Looking back to move forward: Restoring vegetated canals to meet missing Water Framework Directive goals in agricultural basins.

Nitrate pollution and eutrophication remain pressing issues in Europe regarding the quality of aquatic ecosystems and the safety of drinking water. Achieving water quality goals under the Water Framework Directive (WFD) has proven to be particularly challenging in agricultural catchments, where high nitrate concentrations are the main reason for the failure of many water bodies to meet a good ecological status. Canals and ditches are common man-made features of irrigated and drained landscapes and, when vegetated, have recently been identified as denitrification hotspots.

Spatial variability of the Po River food web and its comparison with the Danube River food web.

Freshwater ecosystems are experiencing unprecedented pressure globally. To address environmental challenges, systematic and comparative studies on ecosystems are needed, though mostly lacking, especially for rivers. Here, we describe the food web of the Po River (as integrated from the white literature and monitoring data), describe the three river sections using network analysis, and compare our results with the previously compiled Danube River food web.

Hospitalizations for mental and behavioral disorders due to alcohol use in Brazil and regions: a temporal trend analysis, 2010-2020.

Objective: to analyze the trend in hospitalization rates for mental and behavioral disorders due to alcohol use (ICD-10: F10.0), Brazil and its five regions, 2010-2020.

Methods: this was an ecological time-series study using data from the Hospital Information System of the Brazilian National Health System; to calculate the trend in hospitalizations, we used the Prais-Winsten generalized linear regression model and the Stata Statistical Software 14.

PFAS levels in fish species in the Po River (Italy): New generation PFAS, fish ecological traits and parasitism in the foreground.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are resistant to breakdown and are now considered ubiquitous and concerning contaminants. Although scientific and legislative interest in these compounds has greatly increased in recent decades, our knowledge about their environmental fate and their effects on organisms is still incomplete, especially those of the new generation PFAS. In this study, we analysed the level of PFAS contamination in the fish fauna of the Po River, the most important waterway in Italy, to evaluate the influence of different factors (such as fish ecological traits and parasitism) on the accumulation of 17 PFAS.

How does invasion degree shape alpha and beta diversity of freshwater fish at a regional scale?

Freshwater ecosystems appear more vulnerable to biodiversity loss due to several anthropogenic disturbances and freshwater fish are particularly vulnerable to these impacts. We aimed to (1) identify the contribution of land use, spatial variables, and invasion degree in determining freshwater fish alpha (i.e.

Factors associated with risk related to the use of psychoactive substances by men deprived of their liberty.

Objective: to evaluate the factors associated with risk related to the use of psychoactive substances in male inmates of a prison in a city in the South of Brazil.

Method: a cross-sectional data from 220 men deprived of liberty, inmates of a provisional custody institution in the State of Paraná, collected with a screening instrument and questionnaire. Binary logistic regression and odds ratio analysis were used to verify associations between risk related to substance use and socio-demographic characteristics of living conditions before incarceration and current incarceration.

Effects of physical distancing by COVID-19 pandemic on diet quality, neurological and immunological markers, and fecal microbiota of Brazilian older women.

Physical distancing was used to prevent transmission of COVID-19, however there are concerns that this may promote harmful impacts on health, such as reduced levels of physical practice and changes in food intake and gut microbiota composition. This study evaluated the impacts of 6 months physical distancing on Brazilian older women upon body mass index (BMI), strength, physical activity level (IPAQ), eating habits, neurological markers (brain-derived neurotrophic factor-BDNF and cortisol), cytokines (IL-2, IL-5, IL-6, IL-10, interferon-IFN-γ, tumor necrosis factor-TNF-α), aging-associated markers (vascular endothelial growth factor-VEGF, insulin-like growth factor-IGF-1, klotho and thymic stromal lymphopoietin-TSLP), besides specific groups of fecal microbiota. Fifteen women, over 60 years old, residents of São Paulo state (Brazil), were evaluated in March and in September 2020.

Distance decay 2.0 - A global synthesis of taxonomic and functional turnover in ecological communities.

Aim: Understanding the variation in community composition and species abundances (i.e., β-diversity) is at the heart of community ecology.

Natural and anthropogenic factors drive large-scale freshwater fish invasions.

We analyzed the large-scale drivers of biological invasions using freshwater fish in a Mediterranean country as a test case, and considering the contribution of single species to the overall invasion pattern. Using Boosted Regression Tree (BRT) models, variation partitioning and Redundancy Analysis (RDA), we found that human factors (especially eutrophication) and climate (especially temperature) were significant drivers of overall invasion. Geography was also relevant in BRT and RDA analysis, both at the overall invasion and the single species level.

