A study was conducted in an area in north, Italy, on the effluent of two different sized hospitals and the influent and effluent of the receiving municipal treatment plant of one of the examined ...hospitals. The aim was to investigate 73 selected pharmaceuticals, belonging to twelve different classes, comparing their occurrence in the effluent directly exiting the hospital with that, mixed with the local urban effluent, at the point of its entry and exit from the treatment plant.
Consistent differences were found in the concentrations of some antibiotics, analgesics and lipid regulators in the two wastewaters, confirming that hospital effluents should not be considered as possessing the same pollutant nature as urban wastewater. Furthermore, analysis of percentage contributions of the hospital to the treatment plant influent evidences that hospitals represent one of the main sources of pollutants, in particular antibiotics, receptor antagonists and lipid regulators.
Hence, an environmental risk assessment, performed on the effluent from the hospital and the influent and effluent from the treatment plant, revealed a high risk for 9 pharmaceuticals in hospital effluent and for 4 of the 9 substances in the treatment plant influent and effluent, with antibiotics being the most critical compounds in terms of contribution and potential environmental risk for the hospital.
► Seventy-three pharmaceuticals were monitored in raw and treated wastewaters. ► Two hospital effluents and an urban WWTP influent and effluent were investigated. ► One of the monitored hospital effluents is treated to the investigated urban WWTP. ► Hospital load contributes more than 50% of some antibiotics in WWTP influent one. ► Hospital effluents pose a higher environmental risk than urban ones.
Hospital wastewaters contain a variety of toxic or persistent substances such as pharmaceuticals, radionuclides, solvents and disinfectants for medical purposes in a wide range of concentrations due ...to laboratory and research activities or medicine excretion. Most of these compounds belong to the so called
emerging contaminants; quite often unregulated pollutants which may be candidates for future regulation depending on research on their potential health effects and monitoring of their occurrence. Their main characteristic is that they do not need to persist in the environment to cause negative effects since their high transformation/removal rates can be compensated for by their continuous introduction into the environment.
Some of these compounds, most of them pharmaceuticals and personal care products may also be present in urban wastewaters. Their concentrations in the effluents may vary from ng
L
−1 to μg
L
−1.
In this paper, hospital effluents and urban wastewaters are compared in terms of quali–quantitative characteristics. On the basis of an in-depth survey: (i) hospital average specific daily water consumptions (L patient
−1
day
−1) are evaluated and compared to urban ones (L person
−1
day
−1), (ii) conventional parameters concentrations in hospital effluents are compared to urban ones and (iii) main pharmaceuticals and other emerging compounds contents are compared in the two wastewaters. Finally, an overview of the removal capacity of the different treatments is reported.
Light-based methods are being further developed to meet the growing demands for food in the agricultural industry. Optical imaging is a rapid, non-destructive, and accurate technology that can ...produce consistent measurements of product quality compared to conventional techniques. In this research, a novel approach for seed quality prediction is presented. In the proposed approach two advanced optical imaging techniques based on chlorophyll fluorescence and chemometric-based multispectral imaging were employed. The chemometrics encompassed principal component analysis (PCA) and quadratic discrimination analysis (QDA). Among plants that are relevant as both crops and scientific models, tomato, and carrot were selected for the experiment. We compared the optical imaging techniques to the traditional analytical methods used for quality characterization of commercial seedlots. Results showed that chlorophyll fluorescence-based technology is feasible to discriminate cultivars and to identify seedlots with lower physiological potential. The exploratory analysis of multispectral imaging data using a non-supervised approach (two-component PCA) allowed the characterization of differences between carrot cultivars, but not for tomato cultivars. A Random Forest (RF) classifier based on Gini importance was applied to multispectral data and it revealed the most meaningful bandwidths from 19 wavelengths for seed quality characterization. In order to validate the RF model, we selected the five most important wavelengths to be applied in a QDA-based model, and the model reached high accuracy to classify lots with high-and low-vigor seeds, with a correct classification from 86 to 95% in tomato and from 88 to 97% in carrot for validation set. Further analysis showed that low quality seeds resulted in seedlings with altered photosynthetic capacity and chlorophyll content. In conclusion, both chlorophyll fluorescence and chemometrics-based multispectral imaging can be applied as reliable proxies of the physiological potential in tomato and carrot seeds. From the practical point of view, such techniques/methodologies can be potentially used for screening low quality seeds in food and agricultural industries.
Abstract
The world is going through a radical phase of energy conversion, due to both environmental and socio-economic factors, which will lead to a progressive transition from fossil to renewable ...energy sources. As regards the light land transport sector (cars), the abandonment of propulsion systems based on the use of internal combustion engines (ICEs) in favour of electrification seems the preferred solution. On the contrary, for heavy land (trucks and trains), marine and air transport sectors the path to follow is not yet clear.
