Sterilization of infective health care waste in hospitals.

Collection and disposal of infective medical waste represents a well-known problem in all Italian and foreign hospitals. Pandemic events have increased the attention and sensitivity on the topic both from a legal/regulatory and technical-professional perspective. latest legislation introduced some noticeable modification in the perception of the problem changing the particularly precautionary approach largely exploited in the past, putting the sterilization procedures at the center of a more efficient management of such waste materials.

Effectiveness and Satisfaction with Telemedicine in Geriatric Patients at High Risk of Fragility Fractures.

Telemedicine has increasingly widespread to improve the monitoring of patients with chronic diseases. Secondary prevention of fragility fractures is an urgent matter to be addressed by means of available technology, although supported by little evidence so far. We investigated the feasibility, efficacy, and satisfaction of managing older adults at high risk of fragility fractures during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Efficacy of Violet-Blue (405 nm) LED Lamps for Disinfection of High-Environmental-Contact Surfaces in Healthcare Facilities: Leading to the Inactivation of Microorganisms and Reduction of MRSA Contamination.

Effective disinfection procedures in healthcare facilities are essential to prevent transmission. Chemical disinfectants, hydrogen peroxide vapour (HPV) systems and ultraviolet (UV) light are commonly used methods. An emerging method, violet-blue light at 405 nm, has shown promise for surface disinfection.

Clotting and Proteolytic Activity of Freeze-Dried Crude Extracts Obtained from Wild Thistles L. and Murb.

The rising interest in finding alternatives to animal rennet in cheese production has led to studying the technological feasibility of using and exploiting new species of herbaceous plants. In this research work, and for the first time, freeze-dried extracts from L. (CH) and Murb.

Effects of time and temperature of storage on chemical and nutritional characteristics of raw milk for Provolone Valpadana PDO cheesemaking: a multivariate approach.

We evaluated the possibility of increasing the storage temperature of raw milk for Provolone Valpadana cheesemaking, to identify the most suitable conditions of time and temperature for a pre-maturation process. We used Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to analyze the overall effects of different storage conditions on chemical, nutritional and technological characteristics of the raw milk. Four different thermal storage cycles, two at fixed temperature/time (6 and 12°C for 60 h) and two with two-phase thermal cycle (10 and 12°C for 15 h, followed by refrigeration at 4°C for 45 h) were studied.

Effect of Immuno-Nutrition on Malnutrition, Inflammatory Response and Clinical Course of Semi-Critically Ill COVID-19 Patients: A Pilot Perspective Study.

Background: The SARS-COV 2 pandemic has hit on our lives since early 2020. During different contagion waves, both malnutrition and overweight significantly correlated with patient mortality. Immune-nutrition (IN) has shown promising results in the clinical course of pediatric inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and in both the rate of extubation and mortality of patients admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU).

Potentialities of aqueous extract from cultivated Onopordum tauricum (Willd.) as milk clotting agent for cheesemaking.

In Western and Central Mediterranean countries proteases from wild herbaceous perennial plants commonly known as "thistles" have been used as milk coagulants in cheese-making for centuries. For the first time, the technological and biochemical traits of proteases from cultivated Onopordum tauricum Willd. (Taurian thistle, bull cottonthistle) were assessed.

Cow and Ewe Cheeses Made with Saffron: Characterization of Bioactive Compounds and Their Antiproliferative Effect in Cervical Adenocarcinoma (HeLa) and Breast Cancer (MDA-MB-231) Cells.

Saffron is a widespread consumed spice containing many phytochemicals. It is often used in dairy technologies to enhance color and flavor of cheeses, but it is also known for its several therapeutic effects, as well as its antiproliferative and anticancer properties. In this study High Performance Liquid Chromatography was used to characterize saffron bioactive compounds in cow and ewe cheeses made with saffron, and the antiproliferative effect of the crocin-rich extracts from cheeses was investigated on different cellular lines (CaCo2, MDA-MB-231 and HeLa) by MTT assay.

[Permanent environmental disinfection techniques in hospital settings with infectious risk].

