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Si inizia a parlare oggi di un nuovo modo di fare agricoltura: il sistema e la produzione agricola sono strettamente connessi alle esigenze del consumatore e alla ricerca di prodotti di qualità nel rispetto di target di sicurezza alimentare. La qualità nutrizionale di un alimento dipende, oltre che da fattori intrinseci peculiari di ogni prodotto, da fattori connessi all’ambiente e alla trasformazione/degradazione causata dall’attività umana. L’attività di ricerca, portata avanti nello svolgimento di tale dottorato, è focalizzata sulla descrizione e comprensione dei differenti fattori che influenzano la qualità alimentare, attraverso lo studio dei livelli di molecole bioattive e della capacità antiossidante totale e il loro possibile impatto nella fisiologia umana. E’ stata rilevata l’importanza di fattori quali cultivar, pratiche agronomiche, condizioni climatiche, grado di maturazione dei frutti, scelta dell’epoca di raccolta, tempi e condizioni di conservazione e dimostrato come la variazione di questi rappresenti uno strumento chiave per ottenere prodotti ortofrutticoli “nutrizionalmente” migliori, massimizzando il contenuto di molecole bioattive e gli effetti benefici. I risultati ottenuti evidenziano come il contenuto dei singoli antiossidanti è indice di un “miglior potenziale salutistico” degli alimenti, mostrando, in particolare, come i prodotti tipici presentino dei valori del potenziale antiossidante nettamente più alti rispetto ai prodotti commerciali. Nowadays a new image of agriculture is emerging: agricultural production systems are closely related to the needs of consumers and to be search of products that meet food quality and safety. The nutritional quality of food is due to both intrinsic and extrinsic factors. The first are related to the existence of synthesis and regulation pathways that are controlled by a set of peculiar enzymes. The second ones are connected to habitat (i.e. season and climate conditions) and degradation caused by human activities such as degree of ripeness, cultural practices, food preparation and processing. The research activity that was carried out during the doctorate activity lead to a better understanding and description of the various factors that affect food quality. The influence of these factors on both the levels of bioactive molecules and the total antioxidant capacity, as well as on their possible impact on the biological role played by phytochemicals in human physiology was evaluated. The results highlighted the importance of factors such as cultivar, agronomic practices, climatic conditions, degree of ripeness of fruits, the choice of time of harvest, time and storage conditions. The variation of these elements represents, infact, a key tool to obtain healthful and more nutritious food crops by increasing and maximizing also the levels of bioactive molecules in foods. Results show that the content of antioxidants is an index of a "better health potential" of food, by showing, in particular, how typical products have an antioxidant power that is significantly higher than commercial products. Dottorato di ricerca in Ortoflorofrutticoltura

Some autoimmune hepatic diseases patterns can be of difficult classification, sometimes as overlap of autoimmune hepatitis, primary biliary cirrhosis, primary sclerosing cholangitis and chronic viral hepatitis. The recognition of these forms is not so easy, but it is necessary for an effective therapeutic approach. At present, the specificity in these cases of the score system done and revised by the International Autoimmune Hepatitis Group is being discussed. Patients showing such diseases have different modalities of presentation of their hepatic disease and different courses. The role of histology appears to be important, but often the overlap of more manifestations is not helpful to a correct diagnostic definition. The variant syndromes could be classified as intermediate patterns of cholestatic forms and of autoimmune hepatic diseases or cholestatic forms of autoimmune hepatitis or hepatitic forms of cholestatic syndromes.

Besides being a hepatotropic virus and a common cause of chronic hepatitis, hepatitis C virus (HCV) has been linked to a variety of extrahepatic immunological manifestations. The high prevalence of HCV infections in some of these conditions suggests an important pathogenetic role of the virus. The recent observation that HCV infects peripheral blood mononuclear cells, such as CD8+ T lymphocytes, CD19+ B lymphocytes and monocytes/microphages, has given an insight into the possible mechanisms of HCV associated autoimmunity. In the clinical practice it is recommended not only to search for symptoms and signs of autoimmune disorders in patients with chronic hepatitis C, but also to test for hepatitis C virus infection patients with extrahepatic conditions known to be related to HCV. Even if the occurrence of autoimmune disorders or the exacerbations of autoimmune diseases has been reported during interferon therapy, antiviral therapy is effective in treating some of the extrahepatic disorders associated with HCV, namely mixed cryoglobulinemia and membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis. The extrahepatic manifestations associated with hepatitis C virus infection are reviewed according to the available data and the option of interferon therapy is discussed.

Hepatocarcinoma (HCC), the most frequent malignant hepatic neoplasia, is sometimes difficult to diagnose at an early stage since the symptoms may be attributed to concomitant hepatic cirrhosis. The assay of alpha-fetoprotein associated with an ultrasound examination of the hepatic parenchyma is an important screening tool for high-risk patients. Ultrasound examination is considered the most sensitive method and alpha-fetoprotein is a supplementary diagnostic tool. Elevated alpha-fetoprotein only occasionally precedes morphological anomalies and even in these cases the neoplastic aspect emerges within a short period of time. The case reported here illustrates the "astronomic" increase of alpha-fetoprotein in a high-risk patient for HCC (positive HBsAg cirrhosis) without the manifest appearance of any instrumental or histological data confirming the presence of the tumour for two years. When the tumour was identified in instrumental tests it had spread throughout the entire hepatic parenchyma in a form which could no longer be treated using any form of therapy. The case reported here emphasizes the diagnostic value of alphafetoprotein in high-risk patients for HCC, even in the prolonged absence of all other data regarding neoplastic transformation.

Presentazione dei contributi raccolti nel volume n. 9 della serie Storia del turismo. Annale