Hepatitis B Virus Genotypes and Subgenotypes Circulating in Infected Residents in a Country with High Vaccination Rate.

Despite the availability of a vaccine against hepatitis B virus (HBV), this infection still causes public health problems, particularly in susceptible populations. In Portugal, universal free vaccination started in 1994, and most HBV infections are diagnosed in immigrants from high-prevalence countries. Our aim was to assess the pattern of HBV genotypes/subgenotypes in samples collected between 2017 and 2021 from a convenience sample of 70 infected residents in Portugal.

Tomato Residue Management from a Biorefinery Perspective and towards a Circular Economy.

The tomato industry is a relevant socio-economic activity in the European Union, while it generates a large variety of residues. Tomatoes unfit for consumption, tomato peels, seeds, industrial pomace, and plants are examples of residues of this industry. Commonly, some of the residues can be left in the field, composted, used for animal feeding, or valorized through anaerobic digestion.

Olive mill wastewater treatment strategies to obtain quality water for irrigation: A review.

The olive mill industry is a relevant sector in the economy of Mediterranean countries, while it involves high consumption of water and the production of effluents with high environmental impact. The efficient treatment of olive mill wastewater (OMW) is of high relevance, particularly for these countries. Climate changes are leading to increasing periods of droughts, and water recovery from polluted streams is essential to ensure the sustainability of this scarce resource.

Phosphorus removal from urban wastewater through adsorption using biogenic calcium carbonate.

Phosphorus (P) removal from urban wastewater is increasingly relevant in the wastewater treatment sector. The present work aims to contribute to the study of the adsorption process as a P removal technology. Biogenic calcium carbonate from industrial eggshell waste prepared by milling and calcination was used as an adsorbent.

Diversity of Human T-Lymphotropic Virus Type 1 Cosmopolitan Subtype (HTLV-1a) Circulating in Infected Residents in Portugal.

Human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) prevalence in Portugal is low and mainly affects immigrants from endemic areas where human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection represents a public health problem. Despite the majority of HTLV-1-infected individuals remains asymptomatic, severe pathologies may develop after prolonged viral persistence, namely an aggressive form of leukemia. An increased mortality rate and faster progression to death is often related to HTLV-1/HIV coinfection.

Evaluation of a battery of biotests to improve waste ecotoxicity assessment (HP 14), using incineration bottom ash as a case study.

The assessment of waste ecotoxicity (hazardous property HP14 in the European Union) is fundamental for proper waste classification and safe application/disposal. Biotests are relevant for evaluating waste complex matrices, but their efficiency is crucial to encourage their adoption at the industrial level. This work aims at evaluating possibilities of improving the efficiency of a biotest battery previously suggested in the literature, regarding test selection, duration, and/or laboratory resources optimization.

Looking at the Molecular Target of NS5A Inhibitors throughout a Population Highly Affected with Hepatitis C Virus.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is associated with liver damage and an increased progression rate to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. In Portugal, it is prevalent in vulnerable populations such as injection drug users (IDU). HCV is characterized by a high intra-host variability, and the selecting driving forces could select variants containing resistance-associated substitutions (RAS) that reduce treatment effectiveness.

An integrated characterisation of incineration bottom ashes towards sustainable application: Physicochemical, ecotoxicological, and mechanical properties.

Environmental protection is a central concern regarding municipal solid waste incineration bottom ash (IBA) management, but the assessment of waste Hazardous Property HP14 (ecotoxicity) is still under debate. Civil engineering applications may be a suitable management strategy. This work aimed at evaluating IBA regarding mechanical behaviour and environmental hazardous potential, including a biotest battery for ecotoxicity assessment (comprising miniaturised tests), to explore its potential for safe utilization.

Grape Pomace as a Natural Source of Phenolic Compounds: Solvent Screening and Extraction Optimization.

The optimization of extraction by using solvents of phenolic compounds (TPh) of grape pomace (GP) based on a central composite design was investigated. The GP was characterized, and preliminary assays were conducted with five different solvents (water, ethanol, acetone, methanol, and butanol) and the aqueous mixtures thereof. Ethanol and acetone were revealed to be the best solvents for TPh extraction.

Increasing Value of Winery Residues through Integrated Biorefinery Processes: A Review.

The wine industry is one of the most relevant socio-economic activities in Europe. However, this industry represents a growing problem with negative effects on the environment since it produces large quantities of residues that need appropriate valorization or management. From the perspective of biorefinery and circular economy, the winery residues show high potential to be used for the formulation of new products.

Outcome and complication rate of nasal planectomy reconstructed with direct mucocutaneous apposition.

Nasal planectomy is recommended in cases of squamous cell carcinoma of the nasal planum in dogs and can be curative if excision is complete. Due to the noticeable alteration in appearance inherent in nasal planectomy, several techniques are described for reconstruction. The goal of this study is to report the complication rate and owner satisfaction following nasal planectomy with repair by direct mucocutaneous apposition compared to other reported reconstruction techniques meant to be more cosmetic.

Supported TiO in Ceramic Materials for the Photocatalytic Degradation of Contaminants of Emerging Concern in Liquid Effluents: A Review.

The application of TiO as a slurry catalyst for the degradation of contaminants of emerging concern (CEC) in liquid effluents has some drawbacks due to the difficulties in the catalyst reutilization. Thus, sophisticated and expensive separation methods are required after the reaction step. Alternatively, several types of materials have been used to support powder catalysts, so that fixed or fluidized bed reactors may be used.

Integrated management of residues from tomato production: Recovery of value-added compounds and biogas production in the biorefinery context.