Cell wall polysaccharides from propagated K. Schum. plants.

is a cactus exhibiting morphological and physiological adaptation of its cladodes which ensuring growth in climatic and soil conditions unfavourable for many plant species. Currently, limited water resources and increasing demand for renewable energy make cacti a biomass source for the production of biofuels. Somaclones regenerated from callus can be a source of new raw material in useful plants.

Homeless population: characterization and contextualization by census research.

Objectives: to analyze characteristics of homeless people and factors associated with living on the streets.

Methods: a census-type sectional survey carried out between 2015 and 2018, in the municipality of Maringá-Paraná. A total of 701 homeless answered a structured questionnaire with sociodemographic data, living conditions, and drug use.

Drug use by men admitted to a psychiatric hospital.

Objective: to assess risk related to drug use in men admitted to a psychiatric hospital and to identify associations with sociodemographic, socioeconomic variables, and risk conditions.

Method: a cross-sectional study with the application of a screening test in 209 participants hospitalized for mental and behavioral disorders due to the use of psychoactive substances. Statistical analysis was performed using descriptive statistics and adjustment of a binary logistic regression model for moderate or high risk of drug use.

The role of species introduction in modifying the functional diversity of native communities.

Although one of the most evident effects of biological invasions is the loss of native taxonomic diversity, contrasting views exist on the consequences of biological invasions on native functional diversity. We investigated this topic using Mediterranean stream, river and canal fish communities as a test case, at 3734 sites in Italy, and distinguishing between exotic and translocated species invasion in three different faunal districts. Our results clearly confirmed that introduced species were widespread and in many cases the invasion was severe (130 communities were completely composed by introduced species).

Exotic species invasions undermine regional functional diversity of freshwater fish.

Exotic species invasions often result in native biodiversity loss, i.e. a lower taxonomic diversity, but current knowledge on invasions effects underlined a potential increase of functional diversity.

Run to the hills: exotic fish invasions and water quality degradation drive native fish to higher altitudes.

While the significance of anthropogenic pressures in shaping species distributions and abundances is undeniable, some ambiguity still remains on their relative magnitude and interplay with natural environmental factors. In our study, we examined 91 late-invasion-stage river locations in Northern Italy using ordination methods and variance partitioning (partial-CCA), as well as an assessment of environmental thresholds (TITAN), to attempt to disentangle the effects of eutrophication and exotic species on native species. We found that exotic species, jointly with water quality (primarily eutrophication) and geomorphology, are the main drivers of the distribution of native species and that native species suffer more joint effects than exotic species.

Proposing priorities of intervention for the recovery of native fish populations using hierarchical ranking of environmental and exotic species impact.

The freshwater populations of native fish species (Ns) have reached critical levels in many parts of the world due to combined habitat deterioration by human interventions and exotic fish species (Es) invasions. These alarming conditions require combined and well-designed interventions for restoring environmental quality and restricting Es invasion. The aim of the study is to propose a method to design spatially explicit priorities of intervention for the recovery of Ns populations in highly impacted freshwater systems by exotic multi-species invasion and water quality (WQ) degradation.

The eukaryotic translation initiation factor 3 subunit L protein interacts with Flavivirus NS5 and may modulate yellow fever virus replication.

Background: Yellow fever virus (YFV) belongs to the Flavivirus genus and causes an important disease. An alarming resurgence of viral circulation and the expansion of YFV-endemic zones have been detected in Africa and South America in recent years. NS5 is a viral protein that contains methyltransferase and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) domains, which are essential for viral replication, and the interactions between NS5 and cellular proteins have been studied to better understand viral replication.

Immunohistochemical and molecular analysis of caveolin-1 expression in canine mammary tumors.

Caveolin-1 (Cav-1) is a structural protein present in invaginations of the cell membrane. In human breast cancer, the cav-1 gene is believed to be a tumor suppressor gene associated with inhibition of tumor metastasis. However, little is known about its expression, regulation and function in canine mammary tumors.

OKT4/OKT8 ratio in asymptomatic heroin addicts.

The OKT4 (helper) and OKT8 (suppressor) lymphocytic subpopulations were enumerated in a sample of 60 asymptomatic drug addicts and in 17 controls. No significant differences in the ratio could be found that could not be explained by the action of HIV. It can be concluded that heroin itself was not responsible for any alteration in the T4/T8 ratio in the population considered.