The present study investigated the association of maternal dietary patterns with pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) and total gestational weight gain (GWG), using data of 232 women from the “Mamma & Bambino” cohort. Dietary patterns were derived by a food frequency questionnaire and principal component analysis. Self-reported pre-pregnancy BMI and GWG were calculated according to the World Health Organization and Institute of Medicine guidelines, respectively. The adherence to the “Western” dietary pattern—characterized by high intake of red meat, fries, dipping sauces, salty snacks and alcoholic drinks—was associated with increased GWG (β = 1.217; standard error [SE] = 0.487; p = 0.013), especially among obese women (β = 7.363; SE = 1.808; p = 0.005). In contrast, the adherence to the “prudent” dietary pattern—characterized by high intake of boiled potatoes, cooked vegetables, legumes, pizza and soup—was associated with reduced pre-pregnancy BMI (β = −0.631; SE = 0.318; p-trend = 0.038). Interestingly, the adherence to this pattern was positively associated with GWG among underweight (β = 4.127; SE = 1.722; p = 0.048), and negatively among overweight and obese individuals (β = −4.209; SE = 1.635; p = 0.016 and β = −7.356; SE = 2.304; p = 0.031, respectively). Our findings point out that the promotion of a healthy diet might represent a potential preventive strategy against inadequate weight gain, even during the periconceptional period.

Bioactive food compounds have different effects on global DNA methylation, an epigenetic mechanism associated with chromosomal stability and genome function. Since the diet is characterized by a mixture of foods, we aimed to identify dietary patterns in women, and to evaluate their association with long interspersed nuclear elements (LINE-1) methylation, a surrogate marker of global DNA methylation. We conducted an observational cross-sectional study of 349 women from Southern Italy, with no history of severe diseases. Dietary patterns were derived by food frequency questionnaire and principal component analysis. LINE-1 methylation of leukocyte DNA was assessed by pyrosequencing. We observed that intake of wholemeal bread, cereals, fish, fruit, raw and cooked vegetables, legumes, soup, potatoes, fries, rice, and pizza positively correlated with LINE-1 methylation levels. By contrast, vegetable oil negatively correlated with LINE-1 methylation levels. Next, we demonstrated that adherence to a prudent dietary pattern—characterized by high intake of potatoes, cooked and raw vegetables, legumes, soup and fish—was positively associated with LINE-1 methylation. In particular, women in the 3rd tertile exhibited higher LINE-1 methylation level than those in the 1st tertile (median = 66.7 %5mC; IQR = 4.67 %5mC vs. median = 63.1 %5mC; IQR = 12.3 %5mC; p < 0.001). Linear regression confirmed that women in the 3rd tertile had higher LINE-1 methylation than those in the 1st tertile (β = 0.022; SE = 0.003; p < 0.001), after adjusting for age, educational level, employment status, smoking status, use of folic acid supplement, total energy intake and body mass index. By contrast, no differences in LINE-1 methylation across tertiles of adherence to the Western dietary pattern were evident. Interestingly, women who exclusively adhered to the prudent dietary pattern had a higher average LINE-1 methylation level than those who exclusively or preferably adhered to the Western dietary pattern (β = 0.030; SE = 0.004; p < 0.001; β = 0.023; SE = 0.004; p < 0.001; respectively), or those with no preference for a specific dietary pattern (β = 0.013; SE = 0.004; p = 0.002). Our study suggested a remarkable link between diet and DNA methylation; however, further mechanistic studies should be encouraged to understand the causal relationship between dietary intake and DNA methylation.

