Adaptation to climate change: Air-conditioning and the role of remittances

Do remittances improve the ability of households to adapt to global warming? We try to answer this question by studying the behaviours of households in Mexico, a country that experiences a large and stable flow of remittances. Using an instrumental variable approach, we find an important role of remittances in the climate adaptation process. Remittances are used for adopting air-conditioning, which is an important cooling device for responding to high temperatures and to maintain thermal comfort at home. We exploit climate and income heterogeneity by showing that large differences exist in the use of remittances for climate adaptation between coastal and inland regions, as well as among different income groups. We conclude by quantifying the overall increase in welfare that households attain by adopting air-conditioning

Enhanced Photodegradation of Synthetic Dyes Mediated by Ag3PO4-Based Semiconductors under Visible Light Irradiation

[EN] Four silver phosphate-based materials were successfully synthesized, characterized, and evaluated, together with TiO2, in the photodegradation of synthetic dyes (tartrazine, Orange II, rhodamine, and Brilliant Blue FCF) under two irradiation sources centered at 420 and 450 nm. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) images showed different topologies of the synthesized materials, whereas diffuse reflectance spectra demonstrated that they display absorption up to 500 nm. Degradation experiments were performed in parallel with the silver materials and TiO2. Upon irradiation centered at 420 nm, the abatement of the dyes was slightly more efficient in the case of TiO2-except for Orange II. Nevertheless, upon irradiation centered at 450 nm, TiO(2)demonstrated complete inefficiency and silver phosphates accomplished the complete abatement of the dyes-except for Brilliant Blue FCF. A careful analysis of the achieved degradation of dyes revealed that the main reaction mechanism involves electron transfer to the photogenerated holes in the valence band of silver photocatalysts, together with the direct excitation of dyes and the subsequent formation of reactive species. The performance of TiO(2)was only comparable at the shorter wavelength when hydroxyl radicals could be formed; however, it could not compete under irradiation at 450 nm since the formed superoxide anion is not as reactive as hydroxyl radicals.This research was funded by Spanish Government (Grant SEV-2016-0683), Generalitat Valenciana (Prometeo Program) and H2020/Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions under the AQUAlity project (Reference: 765860). The authors would like to acknowledge H2020/Marie Sk¿odowska-Curie Actions under the AQUAlity project (Reference: 765860). Consellería d¿Educació, Investigació, Cultura i Esport (PROMETEO/2017/075 and GRISOLÍAP/2017/005) is gratefully acknowledged.Pavanello, A.; Blasco-Brusola, A.; Johnston, PF.; Miranda Alonso, MÁ.; Marín García, ML. (2020). Enhanced Photodegradation of Synthetic Dyes Mediated by Ag3PO4-Based Semiconductors under Visible Light Irradiation. Catalysts. 10(7):1-17. https://doi.org/10.3390/catal10070774S117107Boczkaj, G., & Fernandes, A. (2017). Wastewater treatment by means of advanced oxidation processes at basic pH conditions: A review. Chemical Engineering Journal, 320, 608-633. doi:10.1016/j.cej.2017.03.084Miklos, D. B., Remy, C., Jekel, M., Linden, K. G., Drewes, J. E., & Hübner, U. (2018). Evaluation of advanced oxidation processes for water and wastewater treatment – A critical review. Water Research, 139, 118-131. doi:10.1016/j.watres.2018.03.042Gągol, M., Przyjazny, A., & Boczkaj, G. (2018). 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Catalysis Today, 280, 99-107. doi:10.1016/j.cattod.2016.05.047Li, X., Xu, P., Chen, M., Zeng, G., Wang, D., Chen, F., … Tan, X. (2019). Application of silver phosphate-based photocatalysts: Barriers and solutions. Chemical Engineering Journal, 366, 339-357. doi:10.1016/j.cej.2019.02.083Zwara, J., Grabowska, E., Klimczuk, T., Lisowski, W., & Zaleska-Medynska, A. (2018). Shape-dependent enhanced photocatalytic effect under visible light of Ag3PO4 particles. Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology A: Chemistry, 367, 240-252. doi:10.1016/j.jphotochem.2018.08.006Petala, A., Spyrou, D., Frontistis, Z., Mantzavinos, D., & Kondarides, D. I. (2019). Immobilized Ag3PO4 photocatalyst for micro-pollutants removal in a continuous flow annular photoreactor. Catalysis Today, 328, 223-229. doi:10.1016/j.cattod.2018.10.062Cruz-Filho, J. F., Costa, T. M. S., Lima, M. S., Silva, L. J., Santos, R. S., Cavalcante, L. S., … Luz, G. E. (2019). Effect of different synthesis methods on the morphology, optical behavior, and superior photocatalytic performances of Ag3PO4 sub-microcrystals using white-light-emitting diodes. Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology A: Chemistry, 377, 14-25. doi:10.1016/j.jphotochem.2019.03.031Zhu, C., Li, Y., Yang, Y., Chen, Y., Yang, Z., Wang, P., & Feng, W. (2020). Influence of operational parameters on photocatalytic decolorization of a cationic azo dye under visible-light in aqueous Ag3PO4. Inorganic Chemistry Communications, 115, 107850. doi:10.1016/j.inoche.2020.107850Raza, N., Raza, W., Gul, H., Azam, M., Lee, J., Vikrant, K., & Kim, K.-H. (2020). Solar-light-active silver phosphate/titanium dioxide/silica heterostructures for photocatalytic removal of organic dye. Journal of Cleaner Production, 254, 120031. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.120031Tab, A., Bellal, B., Belabed, C., Dahmane, M., & Trari, M. (2020). Visible light assisted photocatalytic degradation and mineralization of Rhodamine B in aqueous solution by Ag3PO4. Optik, 214, 164858. doi:10.1016/j.ijleo.2020.164858Hamrouni, A., Azzouzi, H., Rayes, A., Palmisano, L., Ceccato, R., & Parrino, F. (2020). Enhanced Solar Light Photocatalytic Activity of Ag Doped TiO2–Ag3PO4 Composites. Nanomaterials, 10(4), 795. doi:10.3390/nano10040795Rawal, S. B., Sung, S. D., & Lee, W. I. (2012). Novel Ag3PO4/TiO2 composites for efficient decomposition of gaseous 2-propanol under visible-light irradiation. Catalysis Communications, 17, 131-135. doi:10.1016/j.catcom.2011.10.034Ma, J., Zou, J., Li, L., Yao, C., Zhang, T., & Li, D. (2013). Synthesis and characterization of Ag3PO4 immobilized in bentonite for the sunlight-driven degradation of Orange II. Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, 134-135, 1-6. doi:10.1016/j.apcatb.2012.12.032Trasatti, S. (1986). The absolute electrode potential: an explanatory note (Recommendations 1986). 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Assessment of urinary mutagens presence in a population of non smokers

