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The European Union, apart from its well-developed socio-economic regions, is also characterized by marginal, remote rural areas, where the difficult socio-economic conditions and gentrification are the basis of an increasing phenomenon of depopulation and territorial abandonment. In some of these areas, sometimes, not only the development of inland and/or mountainous areas is complex, but also coastal development is not easy, and it calls for synergies between regional authorities, enterprises, universities, schools, and, more in general, local private and public stakeholders. In such vulnerable areas, there is a greater necessity to build proper governance systems, where local communities and public and private stakeholders have the responsibility to meet, discuss and actively participate as public-private partnerships (PPP) in local development processes. In such a context this paper highlights some of the research themes that have been developed in the research project on Gastronomy and Tourism in remote European Areas with particular reference to the creation of a gastronomic Atlas, still under development, of the Italian area of study, the Metropolitan Town of Reggio Calabria.

PurposeThis paper aims to provide evidence on the extent to which traditional agri-food products (TFPs) constitute a leverage to promote tourism in the province of Reggio Calabria, Italy, and discuss ways in which community-led local development governance institutions might enhance it.Design/methodology/approachThe study is based on a review of existing information on Calabrian TFPs to classify them by area of production and identify those that are specific or relatively small areas, in addition to a qualitative analysis of the content of the texts of a sample of websites promoting tourism in the region.FindingsThough food is one of the leverages used to promote tourism in Calabria, TFPs are not yet sufficiently exploited to attract tourists to the province of Reggio Calabria, in spite of their potential as a vital expression of local culture and traditions.Research limitations/implicationsThe selection of the websites used in the study may not be exhaustive of the full spectrum of Web-based promotion of tourism in Calabria.Practical implicationsThe results provide useful insights to public and private institutions responsible for rural development and tourism promotion in Calabria. The database on the TFPs of the province of Reggio Calabria permits an easy reading of the geographical distribution of the different categories of products, useful as a resource for further studies and as a local development policy support tool.Social implicationsPromoting a form of culturally sensitive, food-based tourism in the interior areas of Calabria may constitute an important factor to revert the trend towards impoverishment, migration of young people and depopulation of the interior areas of Calabria. This is a particularly sensitive issue in Italy today, in view of the difficulties that other strategies pursued in the area are facing.Originality/valueExisting literature on typical food products in Italy focuses on those labelled by denomination of origin and geographic protection. This is one of the first papers focusing on TFPs labelled asProdotti agroalimentari tradizionaliin the Italian legislation. By exploring the role of local food and traditions in promoting tourism, this paper expands the scope of existing studies of rural tourism and on rural development in Calabria, and beyond.

The primary cause of tooth loss in the industrialized world is periodontitis, a bacterial anaerobic infection whose pathogenesis is characterized by composite immune response. At present, the diagnose of periodontitis is made by a complete status check of the patient’s periodontal health; full-mouth plaque score, full-mouth bleeding score, probing depth, clinical attachment level, bleeding on probing, recessions, mobility, and migration are evaluated in order to provides a clear picture of the periodontal conditions of a single patient. Chair-side diagnostic tests based on whole saliva could be routinely used by periodontists for a very early diagnosis of periodontitis, monitoring, prognosis, and management of periodontal patients by biomarker detection, whose diagnostic validity is related to sensitivity and specificity. Recent paper reviews and meta-analyses have focused on five promising host derived biomarkers as candidate for early diagnosis of periodontitis: MMP-8 (Metalloproteinase-8), MIP-1α (Macrophage inflammatory protein-1 alpha), IL-1 β (Interleukin-1 beta), IL-6 (Interleukin-6), and HB (Hemoglobin), and their combinations. Chair-side Lab-on-a-chip (LOC) technology may soon become an important part of efforts to detect such biomarkers in saliva medium to improve worldwide periodontal health in developed nations as well as in underserved communities and poor countries. Their applications in preventive and predictive medicine is now fundamental, and is aimed at the early detection of risk factors or the presence or evolution of the disease, and in personalized medicine, which aims to identify tailor-made treatments for individual patients. The aim of the present paper is to be informative about host derived periodontal biomarkers and, in particular, we intend to report information about the most important immune response derived biomarkers and Hemoglobin as candidates to be routinely utilized in order to obtain a chair-side early diagnosis of periodontal disease.

This chapter highlights the interplay between conceptual/theoretical and practical/empirical considerations to be made when defining an indicator of the adequacy of food consumption. It presents existing indicators based, respectively, on food consumption and food insecurity experiences data, discussing the respective merits and drawbacks in terms of validity, reliability, cost effectiveness and timeliness. The value of an indicator of access to food depends on the extent to which it can reveal if and where there may problems in accessing food and which members of a population are facing this food insecurity. The scarcity of large-scale individual dietary intake surveys, particularly in the developing world, has led to the identification of alternative sources of food consumption data for food security assessments. The economy of resource use, timeliness and ease of application, rather than statistical validity, seem to have been the major elements determining the popularity of the use of those indicators in the past decade.

