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Agricultural films are a major source of low density polyethylene (LDPE) waste, which is challenging to recycle, as it is often multilayer and can contain pigments such as titanium dioxide (TiO 2) and carbon black. In this study a dissolution recycling process was developed, that was able to recover three outputs: LDPE, poly(ethylene-vinyl acetate) and TiO 2 from the waste stream with a single solvent, either xylene or limonene. After dissolution, the pigments were successfully removed through filtration. Polymer precipitation was induced by cooling and thus no antisolvent was required. The recovered polymers showed promising characteristics, with purities higher than 98 %, while the recovered TiO 2 showed a purity higher than 99 %. The prospective Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) revealed a total savings of 3.35 kg CO 2 equivalent per kg of film waste (for the case of black and white multilayer film) compared to incineration including energy recovery. Furthermore, a sensitivity study showed that the solvent management is crucial for the sustainability of the process. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our study's objective was to assess the incidence trends and healthcare resource utilization of hospitalizations for Tick-Borne Encephalitis (TBE) and associated costs in Italy in order to improve public awareness and preventive measures. This retrospective observational study was based on the Italian Ministry of Health's Hospital Discharge Record (HDR) database. Data were gathered across Italy from 2015 to 2019, selecting hospitalizations with ICD-9 code 063 related to TBE, both in primary and secondary diagnoses. For each year, we collected the following variables: number of hospitalizations, hospitalization rate, mortality rate, mean length of hospital stay, hospital ward, and cost of hospitalization. There were a total of 237 hospitalizations from 2015 to 2019; 62 % of those were male. The lowest number of TBE hospitalizations was in 2015 (21 cases, corresponding to 0.35 per million inhabitants), the highest in 2019 (64 cases, 1.04 per million inhabitants). The summer months saw a greater than average number of hospitalizations. For the years analyzed, the cumulative number of cases peaked in June (54 cases), July (46 cases), and August (35 cases). There were only two deaths registered in our study sample. TBE cases were mostly localized in the North-Eastern regions of Italy. TBE incidence during the study period in the most affected areas were: Autonomous Province of Trento, ranging from 11.2 to 42.3 per million inhabitants, Autonomous Province of South Tyrol, from 0 to 21.1 per million inhabitants, and Veneto Region, from 2.6 to 4.5 per million inhabitants. In the study period, the average length of hospital stay was largely stable ranging from 10.6 days to 12.8 days, with related costs ranging from 5,813.7 € to 7,352.5 €. According to our data, the majority of TBE hospitalizations occur in North-East Italy with an increasing trend over the analyzed period. Even though Italy has fewer TBE cases than other neighboring European countries, the health and economic impact can be high in the affected areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patients chronically infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV) are at high risk of liver fibrosis, cirrhosis and liver cancer, despite recent therapeutic advances. It is therefore crucial to find non-pharmaceutical options for liver fibrosis prevention in this population. Using cross-sectional data from the ANRS CO22 Hepather cohort, we aimed to identify socio-demographic and modifiable risk factors for significant fibrosis in chronic HBV patients. Logistic regression or Firth's penalized maximum likelihood logistic regression (according to outcome prevalence) multivariable models were used to test for associations between explanatory variables and significant fibrosis, as assessed by three non-invasive markers: aspartate aminotransferase to platelet ratio index (APRI), FIB-4, and gamma glutamyltransferase to platelet ratio (GPR). Analyses were stratified by HBV treatment status. The study population comprised 2065 untreated and 1727 treated chronic HBV patients. Elevated coffee consumption was consistently associated with a lower risk of elevated fibrosis biomarkers in all three treated-participant models, suggesting a dose-response relationship (adjusted odds ratios for ≥3 cups/day versus 0 cups/day: 0.16, 0.35 and 0.62, p ≤ 0.002, according to APRI, FIB-4 and GPR, respectively). Other modifiable risk factors included tobacco and alcohol use. Elevated coffee consumption was consistently associated with a lower risk of significant liver fibrosis, as assessed by three non-invasive markers in treated chronic HBV patients. This result can be immediately used in real-world situations, as increasing coffee consumption may be beneficial for patients at risk of advanced liver disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The MaPLE study was a randomized, controlled, crossover trial involving adults ≥60 y.o. (n = 51) living in a residential care facility during an 8-week polyphenol-rich (PR)-diet. Results from the MaPLE trial showed that the PR-diet reduced the intestinal permeability (IP) in older adults by inducing changes to gut microbiota (GM). The present work aimed at studying the changes in serum metabolome in the MaPLE trial, as a further necessary step to depict the complex crosstalk between dietary polyphenols, GM, and intestinal barrier. Serum metabolome was monitored using a semi-targeted UHPLC-MS/MS analysis. Metataxonomic analysis (16S rRNA gene profiling) of GM was performed on faecal