The paper presents the early results of a study involving a group of 312 non smoking and not professionally exposed subjects (144 males and 168 females) in order to evaluate the probable presence of urinary mutagens possibly derived from aspecific exposures. Urine samples were assayed by the Ames test on the YG1024 Salmonella typhimurium strain in the presence of S9 mix with plate incorporation method with preincubation. At the moment of sample collection, the subjects were invited to fill a questionnaire on their main characteristics and lifestyle. On the basis of laboratory data analysis, it emerged that, on 288 samples with a valuable mutagenic activity, 20 urinary extracts (8 of which were males and 12 were females) showed mutagenicity levels twice as much as spontaneous revertants. Diet and indoor exposure to passive smoking, fireplace and cooking fume exposure seemed to play a major role among the lifestyle behaviours investigated in generating positive mutagenic response with a statistically significant difference between positive and negative samples induction (Chi square, P = 0.0057 and P = 0.0168 respectively). After correction of induced revertants by means of creatinine excretion determination, it appeared that females, who had the higher mean urinary mutagenic activity, showed a mutagenicity level twice as much as men (364 ± 491 revertants/mmole creatinine for males against 605 ± 868 revertants/mmole creatinine in females, Mann-Whitney U-test, z = -3.97, P inf. 0.0001) possibly in consequence of their greater cooking fumes exposure. The study, that carefully evaluated the characteristics of involved subjects, reveals the presence, even though modest, of mutagens in urine of an apparently not significantly exposed population. In addition, standardization of method leads to suppose little feasible a confounding influence of considered features. Moreover, it would be therefore rather interesting to study the effect of low exposure time persistence

