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Several strategies and interventions have been implemented to improve male partner involvement (MI) in Sub-Saharan Africa, but evidence on successful interventions is scarce. This controlled before-and-after intervention study aims to evaluate the impact of three interventions on male partners' involvement in HIV+ women's care in Malawi. We piloted these three interventions: the organization of a special day for men, the deployment of male champions in communities to increase awareness on MI, and the delivery of an incentive (food package) for couples attending the facility. We observed a significant increase in the number of women accompanied by their partners (from 48.5 to 81.4%) and the number of women feeling safe at home (from 63.5 to 95.2%) after the special day intervention. This outcome increased after the deployment of male champions in communities (from 44.0 to 75.0%). No significant improvement was observed in the site where we delivered the incentive to couples. Our findings showed that the special day for men and the use of male champions might effectively increase the male involvement in the health of their female partners.

The validation of the correct functioning of star trackers is a crucial step for the success of any space mission. In recent years, there has been an increasing interest for the development of miniaturized, light-weighted test systems to be installed directly on the star tracker, opening the way to the test of completely assembled, on-board attitude sensors in pre-launch environment. Here we present the main technical characteristics of a new prototype, the MINISTAR, recently developed by a consortium of Italian enterprises and the Applied Physics Institute of the National Research Council. Besides its main technical features, here we present the results of a set of tests for its performance evaluation, with particular reference to its radiometric and geometric calibration in the laboratory. The MINISTAR can generate synthetic images of dynamic star fields for the simultaneous test of multiple star trackers (up to three head devices). The generation of dynamic star fields in a realistic scenario also includes large objects, such as the Sun or the Moon, and disturbances (e.g. cosmic rays and stray light effects). Thanks to its reduced dimensions and weight, the MINISTAR is suitable for the installation on the star tracker's baffle. Special attention has also been paid to the use of materials and technologies that could be compliant for vacuum operation in the future. Thanks to the design and construction of an interchangeable mechanical interface, the MINISTAR is compatible with the majority of star trackers available on the market.

The Champenoise technique for the production of sparkling wines is based on "in bottle" re­ fermentation carried out by few commercia! strains belonging to the Saccharomyces cerevisiae species. However, the exclusive use of these strains can cause a flattening of the sensoria! profile. In fact, the role of volatile compounds, produced by the yeasts during the fermentative process, is fundamental for sparkling wines produced starting from local grape varieties and, in particular, from those produced in Apulia (Southern Italy), whose economie importance is continually increasing [1]. To the best of our knowledge, only two studies [2, 3], have to date investigated the impact of the autochthonous starter strains on sparkling wine volatiles profile. Furthermore, no information are available on the oenological potential of indigenous grape cv Maresco for the production of typical sparkling wine. This contribution deals with the evaluation of the influence of native selected yeast strains (ITEM deposited in the Microbial Culture Collection of CNR-ISPA) on the chemical profile of sparkling wines through a non-targeted metabolomic approach based on HPLC-HRMS and GC-MS techniques. Saccharomyces cerevisiae DVlO (Lallemand, USA) was used as control sample. The reported results show that: a)yeast strain affects the levels of some fermentative compounds as well as of polysaccharides, organic acids, phenolic acids and lipids; b)the control sample was characterized by high values of gluconic acid that adversely affects wine foamability, while lower concentrations of this molecule were detected in sparkling wines produced by the other strains selected in Apulia region; e) the selected autochthonous yeast strains were able to produce sparkling wines ensuring low volatile acidity (

Background: The prevalence of frailty at population-level is expected to increase in Europe, changing the focus of Public Health. Here, we report on the activities of the A3 Action Group, focusing on managing frailty and supporting healthy ageing at community level. Methods: A three-phased search strategy was used to select papers published between January 2016 and May 2018. In the third phase, the first manuscript draft was sent to all A3-Action Group members who were invited to suggest additional contributions to be included in the narrative review process. Results: A total of 56 papers were included in this report. The A3 Action Group developed three multidimensional tools predicting short⁻medium term adverse outcomes. Multiple factors were highlighted by the group as useful for healthcare planning: malnutrition, polypharmacy, impairment of physical function and social isolation were targeted to mitigate frailty and its consequences. Studies focused on the management of frailty highlighted that tailored interventions can improve physical performance and reduce adverse outcomes. Conclusions: This review shows the importance of taking a multifaceted approach when addressing frailty at community level. From a Public Health perspective, it is vital to identify factors that contribute to successful health and social care interventions and to the health systems sustainability. info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