samples. Clinical characteristics and serum levels of the IP marker zonulin were linked to GM and metabolomics data in a multi-omics network. Compared to the control diet, the PR-diet increased serum metabolites related to polyphenols and methylxanthine intake. Theobromine and methylxanthines, derived from cocoa and/or green tea, were positively correlated with butyrate-producing bacteria (the order Clostridiales and the genera Roseburia , Butyricicoccus and Faecalibacterium) and inversely with zonulin. A direct correlation between polyphenol metabolites hydroxyphenylpropionic acid-sulfate, 2-methylpyrogallol-sulfate and catechol-sulfate with Butyricicoccus was also observed, while hydroxyphenylpropionic acid-sulfate and 2-methylpyrogallol-sulfate negatively correlated with Methanobrevibacter. The multi-omics network indicated that participant's age, baseline zonulin levels, and changes in Porphyromonadaceae abundance were the main factors driving the effects of a PR-diet on zonulin. Overall, these results reveal the complex relationships among polyphenols consumption, intestinal permeability, and GM composition in older adults, and they may be important when setting personalized dietary interventions for older adults. ISRCTN10214981. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Football matches, as a common urban activity, produce high levels of noise because of vehicular traffic, screams, whistles, and firework displays. Fear of noise is one of the most commonly reported behavior problems in dogs (Canis familiaris); however, few studies have focused on the effects of repeated exposition to noise in these animals. Here, we investigated whether the noise produced during football matches may act as a stress source for dogs living near football stadiums. We measured noise levels on days with and without matches, in the surrounding neighborhoods of two football stadiums of Minas Gerais, Brazil: (a) Arena Independência (AI) and (b) Governador Magalhães Pinto (GMP). Noise measurements were carried out by using a sound level meter, in distances varying between 0 and 400 m from the stadiums. A structured interview was conducted to dog owners living nearby AI, about the dogs' characteristics, demographics, and behavior. Noise records of days with and without matches were compared, and questionnaires were analyzed (general linear models) to identify possible correlations between the reported changes in the animals' behaviors on days with football matches and the distance these animals lived from the stadium. Higher noise levels were recorded on football match days than on days without matches, with a greater effect of these between 0 and 249 m (D1) than between 250 and 400 from AI. Around Governador Magalhães Pinto, we recorded greater noise levels on days without football matches compared with match days, with no difference between distances. Fear/anxiety behaviors were reported as more intense on days with football matches, in comparison with days without matches for 90.6% of the study dogs. The occurrence of matches made specific fear-related behaviors of the dogs—severe trembling, excessive salivation, agitation/restlessness, whining, and appetite loss—more frequent. The proximity of AI intensified the exhibition of general fear/anxiety behaviors and made intense trembling and excessive salivation more frequent at D1, in relation to D2. On the other hand, dogs living at D2 barked, howled, and lost appetite more often than those living at D1. Our results suggested a detrimental influence of noise from football matches on the behavior of dogs living around football stadiums. These data are relevant for public policy-making to promote preventive and mitigating measures, to improve the quality of life of both the dog and the human populations in the surroundings of football stadiums. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Use biomarkers to estimate Galtonian regressions of nicotine transmission from parents. • Evidence of transmission four times larger for mothers. • Evidence of a substantial reduction in nicotine transmission after the spread of e-cigs. • Transmission of cotinine from parents was reduced to 51% of the previous level. • Lower taxation of e-cigarettes may be justified on externality grounds. Abstract Using an objective biomarker of active and passive smoking, we estimate Galtonian regressions of nicotine transmission and test whether the use of new nicotine delivery products (NDP) by parents had an influence on the transmission to children through passive smoking. We find evidence of a strong intergenerational transmission through passive smoking and that this is around four times larger for mothers compared to fathers. Moreover, we estimate an intention to treat difference-in-differences (DiD) model using parental cotinine as a continuous measure of exposure to the treatment and we find that the level of transmission of cotinine from parents was reduced to 51 per cent of the previous level just after the spread in the use of e-cigarettes in England and to 77 per cent when considering transmission from mothers. This is confirmed also by a DiD model which considers interaction between cotinine levels and self-reported use of NDP by parents and suggests that lower taxation of these devices may be justified on externality grounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Molecular mechanisms that regulate carbon flux are poorly understood in algae. The Δ glgC mutant of the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 is incapable of glycogen storage and displays an array of physiological responses under nitrogen starvation that are different from wild-type (WT). These include non-bleaching phenotype and the redirection