(1) Car tyre microplastic particles (TMPs) significantly contribute to global microplastic pollution, with an estimated annual production of 6 million tonnes. However, the impact of TMPs, particularly tyre and road wear particles (TRWPs), resulting from tyre abrasion on the road on terrestrial organisms, is poorly understood. This study investigated the effects of TMPs and TRWPs on the growth, immune response, behaviour, and cognition of the woodlouse over 30 days; (2) TMPs and TRWPs were mixed together in the first experiment and provided at different concentrations of 1.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAlthough clinically relevant, evidence for a protective effect of early secure attachment against the development of depressive symptoms in adulthood is still inconsistent. This study used a translational approach to overcome this limitation. The analysis of a non-clinical adult population revealed a moderating effect of secure attachment on depressive symptoms in women only.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNowadays, ENMs/NPLs particles have not yet been extensively measured in the environment, but there is increased concern that this size fraction may be more widely distributed and hazardous than larger-sized particles. This study aimed to examine the bioaccumulation potential of engineered nanomaterials and nanoplastics (ENMs/NPLs) across marine food webs, focusing on plankton communities and commercial fish species (Engraulis encrasicolus and Scomber colias) from the Gulf of Naples. Laboratory experiments on plankton assemblages exposed to fluorescent polystyrene nanoplastics (PS-NPs, 100 nm) for 24h at concentrations ranging from 0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe Italian Association of Epidemiology's experience during the COVID-19 pandemic and its collaboration on a national project focused on contact tracing have prompted significant insights essential for the management of future pandemics in Italy and the development of new pandemic plans. In particular, the Italian Association of Epidemiology highlighted the need to collect, analyse and interpret data, and produce indicators of effectiveness and efficiency in a consistent manner across the country to support the governance of the pandemic response. During the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy, this capacity was severely hampered by structural and regulatory factors and the limited availability of specific expertise.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: The association between air pollution and cardiovascular diseases is well established. However, fewer studies focused on the relationship between air pollution and peripheral artery disease (PAD), notwithstanding that not only it is a predictor of CVD mortality but also that incidence is globally rising, particularly in low-middle income countries.
Objectives: The aim of this study is to estimate the association between long-term exposure to air pollutants and the incidence of PAD in the Rome Longitudinal Study (RLS) during 2011-2019.
The River Sacco Basin (Rsb) is a site of National interest, characterized by several environmental pressures such as industrial facilities. This study investigates the association between long-term exposure to industrial-PM10 and -NOx and cause-specific mortality (non-accidental, cardiovascular, respiratory, and cancer) in the Rsb in the 2006-2018 period. We enrolled 301,681 residents near 14 major industrial plants (grouped into 5 30-km2 spatial domains).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn the frame of bioeconomy and circular economy, wastewater sludge (WS) could be a good candidate for its use in agriculture as fertilizer, due to its high content of organic matter, N and P, but on the other hand, it is full of toxicants such as heavy metal, microplastics, detergent, antibiotics, and so on that can reach groundwater and water bodies in leachate form. In this study, we have investigated different sludge concentrations in the eluate form, combined and not with PVC on two different freshwater organisms Selenastrum capricornutum and Daphnia magna, using ecotoxicity tests. At the endpoint, we have evaluated inhibition growth rate, oxidative stress, and pigments production for S.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCutaneous angiosarcoma (CAS) is a rare aggressive malignancy that most commonly manifests in White men older than 60 years and often appears as an enlarging ecchymosis on the head, neck, or scalp. Surgery with negative margins is the first-line treatment. The role of Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS) is uncertain but can be used in smaller, well-circumscribed lesions on the head and neck.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMicroplastic pollution poses an escalating concern, particularly in coastal lagoons rich in biodiversity. This study delved into the occurrence of microplastics (MPs) in (formerly ) from the Orbetello and Varano coastal lagoons (Italy), also investigating the response of these filter-feeding organisms to various colors (P = pink; B = blue; W = white) of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) MP fragments. Oysters were exposed for 7 days under controlled conditions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGiven the widespread use of esters and polyesters in products like cosmetics, fishing nets, lubricants and adhesives, whose specific application(s) may cause their dispersion in open environments, there is a critical need for stringent eco-design criteria based on biodegradability and ecotoxicity evidence. Our approach integrates experimental and computational methods based on short oligomers, offering a screening tool for the rapid identification of sustainable monomers and oligomers, with a special focus on bio-based alternates. We provide insights into the relationships between the chemical structure and properties of bio-based oligomers in terms of biodegradability in marine environments and toxicity in benchmark organisms.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: the peer-review process, which is the foundation of modern scientific production, represents one of its essential elements. However, despite numerous benefits, it presents several critical issues.
