Additives in bioplastics: Chemical characterization, migration in water and effects on photosynthetic organisms.

The potential release in the environment and biological effects of chemicals like additives and non-intentionally added substances present in conventional plastics and bioplastics is an issue that could occur if these materials are not properly disposed of. Herein, seven leachates of biobased and biodegradable plastics made of polylactic acid (PLA), polybutylene succinate (PBS)/PLA blends, and starch-based blends (SB) were characterized and compared for the inorganic and organic additives present in the source materials. The main inorganic elements found in the leachates were Na, Mg, K, and Ca (0.

Geostatistical assessment of groundwater arsenic contamination in the Padana Plain.

Arsenic (As) in groundwater from natural and anthropogenic sources is one of the most common pollutants worldwide affecting people and ecosystems. A large dataset from >3600 wells is employed to spatially simulate the depth-averaged As concentration in phreatic and confined aquifers of the Padana Plain (Northern Italy). Results of in-depth geostatistical analysis via PCA and simulations within a Monte Carlo framework allow the understanding of the variability of As concentrations within the aquifers.

Nanocrystalline and Amorphous Calcium Carbonate from Waste Seashells by Ball Milling Mechanochemistry Processes.

Nanocrystalline calcium carbonate (CaCO) and amorphous CaCO (ACC) are materials of increasing technological interest. Nowadays, they are mainly synthetically produced by wet reactions using CaCO reagents in the presence of stabilizers. However, it has recently been discovered that ACC can be produced by ball milling calcite.

Benchmarking biochar with activated carbon for immobilizing leachable PAH and heterocyclic PAH in contaminated soils.

Remediation of residually contaminated soils remains a widespread problem. Biochar can immobilize polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). However, studies on its ability to immobilize PAH and N, S, and O substituted PAH (hetero-PAH) in real soils, and benchmarking with commercial activated carbon are missing.

Quantification and mapping of fish waste in retail trade and restaurant sector: Experience in Emilia-Romagna, Italy.

The circular economy approach imposes the complete recovery of components, materials and energy from waste. Many active compounds with biomedical and nutraceutical applications can be extracted by Fish Waste (FW), but few are the operating industrial plants. Quantification and mapping of the potential FW availability along the entire fish value-chain is crucial in fostering its actual valorisation.

Autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome type 1: an Italian survey on 158 patients.

Background: Autoimmune Polyglandular Syndrome type 1 (APS-1) is a rare recessive inherited disease, caused by AutoImmune Regulator (AIRE) gene mutations and characterized by three major manifestations: chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis (CMC), chronic hypoparathyroidism (CH) and Addison's disease (AD).

Methods: Autoimmune conditions and associated autoantibodies (Abs) were analyzed in 158 Italian patients (103 females and 55 males; F/M 1.9/1) at the onset and during a follow-up of 23.

Integration of physical, geochemical and biological analyses as a strategy for coastal lagoon biomonitoring.

Coastal lagoons are complex environments threatened by natural and anthropogenic stressors. Here, we tested the effectiveness of combining physical, geochemical and chemical measurements with biomarker data obtained in field-exposed marine mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) as a biomonitoring strategy for a highly pressured lagoon (Pialassa Baiona, Ravenna, Italy). Data showed a spatial trend of sediment contamination by Hg, Pt, Au, Ag, Mo, Re, Cd, Pd and Zn.

Primary Adrenal Insufficiency in Childhood: Data From a Large Nationwide Cohort.

Context: Primary adrenal insufficiency (PAI) is a rare and potentially life-threatening condition that is poorly characterized in children.

Objective: To describe causes, presentation, auxological outcome, frequency of adrenal crisis and mortality of a large cohort of children with PAI.

Patients And Methods: Data from 803 patients from 8 centers of Pediatric Endocrinology were retrospectively collected.

Safety and effectiveness of a somatropin biosimilar in children requiring growth hormone treatment: second analysis of the PATRO Children study Italian cohort.

Purpose: To investigate the long-term safety (primary endpoint) and effectiveness (secondary endpoint) of the somatropin biosimilar Omnitrope.

Methods: PATRO Children is an ongoing, multicenter, observational, post-marketing surveillance study. Children who received Omnitrope for any indication were included.

Comparative life cycle assessment of microalgae cultivation for non-energy purposes using different carbon dioxide sources.

The ability of microalgae to sequester carbon and at the same time synthesise valuable compounds with potential applications in nutraceutical, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries makes them attractive for commercial deployment, especially in view of a blue bioeconomy. Among microalgae, the diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum is considered as an important potential source of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, such as eicosapentanoic acid, an essential polyunsaturated fatty acid with anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties. The aim of this study was to perform the Life Cycle Assessment of the cultivation of P.

Anthropometric characteristics of newborns with Prader-Willi syndrome.

This is a retrospective multicenter nationwide Italian study collecting neonatal anthropometric data of Caucasian subjects with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) born from 1988 to 2018. The aim of the study is to provide percentile charts for weight and length of singletons with PWS born between 36 and 42 gestational weeks. We collected the birth weight and birth length of 252 male and 244 female singleton live born infants with both parents of Italian origin and PWS genetically confirmed.

Novel non-classic CYP21A2 variants, including combined alleles, identified in patients with congenital adrenal hyperplasia.

Objective: Congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) is an inborn error of metabolism and a common disorder of sex development where >90% of all cases are due to 21-hydroxylase deficiency. Novel and rare pathogenic variants account for 5% of all clinical cases. Here, we sought to investigate the functional and structural effects of four novel (p.

Thyroid function in patients with Prader-Willi syndrome: an Italian multicenter study of 339 patients.