Residing with the exponential growth of gastronomy tourism research, a number of review articles have examined the relationship of gastronomy and tourism from distinct thematic and disciplinary perspectives. What remains absent is a comprehensive overview that encapsulates the interdisciplinary dimensions of this area of research. In response, this study comprehensively investigates gastronomy tourism literature utilizing a network and content analysis, with an aim to map the main subject areas concerned with gastronomy tourism and relations between varying subject areas. In doing so, themes determining gastronomy tourism and focus for future exploration are identified. The review findings suggest that the trajectory of gastronomy tourism research is characterized by the dominance of "tourism, leisure, and hospitality management" and "geography, planning, and development." Three recommendations are proposed to assist development of gastronomy tourism research: increased dialogue across subject areas, development of critical and theoretical approaches, and greater engagement with sustainability debates.

The ability of households and individuals to access food (one of the key aspects of 'food security') is an important welfare dimension that poses important challenges for objective measurement. This paper describes the Rasch model-based procedures developed to define the eight-item Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES) as a contribution towards the establishment of an indicator for global monitoring of food insecurity. Experiential food insecurity survey data, collected by FAO from nationally representative samples of the adult population, once every year in 2014, 2015 and 2016 from 153 countries or territories, are used to develop methods to estimate cross-country comparable prevalence rates of moderate and severe food insecurity. A Rasch model-based scale was estimated separately for each country and data were assessed for consistency with model assumptions. To ensure cross-country comparability, a procedure based on the median normalized severities of each of the eight FIES items was used to define a global reference scale, against which measures obtained in each country can be separately calibrated. Calibration is obtained by equating the mean and standard deviation of the severity parameters of the items that appear to be common between the national and the reference scale, and thus used as anchoring points for the metric. Data showed sufficient consistency with the Rasch model assumptions to produce reliable measures of the prevalence of food insecurity in each country. Calibration was possible using 4 or more items as anchoring points in 151 of 153 (98.7%) of the cases, and 6 or more items in the vast majority of them (121 cases). Concurrent validation of the estimates of prevalence of food insecurity at national level was obtained by comparing the FIES-based indicator with other established indicators of social (under) development. National prevalence rates of moderate-or-severe food insecurity obtained by FAO correlate well with the prevalence of undernourishment and with several widely used indicators of national income, health, and well-being. The proposed calibration method can be applied to other existing experience-based food security scales that use similar items, thus affording the possibility to use data collected with those instruments to produce internationally comparable measures of the prevalence of food insecurity. Pending broader adoption of the FIES or compatible experience-based food security scales worldwide, countries could choose to use the 2014–2016 results obtained using the data collected by FAO as the baseline to monitor progress towards Target 2.1 of the recently established 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Food systems that support healthy diets in sustainable, resilient, just, and equitable ways can engender progress in eradicating poverty and malnutrition; protecting human rights; and restoring natural resources. Food system activities have contributed to great gains for humanity but have also led to significant challenges, including hunger, poor diet quality, inequity, and threats to nature. While it is recognized that food systems are central to multiple global commitments and goals, including the Sustainable Development Goals, current trajectories are not aligned to meet these objectives. As mounting crises further stress food systems, the consequences of inaction are clear. The goal of food system transformation is to generate a future where all people have access to healthy diets, which are produced in sustainable and resilient ways that restore nature and deliver just, equitable livelihoods. A rigorous, science-based monitoring framework can support evidence-based policymaking and the work of those who hold key actors accountable in this transformation process. Monitoring can illustrate current performance, facilitate comparisons across geographies and over time, and track progress. We propose a framework centered around five thematic areas related to (1) diets, nutrition, and health; (2) environment and climate; and (3) livelihoods, poverty, and equity; (4) governance; and (5) resilience and sustainability. We hope to call attention to the need to monitor food systems globally to inform decisions and support accountability for better governance of food systems as part of the transformation process. Transformation is possible in the next decade, but rigorous evidence is needed in the countdown to the 2030 SDG global goals.

This paper presents the first global picture of food security at a subnational level based on the Food Insecurity Experience Scale, the indicator for the Sustainable Development Goal of “Zero Hunger” that is most indicative of the individual’s lived experience of food insecurity and hunger. Using microdata from 75 countries and filling gaps using machine learning, we find significant heterogeneity in levels of food insecurity around the world. Examining global temporal trends and accounting for the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, we find that rates of severe food insecurity are declining, resulting in global decreases in the total number of severely food insecure people. However, the total number of moderately food insecure people has been increasing and, after recovering from the shock of the COVID-19 pandemic, we predict it will continue to increase through the end of the 2020s. Overall, we conclude that current trends in development and demographic change will still leave a large share of the world’s population still experiencing hunger by 2030.

