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Lo scopo del presente contributo è analizzare l'evoluzione delle progettualità di Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) dell'AUSL di Reggio Emilia, con particolare riferimento all'implementazione della cartella informatizzata. Sin dai primi anni Duemila, le preesistenti Azienda Territoriale e Azienda Ospedaliera di Reggio Emilia hanno sviluppato una cultura e una strategia ICT integrate, basate su tre punti cardine: 1) allineamento alla strategia aziendale; 2) approccio di project management; 3) misurazione dei risultati e del valore prodotto dall'implementazione delle innovazioni ICT. È stato costituito il Comitato di Pianificazione Strategica IT con compiti di definizione delle strategie triennali ICT e di monitoraggio dei risultati dei progetti. Tra questi ultimi, uno dei più rilevanti è stato il progetto di cartella clinica informatizzata "Matilde", attivato inizialmente sull'Azienda Ospedaliera nel 2013 ed esteso, dopo la fusione aziendale del 2017, sugli altri 5 ospedali. Tale progetto, concluso nel 2021, si è posto come obiettivo la completa gestione digitale sia della componente documentale della cartella sia di ogni operatività clinica, creando uno strumento unico di gestione del percorso clinico ospedaliero. Durante la pandemia da Covid-19, l'utilizzo della cartella clinica è stato esteso alle cliniche private e alle strutture territoriali pubbliche e private accreditate. Oggi, l'AUSL di Reggio Emilia sta intraprendendo un percorso di implementazione di una cartella clinica, sociale e socio-sanitaria, condivisa da tutti i soggetti pubblici e privati della provincia.

Global urbanization trends have led to the widespread increasing occurrence of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) such as pharmaceuticals, personal care products, pesticides, and micro- and nano-plastics in aquatic systems. Even at low concentrations, these contaminants pose a threat to aquatic ecosystems. To better understand the effects of CECs on aquatic ecosystems, it is important to measure concentrations of these contaminants present in these systems. Currently, there is an imbalance in CEC monitoring, with more attention to some categories of CECs, and a lack of data about environmental concentrations of other types of CECs. Citizen science is a potential tool for improving CEC monitoring and to establish their environmental concentrations. However, incorporating citizen participation in the monitoring of CECs poses some challenges and questions. In this literature review, we explore the landscape of citizen science and community science projects which monitor different groups of CECs in freshwater and marine ecosystems. We also identify the benefits and drawbacks of using citizen science to monitor CECs to provide recommendations for sampling and analytical methods. Our results highlight an existing disparity in frequency of monitoring different groups of CECs with implementing citizen science. Specifically, volunteer participation in microplastic monitoring programs is higher than volunteer participation in pharmaceutical, pesticide, and personal care product programs. These differences, however, do not necessarily imply that fewer sampling and analytical methods are available. Finally, our proposed roadmap provides guidance on which methods can be used to improve monitoring of all groups of CECs through citizen science.

Raman spectroscopy is gaining ground in the analysis of microplastics, especially due to its high spatial resolution that allows the investigation of small plastic particles, whose numeric abundance is argued to be particularly relevant in aquatic systems. Here, we aimed at outlining the status of Raman analysis of microplastics from aquatic systems, highlighting the advantages and the drawbacks of this technique and critically presenting tools and ways to effectively employ this instrument and to improve the spectra obtained and their interpretation. In particular, we summarized procedural information for the use of Raman spectroscopy, and we discussed issues linked to fluorescence interference and the analysis of weathered polymers, which may complicate the interpretation of Raman signatures. In this context, a deep understanding of the different plastic polymers and their Raman peaks and chemical fingerprints is fundamental to avoid misidentification. Therefore, we provided a catalog with detailed information about peaks of most common plastic polymers, and this represents, to the best of our knowledge, the first comprehensive resource that systematically synthesized plastic Raman peaks. Additionally, we focused on plastic additives, which are contained in the majority of plastics. These compounds are often intense in Raman scattering and may partly or completely overlie the actual material types, resulting in the identification of additives alone or misidentification issue. For these reasons, we also presented a new R package “RamanMP” that includes a database of 356 spectra (325 of which are additives). This will help to foster the use of this technique, which is becoming especially relevant in microplastic analysis.

Here, we review the state-of-the-art of limnological investigations in the large and deep lakes south of the Alps (DSLs), lakes Garda, Maggiore, Como, Iseo and Lugano. In the pre-industrial age, these lakes were ultra- or oligotrophic. Increasing anthropogenic pressure and the impact of global warming has led to an acceleration of eutrophication and a decrease in the frequency of full mixing episodes, which have induced a state of meromixis in lakes Lugano and Iseo. In the last two decades, other changes have been identified, including fundamental variations in the long-term dynamics and structure of phytoplankton communities, identification of new toxigenic cyanobacteria and cyanotoxins, increases in the introduction and establishment of allochthonous species, and continuous detection of new, emerging chemical pollutants. Overall, these fundamental changes are quickly transforming the features of the DSLs. The ability to document and reconstruct changes in lake aquatic biota and micropollutants was strongly dependent on both research efforts and the availability of technologies to appraise these changes. In this context, the ongoing adoption of new technological tools, such as high-frequency monitoring and high throughput sequencing, is opening the way to a new level of comprehension of physical, chemical and biological processes, and aquatic biodiversity. New outlooks and new conceptual frameworks are necessary to cope with the huge dimensions of high-throughput data and analysis of big data.

The melting of glaciers and ice sheets is nowadays considered a symbol of climate change. Many complex mechanisms are involved in the melting of ice, and, among these processes, surface darkening due to organic material on bare ice has recently received attention from the scientific community. The presence of microbes on glaciers has been shown to decrease the albedo of ice and promote melting. Despite several studies from the Himalaya, Greenland, Andes, and Alaska, no quantitative studies have yet been conducted in the European Alps. In this paper, we made use of DNA sequencing, microscopy and field spectroscopy to describe the nature of glacier algae found at a glacier (Vadret da Morteratsch) of the European Alps and to evaluate their effect on the ice-albedo feedback. Among different algal species identified in the samples, we found a remarkable abundance of Ancylonema nordenskioeldii, a species that has never previously been quantitatively documented in the Alps and that dominates algal blooms on the Greenland Ice Sheet. Our results show that, at the end of the ablation season, the concentration of Ancylonema nordenskioeldii on the glacier surface is higher than that of other algal species (i.e. Mesotaenium berggrenii). Using field spectroscopy data, we identified a significant correlation between a reflectance ratio (750 nm/650 nm) and the algae concentration. This reflectance ratio could be useful for future mapping of glacier algae from remote sensing data exploiting band 6 (740 nm) and band 4 (665 nm) of the MultiSpectral Instrument (MSI) on board Sentinel-2 satellite. Here we show that the biological darkening of glaciers (i.e. the bioalbedo feedback) is also occurring in the European Alps, and thus it is a global process that must be taken into account when considering the positive feedback mechanisms related to glacier melting.

