Mitigating crop yield losses through weed diversity

International audienc

Variations of Procalcitonin Serum Levels in Neonatal Period

PCR and qPCR detection of HCV, HBV, Dengue, HIV, HSV, H5, CMV, M. tuberculosis, C. trachomatis and N. gonorrhoeae. This method has been being employed for all PCR diagnostic tests carried out at our laboratory, as well as at other diagnostic laboratories where our PCR diagnostic kits are being used. Conclusion: This method has a broad application potential since it can be used in diagnostic laboratories which are capable of doing PCR to detect human pathogens. Additionally, it can be helpful for developing the standard criteria for diagnostic PCR

Health Hazard from Gas Emissions in the Quaternary Volcanic Province of Latium (Italy)

The Quaternary Volcanic Province of Central Italy is characterized by zones with a huge endogenous degassing where frequent, sometimes lethal, accidents occur to people and animals. The emitted gas has a deep origin (volcanic or mantle) and is mainly composed by CO2 (up to 98%) and H2S (1-4%), which may reach dangerous concentrations both in open air and indoor. Here we present the results of a multiparametric geochemical study carried out in 2007-2009 in the Provinces of Rome and Viterbo (Latium), with the aim of assessing the health hazard of their main gas emission sites (GES). Three types of GES were investigated: 1. natural, open-air thermal pools, 2. within natural reserves, 3. near to inhabited zones. More than 15 GES have been studied, and here we will illustrate some of the cases with the highest hazard. Results are presented for the sites of Vejano and Mola di Oriolo (Viterbo), Caldara di Manziana, Tor Caldara and Solforata di Pomezia (Rome). Cava dei Selci is a well-known inhabited area of the volcanic complex of Colli Albani (Rome). In each site, multi-technique surveys have been carried out to estimate the total gas output and its concentration in air, by measuring: CO2 and H2S viscous and diffuse flux (the latter by accumulation chamber), CO2 and H2S concentration in air (by TDL profiles and punctual Draeger measurements); moreover, the chemical and isotopic composition of the gas was determined in each site. In all these zones, lethal air concentrations may be reached by both H2S and CO2, but more frequently by the first. Recommendations for risk reduction were given to Civil Protection authorities.Comission of Cities and Volcanoes (CaV) of the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior (IAVCEI) Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional para el Desarrollo (AECID), Gobierno de España Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MICINN), Gobierno de España Unidad Militar de Emergencias (UME), Ministerio de Defensa, Gobierno de España Agencia Canaria de Investigación, Innovación y Sociedad de la Información (ACIISI), Gobierno de Canarias Viceconsejería de Infraestructuras y Planificación, Gobierno de Canarias Consejería de Turismo, Gobierno de Canarias Consejería de Medio Ambiente y Ordenación Territorial, Gobierno de Canarias Viceconsejería de Cultura y Deportes, Gobierno de Canarias Instituto Español de Oceanografía (IEO)Instituto Geológico y Minero de España (IGME)Instituto Geográfico Nacional (IGN)Academia Canaria de Seguridad Federación Canaria de Municipios (FECAM) Universidad de La Laguna (ULL)Instituto de Estudios Hispánicos de Canarias (IEHC) CajaCanariasPublishedPuerto de la Cruz, Tenerife, Spain1.2. TTC - Sorveglianza geochimica delle aree vulcaniche attive4.5. Studi sul degassamento naturale e sui gas petroliferiope

The mechanical and chemical stability of the interfaces in bioactive materials: The substrate-bioactive surface layer and hydroxyapatite-bioactive surface layer interfaces

Abstract Bioactive materials should maintain their properties during implantation and for long time in contact with physiological fluids and tissues. In the present research, five different bioactive materials (a bioactive glass and four different chemically treated bioactive titanium surfaces) have been studied and compared in terms of mechanical stability of the surface bioactive layer-substrate interface, their long term bioactivity, the type of hydroxyapatite matured and the stability of the hydroxyapatite-surface bioactive layer interface. Numerous physical and chemical analyses (such as Raman spectroscopy, macro and micro scratch tests, soaking in SBF, Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy equipped with Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), zeta potential measurements and Fourier Transformed Infra-Red spectroscopy (FTIR) with chemical imaging) were used. Scratch measurements evidenced differences among the metallic surfaces concerning the mechanical stability of the surface bioactive layer-substrate interface. All the surfaces, despite of different kinetics of bioactivity, are covered by a bone like carbonate-hydroxyapatite with B-type substitution after 28 days of soaking in SBF. However, the stability of the apatite layer is not the same for all the materials: dissolution occurs at pH around 4 (close to inflammation condition) in a more pronounced way for the surfaces with faster bioactivity together with detachment of the surface bioactive layer. A protocol of characterization is here suggested to predict the implant-bone interface stability

Hazardous gas emissions from the flanks of the quiescent Colli Albani volcano (Rome, Italy)

