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L’aumentato interesse verso metodi alternative ai fungicidi tradizionali per la lotta ai patogeni del post-raccolta ha prodotto numerose sperimentazioni negli ultimi vent’anni. I risultati ottenuti mostrano alcuni significativi progressi nella riduzione dei fitofarmaci di sintesi, sebbene rimangono ancora alcuni punti critici che attendono una più ampia considerazione. Sarebbe irrealistico pensare che un biofungicida abbia un’efficacia paragonabile ai fungicidi tradizionali, occorrerà lavorare per migliorarne la formulazione, la compatibilità con i processi di lavorazione e conservazione dei frutti, in un’ottica di difesa integrata che preveda anche trattamenti con GRAS, calore o elicitori di resistenza. In futuro, tutti questi metodi saranno fondamentali per le coltivazioni biologiche che non sottoposte a trattamenti con i fungicidi tradizionali risentono però di gravi perdite nella vita postraccolta, ma d’altro canto esigono di mantenere le loro peculiarità anche in questa fase. La ricerca dovrebbe giungere pertanto alla definizione di strumenti appropriati (antagonisti microbici, sostanze naturali, GRAS, calore) adattando al meglio le strategie di difesa in relazione alla specie, alle aree di produzione, alle condizioni climatiche, alla localizzazione dei mercati, etc.

The communities supported agriculture movement (CSA) is a new consumers' organization form characterized by ethical and joint choices, plus by shared management of decisions and initiatives. Generally the CSA focus on particular productions: organic and local foods, fair trade, social agriculture, etc. This paper wants to show the mains CSA working problems, as well as socio-economic and behavioural feature that mark CSA members.

L’utilizzo degli ITCs prodotti dal sistema GLs-Mir, nel controllo dei patogeni del suolo offre risposte positive in termini di efficacia, gestione della fertilità dei terreni e riduzione dell’impatto ambientale nella coltivazione delle orticole. Il CRA-CIN in questo settore ha svolto un ruolo importante, selezionando genotipi specifici e sviluppando le competenze chimiche e biochimiche per la messa a punto dei mezzi tecnici per la biofumigazione. Tutto ciò ha determinato l’interesse di aziende private che hanno avviato la commercializzazione dei prodotti biofumiganti per un uso come ammendanti nella coltivazione di orticole in coltura protetta e in pieno campo, non solo in agricoltura biologica ma anche nell’agricoltura integrata e convenzionale, dove la tecnica inizia ad essere inserita nei protocolli di coltivazione. Con le sperimentazioni realizzate si è stabilito inoltre che la biofumigazione è una tecnica adatta anche per il trattamento dei frutti in postraccolta dove può contribuire al controllo di specifiche infezioni fungine sebbene l’applicazione debba essere perfezionata perché un uso improprio di questa tecnologia può indurre fitotossicità specialmente nei frutti refrigerati.

Il lavoro contiene un confronto tra i risultati economici e di efficienza tecnica di un gruppo rappresentativo di aziende che operano in biologico ed in convenzioanle nel comparto cerealicolo in Sicilia.

The study shows the results obtained in Sicily in the sphere of the activities carried out within a larger national research3, and identifies key strengths and weaknesses of the sector, both in the production stage and in the upstream segments of processing and marketing. As for the structural survey on manufacturing firms, the research turned both to a direct survey concerning some case studies which were tested for a two-year period, and to the analysis of the technical-financial elements derived from the RICA-INEA Database. On the other hand, for what concerns the steps following the production, the investigation looked at 12 firms dealing, also or exclusively, with the marketing of organic farms products (milk, cheese, eggs, and meat in sheep, goats, cattle and poultry), analyzed as case studies. The study reveals some significant features of the development of the industry, whose products are still marketed primarily on conventional markets, and the difficulties of the companies investigated, mainly due to the weakness, or, in some cases, to the absence of channels of commerce locally organized and able to absorb their production.

This paper sets out the results of a research project carried out by the University of Palermo and financed by the Sicilian Region, which aims to establish the impact of the Fischler Reform on Sicilian agriculture, and to project future scenarios that take into account some of the changes that the production process may undergo in the Region, following both the application of the Reform itself (now in force) and the eventual application of indications contained in the Health check. The impacts of the Fischler Reform, and especially the application of the Single Payment scheme to companies, were examined in cereal cropping companies, especially considering the significant amount of durum wheat cultivation in vast areas of the Region’s hilly and its strategic importance for many areas where there is a risk of farming being abandoned, with grave consequences for the territory and its farmland, for employment and for the encouragement of food and processing industries. The chosen means for assessing the effects of the reform was that of direct interviews at a statistically representative sample made up of 400 agricultural companies, determining possible earnings within the current situation, but also in the eventuality of some of the indications in the Health check being applied. The results indicate that Community aid plays a crucial role in the companies looked at, allowing them to remain on the market. Indeed, the elimination of the aid planned within the framework of the Common Agricultural Policy in the hypothetical scenarios showed a negative impact on earnings for the companies and could cause their exclusion from the market.

