Inhibitory Effect against of Carbon Nanoparticles Loaded with Copper as Precursors of Food Active Packaging.

Human listeriosis is a serious foodborne disease of which outbreaks are occurring increasingly frequently in Europe. Around the world, different legal requirements exist to guarantee food safety. Nanomaterials are increasingly used in the food industry as inhibitors of pathogens, and carbon nanomaterials are among the most promising.

Challenge Test as Special Tool to Estimate the Dynamic of and Other Foodborne Pathogens.

Over 23 million cases of foodborne disease (FBD) occur in Europe each year, with over 4700 deaths. Outbreaks of FBD have a significant impact on our society due to the high economic losses they cause (hospital treatment of affected patients and destruction of contaminated food). Among its health objectives, the European Union has set itself the goal of reducing the incidence of the main FBDs, approving various regulations that codify requirements in order to produce food that is "safe" for human consumption.

Survival rate of Escherichia coli O157 in artificially contaminated raw and thermized ewe milk in different Pecorino cheese production processes.

Pecorino is a typical Italian cheese, mostly produced in central and southern Italy regions using ewe raw milk and following traditional procedures. The use of raw milk constitutes a risk linked to the potential survival or multiplication of pathogenic microorganisms, as Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC). The aim of this study was to compare different Italian traditional Pecorino production methods to determine if there were any phases that could influence the Escherichia coli O157 survival rate, but also if they could negatively influence lactic acid bacteria survival rate, during the phases of production and ripening.

Cutting Ties With an Old Friend: Omphalitis and Bacteremia With Umbilical Cord Nonseverance.

Umbilical cord nonseverance (UCNS) is the practice of leaving the umbilical cord attached to the placenta after delivery. Limited case reports exist revealing adverse outcomes of UCNS. We report a case of neonatal omphalitis associated with bacteremia and urinary tract infection after UCNS.

[The childhood home accidents: risk perception and behavior].

Objective: The aim of the study was to assess the frequency and the kind of home injuries among the children and to have information on the sources of risk and hazardous behaviors in the home setting.

Methods: An anonymous questionnaire was administered to parents. In order to evaluate the risk perception in relation to the home environment, drawings to color were administered to children in kindergarten and to those of the first cycle of elementary school.

Qualitative and quantitative assessment of viral contamination in bivalve molluscs harvested in Italy.

Bivalve molluscs are a well documented source of viral infection. Further data on shellfish viral contamination are needed to implement European Regulations with sanitary measures more effective against viral pathogens. To this aim, 336 samples of bivalve molluscs (185 mussels, 66 clams, 23 oysters and 62 samples from other species) collected in harvesting areas of class A and B of four Italian Regions were analyzed for qualitative and quantitative determination of hepatitis A virus (HAV) and Norovirus (NoV) GI and GII, using real time RT-PCR.

Variability of the hemocyte parameters of cultivated mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis (Lmk 1819) in Sabaudia (Latina, Italy) coastal lagoon.

The Sabaudia's lake consists of a protected coastal lagoon, located in the central Italy, historically characterized by recurrent mortality events of marine fauna during warmer months. A field study was monthly conducted on mussels Mytilus galloprovincialis cultivated inside the lagoon, measuring hemocyte parameters as total circulating count (THC), viability (HV), spreading and oxidative response to in vitro phagocytosis stimulation. A depression of the immune response was observed during the spring season, as indicated by higher values of hemocyte circularity and lower luminescence levels related to respiratory burst, also associated to modulation of THC and HV.

Factors associated with nurses' opinions and practices regarding information and consent.

This cross-sectional survey aimed to investigate nurses' opinions and practices regarding information and consent in the context of a large Italian teaching hospital and to explore potential influences of gender, age, university education, length of professional experience, and care setting. A questionnaire was administered to 282 nurses from six different care settings (Emergency Room, Emergency Medicine, Surgery, Hematology-Oncology, Geriatrics, and Internal Medicine). Overall, 84% (n = 237) of nurses returned the questionnaire (men: 24%; mean age: 36.

