Framing climate change: a planetary health perspective on the pediatric age

This thesis analyzes an analysis of the risk perception of Italian paediatricians and parents regarding the impact of climate change on pediatric health. The consequences of climate change are now before our eyes; the recent pandemic has highlighted the impact that the destruction of ecosystems and global warming can have on our health. Fragile subjects will pay the most for the consequences of this crisis: children, the elderly, pregnant women. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 88% of the disease burden linked to climate change falls on children under the age of 5. Climate change poses a challenge of equity not only between different areas of the world but also between generations: the worst consequences will weigh on those who have not caused damage to the ecosystem. This study began by studying the risk perceptions of the two main caregivers who deal with the child's health: parents and paediatricians. The study analyzed a mixed methods approach, exploiting quantitative and qualitative approaches. Two surveys were carried out in collaboration with the Italian Society of Pediatrics (SIP) and AGE, the Italian Parents' Association, using a tool already consolidated in the literature and adapted according to the needs of the thesis. Sixty semi-structured interviews were then conducted with pediatricians of different age groups and different regions of Italy. The collected data were then compared with the literature on the subject, in order to understand differences and similarities. This work is part of a still rather scarce, but growing, field of literature and represents the first study of this type in Italy.

Study of the building and decorative materials and techniques used in Hungarian Roman sites

The aims of this research were: - To identify the characteristics, properties and provenance of the building and decorative material found in three Hungarian Roman sites: Nagyharsány, Nemesvámos-Balácapuszta and Aquincum - To provide a database of information on the different sites - To have an overview of main conservation strategies applied in Hungary. Geological studies, macroscopical and microscopical observations, XRD investigations, physical and chemical analyses allowed us to define the characteristics and properties of the different kinds of collected materials. Building stones sampled from Nagyharsány site showed two different kinds of massive limestone belonging to the areas surrounding the villa. Also Building stones sampled from Nemesvámos-Balácapuszta Roman villa proved to be compatible with limestone belonging to local sources. Mural painting fragments show that all samples are units composed of multilayered structures. Mosaic tesserae can be classified as following: -Pale yellow , blackish and pink tesserae are comparable with local limestone; -White tessera, composed of marble, was probably imported from distant regions of the Empire, as the usual practice of Romans. Mortars present different characteristics according to the age, the site and the functions: -Building mortars are generally lime based, white or pale yellow in colour, present a high percentage of aggregates represented by fine sand; -Supporting mortars from both mosaics and mural paintings are reddish or pinkish in colour, due to the presence of high percentage of brick dust and tiles fragments, and present a higher content of MgO. Although the condition of the sites, there is an insignificant content of soluble salts. Database The whole study has allowed us to provide work sheets for each samples, including all characteristics and properties. Furthermore, all sites included in the frame of the research have been described and illustrated on the base of their floor plans, material and construction methodologies. It can be concluded that: 1. In Nagyharsány Archaeological site, it is possible to define a sequence of different construction phases on the base of the study of building material and mortars. The results are comparable with the chronology of the site provided by the archaeologists 2. The material used for construction was of local origin while the more precious ones, used for decorative elements, were probably imported from long distance 3. Construction techniques in Hungary mainly refer to the usual Roman knowledge and practice (Vitruvius); few differences have been found 4. The database will represent an archive for Archaeologists, Historians and Conservators dealing with Roman period in Hungary.

Female melanoma: the role of ovarian stimulation and antioestrogens cancer therapy A retrospective study with immunohistochemical oestrogen receptors alpha and beta analysis.

Cutaneous melanoma (CM) represents the third most common cancer in Italian women under 49 years old. In the last decades, many molecular studies confirmed that sex hormones have a part in melanogenesis and melanoma genesis. However, many controversies are present regarding the role of exogenous oestrogens intake and endogenous hormonal status in female melanoma. Our study's primary objective is to investigate the features of melanoma in women of fertile age and women in postmenopausal age. The secondary aim is to evaluate the expression of ERα and ERβ by immunohistochemical analysis in women who underwent ovarian stimulation for medically assisted procreation and in women in cancer therapy for breast cancer (BC) comparing to two control groups. The tertiary objective is to correlate ERα and ERβ with the Breslow thickness and other relevant histopathological, clinical and dermoscopic characteristics Results A total of 998 women were included in the study. Women in fertile age are significantly more prone to have CM on the trunk. Conversely, postmenopausal females are more likely to develop CM on acral locations. Breslow thickness and ulceration were statistically significant among postmenopausal women (P-value <0,001). In the group for women with a history of breast cancer (BC), we observed a significantly higher CM percentage with “non-brisk” TILs. Upon immunohistochemical analysis, most cases with inhibitor aromatase therapy displayed a strong cytoplasmatic ERα positivity. Upon the Pearson correlation analysis, no association was shown between nuclear ERβ and Breslow thickness. The meaning of cytoplasmatic ERα in melanoma is still debated. It could suggest a potentially significant role of oestrogen non-genomic pathway in these patients, or it can be a mechanism of ERs modulation in response to aromatase inhibitor therapy. Our work tried to enlighten some of the existing shadows on the role of ERs and hormonal factors in CM.

Multidisciplinary approach to manage the striped venus clam (Chamelea gallina) fisheries

To responsively manage the striped venus clam (Chamelea gallina) fisheries, a multidisciplinary approach has been adopted through the investigation of new and updated biological aspects (e.g. age, growth, reproduction, size at first maturity, fecundity) and the interaction gear- target or non-target species (e.g. reburial ability, survival potential and exerted damage). The striped venus clam is an important socio-economic species in the Italian fishery context, highly regulated by national and international laws aiming at guaranteeing both social and ecological sustainability. Studies on growth and reproduction revealed that the size at first maturity is reached within the first year of life, whereas the present Minimum Conservation Reference Size of 22 mm is reached at two year of age. The annual reproductive cycle, which is driven by rises in seawater temperature and chlorophyll-a concentration, spans during the warmer months (late spring-summer) with multiple spawning events of different intensity occurring over the spawning period, and the number of potentially emitted gametes is positively related to shell size. Reburial tests conducted on undamaged specimens highlighted the ability of clams to rebury in the sediment once discarded, independently from the size. On the other hand, survival experiments in the laboratory and at sea, on both damaged and undamaged individuals, served to demonstrate that the species has a high survival rate, thus supporting the claim that discarded individuals can contribute to restock the natural populations. Moreover, the evaluation and quantification of damage induced by dredging on the discarded macro-benthic fauna living associated with C. gallina highlighted that soft-shelled or soft-bodied species are the most affected by the fishing process and subjected to a higher mortality. All these findings are of pivotal importance to rationally support the management measures to be adopted in the striped venus clam fishery.