While the world's economies avoid the COVID-19 pandemic blockade, there is an urgent need for technologies aimed at reducing the transmission of COVID-19 in confined spaces such as hospital environments. Although the cleaning and disinfection procedures now have rather complex and sophisticated weapons, they do not seem to be sufficient to continuously maintain low levels of environmental microbiological contamination. This result can now be achieved through the cross-use, in space and time, of improved, more efficient and effective technologies.

Content and Nutritional Evaluation of Zinc in PDO and Traditional Italian Cheeses.

Zinc is an essential mineral which plays a key role in several important biological processes in the human body. The determination of its level in food matrices can contribute to the food quality characterization and to the adequacy of the diet. Animal food products generally have a higher zinc content compared to vegetables.

Rapid Determination of Total Tryptophan in Yoghurt by Ultra High Performance Liquid Chromatography with Fluorescence Detection.

Tryptophan (TRP) is an essential amino acid which cannot be synthesized by humans and animals, but has to be supplied by exogenous sources, notably through the diet. The bulk of dietary TRP flows into the synthesis of body's proteins, but the TRP metabolism also involves several biochemical reactions (i.e.

Natural Preservatives from Plant in Cheese Making.

Today, consumers are increasingly demanding safety alternatives concerning the use of synthetic additives in the food industry, as well as healthy food. As a result, a major number of plant-derived preservatives have been tested in the food industry. These natural ingredients have antioxidant properties and have shown to increase the bioactive molecules levels and the microbiological stability of the food items.

New Trends for the Evaluation of Heat Treatments of Milk.

Milk is generally very rich in nutrients and this may lead it to be an ideal growth environment for many microorganisms, including pathogens, so effective measurements aiming to ensure total microbiological safety of milk and minimize the risk to human health are needed. Milk heat treatments are the most common practices carried out to inhibit the microbial growth; therefore it is necessary to have analytical procedures that are more and more up-to-date and capable of detecting the effectiveness of the heat treatments. Most of the reference and official methods to assess heat treatment in milk are based on the evaluation of the modifications of some milk components following the thermal process, such as the determination of enzyme activities (alkaline phosphatase and lactoperoxidase), whey proteins, Maillard reaction compounds (generally furosine), and lactulose.

Effectiveness of ATP bioluminescence to assess hospital cleaning: a review.

Introduction: Contamination of hospital surfaces plays an important role in the transmission of several healthcare-associated microorganisms, therefore methods for evaluating hospital surfaces' cleaning gain particular importance. Among these, there are visual inspection, quantitative microbiology, fluorescent markers and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) bioluminescence. The latter seems to provide interesting features, detecting the presence of ATP on surface (as Relative Light Units, RLU), a proxy of organic matter and microbial contamination.

Using IFN-gamma release assay to confirm tuberculin skin test improves the screening of latent tuberculosis infection in Italian healthcare workers.

Background: Healthcare workers (HCWs) represent a tuberculosis (TB) risk group for a wide range of tasks in healthcare, even in countries with low TB incidence, like Italy. Latent Tuberculosis Infection (LTBI) screening programs are an important tool for TB prevention in these setting.

Methods: A retrospective study under a LTBI screening program among HCWs at the Siena University Hospital (Italy), was conducted between September 2011 and July 2015.

Use of a fluorescent marker for assessing hospital bathroom cleanliness.

A fluorescent marker was used to assess the efficacy of daily cleaning in hospital en suite bathrooms. We applied the marker on 218 surfaces and we assigned a score according how completely the mark had been removed. We found significant statistical differences among different surfaces and wards (P < .

Qualitative Study of Functional Groups and Antioxidant Properties of Soy-Based Beverages Compared to Cow Milk.

Soy-based beverages are a source of high quality proteins and balanced nutrients; they thus represent an alternative to milk in case of allergy to cow milk proteins or intolerance to lactose. In this research, antioxidant properties of soy-based beverages and UHT cow milk were studied. In addition, color parameters, by a quick and non-destructive methodology, were studied in order to verify a possible correlation with antioxidant properties and a qualitative analysis of the major functional groups undertaken by Fourier Transformed Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) on Attenuated Total Reflectance (ATR) was carried out.

Dermatological conditions presenting at the Emergency Department in Siena University Hospital from 2006 to 2011.