Objectives: to collect the opinions of a group of researchers from the epidemiological scientific community on peer-review processes.
Background: Evidence-based mobile health (mHealth) interventions have been successful for an array of physical and mental health conditions. Children with developmental disorders (DD) often have secondary speech and language disorders. The lack of high-quality medical and educational services in low- and middle-income countries limits the opportunities for children with DD to succeed in life.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: the health status of people living near industrial plants is often exposed to several environmental risk factors, including air pollution. The aim of this study is to assess the relationship between daily PM10 levels and cause-specific mortality in a selection of municipalities near two industrial plants from 2006 to 2015.
Design: a time-series design with Poisson regression adjusted for a predefined set of confounders was used to quantify the association between exposure, calculated as daily PM10 levels extrapolated from machine-learning models using satellite data, and cause-specific mortality.
Objectives: the BIGEPI project, co-funded by INAIL, has used big data to identify the health risks associated with short and long-term exposure to air pollution, extreme temperatures and occupational exposures.
Design: the project consists of 5 specific work packages (WP) aimed at assessing: 1. the acute effects of environmental exposures over the national territory; 2.
Sessile benthic organisms can be affected by global changes and local pressures, such as metal pollution, that can lead to damages at different levels of biological organization. Effects of exposure to marine heatwaves (MHWs) alone and in combination with environmentally relevant concentration of copper (Cu) were evaluated in the reef-forming tubeworm Ficopomatus enigmaticus using a multi-biomarker approach. Biomarkers of cell membrane damage, enzymatic antioxidant defences, metabolic activity, neurotoxicity, and DNA integrity were analyzed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Based on recent research, second intention wounds may be at greater risk for postoperative infection compared with sutured wounds. Accurate diagnosis of postoperative wound infections on the lower leg can be challenging and result in unnecessary antibiotic administration.
Objective: The objective of this study was to identify bacterial organisms that commonly colonize second intention surgical wounds after Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS) and isolate pathogenic organisms.
Eye diseases impose a significant burden on health services due to high case numbers. However, exposure to outdoor air pollution is seldom mentioned as potential harmful factor. We conducted a time-series analysis in Rome, Italy, to estimate the association between daily mean concentration of NO, PM and PM and daily number of emergency room (ER) admissions for a selected cluster of eye diseases from 2006 to 2016.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHere we investigate the suitability of L. (black locust) leaflets as a novel biomonitor of airborne microplastics (MPs) including tyre wear particles (TWPs). Leaflets were collected from rural roadside locations (ROs, = 5) and urban parks (UPs, = 5) in Siena, Italy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDespite the effects of ocean acidification (OA) on seagrasses have been widely investigated, predictions of seagrass performance under future climates need to consider multiple environmental factors. Here, we performed a mesocosm study to assess the effects of OA on shallow and deep Posidonia oceanica plants. The experiment was run in 2021 and repeated in 2022, a year characterized by a prolonged warm water event, to test how the effects of OA on plants are modulated by thermal stress.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTo date, the occurrence of rare earth elements (REEs) in freshwater ecosystems has garnered limited attention in the scientific literature. Furthermore, a dearth of data exists regarding their potential bioaccumulation in freshwater fish. To fill this knowledge gap, we studied REEs concentrations in water, sediment, and fish specimens collected along the Po River (northwest Italy) and calculated biota-sediment accumulation (BSAF) and bioconcentration (BCF) factors, while taking into account fish feeding behavior and trophic level effects on the overall content of total REEs (ƩREEs).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Shipping and port-related air pollution has a significant health impact on a global scale. The present study aimed to assess the mortality burden attributable to long-term exposure to ambient particulate matter (PM, PM) and nitrogen dioxide (NO) in the city of Ancona (Italy), with one of the leading national commercial harbours.
Methods: Exposure to air pollutants was derived by dispersion models.