ECTFE membranes produced by non-toxic diluents for organic solvent filtration separation

A new grade of ethylene-chlorotrifluoroethylene, low melting point HALAR® ECTFE (LMP ECTFE), was studied and used as a polymer for the preparation of solvent-resistant flat-sheet membranes.

New ground-based lidar enables volcanic CO2 flux measurements

There have been substantial advances in the ability to monitor the activity of hazardous volcanoes in recent decades. However, obtaining early warning of eruptions remains challenging, because the patterns and consequences of volcanic unrests are both complex and nonlinear. Measuring volcanic gases has long been a key aspect of volcano monitoring since these mobile fluids should reach the surface long before the magma. There has been considerable progress in methods for remote and in-situ gas sensing, but measuring the flux of volcanic CO₂—the most reliable gas precursor to an eruption—has remained a challenge. Here we report on the first direct quantitative measurements of the volcanic CO₂ flux using a newly designed differential absorption lidar (DIAL), which were performed at the restless Campi Flegrei volcano. We show that DIAL makes it possible to remotely obtain volcanic CO₂ flux time series with a high temporal resolution (tens of minutes) and accuracy (<30%). The ability of this lidar to remotely sense volcanic CO₂ represents a major step forward in volcano monitoring, and will contribute improved volcanic CO₂ flux inventories. Our results also demonstrate the unusually strong degassing behavior of Campi Flegrei fumaroles in the current ongoing state of unrest.

Iloprost administration in acrodermatitis of Hallopeau complicated by acquired toes syndactyly: a case report and review of the literature

OBJECTIVE

Acrodermatitis Continua of Hallopeau (ACH) is a variant of pustular psoriasis often very difficult to treat. Secondary syndactyly, also called "pseudosyndactyly", is rare and can be a complication of burns, dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa or trauma. If left untreated, joint complications and definitive functional impairments may occur.

CASE REPORT

We report a case of a 74-year-old man with acrodermatitis continua of Hallopeau involving the toes and complicated by syndactyly. ACH regression following Iloprost administration was also observed.

DISCUSSION

Published studies are mainly limited to case reports only, due to the rarity of the disease. Therefore, there are no clear-cut therapeutic management guidelines available for this chronic and sometimes debilitating disease. ACH is often recalcitrant to the available therapies. Topical and systemic treatments have been described in literature with no long-lasting results.

CONCLUSIONS

To our knowledge, this is the first report of foot syndactyly associated to ACH. In our patient, ACH symptoms regressed with Iloprost administration: this finding has never been previously described in literature. If confirmed by other clinical experiences, Iloprost could be a further therapeutic option in ACH.

Volcanic CO2 detection with a DFM/OPA-based lidar

The DFM/OPA-based lidar BILLI was used to investigate the volcanic plume released by the hydrothermal vent of Pisciarelli, in the Campi Flegrei volcano. BILLI remotely measured CO₂ concentrations in cross-sections of the near-vent plume using the differential absorption technique. To our knowledge, this is the first example of lidar-based measurement of volcanic CO₂. The spatial resolution was 1.5 m and the temporal resolution 20 s.

Multi-event capture-recapture modeling of host-pathogen dynamics among European rabbit populations exposed to myxoma and Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Viruses: common and heterogeneous patterns

Host-pathogen epidemiological processes are often unclear due both to their complexity and over-simplistic approaches used to quantify them. We applied a multi-event capture-recapture procedure on two years of data from three rabbit populations to test hypotheses about the effects on survival of, and the dynamics of host immunity to, both myxoma virus and Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Virus (MV and RHDV). Although the populations shared the same climatic and management conditions, MV and RHDV dynamics varied greatly among them; MV and RHDV seroprevalences were positively related to density in one population, but RHDV seroprevalence was negatively related to density in another. In addition, (i) juvenile survival was most often negatively related to seropositivity, (ii) RHDV seropositives never had considerably higher survival, and (iii) seroconversion to seropositivity was more likely than the reverse. We suggest seropositivity affects survival depending on trade-offs among antibody protection, immunosuppression and virus lethality. Negative effects of seropositivity might be greater on juveniles due to their immature immune system. Also, while RHDV directly affects survival through the hemorrhagic syndrome, MV lack of direct lethal effects means that interactions influencing survival are likely to be more complex. Multi-event modeling allowed us to quantify patterns of host-pathogen dynamics otherwise difficult to discern. Such an approach offers a promising tool to shed light on causative mechanisms.

