Environmental Impact of Surgical Masks Consumption in Italy Due to COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic suddenly changed the lifestyle of billions of people. Face masks became indispensable to protect from the contagion providing a significant environmental impact. The aim of this work is to propose possible solutions to decrease masks’ impact on the environment. For this reason, different masks (surgical and fabric) were considered, and the CO2 emissions associated with the mask materials production were calculated. Carbon Footprint (CF) for each material composing the masks was evaluated through the database Ces Selector 2019. The software Qgis (version 2.18.20) allows us to elaborate the CO2 emissions maps for each Italian region. Finally, for surgical masks, which are often imported from abroad, the CF related to transport was considered. It results that fabric masks are a sustainable solution to prevent contagion. The total CO2 emission associated with the use of fabric masks from the beginning of the pandemic (March 2020) to December 2021 resulted in about 7 kton compared to 350 kton for surgical masks

Deletion of Crtc1 leads to hippocampal neuroenergetic impairments associated with depressive-like behavior.

Mood disorders (MD) are a major burden on society as their biology remains poorly understood, challenging both diagnosis and therapy. Among many observed biological dysfunctions, homeostatic dysregulation, such as metabolic syndrome (MeS), shows considerable comorbidity with MD. Recently, CREB-regulated transcription coactivator 1 (CRTC1), a regulator of brain metabolism, was proposed as a promising factor to understand this relationship. Searching for imaging biomarkers and associating them with pathophysiological mechanisms using preclinical models can provide significant insight into these complex psychiatric diseases and help the development of personalized healthcare. Here, we used neuroimaging technologies to show that deletion of Crtc1 in mice leads to an imaging fingerprint of hippocampal metabolic impairment related to depressive-like behavior. By identifying a deficiency in hippocampal glucose metabolism as the underlying molecular/physiological origin of the markers, we could assign an energy-boosting mood-stabilizing treatment, ebselen, which rescued behavior and neuroimaging markers. Finally, our results point toward the GABAergic system as a potential therapeutic target for behavioral dysfunctions related to metabolic disorders. This study provides new insights on Crtc1's and MeS's relationship to MD and establishes depression-related markers with clinical potential

Diazepam actions in the VTA enhance social dominance and mitochondrial function in the nucleus accumbens by activation of dopamine D1 receptors.

Benzodiazepines can ameliorate social disturbances and increase social competition, particularly in high-anxious individuals. However, the neural circuits and mechanisms underlying benzodiazepines' effects in social competition are not understood. Converging evidence points to the mesolimbic system as a potential site of action for at least some benzodiazepine-mediated effects. Furthermore, mitochondrial function in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) has been causally implicated in the link between anxiety and social competitiveness. Here, we show that diazepam facilitates social dominance, ameliorating both the competitive disadvantage and low NAc mitochondrial function displayed by high-anxious rats, and identify the ventral tegmental area (VTA) as a key site of action for direct diazepam effects. We also show that intra-VTA diazepam infusion increases accumbal dopamine and DOPAC, as well as activity of dopamine D1- but not D2-containing cells. In addition, intra-NAc infusion of a D1-, but not D2, receptor agonist facilitates social dominance and mitochondrial respiration. Conversely, intra-VTA diazepam actions on social dominance and NAc mitochondrial respiration are blocked by pharmacological NAc micro-infusion of a mitochondrial complex I inhibitor or an antagonist of D1 receptors. Our data support the view that diazepam disinhibits VTA dopaminergic neurons, leading to the release of dopamine into the NAc where activation of D1-signaling transiently facilitates mitochondrial function, that is, increased respiration and enhanced ATP levels, which ultimately enhances social competitive behavior. Therefore, our findings critically involve the mesolimbic system in the facilitating effects of diazepam on social competition and highlight mitochondrial function as a potential therapeutic target for anxiety-related social dysfunctions

Evaluation of the Adriatic Sea pollution using mesozooplankton as an environmental indicator

The Adriatic Sea is an enclosed basin threatened by marine pollution due to its hydrographic features and anthropogenic pressure. Although zooplankton has been worldwide regarded as an immediate warning signal of contamination, limited information is available on the contamination of these organisms at the Adriatic level. Hence, this study provides comprehensive data on the presence and levels of multiple pollutants in zooplankton collected from 46 locations. With regards to legacy contaminants, both PCB and DDT levels have declined since the 1980s. Specifically, most samples were characterized by low DDT contamination (average of 3 ± 2.7 ng g− 1 dry weight) and only few of these accumulated levels of concern for what concerns PCB, pointing out possible hotspots of contamination in the central-eastern Adriatic Sea. As regards metal(loid)s, the Metal Pollution Index identified areas of concern in the north Adriatic Sea (Gulf of Venice) with high levels of Co, Cu, Hg, Cr and Pb; in the Central Adriatic Sea (Tremiti islands) with high levels of Co, Ni, Hg, Cr and Pb; in the Southern Adriatic Sea (Taranto and offshore Corfu), with high levels of most metal(loid)s, especially Cr, Ni and Zn. Certain metal(loid)s (e.g. Cd, Pb and Hg) have declined over time and most of them are lower than well-known contaminated worldwide marine ecosystems. Only Cu appears to be particularly high in the Mediterranean zooplankton. Overall, this work suggests a general improvement of the status of contamination of the Adriatic Sea.publishedVersio

