Safety of vaginal erbium laser: A review of 113,000 patients treated in the past 8 years.

Background: Energy-based devices are becoming a popular option for minimally invasive vaginal procedures. The aim of this study was to obtain information on the frequency of occurrence of adverse effects (AEs) related to vaginal erbium laser (VEL™) treatment.Materials and methods: The global survey was conducted among practitioners using the non-ablative VEL™ (Fotona, Ljubljana, Slovenia). Users were invited to provide the number of patients treated with VEL™ and the number of observed laser-related AEs.Results: The survey was conducted from August 2018 to April 2019. Responses from 535 practitioners were collected, with a total of 113,174 patients treated in the period from 2012 to 2019. Out of 535 respondents, 160 (30%) shared detailed information about the indications they treated in a population of 62,727 patients, whereas 188 (35%) respondents provided information on the frequency of AEs observed in their treated population of 43,095 patients. All observed AEs were mild to moderate, transient and appeared with low frequencies.Conclusions: Minimally invasive thermal-only laser treatment using the non-ablative VEL™ procedures appears to be safe and the incidence of AEs is low

Benthic biogeochemical cycling of mercury in two contaminated northern Adriatic coastal lagoons

Previous research recognized most of the Northern Adriatic coastal lagoon environments as contaminated by mercury (Hg) from multiple anthropogenic sources. Among them, the Pialassa Baiona (P.B.) Lagoon, located near the city of Ravenna (Italy), received between 100 and 200 tons of Hg, generated by an acetaldehyde factory in the period 1957\u20131977. Further east, the Grado Lagoon has been mainly affected by a long-term Hg input from the Idrija mine (western Slovenia) through the Isonzo River since the 16th century. Hg cycling at the sediment\u2013water interface (SWI) of the two lagoons was investigated and compared by means of an in situ benthic chamber, estimating diffusive Hg and Methyl-Hg fluxes in the summer season. Major chemical features in porewaters (Fe, Mn, H2S, dissolved inorganic (DIC) and organic carbon (DOC), nutrients) and in the solid phase (Corg, N and S) were also explored to understand the general biogeochemical conditions of the system in response to benthic respiration. The daily integrated flux for the methylated Hg form was extremely low in P.B. Lagoon, accounting for only 7% of the corresponding flux calculated for the Grado Lagoon. Despite a higher sedimentary Hg content in the P.B. Lagoon (14.4\u201379.0 mg g1) compared to the Grado Lagoon (10.7\u201312.5 mg g1), the in situ fluxes of Hg in the two experimental sites appeared similar. A selective sequential extraction procedure was applied to the solid phase, showing that the stable crystalline mineral phase cinnabar (HgS) is the predominant Hg fraction (about 50%) in the Grado Lagoon surface sediments. Conversely, Hg mobilization and sequestration in the P.B. Lagoon is related to the extremely anoxic redox conditions of the system where the intense sulfate reduction, by the release of sulfur and the formation of sulfides, limits themetal recycling at the SWI and its availability for methylation processes. Thus, the environmental conditions at the SWI in the P.B. Lagoon seem to represent a natural \u2018\u2018barrier\u2019\u2019 for the potential risk of Hg transfer to the aquatic trophic chain

SPECIAZIONE E MOBILIT\uc0 DEL MERCURIOALL\u2019INTERFACCIA ACQUA-SEDIMENTOIN PIALASSA BAIONA (RAVENNA, ITALIA)

Le aree marine costiere sono ambienti caratterizzati da un elevato valore naturalistico, economico e turistico. Tra di esse, le lagune sono caratterizzate da un elevato valore ecologico ma rappresentano anche aree particolarmente vulnerabili, dove l\u2019accumulo di contaminanti nei sedimenti \ue8 diffuso e frequente. Precedenti ricerche sul mercurio (Hg) hanno evidenziato un elevato stato di contaminazione della Pialassa Baiona, presso Ravenna. Questo ambiente lagunare \ue8 stato interessato da un ingente apporto di Hg ( 48100-200 tonn.), rilasciato da un impianto di produzione dell\u2019acetaldeide nel periodo 1957-1977. In questo studio, la rimobilizzazione del Hg all\u2019interfaccia acqua-sedimento \ue8 stata indagata per mezzo di una camera bentica in situ. Il flusso di Hg totale dal sedimento alla colonna d\u2019acqua \ue8 risultato comparabile a quanto osservato in un ambiente simile contaminato da Hg, la Laguna di Grado (Nord Adriatico), sebbene il contenuto di Hg nei sedimenti di Grado sia inferiore di circa il 50% rispetto alla Pialassa. Viceversa, il flusso giornaliero (8 ore) per la forma metilata si \ue8 rivelato estremamente basso in Pialassa Baiona, pari al 7% di quanto osservato sperimentalmente in Laguna di Grado. A dispetto delle elevate concentrazioni di Hg nei sedimenti, le generali condizioni anossiche dei sedimenti in Pialassa Baiona sembrano limitare la mobilit\ue0 e la biodisponibilit\ue0 del metallo, mitigando gli effetti dell\u2019accumulo di questo contaminante nell\u2019ambiente lagunare

Mercury speciation and mobility at the sediment-water interface in Pialassa Baiona (Ravenna, Italy). Flux benthiques de mercure et de m\ue9thylmercure dans la r\ue9gion de Pialassa Baiona (Ravenne, Italie). Speciazione e mobilit\ue0 del mercurio all\u2019interfaccia acqua-sedimento in Pialassa Baiona (Ravenna, Italia)

Coastal marine environment represent areas of great natural, economic and touristic value. Among them, coastal lagoons are characterized by elevated ecological importance, but they are also particularly vulnerable to sediment contamination by a variety of pollutants. Previous research on mercury (Hg) showed strong contamination of the Pialassa Baiona (P.B.) Lagoon, near ravenna (Northern Adriatic Sea). The lagoon received between 100 and 200 tons of Hg generated by an acetaldheyde factory in 1957-1977. In this study Hg cycling at the sediment-water interface in the P.B. lagoon was investigated by means of an in situ benthic chamber. The in situ flux of Hg accounted for a comparable amount to that observed in the Grado lagoon (Northern Adriatic), a similar coastal environment where Hg contents in the sediments are almost 50% lower then in the P.B. lagoon. On the other hand, the 8-h integrated flux for the methylated form was extremely low and estimated to be only 7% of the corresponding flux in the Grado Lagoon. Despite the high contents of Hg buried in bottom sediments, the extemely anoxic conditions found in P.B. seem to limit Hg mobilization and bioavailability, mitigating the adverse effects of its accumulation in this environment

Benthic fluxes measurement of mercury and methylmercury in Piallassa Baiona (Ravenna, Italy)

none6The paper describes the results of a field measurement on Hg benthic fluxes in the Pialassa Baiona coastal lagoon. Measurement were integrated by the geochemical analysis of a short sediment core.noneCOVELLI S.; EMILI A.; ACQUAVITA A.; DINELLI E.; KORON N.; FAGANELI J.COVELLI S.; EMILI A.; ACQUAVITA A.; DINELLI E.; KORON N.; FAGANELI J