Search

Background In December 2019 an outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 was first observed in Wuhan, China. The virus has spread rapidly throughout the world creating a pandemic scenario. Several risk factors have been identified, such as age, sex, concomitant diseases as well as viral load. A key point is the role of asymptomatic people in spreading SARS-CoV-2. An observational study in Southern Italy was conducted in order to elucidate the possible role of asymptomatic individuals related to their viral loads in the transmission of the virus within two nursing facilities. Methods Oro-nasopharyngeal swabs from 179 nursing health care workers and patients were collected. SARS-CoV-2 RT-qPCR was performed and viral loads were calculated by using standard curve. A statistical correlation between viral loads, the presence/absence of symptoms, age and sex variables was investigated. Results SARS-CoV-2 was confirmed in the 50.8 % (n = 91) of the cases. Median age of positive individuals resulted higher than negative ones. Over 65 year as well as female individuals showed higher susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection, OR = 3.93 and 2.86, respectively. Among 91 tested positive, the 70.3 % was symptomatic while the 29.7 % was asymptomatic. Median viral loads of asymptomatic individuals were found statistically significant higher than symptomatic ones (p = 0.001), while no influence was observed in age and sex variables. The presence of comorbidities was 8.9 folds higher in patients who showed and developed symptoms compared to non-symptomatic ones. Moreover, higher viral loads were found in patients who remained asymptomatic than pre-symptomatic (p = 0.022). Conclusions A range from 9.2 to 69 % of confirmed SARS-CoV-2 cases remains asymptomatic, moreover, sporadic transmissions from asymptomatic people are reported, that makes their involvement an important issue to take into account in the spreading control of the virus. An asymptomatic clinical course was observed in the 29.7 % of positive individuals, moreover, median viral loads resulted to be statistically significant when compared to symptomatic ones. Surely, such a relevant frequency should not be ignored in relation to the spread of the disease in an environment which has not only important intrinsic (age, sex, concomitant diseases) but also extrinsic factors such as high population density and close contacts.

The paper deals with inner areas depopulation issue, in particular for Southern Italy, deepening the modality of intervention for the proposal of territorial enhancement projects. The intervention area is located on the Pentimele Hill, which constitutes one of the city of Reggio Calabria bulwark. Due to its environmental values, the Hill has been identified as a Site of Community Importance (SIC) and for some time it has been the subject of enhancement projects led by the Municipal Administration. The military settlement, with its two fortresses, is made up of an articulated system of buildings originally intended to host complementary functions. Until today, the analysis of the initiatives proposed has highlighted the intention of recognizing this area as an asset to be safeguarded and preserved. This attention was focused exclusively on the fortresses, without paying particular attention to the surrounding territory, which today pours into a state of complete abandonment. This work illustrates a reuse hypothesis of the complementary buildings to this area, proposing sustainable interventions (in an economic, social and environmental sense) in line with the needs expressed by the community and respectful of buildings and of the territory. The analysis study the SostEc Model as a support tool for the public decision-maker and for the verification of economic feasibility and sustainability of the hypotheses of reuse of unused public buildings, also of historical-architectural value. Lastly, an analysis of cash flows is carried out with the hypothesis of a non-profit manager.

The paper illustrates a sustainable proposal aimed at the enhancement of the inner areas and their heritage. Firstly, the study analyzes the complex relationship between conservation and accessibility, which represents one of the most controversial issues regarding the intervention on the existing architecture. Among the various themes, there is the need to establish the limits within which it is possible to guarantee the accessibility of the heritage by respecting the conservation criteria. Accessibility is analyzed because of its important role in the enhancement process. Fruition allows heritage knowledge and implementation of community awareness on the territory resources. This issue is addressed in relation to complex situations such as fortified structures, in which inaccessibility is one of the predominant characteristics. The recognition of an important value of these structures has led to the possibility of converting them into attractors for the territory. This can be possible through the transformation of castles into places open to the whole community, no longer exclusive sites. The value does not refer only to the historical-architectural aspect, but also to their role as custodians of the places memory. The project proposal is illustrated through the case of the Amendolea Castle, providing a new method of access to the fortified heritage by using innovative tools able to overcome the problems related to physical access to the place, becoming alterative channels for the knowledge of the site.