Effects of PCSK9 inhibitors on HDL cholesterol efflux and serum cholesterol loading capacity in familial hypercholesterolemia subjects: a multi-lipid-center real-world evaluation

Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9), beyond regulating LDL cholesterol (LDL-c) plasma levels, exerts several pleiotropic effects by modulating lipid metabolism in extrahepatic cells such as macrophages. Macrophage cholesterol homeostasis depends on serum lipoprotein functions, including the HDL capacity to promote cell cholesterol efflux (CEC) and the serum capacity to promote cell cholesterol loading (CLC). The aim of this observational study was to investigate the effect of PCSK9 inhibitors (PCSK9-i) treatment on HDL-CEC and serum CLC in patients with familial hypercholesterolemia (FH). 31 genetically confirmed FH patients were recruited. Blood was collected and serum isolated at baseline and after 6 months of PCSK9-i treatment. HDL-CEC was evaluated through the main pathways with a radioisotopic cell-based assay. Serum CLC was assessed fluorimetrically in human THP-1 monocyte-derived macrophages. After treatment with PCSK9-i, total cholesterol and LDL-c significantly decreased (−41.6%, p < 0.0001 and −56.7%, p < 0.0001, respectively). Total HDL-CEC was not different between patients before and after treatment. Conversely, despite no changes in HDL-c levels between the groups, ABCG1 HDL-CEC significantly increased after treatment (+22.2%, p < 0.0001) as well as HDL-CEC by aqueous diffusion (+7.8%, p = 0.0008). Only a trend towards reduction of ABCA1 HDL-CEC was observed after treatment. PCSK9-i significantly decreased serum CLC (−6.6%, p = 0.0272). This effect was only partly related to the reduction of LDL-c levels. In conclusion, PCSK9-i treatment significantly increased HDL-CEC through ABCG1 and aqueous diffusion pathways and reduced the serum CLC in FH patients. The favorable effect of PCSK9-i on functional lipid profile could contribute to the cardiovascular benefit of these drugs in FH patients

The rhythm of the night: patterns of activity of the European wildcat in the Italian peninsula

The European wildcat is a threatened carnivore, whose ecology is still scarcely studied, especially in Mediterranean areas. In this study, we estimated activity rhythm patterns of this felid, by means of camera-trapping at three spatial scales: (i) whole country (Italy); (ii) biogeographical areas; (iii) latitudinal zones. The activity rhythms patterns were also calculated according to temporal scales: (1) warm semester; (2) cold semester and (3) seasonal scales. Lastly, we also tested whether the effect of moon phases affected the wildcat activity. We conducted the analysis on a total of 975 independent events collected in 2009-2021, from 285 locations, in 65,800 camera days. We showed that the wildcat in Italy exhibits a > 70% nocturnal behaviour, with 20% of diurnal activity, at all spatial scales, and throughout the whole year, with peaks at 10.00 p.m. and 04.00 a.m. We observed a high overlap of wildcat activity rhythms between different biogeographical and latitudinal zones. The wildcat was mainly active on the darkest nights, reducing its activity in bright moonlight nights. Diurnal activity was greater in the warm months and decreased with the distance from shrubs and woodlands, most likely according to activity rhythms of its main prey, water presence in summer, the care of offspring and the availability of shelter sites. Conversely, the distance to paved roads seems to have no significant effects on diurnal activity, suggesting that, in presence of natural shelters, the wildcat probably may tolerate these infrastructures. We suggested limited plasticity in activity rhythm patterns of the wildcat, emphasizing the importance of dark hours for this species

