Search

Chronic pelvic pain is a hidden issue which needs to involve many different usually uncoordinated specialists. For this reason there is a risk that treatments, in the absence of well-defined pathways, common goals, and terminology, may be poorly effective. The aim of the present paper is to summarize the evidence on anorectal pelvic pain, offering useful evidence-based practice parameters for colorectal surgeons' daily activity. Analysis of chronic anorectal and pelvic pain syndromes, the diagnostic and clinical optimal needs for evaluation, and the innumerable low evidence treatments and therapeutic options currently available suggests that a multimodal individualized management of pain may be the most promising approach. The limited availability of dedicated centers still negatively affects the applicability of these principles., (© 2024. Springer Nature Switzerland AG.)

Italy is the world leader in the production of pasta and the Italian market is characterized by strong price competition among large industrial producers. Thus, recently, many small and medium firms have started to differentiate their products as a way to achieve higher margins and escape from price competition. Using data on the prices and characteristics of dried pasta sold online in the Italian market and a hedonic price model, we estimated the implicit prices associated with several attributes that are currently available for dried pasta. We find that the "artisanal" statement on pasta labeling is associated with the highest price premium. Also, results show that protected geographical indication, Halal and Kosher certifications, and the use of ancient wheat varieties are valuable features of dried pasta sold in the Italian market. Instead, a positive, albeit limited in magnitude, price premium is associated with dried pasta made using 100% Italian durum wheat semolina, the organic method, enriched with additional ingredients. Findings suggest that producers can differentiate their products by mostly emphasizing their small-scale production methods, the territorial connotation, and the cultural and environmental sustainability of production. Otherwise, certifying dried pasta as Halal or Kosher can represent a complementary or alternative strategy to differentiate the product and achieve a higher price.

Myasthenia gravis (MG) is the most common neuromuscular junction disorder. We evaluated the MG incidence rate in the province of Ferrara, Northern Italy, over two time frames (2008-2018 and 2019-2022, i.e., the COVID-19 pandemic) and considered early-onset (EOMG), late-onset (LOMG), and thymoma- and non-thymoma-associated MG. Moreover, in the second period, we assessed its possible relationship with SARS-CoV-2 infection or COVID-19 vaccination. We used a complete enumeration approach to estimate the MG incidence and its temporal trend. For the period of 2008-18, 106 new cases were identified (mean incidence rate 2.7/100,000 people). The highest rates were observed for the over-70 age group and in rural areas, with 17% of thymoma-associated MG. During the COVID-19 period, 29 new cases were identified (average incidence rate 2.1/100,000 people), showing a marked (though not statistically significant) decrease in the mean annual incidence compared to the previous period. Again, the highest rate was observed for the over-70 age group. The first period was in line with our previous observations for the period between 1985 and 2007, highlighting a rising incidence of LOMG and a marked decrease in EOMG. During the COVID-19 period, incidence rates were lower in the first years whereas, when the pandemic ended, the previous trend was confirmed.

The aim of this paper is to investigate purchase intention (PI) for meat obtained through a tenderization process based on a treatment with exogenous proteolytic enzymes. Particularly, perceived risks and perceived benefits on the consumer acceptance of tender meat produced through this emerging technology have been evaluated. In order to achieve the stated objective, a survey was conducted on a national representative sample of Italian consumers (N = 1006), who received information about the traditional and the emerging tenderization processes. Principal Component Analysis and Structural Equation Model were applied to the collected data. Results show that consumer purchase intention for meat treated with exogenous proteolytic enzymes was strongly influenced by perceived benefits and weakly influenced by perceived risks. Another important result is that perceived benefits are mainly affected by trust in science. Finally, a Cluster Analysis was performed to distinguish consumer segments with different response patterns., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

We present a rare case of a traumatic lesion of the tibial fibers of the sciatic nerve with spared peroneal fibers. A 33-year-old victim of a three month earlier stabbing attack came to our attention with gait impairment and weakened left foot plantar flexion and left foot internal rotation and supination. Based upon clinical signs and neurophysiological investigations we suspected that a traumatic injury of the left tibial nerve had occurred. Ultrasound examination detected a lesion of part of the left sciatic nerve, in a different site than expected. The patient was immediately enlisted for a tailored surgical reconstruction., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest: The authors do not report any financial or personal connections with other persons or organizations which might negatively affect the contents of this publication and/or claim authorship rights to this publication., (© 2023 Pietro Antenucci et al., published by Sciendo.)

This study aims to estimate the market value, or implicit prices, associated with the main craft beer attributes (e.g., beer style, organic, gluten-free, and package-related features) and support producers in detecting the more profitable marketing strategies. For this purpose, we conducted an empirical analysis employing sales data of craft beers from the Italian online market, and we estimated a hedonic price model via ordinary least squares. Results show that the type of package and cup only has moderate effects on price. Furthermore, a moderate premium price is found for gluten-free craft beers, while craft beers with organic labels and Italian origin do not benefit from the higher price. Instead, the beer style adopted strongly affected the product price: the highest premium prices were detected for Barleywine (+49.9%) and Italian Grape Ale (+39.6%) beer styles. Furthermore, relevant premium prices, higher than +25%, were estimated for other beer styles such as Sour, Fruit Beer, and Stout. Results suggest that artisanal breweries can effectively differentiate their product according to the beer style. To the best of our knowledge, the current study offers the first empirical evidence on how beer styles as well as other product characteristics affect the market price of craft beer by using secondary data.

The Italian market of processed tomatoes (whole peeled and unpeeled tomatoes, chopped tomato pulp, tomato purée, and concentrated tomato paste) rose, thanks to the Italian tradition of using such products in many recipes of cuisine, until early 2000; since then, it has declined to date. Moreover, such products are traditionally considered low-price products, and their market is characterized by intense price competition. Thus, recently, producers have started to differentiate their products as a way to achieve higher margins, and escape from competition in price. By using the sales data of Italian processed tomatoes sold in several retail stores and a hedonic price model, we estimated the implicit prices associated with several attributes that are currently available in processed tomato products on the market. We find that a protected designation of origin, organic certification, and flavoring, as well as the indication of tomato variety, are the most valuable features of processed tomato products sold in the Italian market. This implies that product differentiation strategies that could be suggested to producers as the most effective are those aimed at enhancing the territorial link of the product, the environmental sustainability of the production process, and organoleptic product features, as well as its convenience.