Our ability to research dietary changes over time and their effects on health is limited by challenges in accurately measuring food consumption. In countries where dietary surveys are scarce and rarely nationally representative, household budget surveys may serve asa useful alternative for assessing food consumption. The objective of this study was to evaluate how well household acquisition data reflects the actual intake of ultra-processed foods, using data from the 2008 to 2009 Brazilian Household Budget Survey. The food acquisition module was conducted for all households selected for the survey (n=55,970) and a subsample corresponding to 25% of the households (n=13,569) was randomly selected for the individual food intake module, which was conducted for all individuals aged 10years or older (n=34,003). Ultra-processed foods were defined as formulations made by the food industry mostly or entirely from substances extracted from foods or obtained with the further processing of constituents of foods or through chemical synthesis, with little if any whole food. Examples included candies, cookies, chips, sugar-sweetened beverages, and ready-to-eat dishes. Our results showed an important agreement between the estimates of ultra-processed food consumption obtained from household acquisition data and individual intake inside-the-home data, particularly for the relative (% of total energy) consumption of these foods. Our study thus indicates that household budget surveys are quite promising for tracking population-level changes in the consumption of ultra-processed foods. The trend toward increased consumption of food away from home in other low- and middle-income countries indicates that future household budget surveys should include the collection of these data.

By analyzing the food consumption data from the 2008/09 Pesquisa de Orcamentos Familiares in Brazil, we demonstrate that failing to account for food consumed for free at school may significantly distort the assessment of the distribution of food consumption among households and therefore the assessment of the extent of food insecurity in the country. The results of our analysis enabled a revision of the FAO estimate of the Prevalence of Undernourishment in Brazil and provide useful suggestions for better design of food consumption modules to be included in Household Consumption and Expenditure Surveys (HCES). Additionally, we identify areas for further research on food consumption data to improve national food security assessments.

Periodontitis is one of the most common oral inflammatory diseases, and results in connective tissue degradation and gradual tooth loss. It manifests with formation of periodontal pockets, in which anaerobic and Gram‑negative bacteria proliferate rapidly. Consequently, alteration of the subgingival microbiota is considered the primary etiologic agent of periodontitis. Previous studies have reported that smokers are at increased risk of periodontal disease, in both prevalence and severity, indicating that smoking is a risk factor for the onset and progression of the pathology. In the present study, 16S rRNA sequencing was employed to assess the subgingival microbiota in 6 smoker patients with chronic periodontitis, 6 non‑smoker patients with chronic periodontitis and 8 healthy controls. The results demonstrated significant alterations in the microbial structure of periodontitis patients. High relative abundance of Parvimonans, Desulfubulbus, Paludibacter, Haemophilus, and Sphaerochaeta genera characterized subgingival microbiota of periodontitis patients, both smokers and non‑smokers. Due to the high precision and sensitivity of the 16S rRNA sequencing method, analysis for low‑abundant genera (including Pedobacter, Granulicatella, Paracoccus, Atopobium, Bifidobacterium, Coprococcus, Oridobacteriu, Peptococcus, Oscillospira and Akkermansia) was feasible, and revealed novel phylotypes associated with periodontitis. Of note, a major microbial community alteration was evident in smoker patients, suggesting an association between smoking and severity of subgingival dysbiosis. The present study confirmed that chronic periodontitis is a polymicrobial disease where changes in the equilibrium of subgingival microbiota contribute to severity of pathology.

AIM: To evaluate surface roughness alterations at the smooth neck of dental implants after the use of eight different prophylactic procedures. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 50 tissue level implants (Institut Straumann AG, Basel, Switzerland) were used for the present investigation. The smooth collar of each implant was divided into two segments, each treated with one of eight cleaning procedures: use of a rubber cup (RCZ) or a brush (BZ) combined with an abrasive paste containing zirconium or a paste derived from perlite (RCP, BP); use of 2 composite resin burs reinforced by zirconium glass fibers (F1, F2); and use of an air-polishing system with glycine powder and two power settings (AP1, AP2). The qualitative alterations were recorded by means of a laser profilometer and the mean roughness (Ra ) and mean roughness profile depth (Rz ) were reported. Twenty untreated surfaces were used as controls. RESULTS: The implant collars treated with RCZ (Ra = 0.33 μm, Rz = 2.43 μm) or BZ (Ra = 0.30 μm, Rz = 3.70 μm) yielded the highest roughness values, followed by the surfaces treated with RCP (Ra = 0.28 μm, Rz = 2.02 μm), with BP (Ra = 0.25 μm, Rz = 2.16 μm) and by the use of F1 (Ra = 0.27 μm, Rz = 2.22 μm) and F2 (Ra = 0.27 μm, Rz = 2.04 μm). The lowest roughness values were observed in the AP1 (Ra = 0.23 μm, Rz = 1.60 μm) and AP2 (Ra = 0.16 μm, Rz = 1.06 μm) group, respectively. Implant collars treated with AP2 yielded statistically significantly lower (P = 0.01) Rz values compared with untreated surfaces. CONCLUSION: All tested procedures did not increase implant surface roughness significantly. Treatment with an air-powder abrasive system at high-pressure setting resulted in a smoothening of the implant collar surface.

