Effect of solid waste landfill organic pollutants on groundwater in three areas of Sicily (Italy) characterized by different vulnerability

The aim of this study was to obtain information on the presence and levels of hazardous organic pollutants in groundwater located close to solid waste landfills. Eighty-two environmental contaminants, including 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), 20 volatile organic compounds (VOCs), 29 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), 7 dioxins (polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, PCDDs) and 10 furans (polychlorinated dibenzofurans, PCDFs) were monitored in areas characterised by different geological environments surrounding three municipal solid waste landfills (Palermo, Siculiana and Ragusa) in Sicily (Italy) in three sampling campaigns. The total concentrations of the 16 PAHs were always below the legal threshold. Overall, the Fl/Fl + Py diagnostic ratio revealed that PAHs had a petrogenic origin. VOC levels, except for two notable exceptions near Palermo landfill, were always below the legal limit. As concerns PCB levels, several samples were found positive with levels exceeding the legal limits. It is worth noting that the % PCB distribution differs from that of commercial compositions. In parallel, some samples of groundwater containing PCDDs and PCDFs exceeding the legal threshold were also found. Among the 17 congeners monitored, the most abundant were the highest molecular weight ones.

     

Organochlorine contamination in the Great Crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus): effects on eggshell thickness and egg steroid levels

Eggs of the Great Crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus) were collected from a breeding area on Lake Maggiore (Northern Italy) from 2001 to 2005 in the vicinity of a p,p'-DDT manufacturer, whose production was stopped in 1996. DDT homologue and PCB congener levels were determined and compared to levels in eggs collected from other breeding areas on Lake Maggiore and in a presumably less contaminated area on Lake Garda. Although Lake Garda eggs on average possessed a lower level of p,p'-DDE than Lake Maggiore eggs, they had significantly higher levels of PCBs and could not be used as a reference population for the measurement of eggshell thickness. Nevertheless, a negative linear relationship was found between p,p'-DDE concentration and eggshell thickness for eggs collected from both lakes, indicating a possible causal relationship. Testosterone and 17beta-estradiol concentrations were also determined for eggs collected from both lakes in 2004. Average concentrations of both hormones were the lowest in eggs from Lake Maggiore; however, the very high variability within broods did not result in any significant difference between the lakes.     

Associative learning for danger avoidance nullifies innate positive chemotaxis to host olfactory stimuli in a parasitic wasp

Animals rely on associative learning for a wide range of purposes, including danger avoidance. This has been demonstrated for several insects, including cockroaches, mosquitoes, drosophilid flies, paper wasps, stingless bees, bumblebees and honeybees, but less is known for parasitic wasps. We tested the ability of Psyttalia concolor (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) females to associate different dosages of two innately attractive host-induced plant volatiles (HIPVs), ethyl octanoate and decanal, with danger (electric shocks). We conducted an associative treatment involving odours and shocks and two non-associative controls involving shocks but not odours and odours but not shocks. In shock-only and odour-only trained wasps, females preferred on HIPV-treated than on blank discs. In associative-trained wasps, however, P. concolor’s innate positive chemotaxis for HIPVs was nullified (lowest HIPV dosage tested) or reversed (highest HIPV dosage tested). This is the first report of associative learning of olfactory cues for danger avoidance in parasitic wasps, showing that the effects of learning can override innate positive chemotaxes.     

Potential Risk of Norovirus Infection Due to the Consumption of “Ready to Eat” Food

In this study, we investigated the presence of enteric viruses such as norovirus (NoV), hepatitis A virus (HAV), hepatitis E virus (HEV), and adenovirus (HAdV), in vegetables available on the Italian markets. For this aim, 110 national and international ??ready to eat?? samples were collected and analyzed by biomolecular tests and positive samples were confirmed by sequencing. All samples (100?%) were negative for HAV, HEV, and HAdV, while 13.6?% (15/110) were positive for NoV. Actually there is not a formal surveillance system for NoV infections in Italy but we clearly demonstrated a potential risk associated with the consumption of ??ready to eat?? vegetables. This study confirmed for the first time in Italy the presence of norovirus in semi-dried tomatoes by PCR technique.     