Coccolithophore assemblages were investigated from the Faafu Atoll in November 2018. The surface waters were sampled around the islands of Magoodhoo and Adanga, from the coast to the open water towards both the lagoon and the ocean, as well as waters up to 40 m depth at selected stations. Coccolithophores were scarce close to the coast (0.1–4 × 103 coccospheres/l), increased in abundance towards both the lagoon and the open ocean (20–44 × 103 coccospheres/l) and showed no clear depth trend. The assemblages were dominated by Gephyrocapsa oceanica with a large contribution by species that are typically reported from the mid- to lower-photic zone, i.e., primarily Oolithotus antillarum, followed by Calciosolenia spp., Michaelsarsia adriaticus, Calciopappus rigidus, Ophiaster spp. and Algirosphaera robusta. As for other tropical settings, Emiliania huxleyi made a minor contribution. Taxa that are common in the upper layers of oligotrophic stratified settings like Umbellosphaera spp., Discosphaera tubifera and Rhabdosphaera clavigera were scarce. Overall, such assemblages displayed the characteristics of neritic settings, with high trophic resources and elevated water turbidity, even though the measured chlorophyll-a concentration was low throughout the investigated area.

A variety of organisms can colonize microplastic surfaces through biofouling processes. Heterotrophic bacteria tend to be the focus of plastisphere research; however, the presence of epiplastic microalgae within the biofilm has been repeatedly documented. Despite the relevance of biofouling in determining the fate and effects of microplastics in aquatic systems, data about this process are still scarce, especially for freshwater ecosystems. Here, our goal was to evaluate the biomass develop-ment and species composition of biofilms on different plastic polymers and to in-vestigate whether plastic substrates exert a strong enough selection to drive species sorting, overcoming other niche-defining factors. We added microplastic pellets of high- density polyethylene (HDPE), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and a mix of the two polymers in 15 lentic mesocosms in five different locations of the Iberian Peninsula, and after one month, we evaluated species composition and biomass of microalgae developed on plastic surfaces. Our results, based on 45 samples, showed that colonization of plastic surfaces occurred in a range of lentic ecosystems covering a wide geographical gradient and different environmental conditions (e.g., nutrient concentration, conductivity, macrophyte coverage). We highlighted that total bio-mass differed based on the polymer considered, with higher biomass developed on PET substrate compared to HDPE. Microplastics supported the growth of a rich and diversified community of microalgae (242 species), with some cosmopolite species. However, we did not observe species-specificity in the colonization of the different plastic polymers. Local species pool and nutrient concentration rather than polymeric composition seemed to be the determinant factor defying the community diversity. Regardless of specific environmental conditions, we showed that many species could coexist on the surface of relatively small plastic items, highlighting how microplastics may have considerable carrying capacity, with possible consequences on the wider ecological context., This work was supported by EU H2020-INFRAIA-project No 731065 “AQUACOSM: Network of Leading European AQUAtic MesoCOSM Facilities Connecting Mountains to Oceans from the Arctic to the Mediterranean”. MGM was funded by grant RyC-2016-19348 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by “ESF Investing in your future.” Raman facilities were provided by the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences (DISAT, University of Milano- Bicocca, Italy

Climate change and other anthropogenic stressors have led to long-term changes in the thermal structure, including surface temperatures, deepwater temperatures, and vertical thermal gradients, in many lakes around the world. Though many studies highlight warming of surface water temperatures in lakes worldwide, less is known about long-term trends in full vertical thermal structure and deepwater temperatures, which have been changing less consistently in both direction and magnitude. Here, we present a globally-expansive data set of summertime in-situ vertical temperature profiles from 153 lakes, with one time series beginning as early as 1894. We also compiled lake geographic, morphometric, and water quality variables that can influence vertical thermal structure through a variety of potential mechanisms in these lakes. These long-term time series of vertical temperature profiles and corresponding lake characteristics serve as valuable data to help understand changes and drivers of lake thermal structure in a time of rapid global and ecological change., Measurement(s) temperature of water • temperature profile Technology Type(s) digital curation Factor Type(s) lake location • temporal interval Sample Characteristic - Environment lake • reservoir Sample Characteristic - Location global Machine-accessible metadata file describing the reported data: 10.6084/m9.figshare.14619009

Daphnia are key organisms in pelagic food webs, acting as a food resource for fish and predatory zooplankton and regulating phytoplankton through grazing. Its population dynamic follows regular seasonal patterns, with spring peaks followed by summer population declines (midsummer declines, MSDs). Midsummer declines show high inter-annual variation, which has been attributed to different causes. However, the mechanisms controlling the MSD remain poorly understood, especially in deep stratified lakes. We tried to disentangle the factors causing Daphnia MSDs in Lake Lugano and Lake Iseo (in Switzerland and Italy), two deep peri-alpine lakes with similar trophic status and vertical mixing dynamics, characterised by phosphorus accumulation in the hypolimnion and variable mixing during late-winter turnovers. Specifically, we assessed the effects of three different hypothetical pathways according to which: (1) winter air temperature controls MSDs by influencing mixing depth during turnovers and epilimnetic phosphorus replenishment; (2) vernal air temperature influences MSD by accelerating the timing of spring population peak; and (3) summer temperature influences MSDs by increasing fish predation. We assessed the relative strength of these pathways using structural equation modelling on long-term datasets for the two lakes (29years for Lake Lugano and 19years for Lake Iseo). Between the hypothesised pathways, the one driven by winter air temperature (through P replenishment) influenced Daphnia abundance in spring in both lakes, but the effects propagated to summer Daphnia abundance only in Lake Lugano. Additionally, summer Daphnia abundance was influenced by the summer air temperature through a positive (although weak) effect. By comparison, vernal air temperature had no detectable effects on summer Daphnia abundance. The results revealed marked differences between the meromictic study lakes and the shallow hypertrophic water bodies that were the focus of previous research on Daphnia MSD, and also between the two study lakes. The influence of epilimnetic P replenishment on the summer Daphnia abundance in Lake Lugano, which was recovering from past eutrophication, may have reflected the greater susceptibility of deep, stratified lakes to P depletion after spring compared to shallow hypertrophic lakes or reservoirs. This effect might not have been detected in Lake Iseo because P was more consistently depleted during the study period (i.e. variance in the predictor was too low to detect an effect). This study highlighted the complexity of the effects of climate variability on Daphnia MSD in deep lakes, showing that the responses can differ even between two neighbouring lakes with similar vertical mixing dynamics and trophic status. At the same time, the results suggest that future increases in winter air temperature, caused by global warming, may cause critically low densities of Daphnia during spring and summer and compromise the ability of zooplankton to control phytoplankton biomass

This study aims at testing the effectiveness of Positive Matrix Factorization in characterizing groundwater and surface water quality, in terms of identifying main hydrochemical features and processes (natural and anthropogenic) that govern them. This method is applied in a hydro-system featured by a strong interrelation between groundwater and surface water and highly impacted by agricultural activities. Therefore, a holistic approach considering groundwater together with the surface water bodies, consisting in lake, several rivers and springs, was used. Multivariate statistical analysis, in particular Factor Analysis, has been proved to be effective in elaborating and interpreting water quality data highlighting the information carried within them, but it presents some limitations: it does not consider data uncertainty and it groups variables which are correlated positively and negatively. Moreover, in some cases the resulting factors are not clearly interpretable, describing each one various overlapping features/processes. Here, Positive Matrix Factorization is applied to groundwater and surface water quality data, and the results are compared to those obtained through a Factor Analysis in terms of both factor profiles and their spatial distribution through a GIS approach. Results of isotopes analysis are used to validate PMF output and support interpretation. Positive Matrix Factorization allows to consider data uncertainty and the solution respects two positivity constraints, based on the concept of chemical mass balance, which leads to a more environmentally interpretable solution. Results show that Positive Matrix Factorization identifies five different factors reflecting main features and natural and anthropogenic processes affecting the study area: 1) surface water used for irrigation, 2) groundwater subjected to reducing processes at advanced stages, 3) groundwater subjected to reducing processes at early stages, 4) groundwater residence time and 5) the effects of the agricultural land use on both groundwater and surface water. Positive Matrix Factorization leads to a more detailed understanding of the studied system as compared to Factor Analysis which identifies only three factors with overlapping information. Based on the results of this study, Positive Matrix Factorization could be a useful technique to perform groundwater and surface water quality characterization and to reach a deeper understanding of the phenomena that govern water chemistry.