Given the importance of the role assigned to social relations and the exchange of information in the theory that subsumes the latest EU Development Policy planning for 2007-2013, this study analyses the “Stretto” Coast FLAG fishing community, in Southern Italy, from the perspective of the “relational capital” it possesses. The analysis aims at highlighting the quality and intensity of the relationships that exist among fisherfolk and that are of relevance for their professional activities. The study is conducted by integrating qualitative research with elements of quantitative Social Network Analysis. The hypothesis is that the relatively limited effectiveness of current local development initiatives might be partly due to too much isolation and limited information flow among the actors involved. If true, reducing isolation and increasing information flows might contribute to increase the effectiveness existing and future policies. In turn, this would increase the efficiency of use of the limited financial resources devoted to fishery development and, more generally, to the social and economic local development by empowering local actors in finding solutions to existing problems in an area that remains, from many points of view, still problematic.

Purpose: The aim of this case series study was to evaluate clinical and radiographic changes of soft and hard tissues around tapered, platform-switched, laser-microtextured implants 24 months after crown placement. Materials and Methods: Twenty tapered, platform-switched, laser-microtextured collar implants were placed in 20 patients. Full-mouth plaque score, full-mouth bleeding score, probing depth, and mucosal recession were recorded at the time of crown cementation and after 24 months follow-up. The marginal bone-level changes at the mesial and distal aspects of the implants were calculated by subtracting from baseline and 24-month implant marginal bone level. Results: In terms of the full-mouth plaque score and full-mouth bleeding score, tapered, platform-switched, laser-microtextured implants showed statistically significant improvements at 6 months when compared to baseline (P < .001). Statistically significantly deeper probing depths (P < .001) were found when comparing baseline and at 24 months at mesial, lingual, and distal sites. However, no statistically significant difference was found at the buccal aspects (P = .064). Radiographic marginal bone loss at 2-year follow-up for tapered, platform-switched, laser-microtextured implants was 0.72 ± 0.16 mm and 0.67 ± 0.15 mm at the mesial and distal sites, respectively. Conclusion: Within the limits of this study, tapered, platform-switched, laser-microtextured implants maintained marginal bone level (less than 1 mm radiographic bone loss) as well as limited mucosa recession over a 2-year period.

Small-scale fishery in Southern Italy is exposed to increasing pressure from changing economic, institutional and environmental conditions. Diversification strategies to accompany the changes will require the support from effective institutions, where fishermen are given a central position and an active role. To explore the strength of the social fabric of the fishing community and its ability to sustain the needed institutional innovation, this article analyses the type of relationships that fishermen declare to entertain with their colleagues. Data collected by interviewing twenty-five fishermen, distributed across the five ports of the area, are used to create social network representations of the revealed acquaintance, information sharing and trust relationships. The discussion on the results is contextualized in the evolving institutional and legal setting associated with the new European Common Fishery Policy. While the current level of sharing managerial information is low, we find that there is sufficient trust among fishermen across the five ports to support increased cooperation, an essential requirement – in our opinion – to enable a small-scale fishery community to respond to the emerging sustainability challenges.

This article is part of a broader study of the fishery system in a coastal area of Southern Italy. It presents a description of the main features of the fishing sectors in the five ports of the southernmost part of Tyrrhenian coast of the Reggio Calabria province, as derived from personal interviews to key informants. Such description contributes to an understanding of the key elements of the economic, social and political environment surrounding the small-scale fishery sector and its performance, both from a narrow economic and a broader development perspective. Further data, obtained by structured interviews to a sample of fishermen, provide information on the relations that fishermen entertain with cooperatives and other professional organizations. The main conclusion is that the system of such relations is still weak, heavily conditioned by some of the problems that resulted from the imposition, long time ago, of environmentally-motivated restrictions to the fishing activity in the area, which have all but been resolved. Lack of transparent, reliable information on the real environmental impact and sustainability of traditional practices contributes to create an environment that does not encourage active participation.

Theabilityofthestandardcommoditystoragemodeltoreplicateannualpriceserialcorrelation is a controversial issue. Calendar year averages of prices induce spurious smoothingofpricespikes,afactthathasbeensurprisinglyoverlookedinseveralempirical estimations of the annual commodity storage model for agricultural commodities. We present the application of a maximum likelihood estimator of the storage model for maize prices, correcting for the spurious smoothing. We find, for this data set, serious differences in magnitudes of interest.

This paper reviews some of the existing food security indicators, discussing the validity of the underlying concept and the expected reliability of measures under reasonably feasible conditions. The main objective of the paper is to raise awareness on existing trade-offs between different qualities of possible food security measurement tools that must be taken into account when such tools are proposed for practical application, especially for use within an international monitoring framework. The hope is to provide a timely, useful contribution to the process leading to the definition of a food security goal and the associated monitoring framework within the post-2015 Development Agenda.

