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Aim The relationship between support at home and rehospitalization has not been extensively studied until now. In particular, little is known about the impact of being assisted by migrant care workers ( MCW) and rehospitalization. We aimed at investigating such a relationship in a population of older patients discharged from hospitals. Methods Our series consisted of 506 patients aged 65 years or older consecutively enrolled in a prospective observational study involving 11 acute care medical wards throughout Italy. The outcome of the study was the occurrence of at least one rehospitalization during 1-year follow up. Information derived from comprehensive geriatric assessment, discharge diagnoses and prescribed drugs were collected during the index hospitalization. Data about formal and informal assistance (spouse, son, other relative, MCW, home nursing) were collected. The relationship between study variables and rehospitalization was assessed using logistic regression. Results Being assisted by MCW was independently associated with the outcome ( OR 2.04, 95% CI 1.10-4.37), as were complete dependency ( OR 2.49, 95% CI 1.28-5.79) and overall comorbidity ( OR 1.23, 95% CI 1.10-1.43). Older age was associated with a lower likelihood of rehospitalization (age 75-84 vs <75 years OR 0.51, 95% CI 0.30-0.92; age ≥85 vs <75 years OR 0.30, 95% CI 0.12-0.65). Conclusions Being assisted by MCW could contribute to an increase in the rate of use of hospital resources for older complex patients. This finding raises the need for educational efforts targeting MCW. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2015; 15: 196-203. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background:Research was carried out in the years 2002-2003 into food, flavouring and feed folk traditions of plants in the Tyrrhenian part of the Basilicata region (southern Italy). This area was colonized in ancient times by Greeks. Data was collected through field interviews, especially of farmers. Methods:Field data were collected through structured interviews. The informants, numbered 49, belonged to families which had strong links with the traditional activities of the area. Results:61 taxa are cited, belonging to 26 botanical families, amongst which 44 used as food or flavouring and 22 for animal alimentation. Besides 7 taxa are involved in rituals especially connected with agriculture and plant growth. Conclusion:The preservation of some rituals especially concerning agricultural plants is noteworthy in the area, together with a certain degree of continuity in food uses. Knowledge and rediscovery of recipes in human and animal diet could represent an economic potential for the area [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Research was carried out into agricultural and domestic-handicraft uses in folk traditions in the Tyrrhenian sector of the Basilicata region (southern Italy), as it is typically representative of ethnobotanical applications in the Mediterranean area. From the point of view of furnishing a botanical support for the study of local "material culture" data was collected through field interviews of 49 informants, most of whom were farmers. Results: The taxa cited are 60, belonging to 32 botanical families, of which 18 are employed for agricultural uses and 51 for domestic-handicraft folk uses. Data show a diffuse use of plants for many purposes, both in agricultural (present uses 14%; past uses 1%) and for domestic-handicraft use (present uses 40%; past uses 45%); most of the latter are now in decline. Conclusion: 60 data look uncommon or typical of the places studied. Some domestic-handicraft folk uses are typical of southern Italy (e.g. the use of Ampelodesmos mauritanicus for making ties, ropes, torches, baskets or that of Acer neapolitanum for several uses). Other uses (e.g. that of Inula viscosa and Calamintha nepeta for peculiar brooms, and of Origanum heracleoticum for dyeing wool red) are previously unpublished. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The tradition of floristic studies in Italy has made it possible to obtain a good knowledge of plant diversity both on a national and regional scale. However, the lack of knowledge for some areas, advances in plant systematics and human activities related to globalization, highlight the need for further studies aimed at improving floristic knowledge. In this paper, based on fieldwork and herbaria and literature surveys, we update the knowledge on the Italian vascular flora and analyze the floristic similarities between the administrative regions. Four taxa, all exotic, were recorded for the first time in Italy and Europe. In detail, Elaeodendron croceum, Kalanchoë blossfeldiana, and Sedum spathulifolium var. spathulifolium were found as casual aliens, while Oxalis brasiliensis was reported as historical record based on some herbarium