Environmental instability as a motor for dispersal: a case study from a growing population of glossy ibis

Dispersal is a life-history trait directly affecting population dynamics and species range shifts and thus playing a prominent role in the response to climate change. Nonetheless, the relationship between extreme climatic events and dispersal has received little attention in birds. Here we focused on climatic, demographic and individual factors affecting the dispersal propensity of a major glossy ibis population. We performed a capture-resighting analysis on individuals born and observed at Doñana (South-West Spain) over fourteen years. We applied a multiple analytical approach to show that single-site capture-resighting estimates were a reliable index of dispersal propensity from the area. We focused on the emigration of Doñana-born individuals sporadically (transients) and regularly (residents) frequenting their natal area. Droughts during two out of 14 study years caused higher apparent dispersal rates, explaining most of the annual variation in these rates. The age structure of Doñana-born individuals resighted simultaneously locally and in Morocco in one week over the 2010 autumn confirmed that the 2005 drought boosted permanent emigration. As numbers increased steadily during non-drought years since the formation of the colony in 1996 to several thousand pairs, philopatry increased gradually, while transients probability appeared to be related to average breeding success. Age, sex, density, quality of foraging habitat and breeding success in the previous season were not found to directly affect apparent dispersal. Nonetheless, autumn sex ratio gradually switched from male (≈0.68) to female-skewed (≈0.44) by the end of the study period, suggesting that males and females respond differently to high densities reached in recent years. This study demonstrates the importance of extreme climatic events as a powerful motor for spread of species in expansion. Also, it suggests different factors drive emigration of individuals according to their amount of experience in the area (e.g. transients vs residents).

Systemic lupus erythematosus developing immediately after necrotizing fasciitis

Necrotizing fasciitis (NF) is a medical-surgical emergency characterized by severe bacterial infection that affects the subcutaneous tissue and spreads to the underlying fascia; usually it is caused by penetrating trauma, sometimes by surgical therapy, very rarely by minor insults such as insect bites. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a potentially fatal autoimmune disease involving virtually all the key components of the immune system. Although cases of post-infection autoimmunity were already described, a literature search using Pub Med and Medline revealed that SLE was never reported to occur in patients affected, immediately before, with NF. We observed and herein report, however, a case of a woman showing an insect-bite-induced NF, which was immediately followed by the development of a SLE. In conclusion, this case of postinfection autoimmunity provides early evidence of a patient developing SLE immediately after NF, and suggests that caution in the follow-up of NF is necessary, because NF might favor the development of a severe autoimmunity.

[Integrated use of data bases to map manufacturing processes involving exposure to carcinogens in the Piedmont Region: the example of formaldehyde]

BACKGROUND

Exposure to carcinogens is still widespread in working environments. For the purpose of defining priority of interventions, it is necessary to estimate the number and the geographic distribution of workers potentially exposed to carcinogens. It could therefore be useful to test the use of tools and information sources already available in order to map the distribution of exposure to carcinogens. Formaldehyde is suggested as an example of an occupational carcinogen in this study.

OBJECTIVES

The study aimed at verifying and investigating the potential of 3 integrated databases: MATline, CAREX, and company databases resulting from occupational accident and disease claims (INAIL), in order to estimate the number of workers exposed to formaldehyde and map their distribution in the Piedmont Region.

METHODS

The list of manufacturing processes involving exposure to formaldehyde was sorted by MIATline; for each process the number of firms and employees were obtained from the INAIL archives. By applying the prevalence of exposed workers obtained with CAREX, an estimate of exposure for each process was determined. A map of the distribution of employees associated with a specific process was produced using ArcView GIS software.

RESULTS

It was estimated that more than 13,000 employees are exposed to formaldehyde in the Piedmont Region. The manufacture of furniture was identified as the process with the highest number of workers exposed to formaldehyde (3,130),followed by metal workers (2,301 exposed) and synthetic resin processing (1,391 exposed).

CONCLUSION

The results obtained from the integrated use of databases provide a basis for defining priority of preventive interventions required in the industrial processes involving exposure to carcinogens in the Piedmont Region.