The load quantification of solutes and suspended materials in rivers provides meaningful ecological information about watershed functionality. High-frequency measurements of flow are often available, whereas concentration data are commonly recorded at low frequencies. Different calculation methods have been developed by various authors to provide unbiased load estimation. We provide a new R package ( RiverLoad ) that implements several of the most widely used load estimation algorithms. The package provides an easy-to-use tool to rapidly calculate the load for various compounds and to compare different methods. The package also supplies additional functions to easily organize and analyze the data. A bootstrapping was performed on two example datasets to illustrate the reliability of the methods at different sampling frequencies. The RiverLoad package should make it easier to obtain load data and to compare different estimation algorithms. However, attention must be paid when selecting the method to avoid consistent error in the load estimation.

Multivariate statistical analysis is a useful method for supporting the interpretation of experimental data, particularly in the case of large datasets. In the present study, cluster analysis and factor analysis are used to support the hydrochemical characterization of groundwater and surface water in an area located in the Oglio River basin (N Italy). During a field survey performed in Fall 2015, 58 groundwater, 20 river (Oglio River and its main tributaries), 1 Lake Iseo and 7 spring samples were collected for chemical analysis. Results of multivariate statistical analysis led to the identification of the following 5 main clusters which characterize the hydrological system: (1) higher plain groundwater and springs, characterized by an oxidized hydrofacies with higher NO3, (2) lower plain groundwater, characterized by a reduced hydrofacies with higher As, Fe and Mn, (3) Oglio River, (4) Oglio River tributaries and (5) outliers. This characterization will bear the improvement of the hydrogeological conceptual model of the area, also oriented to groundwater/surface water interactions, that, in turn, will support the numerical flow modeling of the system

The concentration of dissolved oxygen in aquatic systems helps to regulate biodiversity1,2, nutrient biogeochemistry3, greenhouse gas emissions4, and the quality of drinking water5. The long-term declines in dissolved oxygen concentrations in coastal and ocean waters have been linked to climate warming and human activity6,7, but little is known about the changes in dissolved oxygen concentrations in lakes. Although the solubility of dissolved oxygen decreases with increasing water temperatures, long-term lake trajectories are difficult to predict. Oxygen losses in warming lakes may be amplified by enhanced decomposition and stronger thermal stratification8,9 or oxygen may increase as a result of enhanced primary production10. Here we analyse a combined total of 45,148 dissolved oxygen and temperature profiles and calculate trends for 393 temperate lakes that span 1941 to 2017. We find that a decline in dissolved oxygen is widespread in surface and deep-water habitats. The decline in surface waters is primarily associated with reduced solubility under warmer water temperatures, although dissolved oxygen in surface waters increased in a subset of highly productive warming lakes, probably owing to increasing production of phytoplankton. By contrast, the decline in deep waters is associated with stronger thermal stratification and loss of water clarity, but not with changes in gas solubility. Our results suggest that climate change and declining water clarity have altered the physical and chemical environment of lakes. Declines in dissolved oxygen in freshwater are 2.75 to 9.3 times greater than observed in the world’s oceans6,7 and could threaten essential lake ecosystem services2,3,5,11., The concentration of dissolved oxygen in aquatic systems helps to regulate biodiversity, nutrient biogeochemistry, greenhouse gas emissions, and the quality of drinking water. The long-term declines in dissolved oxygen concentrations in coastal and ocean waters have been linked to climate warming and human activity, but little is known about the changes in dissolved oxygen concentrations in lakes. Although the solubility of dissolved oxygen decreases with increasing water temperatures, long-term lake trajectories are difficult to predict. Oxygen losses in warming lakes may be amplified by enhanced decomposition and stronger thermal stratification8,9 or oxygen may increase as a result of enhanced primary production10. Here we analyse a combined total of 45,148 dissolved oxygen and temperature profiles and calculate trends for 393 temperate lakes that span 1941 to 2017. We find that a decline in dissolved oxygen is widespread in surface and deep-water habitats. The decline in surface waters is primarily associated with reduced solubility under warmer water temperatures, although dissolved oxygen in surface waters increased in a subset of highly productive warming lakes, probably owing to increasing production of phytoplankton. By contrast, the decline in deep waters is associated with stronger thermal stratification and loss of water clarity, but not with changes in gas solubility. Our results suggest that climate change and declining water clarity have altered the physical and chemical environment of lakes. Declines in dissolved oxygen in freshwater are 2.75 to 9.3 times greater than observed in the world’s oceans and could threaten essential lake ecosystem services.

Freshwaters constitute a fundamental and extremely limited resource for atoll islands' population. The interplay of climatic and human-driven processes, which affect both the quantity and the quality of freshwater resources, may exacerbate the problem of water security and availability. This work evaluated the effects of good spectrum of anthropic impacts on groundwater quality in a typical and representative native inhabited island (c.a. 850 people) of Maldives, analyzing and interpreting hydrological and hydrochemical data, collected during a specific field survey on 51 sampling points after a rainy season. The island groundwater is constituted by a thin asymmetric lens, periodically recharged by rain. The lifestyle of people and water exploitation seem to be sustainable, even if groundwater resources are already experiencing moderate contamination and, limited to some areas, heavy pollution. The sources of impacts have been identified in diffuse organic matter contamination due to a poor domestic wastewater treatment, farming (poultry) and gardening activities. To face these impacts, it is essential to build a sewer system paired with a possibility to recycle wastewater reducing water over-exploitation. The collaborative and educational initiatives organization, at different levels, can increase the capacity for planning a sustainable development. Our results provide useful information for sustainable management plans to preserve freshwater resources of the island, which conservation is especially important considering the context of the future lifestyle changes and climatic scenarios for the Maldives. These findings can be extended by analogy to others atoll islands.

Understanding thefactors that control As concentrations in groundwater is vital for supplying safe groundwaterin regions with As-polluted aquifers. Despite much research, mainly addressing Holocene aquifers hosting young (12,000 yrs) groundwatersare not yet fully understood and so are assessed here through an evaluation of the redox properties of the system in a type locality, the PoPlain (Italy).Analyses of redox-sensitive species and major ions on 22 groundwater samples from the Pleistocene arsenic-affected aquifer in the Po Plain shows that groundwater concentrations of As are controlled by the simultaneous operation of several terminal electron accepters. Organic matter, present as peat, is abundant in the aquifer, allowing groundwater to reach a quasi-steady-state of highly reducing conditions close to thermodynamic equilibrium. In this system, simultaneous reduction of Fe-oxide and sulfate results in low concentrations of As (median 7 μg/L) whereas As reaches higher concentrations (median of 82 μg/L) during simultaneous methanogenesis and Fe-reduction. The position of well-screens is an additional controlling factor on groundwater As: short screens that overlap confining aquitards generate higher As concentrations than long screens placed away from them. A conceptual model for groundwater As, applicable worldwidein other Pleistocene aquifers with reducible Fe-oxides andabundant organic matter is proposed: As may have two concentration peaks, the first after prolonged Fe-oxide reduction and until sulfate reduction takes place, the second during simultaneous Fe-reduction and methanogenesis.