specimens. Furthermore, Kalanchoë laxiflora was confirmed as a casual alien species for Italy and Europe. Status changes for some taxa were proposed at both national and regional levels, as well as many taxa were reported as new or confirmed at the regional level. Currently the Italian vascular flora comprises 9150 taxa of which 7547 are native (of which 1598 are Italian endemics) and 1603 are exotic at the national level. The multivariate analysis of updated floristic data on a regional scale showed a clear distribution along the latitudinal gradient, in accordance with the natural geographical location of the regions in Italy. This pattern of plants distribution was not affected by the introduction of alien species. Despite some taxonomic and methodological issues which are still open, the data obtained confirm the important role of floristic investigations in the field and in herbaria, as well as the collaborative approach among botanists, in order to improve the knowledge of the Italian and European vascular flora. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the large number of data published in Italy on WEPs, there is no database providing a complete knowledge framework. Hence the need to design a database of the Italian alimurgic flora: AlimurgITA. Only strictly alimurgic taxa were chosen, excluding casual alien and cultivated ones. The collected data come from an archive of 358 texts (books and scientific articles) from 1918 to date, chosen with appropriate criteria. For each taxon, the part of the plant used, the method of use, the chorotype, the biological form and the regional distribution in Italy were considered. The 1103 taxa of edible flora already entered in the database equal 13.09% of Italian flora. The most widespread family is that of the Asteraceae (20.22%); the most widely used taxa are Cichorium intybus and Borago officinalis. The not homogeneous regional distribution of WEPs (maximum in the south and minimum in the north) has been interpreted. Texts published reached its peak during the 2001–2010 decade. A database for Italian WEPs is important to have a synthesis and to represent the richness and complexity of this knowledge, also in light of its potential for cultural enhancement, as well as its applications for the agri-food system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Objectives: To investigate the relationship between clinical conditions typically observed in the geriatric patients (geriatric conditions) and adverse drug reactions in older patients admitted to acute care hospitals. Design and Setting: Prospective observational study conducted in 11 acute care medical wards throughout Italy. Participants: Five hundred six patients aged 65 years or older consecutively admitted to participating wards. Measurements: The outcome of the study was the occurrence of any adverse drug reactions during the hospital stay. Geriatric conditions considered in the analysis were basic activities of daily living, history of falls, slow walking speed, malnutrition, dementia, depression, 1 or more unplanned admissions in the previous 3 months, history of stroke, unintentional weight loss, and exhaustion. The relationship between risk factors and outcomes was assessed using logistic regression. Results: Female gender (odds ratio [OR] 2.29; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.18–4.45) and number of medications taken during hospitalization (OR 1.12; 95% CI 1.06–1.18), but not individual Geriatric conditions, were associated with the outcome after correction for potential confounders. However, the simultaneous presence of history of falls and dependency in at least 1 activities of daily living (OR 2.18; 95% CI 1.13–4.19) was associated with adverse drug reactions during stay. Conclusion: The simultaneous presence of history of falls and dependency in at least one activity of daily living defines a condition of particular vulnerability of elderly hospitalized patients to adverse drug reactions. Physicians should be aware of this high-risk condition when prescribing new drugs to disabled older people. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Field ethnobotanical survey was undertaken for the period of 2002-2003 in the Tyrrhenian part of the Basilicata region of southern Italy. Data of 56 species of plants belonging to 29 families where gathered through interviews; among the species, 47 are used in human therapy, 6 as insect repellents, 15 in veterinary medicine, 1 for its ichthyotoxic properties and 3 for magic therapeutic purposes. The most important findings in ethnomedicine relate to Nasturtium officinale (renal colic, liver diseases), Foeniculum vulgare subsp. piperitum (mouth ulcers), Leopoldia comosa (toothache, headache), Micromeria graeca subsp. graeca (coughs) and Ceterach officinarum (malaria), while in the ethnoveterinary field, we have Pteridium aquilinum (wolf bites) and Spartium junceum (fractures of animal limbs).