The present study was conducted in order to (i) characterize the adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MD) pattern and fatty acids (FAs) intakes and (ii) explore interactions between TNFA −308 G>A polymorphism and adherence to MD and FAs intakes, respectively, on overweight/obesity risk. From 2010 to 2013, 380 healthy women were enrolled, and MD score (MDS) and FAs intakes were evaluated by a Food Frequencies Questionnaire in relation to nutritional status. TNFA −308 G/A polymorphism was characterized using PCR-RFLP. A total of 32.6% of women were overweight or obese. Lower mean MDS values were more observed in the younger age group than in the older age group (3.60 versus 4.45). The risk of being overweight/obese was 3.5-fold increased due to poor adherence to MD and was about twofold increased in less educated women. Furthermore, younger age was associated with poor adherence to MD. No evidence for an independent effect of the polymorphism on overweight/obesity risk was found. There was no evidence of biological interaction from the gene-diet interaction analyses. Young women, less educated and with poor adherence to MD, are a target group for the nutritional interventions that aimed to control the obesity risk, thus improving the adherence to MD and particularly the intake of unsaturated FAs.

The aims of the present study were to: (1) assess surgical site infection (SSI) incidence in a cohort of surgical patients and (2) estimate the compliance with national guidelines for perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis (PAP). SSIs, among the most common health care-associated infections, are an important target for surveillance and an official priority in several European countries. SSI commonly complicates surgical procedures in older people and is associated with substantial attributable mortality and costs. The implementation of PAP guidelines is difficult among surgeons, and failure to comply with the standard of care has been widely reported. A 12-month prospective survey was performed in accordance with the methods, protocols, and definitions of the Hospital in Europe Link for Infection Control through Surveillance (HELICS) protocol. The compliance of the current PAP practices with the published national guidelines was assessed. A total of 249 patients were enrolled. The cumulative SSI incidence was 3.2 per 100 operative procedures. Cumulative compliance for PAP was 12.4%. Overall, only infection risk index ≥ 1 was confirmed as a significant risk factor for SSI (odds ratio, 6.65; 95% confidence interval, 1.04-42.59; P = 0.045). When only older patients (age >65 years) were considered, no significant risk factors for SSI were identified. Our study indicates an overall inadequate compliance with PAP recommendations, thus highlighting the need to develop multimodal and targeted intervention programs to improve compliance with PAP guidelines.

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