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The National checklists of Crop Wild Relatives (CWR) and Wild Harvested Plants (WHP) are the basic tools for the development of in situ and ex situ conservation strategies of plant genetic resources. Here we discuss the methodologies and the prioritization process we previously used in the preparation of the prioritized checklist of CWR and WHP for Italy. The starting point were the most up-to-date Italian checklists of native and alien flora with their updates used as a nomenclatural and distributive source of data. Sardinia and Sicily were kept separate from peninsular Italy to perform detailed analyses focused on the taxa of the two major islands. The origin, the endemic status, cultivation, economic importance, uses, gene pool or taxon group, and the Red List status information were added. The WHP status was attributed to all the taxa with known direct uses. A qualitative approach was adopted in the prioritization process, the main criteria used were: 1) the inclusion of wild relative taxa of crops listed in Annex I of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) and/or by the Italian Institute of Statistics (ISTAT) for cultivated areas and yield in the last 5 years; 2) the threatened taxa occurring in national or global Red lists; 3) the endemism. This prioritization process generated 102 taxa as most in need of specific protection and/or monitoring measures, 57 taxa requiring monitoring because of their restricted distribution although not requiring specific protection measures and 735 taxa not requiring any specific protection. However, different prioritization processes could have been applied to the Italian checklists yielding different results. Here we discuss the matter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Tuber aestivum Vittad., known as black summer truffle, represents high-value food especially used as garnishment in nouvelle cuisine. The aim of this study was to investigate on the viable microbial populations associated with T. aestivum ascomata collected in different sites of Sicily and one locality of Umbria (Italy). Methods: The ripe ascomata of black summer truffles were collected from Central Italy. Cell densities of spoilage bacteria, fecal indicators, potential pathogens, yeasts, and molds were analyzed. Statistical analysis was conducted with XLSTAT software. Results: The microbiological counts of truffles ranged between 6.00 and 9.63 log Colony Forming Unit (CFU)/g for total mesophilic count and between 6.18 and 8.55 log CFU/g for total psychrotrophic count; pseudomonads were in the range 6.98-9.28 log CFU/g. Listeria spp. and coagulase-positive streptococci detected in no samples. Coagulase-negative streptococci were found in some samples with 2.11-4.76 log CFU/g levels. Yeasts and filamentous fungi were detected at consistent levels of 3.60-7.81 log CFU/g. Significant differences (p<0.01) were found between samples and also for all microbial groups. Conclusion: This study evidenced that the common brushing procedure applied for preparation of truffles is not sufficient to eliminate microbial risks for consumers. The application of an efficient decontamination treatment is strongly suggested before consumption of fresh truffles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first cause in the pathogenesis of NAFLD is oxidative stress. Hypercholesterolemia is frequent in NAFLD patients. Red rice is administered in patients with mild hypercholesterolemia or in patients intolerant to statins. Red rice is rich in sterols and isoflavonoids with potential effects on oxidative stress. to evaluate the role of red rice on parameters of oxidative stress and on biomarkers of liver steatosis in patients with NAFLD. we studied 24 patients (14 F, 10 M) with mean age ± SD (50.9±11.9 yrs) affected by NAFLD, with mild hypercholesterolemia. Patients with Type 2 diabetes and patients on treatment with statins were excluded. We measured the following parameters of oxidative stress: Malondialdehyde (MDA) and Glutathione-disulfide (GSSG). Calculated the scores of liver steatosis (FLI, HIS, NAFLD-LFS) and the scores of fibrosis (APRI, FIB-4, NFS). The liver fibrosis was also detected by ARFI methods (Simens S-2000). The body composition was calculated with Bioimpedentiometry (BIA). All the parameters were detected at T=0 and after 6 months (T=6) of therapy with 10 mg of Monakoline K. all the patients completed the study. The body weight was stable, and no modifications on BIA parameters were observed. The total cholesterol and total triglycerides declined (232.05±22.01 mg/dl to 204.15± 35.80 mg/dl p < 0.003; 135.60±99.90, to 130,80±46.80 mg/dl p< 0.026, respectively). ALT was also reduced (51.45±26.86 U/L to 34.40±17.57 U/L p< 0.18). MDA and GSSG decreased significantly (10.90 ±4.20 mM to 5.15±2.78 mM p< 0.0001; 3.15±1.83 µM to 1.02±0.98 µM p<0.0001, respectively). The FLI was reduced by 75.69±18.01 to 64.93±4.96 p< 0.035, while HIS and NAFLD-LFS and scores of fibrosis were unchanged. Red Rice after six months of therapy in patients with NAFLD and mild Hypercholesterolemia reduced significantly the parameters of oxidative stress, the score of fatty liver FLI, and the parameters of hepatic cytonecrosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hypogeous fungi are common in arid and semi-arid areas of the Mediterranean basin and, in particular, they are found in Italy, Spain, northern African countries (especially in Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia), and in the Middle East. These fungi and, in particular, some species belonging to the genusTuberand the desert truffles (Terfeziaspp. andTirmaniaspp.) form ascomata of considerable economic value. In this review, a panorama of hypogeous fungal diversity and information on their ecology in Mediterranean arid and semi-arid ecosystems have been reported; their economical importance and cultivation potential are also underlined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The natural resources are currently overexploited and since 1992 the Conference of Rio de Janeiro has focused on sustainable development to safeguard our planet for future generations. The Fungi kingdom includes producers of goods and services for ecosystems and organisms widely used in the food industry. Besides, macrofungi are recognized as non-timber forest products and could be utilized as agents of environmental management through weed biocontrol and environmental improvement. Moreover, the cultivation of fungi, in particular truffles, can provide an important income in agroecosystems, especially in marginal areas, along with the development of new technologies to produce novel products from fungi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fungi are organisms of significant importance not only for the crucial roles they undertake in nature but also for many human activities that are strictly dependent on them. Indeed, fungi possess fundamental positions in ecosystems functioning including nutrient cycles and wood decomposition. As concerns human-related activities, edible and non-edible mushrooms are also involved and/or exploited in forestry, pharmaceutical industry and food production; hence, nowadays they represent a major economic source worldwide. In order to maintain and improve their strategic importance, several conservation strategies, such as habitat preservation, are needed. This article reports several contributions inherent to the relationships between wood-decaying fungi, edible and non-edible mushrooms and their potential exploitation as non-timber forest products and genetic resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The kingdom Fungi comprises one of the most diverse groups of living organisms. They are numerous, ubiquitous and undertake many roles both independently and in association with other organisms. Fungi display a wide diversity of forms also mirrored by functional diversity and play such a dominant role in human society that they are arguably biotechnologically the most important group of organisms. Ex situ conservation of fungi, not only guarantees correct management and conservation of biodiversity, but also its exploitation in different fields. This article describes the major biological resource centres dealing with fungi in Italy and gives several examples of fungal exploitation in different fields of applications. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A remarkable increase in knowledge of fungal biodiversity in Italy has occurred in the last five years. The authors report up-to-date numbers of fungi (Basidiomycota and Ascomycota) by regions together with distributional and ecological data on hypogeous fungi. Specific case studies such as alpine fungi, orchid mycorrhizas symbionts, invasive species, and the use of macrofungi as food by red squirrels are analyzed. In situ conservation strategies carried out on target species and/or taxonomic groups are also indicated. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]