Browsing by Author "Paoletti, Elena"
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- Assessment of tropospheric ozone phytotoxic effects on the grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.): A reviewPublication . Blanco-Ward, Daniel; Ribeiro, A.C.; Paoletti, Elena; Miranda, Ana IsabelThe grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) is a crop with great cultural, economic and ecological relevance for Mediterranean environments besides being the fruit crop with largest acreage and economic value at the global scale. Its exposure to high levels of tropospheric ozone (O3) can result in phytotoxic effects and thus it is important to comprehensively re-evaluate these effects as well as related processes. A review of the validity and limitations of the standards used for the protection of vegetation in relation to ambient O3, the state-of the-art knowledge on O3 phytotoxic effects on the grapevine and the available means to assess its impact are presented and discussed. It is concluded that wide regions in the world, mainly between latitudes 30◦ and 50◦ N, where the grapevine has been traditionally cultivated, are exposed to O3 concentrations that can affect both the yield and quality of the grape. Recently reported studies for global cultivars such as Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot, along publicly available maps on O3 standards to protect vegetation at the European and global scale, indicate potential yield reductions in the range of 20–31% and the quality of the grape can also be affected by reductions of total polyphenols in the range of 15–23% for these areas. Although a tendency to reduce ambient O3 levels has been registered since 2000 in the western European Mediterranean basin, the flux of O3 into the grapevine leaves could still exceed critical levels with phenological advancement driven by the increase of temperatures or interaction between O3 and other climatic variables such as drought or high summer light intensities. Higher O3 exposures are reported in western United States of America and eastern China, with this last region maintaining an increasing tendency in summer ambient O3 levels. It is still necessary to adopt common experimental and monitoring protocols to establish grapevine-specific O3 relationships and critical levels, as there is not yet a coherent and shared database for detailed risk assessment for this crop.
- Estimation of the allergenic potential of urban trees and urban parks: Towards the healthy design of urban green spaces of the futurePublication . Cariñanos, Paloma; Grilo, Filipa; Pinho, Pedro; Casares-Porcel, Manuel; Branquinho, Cristina; Acil, Nezha; Andreucci, María Beatrice; Anjos, Andreia; Bianco, Pietro Massimiliano; Brini, Silvia; Calaza-Martínez, Pedro; Calvo, Enrico; Carrari, Elisa; Castro, José; Chiesura, Anna; Correia, Otilia; Gonçalves, Artur; Gonçalves, Paula; Mexia, Teresa; Mirabile, Marzia; Paoletti, Elena; Santos-Reis, Margarida; Semenzato, Paolo; Vilhar, UrsaThe impact of allergens emitted by urban green spaces on health is one of the main disservices of ecosystems. The objective of this work is to establish the potential allergenic value of some tree species in urban environments, so that the allergenicity of green spaces can be estimated through application of the Index of Urban Green Zones Allergenicity (IUGZA). Multiple types of green spaces in Mediterranean cities were selected for the estimation of IUGZ. The results show that some of the ornamental species native to the Mediterranean are among the main causative agents of allergy in the population; in particular, Oleaceae, Cupressaceae, Fagaceae, and Platanus hispanica. Variables of the strongest impact on IUGZA were the bioclimatic characteristics of the territory and design aspects, such as the density of trees and the number of species. We concluded that the methodology to assess the allergenicity associated with urban trees and urban areas presented in this work opens new perspectives in the design and planning of urban green spaces, pointing out the need to consider the potential allergenicity of a species when selecting plant material to be used in cities. Only then can urban green areas be inclusive spaces, in terms of public health.
