(Eco)toxicological maps: A new risk assessment method integrating traditional and in silico tools and its application in the Ledra River (Italy).

Contaminants giving rise to emerging concern like pharmaceuticals, personal care products, pesticides and Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs) have been detected in wastewaters, as reported in the literature, but little is known about their (eco)toxicological effects and consequent human health impact. The present study aimed at overcoming this lack of information through the use of in silico methods integrated with traditional toxicological risk analysis. This is part of a pilot project involving the management of wastewater treatment plants in the Ledra River basin (Italy).

Chemical-based risk assessment and in vitro models of human health effects induced by organic pollutants in soils from the Olona Valley.

Risk assessment of soils is usually based on chemical measurements and assuming accidental soil ingestion and evaluating induced toxic and carcinogenic effects. Recently biological tools have been coupled to chemical-based risk assessment since they integrate the biological effects of all xenobiotics in soils. We employed integrated monitoring of soils based on chemical analyses, risk assessment and in vitro models in the highly urbanized semirural area of the Olona Valley in northern Italy.

Abecarnil enhances recovery from diazepam tolerance.

Treatment with diazepam (25 mg/kg; p.o., twice-daily for 17 days) induced tolerance to the anticonvulsant effect of diazepam against bicuculline-induced convulsions in mice.

A new place conditioning paradigm to study tolerance to opiates in mice.

Tolerance to the rewarding properties of morphine was investigated in mice using a new conditioned place preference (CPP) procedure. Four pairings of morphine with specific environmental cues induced a significant CPP for the drug-paired cues. Further opiate conditioning trials in the presence of the same environmental cues revealed no change in the drug-induced CPP on repeated test sessions.