With the widespread occurrence of microplastics in aquatic ecosystems having been firmly established, the focus of research has shifted towards the assessments of their influence on ecosystem functions and food webs. This includes interactions between microplastics and microalgae, as fundamental components at the base of aquatic food webs and pivotal organisms in a wide range of ecosystem functions. In this review, we present the current state of knowledge on microalgae-microplastic interactions and summarize the potential effect on their respective fate. Microplastics can and do interact with microalgae and the available literature has suggested that the epiplastic community of microalgae differs consistently from the surrounding aquatic communities; however, it is still not clear whether this different colonization is linked to the composition of the surface or more to the availability of a "hard" substrate on which organisms can attach and grow. Further studies are needed to understand to what extent the properties of different plastic materials and different environmental factors may affect the growth of microalgae on plastic debris. Biofouling may alter microplastic properties, especially increasing their density, consequently affecting the vertical fluxes of plastics. Moreover, microplastics may have toxic effects on microalgae, which could be physical or related to chemical interactions with plasticizers or other chemicals associated with plastics, with consequences for algal growth, photosynthetic activity, and morphology. Microplastics seems to have the potential to affect not only the quality (e.g., fatty acids and lipids composition, food dilution effect) but also the quantity of algal production, both positively and negatively. This may have consequences for energy fluxes, which may propagate throughout the whole food web and alter aquatic productivity. Even though experimental results have indicated reciprocal impacts between plastics and microalgae, it is currently difficult to predict how these impacts may manifest themselves at the ecosystem level. Therefore, further studies are needed to address this important topic.

This study presents the findings from several field campaigns carried out in Lake Idro (Northern Italy), a deep (124 m) meromictic-subalpine lake, whose water column is subdivided in a mixolimnion (~0–40 m) and a monimolimnion (~40–124 m). Hydrochemical data highlight two main peculiarities characterizing the Lake Idro meromixis: a) presence of a high manganese/iron ratio (up to 20 mol/mol), b) absence of a clear chemocline between the two main layers. The high manganese content contributed to the formation of a stable manganese dominated deep turbid stratum (40–65 m), enveloping the redoxcline (~45–55 m) in the upper monimolimnion. The presence of this turbid stratum in Lake Idro is described for the first time in this study. The paper examines the distribution of dissolved and particulate forms of transition metals (Mn and Fe), alkaline earth metals (Ca and Mg), and other macro-constituents or nutrients (S, P, NO3-N, NH4-N), discussing their behavior over the redoxcline, where the main transition processes occur. Field measurements and theoretical considerations suggest that the deep turbid stratum is formed by a complex mixture of manganese and iron compounds with a prevalence of Mn(II)/Mn(III) in different forms including dissolved, colloidal, and fine particles, that give to the turbid stratum a white-pink opalescent coloration. The bacteria populations show a clear stratification with the upper aerobic layer dominated by the heterotrophic Flavobacterium sp., the turbid stratum hosting a specific microbiological pool, dominated by Caldimonas sp., and the deeper anaerobic layer dominated by the sulfur-oxidizing and denitrifier Sulfuricurvum sp. The occurrence in August 2010 of an anomalous lake surface coloration lasting about four weeks and developing from milky white-green to red-brown suggests that the upper zone of the turbid stratum could be eroded during intense weather-hydrological conditions with the final red-brown coloration resulting from the oxidation of Mn(II)/Mn(III) to Mn(IV) compounds.

In big lakes with strong anthropogenic pressure, it is usually difficult to disentangle the impacts of climate variability from those driven by eutrophication. The present work aimed at the reconstruction of change in the species distribution and density of subfossil Cladocera in Lake Iseo (Italy) in relation to climate and anthropogenic pressure. We related subfossil Cladocera species composition and density in an 80-cm sediment core collected in the pelagic zone of Lake Iseo to long-term temperature trends and phosphorus concentration inferred by diatoms frustules. The Cladocera remains detected in Lake Iseo sediment reflected the species composition and density of modern pelagic Cladocera assemblages. Cladocera rapidly respond to environmental change, and that climate change combined with eutrophication can induce changes in community composition and species density. At the beginning of twentieth century, when global warming was not yet so accentuated, the nutrient increase in water resulted as the principal driver in determining the long-term development of plankton communities and pelagic food web structure. Moreover, catchment-related processes may decisively affect both species composition and density of the lake planktonic communities due to the decrease of lake water transparency induced by input of inorganic material from the catchment area to the lake. The paleolimnological investigation, through the combined study of biotic and abiotic factor, allowed clarifying the synergic effects of the most important drivers of change in lake ecosystems, suggesting that climatic factors should be considered with nutrient availability as determinant element in controlling the temporal development of plankton communities and pelagic food web structure.

Although freshwater is a vital resource for domestic and productive purposes, it is a very limited and vulnerable resource on atoll islands. Besides precipitations, on coral atolls groundwater is the only source of fresh water, usually extending below sea level in the form of a thin fresh water lens. Several possible environmental hazard can affect the availability of the resource, ranging from salinization induced by overexploitation to deterioration induced by unsustainable land use. Therefore, it becomes important to understand and characterize atolls’ islands aquifers and identify sustainable and hazardous practices to support a wise and farsighted resource management.In this work a detailed characterization of the aquifer of Magoodhoo Island (Faafu Atoll – Maldives) is performed, through a hydrogeological mapping and groundwater quality characterization.The Magoodhoo Island, with an area of 0.213 km2, is a typical and representative native inhabited island (c.a. 850 people) not affected by intense tourist traffic.In order to collect topographic data, a drone survey was performed, with a fly altitude set at 80 m a.s.l. to reach a 4 cm ground pixel resolution obtaining a Digital Elevation Model (DEM), with a resolution of 10 cm.Groundwater depth (m a.s.l.) was measured in 37 monitoring wells using a water level dipper to obtain a piezometric map of the aquifer. Furthermore, two CTD-diver were used to measure groundwater depth in a monitoring well and tidal oscillation of the sea level simultaneously with a time-resolution of 15 minutes for 5 days.Groundwater quality data were collected in 36 monitoring point, including a rainwater tank and analysed for physico-chemical parameters including water temperature (T), electrical conductivity (EC), pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), and DO saturation (DO%), major ions (Cl, NO3-N, NO2-N, NH4-N, total phosphorus (TP), Si, SO4, Ca, Mg, Na, Sr, and K) and metals/semi-metals (As, Pb, Ni, Fe, Mn and Zn).Results show that groundwater depth varies spatially from around 1 m a.s.l. in the north-eastern part (ocean side) to -1.2 m a.s.l. in the central-western part. On the time scale, a good correlation between groundwater level and tidal fluctuations is observed and a tidal lag of about 3.5 hours was determined through a cross-correlation analysis.Groundwater quality data highlighted different pollution point sources. The main impact on water quality was related to domestic activities producing a great amount of organic matter and wastewater. Other cases of local pollution were identified and associated to farm (poultry) and gardening activities (fertilization).This study allowed for an in-depth knowledge of the Maghoodoo island aquifer system, which can be extended to other Maldivian and atoll islands constituting a valuable support for future water resource planning and management.