Gas hazard was evaluated in the three most important cold gas emission zones on the flanks of the quiescent Colli Albani volcano. These zones are located above structural highs of the buried carbonate basement which represents the main regional aquifer and the main reservoir for gas rising from depth. All extensional faults affecting the limestone reservoir represent leaking pathways along which gas rises to the surface and locally accumulates in shallow permeable horizons forming pressurized pockets that may produce gas blowout when reached by wells. The gas, mainly composed by CO2 (>90 vol.%), contains appreciable quantities of H2S (0.35-6 vol.%), and both represent a potentially high local hazard. Both gases are denser than air and accumulate near ground where they may reach hazardous concentrations, and actually lethal accidents frequently occur to animals watering at local ponds. In order to evaluate the rate of degassing and the related hazard, CO2 and H2S diffuse soil flux surveys have been repeatedly carried out by accumulation chamber. The viscous gas flux of some important discrete emissions has been also evaluated and the CO2 and H2S air concentration measured by portable devises and by Tunable Diode Laser profiles. The minimum potential lethal concentration of the two gases (250 ppm for H2S and 8 vol.% for CO2) is 320 times higher for CO2, whereas the CO2/H2S concentration ratio in the emitted natural gas is significantly lower (15-159). This explains why H2S reaches hazardous, even lethal, concentrations more frequently than CO2. A relevant hazard exists for both gases in the depressed zones (channels, excavations) particularly in the non-windy early hours of the day

New Zinc-Based Active Chitosan Films: Physicochemical Characterization, Antioxidant, and Antimicrobial Properties

The improvement of the antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of chitosan (CS) films can be realized by incorporating transition metal complexes as active components. In this context, bioactive films were prepared by embedding a newly synthesized acylpyrazolonate Zn(II) complex, [Zn(QPhtBu)2(MeOH)2], into the eco-friendly biopolymer CS matrix. Homogeneous, amorphous, flexible, and transparent CS@Znn films were obtained through the solvent casting method in dilute acidic solution, using different weight ratios of the Zn(II) complex to CS and characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), Raman, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques. The X-ray single-crystal analysis of [Zn(QPhtBu)2(MeOH)2] and the evaluation of its intermolecular interactions with a protonated glucosamine fragment through hydrogen bond propensity (HBP) calculations are reported. The effects of the different contents of the [Zn(QPhtBu)2(MeOH)2] complex on the CS biological proprieties have been evaluated, proving that the new CS@Znn films show an improved antioxidant activity, tested according to the DPPH method, with respect to pure CS, related to the concentration of the incorporated Zn(II) complex. Finally, the CS@Znn films were tried out as antimicrobial agents, showing an increase in antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus) with respect to pure CS, when detected by the agar disk-diffusion method

Prenatal tobacco smoke exposure increases hospitalizations for bronchiolitis in infants

BACKGROUND: Tobacco smoke exposure (TSE) is a worldwide health problem and it is considered a risk factor for pregnant women's and children's health, particularly for respiratory morbidity during the first year of life. Few significant birth cohort studies on the effect of prenatal TSE via passive and active maternal smoking on the development of severe bronchiolitis in early childhood have been carried out worldwide. METHODS: From November 2009 to December 2012, newborns born at ≥ 33 weeks of gestational age (wGA) were recruited in a longitudinal multi-center cohort study in Italy to investigate the effects of prenatal and postnatal TSE, among other risk factors, on bronchiolitis hospitalization and/or death during the first year of life. RESULTS: Two thousand two hundred ten newborns enrolled at birth were followed-up during their first year of life. Of these, 120 (5.4%) were hospitalized for bronchiolitis. No enrolled infants died during the study period. Prenatal passive TSE and maternal active smoking of more than 15 cigarettes/daily are associated to a significant increase of the risk of offspring children hospitalization for bronchiolitis, with an adjHR of 3.5 (CI 1.5-8.1) and of 1.7 (CI 1.1-2.6) respectively. CONCLUSIONS: These results confirm the detrimental effects of passive TSE and active heavy smoke during pregnancy for infants' respiratory health, since the exposure significantly increases the risk of hospitalization for bronchiolitis in the first year of lif

Risk factors for bronchiolitis hospitalization during the first year of life in a multicenter Italian birth cohort

BACKGROUND: Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is one of the main causes of respiratory infections during the first year of life. Very premature infants may contract more severe diseases and 'late preterm infants' may also be more susceptible to the infection. The aim of this study is to evaluate the risk factors for hospitalization during the first year of life in children born at different gestational ages in Italy. METHODS: A cohort of 33-34 weeks gestational age (wGA) newborns matched by sex and age with two cohort of newborns born at 35-37 wGA and > 37 wGA were enrolled in this study for a three-year period (2009-2012). Hospitalization for bronchiolitis (ICD-9 code 466.1) during the first year of life was assessed through phone interview at the end of the RSV season (November-March) and at the completion of the first year of life. RESULTS: The study enrolled 2314 newborns, of which 2210 (95.5 %) had a one year follow-up and were included in the analysis; 120 (5.4 %) were hospitalized during the first year of life for bronchiolitis. Children born at 33-34 wGA had a higher hospitalization rate compared to the two other groups. The multivariate analysis carried out on the entire population associated the following factors with higher rates for bronchiolitis hospitalization: male gender; prenatal treatment with corticosteroids; prenatal exposure to maternal smoking; singleton delivery; respiratory diseases in neonatal period; surfactant therapy; lack of breastfeeding; siblings <10 years old; living in crowded conditions and/or in unhealthy households and early exposure to the epidemic RSV season. When analysis was restricted to preterms born at 33-34 wGA the following variables were associated to higher rates of bronchiolitis hospitalization: male gender, prenatal exposure to maternal smoking, neonatal surfactant therapy, having siblings <10 years old, living in crowded conditions and being exposed to epidemic season during the first three months of life. CONCLUSION: Our study identified some prenatal, perinatal and postnatal conditions proving to be relevant and independent risk factors for hospitalization for bronchiolitis during the first year of life. The combination of these factors may lead to consider palivizumab prophylaxis in Italy