Polychlorodibenzo-p-dioxins, polychlorodibenzo-furans (PCDD/Fs) and dioxin-like polychlorobiphenyls (DL-PCBs) enter the food chain from the environment. In this study, we report the 2008-2018 time-trends in the PCDD/F and DL-PCB contamination of milk from buffaloes fed on local forage in rural areas of the Campania region. Validated according to QA/QC criteria, the dataset (N = 808 on a total of 2068 samples, after excluding follow-up results and outliers) was computed on the upper-bound value pg WHO-TEQ2005 g-1fat. We assessed time-trends and assayed baseline contamination levels, which displayed log-normal distribution. A significant decreasing trend (p < 0.01) was observed from 2008 to 2009 and 2010; the P50-P95 range fell from 2.37-8.48 pg WHO-TEQ2005 g-1fat (N = 393) in 2008 to 1.73-4.61 in 2009 (N = 86) and to 0.67-1.46 in 2010 (N = 42). From 2010 to 2018 (N = 329), no significant variation was found among years and the related dataset fitted a log-normal distribution (p < 0.05). Occurrence descriptors indicated that the baseline contamination of dairy products (mean = 0.54; P50-P95 = 0.47-1.24) in the Campania Region was well below the EU regulatory limit in force (5.5 pg WHO-TEQ2005 g-1fat). Given the Tolerable Weekly Intake of 2 pg WHO-TEQ kg-1 body weight (bw) proposed by the EFSA for PCDD/Fs and DL-PCBs, this level of baseline contamination is discussed with regard to the orientation of food safety and food security risk connected with buffalo mozzarella cheese production.

The consumption habits of 766 Italian shooters (96% males, 4% females), on average 52 years old, have been investigated, in Italy, through the distribution of questionnaires delivered during shooters’ attendance to training and teaching courses, in compliance with 853/2004/EC Regulation provisions on food hygiene. The most consumed wild species recorded were pheasant > woodcock > choke among feathered animals, and wild boar > hare > roe deer among mammals, respectively. An average of 100–200 g game per serving (four servings per month) was consumed, with highest intakes of 3000 g per month; meat, liver, and heart were the preferred food items. Mammalian and feathered game was regularly consumed with friends and relatives in 83% and in 60% of cases, respectively. Accounting for an inventoried population of 751,876 shooters in Italy, it is estimated that there is regular consumption of wild game in around the 3% of the Italian population. More than 80% of responders were aware of health risks relate...

Background Toxoplasmosis is a zoonotic parasitic disease caused by Toxoplasma gondii, a widespread protozoan in the phylum Apicomplexa. In Europe, several studies have demonstrated the presence of the parasite in tissues of wild boars (Sus scrofa), but no data exists on the T. gondii load in tissues which in turn may be an useful way to assess the infection risk for the consumer of wild boar meat. Methods We sampled and tested a total of 472 tissue samples of brain, heart and masseter muscle from 177 wild boars from the Campania region of southern Italy by real-time PCR analyses for detection and quantification of T. gondii. The sensitivity and specificity of the method were calculated by ROC analysis curves. Results PCR analysis revealed the presence of T. gondii in tissue samples of 78 out of 177 (44%) wild boars. In general, the brain presented the highest PCR prevalence (31%), followed by the heart (28.3%) and the masseter muscle (24.2%), with the highest estimated parasite numbers observed in the brain followed by the heart and masseter muscle. The PCR method showed an excellent discriminating ability for each of the examined tissues. According to the ROC analysis curves, the respective sensitivity and specificity were 99 and 100% for masseter muscle, 98 and 98% for brain and 96 and 98% for heart samples. Conclusions The high prevalence of infection here detected suggests a widespread distribution of the parasite in the wildlife of the Campania region of southern Italy. The T. gondii burdens detected may potentially represent a source of infection for humans.