The separation of microplastics from environmental matrices is still challenging, especially for sediments where microplastics can accumulate affecting benthic organisms. Many authors have adopted different procedures, but their effectiveness has been rarely compared. The present study aims to compare the recovery rate of three different methodologies for the separation of dense microplastics from fine sediments and provide insights about contamination processes occurring in microplastic separation techniques. The protocols tested are a density separation method with NaCl and NaI, a density separation with NaI followed by a centrifugation step, and a digestion method with 10%KOH (m/v). The recovery yields of two high-density polymers of three different dimensional classes were tested. The highest recovery rate was reported for the first protocol. However, this method proved to be expensive, and unsatisfactory results were found when using merely NaCl. The digestion method was the one that was proven to be simple, reproducible, and affordable. The contamination tests highlighted as multiple filtration steps can increase the number of fibers deriving from airborne contamination. Since a unified approach for microplastic separation from sediments is still not selected, this study is of paramount importance as it provides data about the reliability of different methods widely adopted.

// Ferdinando Maria Milazzo 1 , Anna Maria Anastasi 1 , Caterina Chiapparino 1 , Antonio Rosi 1 , Barbara Leoni 1 , Loredana Vesci 1 , Fiorella Petronzelli 1 , Rita De Santis 1 1 Biotech Products, Research and Development, Sigma-Tau SpA, 00071 Pomezia, Rome, Italy Correspondence to: Rita De Santis, email: rita.desantis@sigma-tau.it Keywords: avidinOX, trastuzumab, pertuzumab, ErbB2, cancer Received: December 23, 2016 Accepted: January 25, 2017 Published: February 07, 2017 ABSTRACT The oxidized version of Avidin, known as AvidinOX, was previously shown to link to tissue proteins upon injection or nebulization, thus becoming a stable receptor for biotinylated therapeutics. AvidinOX is currently under clinical investigation to target radioactive biotin to inoperable tumor lesions ( ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02053324). Presently, we show that the anti-ErbB2 monoclonal antibodies Trastuzumab and Pertuzumab can be chemically biotinylated while maintaining their biochemical and biological properties. By using several and diverse experimental conditions, we show that when AvidinOX is conjugated to tumor cells, low antibody concentrations of biotinylated Trastuzumab (bTrast) or Pertuzumab (bPert) prevent internalization of ErbB2, induce endoplasmic reticulum stress, cell cycle arrest and apoptosis leading to inhibition of proliferation and ErbB2 signaling. Moreover, we found that the treatment is able to induce down-modulation of ErbB2 thus bypassing the known resistance of this receptor to degradation. Interestingly, we show that AvidinOX anchorage is a way to counteract agonistic activities of Trastuzumab and Pertuzumab. Present data are in agreement with previous observations from our group indicating that the engagement of the Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) by AvidinOX-bound biotinylated Cetuximab or Panitumumab, leads to potent tumor inhibition both in vitro and in animal models. All results taken together encourage further investigation of AvidinOX-based treatments with biotinylated antibodies directed to the members of the EGFR family.

Recent studies have highlighted an increase of chloride in many lakes worldwide, with negative effects on chemical and physical properties of inland waters and freshwater biota. In this study, we assessed the long-term trend (1993–2017) of chloride in Lake Iseo, located in the midlatitudes, and analyzed its relationship with discharge data of the inflows and hydrological and hydroclimatic changes. Additionally, we performed a specific annual survey, collecting water samples at a biweekly frequency in tributaries, calculating chloride load, and comparing the result with the chloride increase observed in lacustrine water. The combined use of Geographic Information System (GIS) and multivariate analyses allowed identification of possible sources of chloride and their seasonal dynamic within the mixed-land-use watershed: impervious surface and deicing salt, population and sewage effluents, livestock, and rainwater. Their potential contribution to total mass balance was assessed, cross-checking the results between chloride source evaluation and load estimation. Chloride load from wastewater treatment plants played an important role, albeit we highlighted that the main source was the road deicing salt, with a primarily winter contribution. The increased anthropization in the watershed was likely the main cause of the chloride enhancement. This study demonstrates that the problem of salinization can also affect lakes located in the midlatitude areas and provides a reproducible method for the identification and quantification of the different sources. Our results will help to better understand the potential sources of salinity in rivers that may reveal processes controlling the salinization of freshwater systems, with implications for future management practices.

We review the state of the art of limnological studies in Lake Iseo and provide updated data concerning long-term investigations (from 1993 to 2018) carried out on chemical and physical parameters (e.g., oxygen, phosphorus, silicon). Changes observed in Lake Iseo were compared with those reported in other Deep South alpine Lakes (DSLs) to highlight analogies and differences of long-term chemical, physical, and biological patterns. Until the 1960s, Lake Iseo and other DSLs were oligotrophic. The increase of anthropogenic pressure and global warming has led to a progressive and unrecovered process of eutrophication. Moreover, the decrease in frequency of full mixing episodes has induced a state of temporary meromixis. Other changes have been identified over the last two decades, especially concerning the phytoplankton and zooplankton communities, and new emerging chemical pollutants were detected. Given the important ecological and socioeconomic role of Lake Iseo, long-term investigations are of paramount importance to understand the response of the lake ecosystem to climatic and anthropogenic stressors. These two factors can also act coupled with new combined and synergic effects.

A first synoptic and trans-domain overview of plankton dynamics was conducted across the aquatic sites belonging to the Italian Long-Term Ecological Research Network (LTER-Italy). Based on published studies, checked and complemented with unpublished information, we investigated phytoplankton and zooplankton annual dynamics and long-term changes across domains: from the large subalpine lakes to mountain lakes and artificial lakes, from lagoons to marine coastal ecosystems. This study permitted identifying common and unique environmental drivers and ecological functional processes controlling seasonal and long-term temporal course. The most relevant patterns of plankton seasonal succession were revealed, showing that the driving factors were nutrient availability, stratification regime, and freshwater inflow. Phytoplankton and mesozooplankton displayed a wide interannual variability at most sites. Unidirectional or linear long-term trends were rarely detected but all sites were impacted across the years by at least one, but in many case several major stressor(s): nutrient inputs, meteo-climatic variability at the local and regional scale, and direct human activities at specific sites. Different climatic and anthropic forcings frequently co-occurred, whereby the responses of plankton communities were the result of this environmental complexity. Overall, the LTER investigations are providing an unparalleled framework of knowledge to evaluate changes in the aquatic pelagic systems and management options.