A possible alternative to fossil fuels is certainly represented by bio-fuels, which should allow a drastic reduction of CO
2
emissions and, to a lesser extent, of CO and particulate matter. The use of bio-fuels does not involve a drastic change in the systems of distribution and use of energy, as the existing infrastructures can remain unchanged. In particular, second generation bio-fuels (obtained from non-food matrices) are attracting more and more attention and, among these ones, oxygenated alcohols obtained from residual lignocellulosic biomasses appear extremely promising for the use in diesel engine.
The present study analyses the utilisation of ethyl levulinate (EL), a versatile second generation bio-fuel that can be used in Diesel/gasoline engines. EL can be conveniently obtained from the sustainable one-pot acid-catalyzed conversion of waste lignocellulosic feedstocks, employing bioethanol as the solvent/reagent.
EL has been tested in a small DI Diesel engine, blended up to 25% by volume with a commercial Diesel fuel, without significative changes in engine performance, moderately increasing NOx and HC emissions but significantly lowering soot and CO emissions by more than 50%.
Seventy-three commonly administered pharmaceuticals from twelve different therapeutic classes were investigated at a municipal wastewater treatment plant in northern Italy featuring a conventional ...activated sludge system (full-scale) and a polishing horizontal subsurface flow bed (pilot plant). Removal of these micro-pollutants by the two systems was assessed in order to evaluate their respective contributions. Mean concentrations and standard deviations were calculated and found to differ for the compounds detected, ranging from few ng/L to over 1165ng/L in the secondary effluent and from 11 to 533 in the polished effluent. Eighteen compounds were consistently below the detection limit and the remaining 55 compounds were found at a minimum of one sampling point.
Average removal efficiencies of both treatment steps and in treatment train as a whole are evaluated and discussed, highlighting the difficulties in predicting the fate of pharmaceuticals in both an activated sludge system and a horizontal subsurface flow bed. Comparison between the observed average removal efficiencies and those reported in the literature was also carried out for the pharmaceuticals of interest, and the discrepancies that emerged are discussed. The investigated constructed wetland did show efficacy in removing some of these compounds, and it contributed to the overall removal efficiency of each therapeutic class. Indeed, evaluation of the specific mass loadings of each class of PhC detected in the raw wastewaters, secondary and polished effluent evidences that the investigated constructed wetland is able to further reduce the load of micropollutants, which could become a necessity, especially where the receiving water body is an effluent-dominant river and mitigation measures of the discharge impact are required to protect and safeguard the aquatic environment.
•An activated sludge process followed by a horizontal subsurface flow bed were investigated.•73 selected pharmaceuticals of twelve therapeutic classes were analysed.•The feeding was real domestic wastewater.•Occurrence, mass load and removal efficiency of selected compounds were investigated.•Contributions of the two steps in the removal of selected compounds were assessed.
ABSTRACTMiller, RM, Freitas, EDS, Heishman, AD, Koziol, KJ, Galletti, BAR, Kaur, J, and Bemben, MG. Test-retest reliability between free weight and machine-based movement velocities. J Strength Cond ...Res 34(2)440–444, 2020—Several devices are available to measure muscular power through velocity measurement, including the Tendo FitroDyne. The ability for such devices to produce consistent results is still questioned, and the reproducibility of measurement between free weight and machine exercise has yet to be examined. Therefore, the aim of this investigation was to determine the test-retest reliability for barbell velocity during the bench press (BP) and weight velocity during the 2 leg press (2LP) for loads corresponding to 20–80% of 1 repetition maximum (1RM). Forty recreationally active individuals (22.6 ± 2.5 years; 175.9 ± 10.8 cm; and 76.2 ± 13.2 kg) with a 1RM BP and 2LP of 66.8 ± 32.4 kg and 189.5 ± 49 kg, respectively, volunteered for this study. Subjects completed 1 familiarization visit preceding 3 testing visits, which encompassed 1RM determination and 2 days of velocity testing. Forty-eight hours after 1RM testing, the subjects performed 1 repetition at 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, and 80% of their 1RM for each exercise in randomized order. Subjects returned to the laboratory 1 week later to perform the velocity assessment again in randomized order. Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC2,1) and relative SEM for the BP and 2LP ranged from 0.56 to 0.98 (3–18.1%) and 0.78 to 0.98 (2.8–7.2%), respectively, and no mean differences were observed between trials. The results suggest high reliability for BP velocity between 30 and 60% 1RM and moderate reliability at 20, 70, and 80% 1RM, while the 2LP displayed high to excellent reliability from 20 to 80% 1RM. Cumulatively, machine-based exercise displayed greater reproducibility; however, additional machine exercises need to be examined to bolster this conclusion.
