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The economic burden of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in Europe: results from a systematic review of the literature

Rehman AU, Hassali MAA, Muhammad SA, Harun SN, Shah S, Abbas S

Eur J Health Econ, 2020 Mar;21(2):181-194.
PMID: 31564007 DOI: 10.1007/s10198-019-01119-1

OBJECTIVES: To find the economic burden of COPD and to identify the key cost drivers in the management of COPD patients across different European countries.
BACKGROUND: COPD is a major cause of mortality and morbidity and is associated with considerable economic burden on the individual and society. It limits the daily activities and working ability of the patients.
METHODOLOGY: We conducted a systematic search of PUBMED, SCIENCE DIRECT, Cochrane CENTRAL, SCOPUS, Google Scholar and SAGE Premier Databases to find scientific research articles evaluating the cost of COPD management from patient and societal perspective.
RESULTS: Estimated per patient per year direct cost in Norway, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Greece, Belgium, and Serbia was €10,701, €9580, €7847, €7448, €7045, €2896, €1963, and €2047, respectively. Annual per patient cost of work productivity loss was highest in Germany as €5735 and lowest in Greece as €998. It was estimated as €4824, €2033 and €1298 in Bulgaria, Denmark and Sweden, respectively. Several factors found associated with increasing cost of COPD management that include but not limited to late diagnosis, severity of disease, frequency of exacerbation, hospital readmissions, non-adherence to the therapy and exposure to COPD risk factors.
CONCLUSION: Minimizing the COPD exacerbations and controlling the worsening of symptoms may potentially reduce the cost of COPD management at any stage.

Matched MeSH terms: Italy
Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis is not discerned in diabetes mellitus patients in Hyderabad, India

Rani PS, Doddam SN, Agrawal S, Hasnain SE, Sechi LA, Kumar A, et al.

Int J Med Microbiol, 2014 Jul;304(5-6):620-5.
PMID: 24863528 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijmm.2014.04.010

Mycobacterium avium ssp. paratuberculosis (MAP) is an obligate intracellular pathogen. It causes chronic intestinal inflammation in ruminants known as Johne's disease and is associated with human Crohn's disease. Furthermore, association of MAP with other autoimmune diseases, such as type-1 diabetes, has been established in patients from Sardinia (Italy) which is a MAP endemic and genetically isolated region. Due to largest livestock population and consequently high MAP prevalence amidst a very high diabetes incidence in India, we sought to test this association on a limited number of patient samples from Hyderabad. Our results of ELISA with MAP lysate and MAP-specific protein MAP3738c as well as PCR/real-time PCR of MAP-specific sequences IS900 and/or f57 indicated that, in contrast to Sardinian diabetic patients, MAP infection in blood is not discerned in diabetic patients in Hyderabad. The association of a mycobacterial trigger with diabetes therefore could well be a population-specific phenomenon, highly dependent on genetic repertoire and the environment of susceptible populations. However, a larger study is needed in order to confirm this.

Matched MeSH terms: Italy
Stochastic convergence of renewable energy consumption in OECD countries: a fractional integration approach

Solarin SA, Gil-Alana LA, Al-Mulali U

Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2018 Jun;25(18):17289-17299.
PMID: 29651729 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-018-1920-7

In this article, we have examined the hypothesis of convergence of renewable energy consumption in 27 OECD countries. However, instead of relying on classical techniques, which are based on the dichotomy between stationarity I(0) and nonstationarity I(1), we consider a more flexible approach based on fractional integration. We employ both parametric and semiparametric techniques. Using parametric methods, evidence of convergence is found in the cases of Mexico, Switzerland and Sweden along with the USA, Portugal, the Czech Republic, South Korea and Spain, and employing semiparametric approaches, we found evidence of convergence in all these eight countries along with Australia, France, Japan, Greece, Italy and Poland. For the remaining 13 countries, even though the orders of integration of the series are smaller than one in all cases except Germany, the confidence intervals are so wide that we cannot reject the hypothesis of unit roots thus not finding support for the hypothesis of convergence.

Matched MeSH terms: Italy
Perfluorooctanesulfonate and related fluorochemicals in human blood from several countries

Kannan K, Corsolini S, Falandysz J, Fillmann G, Kumar KS, Loganathan BG, et al.