The biorefinery approach must be boosted in the management of agro-residues in the future. The present study aims to investigate the valorization of tomato production residues, namely rotten tomato (unfit for consumption - RT), green tomato (GT), and tomato branches (TB). The assessment involves the recovery of value-added compounds through the extraction process followed by biogas production through anaerobic digestion.

Beneficial use of lime mud from kraft pulp industry for drying and microbiological decontamination of sewage sludge.

Sewage sludge (SS) is a global environmental, social, and economic problem that requires a sustainable management approach. Still, the production of other industrial wastes, such as lime mud (LM), has recently gained considerable attention to avoid landfilling. This work aims to present a new approach for converting SS and LM into value-added products within the circular economy perspective.

From wastewater to fertilizer products: Alternative paths to mitigate phosphorus demand in European countries.

Phosphorus (P) is a non-renewable resource, irreplaceable for life and food production, and currently considered a Critical Raw Material to the European Union (EU). Due to concerns about the rate of consumption and limited reserves in countries with sensitive geopolitical contexts, it is urgent to recover P from urban and industrial flows. Indeed, the municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) are considered relevant sources with several hot spots, especially sewage sludge with estimated recovery efficiencies of >80%.

Assessment of hazardous property HP 14 using ecotoxicological tests: a case study of weathered coal fly ash.

The classification of wastes regarding hazardous property HP 14 (ecotoxicity) is essential for proper waste management. In the EU, HP 14 has been estimated based on waste chemical composition rather than using biotests, and guidelines for experimental assessment are still lacking. This study aims at evaluating the potential ecotoxicological impacts of weathered coal fly ash (CFA) from a landfill, as a case study to assess the current EU methodology used to classify wastes regarding HP 14.

Thermal dehydration of urban biosolids with green liquor dregs from pulp and paper mill.

This study aims to investigate the sewage sludge (SS) drying process by incorporating a by-product formed in the pulp and paper industry (green liquor dregs - GLD) as drying adjuvant. Through an innovative approach, the drying kinetics was modelled, and the final dried product was tested for soil applications. After the characterization phase, small cylinders of SS without and with 0.

Kraft pulp mill dregs and grits as permeable reactive barrier for removal of copper and sulfate in acid mine drainage.

Mining is an essential human activity, but results in several environmental impacts, notably the contamination of ground and surface water through the presence of toxic substances such as metals and sulfates in mine drainage. Permeable reactive barriers (PRB) have been applied to remediate this environmental impact, but the high costs associated with the maintenance of this system are still a challenge. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the use of kraft pulp mill alkaline residues, known as dregs and grits, as material for PRB, and to determine their capacity for retaining copper and sulfate.

Legal situation and current practice of waste incineration bottom ash utilisation in Europe.

Almost 500 municipal solid waste incineration plants in the EU, Norway and Switzerland generate about 17.6 Mt/a of incinerator bottom ash (IBA). IBA contains minerals and metals.

Isothermal drying kinetics of sewage sludge using weathered coal fly ash as adjuvant for agronomic application.

This study aims to evaluate the effect of weathered coal fly ash (CFA) as a drying adjuvant of sewage sludge (SS) to produce a soil amendment. The high amount of SS and CFA creates a complex waste management problem in many countries, requiring more research efforts. Towards a circular economy, CFA can be viewed as an anthropogenic inorganic by-product with valuable nutrients (e.

Analysis of potentially toxic metal constraints to apply sewage sludge in Portuguese agricultural soils.

The application of sewage sludge (SS) in the soil can be a valuable way to increase its content of organic matter. However, the concentration of potentially toxic metal (PTM) in both SS and soil can hinder this route of management. Thus, the main objective of this work was to evaluate the compliance with the restrictions related to PTM contained in SS from wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) for agricultural land application.

Recovery of phosphate from aqueous solutions using calcined eggshell as an eco-friendly adsorbent.

Phosphorus scarcity has become a significant issue in the European Union (EU) during 21st Century, due to its relevance as an irreplaceable macronutrient for life, and because of the total dependency of EU regarding imports. This work aims to evaluate the phosphorus recovery by adsorption in batch and fixed-bed column, using a thermally modified eggshell as an adsorbent. The screening phase revealed that calcined eggshell at 700 °C (CES700) is the most suitable material compared with the other thermally modified eggshells tested.

Comparative analysis of methods and models for predicting biochemical methane potential of various organic substrates.

Biochemical methane potential (BMP) corresponds to the maximum methane production at anaerobic digestion infinite time and is a key parameter to evaluate the suitability of substrates to obtain biogas. The main objective of this work is to explore the data available in the literature for ten categories of substrates to compare and develop new methods and mathematical models able to predict BMP. Indeed, experimental procedure is time-consuming, laborious and costly, and the development of methods or models based on properties easily assessed may be very helpful at industrial scale.

Single and binary sorption of Cr(III) and Ni(II) onto modified pine bark.

This study aims to investigate the single and binary biosorption of Cr(III) and Ni(II) by pine bark chemically treated with NaOH solution (MPB). The studies involved the effect of initial pH in the equilibrium, as well as kinetic uptake using synthetic solutions. Equilibrium tests were also conducted with an industrial effluent.

Pericardial Hemangiosarcoma in a 10-Year-Old Papillon.

A 10 yr old papillon was evaluated for lethargy, inappetence, tachypnea, and labored breathing. Physical examination findings included dehydration, tachypnea, tachycardia, and muffled heart sounds. Thoracic radiographs revealed an enlarged cardiac silhouette.