Starch-Based Materials Encapsulating Anthocyanins: A Review

Journal of Polymers and the Environment - Anthocyanins (ACNs) are natural pigments broadly used in the food industry due to their color, antioxidant, and antimicrobial properties, however, these...     

Health risk assessment of air emissions from a municipal solid waste incineration plant--a case study

A health risk assessment of long-term emissions of carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic air pollutants has been carried out for the municipal solid waste incinerator (MSWI) of the city of Taranto, Italy. Ground level air concentrations and soil deposition of carcinogenic (Polychlorinated Dibenzo-p-Dioxins/Furans and Cd) and non-carcinogenic (Pb and Hg) pollutants have been estimated using a well documented atmospheric dispersion model. Health risk values for air inhalation, dermal contact, soil and food ingestion have been calculated based on a combination of these concentrations and a matrix of environmental exposure factors. Exposure of the surrounding population has been addressed for different release scenarios based on four pollutants, four exposure pathways and two receptor groups (children and adults). Spatial risk distribution and cancer excess cases projected from plant emissions have been compared with background mortality records. Estimated results based on the MSWI emissions show: (1) individual risks well below maximum acceptable levels, (2) very small incremental cancer risk compared with background level.     

The clinical impact of the first-trimester nuchal translucency between the 95th–99th percentiles

Objectives

To evaluate the clinical significance of nuchal translucency (NT) between the 95th–99th percentile in terms of typical and atypical chromosomal abnormalities (ACAs), associated fetal congenital defects and postnatal outcome.

Methods

A retrospective cohort study of fetuses with NT between the 95th–99th percentile. Data regarding the rate of associated fetal defects, genetic abnormalities and postnatal outcome were collected.

Results

A total of 306 cases of fetuses with an NT between the 95th–99th percentiles were included. The overall rate of genetic abnormalities was 12.1% (37/306). Chromosomal abnormalities were found in 10.1% (31/306) of cases and 2% were ACA (6/306). Within this group, two were pathogenic Copy Number Variants (CNVs) and four were single gene disorders. The overall rate of fetal congenital defects was 13.7% (42/306). All ACAs were found in fetuses with congenital defects. Postnatally, a new diagnosis of a single gene disorder was made in 0.85% of cases (2/236).

Conclusions

The presence of an NT between the 95th–99th percentiles carries a 10-fold increased risk of fetal defects, representing an indication for referral for a detailed fetal anatomy evaluation. The risk of ACA is mainly related to the presence of fetal defects, irrespective of the combined test risk.     

Concentration of organic micropollutants in the atmosphere of Trieste, Italy

Purpose

PCDD/Fs, PCBs, and PAHs, ubiquitous environmental pollutants which are part of the POPs, are mainly produced by anthropogenic activities as well as by natural processes. Occurrences of these pollutants in different sites in Trieste are presented. PCDD/Fs distribution and their possible emission sources are discussed.

Methods

Air samples were collected in different sites near the industrial area, in the city center, and in a background area, using a high-volume sampler equipped with a quartz fiber filter and a PUF. Each sampling lasted a week.

Results

The concentrations of the organochlorinated pollutants are consistent with literature data (??PCDD/Fs and ??dl-PCBs were 5?C38?fg TEQ/Nm³ and 4?C31?fg TEQ/Nm³, respectively), and an apparent seasonal trend was found with slightly higher concentrations in the winter and lower levels in both summer campaigns. Moreover, the isomer profile of each sampling campaign was compared to the fingerprint of a sintering plant, a cement plant, and an incinerator, the main industrial activities in Trieste.

Conclusions

The organic micropollutants were detected in levels consistent with literature data. The results show that the pollutants are uniformally distributed in the atmosphere of Trieste. PCDD/F fingerprints in each site remained almost identical during summer and winter, confirming the yearly prevalence of the emissions from the nearby sintering plant.     

Sex ratio of juvenile loggerhead turtles in the Mediterranean Sea: is it really 1:1?

Sex ratios are a crucial parameter for evaluating population viability. In species with complex life history patterns and temperature sex determination mechanisms, such as the loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta), sex ratios may vary within a population and among populations. In the Mediterranean, juvenile sex ratios appear to not differ significantly from 1:1, although estimates for hatchling sex ratios are highly female biased. The immigration of males from the Atlantic has been suggested as a possible cause of such variation. Here, we present results of a multi-year investigation (2000–2011) on the sex ratios of loggerhead turtles foraging along the south Tyrrhenian coast, Western Mediterranean, with the aim of providing a better understanding of the potentially underlying forces that drive regional and age-dependent differences in sex ratios. Sex was determined through visual examination of the gonads in 271 dead turtles (curved carapace length range 29.5–89 cm). A fragment of the mitochondrial DNA control region was sequenced from 61 specimens to characterise the demographic composition of this foraging assemblage by applying a many-to-many mixed stock analysis approach. No significant association was found between sex ratios and years or size classes, although the largest size was male biased. Juvenile sex ratio was 1.56:1, which was different from an even sex ratio but still less female biased than hatchling sex ratios from Mediterranean beaches. Results of the mixed stock analysis indicate that juvenile sex ratios in the Mediterranean are largely unaffected by immigration of Atlantic individuals into the basin, as previously suggested. Continued long-term monitoring of juvenile sex ratios is necessary to detect biologically significant sex ratio shifts in the Mediterranean loggerhead turtle population.     

Multivariate characterisation of the habitats of seven species of Malayan mudskippers (Gobiidae: Oxudercinae)

Mudskippers (Gobiidae: Oxudercinae) are amphibious gobies. The occurrence and habitats of seven sympatric species of Malayan mudskippers were recorded: Boleophthalmus boddarti, Boleophthalmus pectinirostris, Periophthalmodon schlosseri, Periophthalmus chrysospilos, Periophthalmus gracilis, Periophthalmus variabilis and Scartelaos histophorus. A total of 14 surveys were made at six localities along 120 km of the west coast of the Malay Peninsula in August 1996 and September 2006. A multivariate set of ordinal parameters were used to measure the quantity of environmental water in mudskippers’ habitats, and three guilds of species were discriminated. The resulting pattern mirrored the adaptive scenario depicted by physiological and anatomical studies of mudskippers’ terrestriality, although in one case a terminal taxon was less terrestrial than other more basal ones. Differentiation of trophic niches may also play a role in habitat selection by the herbivorous Boleophthalmus spp., which were only found in unvegetated, illuminated areas and on wet mud at low tide. With the more terrestrial guild, a significant negative co-occurrence suggested direct interspecific competition. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Gelatin Beads/Hemp Hurd as pH Sensitive Devices for Delivery of Eugenol as Green Pesticide

Journal of Polymers and the Environment - In this paper gelatin beads reinforced with natural hemp hurd have been produced as pH sensitive devices for the release of eugenol, as green pesticide....     

Protective effect of gamma-oryzanol against manganese-induced toxicity in Drosophila melanogaster

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Manganese (Mn) is an essential element that, in excess, seems to be involved in the development of different neurodegenerative conditions....