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Background Flavescence dorée (FD) is a grapevine disease caused by phytoplasma and it is one of the most destructive pathologies in Europe. Nowadays, the only strategies used to control the epidemics are insecticides against vector, but more sustainable techniques are required. Completely resistant Vitis vinifera varieties have not been uncovered yet, but differences in susceptibility among cultivars and spontaneous recovery from FD symptoms have been observed. The grapevine cultivar ‘Tocai friulano’ shows very low susceptibility to FD but its defence strategy to counteract the phytoplasma spread has not been deciphered yet. In this work, the mechanisms occurring within ‘Tocai friulano’ FD-infected plants were examined in depth to identify the phytoplasma distribution and the defence pathways involved. Results In ‘Tocai friulano’ symptoms of FD-infection remained confined near the area where they appeared during all the vegetative season. Analyses of secondary phloem showed a total absence of FD phytoplasma (FDp) in the trunk and its disappearance in 2-year-old arms from July to November, which was different from ‘Pinot gris’, a highly susceptible variety. Diverse modulations of defence genes and accumulation of metabolites were revealed in 1-year-old canes of ‘Tocai friulano’ FD-infected plants, depending on the sanitary status. Symptomatic portions showed high activation of both jasmonate- and salicylate-mediated responses, together with a great accumulation of resveratrol. Whereas activation of jasmonate-mediated response and high content of ε-viniferin were identified in asymptomatic 1-year-old cane portions close to the symptomatic ones. Conclusion Successful defence mechanisms activated near the symptomatic areas allowed the compartmentation of FD symptoms and phytoplasmas within the infected ‘Tocai friulano’ plants. These results could suggest specific agronomical practices to be adopted during FD management of this variety, and drive research of resistance genes against FD.

Proteins and polysaccharides play a key role in red wine quality. Proteins interact with tannins to form insoluble complexes; this is exploited in fining treatments to remove excessive tannins. Conversely to a common belief, several studies have shown that red wines contain significant amounts of soluble proteins, but their role on wine quality is not clear. Polysaccharides can modulate astringency, but no specific data on Italian varieties are available. The Diversity of Italian Wines (D-Wines) project aims to collect and analyze a large compositional dataset of Italian wines, including data on their macromolecular composition, with the final aim to disclose its complex relationship with perceived astringency. The macromolecular fraction (proteins and polysaccharides) of 143 red wines from 11 varieties was measured, and characterized by SDS-PAGE and HPLC. Tannin reactivity to a standard protein (BSA) was assessed by turbidimetry. Results showed a great diversity: the protein content ranged between 0 and 150 mg/L, while the polysaccharides content ranged between 300 and 1000 mg/L. This latter correlated well with the turbidity formed upon BSA addition, confirming the role of these macromolecules in modulating astringency. The information collected by the D-Wines consortium will help elucidating the mechanism at the basis of astringency of important varieties, thus providing valuable information to winemakers for the improvement of mouth-feel properties of red wines.