We present a Maximum Likelihood estimator for the standard commodity storage model with stockouts, based on prices only. While it imposes no additional assumptions on the model, the Maximum Likelihood estimator has small sample properties superior to those of the Pseudo Maximum Likelihood approach. We provide a proof that is crucial for applying our estimator to the model with normal harvests and possibly unbounded prices, thereby eliminating an inconsistency in the empirical storage model literature. Applying our Maximum Likelihood estimator to a series of annual sugar prices from 1921 to 2009 provides new evidence for the empirical relevance of the standard storage model. Our results imply a cutoff price at which discretionary stocks go to zero, which is higher than the price obtained by applying the Pseudo Maximum Likelihood estimator to the same data. The implied frequency of stockouts is lower, and price correlations, skewness, and kurtosis implied by the model closely match those seen in the annual sugar price data. We find the price of sugar to be highly responsive to small changes in consumption. When inventories are not available to buffer the effects of negative supply shocks on consumption, prices must increase sharply to induce the consumption changes needed to clear the market. Our results show why production shocks are not necessarily aligned with price spikes; the same production shock can give rise to very different price responses, depending on whether or not there are sufficient stocks to buffer its impact.

Analyses of agricultural insurance failures often assume the existence of competitive supply, tracing the reasons for high insurance cost and limited farmer participation to informational problems, and suggesting the need for premium subsidization in order to increase participation. However, in countries such as Spain and Italy, where agricultural insurance is most highly subsidized, it could be that supply is not fully competitive. In this article, we explore the incidence of public subsidies to agricultural insurance premia when supply is noncompetitive. Through the use of a simple empirical model of an insurance market, it is shown that, while in the case of a competitive supply, subsidies to insurance would benefit farmers, a monopolistic supply would capture most of the subsidy, thus eliminating the potential incentive towards wider participation by farmers. The model is applied to a panel of Italian farms for different levels of risk aversion to demonstrate the limited effect that a subsidy to a hypothetical all risk yield insurance would have on farmer participation in the case of monopolistic supply. © 2011 Taylor & Francis.

to compare the 10-year marginal bone loss rates around implants supporting single-unit crowns in tobacco smokers with and without a history of treated periodontitis.

Cyclic Neutropenia (CN) is characterized by recurrent infections, fever, oral ulcerations, and severe periodontitis as result of the reduced host defences. The previous studies have established the effectiveness of recombinant granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (GCSF) to increase the number and the function of neutrophils in the peripheral blood in this disease. In a 20-year-old Caucasian female with a diagnosis of cyclic neutropenia, oral clinical examination revealed multiple painful ulcerations of the oral mucosa, poor oral hygiene conditions, marginal gingivitis, and moderate periodontitis. The patient received a treatment with G-CSF (Pegfilgrastim, 6 mg/month) in order to improve her immunological status. Once a month nonsurgical periodontal treatment was carefully performed when absolute neutrophil count (ANC) was ≥ 500/ 𝜇 L. The treatment with G-CSF resulted in a rapid increase of circulating neutrophils that, despite its short duration, leaded to a reduction in infection related events and the resolution of the multiple oral ulcerations. The disappearance of oral pain allowed an efficacy nonsurgical treatment and a normal tooth brushing that determined a reduction of probing depth ( P D ≤ 4 mm) and an improvement of the oral hygiene conditions recorded at 6-month follow-up.

Currently there is ample discussion among EU Institutions (European Commission, European Parliament, and Member States' governments) on the opportunity for setting up a comprehensive EU-wide framework on risk and crises in agriculture. In the meantime, within the limits of the WTO rules on agriculture, national governments are allowed to intervene through direct compensation to farmers in case of exceptional events that cause damages to farming operations and through subsidies to crop insurance programs. Such schemes are quite expensive for domestic budgets and some Member States are trying to switch some of their cost to the Community's budget, although an expansion of financial resources devoted to agriculture in Europe is rather unlikely. Moving from the recently emanated proposal of the European Commission, this paper discusses the main issues related to public intervention for risk and crises management in agriculture. Actuellement, les institutions europeennes (Commission europeenne, Parlement europeen et gouvernements des pays membres) discutent intensement de l'opportunite d'elaborer un cadre general pour l'ensemble de l'Union europeenne sur les crises et les risques dans le secteur agricole. Entre-temps, selon les regles de l'OMC sur l'agriculture, les gouvernements nationaux peuvent intervenir en accordant des compensations financieres directes aux agriculteurs en cas de circonstances exceptionnelles causant des dommages aux exploitations agricoles ainsi que des subventions aux programmes d'assurance recolte. Ces interventions amputent considerablement les budgets nationaux, et certains pays membres tentent de transferer une partie de leurs couts au budget de l'Union europeenne, bien qu'il soit peu probable que les ressources financieres consacrees a l'agriculture en Europe augmentent. A la lumiere de la recente proposition de la Commission europeenne, le present article traite des principaux themes lies a l'intervention publique dans la gestion des risques et des crises dans le secteur agricole.