The paper describes the impact on Hospital Admissions of a program targeting the community-dwelling older citizens with social interventions aimed at managing frailty and reducing social isolation.The study is quasi-experimental intervention program.A randomized sample made up by 207 participants (cases) to the Long Live the Elderly program is compared with a cohort of 308 older adults (controls) followed up since 2014 by the University of Tor Vergata. At the enrolment all the participants have been administered a multidimensional questionnaire to assess frailty. After six months, the two groups are compared for the inpatient's admission rate.The percentage of patients who was admitted to the hospital during the first six month of follow up was 9.1% and 8.3% among the controls and the cases respectively. The inpatient's admission rate was higher among the controls (251.6 per 1000 observation/year) than for the cases (167.3). Despite the cases were older than the controls (mean age 83.5, SD±8.1 vs 76.7, SD±7.1; p=0.001), showed a lower percentage of frail/very frail individuals (29.5% vs 33.4%). The multivariate linear regression adjusted for gender, age and frailty showed a reduction of the hospital admission rate associated to the Long Live the Elderly program (p=0.013).The study suggests the impact on the reduction of acute hospital admission in the first six months of follow up, of a Community-based Program aimed at increasing the social capital of older adults. Further studies with longer follow up are needed to confirm the study results in order to support the hypothesis that the future sustainability of health systems is partially linked to the increase of the social component of community care service.

Background: Evaluation of nutrition programs is essential to guarantee the effectiveness of community-based management of acute malnutrition (CMAM). Methods: The Rainbow Project Supplementary Feeding Programs (SFPs) in Zambia were evaluated between years 2015-17, following implementation of new recommendations based on previous evaluations (years 2012-14). Outcomes of the program were compared with International Standards and with those of 2012-14. Cox proportional risk regression analysis was performed to identify predictors of mortality and defaulting. Results: Data for 900 under age 5 years malnourished children (48.8% male; mean age 19.7months ±9.9) were analyzed. Rainbow 2015-17 program outcomes met International Standards, for general malnutrition or stratified moderate acute malnutrition (MAM) and severe acute malnutrition (SAM). When comparing with 2012-14 outcomes, better performance was noted: mortality rates were reduced by half (5.6% vs 3.1%, p = 0.01; for SAM: 12.4% vs 6.7%, p = 0.006), with significant improvement in average weight gain and mean length of stay (p

The management of healthcare facilities has become increasingly complex in recent years, leading to a greater demand for public health physicians in Italy. Public Health physicians are responsible for evaluating community needs, with particular attention to health determinants and, at the same time, to final user feedback. During their training, they must acquire the competencies to manage a wide range of problems. The Roman Public Health Academy (ARSP) was developed to motivate young residents in Public Health to acquire the knowhow, skills and abilities required of a public health practitioner. It therefore implemented a special training program offering different educational opportunities for residents. In particular, the program offers a team of three young residents field training opportunities, allowing them to become engaged in solving complex technical and management problems. In this paper we describe the methods through which, following a specific request by the director of a hospital in Rome, the team supported a project involving the reorganization of several hospital wards. The aim of the reorganization was to enhance the performance and efficiency of the wards, according to the Progressive Patients Care program.

Aim of this paper is to describe the protocol of the study "Impact of a Community-based Program on Prevention and Mitigation of Frailty in community-dwelling older adults" developed in the framework of the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing. This proposal has been developed by the Partnership Action groups on frailty, fall prevention and polypharmacy in older. The proposal wants to assess the impact of community-based programs aimed to counteract three main outcomes related to frailty: hospitalization, institutionalization and death. Bringing together researchers from seven European countries, the proposal aims to achieve the critical mass and the geographical extension enough to provide information useful to all older European citizens. An observational study will be carried out to calculate the incidence of the different outcomes in relation to the various interventions that will be assessed; results will be compared with data coming from already established national, regional and local dataset using the observed/expected approach. The sample will be made up by at least 2000 citizens for each outcome. All the citizens will be assessed at the baseline with two multidimensional questionnaires: the RISC questionnaire and the Short Functional Geriatric Evaluation questionnaire. The outcomes will be assessed every six-twelve months.