For several hundred years, farming in the Po Plain of Italy (46,000 km2, 20 million inhabitants) has been supported by intensive surface irrigation with lake and river water. Despite the longevity of irrigation, its effects on the quality and quantity of groundwater is poorly known and so is investigated here through seasonal measurements of hydraulic heads and water quality in groundwaters, rivers, lake, springs and rainwaters. In the north of the study region, an unconfined coarse-grained alluvial aquifer, infiltration of surface irrigation water, sourced from the Oglio River and low in NO3, contributes much to aquifer recharge (up to 88%, as evidenced by a δ2H-Cl/Br mixing model) and has positive effects on groundwater quality by diluting high concentrations of NO3 (decrease by 17% between June and September). This recharge also helps to maintain numerous local springs that form important local micro-environments. Any increase in water-use efficiency in irrigation will reduce this recharge, imperil the spring environments, and lessen the dilution of NO3 leading to increasing NO3 concentrations in groundwater. These findings can be extended by analogy to the entire Po Plain region and other surface-water-irrigated systems worldwide where inefficient irrigation methods are used and similar hydrogeological features occur.

In the Po Plain of northern Italy, one of the larger alluvial basin in Europe, groundwater quality is threatened by nitrate pollution. The main aim of this work is to assess the origin of this pollution and understand how groundwater/surface-water interactions affect nitrate concentrations in the region. The study area is part of the Oglio River basin and covers around 1,900 km2 between the outflow from Lake Iseo and the confluence with Mella River. The northern part of the area (i.e. higher plain) hosts a sandy mono-layer aquifer that passes southwards into a multi-layer aquifer (lower plain) with increasing silt and clay contents. The transition between higher and lower plain is marked by a series of semi-natural springs, the so called “springs belt”. The Oglio River is losing in its first ~30 km crossing the higher plain, then becomes gaining. The area is crossed by hundreds of irrigation channels fed by Oglio River water. Six field surveys (November 2015, February, June, September 2016, March and July 2017) were carried out and up to 58 groundwaters, 20 Oglio River and tributaries waters, 7 spring waters and 1 Lake Iseo water were sampled in each survey. Analyses were performed for major ions, trace elements and stable isotopes (δ18O/ δ2H in water, δ18O/ δ15N in nitrates and δ11B). Concentrations of NO3 were higher in groundwater from the higher plain and spring water (median of 39.8 and 40.6 mg/L, respectively) than in groundwater from the lower plain, where NO3 was generally below the detection limit. The losing reach of the Oglio River had low concentrations of NO3 that nevertheless increased downstream from a median concentration of 2.5 mg/L at Lake Iseo to 20.6 mg/L in its lower gaining reaches. This is due to the gaining of groundwater from the higher plain that is higher in NO3. Isotope data showed that NO3 originated from different anthropogenic sources, such as animal manure, septic tanks and, to a lesser extent, synthetic fertilizers. Beneath intensively-irrigated areas, the isotopic composition is shifted through the compositional range of synthetic fertilizers. This could be due to an increased dissolution of fertilizers related to the intensive irrigation. Irrigation also plays an important role in controlling groundwater NO3: concentrations are lower (mean 38.4 mg/L) where irrigation water is sourced from the channels and higher (mean 56.4 mg/L) where irrigation is performed using groundwater. The difference arises because irrigation channels carry Oglio River water, that has low NO3 concentrations (mean 8.5 mg/L). Therefore, in this case, irrigation water contributes to diluting the high anthropogenic NO3 contents in groundwater. This finding is supported by water isotopes since the Oglio River is more depleted than local precipitation. This work was supported by Fondazione Cariplo, grant 2014-1282.

BTEX compounds (Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene and Xylenes) are toxic hydrocarbons that can be found in groundwater due to accidental spills. Bioelectrochemical systems (BES) are an innovative technology to stimulate the anaerobic degradation of hydrocarbons. In this work, single chamber BESs were used to assess the degradation of a BTEX mixture at different applied voltages (0.8V, 1.0V, 1.2V) between the electrodes. Hydrocarbon degradation was linked to current production and to sulfate reduction, at all the tested potentials. The highest current densities (about 200mA/m2 with a maximum peak at 480mA/m2) were observed when 0.8V were applied. The application of an external voltage increased the removal of toluene, m-xylene and p-xylene. The highest removal rate constants at 0.8V were: 0.4±0.1days−1, 0.34±0.09days−1 and 0.16±0.02days−1, respectively. At the end of the experiment, the microbial communities were characterized by high throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. Microorganisms belonging to the families Desulfobulbaceae, Desulfuromonadaceae and Geobacteraceae were enriched on the anodes suggesting that both direct electron transfer and sulfur cycling occurred. The cathodic communities were dominated by the family Desulfomicrobiaceae that may be involved in hydrogen production.

In Lake Iseo (Lombardia, Italy), the predominant species in the cyanobacterial taxa was Planktothrix rubescens. However, since 2014, the presence of an allochthonous Cyanobacteria, Tychonema bourrellyi, able to produce consistent biomasses and harmful toxins, was detected. The causes of this expansion are poorly understood. Many studies have linked the development of allochthonous Cyanobacteria populations with climate change. This study shows the spatio-temporal dynamics, the ecological requirements, and the interspecific relationship of P. rubescens and T. bourrellyi. Samples were collected monthly in 2016 at six different depths in the water column; 20 chemico-physical characteristics were measured; and Cyanobacteria density, morphology, and biovolume were evaluated. The results allowed a comparison of the spatial pattern of the two species, which showed a greater distribution at a depth of 10–20 m, and their seasonal dynamics. Both Cyanobacteria were present throughout the year, with the greatest abundance during the period from March to May. A temporal shift was observed in their development, linked to different capacities for overcoming winter and mixing periods. Principal Component Analysis, performed on 20 observations (4 months × 5 depths), highlighted the important role of the stability of the water column in determining T. bourrellyi settlement in Lake Iseo and the role of solar radiation in spring population development.

© 2017 Elsevier B.V. In this work, a fixed-dose combination of gabapentin and flurbiprofen formulated as multilayer tablets has been designed, developed and studied in vitro and in vivo. The aim was to construct a single dosage form of the two drugs, able to perform a therapeutic program involving three release kinetics and two delivery sites, i.e., immediate release of gabapentin, intra-gastric prolonged release of gabapentin and intestinal (delayed) release of flurbiprofen. An oblong three-layer tablet was manufactured having as top layer a floating hydrophilic polymeric matrix for gastric release of gabapentin, as middle layer a disintegrating formulation for immediate release of a gabapentin loading dose and as bottom layer, an uncoated hydrophilic polymeric matrix, swellable but insoluble in gastric fluids, for delayed and prolonged release of flurbiprofen in intestinal environment. The formulations were studied in vitro and in vivo in healthy volunteers. The in vitro release rate assessment confirmed the programmed delivery design. A significant higher bioavailability of gabapentin administered 30 min after meal, compared to fasting conditions or to dose administration 10 min before meal, argued in favor of the gastro-retention of gabapentin prolonged release layer. The two drugs were delivered at different anatomical sites, since the food presence prolonged the gastric absorption of gabapentin from the floating layer and delayed the flurbiprofen absorption. The attainment of a successful delayed release of flurbiprofen was realized by a matrix based on a polymers' combination. The combined use of three hydrophilic polymers with different pH sensitivity provided the dosage form layer containing flurbiprofen with gastro-resistant characteristics without the use of film coating.