The clinical significance of serum cathepsin K and cystatin C was assessed in patients with breast cancer (BCa) or prostate cancer (PCa) with confined disease (M0) or bone metastasis (BM). Cathepsin K and cystatin C circulating levels were determined by ELISAs in 63 cancer patients, in 35 patients with nonmalignant diseases and in 42 healthy blood donors (control group). In BCa patients, cathepsin K serum levels were significantly lower than in sex matched control group (HS; p = 0.0008) or in patients with primary osteoporosis (OP; p = 0.0009). On the contrary, cystatin C levels were significantly higher in BCa patients than in HS ( p = 0.0001) or OP ( p = 0.017). In PCa patients, cathepsin K concentrations did not significantly differ from those measured in sex matched HS or in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Conversely, cystatin C was more elevated in cancer patients than in controls ( p = 0.0001) or BPH patients ( p = 0.0078). Furthermore, in PCa patients, a positive correlation was observed between cystatin C and cathepsin K ( r S = 0.34; p = 0.047). No further relationship was highlighted between these molecules and the clinicobiological parameters of BCa or PCa progression including the number of bone lesions. Moreover, ROC curve analysis showed a poor diagnostic performance of cathepsin K and cystatin C in the detection of BM patients. Interestingly, the administration of zoledronic acid (ZA), a bisphosphonate derivative endowed with a potent antiosteoclastic activity, induced in BM patients a marked increase of cathepsin K and cystatin C serum levels compared to baseline values. However, this phenomenon was statistically significant only in the PCa group. In conclusion Cystatin C and cathepsin K may be regarded as possible markers to monitor the therapeutic response to bisphosphonate treatments. Nevertheless, their clinical value as specific gauges of skeletal metastasis remains questionable.

The paper illustrates the main political aspects and most important economic issues affecting Italian agriculture whitin the context of the Mediterranean area.

Il contributo affronta un tema quello della logistica che rappresenta per il settore agroalimentare una leva strategica per la competizione delle imprese sui mercati internazionali. In particolare, il lavoro tende a verificare la rispondenza della politica di una regione come la Sicilia strategicamente posizionata nel bacino del Mediterraneo con le effettive esigenze delle Organizzazioni di Produttori. La bontà delle scelte politiche viste dall''ottica dei produttori viene misurata con l''Indice di Vantaggio di Localizzazione.

Recent studies have highlighted that Activin A, a member of the transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) superfamily, may be involved in the regulation of osteoblastic activity and in osteoclast differentiation. Therefore, we have investigated the clinical significance of its circulating levels in patients with bone metastasis. Activin A serum concentrations were determined, by a commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit, in 72 patients with breast cancer (BC) or prostatic cancer (PC) with (BM+) or without (BM-) bone metastases, in 15 female patients with age-related osteoporosis (OP), in 20 patients with benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH) and in 48 registered healthy blood donors (HS) of both sex (25 female and 23 male). Activin A serum concentrations were significantly increased in BC or PC patients as compared to OP (P < 0.0001) or BPH (P = 0.045), respectively, or to sex matched HS (P < 0.0001). Additionally, these levels resulted more elevated in PC patients as compared to BC patients (P = 0.032). Interestingly, Activin A was significantly higher in BM+ patients than in BM- patients (BC, P = 0.047; PC, P = 0.016). In BC patients, a significant correlation was observed only between Activin A and number of bone metastases (P = 0.0065) while, in PC patients, Activin A levels were strongly correlated with the Gleason score (P = 0.011) or PSA levels (P = 0.0001) and, to a lessen extent, with the number of bone metastases (P = 0.056). Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis showed a fair diagnostic accuracy of Activin A to discriminate between BM+ and BM- patients (BC: AUC = 0.71 +/- 0.09, P = 0.03; PC: AUC = 0.73 +/- 0.081, P = 0.005). These findings indicate that Activin A may be implicated in the pathogenesis of bone metastasis. Therefore, this cytokine may be considered a novel potential target for a more selective therapeutic approach in the treatment of skeletal metastasis and may be also useful as additional biochemical marker of metastatic bone disease.

Cathepsin D is a lysosomal acid proteinase which is involved in the malignant progression of breast cancer and other gynecological tumors. Clinical investigations have shown that in breast cancer patients cathepsin D overexpression was significantly correlated with a shorter free-time disease and overall survival, whereas in patients with ovarian or endometrial cancer this phenomenon was associated with tumor aggressiveness and a degree of chemoresistance to various antitumor drugs such as anthracyclines, cis-platinum and vinca alkaloids. Therefore, a lot of research has been undertaken to evaluate the role and the prognostic value of cathepsin D also in other solid neoplasms. However, conflicting results have been generated from these studies. The discrepancies in these results may, in part, be explained with the different methodological approaches used in order to determine the levels of expression of the enzyme in tumor tissues and body fluids. Further investigations using well-standardized techniques may better define the clinical significance of cathepsin D expression in solid tumors. Nevertheless, evidence emerging from these studies indicates that this proteinase seems to facilitate early phases of tumor progression such as cell proliferation and local dissemination. These findings support the concept that cathepsin D may be a useful marker for identifying patients with highly malignant tumor phenotypes who may need more aggressive clinical treatment; this enzyme may also be considered as a potential target for a novel therapeutic approach in the treatment of solid neoplasms.

This paper aims to present a framework of trade relations between Italy and the countries of southern and eastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea. More specifically, using the indicators proposed in the analysis of international trade, we want to analyse the intensity of trade in agri-food products and the strength of trade ties between the bordering Mediterranean countries. The analysis of the intensity of trade flows of food products from Italy and the partner countries of North Africa and the Near East has allowed us to trace a network of flows between the countries in the area. If we can see an overall weakening of the agri-food trade, the analysis for individual partner states, however, shows a strengthening of ties with Turkey, Tunisia and Croatia, which are among the most important trading partners, but also with Egypt, in the face instead of a detriment intensity of agri-food trade with Morocco and Algeria. Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Crescimanno, M., Galati, A., Siggia, D. and Farruggia, D. (2013) 'Intensity of Italy's agri-food trade with countries outside the EU Mediterranean', Int. J. Business and