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A longitudinal psycholinguistic study was conducted with 107 students from different Italian universities that produced daily photo-diary entries for two weeks, one at the beginning and the other at the end of the first Italian lockdown period, imposed in view of the rapid dissemination of COVID -19. The task was to take a daily photo accompanied by a short description (text). The texts accompanying the photos were analysed using Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) software to analyze linguistic markers representing psychological processes related to the experience of the pandemic and the lockdown, identifying potential changes in psycholinguistic variables useful for understanding the psychological impact of such harsh and extended restricted living conditions on Italian students. LIWC categories related to negation, anger, cognitive mechanisms, tentative discourse, past, and future increased statistically significantly between the two time points, while word count, prepositions, communication, leisure, and home decreased statistically significantly. While male participants used more articles at both time points, females used more words related to anxiety, social processes, past, and present at T1 and more related to insight at T2. Participants who lived with their partner showed higher scores on negative emotions, affect, positive feelings, anger, optimism, and certainty. Participants from southern Italy tended to describe their experiences from a collective and social perspective rather than an individual perspective. By identifying, discussing, and comparing these phenomena with the broader literature, a spotlight is shed for the first time on the psycholinguistic analysis of students at the national level who faced the first COVID -19 lockdown in Italy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This work investigates the impact of the inorganic thermodynamic module on Chemical Transport Model simulations. The study has been focused on Northern Italy, one of the most polluted area in Europe, where high PM10 levels are reached despite the Regional and National Authority efforts to limit emission in the atmosphere. Two different configurations of the Chemical Transport Model TCAM have been tested performing yearly simulation over the selected domain for 2005. In the first configuration, the SCAPE2 thermodynamic module has been implemented, while in the second one, ISORROPIA-II has been integrated into the system. An exhaustive evaluation of the performances is presented for total PM10 with respect to its daily values, and the analysis of the impact of the two modules on PM2.5 and on aerosol chemical components has been performed. The ISORROPIA-II module configuration shows better overall performances both in terms of correlation and Normalized Mean Absolute Error for PM10 and PM2.5. The evaluation of the inorganic ions performances shows a quite different behavior for the two configurations, with ISORROPIA-II providing better results for both Normalized Mean Absolute Error and Normalized Mean Error. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

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Abstract  The chemical and size characterisation of aerosol in northern Italy was investigated by means of transport chemical aerosol model (TCAM) multiphase model long-term simulations performed within the frame of the CityDelta-CAFE exercise. The results show a high contribution of secondary inorganic compounds, in particular far from the Milan metropolitan area and in the large rural area of the Po valley where the major chemical fractions are ammonium and nitrates. The sulphate contribution is quite similar throughout this region, with the exception of areas close to SOx point emissions. Primary PM and organic compounds fractions, on the other hand, are greater close to major urban areas, in particular the Milan metropolitan zone. This work also presents a seasonal characterisation analysis of physical and chemical aerosol features. The results show that in winter, due to domestic heating emission of NOx and low temperatures, which favour the formation of secondary nitrate and organic aerosol, the PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations are higher than those in summer, in agreement with experimental data presented in several studies focussing on the same region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract  Within the framework of CityDelta open model inter-comparison exercise, two different atmospheric chemical transport models, comprehensive air quality model with extension and transport chemical aerosol model, have been applied over a domain centred on Milan (North of Italy) as a result of a cooperation of five Italian groups. The two models have shared the same input fields for yearly PM10 simulations. The paper illustrates the analysis of the particulate matter-simulated concentrations and the comparison with the available experimental data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective Our objectives were to determine the prevalence of psychological distress in a large sample of Italian patients with psoriasis; to establish whether disease severity and psychological distress are associated; to identify the strategies employed to cope with psoriasis; to evaluate the coping strategies employed by dermatologists; and to identify potential predictors of psychological distress. Design Cross-sectional. Setting Thirty-nine Italian dermatology centres. Subjects One thousand five hundred and eighty (1580) patients with psoriasis. Methods Minor psychological distress was evaluated using the