Boosting market appeal: Exploring the impact of nutritional claims on popular Italian dietary cereal product

This study examines the intricate interplay between nutritional claims and consumer purchasing behaviour in the Italian rusk market. Rusks, obtained by double baking sliced loaf bread, are a staple of the Italian breakfast, generating annual revenues of EUR 225 million. With the growing focus on more health-conscious food choices, expecially after COVID-19, health-related claims on food labels have a greater impact on consumers. Utilizing the hedonic pricing method, the study decomposed rusk market value based on specific product characteristics, revealing how quality attributes and nutritional aspect influence price. Data collected from major retail chains yielded 1438 observations, showing a positive correlation between price and factors such as brand, format, ingredients formulations and nutritional or sustainability claims. Results show that among analyzed regulated nutritional claims: "no added sugars," "high in protein," and "low salt content" exhibit the highest premium price, highlighting consumers' willingness to pay more for products perceived as healthy, as well as for enriched products or those made with alternative flours. Conversely, in a very heterogeneous context and a highly competitive market, reduced ingredient formulations and traditional recipes result in discount prices. The research demonstrates that clear and transparent health-related communication promotes informed purchases. This study suggests that producers adopting differentiation strategies focused on nutritional quality and the use of food claims can enhance product appeal and positively influence consumer purchasing decisions, thereby increasing their market share in a dynamic market

Efficacy of a Non-addictive Nasal Irrigation Based on Sea Salt Enriched with Natural Enzymes among Patients with Sinusitis: An In Vivo, Randomized, Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND: Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is a common condition that is defined as inflammation of the nose and paranasal sinuses. Nasal irrigation plays an important role in the treatment of CRS. Evidence from basic research favors hypertonic saline over isotonic saline for mucociliary clearance, but evidence from clinical studies is controversial. AIM: This study aims to investigate the hypothesis that the use of daily nasal irrigation based on sea salt, enriched with natural enzymes and lysozyme, may be useful in patients with CRS. PATIENT AND METHODS: Patients (30 men and 30 women) 18–55 years old (mean age 41 ± 3 y.o.), with two episodes of acute sinusitis or one episode of chronic sinusitis per year for 2 consecutive years, were enrolled stratified by sex and age and randomly divided into two groups supplementation: Group A (test) and Group B (control/ placebo). Moreover, an exit questionnaire was asked to Group A subjects to report whether their sinus-related quality of life has gotten worse, stayed the same, or improved (scale from 0 to ±100%). RESULTS: The result showed that in the test group (A) from T0 to T1, a reduction of 17.65% for the symptoms related headache and/or facial pressure and a reduction of the 18.18%, for the symptoms relates to congestion and/ or nasal discharge. On the other hand, the control group (B) shown less difference between T0 and T1. CONCLUSIONS: This study strengthens the argument that the tested formulation is a safe, well-tolerated, long-term therapy that patients with chronic sinonasal complaints can and will use at home with minimal training and follow-up

The Role of Temporomandibular Joint Arthroscopy for Diagnosis and Surgical Management of Synovial Chondromatosis

Objective: We report the experience of our maxillo-facial surgery unit into the diagnostic and the therapeutic role of arthroscopy of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) synovial chondromatosis (SC). Materials and Methods: A series of sixteen patients with an imaging, arthroscopical, and histological diagnosis of SC treated with arthroscopy was selected. The surgeries were conducted in the Department of Maxillo-facial surgery, Academic hospital of Udine, from January 2016 to December 2022. Medical history, clinical examination, imaging, arthroscopical, and histological characteristics were recorded and then reviewed and discussed. Results: Clinical improvement, both in pain and in maximum incisal opening (MIO), were noticed in whole patients. Histologically, according to Milgram’s classification, the sample was fairly homogeneous. Arthroscopic treatment was successful in 87.5% of the patients. Only two cases of SC relapse were registered and were then submitted to open surgery to perform a total sinovectomy. The data collected were used to develop an SC classification proposal based on clinical, radiological (magnetic resonance imaging), arthroscopical, and histopathological characteristics. Conclusions: TMJ arthroscopy must be considered the first line of treatment for SC, leaving open surgery to relapses cases and those cases with extraarticular extension. A univocal classification is essential to best stage and prognostically characterise this pathology

Histological and histomorphometric effectiveness of the barrier membranes for jawbone regeneration : An overview of more than 30 years’ experience of research results of the italian implant retrieval center (1988–2020)

With the advent of implant dentistry, height and width of the bone site are fundamental to perform implant placements. There are several techniques to restore the amount of bone loss and one of them is guided bone regeneration, which is based on the employment of a membrane in order to bypass non-osteogenic cell invasion in the bone healing area, dispersing every interference with bone regeneration. Two expert reviewers performed a retrospective evaluation of all scientific papers published by the Implant Retrieval Center Laboratory of University “G. D’Annunzio” of Chieti-Pescara in the last three decades, and they implemented it by also similar conducting research on the main scientific databases, i.e., PubMed, Scopus, and EMBASE. The search was conducted up to December 2020, and a total of 843 articles published by the Implant Retrieval Center Laboratory of University “G.D’Annunzio” of Chieti-Pescara were identified and evaluated. After the application of inclusion and exclusion criteria, a total of 27 manuscripts were included for the qualitative synthesis: 8 animal studies, 17 human studies, and 2 in vitro articles. The present overview shows the importance of translational research for barrier membranes for bone regeneration, and additionally, the need for experts in different fields and research centers to produce high quality data in future research

Fibrolipoma gigante de la mejilla: a propósito de un caso

El fibrolipoma es una neoplasia de origen mesenquimal, rara en la cavidad oral, representando el 1% de todos los tumores benignos orales. Es una variante histológica del lipoma simple, que normalmente se manifiesta a nivel de la mucosa oral, suelo de la boca, lengua y labios. La etiología suele ser traumática cuando afecta localizaciones extraorales, mientras se considera idiopática al manifestarse a nivel bucal. En este artículo se presenta un raro caso de fibrolipoma de mejilla, y se discuten los aspectos diagnósticos, histo-patológicos y de tratamiento de acuerdo a la literatura. Lipomas are common soft tissue mesenchymal neoplasms, rare in the oral cavity, representing 1% of all benign oral tumors. Fibrolipoma is a histological variant of the classic lipoma which normally affects buccal mucosa, floor of the mouth, tongue and lips. In this article is presented a rare case of fibrolipoma of the cheek and are discussed all the aspects of diagnosis, histology and surgical treatment, according to literature data

Focus on the cariogenic process: microbial and biochemical interactions with teeth and oral environment

This paper aims to describe the biochemical interactions between teeth and the oral environment that occur during the caries process, hence it covers all the steps related to physico-chemical reactions, including the most up-to-date theoretical basis in the clinical application for the prevention and treatment of caries. The terms 'demineralization' and 'remineralization' that characterise this process were analysed, as well as the role of the microbiota in its interaction with the hard surface of the teeth. The biochemical mechanisms that lead to the onset of carious lesions and those that occur during the healing and repair of such lesions are listed