Environ Sci Technol, 2004 Sep 1;38(17):4489-95.
PMID: 15461154

Perfluorooctanesulfonyl fluoride based compounds have been used in a wide variety of consumer products, such as carpets, upholstery, and textiles. These compounds degrade to perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS), a persistent metabolite that accumulates in tissues of humans and wildlife. Previous studies have reported the occurrence of PFOS, perfluorohexanesulfonate (PFHxS), perfluorooctanoate (PFOA), and perfluorooctanesulfonamide (PFOSA) in human sera collected from the United States. In this study, concentrations of PFOS, PFHxS, PFOA, and PFOSA were measured in 473 human blood/serum/plasma samples collected from the United States, Colombia, Brazil, Belgium, Italy, Poland, India, Malaysia, and Korea. Among the four perfluorochemicals measured, PFOS was the predominant compound found in blood. Concentrations of PFOS were the highest in the samples collected from the United States and Poland (>30 ng/mL); moderate in Korea, Belgium, Malaysia, Brazil, Italy, and Colombia (3 to 29 ng/mL); and lowest in India (<3 ng/mL). PFOA was the next most abundant perfluorochemical in blood samples, although the frequency of occurrence of this compound was relatively low. No age- or gender-related differences in the concentrations of PFOS and PFOA were found in serum samples. The degree of association between the concentrations of four perfluorochemicals varied, depending on the origin of the samples. These results suggested the existence of sources with varying levels and compositions of perfluorochemicals, and differences in exposure patterns to these chemicals, in various countries. In addition to the four target fluorochemicals measured, qualitative analysis of selected blood samples showed the presence of other perfluorochemicals such as perfluorodecanesulfonate (PFDS), perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHpA), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA), perfluorododecanoic acid (PFDoA), and perfluoroundecanoic acid (PFUnDA) in serum samples, at concentrations approximately 5- to 10-fold lower than the concentration of PFOS. Further studies should focus on identifying sources and pathways of human exposure to perfluorochemicals.

Matched MeSH terms: Italy
A walk of corporate sustainability towards sustainable development: a bibliometric analysis of literature from 2005 to 2021

Jan AA, Lai FW, Siddique J, Zahid M, Ali SEA

Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2023 Mar;30(13):36521-36532.
PMID: 36547839 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-022-24842-4

Recent years have seen a burgeoning interest in the involvement of corporate sustainability (CS) in sustainable development (SD), yet both concepts are fewer and newer in the academic field. This study aims to present a thorough bibliometric analysis that provides fresh new insights on the subject. Using VOSviewer software, this study analyzed and visualized 1214 documents for the period 2005-2021 in the Web of Science (WoS) database. The findings of the study indicate that the co-theme CS and SD are lasting but thriving research subjects. The findings also revealed that authors from the USA published the highest number of articles followed by the UK, Spain, Italy, and Germany. The co-authorship network showed strong links between these countries. Three main clusters are identified based on research titles frequently co-cited and have significant co-citation connections. In general, this study provides valuable insight into the current status and future trends for research on SDGs. The outcome of the study could be useful to policymakers, regulators, sustainability practitioners, and researchers in understanding the key research areas, influential authors, institutions, and countries actively involved in the field. Considering the involvement of corporate sustainability in sustainable development is a useful and informative endeavor for all community actors. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first comprehensive study that presents the holistic picture of CS and SD-related research to identify the knowledge map between the two subjects.

Matched MeSH terms: Italy
Redescriptions of species of Tetrarhynchobothrium Diesing, 1850 and Didymorhynchus Beveridge & Campbell, 1988 (Cestoda: Trypanorhyncha), with the description of Zygorhynchus borneensis n. sp

Beveridge I

Syst Parasitol, 2008 Feb;69(2):75-88.
PMID: 18038196

Tetrarhynchobothrium tenuicolle Diesing, 1850 is redescribed from the type-specimens collected from Raja clavata Linnaeus in the Adriatic Sea. T. striatum (Wagener, 1854) is redescribed from voucher specimens from the type host, Myliobatis aquila Linnaeus, from the type-locality, off Naples, Italy. The two species are very similar in tentacular armature, but are provisionally maintained as independent species, since the armature of T. tenuicolle cannot be fully described and because all available specimens of T. striatum are immature, limiting comparisons of potential differences in segment anatomy. T. setiense Dollfus, 1969 is treated as a synonym of T. striatum. Zygorhynchus borneensis n. sp. is described from Himantura uarnacoides (Bleeker) and H. pastinacoides (Bleeker) off Sabah, Malaysia. The new species is distinguished from its congeners by the very small hooks present in the basal region and by the presence of a uterine pore. The metabasal tentacular armature of Didymorhynchus southwelli Beveridge & Campbell, 1988, described for the first time, is homeoacanthous and homeomorphous in form. However, it has a basal swelling with hook rows originating on the bothrial surface and terminating on the antibothrial surface of the tentacle.