A Multi-Center Study Investigating Long COVID-19 in Healthcare Workers from North-Eastern Italy: Prevalence, Risk Factors and the Impact of Pre-Existing Humoral Immunity—ORCHESTRA Project

: Introduction: The impact of long-COVID-19 syndrome is rather variable, since it is influenced by several residual confounders. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of long COVID-19 in healthcare workers (HCWs) from four university hospitals in north-eastern Italy: Trieste, Padua, Verona, and Modena-Reggio Emilia. Methods: During the period June 2022-August 2022, HCWs were surveyed for past COVID-19 infections, medical history, and any acute as well as post-COVID-19 symptoms. The prevalence of long COVID-19 was estimated at 30-60 days or 61+ days since first negative swab following first and second COVID-19 episode. Furthermore, the risk of long COVID-19 was investigated by multivariable logistic regression. Results were expressed as the adjusted odds ratio (aOR) with a 95% confidence interval (95%CI). Results: 5432 HCWs returned a usable questionnaire: 2401 were infected with SARS-CoV-2 at least once, 230 were infected at least twice, and 8 were infected three times. The prevalence of long COVID-19 after a primary COVID-19 infection was 24.0% at 30-60 days versus 16.3% at 61+ days, and 10.5% against 5.5% after the second SARS-CoV-2 event. The most frequent symptoms after a first COVID-19 event were asthenia (30.3%), followed by myalgia (13.7%), cough (12.4%), dyspnea (10.2%), concentration deficit (8.1%), headache (7.3%), and anosmia (6.5%), in decreasing order of prevalence. The risk of long COVID-19 at 30-60 days was significantly higher in HCWs hospitalized for COVID-19 (aOR = 3.34; 95%CI: 1.62; 6.89), those infected with SARS-CoV-2 during the early pandemic waves-namely the Wuhan (aOR = 2.16; 95%CI: 1.14; 4.09) or Alpha (aOR= 2.05; 95%CI: 1.25; 3.38) transmission periods-and progressively increasing with viral shedding time (VST), especially 15+ days (aOR = 3.20; 95%CI: 2.07; 4.94). Further determinants of long COVID-19 at 30-60 days since primary COVID-19 event were female sex (aOR = 1.91; 95%CI: 1.30; 2.80), age >40 years, abnormal BMI, or administrative services (reference category). In contrast, HCWs vaccinated with two doses before their primary infection (aOR = 0.57; 95%CI: 0.34; 0.94), undergraduate students, or postgraduate medical trainees were less likely to experience long COVID-19 at 30-60 days. Apart from pandemic waves, the main determinants of long COVID-19 at 30-60 days were confirmed at 61+ days. Conclusions: The risk of long COVID-19 following primary infection increased with the severity of acute disease and VST, especially during the initial pandemic waves, when more virulent viral strains were circulating, and susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 was higher since most HCWs had not been infected yet, COVID-19 vaccines were still not available, and/or vaccination coverage was still building up. The risk of long COVID-19 therefore decreased inversely with humoral immunity at the individual level. Nevertheless, the prevalence of long COVID-19 was remarkably lower after SARS-CoV-2 reinfections regardless of vaccination status, suggesting that hybrid humoral immunity did not increase protection against the syndrome compared to immunity mounted by either natural infection or vaccination separately. Since the risk of long COVID-19 is currently low with Omicron and patients who developed the syndrome following SARS-CoV-2 infection in the early pandemic waves tend to return to a state of full health with time, a cost-effective approach to screen post-COVID-19 symptoms during the Omicron time could be restricted to vulnerable individuals developing severe disease and/or with prolonged VST

HDL-mediated cholesterol efflux and plasma loading capacities are altered in subjects with metabolically-but not genetically driven non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)