Impacts of Off-Road Vehicles (ORVs) on Burrow Architecture of Ghost Crabs (Genus Ocypode) on Sandy Beaches

Recreational beach use with off-road vehicles is popular, but potentially harmful from an environmental perspective. Beaches are important habitats to invertebrates such as ghost crabs of the genus Ocyopde, which excavate extensive and elaborate burrows. Ghost crabs are sensitive to human pressures and changes in burrow architecture may thus be a consequence of disturbance by vehicles—the predictive hypothesis of this article. This was tested during the austral spring and summer by comparing 305 burrow casts between beaches open and closed to vehicles in Eastern Australia. Traffic influenced burrow architecture: there were smaller crabs on vehicle-impacted beaches, and after the peak traffic period (Christmas and New Year holidays), these crabs had tunnelled deeper into the sediment on shores rutted by cars. Crabs constructed all types of previously described burrows, but, significantly, smaller crabs from vehicle-impacted beaches simplified their shapes following heavy traffic disturbance from four (I, J, Y, M) to only two types (I, Y). These data support a model of active behavioural responses to disturbance from vehicles, extending the known effects of beach traffic to impacts on behavioural traits of the beach fauna.     

The use of magnetic resonance imaging in the prediction of birthweight

Extremes of fetal growth can increase adverse pregnancy outcomes, and this is equally applicable to single and multiple gestations. Traditionally, these cases have been identified using simple two-dimensional ultrasound which is quite limited by its low precision. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has now been used for many years in obstetrics, mainly as an adjunct to ultrasound for congenital abnormalities and increasingly as part of the post-mortem examination. However, MRI can also be used to accurately assess fetal weight as first demonstrated by Baker et al in 1994, using body volumes rather than standard biometric measurements. This publication was followed by several others, all of which confirmed the superiority of MRI; however, despite this initial promise, the technique has never been successfully integrated into clinical practice. In this review, we provide an overview of the literature, detail the various techniques and formulas currently available, discuss the applicability to specific high-risk groups and present our vision for the future of MRI within clinical obstetrics.     

Soil heavy metal contamination in an industrial area: analysis of the data collected during a decade

Soil contamination by heavy metals has become a serious problem mainly because, above certain concentrations, all metals have adverse effects on human health. In particular, the accumulation of heavy metals in agricultural soils leads to elevated uptake by crops and affects food quality and safety. In this paper, we present the results of a study carried out over a decade for evaluating the impact of a new industrial settlement in an area geared to agriculture and livestock and far from urban sites. We focus our study on the bioavailable fraction of Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn in soil samples. Heavy metal concentrations in soil are analysed with both univariate and multivariate statistical procedures. The main goal of this paper is the development of a statistical procedure, based on a mix of multivariate analysis, able to compare field surveys carried out during different years and to characterize spatial and temporal changes in soil heavy metals concentrations.     

Toxicity and transfer of metal oxide nanoparticles from microalgae to sea urchin larvae

Nanoparticles (NPs) contained in commercial products are released and enter into the aquatic ecosystem, posing serious possible risks to the environment and affecting the food chain. Therefore, investigating the potential toxicity of NPs on aquatic organisms has become an important issue. This study assessed the toxicity and trophic transfer of metal oxide NPs from marine microalgae (Cricosphaera elongata) to the larvae of the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus. Larvae (24 h old) were fed on 2000 cell mL^?1 48 h of microalgae contaminated with 5 mg L^?1 of several metal oxide NPs (SiO₂, SnO₂, CeO₂, Fe₃O₄) for 15 days. Larval viability and development were monitored from the 4-arm stage to the 8-arm pluteus stage. A significant decrease in survival was observed in larvae fed with microalgae exposed to SiO₂ and CeO₂ NPs. Abnormal development, characterised by skeletal degeneration and altered rudiment growth, was observed in all larvae fed with contaminated NP algae. Our findings revealed that SiO₂ and CeO₂ NPs exerted a toxic effect in the trophic interaction analysed, by reducing sea urchin larval viability, and all metal oxide NPs induced toxicological effects. In conclusion, metal oxide NPs may enter the food chain and become bioavailable for marine organisms, affecting their development.