Matched MeSH terms: Italy
Summary of an eleven-country study of socio-legal measures to combat drug abuse and related crime

Asuni T, Bruno F

Bull Narc, 1984 Jul-Sep;36(3):3-8.
PMID: 6570650

In a comparative study of a group of experimental and control subjects in Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, Japan, Jordan, Italy, Malaysia, Singapore and the United States of America (State of New York), and of the results of independent studies conducted in Sweden and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a rather close association was found to exist between drug abuse, criminal behaviour and social attitudes to such problems. Both drug abuse and the socio-legal systems varied greatly in the countries involved. No correlation was found between the level of foreseen or actual harshness of the socio-legal system and the level of seriousness of drug abuse and its associated criminality, but there was a significant correlation between knowledge of the law and the efficacy of the socio-legal system. In each country informal control systems, such as the family, church, school, neighbourhood and work environment, were active. Approximately one half of the subjects that were interviewed from countries with the most punitive socio-legal systems perceived informal controls as harsh and punitive while in the other countries such controls were generally perceived as positive. The study encouraged the review, testing and implementation of alternative measures to penal sanctions, particularly with a view to creating a genuine therapeutic approach to correcting the deviant behaviour of drug abusers.

Matched MeSH terms: Italy
Fulltext The Evolving Role of Ultrasound Guided Percutaneous Laser Ablation in Elderly Unresectable Breast Cancer Patients: A Feasibility Pilot Study

Nori J, Gill MK, Meattini I, Delli Paoli C, Abdulcadir D, Vanzi E, et al.

Biomed Res Int, 2018;2018:9141746.
PMID: 29992167 DOI: 10.1155/2018/9141746

Background and Objectives: Breast-conserving surgery represents the standard of care for the treatment of small breast cancers. However, there is a population of patients who cannot undergo the standard surgical procedures due to several reasons such as age, performance status, or comorbidity. Our aim was to investigate the feasibility and safety of percutaneous US-guided laser ablation for unresectable unifocal breast cancer (BC).
Methods: Between December 2012 and March 2017, 12 consecutive patients underwent percutaneous US-guided laser ablation as radical treatment of primary inoperable unifocal BC.
Results: At median follow-up of 28.5 months (range 6-51), no residual disease or progression occurred; the overall success rate for complete tumor ablation was therefore 100%. No significant operative side effects were observed, with only 2 (13.3%) experiencing slight to mild pain during the procedure, and all patients complained of a mild dull aching pain in the first week after procedure.
Conclusions: Laser ablation promises to be a safe and feasible approach in those patients who are not eligible to the standard surgical approach. However, longer follow-up results and larger studies are strongly needed.

Matched MeSH terms: Italy
Fulltext Statistical analysis plan for the Alveolar Recruitment for Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Trial (ART). A randomized controlled trial

Damiani LP, Berwanger O, Paisani D, Laranjeira LN, Suzumura EA, Amato MBP, et al.

Rev Bras Ter Intensiva, 2017 Apr-Jun;29(2):142-153.
PMID: 28977255 DOI: 10.5935/0103-507X.20170024

BACKGROUND: The Alveolar Recruitment for Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Trial (ART) is an international multicenter randomized pragmatic controlled trial with allocation concealment involving 120 intensive care units in Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Malaysia, Spain, and Uruguay. The primary objective of ART is to determine whether maximum stepwise alveolar recruitment associated with PEEP titration, adjusted according to the static compliance of the respiratory system (ART strategy), is able to increase 28-day survival in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome compared to conventional treatment (ARDSNet strategy).

OBJECTIVE: To describe the data management process and statistical analysis plan.