Purpose: Intravenous (IV) fluid therapy is widely used in hospitalized patients. It has been internationally studied in surgical patients, but little attention to date has been dedicated to medical patients within the Italian context. The aims of the present study were to describe the prevalence of fluid therapy and associated factors among Italian patients admitted to medical and surgical units, describe the methods used to manage fluid therapy, and analyze the monitoring of patients by clinical staff. Methods: In this cross-sectional study of 7 hospitals in northern Italy, data on individual and monitoring variables were collected, and their associations with in-hospital fluid therapy were analyzed by using logistic regression analysis. Patients aged Z18 years who were admitted to medical and surgical units were included. Patients who received at least 500 mL of continuous fluids were included in the fluid therapy group. Findings: In total, 785 (median age, 72 years; women, 52%) patients were included in the study, and 293 (37.3%) received fluid therapy. Maintenance was the most frequent reason for prescribing IV fluid therapy (59%). The mean (SD) volume delivered was 1177 (624) mL/d, and the highest volume was infused for replacement therapy (1660 [931] mL/d). The mean volume infused was 19.55 (13) mL/kg/d. The most commonly used fluid solutions were 0.9% sodium chloride (65.7%) and balanced crystalloid without glucose (32.9%). The proportion of patients assessed for urine output (52.6% vs 36.8%; P o 0.001), serum electrolyte concentrations (74.4% vs 65.0%; P ¼ 0.005), and renal function (70.0% vs 58.7%; P ¼ 0.002) was significantly higher in patients who did receive fluid therapy versus those who did not. In contrast, the use of weight and fluid assessments was not significantly different between the 2 groups (P ¼ 0.216 and 0.256, respectively). Patients admitted for gastrointestinal disorders (odds ratio [OR], 3.5 [95% CI, 1.8–7.05) and for fluid/electrolyte imbalances (OR, 3.35 [95% CI, 1.06–10.52) were more likely to receive fluids. However, the likelihood of receiving fluids was lower for patients admitted to a surgical unit (OR, 0.36 [95% CI, 0.22–0.59]) and with cardiovascular diseases (OR, 0.37 [95% CI, 0.17–0.79). Implications: Only one third of the study patients received fluid therapy. Crystalloid fluids, are the fluids of choice for maintaining plasma volume. During fluid therapy, measurement of the serum electrolyte concentrations, renal function, and urine output was largely used while weight and fluid balance were rarely assessed.

Progetto CARG - ISPRA, Note illustrative del Foglio 590 - Taurianova

The upper Quaternary of the Po Delta region consists of thick marine and continental deposits, that accumulated in a strongly subsiding portion of the Apennines Foredeep. These successions record large eustatic and climatic fluctuations, dramatically affecting the depositional dynamics of the area. The paper is focused on the palaeoenvironmental interpretation of a 188 m deep borehole, recently cored through the upper Quaternary succession, in the northeastern portion of the Ferrara Province. This is the deepest continuously cored stratigraphic borehole ever drilled in the Po Delta area. The work integrates sedimentological and palaeontological analysis to produce an interdisciplinary reconstruction of the palaeoenvironmental evolution. Palaeoeontological study was focused on dif¬ferent taxonomic groups, ranging from ostracods to foraminifers and mollusks. Several discrete fos¬sil associations were described for each taxonomic group, typifying various depositional environ¬ments, such as freshwater (F), brackish (B), marine (M), and reworked-transported (R) associations. In the marine sediments, four foraminiferal groups (Ma, b, d, e) and varying ostracod and mollusk associations record important salinity and water depth variations. The depositional history of the succession ranges from more than 200,000 yr ago to the present, as suggested by the regional strati-graphic correlation and the 14C dating of the younger portion of the succession. The stratigraphic column is dominated by two thick continental bodies, intercalated by three paralic and marine inter¬vals, corresponding to the last two interglacial highstand phases and to the Holocene post-glacial interval. The two continental units consists of lower alluvial plain deposits, showing scattered fresh¬water ostracod and mollusk faunas, capped by cold-climate coarse sands, deposited in middle allu¬vial plain environments, under lowstand conditions. The lower portion of the borehole records two marine transgressive pulses, developed during interglacial highstand times. In the middle and upper portion of the succession, two transgressive-regressive cycles show a similar asymmetric architectu¬re, with a thin, deeping upward basal unit, followed by a thick regressive portion consisting of pro-delta muds, in turn overlain by delta front sands, with reworked microfossils and storm concentra¬ted mollusk coquinas. The evolutionary trend of the entire succession can be well correlated with the late Quaternary sea level variations, suggesting that the eustatic forcing played a major role in the shaping of the analysed depositional history, even in a tectonically active foredeep area. keywords. Benthic communities, late Quaternary, Po Delta.

Note Illustrative della Carta Geologica D’Italia alla scala 1:50.000 foglio 187 Codigoro