Adapted Physical Activity for the Promotion of Health and the Prevention of Multifactorial Chronic Diseases: the Erice Charter.

The Erice Charter was unanimously approved at the conclusion of the 47th Residential Course "Adapted Physical Activity in Sport, Wellness and Fitness: New Challenges for Prevention and Health Promotion", held on 20-24 April 2015 in Erice, Italy, at the "Ettore Majorana" Foundation and Centre for Scientific Culture, and promoted by the International School of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine "G. D'Alessandro" and the Study Group on Movement Sciences for Health of the Italian Society of Hygiene, Preventive Medicine and Public Health. After an intense discussion the participants identified the main points associated with the relevance of physical activity for Public Health, claiming the pivotal role of the Department of Prevention in coordinating and managing preventive actions.

A rapid PFGE protocol for typing Legionella isolates from fresh or frozen samples.

Within the realm of studies on nosocomial infections and epidemiology, pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) is often considered as the "gold standard" for typing of Legionella or other bacteria. Performing this protocol usually requires 2-5 days; this excessive time requirement, lack of a standardized procedure, and high cost have limited its use. However, recently the typing of Legionella with PFGE has been reduced to about 2 days, and we further shortened the procedure by reducing the time for the plug preparation and electrophoresis steps.

Comparative genomic analysis by microbial COGs self-attraction rate.

Whole genome analysis provides new perspectives to determine phylogenetic relationships among microorganisms. The availability of whole nucleotide sequences allows different levels of comparison among genomes by several approaches. In this work, self-attraction rates were considered for each cluster of orthologous groups of proteins (COGs) class in order to analyse gene aggregation levels in physical maps.

[Health promotion through physical activity: territorial models and experiences].

Scientific evidences support the preventive role of physical activity in relation to different multifactorial pathologies. Health's promotion through the spreading of lifestyles that encourage movement, does not represent just an action in contrast with "sedentary life" risk-factor, but also a priority for "quality" of life, with relevant economical and social benefits. WHO indicates physical activity as one of the priorities for an effective prevention.

Swimming pools and fungi: an environmental epidemiology survey in Italian indoor swimming facilities.

A growing number of people attend swimming facilities for recreational activities, rehabilitative treatments, or sport. Filamentous fungi and yeast can be isolated from contaminated air, water and surfaces and may represent a biological risk for employees and users. Here we investigated the occurrence of mycotic species, in a sample of Italian swimming pools (n = 10).

ACTN3 genotyping by real-time PCR in the Italian population and athletes.

Purpose: Development of two novel sets of primers and probes to detect R577X and Q523R polymorphisms of the alpha-actinin-3 (ACTN3) gene by real-time PCR. We report the allelic frequencies observed in Italian individuals from the general population and athletes. Athletic performance is influenced by training, environmental factors, and genetic predisposition.

[Aquaculture in Italy. An integrated model of product quality control].

Aquaculture is becoming increasingly diffuse even in Italy. The increased production introduces new problems such as product quality control and process safety. This article presents the results of a research project, funded by the Ministry of the Environment, whose aim was to evaluate and promote aquaculture product quality and safety in an environmentally responsible way.

Gene transfer and cauliflower mosaic virus promoter 35S activity in mammalian cells.

The cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter (CaMV35s) is extensively used in genetically modified crops for human and animal consumption. Horizontal gene transfer is attracting particular attention, in light of experimental reports, showing the presence of dietary DNA into animal tissues. Health implications may derive from possible activities of the heterologous promoter in mammalian cells after integration in the host genome.

Prospective 3-year surveillance for nosocomial and environmental Legionella pneumophila: implications for infection control.

Objectives: To perform a 3-year, prospective surveillance program for legionnaires disease (LD) in a large university hospital in Rome, and to assess the usefulness of the hospital water monitoring program in predicting the risk of nosocomial LD.

Methods: Samples from patients with new cases of nosocomial pneumonia were sent for legionella laboratory investigations. Meanwhile, water samples for bacteriological analysis were collected every 6 months from high- and medium-risk hospital wards (10 in total).

A gzip-based algorithm to identify bacterial families by 16S rRNA.

Aims: Microbial family identification of 16S rDNA sequences by applying a strategy based on algorithms for data compression.

Methods And Results: Perl scripts were developed to analyse similarities in microbial sequences, based on a gzip data compression technique. For each bacterial family (n=196) a 16S rRNA reference file was constructed to compare new queries looking at compression performance.

Molecular epidemiology of Legionella pneumophila environmental isolates representing nine different serogroups determined by automated ribotyping and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis.

The purposes of the study were (i) to describe the abundance and epidemiology of Legionellaceae in the man-made environment in a northern Italian area, (ii) to assess the concordance between pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and automated ribotyping (AR) techniques for genotyping L. pneumophila and (iii) to investigate the correlation between serogrouping and genotyping data. Water was sampled from reservoirs in 12 buildings across an area of 80-km radius.

Legionella contamination in hot water of Italian hotels.