General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12) and major psychopathological distress using the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI); coping strategies were evaluated using the Brief COPE questionnaire; disease severity was evaluated using the body surface area index. Results Patients were aged 44 ± 13 years (mean ± SD) and were mainly men (57%). Minor psychological distress was present in 46% of patients and major psychopathological distress in 11% of them. Both minor (54% vs. 40%, P < 0.0001) and major (17% vs. 7%, P < 0.0001) distress were more frequent in women than in men. The psychological status of women was worse than that of men independently from the extension of psoriasis. There was no association between the presence of distress and the treatment prescribed by dermatologists. Planning and active coping were the strategies most commonly employed by patients to cope with psoriasis, but there were between-gender differences. Most dermatologists employed a ‘problem-orientated’ attitude in caring for patients. Conclusions (i) Psychological distress was relatively frequent in our patients with psoriasis; (ii) female gender was the most important predictive factor for psychological distress; (iii) there was no association between psoriasis severity and psychological distress; (iv) planning and active coping were the coping strategies most frequently employed by patients; and (v) most dermatologists employed a problem-orientated attitude in caring for patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThe objective of this study was to assess the cost of caring for patients with psoriasis in Italy according to the AISP study (Associazione Italiana Studi Psoriasi or Italian Association for Studies on Psoriasis), involving 104 university and hospital centres and 7992 patients in 1994. The mean yearly cost of care for a single patient was calculated at 905 Euros. Hospitalization accounted for more than four-fifths of the costs, therapy for about one-eighth (systemic therapies were the most expensive) and office visits and day hospitals for the remainder. In our study series less than 20% of patients accounted for more than 90% of the total costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Psoriasis is present all over the world and its prevalence varies in the different populations and different geographical areas. For example, Northern European countries seem to have rates of incidence which are greater than those known for Southern Europe. However, today there is still a tack of adequate data to allow comparisons at an international level. Methods In Italy in 1994 the AISP (interdisciplinary Association for the Study of Psoriasis) co-ordinated the recording of monthly case histories and clinical results relating to psoriasis in patients observed in dermatology centres homogeneously distributed throughout Italy. The results were extrapolated from the overall case series. Results A sample or nearly 8000 cases was collected, most presenting psoriasis vulgaris. This pathology, prevalent in males, first appears at an age somewhere between the teens and twenties. Numerous factors may be involved, and onset is mainly attributed to stress, viral or bacterial infections and pharmacological therapy. Over 90% of cases lost between 1 and 7 working days in the course of the year. Local anti-psonasis treatment in monotherapy was administered more frequently than systemic therapy or combined therapy. Conclusions The results of this first Italian epidemiological study confirm that psoriasis is homogeneously distributed throughout the country. About 50% of patients avail themselves of specialist cures, even several times in the course of the year, and use a wide range of therapies which may be more or less demanding. The internal socio-economic cost of the disease is evident, particularly in terms of working days lost and/or medical expenses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digestate is a nutrient-rich fertilizer and appropriate techniques are required for its application during the maize season to reduce losses and increase the nitrogen use efficiency (NUE). The performance of two different fertigation techniques (drip irrigation and pivot) were assessed using the digestate liquid fraction. A two-year field test was carried out at two different sites in Lombardy, northern Italy. At each site, fertigation with pivot (P-F, site 1) or drip (D-F, site 2) systems was compared to reference fields where the same irrigation techniques without addition of digestate were used. During the two seasons, the performance of the fertigation systems, amount of fertilizers used, soil nitrogen content, yields, and nitrogen content of the harvested plants were monitored. The digestate application averaged 5 m3/ha per fertigation event with P-F and 4.9 m3/ha with D-F corresponding, respectively, to 28 and 23 kg N/ha. Both irrigation systems were suitable for fertigation provided that the digestate was adequately filtrated. Our results suggest that fertigation with digestate, if properly managed, can be applied during the growing season up to the full amount of nitrogen required by the crop. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses a study which examined the incidence of coccidiosis in different rabbit keeping systems. The study aimed to determine the infestation levels by Eimeria comparing conventional and alternative rabbit keeping systems with different levels of hygienic control. It conducted sampling in four farms located in the Viterbo province, Italy, which had different levels of hygienic conditions. It concluded that a fair control of hygienic conditions is sufficient to maintain a low level of coccidia.

Nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulphur oxides (SOx) and ammonia (NH 3) are among the main contributors to the formation of secondary particulate matter (PM 2.5), which represent a severe risk to human health. Even if important improvements have been achieved worldwide, traffic, industrial activities, and the energy sector are mostly responsible for NOx and SOx release; instead, the agricultural sector is mainly responsible for NH 3 emissions. Due to the emergency of coronavirus disease, in Italy schools and universities have been locked down from late February 2020, followed in March by almost all production and industrial activities as well as road transport, except for the agricultural ones. This study aims to analyze NH 3 , PM 2.5 and NOx emissions in principal livestock provinces in the Lombardy region (Brescia, Cremona, Lodi, and Mantua) to evaluate if and how air emissions have changed during this quarantine period respect to 2016–2019. For each province, meteorological and air quality data were collected from the database of the Regional Agency for the Protection of the Environment, considering both data stations located in the city and the countryside. In the 2020 selected period, PM 2.5 reduction was higher compared to the previous years, especially in February and March. Respect to February, PM 2.5 released in March in the city stations reduced by 19%–32% in 2016–2019 and by 21%–41% in 2020. Similarly, NOx data of 2020 were lower than in the 2016–2019 period (reduction in March respect to February of 22–42% for 2016–2019 and of 43–62% for 2020); in particular, this can be observed in city stations, because of the current reduction in anthropogenic emissions related to traffic and industrial activities. A different trend with no reductions was observed for NH 3 emissions, as agricultural activities have not stopped during the lockdown. Air quality is affected by many variables, for which making conclusions requires a holistic perspective. Therefore, all sectors must play a role to contribute to the reduction of harmful pollutants. • PM 2.5 is formed in the atmosphere by a chemical reaction among NH 3 , SOx, and NOx. • Covid-19 outbreak interrupted many productive activities, except agricultural ones. • City and countryside data stations in Lombardy (North Italy) were analyzed. • NOx and PM 2.5 emissions reduced during quarantine period but not NH 3. • Combined efforts from productive sectors are expected to reduce PM 2.5 emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Moderate, regular alcohol consumption is generally associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular events but data in patients with chronic heart failure are scarce. We evaluated the relations between wine consumption, health status, circulating biomarkers, and clinical outcomes in a large Italian population of patients with chronic heart failure enrolled in a multicenter clinical trial., Methods and Results: A brief questionnaire on dietary habits was administered at baseline to 6973 patients enrolled in the Gruppo Italiano per lo Studio della Sopravvivenza nell'Insufficienza Cardiaca-Heart Failure (GISSI-HF) trial. The relations between wine consumption, fatal and nonfatal clinical end points, quality of life, symptoms of depression, and circulating biomarkers of cardiac function and inflammation (in subsets of patients) were evaluated with simple and multivariable-adjusted statistical models. Almost 56% of the patients reported drinking at least 1 glass of wine per day. After adjustment, clinical outcomes were not significantly different in the predefined 4 groups of wine consumption. However, patients with more frequent wine consumption had a significantly better perception of health status (Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire score, adjusted P<0.0001), less frequent symptoms of depression (Geriatric Depression Scale, adjusted P=0.01), and lower plasma levels of biomarkers of vascular inflammation (osteoprotegerin and C-terminal proendothelin-1, adjusted P<0.0001, and pentraxin-3, P=0.01) after adjusting for possible confounders., Conclusions: We show for the first time in a large cohort of patients with chronic heart failure that moderate wine consumption is associated with a better perceived and objective health status, lower prevalence of depression, and less vascular inflammation, but does not translate into more favorable clinical 4-year outcomes., Clinical Trial Registration: URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT0033633., (© 2015 American Heart Association, Inc.)