Evaluation of the Adriatic Sea pollution using mesozooplankton as an environmental indicator

The Adriatic Sea is an enclosed basin threatened by marine pollution due to its hydrographic features and anthropogenic pressure. Although zooplankton has been worldwide regarded as an immediate warning signal of contamination, limited information is available on the contamination of these organisms at the Adriatic level. Hence, this study provides comprehensive data on the presence and levels of multiple pollutants in zooplankton collected from 46 locations. With regards to legacy contaminants, both PCB and DDT levels have declined since the 1980s. Specifically, most samples were characterized by low DDT contamination (average of 3 ± 2.7 ng g- 1 dry weight) and only few of these accumulated levels of concern for what concerns PCB, pointing out possible hotspots of contamination in the central-eastern Adriatic Sea. As regards metal(loid)s, the Metal Pollution Index identified areas of concern in the north Adriatic Sea (Gulf of Venice) with high levels of Co, Cu, Hg, Cr and Pb; in the Central Adriatic Sea (Tremiti islands) with high levels of Co, Ni, Hg, Cr and Pb; in the Southern Adriatic Sea (Taranto and offshore Corfu), with high levels of most metal(loid)s, especially Cr, Ni and Zn. Certain metal(loid)s (e.g. Cd, Pb and Hg) have declined over time and most of them are lower than well-known contaminated worldwide marine ecosystems. Only Cu appears to be particularly high in the Mediterranean zooplankton. Overall, this work suggests a general improvement of the status of contamination of the Adriatic Sea

New trends in rehabilitation of children with ENT disorders

Negli ultimi 20 anni il miglioramento dellassistenza neonatale ha determinato un progressivo aumento dei bambini che sopravvivono in presenza di gravi malformazioni o patologie congenite. Questi bambini richiedono una riabilitazione prolungata, talora multidisciplinare e complessa. Purtroppo, unorganizzazione adeguata alla riabilitazione della disfagia, dei disturbi della comunicazione e della respirazione non è sempre disponibile, non è sempre coordinata in equipe multidisciplinari che operino sia negli ospedali che sul territorio e non è facile mantenere tutte le figure professionali coinvolte al passo con le sempre più rapide innovazioni. Scopo del presente lavoro è presentare un aggiornamento su alcuni aspetti tuttora controversi della riabilitazione in età pediatrica

Facial Nerve Graft in Malignant Tumors: The Role of Facial Rehabilitation

Background: Oncological surgery of the parotid gland or of the temporal bone may require the contemporary sacrifice of the facial nerve (FN). In such cases, the immediate repair of the sacrificed FN is recommended. The aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of facial rehabilitation (FR) and, secondarily, of post-operative radiotherapy (PORT) on the FN outcome after FN sacrifice and reconstruction via cable graft. Methods: This is a multicentric retrospective study including patients affected by malignant tumors whose surgical excision required FN sacrifice and contextual FN reconstruction with a cable graft. Other FN reconstruction techniques were excluded. FN function was assessed using both House–Brackmann and Sunnybrook grading systems. Results: A total of 28 patients were included. Most of the patients underwent a total parotidectomy. The greater auricular nerve was the main donor for cable graft. FR and PORT were performed in 22 and 15 patients, respectively. In particular, 20 patients underwent neuro-muscular retraining (NMR). Patients who underwent FR had better FN outcomes compared to those who did not (p = 0.02 at 12 months and p = 0.0002 at 24 months). In contrast, there was no statistically significant difference between patients who underwent PORT and those who did not (p > 0.05). Pre-operative FN palsy is a risk factor of worse FN function outcomes after cable graft. Conclusions: Our study, even though it was limited to only 28 cases, may demonstrate that cable graft failure is not due to PORT, as widely believed among clinicians, but to the absence of a rehabilitation program. Moreover, we suggest that the key to obtaining the best possible FN function results after FN sacrifice is the association of a technically correct FN reconstruction with a proper and targeted FR