This paper reviews some of the existing food security indicators, discussing the validity of the underlying concept and the expected reliability of measures under reasonably feasible conditions. The main objective of the paper is to raise awareness on existing trade-offs between different qualities of possible food security measurement tools that must be taken into account when such tools are proposed for practical application, especially for use within an international monitoring framework. The hope is to provide a timely, useful contribution to the process leading to the definition of a food security goal and the associated monitoring framework within the post-2015 Development Agenda.

Histologic and clinical studies confirm that laser-microtextured implant collars favor the attachment of connective fibers and reduce probing depth and peri-implant bone loss when compared with machined collars. This prospective study aimed at assessing the alveolar dimensional changes after immediate placement of a transmucosal implant with a Laser-Lok microtextured collar associated with bone regenerative procedures. Thirteen implants were placed immediately into single-rooted extraction sockets. Peri-implant defects were treated with bovine-derived xenografts and resorbable collagen membranes. At 6-month surgical reentry, the Laser-Lok microtextured collar provided more favorable conditions for the attachment of hard and soft tissues and reduced the alveolar bone loss.

BACKGROUND Limited data exist on the longitudinal crestal bone changes around teeth compared with implants in partially edentulous patients. This study sought to compare the 10-year radiographic crestal bone changes (bone level [BL]) around teeth and implants in periodontally compromised (PCPs) and periodontally healthy (PHPs) patients. METHODS A total of 120 patients were evaluated for the radiographic crestal BL around dental implants and adjacent teeth at time of implant crown insertion and at the 10-year follow-up. Sixty patients had a previous history of periodontitis (PCPs), and the remaining 60 were PHPs. In each category (PCP and PHP), two different implant systems were used. The mean BL change at the implant and at the adjacent tooth at the interproximal area was calculated by subtracting the radiographic crestal BL at the time of crown cementation from the radiographic crestal BL at the 10-year follow-up. RESULTS At 10 years after therapy, the survival rate ranged from 80% to 95% for subgroups for implants, whereas it was 100% for the adjacent teeth. In all eight different patient categories evaluated, teeth demonstrated a significantly more stable radiographic BL compared with adjacent dental implants (teeth BL, 0.44 ± 0.23 mm; implant BL, 2.28 ± 0.72 mm; P

In times of highly volatile commodity markets, governments often try to protect their populations from rapidly-rising food prices, which can be particularly harsh for the poor. A potential solution for food-deficit countries is to hold strategic reserves, which can be called on when international prices spike. But how large should strategic stockpiles be? This paper develops a dynamic storage model for wheat in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, where imported wheat dominates the average diet. The paper uses the model to analyze a strategy that sets aside wheat stockpiles, which can be used when needed to keep domestic prices below a targeted price. This paper shows that if the target is set high and reserves are adequate, the strategy can be effective and robust. Contrary to most interventions, strategic storage policies are counter-cyclical and, when the importing region is sufficiently large, a regional policy can smooth global prices. This paper shows that this is the case for the MENA region. Nevertheless, the policy is more costly than the pro-cyclical policy of a targeted intervention that directly offsets high prices with a subsidy similar to food stamps., Lorsque les prix des matières premières sont très volatiles, les gouvernements essayent généralement de protéger leur population d'une augmentation rapide des prix agricoles. Une solution potentielle pour des pays importateurs nets de produits agricoles est de maintenir des stocks de réserve, qui peuvent être utilisés lorsque les prix mondiaux augmentent fortement. Mais quelle doit être la taille de telles réserves? Cet article développe un modèle dynamique de stockage pour le marché du blé dans la région Moyen Orient et Afrique du Nord, où le blé importé représente une part prépondérante de l'alimentation. Ce modèle est utilisé pour analyser une stratégie dans laquelle des stocks servent à maintenir les prix domestiques en dessous d'une cible. Nous montrons que si la cible est choisie suffisamment haute et les réserves sont adéquates, la stratégie peut être effective et robuste. Contrairement à la plupart des interventions, une politique de stockage stratégique est contra-cyclique et, lorsque la région importatrice est suffisamment large, une telle politique régionale peut lisser les variations du prix mondial. C'est le cas, dans ce travail, pour la région Moyen Orient et Afrique du Nord. Néanmoins, cette politique est plus coûteuse qu'une politique d'intervention ciblée qui limitent directement les hausses de prix par une subvention.

Statistical methods based on item response theory are applied to experiential food insecurity survey data from 147 countries, areas, and territories to assess data quality and develop methods to estimate national prevalence rates of moderate and severe food insecurity at equal levels of severity across countries. Data were collected from nationally representative samples of 1,000 adults in each country. A Rasch-model-based scale was estimated for each country, and data were assessed for consistency with model assumptions. A global reference scale was calculated based on item parameters from all countries. Each country's scale was adjusted to the global standard, allowing for up to 3 of the 8 scale items to be considered unique in that country if their deviance from the global standard exceeded a set tolerance. With very few exceptions, data from all countries were sufficiently consistent with model assumptions to constitute reasonably reliable measures of food insecurity and were adjustable to the global standard with fair confidence. National prevalence rates of moderate-or-severe food insecurity assessed over a 12-month recall period ranged from 3 percent to 92 percent. The correlations of national prevalence rates with national income, health, and well-being indicators provide external validation of the food security measure.