The study of the multiannual thermal dynamics of Lake Iseo, a deep lake in the Italian pre-alpine area, is presented. Interflow was found to be the dominant river entrance mode, suggesting future susceptibility of the lake thermal structure to the overall effects of climate change expected in the upstream alpine watershed. A lake model employed the results of a long-term hydrologic model to simulate the effects of a climate change scenario on the lake's thermal evolution for the period 2012–2050. The model predicts an overall average increase in the lake water temperature of 0.012 °C/year and a reinforced Schmidt thermal stability of the water column in the winter up to 800 J/m2. Both these effects may further hinder the deep circulation process, which is vital for the oxygenation of deep water. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Groundwater level forecasting is a useful tool for a more efficient and sustainable groundwater resource management. Developing models that can accurately reproduce groundwater level response to meteorological conditions can lead to a better understanding of the groundwater resource availability. Here an autoregressive neural network (NNARx) approach is proposed and compared with autoregressive linear models with exogenous input (ARx) in order to forecast groundwater level in an aquifer system where a linear groundwater level response to recharge by rainfall is observed. A well known problem regarding neural networks consists in the high risk of overfitting. Here, three NNARx model were trained using different methods to avoid overfitting: Early stopping, Bayesian regularization and a combination of both. The results show that on the short term forecasting (up to 15 days) the performance of NNARx and ARx are comparable but the ARx model generalizes better, while the NNARx trained with Bayesian regularization outperforms the linear models and the other NNARx models on longer scenarios on the test set. As linear models are less time demanding and do not require high computational power, they can be considered as suitable tools for short term groundwater level forecasting in linear systems while when longer scenarios are needed neural networks can be considered more reliable, and training them with Bayesian regularization allows to minimize the risk of overfitting.

[1] Hydrodynamic modeling of lakes requires an extensive amount of data that must often be measured far from the shore and throughout the water column. Accordingly, long-term comprehensive data sets for lakes are relatively rare. Lake Iseo is a deep prealpine lake, which we have monitored since 1995 on a monthly basis, collecting high-resolution data since 2011. These measurements were complemented with additional time series from surrounding meteorological stations and a comprehensive data set has been gathered for the period 1995–2012. This can be used, among other things, to test the capabilities of models to investigate the dynamics of a deep lake.

The fat content and the fatty acid composition of the roe of European catfish (Silurus glanis) wild specimens captured in the Lambro river basin (Como, Northern Italy) were investigated in order to assess their nutritional value. Total extracted lipid values on roe weight were 5.8-6.3%. Phospholipids (40.2-43.6%) and triacylglycerols (31.8-34.7%) were the most represented lipid classes. Relevant amount of cholesteryl esters (14.3-15.6%) were also detected. The main fatty acids were palmitic, oleic and cis-4,7,10,13,16,19-docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Total saturated fatty acids were 28.1-30.9%, monounsaturated fatty acids were 28.2-30.6%, and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) were 26.7-29.1%. The good found content of phospholipids and ω3-polyunsaturated fatty acids encourage further investigation for the exploitation of Silurus glanis roe in food products and/or supplements.

Seasonal changes in trophic position and food sources of deep subalpine lake (Lake Iseo, Northern Italy) zooplankton taxa were investigated during the year 2011. Furthermore, it's combined carbon and nitrogen Stable Isotope Analysis (SIA) with size-specific analyses of both, the major predatory cladoceran (Leptodora kindtii, Focke) and two potential preys (Daphnia longispina complex and Eubosmina longicornis). SIA studies have been extremely useful to track the energy flow through complex trophic network, however, if it is applied to analyze relation between two/few species may lead to misleading interpretations. In fact, integrating size-specificity allowed for understanding why L. kindtii nitrogen isotopic fingerprint fully overlapped with Daphnia, in spring. By investigating changes in L. kindtii's feeding basket, we found that in spring, L. kindtii mainly relied upon E. longicornis as prey, Daphnia being of too large body size for being captured by L. kindtii. Among preys encountered directly in front by a free-swimming Leptodora, only those able to fit into basket opening can be captured. As basket diameter increases with animal body length, size selection of prey depends on L. kindtii body length. As in other deep, subalpine lakes, E. longicornis was less 15N-enriched than Daphnia, most likely because of exploiting nitrogen fixing, cyanobacteria colonies, commonly detected in Lake Iseo with the onset of thermal stratification. Cyclopoid adults were at the top of zooplankton food chain and they could potentially be feeding on Daphnia. They, however, likely fed in a different habitat (>20 m deep water), as suggested by a rather than negligible carbon fractionation. The results overall suggest that size-specificity is crucial for addressing space and time changes in trophic links between organisms composing the two hierarchical levels within open water zooplankton community.

The availability of more than thirty years of historical satellite data is a valuable source which could be used as an alternative to the sparse in-situ data. We developed a new homogenised time series of daily day time Lake Surface Water Temperature (LSWT) over the last thirty years (1986–2015) at a spatial resolution of 1Âkm from thirteen polar orbiting satellites. The new homogenisation procedure implemented in this study corrects for the different acquisition times of the satellites standardizing the derived LSWT to 12:00 UTC. In this study, we developed new time series of LSWT for five large lakes in Italy and evaluated the product with in-situ data from the respective lakes. Furthermore, we estimated the long-term annual and summer trends, the temporal coherence of mean LSWT between the lakes, and studied the intra-annual variations and long-term trends from the newly developed LSWT time series. We found a regional warming trend at a rate of 0.017°CÂyrÂ−1annually and 0.032°CÂyrÂ−1during summer. Mean annual and summer LSWT temporal patterns in these lakes were found to be highly coherent. Amidst the reported rapid warming of lakes globally, it is important to understand the long-term variations of surface temperature at a regional scale. This study contributes a new method to derive long-term accurate LSWT for lakes with sparse in-situ data thereby facilitating understanding of regional level changes in lake's surface temperature.

We recently described an oxidized avidin variant, named AvidinOX®, which is a product that chemically links to tissue proteins while maintaining the capacity to uptake intravenously administered biotin. Such product proved to be successful in targeting radionuclide therapy in a mouse model of inoperable breast cancer. Here, we show that the uptake of a single or multiple doses of biotin (up to five times), by the tissue-bound AvidinOX®, is stable for 2 weeks. Taking into account that oxidized avidin is the first chemically reactive protein to be proposed for clinical use, we evaluated its tolerability, immunogenicity and mutagenicity. Present in vitro data indicate that AvidinOX® (up to 10 μg/5 × 105 cells) does not affect cell viability or proliferation of PC3 human prostate cancer or 3T3 mouse fibroblast cell lines as well as primary mouse spleen cells. Safety pharmacology and toxicology studies were conducted using AvidinOX® up to the highest concentration compatible with its solubility (about 12 mg/mL), representing four times the product concentration intended for human use, and in the maximum administrable volume compatible with each study system. The intramuscular administration in rat and monkey induced a moderate to strong inflammatory response particularly after a second administration and consistently with the induction of an immune response. Interestingly, the intramuscular administration of AvidinOX® to rodents and monkeys exhibiting very high anti-avidin antibody titres was well tolerated with no systemic symptoms of any kind. Intravenous administration of AvidinOX®, performed to mimic an accidental injection of the dose intended for a local administration (15 μL of 3.3 mg/mL solution), showed significant localization of the product into the spleen not associated with uptake of the radiolabelled biotin intravenously injected after 24 hr, thus suggesting rapid inactivation. No mutagenic activity was induced by oxidized avidin in prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. Overall, the present data indicate that AvidinOX® is well tolerated in rodents and non-human primates, thus supporting its clinical use within protocols of radionuclide therapy of inoperable tumour lesions.

