Assessment of the Impact of a New Industrial Discharge on an Urban Wastewater Treatment Plant: Proposal for an Experimental Protocol

Assessing the compatibility of industrial discharges with the biological process of a municipal wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) may represent a critical task. Indeed, either focusing only on chemical characterization or ecotoxicity tests designed to assess the impact on surface waters may lead to questionable or misleading conclusions. The feasibility of an industrial connection to the sewer should better take into account the features of the downstream WWTP, in particular by studying the potential effects on the biomass of that specific plant. With this aim, a multi-step experimental protocol applicable by water utilities has been proposed: (step 1) calculation of the flow rate/load ratio between industrial discharge (ID) and urban wastewater (WW); (step 2) analysis of the modified operating conditions of the biological stage; (step 3) experimental assessment of the impact of the ID on the WWTP biomass by means of respirometric tests. An application of this protocol is presented in this work as a case study, namely a new ID (average flowrate 200 m3 d−1) coming from an aqueous waste treatment plant (AWTP) to be connected to the public sewer. The integrated evaluation of results showed that no negative impacts could be expected on the downstream urban activated sludge WWTP (treating a flow rate of around 45,000 m3 d−1)

Ecotoxicity Evaluation of Industrial Waste and Construction Materials: Comparison Between Leachates from Granular Steel Slags and Steel Slags-Containing Concrete Through a Plant-Based Approach

Steel slags, the main waste product from the steel industry, may have several reuse possibilities. Among others, building applications represent a crucial field. However, the potential impact of harmful substances on the environment should be assessed. The aim of this study was to assess the phytotoxicity of steel slags (SS) and concrete mixtures cast with a partial replacement of SS (CSS). Leaching tests were carried out on four SS and four CSS according to EN 12457-2 and UNI EN 15863, respectively. Each leachate was assayed using root elongation tests on 30 seeds of Allium cepa, Cucumis sativus, and Lepidium sativum, respectively, and on 12 bulbs of A. cepa. The latter also allowed the analysis of other macroscopic parameters of toxicity (turgidity, consistency, colour change and root tip shape) and the evaluation of the mitotic index on 20,000 root tip cells per sample. None of the samples induced phytotoxic effects on the organisms tested: all samples supported seedlings emergence, verified by root elongation comparable to, or even greater than, that of the negative controls, and did not affect cell division, as evidenced by mitotic index values. The absence of phytotoxicity demonstrated by the leachates allows SS and SS-derived concrete to be considered as reliable materials suitable for use in civil constructions or in other engineering applications, with economic and environmental advantages, such as the reduction of the final disposal in landfills as well as the consumption of natural resources

Removal of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances by Adsorption on Innovative Adsorbent Materials

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) constitute a group of organofluorine chemical synthetic compounds widely used in industries and manufacturing due to their hydrophobic properties. However, PFAS have been found to cause negative human health outcomes. Therefore, a strong interest in the possible removal of these compounds from wastewater (WW) has been shown. This work aims to present a systematic analysis of the scientific literature related to the innovative and alternative adsorbent materials that can be used for treating PFAS-contaminated WW. Moreover, the adsorption processes are considered, focusing the attention on virgin adsorbent materials and biochar as adsorbents. Virgin adsorbent materials comprise conventional adsorbent materials, functional clays, metal-organic frameworks, and functionalized organic polymers. Biochar includes materials obtained from agricultural or food residues and from sewage sludge. The review shows that conventional treatment units using virgin adsorbent materials are characterized by high adsorption capacity, but also high costs. In addition, the refunctionalization of adsorbent materials is difficult to obtain. On the contrary, biochar, which is a residual product of other production processes, appears to be a cost-effective solution

Small non-coding RNA landscape is modified by GPAT2 silencing in MDA-MB-231 cells

Glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase-2 is a member of “cancer-testis gene” family. Initially linked to lipid metabolism, this gene has been recently found involved also in PIWI-interacting RNAs biogenesis in germline stem cells. To investigate its role in piRNA metabolism in cancer, the gene was silenced in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells and small RNA sequencing was applied. PIWI-interacting RNAs and tRNA-derived fragments expression profiles showed changes following GPAT2 silencing. Interestingly, a marked shift in length distribution for both small RNAs was detected in GPAT2-silenced cells. Most downregulated PIWI-interacting RNAs are single copy in the genome, intragenic, hosted in snoRNAs and previously found to be upregulated in cancer cells. Putative targets of these PIWI-interacting RNAs are linked to lipid metabolism. Downregulated tRNA derived fragments derived from, socalled ‘differentiation tRNAs’, whereas upregulated ones derived from proliferationlinked tRNAs. miRNA amounts decrease after Glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase-2 silencing and functional enrichment analysis of deregulated miRNA putative targets point to mitochondrial biogenesis, IGF1R signaling and oxidative metabolism of lipids and lipoproteins. In addition, miRNAs known to be overexpressed in breast cancer tumors with poor prognosis where found downregulated in GPAT2-silenced cells. In conclusion, GPAT2 silencing quantitatively and qualitatively affects the population of PIWI-interacting RNAs, tRNA derived fragments and miRNAs which, in combination, result in a more differentiated cancer cell phenotype.Centro de Investigaciones Inmunológicas Básicas y AplicadasInstituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plat