Background. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) increases the risk of atherosclerosis but this risk may differ between metabolically- vs. genetically-driven NAFLD. High-density lipoprotein (HDL)-mediated cholesterol efflux (CEC) and plasma loading capacity (CLC) are key factors in atherogenesis. Aims. To test whether CEC and CLC differ between metabolically- vs. genetically-determined NAFLD. Methods: CEC and CLC were measured in 19 patients with metabolic NAFLD and wild-type PNPLA3 genotype (Group M), 10 patients with genetic NAFLD carrying M148M PNPLA3 genotype (Group G), and 10 controls PNPLA3 wild-types and without NAFLD. CEC and CLC were measured ex vivo by isotopic and fluorimetric techniques using cellular models. Results: Compared with Group G, Group M showed reduced total CEC (-18.6%; p < 0.001) as well as that mediated by cholesterol transporters (-25.3% ABCA1; -16.3% ABCG1; -14.8% aqueous diffusion; all p < 0.04). No difference in CEC was found between Group G and controls. The presence of metabolic syndrome further impaired ABCG1-mediated CEC in Group M. Group M had higher plasma-induced CLC than Group G and controls (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Metabolically-, but not genetically-, driven NAFLD associates with dysfunctional HDL-meditated CEC and abnormal CLC. These data suggest that the mechanisms of anti-atherogenic protection in metabolic NAFLD are impaired.Background. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) increases the risk of atherosclerosis but this risk may differ between metabolically-vs. genetically-driven NAFLD. High-density lipoprotein (HDL)-mediated cholesterol efflux (CEC) and plasma loading capacity (CLC) are key factors in atherogenesis. Aims. To test whether CEC and CLC differ between metabolically-vs. genetically-determined NAFLD. Methods: CEC and CLC were measured in 19 patients with metabolic NAFLD and wild-type PNPLA3 genotype (Group M), 10 patients with genetic NAFLD carrying M148M PNPLA3 genotype (Group G), and 10 controls PNPLA3 wild-types and without NAFLD. CEC and CLC were measured ex vivo by isotopic and fluorimetric techniques using cellular models. Results: Compared with Group G, Group M showed reduced total CEC (−18.6%; p < 0.001) as well as that mediated by cholesterol transporters (−25.3% ABCA1; −16.3% ABCG1; −14.8% aqueous diffusion; all p < 0.04). No difference in CEC was found between Group G and controls. The presence of metabolic syndrome further impaired ABCG1-mediated CEC in Group M. Group M had higher plasma-induced CLC than Group G and controls (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Metabolically-, but not genetically-, driven NAFLD associates with dysfunctional HDL-meditated CEC and abnormal CLC. These data suggest that the mechanisms of anti-atherogenic protection in metabolic NAFLD are impaired

Analysis of HDL-microRNA panel in heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia subjects with LDL receptor null or defective mutation

In the last years increasing attention has been given to the connection between genotype/phenotype and cardiovascular events in subjects with familial hypercholesterolemia (FH). MicroRNAs (miRs) bound to high-density lipoprotein (HDL) may contribute to better discriminate the cardiovascular risk of FH subjects. Our aim was to evaluate the HDL-miR panel in heterozygous FH (HeFH) patients with an LDLR null or defective mutation and its association with pulse wave velocity (PWV). We evaluated lipid panel, HDL-miR panel and PWV in 32 LDLR null mutation (LDLR-null group) and 35 LDLR defective variant (LDLR-defective group) HeFH patients. HDL-miR-486 and HDL-miR-92a levels were more expressed in the LDLR-null group than the LDLR-defective group. When we further stratified the study population into three groups according to both the LDLR genotype and history of ASCVD (LDLR-null/not-ASCVD, LDLR-defective/not-ASCVD and LDLR/ASCVD groups), both the LDLR/ASCVD and the LDLR-null/not-ASCVD groups had a higher expression of HDL-miR-486 and HDL-miR-92a than the LDLR-defective/not-ASCVD group. Finally, HDL-miR-486 and HDL-miR-92a were independently associated with PWV. In conclusion, the LDLR-null group exhibited HDL-miR-486 and HDL-miR-92a levels more expressed than the LDLR-defective group. Further studies are needed to evaluate these HDL-miRs as predictive biomarkers of cardiovascular events in FH