Biological evidences than human osteoarthritic chondrocytes could be affected by electromagnetic fields with extremely low-frequency or new TAMMEF system

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic degenerative condition involving the joints caused by metabolic changes in chondrocytes metabolism. Treatment with magnetic fields (EMFs) produces benefits to patients affected by this pathology. The present research has the aim to investigate, by a proteomic approach, the effect of magnetic fields on cultured chondrocytes, because EMFs interferes greatly with OA chondrocytes metabolism. Human osteoarthritic chondrocytes were obtained from the femur head of osteoarthritis adult patients and were cultured under standard conditions and exposed for precise times both to extremely low-frequency (ELF; 100-Hz) electromagnetic fields and to the Therapeutic Application of Musically Modulated Electromagnetic Fields (TAMMEF), which are characterized by variable frequencies, intensities, and wave shapes. We tested the effects of the different exposure by 2-DE analysis and demonstrated that chondrocytes metabolism was highly influenced by the treatment with EMFs; in fact many proteins change their expression after the stimulation, but differently, depending on whether we use ELF or TAMMEF system.     

Efficient Transmission of an Introduced Pathogen Via an Ancient Insect-Fungus Association

 In Cupressus sempervirens the association between seed insects and tree pathogens has resulted in optimal exploitation of the cones. A fungus-infected cone can be inhabited by the nymphs of a true seed bug (Orsillus maculatus), the adults of which may carry a heavy spore load at emergence. Cones are infected when eggs are laid within the cone, most frequently via the emergence holes of a seed wasp (Megastigmus wachtli). This symbiotic association evolved with the nonaggressive fungus Pestalotiopsis funerea within the natural range of the cypress. When the aggressive cypress canker disease (Seiridium cardinale) was introduced into Europe, it was transmitted by O. maculatus to cones usually colonized by Pestalotiopsis funerea, with disastrous consequences for the regeneration and survival of C. sempervirens in the entire Mediterranean area. Received: 30 November 1998 / Accepted in revised form: 17 May 1999     

Valorization of oat hull fiber from agri-food industrial waste as filler for poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyhexanoate)

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - Oat hull fibers are an agri-food industrial waste used in this research as a filler for a poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyhexanoate) matrix, to...     

A performance-based tabular approach for joint systematic improvement of risk control and resilience applied to telecommunication grid,gas network,and ultrasound localization system

Environment Systems and Decisions - Organizational and technical approaches have proven successful in increasing the performance and preventing risks at socio-technical systems at all scales....     

Coastal dune development and morphological changes along the littorals of Garigliano,Italy, and Elis,Greece, during the Holocene

Geomorphological and sedimentological studies were carried out along the Garigliano and Elis littorals with the aim to highlight if similar geoenvironmental features are controlled by same coastal processes. Actually, both sites are in Mediterranean climate regions very far each other, modeled by western winds and storms, characterized by wide sandy coastal dunes parallel to the present shoreline, with abundant pumices, and locally anthropized. The Garigliano littoral is characterized by Holocene dune and Pleistocene aeolian deposits. The beach is bounded landwards by a dune system emplaced during the Holocene. Geoarchaeological surveys highlighted the presence of a Roman road which cut the dune, with age older than Graeco-Roman Period. Since the end of the 1950’s, strong littoral retreat affected the beach-dune system, partly due to human activity. The coastland of Elis is characterized by Quaternary marine deposits. Three significant morphogenetic phases occurred during the Holocene. During the last phase, from Graeco-Roman Period to current, shoreline retreat and deposition of aeolian sands occurred. Geoarchaeological evidences suggest that this phase is related to a sea-level lowstand followed by a slow sea-level rise up to the present position, and by humid-temperate climate. Geomorphological surveys of the dunes of Garigliano and Elis, each other compared, suggest that the main phases of their development are related to the effects of climatic conditions, sea-level changes, and secondly to the recent anthropization. The coarse pumices found on both beaches of Campania and Peloponnese regions show the same mineralogical and petrographic features, so we assumed that they likely originated from the Aeolian Arc, southern Italy, which have same composition. These pumices reached the studied coasts by flotation, under the influence of winds and marine surface currents from the southwest-southeast and northwest-west respectively, participating to local coastal processes and representing a good geoindicator of long-distance drift. Precisely for these morphologically converging aspects, such distant sites have been selected and compared.     

Ecological costs on local adaptation of an insect herbivore imposed by host plants and enemies

Herbivore populations may become adapted to the defenses of their local hosts, but the traits that maximize host exploitation may also carry ecological costs. We investigated the patterns and costs of local adaptation in the pine processionary moth, Thaumetopoea pityocampa, to its host plants, Pinus nigra and P. sylvestris. The two hosts differ in needle toughness, a major feeding impediment for leaf-eating insects. We observed a west-to-east gradient of increasing progeny size in the Italian Alps, matching the pattern in toughness of their respective local host plant. Eastern populations that feed on the native P. nigra with tough needles had larger eggs, and neonate larvae with larger head capsules, than western populations that feed on the native P. sylvestris and the introduced P. nigra with softer foliage. In a reciprocal transfer experiment that involved the eastern-most and the western-most populations of T. pityocampa from this region, and excluded natural enemies, we found evidence for local adaptation to the host plant. Specifically, larvae from the western population only performed well when raised on their local hosts with soft needles, and they suffered near-complete mortality on the tough foliage at the eastern site. In contrast, larvae from the eastern population survived equally well at both sites. Local adaptation involved a trade-off between progeny size and the number of offspring. We hypothesized that an additional cost, imposed by natural enemies, may be associated with increased egg size: we also observed a west-to-east gradient of increased egg parasitism. We tested this hypothesis in a common garden by exposing eggs of both populations to parasitism by two native egg parasitoids, Ooencyrtus pityocampae and Baryscapus servadeii. The eastern population suffered a higher level of parasitoid attack by O. pityocampae than the western population, and performance of hatched adults of both parasitoids was enhanced in large eggs. Thus, increased neonate quality (larger eggs yielding larger larvae) confers an advantage on tough foliage but incurs the ecological cost of increased parasitism, which may constrain further adaptation by this herbivore.     

