Detection of Enteroviruses in Influent and Effluent Flow Samples from Wastewater Treatment Plants in Italy

This study evaluated the presence and seasonal distribution of polio and other enteroviruses in four wastewater treatment plants in three cities in Italy, using different treatment systems. Detection of enteroviruses was carried out by virus isolation in cell cultures after concentration of water samples collected at both inlet and outlet of the treatment plants, following the methods described in the WHO guidelines. Viral serotypes isolated before and after water treatment were compared. Forty-eight non-polio enteroviruses were isolated from 312 samples collected at the inlet of the four wastewater treatment plants, 35 of which were Coxsackievirus type B (72.9 %) and 13 Echovirus (27.1 %). After treatment, 2 CVB3, 1 CVB5, and 1 Echo 6 were isolated. CVB3 and Echo 6 serotypes were also detected in samples collected at the inlet of the TP, in the same month and year. The high rate of detection of infectious enteroviruses in inlet sewage samples (30.1 %) indicates wide diffusion of these viruses in the populations linked to the collectors. The incomplete removal of infectious viruses following sewage treatment highlights possible risks for public health relate to treated waters discharge into the environment.     

Identification and Genotyping of Human Sapoviruses Collected from Sewage Water in Naples and Palermo, Italy, in 2011

Human sapoviruses were identified in 15 (12.4 %) of 121 inlet sewage samples collected from wastewater treatment plants in Naples and Palermo, Italy, in 2011. All strains, except one GI.1, were genotyped as GI.2 by sequencing a capsid gene fragment. This is the first detection of sapovirus in wastewaters in Italy.     

Have the results of the TOTAL-trials changed the attitude and practice of maternal-fetal medicine specialists?

Objective

To explore the views and practices of maternal-fetal medicine specialists on offering fetoscopic endoluminal tracheal occlusion (FETO) for left- and right-sided congenital diaphragmatic hernia (LCDH, RCDH) in the post Tracheal Occlusion To Accelerate Lung growth (TOTAL)-trial era.

Method

Cross-sectional knowledge, attitude and practice survey was conducted among 105 attendees of the 19th World Congress of Fetal Medicine.

Results

On average, respondents were knowledgeable about CDH, involved in research, and provided antenatal treatment options. Four out of five (82%) agreed that neonatal survival in LCDH can be reliably predicted in the prenatal period. Few respondents considered the exact risks and benefits of FETO for severe LCDH as being unclear (16%), yet half were uncertain about this for moderate LCDH (57%) and severe RCDH (45%). Most respondents offer FETO for severe LCDH (97%) and RCDH (79%), but only 59% offer it for moderate LCDH. However, half of respondents (58%) stated that not offering FETO for moderate LCDH would be a psychological burden for parents.

Conclusion

Respondents consider the risk-benefit ratio of FETO for severe LCDH clear and consistently offer FETO, but not for moderate LDCH and severe RCDH. However, not offering the option of FETO to parents was considered a psychological burden.     

Isolation of single circulating trophoblasts from maternal circulation for noninvasive fetal copy number variant profiling

Objective

To develop a multi-step workflow for the isolation of circulating extravillous trophoblasts (cEVTs) by describing the key steps enabling a semi-automated process, including a proprietary algorithm for fetal cell origin genetic confirmation and copy number variant (CNV) detection.

Methods

Determination of the limit of detection (LoD) for submicroscopic CNV was performed by serial experiments with genomic DNA and single cells from Coriell cell line biobank with known imbalances of different sizes. A pregnancy population of 372 women was prospectively enrolled and blindly analyzed to evaluate the current workflow.

Results

An LoD of 800 Kb was demonstrated with Coriell cell lines. This level of resolution was confirmed in the clinical cohort with the identification of a pathogenic CNV of 800 Kb, also detected by chromosomal microarray. The mean number of recovered cEVTs was 3.5 cells per sample with a significant reverse linear trend between gestational age and cEVT recovery rate and number of recovered cEVTs. In twin pregnanices, evaluation of zygosity, fetal sex and copy number profiling was performed in each individual cell.

Conclusion

Our semi-automated methodology for the isolation and single-cell analysis of cEVTS supports the feasibility of a cell-based noninvasive prenatal test for fetal genomic profiling.     

Spatial variability of nitrogen dioxide and formaldehyde and residential exposure of children in the industrial area of Viadana,Northern Italy

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Chipboard production is a source of ambient air pollution. We assessed the spatial variability of outdoor pollutants and residential exposure of...     

Detection of Hepatitis A Virus and Norovirus in Different Food Categories: A 6-Year Survey in Italy

Food and Environmental Virology - To observe the prevalence of contamination by hepatitis A virus (HAV) and norovirus (NoV) in different food types, 9242 samples were analyzed over a 6-year period...     

Parental perception of social risk and of positive potentiality of outdoor autonomy for children: The development of two instruments

An important factor that limits children's autonomy outdoors is parental perception of social danger and traffic danger. To obtain quantitative instruments for these dimensions, this work aimed to explore the validity and reliability of three scales. Two of them describe, respectively, problematic aspects of the area of residence linked to traffic and situations of social degradation that could constitute risk factors for the child's psychological and physical safety (Traffic Danger Perception Scale, Social Danger Perception Scale). The third scale investigates parental perception of the positive potentiality of outdoor autonomy for children's maturation and growth. Interviews were conducted with 377 mothers of children between 8 and 10 years of age residing in six different areas in Italy. The results indicated weak reliability of the Traffic Danger Perception Scale, which requires further investigation, and they confirmed the reliability and the construct validity of the Social Danger Perception Scale and the Perception of Positive Potentiality of Outdoor Autonomy for Children Scale. The perception of social danger was higher in mothers who live in larger urban contexts and who have more personal fear of crime and a lower sense of community. The positive perception of children's autonomy of movement was higher among mothers who live in greener areas, who have a greater sense of community and who have more neighbourhood relations.     

A biological and geochemical integrated approach to assess the environmental quality of a coastal lagoon (Ravenna, Italy)

The assessment of the environmental quality of coastal lagoons is rather difficult as their intrinsic high variability limits the power of analytical chemistry and ecotoxicological approaches. Aim of the present work was to integrate geochemical and biological data which were simultaneously collected from the Pialassa Baiona lagoon (Ravenna, Italy), and evaluate the usefulness of a biomonitoring strategy based on sentinel organisms and biomarkers. Geochemical analysis on suspended, surface, and subsurface sediments were performed at five different sites of the lagoon; moreover the heavy metal bioaccumulation and a battery of biomarkers was evaluated in Mytilus galloprovincialis transplanted in the same sites. Heavy metals appeared to be diffused throughout the lagoon reaching higher levels in the southernmost sites, and mainly concentrated in suspended sediments. Lysosome membrane stability, neutral lipid and lipofuscin accumulation, and metallothionein levels in mussels indicated the development of a stress syndrome in animals exposed to the polluted sites.