First report of Fusarium pseudograminearum causing root and crown rot in the halophyte Salicornia europaea

Salicornia europaea L. (glasswort), a euhalophyte in the Amaranthaceae family, is a valuable green vegetable. In July 2021, an outbreak of root and crown rot disease occurred on S. europaea grown in peat-filled pots under greenhouse. Symptoms appeared on 20–25% of 6-month-old plants. The fungus was identifed as F. pseudograminearum by means of morphological observations and molecular sequence analysis based on tef-1α gene (EF-1/EF-2) and using species-specifc PCR primers (Fp1-1/Fp1-2). This pathogen is known as the causal agent of crown rot in cereals and has sporadically been reported on wheat plants and seeds of soybean and vetch in Europe. A pathogenicity test was then conducted in a growth chamber to fulfll Koch’s postulates. Forty-eight seedlings (57 days after sowing) were grown in aerated non-saline nutrient solution in which a suspension of F. pseudograminearum macroconidia had been poured (fnal concentration 105 ml−1). Other 48 plants (controls) were grown hydroponically in a separate growth chamber and inoculated with sterile distilled water. Twenty-four days after inoculation (dpi), half of control and inoculated plants was transferred into a new sterile nutrient solution while the other half was transplanted into pots flled with sterilized peat. After 80 dpi, 100% of pot-grown plants showed root and crown rot symptoms whereas only 70% of infected hydroponically-grown plants developed symptoms. No evidence of disease was observed in the controls. F. pseudograminearum was consistently re-isolated from diseased plants in both cultivation systems (64.5–83.0%). Further investigations are in progress on this new pathosystem in saltwater hydroponics

Modelling the fate of micropollutants in the water cycle at urban and peri-urban scale – An integrated perspective towards the impacts of water reuse

An integrated model was developed, calibrated and validated to predict the fate of micropollutants (MPs) and the human health risks that these substances pose when wastewater is reused for agricultural purposes. Results showed that pharmaceuticals (e.g., the anti-inflammatory drug paracetamol) can form during in-sewer transit from other metabolites and posing a potential risk (Hazard Quotient for infants = 10-2) if wastewater is not treated before irrigation. The model can represent a relevant decision-support tool to plan barriers for reducing the risk associated to MP

Evaluation of the effectiveness and efficiency of the triage emergency department nursing protocol for the management of pain

Loris Butti,1 Olga Bierti,1 Raffaela Lanfrit,1 Romina Bertolini,1 Sara Chittaro,1 Stefania Delli Compagni,1 Davide Del Russo,1 Rossella Letizia Mancusi,2 Franco Pertoldi1 1S.O.C. Emergency Medicine, AAS3 Ospedale Sant’Antonio di San Daniele del Friuli, 2C.R.E.A. Sanità, University of Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy Introduction: Pain is a common symptom presented in the emergency department (ED) although it is often underestimated, poorly evaluated and treated. The application of a protocol for timely pain management ensured by the nurse can avoid the delays in the analgesic treatment and improve the patient’s quality of waiting.Aims: To check the effectiveness and efficiency of the protocol aimed at early pain management in triage, active in our ED. In particular, the response to analgesic treatment was evaluated 60 minutes after the administration and at discharge. Patient satisfaction was also evaluated using two anonymous questionnaires both at discharge and 48 hours later via telephone.Methods: A single-center, observational study was conducted on a prospective cohort of patients (aged ≥4 years) with a pain symptom at admission in ED with no surgical picture.Results: In the observation period (June 2015–May 2016), 382 patients were enrolled, and of these, 312 (84.8%) accepted pain therapy during triage stage in the ED. In 97.4% of the cases, orosoluble paracetamol 1000 mg was administered. In the re-evaluation done 60 minutes later, 65.9% of the patients showed a reduction of at least 2 points on Numeric Rating Scale (NRS), equal to a mean reduction of 2.24 points (95% CI: 2.03–2.45). The mean time of analgesia intake was equal to 5.9 minutes (95% CI: 3.8–8.1). In the re-evaluation done at discharge, 33.2% of the patients showed a reduction of NRS score >50%, leading to a mean reduction of 39% (95% CI: 35.3%−41.9%). The level of patient satisfaction was high with a mean value >9 points (maximum satisfaction =10).Conclusion: This protocol shows that optimal pain management was achieved by patients rapidly receiving an effective painkiller therapy at triage, leading to substantial patient satisfaction. In moderate pain, orosoluble paracetamol 1000 mg provided a reduction of NRS score by 2 points in 67.6% of the patients, confirming to be the analgesic of choice in ED. Keywords: pain management, protocol, triage, analgesic, orosoluble paracetamo

Powdered activated carbon as a tertiary treatment for pharmaceuticals and polycyclic musk fragrances removal from domestic wastewaters

Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products (PPCPs), such as polycyclic musk fragrances (PMFs), are a heterogeneous and commonly-used group of chemicals. Discharges of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), not optimized for the removal of these persistent compounds, can be relevant sources of PPCPs for the aquatic environment. PPCPs are biologically active and may pose a risk for human health and the environment. Among EU Member States, Italy registered the highest consumption of PMFs, with a consequent release in large amounts into the aquatic environment. Usually, to improve the removal of organic micropollutants from wastewaters, different advanced treatments may be applied. Among them, technologies based on powdered activated carbon (PAC) adsorption as additional removal process emerged in recent years due to their effective performance. The aim of our study, carried out within the framework of PerFORMWATER 2030 project co-founded by Regione Lombardia, was to evaluate the application of PAC in an Actiflo® Carb (patented Veolia technology) pilot plant for the removal of PPCPs in a WWTP located in northern Italy. Since removal efficiency depends on different parameters, including characteristics and dosed amount of PAC, adsorbate-adsorbent contact time, adsorbent retention time, molecular structure and properties of contaminants, concentration of organic matter in wastewater, an extensive experimental campaign was performed for assessing the influence of operating conditions and wastewater characteristics. In detail, following ranges of operating conditions were studied on two types of PAC: PAC dosage 5-20 mg/L, system PAC concentration 0.2-1 g/L, wastewater flowrate 6-9 m3/

Application of a model for supporting risk assessment of emerging contaminant in the context of wastewater reuse for irrigation

About 17% of the European territories suffer from water scarcity. The situation is expected to worsen over the next years, with potentially severe socio-economic implications. Recently, EU member states agreed that agricultural reuse of reclaimed urban wastewater should be enhanced whenever this is safe, leading to the proposal of minimum requirements for safe reuse [1]. The proposal also recognized the need of including in the risk assessment (where relevant) contaminants of emerging concern, whose threat for environment and human health is well recognized. Given the general lack of measurements and the challenges inherent to field monitoring, integrated chemical fate models represent valuable tools to (i) predict exposure concentrations (for assessing the current risk) and (ii) to evaluate alternative scenarios (i.e. identify risk minimization strategies). However, these models are usually applied within the boundaries of urban areas or for hypothetical wastewater reuse scenarios [2], lacking significant validation for real cases. In this study, an integrated dynamic model was developed and tested for a highly urbanized area in northern Italy, where treated municipal wastewater is discharged into an irrigation canal. Calibration and validation were performed at different locations and risk indicators were calculated to assess environmental and human health safety associated to the exposure to several emerging contaminants

Natural Purification Through Soils: Risks and Opportunities of Sewage Effluent Reuse in Sub-surface Irrigation

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