A cross-sectional multicenter survey of Italian hotels was conducted to investigate Legionella spp. contamination of hot water. Chemical parameters (hardness, free chlorine concentration, and trace element concentrations), water systems, and building characteristics were evaluated to study risk factors for colonization.

Lack of association of CCR gene polymorphisms and left ventricular hypertrophy in essential hypertension.

Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is a major determinant of heart damage. Scientific evidence suggests the influence of genetic factors, but these have yet to be completely clarified. This study investigates a possible relationship between LVH and two chemokine receptor (CCR) gene polymorphisms: CCR5delta32 and CCR264I.

Sulfotransferase 1A1 polymorphism and gastric cancer risk: a pilot case-control study.

Sulfotransferases (SULT) catalyse both the bioactivation and detoxification of a wide range of promutagens and carcinogens. The SULT1A1 gene possesses a G-->A polymorphism that results in a Arg to His substitution at codon 213, and the His allele has been shown to have a low activity and thermal stability. To test the hypothesis that individuals carrying the variant allele may be at high risk of gastric cancer, we identified the SULT1A1 Arg213His genotype by a PCR-based RFLP in a preliminary study of 76 gastric adenocarcinoma patients that underwent curative gastrectomy and 260 age and sex-matched controls from a medical centre in Rome.

Gene expression evidence for remodeling of lateral hypothalamic circuitry in cocaine addiction.

By using high-density oligonucleotide arrays, we profiled gene expression in reward-related brain regions of rats that developed escalated cocaine intake after extended access to cocaine (6 h per day). Rats allowed restricted daily access to cocaine (only 1 h) that displayed a stable level of cocaine intake and cocaine naive rats were used for controls. Four analysis methods were compared: Affymetrix microarray suite 4 and microarray suite 5, which use perfect-match-minus-mismatch models, and dchip and rma, which use perfect-match-only models to generate expression values.

[A preliminary investigation on the occurrence of protozoa in swimming pools in Italy].

In Italy controls on the hygienic quality of swimming pools are fixed by the Accordo tra il Ministero della Salute, le regioni e le province autonome di Trento e di Bolzano, come into force in 2003. In the present study swimming pools were investigated from the microbiological point of view on the basis of the new legislation. Contemporaneously, for the first time in Italy, analytical controls on the occurrence of the protozoa Cryptosporidium and Giardia were performed with both techniques of immunofluorescence and polymerase chain reaction.

Public health issues related with the consumption of food obtained from genetically modified organisms.

Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) are a fact of modern agriculture and a major field of discussion in biotechnology. As science incessantly achieves innovative and unexpected breakthroughs, new medical, political, ethical and religious debates arise over the production and consumption of transgenic organisms. Despite no described medical condition being directly associated with a diet including approved GM crops in large exposed populations such as 300,000,000 Americans and a billion Chinese, public opinion seems to look at this new technology with either growing concern or even disapproval.

Legionella infection risk from domestic hot water.

We investigated Legionella and Pseudomonas contamination of hot water in a cross-sectional multicentric survey in Italy. Chemical parameters (hardness, free chlorine, and trace elements) were determined. Legionella spp.

[Genetic screenings: state of the art and perspectives for public health].

Management of genetic data needs the fulfillment of technical requirements, involving ethics, law, and social issues. Introduction of genetic information in preventive medicine implies complex consequences and specialized expertise. Genetic screenings represent a promising tool, but further advances are needed to provide their effective and appropriate use in the respect of the privacy.

[Environmental diffusion of Legionella spp and legionellosis frequency among patients with pneumonia: preliminary results of a multicentric Italian survey].

A multicentric Italian investigation on legionnaires' disease is in course to clarify host factors as well as pathogen associated characteristics involved in the infection/disease. The main goal of the research plan is to account for some critical aspects concerning identification and prevention of legionellosis. To improve knowledge on factors associated with Legionella spp colonisation in hot waters, to detect cases and to characterize risk factors in subjects which develop pneumonia are specific objectives of the research programme.

Biological effects of EMF exposure on Ets genes.

Ets genes are transcription factors expressed in different tissues. Biochemical pathways interfering with the intracellular calcium ion concentration are known to influence members of this gene family. Considering experimental observations and previous reports, we proposed a hypothetical model of interaction between EMF and Ets, based on possible interference in pathways involving calcium as a second messenger.

Relationship between mineral content of domestic hot water and microbial contamination.

The relationship between Legionella and Pseudomonas spp contamination and mineral content of domestic hot waters was investigated in a cross-sectional Italian survey. Pseudomonas spp contamination was associated with elevated Ca, but lower Fe and free chlorine content in the water. Waters with Cu concentrations > 50 microg/L prevented Legionella spp colonisation (OR = 0.

Epidemiology of essential hypertension: the role of genetic polymorphism.

Over the past 20 years, the interest of the scientific community was increasingly placed in the field of genetic epidemiology and molecular genetics of blood pressure control. This paper explores references related to essential hypertension, gene and genetic epidemiology indexed in the MedLine health science database during the period 1980-2001. A systematic literature search was performed using selected keywords, such as 'genetic', 'genome' or a combination of words.