No abstract

We directly compared risk factors between 214 histologically confirmed melanomas (CMM), 215 basal-cell carcinomas (BCC) and 139 squamous-cell carcinomas (SCC) in a multiple case -case -control study with 349 controls from patients without dermatological disease admitted to the same hospitals. Subjects with fair hair had a significant risk increase for all types of tumours at a comparable level (OR adj for blonde hair: CMM 2.3; SCC 2.4; BCC 2.3). The effect of pale eyes was significant and similar for CMM and BCC (OR adj 2.6). Intermittent sun exposure measured in hours spent at beach during holidays was significant for both CMM (OR adj 2.6 for more than 7000 lifelong hours) and BCC (OR adj 2.1 for more than 7000 lifelong hours), while SCC exhibited a significant risk increase for chronic exposure to sunlight measured in hours of outdoor work (OR adj 2.2 for more than 6000 lifelong hours). In the case -case comparison using a multinomial logistic regression model, we found a statistically significant risk difference for pale eyes, and number of naevi in the CMM group, compared to other skin cancers. For intermittent sun exposure, there was a significant risk difference of BCC when compared to the risk of SCC. Factors influencing risk of SCC are different, with chronic exposure to sun playing a major role in causing this type of carcinoma.

No abstract

No abstract

Management of waste wool is a problem related to sheep farming and butchery in Europe. Since the primary role of European flock is meat production, sheep are crossbreds not graded for fine wool production. Their wool is very coarse and contains a lot of kemps (dead fibres), so that it is practically unserviceable for textile uses, and represents a by-product which is mostly disposed off. Green hydrolysis using superheated water is an emerging technology to turn waste wool into amendment-fertilizers for the management of grasslands and other cultivation purposes. In this way wool keratin (the wool protein) is degraded into simpler compounds, tailoring the release speed of nutrients to plants. Wool, when added to the soil, increases the yield of grass grown, absorbs and retains moisture very effectively and reduces run off of contaminants such as pesticides. Moreover, the closed-loop cycle grass-wool-grass is an efficient form of recycling, because the wool-grass step is solar powered and grazing sheep increases soil carbon sequestration on grasslands and fertilisation, if not overused, can enhance the carbon sequestration rate. Economical results of using hydrolysed wool as a fertilizer are expected from the increase of the management yield and the extension of the pasture lands that may contribute to employment and profit of sheep farming, increase European sheep population, and reduce European dependency of imported meat which is forecast to rise in the next years.

No abstract

A large amount of coarse wool, practically unserviceable for textile use, is generated in Europe from sheep shearing and butchery. Such a byproduct is either dumped, burned, or sent to landfill. Following the European Commission regulations on animal byproduct control, unserviceable raw wool is classified as a category 3 special waste materials. The collection, storage, transport, treatment, use, and disposal of such unserviceable raw wool are subject to European Union regulations because of a potential risk to human and animal health. This study aims at converting the waste wool into nitrogen fertilizers at a commercial scale for grassland management and cultivation purposes. The chemical transformation of waste wool in to fertilizer is based on a green economically sustainable hydrolysis treatment using superheated water. The experiments were carried out in a semi-industrial reactor feeding superheated water. The wool/superheated water system was maintained for different reaction times. The optimal conditions for this treatment were as follows: 170 °C for 60 min with a solid to liquor ratio (MLR) close to 1. The hydrolyzed product was analyzed using amino acid analysis and molecular weight distribution. Both the amino acid and molecular weight distribution analysis revealed that the wool was completely degraded and the hydrolyzed product contains a low molecular weight proteins and amino acids. Several hydrolyzed product obtained at different conditions were tested for germination which showed a germination index higher than 100% without collateral phytotoxicity. The presence of amino acids, primary nutrients, and micronutrients in wool hydrolyzates, along with a concentration of heavy metals below the standard limit, confirm the possibility of using wool hydrolyzates as a nitrogen based ecologically sound fertilizer.

No abstract