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Background: Immunotherapy is currently used to treat multiple types of cancer. While dermatologic toxicity of all grades occur, there are few reports of leukocytoclastic vasculitis induced by immunotherapy. Case report: a 65 years old Romanian man known with chronic lymphatic leukaemia and stage IV non-keratinized squamous cell carcinoma of the lung received second line monotherapy with nivolumab. After the second cycle the patient was referred to our service with general malaise and an eruption of palpable purpuric lesions confluent in plaques with multiple ulcerations disseminated on the thighs and forearms bilaterally, associated with local oedema and pain. A skin biopsy was performed and leukocytoclastic vasculitis was diagnosed. Systemic vasculitis was excluded by extensive investigations. The patient was treated with corticotherapy and hydroxychloroquine, with a favourable evolution of the vasculitis. With maintenance therapy he was able to continue the oncologic treatment. Conclusion: We report a rare case of vascular toxicity of immunotherapy with good response to systemic corticotherapy and hydroxychloroquine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Micro and macroalgae are renewable and carbon-neutral sources of energy that can grow naturally or can be cultivated in nutrient-rich wastewater, without compromising the production of food crops. Microalgae use nutrients, accumulate heavy metals and reduce coliform bacteria from wastewater, thus contributing to their phytoremediation. Furthermore, the conversion of algae biomass into biofuels contributes to reducing the dependence on fossil fuels and greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere. Depending on the species and cultivation method, microalgae have a very fast growth rate (12 days) and their potential to produce biodiesel is 15 to 300 times higher than that of agricultural and energy crops conventionally used for biofuels. Lipid content in microalgae can reach 75-80% by weight of dry biomass. To produce 39 billion liters of biodiesel, 15 million tons of nitrogen and 2 million tons of phosphorus are required during the growth process of microalgae. From algae cultivated in 500 billion m3 of industrial wastewater, approximately 37 million tons of oil can be extracted that can be transformed into biodiesel. However, there are also challenges in large-scale utilization of microalgae, due to the high energy input, technical difficulties encountered in harvesting unicellular microalgae, and the need for subsequent pretreatment operations to improve lipid extraction. This paper reviews the potential of microalgae species to thrive in wastewater and the technological achievements in converting microalgae biomass for the sustainable biodiesel production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acne vulgaris is a disorder of the pilosebaceous unit that affects approximately 85% of teenagers. There are multiple factors involved in the pathogenesis, among which an imbalance in the skin microbiota, with an increased representation of Cutibacterium (former Propionibacterium) acnes, that activates innate immunity and leads to chronic inflammation. This review highlights recent observations regarding the influence of different Cutibacterium acnes phylotypes in acne and the importance of antimicrobial resistance of acne-associated strains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Black Sea basin is a unique and very complex environment in the World Ocean as a result of its evolution, location and history. This is the reason why in the last years there is an increasing scientific interest in deciphering the complex processes and mechanisms governing this area. Besides the well-known environmental problems of the basin related to pollution, eutrophication, overfishing and loss of biodiversity, erosion and flooding (as a result of storminess and sea level rise) are affecting many coasts around the Black Sea. The aim of our study is to evaluate the erosion and flooding hazards along the Black Sea coasts through an in-depth and well-grounded scientific analysis of a comprehensive database of multiple sources. For this endeavour, we have computed a Coastal Sensitivity Index (CSI) at 1-km spatial scale for more than 4300 sectors around the Black Sea, taking into consideration geological–geomorphological and physical characteristics of each sector through the following parameters: type of coast (coastal geomorphology and lithology), coastal slope (from shoreline to 20 m depth), shoreline changes in the last 30 years, wave incidence (the angle between the shoreline and the dominant storm waves), significant wave height during storm conditions and relative sea level rise. The results for each parameter are detailed and statistically presented and are finally aggregated into CSI. The most sensitive sectors to erosion and flooding cover almost one quarter of the entire Black Sea coastline and are superposed on the low-lying sandy beaches from deltas and coastal barriers situated mainly in the NW basin (Danube Delta, Dnister and Dniper limans, barriers and spits from Tendrovskaya and Dzharlygachskiy areas), and also in the deltaic areas of Turkey and Georgia or in the area of the Kerch Strait.Implications of CSI distribution for the coastal erosion management in different countries are also discussed in close connection with the different coastal legislation in each country, the impact of EU regulations and directives and the lack of specific regulations in the non-EU countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]