Connecting existing cemeteries saving good soils (for livings)

Background: Urban sprawl consumes and degrades productive soils worldwide. Fast and safe decomposition of corpses requires high-quality functional soils, and land use which competes with both agriculture and buildings. On one hand, cremation does not require much land, but it has a high energy footprint, produces atmospheric pollution, and is unacceptable to some religious communities. On the other hand, as exhumations are not practiced, "green burials" require more surface area than current burial practices, so a new paradigm for managing land use is required. Conclusions: In this paper, we propose a concept for 'green belt communalities' (i.e., ecological corridors with multiple, yet flexible, uses and services for future generations). With the expansion of urban centers, ecological corridors gradually disappear. Cemeteries for burial plots preclude alternative uses of the land for a long time. By combining these two aspects (need for connectivity and land take imposed by cemeteries), two positive results can be achieved: protecting memories of the past and connecting ecosystems with multiple-use corridors. This new paradigm works best in flat or hilly terrain where there are already several urban agglomerations that contain traditional cemeteries. Stakeholders who might consider this concept are local administrators, planners, and the communities of individuals who share specific beliefs on burial systems

Early Light Chains Removal and Albumin Levels with a Double Filter-Based Extracorporeal Treatment for Acute Myeloma Kidney

Renal impairment in Multiple Myeloma (MM) represents one of the most important factors that influences patient survival. In fact, before the introduction of modern chemotherapy, less than 25% of patients with acute kidney injury (AKI) and MM who required dialysis recovered sufficient renal function to become independent from dialysis, with a median overall survival of less than 1 year. There are many other factors involved in determining patient survival. In this study we aimed to investigate the role of double filter-based extracorporeal treatment for removal of serum free light chains (sFLC) in acute myeloma kidney (AKI for MM) and to evaluate patient overall survival. All patients received Bortezomib-based chemotherapy and extracorporeal treatment for sFLC removal. For each session 2 dialyzers of the same kind were used. The dialytic dose was not related to the degree of renal function but to the removal of sFLC. The factors that have been found to be significantly associated with lower mortality were reduction of sFLC at day 12 and day 30, >50% reduction of sFLC at day 30, number of sessions and independence from dialysis. Among baseline characteristics, albumin level was statistically associated with the patients’ outcome. Our analysis highlights the importance of the early treatment for removal of sFLC in AKI for MM. These results indicate that the early removal of sFLC can improve patient’s outcome

A multi-element psychosocial intervention for early psychosis (GET UP PIANO TRIAL) conducted in a catchment area of 10 million inhabitants: study protocol for a pragmatic cluster randomized controlled trial

Multi-element interventions for first-episode psychosis (FEP) are promising, but have mostly been conducted in non-epidemiologically representative samples, thereby raising the risk of underestimating the complexities involved in treating FEP in 'real-world' services

Inquinanti da reflui zootecnici

Il capitolo tratta i temi dell'ossigenazione e dell'eutrofizzazione dei corpi idrici, degli effetti degli eccessi di azoto e fosforo sulle acque ed infine l'impatto dei farmaci ad uso veterinario

The impact of vertical centrifugation on olive oil quality

Vertical centrifugation is an important step in continuous virgin olive oil production. It is used to clarify the oil, through the separation of water and suspended solids. Despite its effectiveness, the centrifuge can impair quality. In particular, it requires water to work, which reduces the concentration of minor compounds in the oil, and introduces dissolved oxygen. This paper reports the impact of the use of a vertical centrifuge on olive oil quality, with particular respect to minor compounds. Tests were carried out on two common cultivars (Arbequina and Coratina) 1 month after production and after six months of storage. The vertical centrifuge was found to impair parameters related to oxidation, such as peroxide value and K232. Particularly, the vertical centrifuge was able to increase the peroxide number of about 2 meqO2/kg. In addition, it oxidizes phenols and consequently reduces the ratio of oxidized and nonoxidized forms of secoiridoids. Furthermore, it removes both hydrophobic (i.e., roughly 25 mg/kg of tocopherols was removed) and hydrophilic antioxidants (biophenolic compounds). Phenols are removed as a function of the oil/water partition coefficient. A total phenols decrease of 47 mg/kg in Arbequina and 117 mg/kg in Coratina was due to vertical centrifugation. Finally, the vertical centrifuge oxidizes the oils and led to the detection of the rancid defect after six months of storage by an olive oil sensory panel group. Practical applications: The use of the vertical centrifuge in VOO production is a debated issue. In fact, despite some producers recently started to avoid vertical centrifugation for their top quality products. However, vertical centrifugation is a fundamental step in VOO production, and little is still known on the influence of this centrifuge on VOO quality