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The total antioxidant capacity (TAC) of the diet may be an important tool to monitor the protective effect of plant foods in epidemiological studies. We developed a semi-quantitative FFQ for the assessment of dietary TAC by 3 different assays, i.e., Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC), total radical-trapping antioxidant parameter (TRAP) and ferric reducing-antioxidant power (FRAP). The FFQ consists of 53 questions about the major sources of dietary TAC in Northern Italy and was validated against a 3-d weighed food record (3D-WR) in 285 individuals (159 males and 126 females) aged 35-88 y and living in the province of Parma (Italy). Plasma TAC was also evaluated in a subgroup of subjects using the TEAC and FRAP assays. The FFQ was associated with 3D-WR (quadratic-weighted [kappa] = 0.49 for TEAC, 0.53 for TRAP, and 0.49 for FRAP; P < 0.0001) and proved reasonably accurate to classify individuals into quartiles of TAC intake. The FFQ had a good repeatability when readministered after 1 y in 55 subjects (quadratic-weighted [kappa] for intertertile agreement = 0.66 for TEAC, 0.70 for TRAP and 0.68 for FRAP; P < 0.0001). With both dietary instruments, the main contributors to TAC intake were coffee and tea in women and alcoholic beverages in men, followed by fruits and vegetables in both sexes. Plasma TAC and dietary TAC were not associated. In conclusion, our FFQ has the potential for being used to rank subjects on the basis of their antioxidant intake as determined by dietary TAC in large epidemiological studies. The FFQ should be validated in external populations before being used for research purposes.

A study of newborns in the lowlands and highlands of continental Italy confirmed the influence of environmental conditions on the association between adenosine deaminase (ADA) and acid phosphatase (ACP1). An interaction has been found among ACP1-ADA genotype, locality, and season of conception.

We investigated the genetic heterogeneity of 2354 individuals from the 9 provinces of Sicily. The genetic markers we used were HP, GC, TF, PL and AK1 plus other previously tested polymorphisms, for a total of 24 independent markers. Distinct multivariate statistics were applied to verify the claimed genetic distinctiveness between extant eastern and western Sicilian populations. Our hypothesis stated that any diversity found between the two subpopulations would represent the signature of early colonization of the island by Greek and Phoenician peoples. Correspondence analysis showed that there was no clear geographic clustering within Sicily. The genetic distance matrix used for identifying the main genetic barriers revealed no east-west differences within the island's population, at least at the provincial level. [F.sub.ST] estimates proved that the population subdivision did not affect the pattern of gene frequency variation; this implies that Sicily is effectively one panmictic unit. The bulk of our results confirm the absence of genetic differentiation between eastern and western Sicilians, and thus we reject the hypothesis of the subdivision of an ancient population in two areas., KEY WORDS: GENETIC MARKERS, SICILY, ITALIAN POPULATION The making of the indigenous population of Sicily entered its final stages during the early centuries of the first millennium B.C. in the [...]

The area measured at the second to third lumbar level best represents the total visceral adipose tissue (AT) volume in Italians. Computed tomography is used to obtain AT volume from the AT area of five scans and the distances between the scans. The waist circumference along with age efficiently predicts AT volume in men and pre-menopausal women, and in post-menopausal women when height is included. Participants in the study included 72 women and 18 men aged between 18 and 69 years. The results are largely consistent with those of other researchers.