Gianluca Giorgi

The increase in the average life expectancy entails elderly and chronic patients as hospital users, often dependents and requiring recurrent hospitalizations. In this framework, an innovative model of care management is essential to ensure appropriateness and sustainability of health services. A highly specialized care-related prevention-treatmentrehabilitation approach in which pharmacological, surgical, physical and intellectual disability therapies coexist in a synergistic manner, is the answer to this new emerging need. It offers interdisciplinary care pathways facing both disease and disability recognized by severity through ICD and ICF. Measuring functional status related quality of life is a main outcome to be primarily pursued for complicated chronic patients. The implementation of "need-adapted" pathways agreed within multidisciplinary teams is the key feature of this new clinical model that can take advantage of data mining tools combining medical know-how and diagnostic information.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of consuming gilthead sea bream fillets, with different n-6/ n-3 ratios, on atherosclerotic biomarkers. Twenty healthy subjects were included in a randomised single-blinded cross-over trial. Participants were randomized into 2 groups, both of which received approximately 630 g per week of gilthead sea bream fed with either 100% fishmeal (FM) or partial replacement with plant proteins (PP) over two consecutive 10 week periods, respectively. Group A consumed firstly the FM fillets followed by the PP fillets, whereas the reverse order was adopted for group B. Group A reported a significant decrease of 29.3% (Δ = -26 mg/dL) in total cholesterol after the first phase of the intervention, before returning to baseline levels after the dietary intervention with fish fed with PP. Similarly, in group A, both LDL-cholesterol and triglycerides decreased significantly by 21.6% (Δ = -19 mg/dL) and 11.7% (Δ = -10.7 mg/dL), respectively, before increasing again after the intervention. Improvements in the inflammatory cytokines, interleukin-6 and -8 were also noted. Moreover, whole blood viscosity appeared significantly improved in group A, as seen by a significant increase of 7.59% (Δ = +4.59 mPA) for erythrocyte filtration rate. In conclusion, similar EPA+DHA content with different n- 6/n-3 ratio fish flesh intake was shown to have varied affects on lipid, inflammatory and haemorheological parameters in a group of healthy subjects.

Dried Tetraselmis suecica was evaluated as a fish protein substitute when incorporated to replace (protein basis) 10% (TETRA10) and 20% (TETRA20) of the control diet. The diets were offered to nine groups of European sea bass (72 g) over 63 days. Test diets did not affect zootechnical performances nor carcass or fillet yields and proximate analysis of edible portion. Feeding TETRA20 resulted in lower apparent digestibility coefficients of protein, lipid, and organic matter, and hepatosomatic index compared to the control diet. T. suecica was able to replace up to 20% of fish protein without hampering growth performance and major quality traits of sea bass.

Fish samplings were carried out monthly from spring to autumn during 2008, on the Lamone river and the Campigno stream by an electrofishing, in order to verify the presence of fish populations and the most common species represented. Barb, Barbus plebejus, Blageon, Leuciscus muticellus, Chub, Leuciscus cephalus, South European Nase, Chondrostoma genei were identified. A small population of Brown trout, Salmo trutta fario was also recognized. Barb is the most represented species in all the sites. The samplings highlight that Lamone river presented conditions suitable to fully guarantee the life of the fish populations.

Aim The objective of the present study was to evaluate the influence of short-term dietary intake of farmed fish on biomarkers related to the atherosclerotic process. Methods and results Lipid, inflammatory, and haemorheological variables before (T0) and after a dietary intervention with about 800 g Orbetello farmed sea bass per week for 10 weeks (T1) were evaluated in nine dyslipidemic subjects. Fish intake significantly decreased triacylglycerols (T1, 140.2±20.3 mg/dl versus T0, 183.3±29.2 mg/dl; P =0.04), whereas no significant changes for the other lipid variables have been observed. Moreover, dietary intervention significantly (P <0.05) decreased all of the inflammatory parameters investigated; namely, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, and interleukin-8. Furthermore, a significant (P =0.04) improvement in erythrocytes’ deformability index was reported after 10 weeks of fish dietary intake (9.0±0.7% versus 5.4±1.0% for T1 and T0, respectively). Conclusion Dietary short-term intake of farmed fish seems to impose favourable biochemical changes in dyslipidemic subjects.

The aim of the study was to investigate the possibility of obtaining: a) reliable estimates of sea bass fillet weight and lipid/fatty acid content from simple non destructive morphometric measurements; b) estimates of healthy eating quality evaluation from effects of consumption on blood biomarkers related to atherosclerotic/thrombogenic processes. A series of parameters were measured in 708 fish. Estimates of fillet weight from b.w. and max. thickness (R2=0.96, rsd=±20.55g) and of lipid content from b.w., total length, max. thickness and condition factor (R2= 0.69, rsd=±3.3g) were found to be very reliable; flesh n-3 PUFA and EPA content were also estimated from condition factor and max. girth (R2=0.32, rsd=±0.42g; R2=0.38, rsd=±0.13g). Flesh healthy eating quality was evaluated from changes in blood biomarkers (lipid profile, inflammatory markers, haemorheological profile) in dyslipidemic subjects who had eaten fillets three times a week for 10 weeks. A weekly flesh intake of 807g increased erythrocyte n-3 PUFA (P<0.05) and decreased triglycerides (P<0.008), interleukin-6 (P<0.03), interleukin-8 (P<0.04), Whole Blood Viscosity 20.400 (P<0.04) and erythrocyte filtration (P<0.008). Short term intake of sea bass therefore seemed associated with favourable biochemical changes in dyslipidemic subjects, as reflected by lower circulating levels of markers of atherosclerosis.

Quality and quality changes during refrigerated storage in diploid and triploid oysters from Orbetello Lagoon (Italy)

Quality traits of Procambarus clarkii (girard) related to sex and refrigerated storage

To evaluate the influence of fattening on morphological, nutritional and safety characteristics, two lots of bluefin tuna were sampled before (November: 2 C, 4 ?) and after 5 months of fattening (April: 5 C, 5 ?). The specimens, after death, were refrigerated and analysed at different times over the period of a week for morphological and flesh physico-chemical parameters in six muscle sites. Tuna sampled in April had greater body weight (44.04 vs 36.41kg), trunk length (52.21 vs 48.22cm) and minimum and maximum circumferences (13.74 vs 12.77 and 94.90 vs 89.10cm). No differences in other linear measures or body components were found. Fattening did not influence flesh colour or total lipid content, producing small differences in its chemical composition: greater C18:0, C18:1n9 and PUFAn6 percentages; higher putrescine and histamine (0.489 vs 0.335 and 0.666 vs 0.370mg/kg) but lower spermine and spermidine (10.598 vs 17.387 and 2.420 vs 3.928mg/kg) levels. Large differences in physico-chemical parameters were found between muscle sites and a significant interaction between sampling date and muscle site indicated non homogeneous changes in chemical composition of dorsal, ventral and red muscle after fattening. Sex only influenced fat content in viscera (C 12.84 vs ? 9.84%).