Background Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) is a genetic disorder due to loss of expression of paternally transcribed genes of the imprinted region of chromosome 15q11-13. PWS is characterized by peculiar signs and symptoms and many endocrine abnormalities have been described (growth hormone deficiency, hypogonadotropic hypogonadism). The abnormalities of thyroid function are discussed in literature and published data are discordant.

Exploitable fish waste and stranded beach debris in the Emilia-Romagna Region (Italy).

Within Circular Economy principles, this paper analyses and estimates exploitable marine residues, such as fish waste and stranded debris in beaches and their potential valorisation scenarios. The Emilia-Romagna Region (Italy) has been chosen as a case study. Based on the sold fish, about 200 Mg/year of fish waste are produced at the five major fish markets of the Region.

Subclinical hypothyroidism in paediatric population treated with levothyroxine: a real-world study on 2001-2014 Italian administrative data.

Objective: To estimate the prevalence of subclinical hypothyroidism (SH) among children, by using levothyroxine low dosage as disease proxy, and to describe prescription pattern.

Design: An historical cohort study was performed through administrative databases of 12 Italian Local Health Units covering 3,079,141 inhabitants. A cohort of children (aged 0-13 years) was selected in the period 2001-2014.

Disorders of glucose metabolism in Prader-Willi syndrome: Results of a multicenter Italian cohort study.

Background And Aims: Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) is characterized by a high incidence of altered glucose metabolism (AGM). However, epidemiological data on impaired fasting glucose (IFG), impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are still discordant.

Methods And Results: We performed a multicenter study based on 274 PWS patients [144 females, aged 20.

Long-term glucocorticoid effect on bone mineral density in patients with congenital adrenal hyperplasia due to 21-hydroxylase deficiency.

Introduction: Patients with 21-hydroxylase deficiency (21OHD) assume a lifelong glucocorticoid (GC) therapy. Excessive GC treatment increases the risk of osteoporosis and bone fractures, even though the role of substitutive therapy is not fully established: we analyzed the effect of GC dose on bone metabolism and bone mineral density (BMD) over time in patients with 21OHD.

Methods: We studied bone metabolism markers and BMD in 38 adult patients with 21OHD (19-47 years, 24 females and 14 males) and 38 matched healthy control.

Effects of saltwater intrusion on pinewood vegetation using satellite ASTER data: the case study of Ravenna (Italy).

The San Vitale pinewood (Ravenna, Italy) is part of the remaining wooded areas within the southeastern Po Valley. Several studies demonstrated a widespread saltwater intrusion in the phreatic aquifer caused by natural and human factors in this area as the whole complex coastal system. Groundwater salinization affects soils and vegetation, which takes up water from the shallow aquifer.

Oil spill hazard from dispersal of oil along shipping lanes in the Southern Adriatic and Northern Ionian Seas.

An assessment of hazard stemming from operational oil ship discharges in the Southern Adriatic and Northern Ionian (SANI) Seas is presented. The methodology integrates ship traffic data, the fate and transport oil spill model MEDSLIK-II, coupled with the Mediterranean Forecasting System (MFS) ocean currents, sea surface temperature analyses and ECMWF surface winds. Monthly and climatological hazard maps were calculated for February 2009 through April 2013.

Brain anatomical substrates of mirror movements in Kallmann syndrome.

Among male patients affected by Kallmann syndrome, a genetically determined disease due to defective neural migration leading to hypogonadropic hypogonadism and hypo/anosmia, about 40% present the peculiar phenomenon of mirror movements, i.e. involuntary movements mirroring contralateral voluntary hand movements.

Medical treatment in gender dysphoric adolescents endorsed by SIAMS-SIE-SIEDP-ONIG.

Purpose: Despite international guidelines being available, not all gender clinics are able to face gender dysphoric (GD) youth population needs specifically. This is particularly true in Italy. Centers offering specialized support are relatively few and a commonly accepted Italian approach to GD youth has still not been defined.

Delayed myelination is not a constant feature of Allan-Herndon-Dudley syndrome: report of a new case and review of the literature.

Introduction: Allan-Herndon-Dudley syndrome is an X-linked condition caused by mutations of the monocarboxylate transporter 8 gene. This syndrome is characterized by axial hypotonia, severe mental retardation, dysarthria, athetoid movements, spastic paraplegia, and a typical thyroid hormone profile. In most of the cases reported so far, brain magnetic resonance imaging showed delayed myelination of the central white matter and this finding greatly affects the diagnosis of the syndrome.

Alström syndrome is associated with short stature and reduced GH reserve.

Introduction: Alström syndrome (ALMS) is a rare autosomal recessive monogenic disease included in an emerging class of genetic disorders called 'ciliopathies' and is likely to impact the central nervous system as well as metabolic and endocrine function. Individuals with ALMS present clinical features resembling a growth hormone deficiency (GHD) condition, but thus far no study has specifically investigated this aspect in a large population.

Material And Methods: Twenty-three patients with ALMS (age, 1-52 years; 11 males, 12 females) were evaluated for anthropometric parameters (growth charts and standard deviation score (SDS) of height, weight, BMI), GH secretion by growth hormone-releasing hormone + arginine test (GHRH-arg), bone age, and hypothalamic-pituitary magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Brain involvement in Alström syndrome.

Background: Alström Syndrome (AS) is a rare ciliopathy characterized by cone-rod retinal dystrophy, sensorineural hearing loss, obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus and cardiomyopathy. Most patients do not present with neurological issues and demonstrate normal intelligence, although delayed psychomotor development and psychiatric disorders have been reported. To date, brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) abnormalities in AS have not been explored.