of photosynthetically fixed carbon towards excreted organic acids (overflow metabolism) without biomass growth. To understand the role of gene/protein expression in these responses, we followed the time course of transcripts by genome-scale microarrays and proteins by shotgun proteomics in Δ glgC and WT cells upon nitrogen starvation. Compared to WT, the degradation of phycobilisome rod proteins was delayed and attenuated in the mutant, and the core proteins were less degraded; both contributed to the non-bleaching appearance despite the induction of nblA genes, suggesting the presence of a break in regulation of the phycobilisome degradation pathway downstream of nblA induction. The mutant displayed NtcA-mediated transcriptional response to nitrogen starvation, indicating that it is able to sense nitrogen status. Furthermore, some responses to nitrogen starvation appear to be stronger in the mutant, as shown by the increases in transcripts for the transcriptional regulator, rre37 , which regulates central carbon metabolism. Accordingly, multiple proteins involved in photosynthesis, central carbon metabolism, and carbon storage and utilization showed lower abundance in the mutant. These results indicate that the transition in the central carbon metabolism from growth to overflow metabolism in Δ glgC does not require increases in expression of the overflow pathway enzymes; the transition and non-bleaching phenotype are likely regulated instead at the metabolite level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Suicide is a critical issue among opioid users. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between HCV status and suicidal risk in patients receiving methadone treatment. Methods: We used data from Methaville, a multicenter, pragmatic randomized trial designed to evaluate the feasibility of methadone induction in primary care compared with induction in specialized centers. Suicidal risk was assessed at enrollment and after one year of methadone treatment using the suicidality module in the MINI International Neuropsychiatric Interview. Socio-demographic characteristics, drug and alcohol consumption, behavioral and personality factors, history of drug use and health indicators were also assessed. Results: A total of 195 individuals were enrolled from January 2009 to December 2010. Suicidal risk assessment was available at month 0 (MO) and M12 for 159 (72%) and 118 (73%) individuals, respectively. Forty-four (28%) were at risk of suicide at MO and 17 (14%) at M12 (p — 0.004). One patient attempted suicide by overdose during the one-year follow-up. The following three factors were associated with suicidal risk: hepatitis C virus (HCV) positive status (OR [95%CI] = 17.25 [1.14-161.07]; p = 0.04), receiving food assistance (OR [95%CI] = 0.05 [0.00-1.05]; p = 0.05) and a higher number of health problems (OR [95%CI] = 1.24 [1.08-1.44]; p = 0.003). Conclusions: Special attention should be given to HCV-positive patients through suicidal risk prevention strategies and routine suicide assessment as part of a comprehensive approach to prevention and care for opioid users. Our results represent a new and powerful argument for the expansion of access to HCV treatment to drug users with chronic infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective We investigated the effect of glatiramer acetate (GA) on the modulation of immune cell subpopulations and serum levels of multiple immune/metabolic markers in patients with relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) to understand whether the treatment with GA could induce a specific change in the immunometabolic asset of patients with RRMS. Material and methods We performed an extensive peripheral blood immunophenotyping and measured serum levels of several parameters involved in the pathogenesis of RRMS and also relevant in the pathogenesis of metabolic syndrome and obesity such as leptin, soluble leptin-receptor (sLep-R), myeloperoxidase (MPO), soluble CD40 ligand (sCD40-L), soluble tumor necrosis factor-receptor (sTNF-R), monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1), soluble Inter-Cellular Adhesion Molecule-1 (sICAM-1) and osteoprotegerin (OPG), in 20 naïve-to-treatment RRMS patients and 20 healthy controls. We repeated these analyses over time at 6 and 12 months after starting GA treatment. Results Our analysis showed that naïve-to-treatment RRMS patients had a lower number of CD16 + CD56 + NK cells, CD19 + B cells, CD4 + T cells co-expressing the MHC class II activation marker HLA-DR (CD4 + DR + ) and naïve CD4 + CD45RA + T cells in basal conditions. GA treatment induced a specific and significant decrease of circulating CD19 + B cells. Naïve-to-treatment RRMS patients also showed a significantly higher number of CD4 + T cells with a memory phenotype (CD4 + CD45RO + ) whose peripheral frequency was not affected by GA treatment. These changes over time associated with a higher serum concentration of leptin and lower levels of MPO. GA treatment also reduced significantly the circulating levels of sCD40-L and sTNF-R overtime. Conclusions Our data suggest that the clinical outcome of GA treatment is associated with changes in immune cell subpopulations and modulation of specific immunometabolic markers. These data add substantial evidence of the immune modulating effect of GA during RRMS and could be of relevance in understanding the pathogenesis of disease and its follow-up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Laboratory tests and field trials were conducted in 2010 and 2011 in Salerno province, Southern Italy, to determine the causal agent(s) of pink rot of roots and bulbs of onion and the effects of soil solarization combined with municipal food