METHODS: The statistical analysis plan was designed by the trial executive committee and reviewed and approved by the trial steering committee. We provide an overview of the trial design with a special focus on describing the primary (28-day survival) and secondary outcomes. We describe our data management process, data monitoring committee, interim analyses, and sample size calculation. We describe our planned statistical analyses for primary and secondary outcomes as well as pre-specified subgroup analyses. We also provide details for presenting results, including mock tables for baseline characteristics, adherence to the protocol and effect on clinical outcomes.

CONCLUSION: According to best trial practice, we report our statistical analysis plan and data management plan prior to locking the database and beginning analyses. We anticipate that this document will prevent analysis bias and enhance the utility of the reported results.

TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01374022.

Matched MeSH terms: Italy
Approaches for controlling illicit tobacco trade--nine countries and the European Union

Ross H, Husain MJ, Kostova D, Xu X, Edwards SM, Chaloupka FJ, et al.

MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep, 2015 May 29;64(20):547-50.
PMID: 26020137

An estimated 11.6% of the world cigarette market is illicit, representing more than 650 billion cigarettes a year and $40.5 billion in lost revenue. Illicit tobacco trade refers to any practice related to distributing, selling, or buying tobacco products that is prohibited by law, including tax evasion (sale of tobacco products without payment of applicable taxes), counterfeiting, disguising the origin of products, and smuggling. Illicit trade undermines tobacco prevention and control initiatives by increasing the accessibility and affordability of tobacco products, and reduces government tax revenue streams. The World Health Organization (WHO) Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products, signed by 54 countries, provides tools for addressing illicit trade through a package of regulatory and governing principles. As of May 2015, only eight countries had ratified or acceded to the illicit trade protocol, with an additional 32 needed for it to become international law (i.e., legally binding). Data from multiple international sources were analyzed to evaluate the 10 most commonly used approaches for addressing illicit trade and to summarize differences in implementation across select countries and the European Union (EU). Although the WHO illicit trade protocol defines shared global standards for addressing illicit trade, countries are guided by their own legal and enforcement frameworks, leading to a diversity of approaches employed across countries. Continued adoption of the methods outlined in the WHO illicit trade protocol might improve the global capacity to reduce illicit trade in tobacco products.

Matched MeSH terms: Italy
Dimensionality and psychometric properties of an Italian translation of the Intuitive Eating Scale-2 (IES-2): An assessment using a bifactor exploratory structural equation modelling framework

Swami V, Maïano C, Todd J, Ghisi M, Cardi V, Bottesi G, et al.

Appetite, 2021 11 01;166:105588.
PMID: 34224761 DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2021.105588

The construct of intuitive eating is most often measured using the 23-item Intuitive Eating Scale-2 (IES-2), but previous studies have typically relied solely on confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to understand IES-2 dimensionality. In contrast, a bifactor exploratory structural equation modelling (B-ESEM) framework offers a more realistic account of IES-2 multidimensionality. Here, we assessed the psychometric properties of a novel Italian translation using a combination of exploratory factor analysis and B-ESEM. A total of 950 adults completed the IES-2 alongside measures of positive body image, disordered eating, and psychological well-being. Results indicated that a 4-factor B-ESEM model had adequate fit to the data and that fit was improved when the correlated uniqueness of seven negatively worded IES-2 items was accounted for. This model of IES-2 scores showed adequate internal consistency and good test-retest reliability up to three weeks. Evidence of construct validity was good in terms of a global IES-2 factor, and broadly supported in terms of its specific-factors. These results highlight the utility of a B-ESEM framework for understanding the dimensionality of IES-2 scores and may help scholars better understand the extent to which the IES-2 adequately operationalises the construct of intuitive eating.

Matched MeSH terms: Italy
Complete genome of Planococcus rifietoensis M8(T), a halotolerant and potentially plant growth promoting bacterium

See-Too WS, Convey P, Pearce DA, Lim YL, Ee R, Yin WF, et al.

J Biotechnol, 2016 Mar 10;221:114-5.
PMID: 26808870 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiotec.2016.01.026

Planococcus rifietoensis M8(T) (=DSM 15069(T)=ATCC BAA-790(T)) is a halotolerant bacterium with potential plant growth promoting properties isolated from an algal mat collected from a sulfurous spring in Campania (Italy). This paper presents the first complete genome of P. rifietoensis M8(T). Genes coding for various potentially plant growth promoting properties were identified within its genome.

Matched MeSH terms: Italy
Fulltext A brief review of potential neuroprotective roles of the culinary herb Ocimum basilicum

Manali Haniti, M.Z., Norazrina, A., Chan, K.M.

