Application of anammox within an integrated approach to sustainable food waste management and valorization.

In this study, the anammox process was applied for the first time to the treatment of ammonium-rich liquid residues produced by the two-stage anaerobic digestion of food waste (2sAD-FW); such residues may represent a significant environmental issue if not properly managed. A granular anammox reactor was fed with a progressively increasing share of partially nitritated 2sAD-FW wastewater. An alternative operating strategy based on partial by-pass of the partial nitritation unit was tested, in order to regulate the influent NO/NH molar ratio without chemical addition.

Lichen transplants as a suitable tool to identify mercury pollution from waste incinerators: a case study from NE Italy.

A lichen transplant study aimed at investigating a strong increase in mercury concentrations in lichens was run in a territory of NE Italy where background values were very low only 8 years before. Thalli of the lichen Pseudevernia furfuracea collected in a pristine area were exposed for 1.5, 3 and 6 months at 31 sites selected according to the observed pattern of Hg concentrations, location of the suspected source (a new waste incinerator) and prevailing wind direction.

A long-term review of 50 patients out of 506 treated with automated percutaneous nucleotomy according to Onik for lumbar-sacral disc herniation.

At the Orthopaedics and Traumatology Unit of the Palmanova Hospital, between 27 October 1989 and 31 December 2003 we performed 506 automated percutaneous nucleotomies according to Onik for the treatment of lumbar disc hernia. The survey of 50 reviewed cases after evaluation of the subjective and objective clinical pictures according to the Cabot method allowed us to come to the conclusion that this percutaneous methodology is suitable to relieve damaged discs from compression. It is also well accepted by patients because it is not too traumatic, it requires short-term hospitalisation, presents no risk of post-operative fibrosis and does not create complications for the eventual traditional operation when unsuccessful.

Ovulation-inducing drugs: a drug utilization and risk study in the Dutch population.

This study describes the use of the ovulation stimulating drugs clomifene, human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) and human menopausal gonadotropin (hMG) in a representative sample of a population of Dutch women in the child-bearing age group. Clomifene or hMG/hCG are seldom used alone. A considerable percentage of the women received at least four different ovulation-inducing and related drugs during the observation period of two years.