Saturday 22 September the whole world will shine green, in conclusion of the World awareness-raising week on mitochondrial diseases, promoted in Italy by the association Mitocon, the main reference for patients and family members affected by these diseases.
The Navy adheres to this project, illuminating its buildings and naval units in green as a sign of research support for the study and treatment of mitochondrial diseases. From North to South, the Armed Force will light up with the symbolic color of mitochondrial diseases, to keep the attention on these pathologies high.
The initiative includes the lighting of buildings and symbolic places all over the world. In this context of solidarity, the Armed Force will illuminate the Main Gate of the Arsenal of La Spezia together with the destroyer Caio Duilio. In Rome, it will be the turn of Palazzo Marina and the Grazioli Lante Barracks, while in Taranto the Aragonese Castle and the Main Gate of the Arsenale Vecchio will be illuminated and, in Puglia, the Castello Svevo di Brindisi. In Sicily the stele of the Madonnina di Messina, the Augusta Sports Center and the Command of the Patrolling Forces for Coastal Surveillance and Defense (Comforpat) will light up.
Solidarity is a natural and fundamental principle for those who go by sea. In this context, the Military Navy expresses its capabilities and employs its own men and means on a range of activities and operations which also include the social and humanitarian sphere, the protection of the environment, scientific research and all the sectors of interest of the community. These contexts, together with the purely military function, outline the dual-use capabilities of the Armed Force in the broader sense.
They also gave their valuable support to the initiative the National Referees Commission (CNAr) , Italian Rugby Federation. "We can tackle MITO " will be the motto with which, Saturday afternoon, the referees of the Italian Rugby Federation will take to the field on the second day of the TOP12 Italian Championship, the highest national rugby competition, to promote the knowledge and understanding of mitochondrial diseases.
"I race directors - he has declared Mauro Dordolo, President of the CNAr - they are the most rugby players among the rugby players, because with their work in the field they are called to guarantee respect for the rules, principles and founding values of our sport. The support is, perhaps, the strongest and most concrete component of the value of rugby and in this sense we are happy to be able to help with our commitment in the next weekend of the TOP12 race the search for mitochondrial diseases".
Mitochondrial diseases, as a whole, they are among rare genetic diseases the most common in humans. It is estimated that it is affected 1 person on 5000, many of them children in their early years, but symptoms can arise in adolescence and adulthood. Today, only half of the patients have a genetic diagnosis e there is still no decisive cure for most of these diseases.
"We are honored to receive the generous support of the Italian navy, of the Italian National Rugby Committee and Italian Rugby Federation to turn the spotlight on these diseases. thank the international referee Maria Beatrice Benvenuti, who chose to be our testimonial, and all his colleagues ", says Piero Santantonio, president of Mitocon. "Mitochondrial diseases still represent a puzzle for medicine, despite the research in recent years has made great strides, and it is the reason why their knowledge is still very rare among doctors and the community, making the path with the disease very difficult. Our purpose is of networking patients, doctors, researchers, supporters all over the world to promote the study of mitochondrial diseases with the hope of arriving early to find a cure ".
Mitochondrial diseases they are a very heterogeneous group of inherited diseases caused by alterations in the functioning of the mitochondria, the organelles of the cells that provide for the production of energy used by our organism. The genetic mutations affecting the mitochondria drastically reduce the production of energy, so the body becomes progressively ill. The organs most frequently affected are those that require a greater energy requirement, that is the nervous system, the heart, the muscles, but they can be affected, in different combinations and entities, also the sight, the hearing and other organs and systems.
A characteristic of this group of diseases, which has made it very difficult to study over the years, is the great variability of clinical manifestations. The repercussion of the organs, the rate of progression and the age of onset is very variable from disease to disease and from patient to patient, even within the same family, which makes it more complicated to understand the disease and find treatment .
Mitocon - Together for the study and treatment of mitochondrial diseases, is the association of reference in Italy for mitochondrial patients and of connection with the scientific community and institutions, to promote scientific research and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. From the 2009, it manages the Italian Registry of Mitochondrial Patients, an important tool to advance in the knowledge of mitochondrial diseases and is a founding member of IMP (International Association of Patients and Families with Mitochondrial Diseases). From the 2011 organizes the National Conference of Mitochondrial Diseases. www.mitocon.it