Aggiornamenti e novità sulla distribuzione del genere Gagea (Liliaceae) in Toscana

Viene confermata la presenza di Gagea bohemica (zauschn.) Scuhlt. & Schult. f. nell’unica località nota per la Toscana (isola d’Elba) e di G. granatellii (Parl.) Parl. all’isola del Giglio, dove da oltre 100 anni la specie non era stata più osservata. Vengono anche segnalate nuove località di G. granatellii nella porzione centrale e orientale dell’isola d’Elba, nonché di G. lutea (L.) Ker-Gawl. e di G. pratensis (Pers.) Dumort. nella Toscana settentrionale (Pracchie di Pontito e Monte Morello, rispettivamente)

Nuclear functions of the tyrosine kinase Src

Src is the representative member of the Src-family kinases (SFKs), a group of tyrosine kinases involved in several cellular processes. Its main function has been for long confined to the plasma membrane/cytoplasm compartment, being a myristoylated protein anchored to the cell membrane and functioning downstream to receptors, most of them lacking intrinsic kinase activity. In the last decades, new roles for some SFKs have been described in the nuclear compartment, suggesting that these proteins can also be involved in directly regulating gene transcription or nucleoskeleton architecture. In this review, we focused on those nuclear functions specifically attributable to Src, by considering its function as both tyrosine kinase and adapting molecule. In particular, we addressed the Src involvement in physiological as well as in pathological conditions, especially in tumors

An updated inventory of the vascular flora of Elba island (Tuscan Archipelago, Italy)

We present an updated list of the vascular flora occurring on Elba island (Tuscan Archipelago). The list is based on bibliographic analysis and field studies carried out in the years 2006–2018. With a total of 1,098 specific and subspecific taxa currently occurring on the island (including 101 naturalized aliens), plus 67 casual aliens and 16 hybrid taxa, Elba shows the highest number of species among the islands of the Tuscan Archipelago. Two taxa are new for Tuscany: Hieracium symphytaceum s.l. and Ophrys exaltata subsp. morisii; 22 taxa are new for the island, 34 have been confirmed, while 326 were reliably recorded previously by other authors, but not confirmed by our study. We excluded 41 taxa and considered doubtful the occurrence of 87. Life forms and chorotypes are in agreement with the Mediterranean climate of the island. Despite this, Elba also hosts a considerable proportion of Eurosiberian taxa. We detected significant differences in chorotypes and life forms spectra among different geographical portions of the island, paralleling distinct bioclimatic patterns. Despite the institution of the Tuscan Archipelago National Park, we are still far from an integrated protection of the island flora. Based on our results, it has been possible to arrange a geodatabase of the flora on the island, useful for its protection

Cadmium and other hazardous elements in phosphatic fertilizers in conformity to the new European Regulation 2019/1009

The current European Fertilizers Regulation EC n. 2003/2003 does not include any direction for the content in cadmium [1]. On 25 June 2019, the new EU Fertilizing Products and Amending Regulation (EU-FPR) 2019/1009 was promulgated by the European Parliament and the Council, fixing an initial and temporary limit for Cd content in inorganic macronutrient fertilizer to 60 mgCd ∙ kgP2O5-1 [2]. The new European limit for Cd would be the most stringent in the world and only 15% of the phosphorite deposits currently exploited exhibits a low cadmium content complying with the new standard once processed to fertilizer. Since there are no substitutes for phosphate rock in phosphatic fertilizer production [3,4], the outcome of the new standard application would make unsustainable the supply of phosphatic fertilizers. This will result in a short-term measure that goes beyond the long-term sustainability objective of the proposal. In addition, the new standard will inevitably and disproportionately penalise some producers, mainly from developing countries in North Africa. It is therefore important to investigate for Cd and other hazardous elements content in fertilizers used for food production. The present research has analysed a total of 41 samples of fertilizers both for hobby and professional use obtained from the Italian market. Producers of Western and Middle Eastern Europe use the same phosphorite deposits to obtain fertilizers, thus the results of this investigation can be extended to the whole area. Obtained samples were initially pulverized in a ball mill and subjected to acid digestion in a microwave oven. Different acid digestion methods (HNO3 - HF - aqua regia - H2O2) were developed and tested for processing phosphate rock, inorganic and organo-mineral fertilizers to optimize the dissolution of different matrices. Standard reference materials, NIST SRM-695 (NPK fertilizer) and BCR-032 (Morocco phosphate rock) were processed using the same methods. Elemental analyses were performed in ICP-OES (Na, Mg, Al, Si, P, S, K, Ca, Fe, Se, Hg) and ICP-MS (Li, Be, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Sr, Cd, Sn, Sb, Ba, Tl, Pb, Bi, U). The first results showed very low Cd concentrations in hobby products. This commercial sector is known to import low-cost phosphate rock from Russia or Cola Peninsula, with a lower nutrient quality, but also a lower Cd content in comparison with professional products. Uranium content was found in relatively high concentrations and a radioactivity study has been considered as a logical extension of this research. The next analysis of more samples collected in spring will account for different fertilizer types used in distinct agricultural phases. [1] European Union. Off. J. Eur. Union. 2003, EUR-Lex - 32003R2003. [2] European Union. Off. J. Eur. Union. 2019, EUR-Lex - 32019R1009. [3] Mar, S.S., Okazaki, M. Microchem. J. 2012, 104, 17–21. [4] Ulrich, A.E. Sci. Total Environ. 2019, 650(1), 541–545

Acetate intolerance is mediated by enhanced synthesis of nitric oxide by endothelial cells.

The clinical picture of acetate intolerance strictly mimics the nitric oxide (NO) effect, including smooth muscle relaxation and extreme vasodilation. Because acetate induces production of cAMP, which is a powerful stimulus of NO synthase (NOS), we evaluated the effect of different dialysate solutions with and without acetate on NOS activity in endothelial cells (EC). NOS activity of EC, evaluated as H3-citrulline produced from H3-arginine, was modulated by the dialysate composition (e.g., 38 mmol/L acetate produced an increase of 3.2 +/- 0.39-fold compared with basal values (P < 0.0005), and the small amount of acetate (4 mmol/L) in 35 mmol/L bicarbonate solution increased the NOS activity by 2 +/- 0.49-fold (P < 0.05). Conversely, the acetate-free solution produced no effect on NOS activity. The mRNA encoding for inducible NOS was highly expressed in EC incubated with acetate buffer and also with acetate in bicarbonate dialysis buffer. The EC proliferative index was depressed by acetate (P < 0.0005), and tumor necrosis factor synthesis was increased (P < 0.0005) compared with acetate-free buffer. This study suggests that dialytic "acetate intolerance" can be induced by the activation, through cAMP and tumor necrosis factor release, of NOS. The small amount of acetate in bicarbonate dialysate, although capable of inducing in vitro NOS activation, is likely to be rapidly metabolized, whereas the large amounts of this anion in acetate fluids overwhelm metabolism by the liver. Acetate-free dialysate is the only solution that provides an acceptable level of biocompatibility both in vivo and in vitro