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Insuline-Naaïve type 2 diabetic patients: a multidimensional evaluation on the role of glycated albumin Introduction: glycated Albumin (GA) is an innovative glycemic marker, that could be used in the clinical practice, as an add-on strategy, to the traditional glycemic monitoring systems, such as glycated haemoglobin (Hb1Ac) and fasting plasma glucose (FPG). The study aims at presenting the results of a multidimensional analysis conducted in Italy, exploring the main clinical, economic, ethical, social and organizational implications, related to the introduction of GA. Methods: an Health Technology Assessment (HTA) approach was implemented. The analysis considered the Italian National Healthcare Service (NHS) perspective, and assumed a 12-month time horizon, focusing on type 2 diabetes patients insulin-naïve, assuming oral therapy. The 9 HTA dimensions (derived from the Core Model developed by the European Network of HTA – EUnetHTA) were deployed, considering scientific evidence, health economics tools and qualitative approaches, through the administration of specific questionnaires to 15 diabetes experts. Results: literature reported better GA safety and efficacy profiles, thus being a predictor of the relative risk for diabetes complications development, and increasing the therapeutic success after 3 months of therapy (97.0% versus 71.6%). From an economic point of view, GA introduction resulted in an economic advantage of 1.06% and in a better tradeoff between costs sustained and efficacy gained. Considering a 7-item Likert Scale (ranging from -3 to +3), negative perceptions emerged with regard to equity aspects (0.13 versus 0.72) due to GA limited accessibility, whereas it would improve both patients (2.17 versus 1.33) and care givers (1.50 versus 0.83) quality of life. In the short term, GA required training courses and equipment update, whereas, in the long term, it could be considered the preferable solution from an organizational perspective (0.30 Conclusions: the results of this study demonstrated GA strategic relevance, its economic sustainability and feasibility, versus 0.01). as well as the potential clinical pathway improvement.

This paper, affecting an analysis comparative of the different regional typologies, it analyzes the concept of weakness, with reference to the phenomena of degrade and disarrangement of the grounds, inside the processes of identification of functional territorial articulations to the statistical analysis and the decisions of policy, showing as despite the existence of a fed together of interpretations none of the examined typologies both indeed able to furnish a representation suitable of the phenomenon, since the different procedures of regionalization introduce not suitable discriminatory methodologies.

This study springs from a reflection on the concept of the Slow Network as a tool to strengthen the connection between a territory and its inhabitants, through the rediscovery of the agro-environmental, landscape, historical, artistic, and cultural value of each territory. Creating a slow network means utilising slow mean of mobility thus creating a "greenway" to give life to an ecomuseum and to cultural tourism in an eco-sustainable manner. The resources of an area are enhanced by creating a synergy between them, the tourism industry, and the local economy, which is dedicated to the promotion of an integrated tourism that involves rural areas, natural areas, eno gastronomic tours, and thematic routes, according to the logic of self-sustainable development. In order to investigate the financial sustainability of Slow Networks, an ex-ante pre-financing cash flow analysis of a part of a project has been developed.

The authors regret that the authors’ names in the original article appear, as reported, in the wrong form, which follows: Bivona Giulia, Agnello Luisa, Scazzone Concetta, Lo Sasso Bruna, Bellia Chiara, Ciaccio Marcello. The correct form is: Giulia (first name) Bivona (last name), Luisa (first name) Agnello (surname), Concetta (first name) Scazzone (surname), Bruna (first name) Lo Sasso (surname), Chiara (first name) Bellia (surname), Marcello (first name) Ciaccio (last name). The authors would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused.

No abstract available.

In recent decades, the increase in life expectancy stimulated the study of aging processes and the search for candidate genes involved in longevity. The angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE), present in all endothelial cells, plays an essential role in maintaining the homeostasis of blood flow by regulating the production of the vasoconstrictor angiotensin II and inactivating the bradykinin. Some studies reported a possible association between the polymorphism I/D of ACE gene and either hypertension and longevity. The present study was aimed to confirm these data. We studied two large cohorts of nonagenarians and centenarians. One was from Sardinia (200 subjects, 88 males, mean age: 96 years) and their data were compared to a group of 222 subjects (106 males, mean age: 44 years) from the general population of the same geographic area. The latter group of longeve subjects (161 subjects, 71 males, mean age: 97 years) was from Southern Italy. Furthermore, we studied 146 hypertensive patients (98 males, mean age: 51 years) and 172 normotensive subjects (86 males, mean age: 33 years) from Southern Italy. The ACE I/D polymorphism was typed by polymerase chain reaction; the amplified 490 bp (allele I) and 190 bp (allele D) were visualized on 2% agarose gel. Hypertensive subjects had a significantly different distribution of ACE genotypes as compared to normotensive ones (P=0.001) and a higher frequency of the D/D genotype. Long-lived subjects from Sardinia showed a significantly different distribution of ACE genotypes as compared to subjects from the general population of the same geographic area (P

The atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) is frequently observed in End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) patients; according to the hypothesis of non-traditional risk factors for CVD, accelerated atherogenesis in these patients could be linked to both vascular calcification and inflammation. 2-Heremans-Schmid Glycoprotein (AHSG) also known as Fetuin-A, is considered a negative marker of inflammation and represents one of the in vivo circulating calcification modulators; these molecules are proteins working as endogenous inhibitors of Ca×PO4 precipitation and are probably involved in the pathogenesis vascular calcification. Aim of this study is to evaluate the differences in serum Fetuin-A levels between 2 Haemodialysis (HD) patient groups distinguished on the basis of history of cardio and/or cerebrovascular events. All patients took part in clinical data collection and 2 patient groups were identified as no cardiovascular and cardiovascular on the basis of history of cardio and/or cerebrovascular events. Serum Fetuin-A levels were determined using sandwich immunoenzymatic assay, ELISA (Epitope Diagnostics Inc., San Diego, CA, USA). Serum Fetuin-A levels were significantly lower in cardiovascular HD patients than in those without cardiovascular event. The role of Fetuin A in the context of the different pathogenetic moments of atherosclerosis remains unclearly assessed; it would be of some interest to investigate the hypothesis, almost unexplored, of a relationship between low Fetuin A levels and endothelial dysfunction.