Medicine & Health, 2018;13(2):3-19.
MyJurnal

Neurodegenerative diseases commonly affect elderly population and are characterised by progressive neuronal loss. Oxidative stress is highly associated with neurodegeneration. The targeted herbal plant in this review, Ocimum basilicum (O. basilicum), is typically used in Indochina and Italian cuisine. Pharmacological studies on O. basilicum have demonstrated potent antioxidant activities with some reports of neuroprotective actions. This brief review highlights the potential neuroprotective roles of O. basilicum by discussing previously documented antioxidative actions of the plant extract, essential oils and its phytochemical compounds on the nervous system based on in vitro and in vivo studies. Accumulating evidence on the neuroprotective action of O. basilicum points to a notion that neuroprotection is made possible by way of its antioxidant properties and largely due to the presence of polyphenol compounds such as rosmarinic acid which has been identified as the major constituent. Although the mechanisms of O. basilicum antioxidant action have been proposed, further studies are required for better understanding of its antioxidant action leading to neuroprotective roles. It is also possible that the antioxidant actions of O. basilicum are mediated through synergism of a mixture of various naturally-occurring bioactive compounds in the plant, as is with many other plant-based food supplements, to produce the putative effects instead of a single bioactive compound from the plant. Therefore, specific targeting of neuroprotection by means of antioxidant actions warrants further preclinical and clinical studies investigating the therapeutic potentials of O. basilicum particularly in view of the prevention of neurodegenerative processes.

Matched MeSH terms: Italy
Evaluating the filial behaviour scale across three cultural groups using exploratory structural equation modelling

Zong X, Ingoglia S, Lo Coco A, Tan JP, Inguglia C, Liga F, et al.

Int J Psychol, 2023 Feb;58(1):42-51.
PMID: 36181306 DOI: 10.1002/ijop.12880

Filial piety is a Confucian concept that guides how children treat and take care of their parents. The Filial Behaviour Scale (FBS) is a 25-item instrument developed in the Chinese context measuring behavioural manifestations of filial piety. Although the components of filial piety have been found to be relevant across cultures, little research has investigated the psychometric properties of the FBS in other cultural contexts. The present study evaluated the factor structure, internal consistency, measurement invariance and construct validity of the FBS across three cultural groups: the United States, Italy and Malaysia. Participants were 1090 emerging adults (67% females; Mage = 21.29 years, SD = 1.97; White Americans: n = 455, White Italians: n = 428, Malays: n = 328). A two-factor structure emerged across groups: Obedience/Obligation (behaviours showing obedience and obligation towards parents) and Relationship (behaviours expressing affection and promoting positive parent-child relationships). The two factors demonstrated adequate internal consistency, full configural, partial metric and partial scalar invariance, as well as unique associations with depressive symptoms and parent-child relationships across groups. These findings yielded a more nuanced understanding of filial behaviour and supported the utility of a two-factor FBS among emerging adults in various cultural contexts.

Matched MeSH terms: Italy
Fulltext The impact of COVID-19 non-pharmaceutical interventions on the lived experiences of people living in Thailand, Malaysia, Italy and the United Kingdom: A cross-country qualitative study

Schneiders ML, Naemiratch B, Cheah PK, Cuman G, Poomchaichote T, Ruangkajorn S, et al.

PLoS One, 2022;17(1):e0262421.
PMID: 35061789 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0262421

This qualitative study explores the impact of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs), including social distancing, travel restrictions and quarantine, on lived experiences during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand (TH), Malaysia (MY), Italy (IT) and the United Kingdom (UK). A total of 86 interviews (TH: n = 28; MY: n = 18; IT: n = 20; UK: n = 20) were conducted with members of the public, including healthcare workers (n = 13). Participants across countries held strong views on government imposed NPIs, with many feeling measures lacked clarity. Most participants reported primarily negative impacts of NPIs on their lives, including through separation, isolation and grief over missed milestones; work-related challenges and income loss; and poor mental health and wellbeing. Nonetheless, many also experienced inadvertent positive consequences, including more time at home to focus on what they most valued in life; a greater sense of connectedness; and benefits to working life. Commonly employed coping strategies focused on financial coping (e.g. reducing spending); psycho-emotional coping (e.g. engaging in spiritual practices); social coping and connectedness (e.g., maintaining relationships remotely); reducing and mitigating risks (e.g., changing food shopping routines); and limiting exposure to the news (e.g., checking news only occasionally). Importantly, the extent to which participants' lived experiences were positive or negative, and their ability to cope was underpinned by individual, social and economic factors, with the analysis indicating some salient differences across countries and participants. In order to mitigate negative and unequal impacts of NPIs, COVID-19 policies will benefit from paying closer attention to the social, cultural and psychological-not just biological-vulnerabilities to, and consequences of public health measures.