Background: Published studies on emergency dermatology consultations are few because there are few dermatology emergency units in the world. No study has yet described the Italian situation.

Objectives: To quantify and characterize patients evaluated in our dermatology emergency unit from 2006 to 2011.

Environmental contaminants in hospital settings and progress in disinfecting techniques.

Medical devices, such as stethoscopes, and other objects found in hospital, such as computer keyboards and telephone handsets, may be reservoirs of bacteria for healthcare-associated infections. In this cross-over study involving an Italian teaching hospital we evaluated microbial contamination (total bacterial count (TBC) at 36°C/22°C, Staphylococcus spp., moulds, Enterococcus spp.

Updating Nutritional Data and Evaluation of Technological Parameters of Italian Milk.

Different technologically treated Italian milks (whole and semi-skimmed ultra-high temperature (UHT), pasteurized and microfiltered milk), collected from 2009 to 2012, were evaluated for nutritional and technological properties. No significant differences in calcium and sodium were detected ( > 0.05), while significant differences were observed concerning phosphorus content, between whole and semi-skimmed milk, and lactose content, between pasteurized and UHT milk ( < 0.

Taurine in milk and yoghurt marketed in Italy.

Taurine, a free amino acid, was studied as natural compound of different typologies of milk: pasteurized, ultra-high temperature (UHT), microfiltered whole and semi-skimmed cow's milk; pasteurized and UHT goat's whole milk and raw buffalo's whole milk. Moreover, taurine contents in yoghurt from cow and goat's milk were evaluated. The data obtained in this research showed that no significant variations of taurine occurred in cow's milk subjected to different technological processes and between whole and semi-skimmed milk.

Kinetic study on unsaponifiable fraction changes and lactose hydrolysis during storage of Mozzarella di Bufala Campana PDO cheese.

Cholesterol, vitamin E and vitamin A isomers, components of the unsaponifiable fraction, and lactose contents in Mozzarella di Bufala Campana PDO cheese have been studied during storage in different conditions: at 6-8 degrees C, and at room temperature (traditional habits). During cold storage there were no significant differences in the unsaponifiable compounds, while during storage at room temperature an increase of the 13-cis isomer and a decrease of all-trans-retinol were observed. Trans/cis-retinol isomerization, expressed as the Degree of Retinol Isomerization (13-cis/all-trans%) showed an increase in all samples during storage at room temperature following a linear correlation.

Degree of antioxidant protection: a parameter to trace the origin and quality of goat's milk and cheese.

Traceability is an essential tool in reassuring consumers and traders that food is as safe, authentic, and of good quality as expected. Today, food traceability procedures often consist of attached documents and declarations, but scientific parameters that could objectively identify a product would be preferable. Scientific efforts in this area are mostly focused on selection and validation of experimental indicators that would be useful for tracing a food product in any step of its commercial life, describing its raw materials, processing procedures, and storage conditions.

[Alcoholism and HCV-antibody association. Effects on the course and severity of chronic liver disease].

Background: The authors evaluated the role of the association alcohol-hepatitis C virus on the course and severity of chronic liver disease; they also regard the researches of many authors on this subject.

Materials And Methods: 280 consecutive patients, suffering from chronic liver disease and admitted to the Department of Medical Hydrology of Rome University ''La Sapienza'' are studied. Fifty-nine of them were affected by chronic alcoholic liver disease without evidence of hepatitis virus infection (AC-), 58 were alcoholic and positive for HCV antibody (AC+), 163 positive for HCV antibody and non alcoholic (NAC+).

The Pediatric Investigators Collaborative Network on Infections in Canada study of predictors of hospitalization for respiratory syncytial virus infection for infants born at 33 through 35 completed weeks of gestation.

Background: Infants born at 33 through 35 completed weeks of gestation (33-35GA) are at risk for severe respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection, and palivizumab prophylaxis lowers hospitalizations for RSV infection by as much as 80%. The 33-35GA cohort comprises 3-5% of annual births; thus expert panels recommend limiting prophylaxis to situations in which frequency or health care impact of RSV infection is high. This study sought to identify independent risk factors for hospitalization for RSV infection.