Enteric viruses represent a public health risk since they are involved in foodborne and waterborne outbreaks. The aim of this study was to investigate the circulation of select human enteric viruses — hepatitis A virus (HAV), noroviruses (NoVGI and NoVGII), adenovirus (AdV), rotavirus (RV), astrovirus (AsV), sapovirus (SaV) and aichivirus (AiV) – in wastewater and in environmental samples (groundwater, surface water and sediments) of Campania Region, southern Italy, with the goal of evaluating their circulation in the environment and to characterize the circulating strains by phylogenetic analysis. A total of 199 water and sediment samples were collected from rivers, dams, wells and wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in all provinces of the Campania Region and analysed by real-time qPCR for the detection of viruses, after a concentration step with organic flocculation. This study provides information on the qualitative and quantitative spread of human enteric viruses in the environment and their potential health risk. In our samples all the viral families were detected, with different prevalence. Among the investigated viruses, RV was the most prevalent and concentrated virus in surface water and sediments, with AsV being prevalent and concentrated in wastewater. The prevalence of viral pathogens was not influenced by season for almost all enteric viruses, except for NoVGII in WWTPs. Within the WWTPs, a significant reduction in the average concentration levels was observed for all viral targets from the influent to the effluent except for the HAV and AiV. The results of our study confirmed the importance of environmental surveillance that can represent a key tool for pollution control and human risk exposure.

The study is aimed at developing a valorization proposal for a historically relevant area in the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria by the use of the cultural identity of the territory. Specifically, a plan is proposed to manage the cultural heritage of the Barony of Saint Aniceto that starts from local production, and provides an integrated plan for the development of cultural identity. The method consists of a preliminary investigation of the data that led to the identification of effective tools for valorization actions. The next step involved the pre-feasibility study of the proposed project. The paper intends to demonstrate that a development project could be the possible way out of the view of culture as a marginal aspect of economic life but rather is based on the socio-economic policies for the development of a territory.

Due to EU law, European citizens enjoy one of the highest worldwide food safety standards. Along the entire food supply chain, mandatory controls are made to ensure that plant and animal products healthiness and food and feed safety are properly labeled and comply with the strictly EU rules. The process of review of European legislation began with the promulgation of the Regulation 178/2002/EC (Official Journal of the EC no. L31 of 01/02/2002) and was completed with the hygiene package. Regulation No. 178/2002/EC (the General Food Law) laying down the general principles and requirements of food law, establishing the European Food Safety Authority and laying down procedures in matters of food safety.

The consumption habits of 766 Italian shooters (96% males, 4% females), on average 52 years old, have been investigated, in Italy, through the distribution of questionnaires delivered during shooters' attendance to training and teaching courses, in compliance with 853/2004/EC Regulation provisions on food hygiene. The most consumed wild species recorded were pheasantwoodcockchoke among feathered animals, and wild boarhareroe deer among mammals, respectively. An average of 100-200 g game per serving (four servings per month) was consumed, with highest intakes of 3000 g per month; meat, liver, and heart were the preferred food items. Mammalian and feathered game was regularly consumed with friends and relatives in 83% and in 60% of cases, respectively. Accounting for an inventoried population of 751,876 shooters in Italy, it is estimated that there is regular consumption of wild game in around the 3% of the Italian population. More than 80% of responders were aware of health risks related to game handling and to food safety issues. Due to the occurrence in wild boar meat and liver of the heavy metal cadmium (Cd), the persistent organic pollutant perfluorooctan sulphonic acid (PFOS), and the radionuclide

