between the international consensus document and the Italian version.A 2-day meeting was held in June 2007 in Rome, Italy, attended by 147 Italian physicians who were experts in gastroen…
Taxonomic Identity, Geographic Distribution, and Commercial Exploitation of the Culinary-Medicinal Mushroom Pleurotus nebrodensis (Basidiomycetes)
2016
An updated overview of the outcome of studies conducted on the culinary-medicinal mushroom Pleurotus nebrodensis is presented by placing emphasis on the clarification of the taxonomic identity of P. nebrodensis and other related taxa possessing entirely white to cream basidiomes, which grow in association with different plants of the family Apiaceae. Cultivation techniques, quality of the product sold and sales price, as well as nutritional and medicinal aspects are discussed. Taking also into consideration the high economic importance of P. nebrodensis, it is essential to proceed with the verification of the commercial strains currently available in the international market under the name …
Sino-Italian Encounters in the Late Qing Press (1872–1911)
2020
Through the analysis of the portrait of Italy in late Imperial Chinese press, this paper intends to adopts “a more reflective use of the contact zone as a thinking device”, as malleable conceptual space that allows to analyze the interaction between the two countries in a precarious historical moment, and to explore the scale of power undergoing such dynamics. In order to do so, three aspects of the Sino-Italian encounter and national representation will be explored: Balance of power. At the beginning of the 90’s Marie Louise Pratt’s studies on the asymmetrical encounter among different sociocultural entities resulted in the spatial idea of “contact zone”. Although, Since historians agreed …