The Mediterranean diet (MD)—the dietary pattern usually consumed by Mediterranean populations—can help promote a favorable health status and better quality of life. Uncovering the main factors associated with the adherence to MD may be useful in understanding and counteracting the global shift toward a Western diet, which has been documented also in the Mediterranean region. Here, we evaluated the adherence to MD and its major social and behavioral determinants in women from Catania, Southern Italy. This cross-sectional study included 841 women, aged 25–64 years, with no history of severe diseases. Adherence to MD was assessed by the Food Frequency Questionnaire and Mediterranean Diet Score (MDS). Associations between variables were tested by multivariable logistic regression analysis and expressed as an odds ratio (OR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI). Among social factors, medium and high educational levels were associated with an ideal intake of alcohol (OR = 4.059; 95%CI = 1.311–12.570; p = 0.015; OR = 4.258 95%CI = 1.068–16.976; p = 0.040; respectively), living in a couple with ideal intake of cereals (OR = 2.801 95%CI = 1.188–6.602; p = 0.018), and having children with an ideal intake of fruits (OR = 3.149; 95%CI = 1.245–7.762; p = 0.015). With respect to behaviors, current smoking was negatively associated with an ideal intake of meat (OR = 0.449; 95%CI = 0.0220–0.917; p = 0.028), while more engagement in physical activity was associated with an ideal intake of vegetables (OR = 6.148; 95%CI = 1.506–25.104; p = 0.011) and legumes (OR = 5.832; 95%CI = 1.414–24.063; p = 0.015). In line with these findings, moderately or highly physically active women were more likely to show medium or high adherence to MD than those who performed less physical activity (OR = 6.024; 95%CI = 1.192–30.440; p = 0.040; OR = 9.965 95%CI = 1.683–58.993; p = 0.011; respectively). Our results confirm an urgent need for public health strategies, which should take into account determinants of diet quality. Particularly, our study indicates that more engagement in physical activity is a major positive determinant of the adherence to MD.

Several lines of evidence suggested that antioxidants might play a protective role against high-risk human papillomavirus (hrHPV) infection and cervical cancer. However, the effect of combined intake of antioxidants has not been investigated thus far. The current cross-sectional study aimed to understand the relationship between dietary antioxidant intake and the risk of high-risk HPV (hrHPV) infection among 251 Italian women with normal cervical cytology. Women were tested for hrHPV using the Digene HC2 HPV DNA Test. Dietary antioxidant intakes were assessed using a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire, and a Composite Dietary Antioxidant Index (CDAI) was constructed on the basis of zinc, selenium, manganese, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, carotenoid, and flavonoid intake. Logistic regression analysis was used to assess odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) for the associations of antioxidant intakes or CDAI with hrHPV status, adjusting for age, smoking status, body mass index, parity, educational level, marital status, and use of multivitamins and oral contraceptives. We first observed that hrHPV-positive women (n = 84) reported lower intake of zinc, manganese, and vitamins A and C than non-infected women. Specifically, we found a negative association between dietary intake of zinc and hrHPV-positive status when all antioxidants were considered simultaneously (OR = 0.46; 95% CI = 0.27–0.80; p = 0.006). With respect to cumulative dietary antioxidant intake, we demonstrated that women with high CDAI (third tertile) had lower odds of being hrHPV-positive than those with low CDAI (first tertile) (OR = 0.39; 95% CI = 0.18–0.85; p = 0.018). To our knowledge, this is the first study demonstrating that a diet based on the combined intake of nutrients with antioxidant properties might reduce the risk of hrHPV infection. However, further research is needed to understand whether dietary antioxidant intake is associated with hrHPV infection or its persistence.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the biggest issues facing global public health. In 2017, Italy adopted its first National Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance 2017–2020, which works through the synergy between national, regional, and local levels. In the framework of a Regional Action Plan on healthcare-associated infections and AMR prevention, the Sicilian Health Authority of the Sicilian Region, Southern Italy, has implemented a surveillance system of antibiotic consumption in hospitals, in the community, and of resistance rates (RRs) in hospital settings. Data on antibiotic consumption and on antibiotic RRs have been collected from 2015 to 2017 from pharmacies and laboratories of participating hospitals and from community, respectively. Data on antibiotic consumption showed that the most consumed antibiotics in hospitals were fluoroquinolones in 2015, penicillin in 2016, and beta-lactams in 2017. From 2015 to 2017, data on Klebsiella pneumoniae showed significant increasing RRs to all antibiotic classes, except to carbapenems. RRs of third-generation cephalosporins and carbapenems Escherichia coli showed significant decreasing trends. RRs of the other microorganisms did not change significantly during the study period. The results from the present study show that in Sicily, the use of antibiotics and RRs for selected microorganisms are at a high level. Immediate strategies are needed to decrease the inappropriate usage of antibiotics and control the spread of AMR.