INTRODUZIONE: una vasta area compresa tra le province di Napoli e Caserta nella regione Campania ha negli ultimi anni attirato l'attenzione dei mass media a causa degli interramenti illeciti di rifiuti di varia origine nei campi o del loro abbandono lungo le strade. A tali pratiche illecite si aggiunge il fenomeno dei roghi incontrollati di questo materiale, motivo per il quale la zona è stata soprannominata "Terra dei fuochi". OBIETTIVI: ricerca di elementi in tracce presenti nei prodotti alimentari di origine vegetale prodotti nella Terra dei fuochi. DISEGNO E SETTING: piano di monitoraggio per il rilevamento dei livelli di alcuni metalli tossici ed essenziali nei vegetali coltivati in Campania nella Terra dei fuochi. La determinazione dei microelementi è stata effettuata dopo mineralizzazione della sostanza organica mediante microonde, utilizzando la spettrometria di massa a plasma induttivamente accoppiato (ICP-MS). RISULTATI: durante l'attività di monitoraggio sono stati raccolti 65 campioni di ortaggi e 49 campioni di frutta in 43 comuni rientranti nella Terra dei fuochi. Il contenuto medio di metalli tossici, cadmio e piombo nei prodotti ortofrutticoli è risultato ben lontano dai limiti massimi fissati dalla normativa europea. I valori delle concentrazioni sono significativamente inferiori rispetto a quanto riscontrato in zone ad alto impatto ambientale a causa della presenza di impianti industriali. CONCLUSIONI: la presenza di elementi tossici o potenzialmente tali nei campioni vegetali prodotti nella Terra dei fuochi è attribuibile a una varietà di fattori ambientali rilevanti (caratteristiche geologiche dell'area, inquinamento del suolo, dell'atmosfera e delle acque di irrigazione, pratiche illecite di smaltimento dei rifiuti industriali); non sembra, tuttavia, sussistere un rischio per la salute dei consumatori. Resta comunque l'allerta per la loro presenza nell'ambiente e la necessità che le attività di monitoraggio continuino.

Eggs from hens raised on rural or domestic farms are a good indicator of environmental contamination, as the hens are in close contact with the ground and the air and can therefore accumulate heavy metals and other toxic contaminants from the environment as well as from the diet. In this paper, we report the results of the determination of 19 trace elements (As, Be, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Hg, Mo, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sb, Se, Sn, Sr, Tl, U, V, Zn) in 39 hen egg samples collected from domestic poultry farms in the territory dubbed the "Land of fires" in the Campania region (Italy). This area is characterized by environmental problems caused by the illegal dumping of industrial or domestic waste in fields or by roadsides. In some cases, these wastes have been burned, thereby spreading persistent contaminants into the atmosphere. The content of trace elements in whole egg samples was determined by mass spectrometer after a microwave-assisted digestion procedure. Because European legislation does not indicate maximum values of these elements in this foodstuff, the results were compared with the content of trace elements reported in literature for eggs, in particular home-produced eggs, in various countries. In some cases (Cd, Cu, Ni, Mn), the content determined in this study was in line with those reported elsewhere, in other cases (Pb, Cr), lower values were found.

The profile of 18 trace elements was traced in 68 milk samples collected from buffalo farms in the territory known as the “Land of Fires” in the Campania region (Italy). This area has been polluted by the illegal dumping in fields of industrial or domestic waste, wich is sometimes then burned spreading toxic contaminants. Milk from buffaloes raised on rural farms might be a good indicator of environmental contamination risk in the human food chain. Trace element analysis in milk was performed using mass spectrometry. One milk sample was found to be non-compliant due to high Pb concentration. In the absence of threshold values for the elements, established through legislation, the results were compared with similar studies from other countries, and in most cases the content determined in this study was in agreement with values reported elsewhere and do not represent a risk to human health.

The Campania Region, in order to protect the Italian Mediterranean Buffalo, established a set of yearly official controls on all buffalo products manufactured in the Region. Our work demonstrates the effect of such a measure on the production of the mozzarella cheese of buffalo and that of the mozzarella cheese of buffalo campana, in favour of the commercialization of aliud pro alio.