Background. The recommended second-line therapy for Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) eradication is a quadruple regimen that fails in up to 30% of patients. Several recent studies suggest levofloxacin-based triple therapies as an alternative rescue treatment. However, dosage and length of levofloxacin-based regimens have not been established.Aim. To compare the efficacy and tolerability of four second-line levofloxacin-based schemes for H. pylori eradication.Methods. One hundred and sixty patients (aged 18-70 years, 72 male patients) who were H. pylori positive after standard triple therapies were randomised to receive esomeprazole 20 mg b.d. and amoxicillin 1 g b.d. plus levofloxacin 500 mg o.d., for 7 or 10 days (Groups A and B) or levofloxacin 500 mg b.d. for 7 days or 10 days (Groups C and D). H. pylori status was assessed by 13-C Urea Breath Test or rapid urease test, before and 6 weeks after therapy. Incidence of side effects was evaluated by a questionnaire.Results. No dropouts were observed. Eradication of H. pylori infection was successful in: 65% of patients it) Group A 90% in Group B; 70% in Group C; 85% in Group D. Based upon duration of treatment, eradication rates were: 67.5% in 7 days groups and 87.5% in 10 days groups (p =0.004). Dosage of levofloxacin did not affect the eradication rates (77.5% both in the once daily and twice daily groups). Mild adverse events were reported overall in 16% of patients (22.5% in 7 clays groups, 27.5% in 10 days groups; p=0.58; 12% in the once daily group; 32.5% in the twice daily group; p=0.04).Conclusions. 10 days levofloxacin-based second-line regimens were effective in curing H. pylori infection in more than 85% of patients with a lower incidence of adverse effects in levofloxacin single-dosage scheme. The 10 days levofloxacin-based regimens were more effective than 7 days course of treatment showing that duration of therapy is the crucial factor affecting eradication rate. (C) 2008 Editrice Gastroenterologica Italiana S.r.l. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

'Ghiaccio' peach series is a new type of peach, whose characteristics are: skin and flesh totally white cream, very firm flesh, high sugar content, long shelf life on tree (20-25 days). Studies were carried out for two years on 'Ghiaccio-1' fruit storability. Fruits were stored at 0 degrees C for 10, 27, 43 days or they were directly placed in a store-room at 20 degrees C and analysed every two days. Skin and flesh colour, skin brightness does not sensibly change during the 10 days of shelf life. Fluctuations take place in yellow colour between the eighth and the tenth day. Flesh firmness notably decreases in the first 2 days (2.7 kg) and lightly decreases in the following 8 days, but much less if compared with standard peach varieties (0.5-0.7 kg). Variations of acidity and soluble solids are insignificant even if they lightly increase after 6 days of shelf life, while juiciness tends to increase. No flesh browning or mealyness was observed during the 10 days of shelf life. As regards the quality ratings during the cold storage the average values of the parameters are substantially stable up to 27 days of storage. The most notable variations occur after 43 days.

For leading edge CMOS and DRAM technologies, plasma doping (PLAD) offers several unique advantages over conventional beamline implantation. For ultra-low energy source and drain extensions (SDE), source drain contact and high dose poly doping implants PLAD delivers 2–5× higher throughput compared to beamline implanters. In this work we demonstrate process performance and process integration benefits enabled by plasma doping for advanced 65nm CMOS devices. Specifically, p+/n ultra-shallow junctions formed with BF3 plasma doping have superior Xj/Rs characteristics to beamline implants and yield up to 30% lower Rs for 20nm Xj while using standard spike anneal with ramp-up rate of 75°C/s. These results indicate that PLAD could extend applicability of standard spike anneal by at least one technology node past 65nm. A CMOS split lot has been run to investigate process integration advantages unique to plasma doping and to determine CMOS device characteristics. Device data measured on 65nm transistors fabricated with offset spacers indicate that devices with SDE formed by plasma doping have superior Vt roll-off characteristics arguably due to improved lateral gate-overlap of PLAD SDE junctions. Furthermore, offset spacers could be eliminated in 65nm devices with PLAD SDE implants while still achieving Vt roll-off and Ion−Ioff performance at least equivalent to control devices with offset spacers and SDE formed by beamline implantation. Thus, another advantage of PLAD is simplified 65nm CMOS manufacturing process flow due to elimination of offset spacers. Finally, we present process transfer from beamline implants to PLAD for several applications, including SDE and gate poly doping with very high productivity.

Twelve years ago, a kiwifruit breeding program was begun at the Istituto Sperimentale per la Frutticoltura (ISF) with the main aim of diversify the range of cultivars in the industry which is currently based on the single worldwide cultivar 'Hayward'. A second objective was to find a male cultivar with a flowering time overlapping that of 'Hayward'. A third aim was the selection of rootstocks resistant to nematodes and tolerant of salinity.Several breeding methods were used: cross pollination among 'Hayward' x A. melanandra and A. arguta; open-pollinated (o.p.) seeds from China of A. deliciosa and of A. chinensis; irradiation with X-rays of 'Hayward', both in vivo and in vitro; in vitro selection for salt tolerance; artificial inoculation of young seedlings with crown-gall nematodes and lesion nematodes.Promising selections have been obtained from o.p. seedlings of A. chinensis: fruit size varying from 60-120 g, flesh colour from green to yellow, harvest time fi om 45 days before up to that of 'Hayward'. Promising selections were also obtained from o.p. seedlings of A. deliciosa. Very little variability has been observed in irradiated material, both in vivo and in vitro. A male selection fully overlapping the flowering of 'Hayward' has been selected. Selections with higher salt tolerance and nematodes tolerance were also obtained.

ISHS II International Symposium on Kiwifruit HORTICULTURAL PERFORMANCE AND QUALITY CHARACTERISTICS OF FRUIT FROM KIWIFRUIT PLANTS (CV. HAYWARD) OBTAINED BY IN-VITRO PROPAGATION, BY CUTTINGS AND BY GRAFTING

A simple polarographic method suitable for the determination of BILIGRAM, an iodinated biliary contrast agent acting as a specific probe of Carbon-Iodine bonds, is described, Its application to the quantitative analysis of Albumin unbound and overall BILIGRAM is reported. Key Words: BILIGRAM (biliary contrast agent)polarographic determinationdeproteination by ultra filtrationdetermination of Albumin-unboundoverall BILIGRAM

L'iniezione di α-amanitina causa nel cane una gastroenterite con vomito e diarrea. Pertanto, contrariamente a quello che si credeva, la sintomatologia gastrointestinale nell'avvelenamento umano daAmanita phalloides è con molta probabilità provocata da questa tossina.