waste compost amendment in reducing their infections on bulbs of onion. Three fungi were mainly isolated: Fusarium proliferatum and Fusarium tricinctum on bulbs and roots and Pyrenochaeta terrestris exclusively on roots. P. terrestris produce symptoms on roots, but it was not able to cause damage on unwounded bulbs. F. proliferatum and F. tricinctum were able to induce symptoms when inoculated separately and showed no synergistic effects on severity of symptoms on bulbs. They induced symptoms on roots at a lesser extent. Combined inoculations of P. terrestris with both Fusarium species on roots have not increased symptoms severity of pink rot of onion. This is the first report of F. tricinctum as agent of pink rot of onion bulbs. Two years field trials have been carried out from 2009 to 2011 to evaluate the efficacy of soil solarization, applied alone or in combination with municipal food waste compost amendment, for controlling pink rot of onion bulb caused by F. proliferatum and F. tricinctum. For this purpose, soil solarization, alone and combined with compost amendment, were compared with metham sodium and an untreated control. The results of both trials demonstrated that, in presence of pink rot of onion bulbs, compost amendments, applied after solarization, strongly reduced the efficacy of soil solarization from 68.7% to 16.3% in 2010 and from 76.9% to 4.6% in 2011. Organic amendments applied before soil solarization significantly reduced the efficacy of this technique only in 2011. Significant yield increases were detected at the end of both trials in plots treated with solarization alone, metham sodium and compost applied after solarization. The highest incidence of unmarketable infected plants recorded in plots solarized and then amended with compost was compensated by the increase of bulb size and plant weight. These results demonstrated as the benefits achieved with compost amendments in controlling pink rot of onion are not easily predictable and applicable on large scale. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Using an Italian survey, we investigate the effect of height on individual happiness. We find that a large part of the effect of height on well-being is driven by a positive correlation between height and economic and health conditions. However, for young men the effect of height on happiness persists even after controlling for these variables, implying that height is associated with some psycho-social direct effects on well-being. Consistent with this hypothesis, we find that men care not only about their own height but also about the height of others in their reference group. Well-being is greater for individuals who are taller than other men in their reference group. Results are robust to different definitions of reference group and controlling for a number of other reference group characteristics. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Objectives: People with chronic obstructive lung diseases often experience a variety of symptoms. Few studies, however, have described these symptoms in detail. This study sought to examine concurrent symptoms, symptom clusters, and the effects of symptoms on functioning in Korean immigrants with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Methods: Outpatients with asthma or COPD participated in this cross-sectional, correlational study. Symptoms, dyspnea, mood, and functional performance were assessed with questionnaires. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data. Results: The most frequently reported symptom was shortness of breath. Three factors emerged from 16 symptoms. Age, mean severity score of 7 symptoms, working status, level of acculturation, and level of education explained significant variance in functional performance. Conclusion: The symptom cluster, consisting of 7 symptoms, showed the greatest effect on levels of functioning, which emphasizes the importance of assessment for coexisting symptoms in populations with these diseases. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Introduction: Prospectively assessing factors that influence triage nurse assignment of patients to the higher risk level 2 compared to the lower risk level 3 has not previously been explored within the 5-level Emergency Severity Index (ESI) triage system. Considering the large amount of information available about the patient, less experienced triage nurses often struggle in deciding what patient information is truly relevant when assessing if a high-risk situation exists. The primary aim of this study was to identify specific factors used by triage nurses to differentiate level 2 patients from level 3 patients. Methods: A convenience sample of triage nurses was recruited from 2 ED sites. If at the completion of the nurse-patient triage interaction the nurse assigned the patient to either level 2 or level 3, the triage nurse then completed a questionnaire related to factors that influenced patient assignment. Results: Overall, 18 triage nurses participated in the study with a total of 334 nurse-patient triage interactions collected. Patient age, vital signs, and need for a timely intervention were found to be significant factors that influenced patient assignment to level 2 while expected number of resources influenced patient assignment to level 3. Discussion: Utilizing experienced triage nurses on average, this study identified specific, objective factors that, combined with factors already delineated in the ESI Version 4 Implementation Manual, have useful implications for less experienced triage nurses by providing a more comprehensive and relevant foundation for data gathering and decision making. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The purpose of this study was to identify determinants of frequency (days per week), duration (minutes per session), and continuity (persistence over 1 year) of home walking in 103 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who participated in a dyspnea self-management program. Dimensions of home walking exercise were measured by logs and reports of biweekly telephone calls with the intervention nurse. The selection of personal, cognitive, and environmental determinants of home walking was guided by social cognitive theory. Participants walked more frequently if they were exercising before they entered the study, had less depressive symptoms, and were living with friends or family. Duration of walks was influenced by supervised exercise training; living with spouse, friends, or family; and physical conditioning. Participants who walked most consistently over the course of the year had more supervised exercise sessions as part of the dyspnea self-management program, exercised regularly before entering the program, and perceived a gain in social support over the year. These findings can be used to tailor exercise interventions to the specific needs of patients and improve the likelihood of consistent exercise participation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Background: We know little about long-term exercise behavior and adherence in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Purpose: The study’s purpose was (1) to describe exercise behavior and adherence to a home-walking exercise prescription over 12 months in a sample of patients with COPD; and (2) to validate categories of exercise adherence over time in this population. Design: This was a secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial. Subjects: A total of 103 participants with COPD who were randomly assigned to one of three versions of a dyspnea self-management program participated. Measures: The components of exercise frequency, duration, and intensity were measured by exercise/dyspnea daily logs, and participants were classified into categories on the basis of their pattern of exercise adherence over the year. Results: Participants walked an average of 3 days per week initially, with a decline to 2.5 days per week over the year. On average, participants walked longer than the prescribed duration of 20 minutes per session. Dyspnea intensity at the end of the walk tended to remain stable at a mean level of 4 over the year. Classification by adherence category distinguished differences in 6-minute walk distance, endurance treadmill test time, Short Form-36 physical function, and Short Form-36 mental health, with endurance treadmill test time and physical function improvements mirroring increases in exercise adherence, and mental health highest among occasional lapse and lowest among relapser and recycle categories. Conclusions: This investigation provides a description of long-term exercise behavior and adherence in a sample of patients with COPD. The categories suggest that physical benefits are related to consistent adherence, whereas mental health improvements are related to regular exercise with some flexibility in the schedule. Future research should test interventions to improve exercise adherence in patients with COPD and identify characteristics of patients who are most likely and least likely to adhere over time. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Many research groups have considered whether decreasing photosynthetic antenna content in cyanobacteria can improve photosynthetic oxygen evolution and biomass accumulation. We describe a genetic strategy for truncating light harvesting antennae based on engineered alterations in the expression of NblA, a native protein naturally used by cyanobacteria to disassemble phycobilisomes antennae in response to environmental changes. We show that if enforced overexpression is fine-tuned, it is possible to realize gains in photosynthesis in a model cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942. We also show that antennae truncation helps protect cells from photodamage and that a strain overexpressing NblA can outcompete wild type in a mixed population. We propose approaches for future applications of these findings. • A genetic strategy for truncating phycobilisomes based on engineered alterations in the expression of NblA is described • Antennae truncation helps protect cells from photodamage in a strain overexpressing NblA • Strains overexpressing NblA can outcompete wild type in a mixed population. • Approaches for future applications of these findings are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aedes albopictus , also known as the "Asian Tiger Mosquito", is an invasive mosquito species to Europe causing high concern in public health due to its severe nuisance and its vectorial capacity for pathogens such as dengue, chikungunya, yellow fever and Zika. Consequently, the responsible authorities implement management activities to reduce its population density, possibly to below noxious and epidemiological thresholds. In urban areas, these aims are difficult to achieve because of the species' ability to develop in a wide range of artificial breeding sites, mainly private properties. This document (Management Plan) has been structured to serve as a comprehensive practical and technical guide for stakeholders in organizing the vector control activities in the best possible way. The current plan includes coordinated actions such as standardized control measures and quality control activities, monitoring protocols, activities for stakeholders and local communities, and an emergency vector control plan to reduce the risk of an epidemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]