In the industrialized part of the world, an increasing number of people live the old age without too many restrictions due to illness or physiological impairment. This group is known asthe young elderly. On the contrary, a consistent part of seniors develops a greater number of medical conditions and become more and more dependent, these arethe old elderly. The first cause of tooth lost in industrialized word is periodontitis that generally strikes people older than 40 years and determines serious detriment of the stomatognatic organ. Smoking and stress are risk factors for periodontitis that are common and shared between young, adult, and older age. Diabetes mellitus, obesity, and osteoporosis are very frequent pathological situations in older age. They have been identified as cofactors in the progression of periodontitis. Many dental associations recognize the importance of continued research on oral fluids diagnostics and welcome the development of rapid point-of-care tests providing accurate measurements of clinically validated biomarkers. At present, well-studied molecules associated with host response factors and with derived tissue destruction mediators have been proposed as diagnostic biomarkers for periodontitis detected in the oral fluids.

Many discussions following the 2007/08 food price crisis have revolved around the magnitude of the negative impacts that it may have had on food security worldwide. Analysts have been asked to provide timely assessments, often based on partial data and information. The variety of opinions and the ranges of reported estimated impacts that have followed have revealed how shaky the informational ground on which they move is. This paper deals with two issues related to the way in which the state of food insecurity in the world can be assessed from the perspectives of the availability of and the access to food, dimensions for which the economic lenses conceivably are the most adequate. The two issues are: the quality and coverage of available data and the methods through which the relevant information is filtered from the data to draw inference on food security. The conclusion we reach is that, for policies to be informed by solid evidence and to be sure that monitoring and evaluation is based on firm empirical grounds, much remains to be achieved, both in terms of data quality and coverage and regarding methods, standards and tools for assessment. However, we do not have to start from zero. A wealth of data has accumulated in the past that, if properly analyzed, may allow shading light on the way in which food markets work and how households behave with respect to food consumption. The combination of the two should allow better understanding the determinants and impacts of food price volatility on food security. Once key data conveying information on those determinants have been identified, a comprehensive food security information system can be devised based on a key set of core indicators. Such a system would require the use of common standards in the collection, validation and dissemination of data on agricultural prices, production, trade and uses, and on food consumption patterns.

PURPOSE To assess soft and hard tissues healing at immediate transmucosal implants placed into maxillary molar region with collagen membranes uncovered. MATERIALS AND METHODS Twenty subjects received 20 immediate transmucosal implants placed in maxillary molar extraction sockets. Periimplant marginal defects were treated according to the principles of guided bone regeneration by means of deproteinized bovine bone mineral particles in conjunction with collagen membrane. Flaps were repositioned and sutured, allowing nonsubmerged, transmucosal soft tissues healing. The collagen membranes adapted around implant neck were uncovered. RESULTS No implants were lost during the 1-year observation period yielding a survival rate of 100%. No postsurgical wound healing complications were observed. No degranulation of grafting material was reported. CONCLUSIONS The results of this 12-month prospective study showed that the exposure of collagen membrane at time of the flap suturing does not represent a limitation for the soft and hard tissues healing at immediate transmucosal implants placed into maxillary molar extraction sites.

An impressive progress in dentistry has been recorded in the last decades. In order to reconsider guidelines in dentistry, it is required to introduce new concepts of personalised patient treatments: the wave of predictive, preventive and personalised medicine is rapidly incoming in dentistry. Worldwide dentists have to make a big cultural effort in changing the actual ‘reactive’ therapeutic point of view, belonging to the last century, into a futuristic ‘predictive’ one. The first cause of tooth loss in industrialised world is periodontitis, a Gram-negative anaerobic infection whose pathogenesis is genetically determined and characterised by complex immune reactions. Chairside diagnostic tests based on saliva, gingival crevicular fluid and cell sampling are going to be routinely used by periodontists for a new approach to the diagnosis, monitoring, prognosis and management of periodontal patients. The futuristic ‘5Ps’ (predictive, preventive, personalised and participatory periodontology) focuses on early integrated diagnosis (genetic, microbiology, host-derived biomarker detection) and on the active role of the patient in which networked patients will shift from being mere passengers to responsible drivers of their health. In this paper, we intend to propose five diagnostic levels (high-tech diagnostic tools, genetic susceptibility, bacterial infection, host response factors and tissue breakdown-derived products) to be evaluated with the intention to obtain a clear picture of the vulnerability of a single individual to periodontitis in order to organise patient stratification in different categories of risk. Lab-on-a-chip (LOC) technology may soon become an important part of efforts to improve worldwide periodontal health in developed nations as well as in the underserved communities, resource-poor areas and poor countries. The use of LOC devices for periodontal inspection will allow patients to be screened for periodontal diseases in settings other than the periodontist practice, such as at general practitioners, general dentists or dental hygienists. Personalised therapy tailored with respect to the particular medical reality of the specific stratified patient will be the ultimate target to be realised by the 5Ps approach. A long distance has to be covered to reach the above targets, but the pathway has already been clearly outlined.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate surface alterations on titanium implant necks subsequent to different prophylaxis procedures. Fifty ITI implants were utilized. Forty implants were treated with 10 different prophylaxis procedures (ultrasonic scaler, plastic tip ultrasonic scaler, stainless steel curette, titanium curette, teflon curette, air powered system, abrasive rubber cups, polishing rubber cup and brush), and 10 implants were left as untreated controls. Surface alterations were studied on an area of 1 mm x 0.9 mm and quantified using optical microscopic, SEM and laser prophylometer analysis. The use of laser prophylometer provided an objective criterion for evaluation, expressing implant neck surface alterations in numeric values in terms of two roughness indexes, Ra and Rz. The results showed that, in comparison with the controls (Ra = 0.50; Rz = 3.98) the procedures investigated could be divided into 3 main groups: 1) Methods which altered the implant neck surface producing increased roughness (Ra = 0.68-2.08; Rz = 4.68-11.92); 2) Methods which left the implant neck surface unaltered (Ra = 0.44-0.57; Rz = 0.42-3.46); 3) Methods resulting in a smoothening of the implant neck surface (Ra = 0.36; Rz = 2.15). Group 1 included procedures that should be avoided. However, it appeared safe to apply the procedures of groups 2 and 3. To confirm these results, it will be necessary to evaluate the plaque- and calculus-removing efficacy from titanium neck implant surfaces in vivo.