Evolving trends in the management of acute appendicitis during COVID-19 waves. The ACIE appy II study

Background: In 2020, ACIE Appy study showed that COVID-19 pandemic heavily affected the management of patients with acute appendicitis (AA) worldwide, with an increased rate of non-operative management (NOM) strategies and a trend toward open surgery due to concern of virus transmission by laparoscopy and controversial recommendations on this issue. The aim of this study was to survey again the same group of surgeons to assess if any difference in management attitudes of AA had occurred in the later stages of the outbreak. Methods: From August 15 to September 30, 2021, an online questionnaire was sent to all 709 participants of the ACIE Appy study. The questionnaire included questions on personal protective equipment (PPE), local policies and screening for SARS-CoV-2 infection, NOM, surgical approach and disease presentations in 2021. The results were compared with the results from the previous study. Results: A total of 476 answers were collected (response rate 67.1%). Screening policies were significatively improved with most patients screened regardless of symptoms (89.5% vs. 37.4%) with PCR and antigenic test as the preferred test (74.1% vs. 26.3%). More patients tested positive before surgery and commercial systems were the preferred ones to filter smoke plumes during laparoscopy. Laparoscopic appendicectomy was the first option in the treatment of AA, with a declined use of NOM. Conclusion: Management of AA has improved in the last waves of pandemic. Increased evidence regarding SARS-COV-2 infection along with a timely healthcare systems response has been translated into tailored attitudes and a better care for patients with AA worldwide

Palaeohydrography and early settlements in Padua (Italy)

This paper concerns the palaeohydrographic and geomorphological evolution of the alluvial plain around Padua during the last millennia, and the relative implications for the development of early settlements in the present urban area. The first archaeological evidences in Padua date to the late Bronze Age (1400-–1000 BC). Since the early Iron Age (9th century BC) the settlement experienced a progressive expansion and in the 6th century BC it was already an important urban centre. In the 2nd century BC Padua became a Roman municipium, being one of the most important cities in NE Italy. Latin historians wrote that it was crossed by a large river, called the Meduacus, which was identified with the Brenta River in previous archaeological studies. The Brenta River is Latter tThis latter is becomes an important Alpine river which that now flows about 5 km NE of Padua. SAt least since the Middle Ages the Bacchiglione River, a minor course partly fed by ground-water, has been flowing within the city centre along the two characteristic meanders; it was artificially diverted only in the 19th century in order to protect the city from floodings. As the recent urban expansion limits the possibility to investigate the urban area with remote sensing and field survey, the investigation focuses on the alluvial plain which extends at the western outskirts of Padua. A 70 km2 area was analysed through the integrated use of vertical and oblique aerial photographs, satellite images, digital terrain models (DTM), field survey and corings. The most ancient Holocene channel belt recognized in the study area is the Mestrino-Rubano (MR) one, which incised the LGM alluvial plain formed during the Late Glacial Maximum (LGM) period. It was formed by the Brenta River between the Lateglacial and 6300 cal BP. A palaeochannel named "La Storta" has a high geomorphic evidence and was recognized for a stretch of 13 km; it probably was the last active river bed in the MR channel belt, between 8400 and 6300 cal BP. The present Bacchiglione River follows another, more recent Brenta River channel belt, named Veggiano-Selvazzano (VS) channel belt. The meanders of present in the Padua city centre of Padua most probably belong to this channel belt. Chronostratigraphic data indicate that the VS channel belt was active in the 2nd millennium BC. This implies that Padua was probably crossed by the Brenta River during the Bronze Age. A single radiocarbon dating suggests that the VS Brenta River was active also in during the 2nd-–5th century AD. Such indication brings about the possibility that the Brenta River may have been flowing through the city also during the Iron Age and in Roman times, and that the Bacchiglione River established its present course in early Medieval times. This hypothesis has important implications for the reconstruction of the topography of ancient Padua, but it is based on a weak chronostratigraphy, which should be better investigated in the future. It contradicts geoarchaeological observations, which indicate no evidences of the sedimentary activity of such a large river in the city centre later than the end of the 2nd millennium BC. Moreover, previous geomorphological investigations show that the Brenta River was following the present direction since the beginning of the 1st millennium BC, which means that in the Iron Age and in Roman times the river would flow several kilometres east of the city