- Improvement of local ozone phytotoxicity modelling for autochthonous grape cultivarsPublication . Blanco-Ward, Daniel; Ribeiro, A.C.; Feliciano, Manuel; Barreales, David; Paoletti, Elena; Miranda, Ana IsabelCervical cancer prevention is based on primary prevention with vaccines against Human Papillomavirus (HPV) and secondary prevention by screening with High-Risk-HPV (Hr-HPV) detection. Since 2017, cervical cancer screening in women aged 25-60 years has been performed in Portugal using Hr-HPV detection, followed by cytology in Hr-HPV-positive cases. Herein we report the prevalence of Hr-HPV genotypes and cytological abnormalities among 462401 women (mean age: 43.73 +/- 10.79; median age: 45; range: 24-66 years) that participated in the Regional Cervical Cancer Screening Program of the Northern Region of Portugal, performed between August 2016 and December 2021. Overall, we describe a prevalence rate of 12.50% for Hr-HPV varying from 20.76% at age 25% to 8.32% at age 64. The five most common Hr-HPV genotypes identified were HPV-68 (16.09%), HPV-31 (15.30%), HPV-51 (12.96%), HPV-16 (11.06%), and HPV-39 (11.01%). The prevalence of Hr-HPV included in the nonavalent vaccine (HPV-9valent) was 55.00% ranging from 47.78% to 59.18% across different age groups. Considering positive Hr-HPV cases, 65.68% had a Negative for Intraepithelial Lesion or Malignancy (NILM) cytology, 20.83% atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASC-US), 8.85% Low-Grade Squamous Intraepithelial Lesion (LSIL), 1.65% High-Grade Squamous Intraepithelial Lesion (HSIL), 2.85% ASC-H, 0.09% Atypical Glandular Cells, 0.02% Adenocarcinomas, and 0.02% Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC). Our analysis revealed that HPV-9val genotypes were responsible for 52.13% NILM, 59.21% ASC-US, 55.06% LSIL, 90.14% HSIL, 83.50% ASC-H, and 100.00% SCC. Furthermore, multiple Hr-HPV infections (risk ratio [RR] = 1.46; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.34-1.58), HPV-16/18 (RR = 5.16; 95% CI 4.75-5.93), or HPV-9val genotypes (RR = 5.23; 95% CI 4.68-5.85) were associated with a significant risk of developing > HSIL (p < 0.001). To date, this is the largest study on Hr-HPV genotyping in cervical cancer screening that includes data from a complete cycle of the screening program. Our findings suggest a high prevalence of HPV-9valent genotypes and a significant association with an increased risk of developing > HSIL. This constitutes important data for health authorities, which may help define the future of vaccination and cervical cancer screening strategies.
- Validation of meteorological and ground-level ozone WRF-CHIMERE simulations in a mountainous grapevine growing area for phytotoxic risk assessmentPublication . Blanco-Ward, Daniel; Rocha, A.C.; Viceto, C.; Ribeiro, A.C.; Feliciano, Manuel; Paoletti, Elena; Miranda, Ana IsabelOzone is the most damaging phytotoxic air pollutant to crop yield quantity and quality. This study presents the validation of a simulation with the WRF-CHIMERE modelling system in order to assess the risk of phytotoxicity by tropospheric ozone for an important and characteristic Mediterranean crop, i.e. the grapevine. The study region was the Douro wine region in Portugal, which is characterized by a rugged relief and a Mediterranean climate. The simulation covered a reference grapevine growing season in the Northern Hemisphere (from April to September 2017), during which a particular measuring campaign was also carried out. The validation of the meteorological simulations on a daily and hourly time resolution was performed based on data from three weather stations, namely on temperature, global solar radiation, relative humidity, wind speed and direction values. The ozone phytotoxicity was assessed with data from two measuring stations. A specific grapevine growth parameter based on monitored phenological observations was introduced for ozone stomatal uptake assessment. Concerning meteorology, validation statistics were acceptable and within the range of what has been found in other regional climate modelling simulations. Ground-level ozone-based values were calculated for a better assessment of the phytotoxic risk, in particular cumulative standards for vegetation protection. Stomatal flux estimates were within the range of those measured for the local cultivars in the field campaign when there was not severe water stress limitation. Both field and statistically adjusted model values indicate that considerable areas in the Demarcated Douro Region of Portugal can exceed the critical exposure values for vegetation according to current European legislation standards. Moreover, measured and simulated results indicate an ozone impact on grapevine yield and quality in the target region because the exposure- and flux-based indices exceed the criteria based on current open-top-chamber experimental knowledge.