This study compared the acute physiological responses of traditional and practical blood flow restriction resistance exercise (tBFR and pBFR, respectively) and high- and low-load resistance exercise ...without BFR (HL and LL, respectively), as well as the potential sex differences within the aforementioned exercise methods. Fourteen men and fifteen women randomly completed the following experimental conditions: (1) tBFR, consisting of four sets of 30-15-15-15 repetitions of the bilateral horizontal leg press and knee extension exercises, at 30% of one-repetition maximum (1-RM), with a 13.5 cm wide pneumatic cuff placed at the most proximal portion of each thigh and inflated to a pressure equivalent to 50% of the participant’s total occlusion pressure; (2) pBFR, which was the same as the tBFR condition, except that an elastic band wrapped around the proximal portion of each thigh at a tightness of 7 on a 0 to 10 perceived pressure scale was used to reduce blood flow; (3) LL, same as the tBFR and pBFR protocols, except that no BFR was applied; and (4) HL, consisting of 3 sets of 10 repetitions at 80% of 1-RM, with the same 1-min rest interval between sets and a 3-min rest period between exercises. At baseline, immediately post-, 5 min post-, and 15 min post-exercise, whole-blood lactate (WBL), indices of muscle swelling (muscle thickness and thigh circumference), hematocrit and plasma volume changes, were measured as well as superficial electromyography (sEMG) amplitude during exercise. There were no significant (
p
> 0.05) differences between the tBFR and pBFR exercise protocols for any of the physiological parameters assessed. However, significantly greater (
p
< 0.05) WBL and sEMG values were observed for HL compared to the remaining exercise conditions. Finally, males displayed greater WBL levels than females at 15 min post-exercise. Interestingly, males also displayed significantly (
p
< 0.05) greater sEMG amplitude than females within the low-load trials during leg press, but no significant (
p
< 0.05) sex differences were observed during knee extension. In conclusion, tBFR and pBFR seemed to be capable of inducing the same acute physiological responses. Furthermore, males displayed greater responses than females for some of the physiological parameters measured.
COVID-19 has disrupted the global health care system since March 2020. Lung cancer (LC) patients (pts) represent a vulnerable population highly affected by the pandemic. This multicenter Italian ...study aimed to evaluate whether the COVID-19 outbreak had an impact on access to cancer diagnosis and treatment of LC pts compared with pre-pandemic time.
Consecutive newly diagnosed LC pts referred to 25 Italian Oncology Departments between March and December 2020 were included. Access rate and temporal intervals between date of symptoms onset and diagnostic and therapeutic services were compared with the same period in 2019. Differences between the 2 years were analyzed using the chi-square test for categorical variables and the Mann–Whitney U test for continuous variables.
A slight reduction (−6.9%) in newly diagnosed LC cases was observed in 2020 compared with 2019 (1523 versus 1637, P = 0.09). Newly diagnosed LC pts in 2020 were more likely to be diagnosed with stage IV disease (P < 0.01) and to be current smokers (someone who has smoked more than 100 cigarettes, including hand-rolled cigarettes, cigars, cigarillos, in their lifetime and has smoked in the last 28 days) (P < 0.01). The drop in terms of new diagnoses was greater in the lockdown period (percentage drop −12% versus −3.2%) compared with the other months included. More LC pts were referred to a low/medium volume hospital in 2020 compared with 2019 (P = 0.01). No differences emerged in terms of interval between symptoms onset and radiological diagnosis (P = 0.94), symptoms onset and cytohistological diagnosis (P = 0.92), symptoms onset and treatment start (P = 0.40), and treatment start and first radiological revaluation (P = 0.36).
Our study pointed out a reduction of new diagnoses with a shift towards higher stage at diagnosis for LC pts in 2020. Despite this, the measures adopted by Italian Oncology Departments ensured the maintenance of the diagnostic-therapeutic pathways of LC pts.
•The COVID-19 outbreak had an impact on access to lung cancer (LC) diagnosis and treatment.•A slight reduction (−6.9%) in newly diagnosed LC cases was observed in 2020 compared with 2019.•Newly diagnosed LC pts in 2020 were more likely to be diagnosed with stage IV disease.•The Italian Oncology Departments ensured the maintenance of the diagnostic-therapeutic pathways of LC pts.•A reverse migration from high-volume to low-volume cancer centers was noted during the pandemic.
Maximal muscular power is achieved at lower percentages of maximal strength (1RM); however, this notion has not been elucidated based on sex or training status. Therefore, the purpose of this ...investigation was to examine the influence of sex and training status on maximal power production. Sixty men and women (resistance trained or untrained) completed 1RM testing for the two-leg press (2LP) and bench press (BP). Participants then returned to perform single repetitions at 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70 and 80% of their 1RM to determine muscular power. Factorial analyses determined significant interactions (training status by sex by intensity) for the BP (F=35.6, p<0.001) and 2LP (F=8.2, p<0.001). Subsequent analyses indicated that during the BP trained men produce maximal power between 30-40% 1RM compared to untrained men at 60-70% 1RM. Trained women produced maximal power at 50% 1RM compared to untrained women at 60-70% 1RM. During the 2LP, trained men produced maximal power at 40% 1RM compared to untrained men at 60% 1RM. Trained women produced maximal power at 50% 1RM compared to 60-70% 1RM in untrained women. These data suggest that resistance trained individuals and men display maximal power at a lower relative intensity than untrained individuals and women.
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