Purpose To investigate the clinical and histologic features of frictional keratoses located exclusively on the facial attached gingiva and establish whether these belong to the category of leukoplakia. Materials and Methods Over a period of 15 years, 159 patients presenting with oral keratotic plaques, located exclusively on the facial attached gingival mucosa, excluding the edentulous alveolar ridge and retromolar pad area, were retrospectively selected. Clinical and histologic features and the symptoms and progression of these lesions were carefully assessed. Results The presence of oral frictional keratosis located exclusively on the facial attached gingival mucosa was clinically and immunohistologically diagnosed in 14 of 159 patients (8.8%). Eleven patients (78.5%) showed unilateral involvement, whereas 3 patients (21.5%) had bilateral involvement. The disappearance of the lesions was accomplished in only 9 of 14 patients, resulting from discontinuation of bad habits. Clinically, these lesions appeared as distinct, sharply demarcated, isolated, asymptomatic, homogeneous whitish-plaques that were neither removable nor painful. The plaques did not create discomfort, change shape, or develop into malignancy. Histologically, these plaques showed features superimposable to those present in benign alveolar ridge keratoses. Conclusion The results highlighted that frictional keratoses on the facial attached gingival mucosa 1) are rare findings, 2) clinically appear as “true leukoplakia” but histologically have the same features as benign alveolar ridge keratoses, 3) have no propensity for malignant transformation, 4) have a good prognosis, and 5) have a specific cause, and resolution is accomplished if the frictional element is eliminated. Thus, these must be removed from the category of leukoplakia.

AIM: To assess soft tissues healing at immediate transmucosal implants placed into molar extraction sites with buccal self-contained dehiscences. MATERIAL AND METHODS: For this 12-month controlled clinical trial, 15 subjects received immediate transmucosal tapered-effect (TE) implants placed in molar extraction sockets displaying a buccal bone dehiscence (test sites) with a height and a width of > or =3 mm, respectively. Peri-implant marginal defects were treated according to the principles of Guided Bone Regeneration (GBR) by means of deproteinized bovine bone mineral particles in conjunction with a bioresorbable collagen membrane. Fifteen subjects received implants in healed molar sites (control sites) with intact buccal alveolar walls following tooth extraction. In total, 30 TE implants with an endosseous diameter of 4.8 mm and a shoulder diameter of 6.5 mm were used. Flaps were repositioned and sutured, allowing non-submerged, transmucosal soft tissues healing. At the 12-month follow-up, pocket probing depths (PPD) and clinical attachment levels (CAL) were compared between implants placed in the test and the control sites, respectively. RESULTS: All subjects completed the 12-month follow-up period. All implants healed uneventfully, yielding a survival rate of 100%. After 12 months, statistically significantly higher (P

AIM: To assess dimensional ridge alterations following immediate implant placement in molar extraction sites. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Twelve subjects received 12 immediate transmucosal implants in molar extraction sites. Peri-implant defects were treated according to the principles of Guided Bone Regeneration by means of a deproteinized bone substitute and a bioresorbable collagen membrane. Changes in vertical (IS-BD, CREST-BD) and horizontal distances (EC-I, IC-I) of alveolar bony walls to the bottom of the defects (BD) and to the implant surfaces (I) were compared between implant placement and surgical re-entry at 6 months. RESULTS: The implant survival rate at 6 months was 100%. Statistically significant differences (P