Matched MeSH terms: Italy
Fulltext Economic and social impacts of COVID-19 and public health measures: results from an anonymous online survey in Thailand, Malaysia, the UK, Italy and Slovenia

Osterrieder A, Cuman G, Pan-Ngum W, Cheah PK, Cheah PK, Peerawaranun P, et al.

BMJ Open, 2021 Jul 20;11(7):e046863.
PMID: 34285007 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-046863

OBJECTIVES: To understand the impact of COVID-19 and public health measures on different social groups, we conducted a mixed-methods study in five countries ('SEBCOV-social, ethical and behavioural aspects of COVID-19'). Here, we report the results of the online survey.
STUDY DESIGN AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Overall, 5058 respondents from Thailand, Malaysia, the UK, Italy and Slovenia completed the self-administered survey between May and June 2020. Poststratification weighting was applied, and associations between categorical variables assessed. Frequency counts and percentages were used to summarise categorical data. Associations between categorical variables were assessed using Pearson's χ2 test. Data were analysed in Stata 15.0 RESULTS: Among the five countries, Thai respondents reported having been most, and Slovenian respondents least, affected economically. The following factors were associated with greater negative economic impacts: being 18-24 years or 65 years or older; lower education levels; larger households; having children under 18 in the household and and having flexible/no income. Regarding social impact, respondents expressed most concern about their social life, physical health, mental health and well-being.There were large differences between countries in terms of voluntary behavioural change, and in compliance and agreement with COVID-19 restrictions. Overall, self-reported compliance was higher among respondents who self-reported a high understanding of COVID-19. UK respondents felt able to cope the longest and Thai respondents the shortest with only going out for essential needs or work. Many respondents reported seeing news perceived to be fake, the proportion varying between countries, with education level and self-reported levels of understanding of COVID-19.
CONCLUSIONS: Our data showed that COVID-19 and public health measures have uneven economic and social impacts on people from different countries and social groups. Understanding the factors associated with these impacts can help to inform future public health interventions and mitigate their negative consequences.
TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: TCTR20200401002.

Matched MeSH terms: Italy
Fulltext Detection and genetic characterization of canine astroviruses in pet dogs in Guangxi, China

Zhou H, Liu L, Li R, Qin Y, Fang Q, Balasubramaniam VR, et al.

Virol J, 2017 08 17;14(1):156.
PMID: 28814340 DOI: 10.1186/s12985-017-0823-4

BACKGROUND: Astroviruses (AstVs) have been reported to infect and cause gastroenteritis in most animal species. Human AstVs were regarded the causative agent of viral diarrhea in children. In dogs, little is known about the epidemiology and clinical significance of AstV infection.
FINDINGS: In this study, we collected and tested 253 rectal swabs from pet dogs; of which 64 samples (25.3%) tested positive for AstVs with diarrhea and 15 more samples (5.9%) also was identified as AstVs, however without any clinical signs. Phylogenetic analysis of 39 partial ORF1b sequences from these samples revealed that they are similar to AstVs, which can be subdivided into three lineages. Interestingly, out of the 39 isolates sequenced, 16 isolates are shown to be in the Mamastrovirus 5/canine astrovirus (CAstV) lineage and the remaining 23 isolates displayed higher similarities with known porcine astrovirus (PoAstV) 5 and 2. Further, analysis of 13 capsid sequences from these isolates showed that they are closely clustered with Chinese or Italy CAstV isolates.
CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicate that CAstVs commonly circulate in pet dogs, and our sequencing results have shown the genomic diversity of CAstVs leading to increasing number of clusters.