Food safety at home: knowledge and practices of consumers.

AIM: To define food safety and risk perception of foodborne diseases in the private home setting and identify specific behaviours during food purchase, storage and preparation in a large survey study. SUBJECT AND METHODS: A large sample of individuals (n = 1,000) living in the area of Cassino, Italy, volunteered to participate in the study. All participants were randomly recruited and underwent a questionnaire-based interview at their home regarding food-safety measures.

Enhanced hydrolytic stability of self-assembling alkylated two-dimensional covalent organic frameworks.

The stability and bulk properties of two-dimensional boronate ester-linked covalent organic frameworks (COFs) were investigated upon exposure to aqueous environments. Enhanced stability was observed for frameworks with alkylation in the pores of the COF compared to nonalkylated, bare-pore frameworks. COF-18Å and COF-5 were analyzed as "bare-pore" COFs, while COF-16Å (methyl), COF-14Å (ethyl), and COF-11Å (propyl) were evaluated as "alkylated-pore" materials.

[Indoor air quality in school facilities in Cassino (Italy)].

This study evaluated the indoor air quality of 26 classrooms of secondary schools in the city of Cassino (Italy). Two types of school buildings were assessed: buildings specifically designed as schools, and former dwellings converted to schools. Measurements were taken in both winter and spring months, before students entered the classrooms and while the classrooms were occupied.

Preventable infectious diseases using vaccination in developmental age in the province of Frosinone, Italy.

Introduction: A study has been made of the behaviour of preventable infectious diseases by means of vaccination in the developmental age, reported between 1995 and 2003, in the area of Frosinone and Province, Italy.

Results: . Analysis of the distribution of the 185 cases of hepatitis B notified, demonstrates that the mean age has increased from 26.

Enteric viruses in molluscan shellfish.

One hundred and thirty-seven bivalves were collected for environmental monitoring and the market; all the samples were analysed by RT-PCR test. Bacteriological counts meeting the European Union shellfish criteria were reached by 69.5% of all the samples, whereas the overall positive values for enteric virus presence were: 25.

[Survey of the presence of Listeria monocytogenes in meat products sold in retail].

The present study evaluates the presence of Listeria spp and particularly of L. monocytogenes in bovine, pork and poultry meats sold by retail in supermarkets and butchers in the city of Cassino. The sensibility to the antibiotics mostly used in the veterinary practice has been tested on the isolated strains.

Identification and sequence analysis of hepatitis A virus detected in market and environmental bivalve molluscs.

In Italy in 1998, hepatitis A virus (HAV) was responsible for an infectious disease transmitted by contaminated bivalve molluscs. To determine the presence of HAV in the bivalves collected during a 1-year follow-up study, hepatitis A RNA was extracted and amplified by a nested reverse transcriptase-PCR method overlapping the VP1/2A region. The HAV genome was detected in 24 (14.

The Arabidopsis group 1 LATE EMBRYOGENESIS ABUNDANT protein ATEM6 is required for normal seed development.

As part of the embryo maturation process, orthodox seeds undergo a developmentally regulated dehydration period. The LATE EMBRYOGENESIS ABUNDANT (LEA) genes encode a large and diverse family of proteins expressed during this time. Many hypothesize that LEA proteins act by mitigating water loss and maintaining cellular stability within the desiccated seed, although the mechanisms of their actions remain largely unknown.

[Enteric viruses and bacteriological parameters in molluscs].

Eighty-seven samples of shellfish were collected considering: type of mollusc, origin, growing area, monitoring or for human purpose. The bacteriological parameters were: Fecal Coliforms, Escherichia coli, and Salmonella; whereas the virological parameters included: Hepatitis A and E virus, Rotavirus, Astrovirus and Enterovirus. In total, 63.