Magnetotherapy—a brief excursion through the centuries

The study and observation of electromagnetic phenomena have followed the evolution of human thought from the dawn of civilization to the present day; also magnetotherapy has followed a similar path. Magnetotherapy has been applied and continues to be applied in many branches and fields of medicine, as it accelerates the healing of fractures, has analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties that can help in inflammatory or degenerative diseases of bones, joints and the peripheral nervous system, and stimulates the healing of open skin lesions (such as bed sores, diabetic ulcers) etc. If magnetotherapy has so many fields of application in medicine, we may therefore ask why doubts, prejudice and limitations to its therapeutic use still exist. This brief historical excursion wants to give a small contribution to answer the question.     

Novel insights in Al-MCM-41 precursor as adsorbent for regulated haloacetic acids and nitrate from water

High concentration of NO ₃ ^? in groundwater has raised concern over possible contamination of drinking water supplies. In addition, the formation of haloacetic acids (HAAs) as by-products during disinfection with chlorine-based agents is still a relevant issue, since HAAs pose serious health hazard. In this work, we investigated the affinity of a precursor of Al-MCM-41 (a mesostructured hexagonal aluminosilicate containing the template surfactant) towards nitrate and HAAs, for its possible application in the removal of these pollutants from natural and drinking waters. Additionally, adsorption kinetics and isotherms were studied. The adsorbent was synthesized using cetyltrimethylammonium bromide as surfactant and characterized by physico?Cchemical techniques. Simulated drinking water was spiked with the EPA-regulated HAAs (monochloroacetic (MCAA), monobromoacetic (MBAA), dichloroacetic (DCAA), dibromoacetic (DBAA), and trichloroacetic (TCAA) acids) and placed in contact with the adsorbent. The effect of matrix composition was studied. Adsorption kinetic studies were performed testing three kinetics models. For the adsorption studies, three adsorption isotherm approaches have been tested to experimental data. The pollutant recoveries were evaluated by suppressed ion chromatography. The affinity of the adsorbent was TCAA = DBAA = DCAA > MBAA > MCAA with DCAA, DBAA, and TCAA completely removed. A removal as high as 77?% was achieved for 13?mg/L nitrate. The adsorption isotherms of NO ₃ ^? and monochloroacetic acid can be modeled by the Freundlich equation, while their adsorption kinetics follow a pseudo-second-order rate mechanism. The adsorbent exhibited high affinity towards HAAs in simulated drinking water even at relevant matrix concentrations, suggesting its potential application for water remediation technologies.     

Tsunami Survey Expedition: Preliminary Investigation of Maldivian Coral Reefs Two Weeks After the Event

On December 26th 2004, a earthquake west of Sumatra generated a devastating tsunami. Hundreds of thousands of people fell victim. Economic losses were greatest in those countries dependant on tourism. The impact in the Maldives on persons and things was modest. Immediately following the event and notwithstanding the lack of scientific data, the mass media gave catastrophic reports on the state of coral reefs in the area. This paper reports on the first survey on coral reefs in the Maldives after the Tsunami. Ocean walls, passes, inner reefs, and shoals in the North and South Malé atolls, were surveyed two weeks after the event. Significant damage was recorded in the passes in the South Malé atoll. Our observations showed that the damage was more or less extensive depending on latitude and topography. Sri Lanka may have broken the wave’s rush, reducing the extent of the impact on northern atolls. The water’s acceleration inside the passes was so intense as to cause reef collapses. The observed damage represents a minimum fraction of the entire coral reef system. Tourist perception of the area seems unchanged. These data may be used to disseminate correct information about the state of Maldives coral reefs, which would be useful in relaunching local economy.     

Effects of organophosphate compounds on a soil protist, Colpoda inflata (Ciliophora, Colpodidae)

Many investigations on protists indicate that they play an important role in agricultural soils. We have tested the effects of three organophosphate (OP) pesticides, basudin, cidial, and fenix, on the soil ciliate Colpoda inflata, and examined its viability, fission rate, ability to excyst and extrude macronuclear chromatin into cytoplasm. Exposure to these OPs caused a dose-dependent effect on cell viability, and significantly reduced the mean fission rate at a concentration of 1/10(5) v/v. After exposure of resting cysts to 1/10(5) v/v or 1/10(6) v/v concentrations of basudin or cidial, the number of excysted cells was significantly lower than that of the controls. Conversely, exposure to a 1/10(5) v/v fenix concentration did not affect excystment and exposure to 1/10(6) v/v was found to promote excystment. Moreover, exposure to these OPs (1/10(4) v/v or 1/10(5) v/v) interferred with the ability to extrude macronuclear chromatin. The median lethal concentration in 60 min for each OPs tested was at least a hundred times lower than the doses recommended by the manufacturer. Finally, as the inhibition of cholinesterase (ChE) activity is the first target of OPs, the presence of ChE activity was checked in C. inflata. Three ChE activities were found, hydrolyzing the substrates acetyl-beta-methyl thiocholine iodide, propionyl thiocholine iodide and butyryl thiocholine iodide, that appeared to be very low and not inhibited by OP-exposure.