Matched MeSH terms: Italy
Reactive oxygen species and glutathione antioxidants in the testis of the soil biosentinel Podarcis sicula (Rafinesque 1810)

Guerriero G, D'Errico G, Di Giaimo R, Rabbito D, Olanrewaju OS, Ciarcia G

Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2018 Jul;25(19):18286-18296.
PMID: 28936697 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-017-0098-8

Important toxicological achievements have been made during the last decades using reptiles. We focus our investigation on gonadal reproductive health of the soil biosentinel Podarcis sicula which is very sensitive to endocrine-disrupting chemicals. The aim of this study is to quantitatively detect, by sensitive microassays, reactive oxygen species and the glutathione antioxidants in the testis and investigate if they are differentially expressed before and after remediation of a site of the "Land of Fires" (Campania, Italy) subject to illicit dumping of unknown material. The oxidative stress level was evaluated by electron spin resonance spectroscopy applying a spin-trapping procedure able to detect products of lipid peroxidation, DNA damage and repair by relative mobility shift, and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase enzymatic activity, respectively, the expression of glutathione peroxidase 4 transcript by real-time quantitative PCR analysis, the antioxidant glutathione S-transferase, a well-assessed pollution index, by enzymatic assay and the total soluble antioxidant capacity. Experimental evidences from the different techniques qualitatively agree, thus confirming the robustness of the combined experimental approach. Collected data, compared to those from a reference unpolluted site constitute evidence that the reproductive health of this lizard is impacted by pollution exposure. Remediation caused significant reduction of reactive oxygen species and downregulation of glutathione peroxidase 4 mRNAs in correspondence of reduced levels of glutathione S-transferase, increase of antioxidant capacity, and repair of DNA integrity. Taken together, our results indicate directions to define new screening approaches in remediation assessment.

Matched MeSH terms: Italy
The impact of carbon emissions on country risk: Evidence from the G7 economies

Chaudhry SM, Ahmed R, Shafiullah M, Duc Huynh TL

J Environ Manage, 2020 Jul 01;265:110533.
PMID: 32421559 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2020.110533

This paper empirically investigates the effect of carbon emissions on sovereign risk? To answer this question, we use fixed effects model by using annual data from G7 advanced economies, which includes Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, UK and USA, for the period from 1996 to 2014. We employ a novel extreme value theory to measure sovereign risk. The results indicate that climate change (carbon emissions) are likely to increase sovereign risk significantly. We also expand our analysis to some specific sectors, as some of the sectors emit more carbon than others. Specifically, we take top three polluting sectors namely: transportation, electricity and industry and show that they are more likely to increase the sovereign risk. Our results are robust to change in risk measures, estimation in differences and dynamic version of econometric models. Therefore, we have robust consideration that the carbon emissions significantly explain the sovereign risk.

Matched MeSH terms: Italy
Stochastic convergence of ecological footprint: new insights from a unit root test based on smooth transitions and nonlinear adjustment

Alper AE, Alper FO, Cil AB, Iscan E, Eren AA

Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2023 Feb;30(8):22100-22114.
PMID: 36282394 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-022-23763-6

The ecological footprint has currently become a highly popular environmental performance indicator. It provides the basis for setting goals, identifying options for action, and tracking progress toward stated goals. Because the examination of the existence of convergence is important for the climate change protection of the earth, the convergence of ecological footprint and its subcomponents are a major concern for scholars and policymakers. To this end, this study aims to investigate the stochastic convergence of ecological footprint and its subcomponents. We employ the recently developed Hepsag (2021) unit root test that allows nonlinearity and smooth structural change simultaneously to study stochastic convergence in per-capita ecological footprint over the period 1961-2018 for the most polluting countries. The results provide mixed evidence of the presence of stochastic convergence in conventional unit root tests such as ADF, KPSS and Fourier KPSS. According to the Hepsag (2021) unit root test results for all countries, built-up land footprint converges except Australia, Malaysia, Poland, and Turkey. Carbon footprint converges for Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, South Africa, Thailand, Turkey, the UK, and the USA. Cropland footprint converges for Australia, Canada, China, France, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Poland, South Africa, the UK, and Vietnam. Fishing grounds footprint converges in Brazil, France, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Mexico, South Africa, and Vietnam. Forest product footprint converges in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, India, Korea, Mexico, Poland, Turkey, and Vietnam. Grazing land footprint converges in Canada, France, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Poland, South Africa, Thailand, and Vietnam. And lastly, the total ecological footprint converges in Canada, France, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, South Africa, the UK, and the USA.

Matched MeSH terms: Italy

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