Hen egg white avidin is increasingly used in the clinic as part of multifactor treatments such as pretargeted radionuclide therapy of cancer or as an antidote of biotinylated drugs. Taking into account that naturally occurring human antiavidin antibodies (HAVA) are common in humans, the present work investigates avidin immunogenicity as part of risk/benefit evaluations. Sera from 139 oncology patients naive to avidin were confirmed to exhibit HAVA with lognormally distributed titers. HAVA were boosted after avidin treatment, with no correlation with the avidin dose or with the basal titer. No antibody-related clinical symptoms were observed in 21 HAVA-positive patients treated with avidin. In mouse models, high mouse antiavidin antibody titers, induced to simulate the worst human condition, neither reduced the biotin uptake of intratissue-injected avidin nor affected the capacity of intravenously injected avidin to clear a biotinylated drug from circulation. In both models the avidin treatment was well tolerated. Results indicate that avidin immunogenicity does not affect its safety and efficacy, thus encouraging its further use in clinical applications.

Ammonia is a widespread pollutant in aquatic ecosystems originating directly and indirectly from human activities, which can strongly affect the structure and functioning of the aquatic foodweb. The biological oxidation of NH4+ to nitrite, and then nitrate is a key part of the complex nitrogen cycle and a fundamental process in aquatic environments, having a profound influence on ecosystem stability and functionality. Environmental studies have shown that our current knowledge of physical and chemical factors that control this process and the abundance and function of involved microorganisms are not entirely understood. In this paper, the efficiency and the transformation velocity of ammonium into oxidised compounds in 14 south-alpine lakes in northern Italy, with a similar origin, but different trophic levels, are compared with lab-scale experimentations (20 °C, dark, oxygen saturation) that are performed in artificial microcosms (4 L). The water samples were collected in different months to highlight the possible effect of seasonality on the development of the ammonium oxidation process. In four-liter microcosms, concentrations were increased by 1 mg/L NH4+ and the process of ammonium oxidation was constantly monitored. The time elapsed for the decrease of 25% and 95% of the initial ion ammonium concentration and the rate for that ammonium oxidation were evaluated. Principal Component Analysis and General Linear Model, performed on 56 observations and several chemical and physical parameters, highlighted the important roles of total phosphorus and nitrogen concentrations on the commencement of the oxidation process. Meanwhile, the natural concentration of ammonium influenced the rate of nitrification (µg NH4+/L day). Seasonality did not seem to significantly affect the ammonium transformation. The results highlight the different vulnerabilities of lakes with different trophic statuses.

International audience; Based on long-term trends of water chemistry parameters of photochemical significance from four lakes located in the Alps (Iseo, Garda, Piburgersee, Geneva), we calculated the corresponding steady-state concentrations of photoinduced transient species with an ad-hoc photochemical model. Such transients were the hydroxyl ((OH)-O-center dot) and carbonate (CO3') radicals, singlet oxygen (O-1(2)), and the triplet states of chromophoric dissolved organic matter ((CDOM)-C-3*). Among the investigated lakes, Lake Iseo, for example, showed a long-term near-stability in chemical parameters that resulted in a photochemical stability. By contrast, Piburgersee underwent important chemical modifications, but the interplay of compensation (parallel increase of both inorganic and organic carbon) and near-saturation effects (organic matter as main (OH)-O-center dot source and sink) prevented the modelled photochemistry to undergo significant shifts over time. This result suggests the occurrence of a sort of "photochemical buffering" in some lake ecosystems, which would dampen modifications of the steady-state concentration of the photochemically-formed reactive transients, even in the case of significant changes in water chemistry. Finally, in lakes Garda and Geneva, long-term changes in water chemistry had an effect on photochemistry. While in Lake Garda the small increase in DOM was associated to a small increase in O-1(2) and (CDOM)-C-3*, in Lake Geneva, the increases in pH and bicarbonate and the decrease in nitrite resulted in an (OH)-O-center dot decrease. Overall, our results predict very different lake photochemistry patterns in relation to alterations in water chemistry parameters caused by climate change, such as changes in water alkalinity and dissolved organic carbon concentration.

A combination of field observations and 3-D hydrodynamic simulations were used to identify the phytoplankton species and to estimate the various time scales of the dominant physical and biological processes in Lake Iseo, a deep subalpine lake located in northern Italy, during a stratified period (July 2010). By ordering the rate processes time scales, we derive a phytoplankton patch categorization and growth interpretation that provides a general framework for the spatial distribution of phytoplankton concentration in Lake Iseo and illuminates the characteristics of their ecological niches. The results show that the diurnal surface layer was well mixed, received strong diurnal radiation, had low phosphorus concentrations and the phytoplankton biomass was sustained by the green alga Sphaerocystis schroeterii. The vertical mixing time scales were much shorter than horizontal mixing time scales causing a depth-uniform chlorophyll a concentration. The horizontal patch scale was determined by horizontal dispersion balancing the phytoplankton growth time scale, dictating the success of the observed green algae. The strongly stratified nutrient-rich metalimnion had mild light conditions and Diatoma elongatum and Planktothrix rubescens made up the largest proportions of the total phytoplankton biomass at the intermediate and deeper metalimnetic layers. The vertical transport time scales were much shorter than horizontal transport and vertical dispersion leading to growth niche for the observed phytoplankton. The study showed that time-scale hierarchy mandates the essential phytoplankton attributes or traits for success in a particular section of the water column and/or water body.

Lake Monger (Perth, Western Australia) is a highly eutrophic lake, characterised by very low species richness of macrophytes with the dominance of Potamogeton crispus. Mesocosm experiments were performed using water and plants collected from the lake to determine the effects of vegetation decay on the phosphorus (P) concentrations in the overlying waters. After 2 weeks of experimental incubation of mesocosms with and without re-oxygenation, P concentrations in the water column were significantly higher, showing a quite similar effect of P. crispus on the phosphorus release in different mesocosms. The results of our study provide clear evidence that the P concentrations in overlying waters mainly depend upon the plant P content and developmental stage. Although many sources contribute to the nutrient load of Lake Monger, macrophyte harvesting, prior to its senescence, might constitute a significant in-lake measure for reducing the internal P load.

The main focus of this study was to investigate the effects of lime treatment with Ca(OH)(2) on a hypereutrophic hardwater lake (Lake Alserio, Northern Italy), focusing on its impact on plankton communities. We performed a mesocosm experiment using two large enclosures, one for treatment and one control, in the lake. The addition of Ca(OH)(2) proved to be effective in reducing phosphorus concentration, but the effect was limited in time. Redissolution of the precipitating calcium carbonate as it came into contact with the deep water determined a phosphorus increase about 2 weeks after the liming. The liming had a strong impact on the plankton assemblage, as was demonstrated by the sharp decrease in phytoplankton and zooplankton biomass and density, and 1 month after the treatment we observed a different taxonomic composition inside the enclosure from that of the lake. The result of the experiment showed that liming with Ca(OH)(2) can be regarded as a suitable treatment for accelerating recovery of the lake. Multiple treatments will be necessary to improve the trophic level over a longer period.