Histological and Chemical Analysis of Heavy Metals in Kidney and Gills of <i>Boops boops</i>: Melanomacrophages Centers and Rodlet Cells as Environmental Biomarkers

Industrialization has resulted in a massive increase in garbage output, which is frequently discharged or stored in waterways like rivers and seas. Due to their toxicity, durability, bioaccumulation, and biomagnification, heavy metals (such as mercury, cadmium, and lead) have been identified as strong biological poisons. Their presence in the aquatic environment has the potential to affect water quality parameters and aquatic life in general. Teleosts’ histopathology provides a sensitive indicator of pollutant-induced stress, because their organs have a central role in the transformation of different active chemical compounds in the aquatic environment. In particular, the gills, kidneys, and liver are placed at the center of toxicological studies. The purpose of this study is to examine the morphological changes caused by heavy metals in the kidney and gills of Boops boops, with a focus on melanomacrophages centers (MMCs) and rodlet cells (RCs) as environmental biomarkers, using histological and histochemical stainings (hematoxylin/eosin, Van Gieson trichrome, Periodic Acid Schiff reaction, and Alcian Blue/PAS 2.5), and immunoperoxidase methods. Our findings show an increase of MMCs and RCs linked to higher exposure to heavy metals, confirming the role of these aggregates and cells as reliable biomarkers of potential aquatic environmental changes reflected in fish fauna. The cytological study of RCs and MMCs could be important in gaining a better understanding of the complicated immune systems of teleosts

Entella II. Carta archeologica del comune di Contessa Entellina dalla preistoria al medioevo

A complete publication of historical and archaeological data from the survey in the territory of the Comune of Contessa Entellina (Palermo, Sicily) is provided in four books and a maps folder. This work aims at reconstructing the settlement history of a wide area (136 kmq) in the interior of western Sicily, from Prehistory to the Middle Ages. More than 400 sites and extra-site are presented with a full publication of archaeological assemblages, including drawing, photos and a list of ceramic fabrics. Several indexes allow a full navigation into the whole work.Opera in 3 volumi con tavole fuori testo: - I. Il contesto, le ricerche, il metodo - II. Catalogo dei siti e dei materiali, tomi 1-2 - III. Le dinamiche del popolamento - Tavole fuori testo. L'opera fornisce un quadro complessivo delle dinamiche dell'insediamento umano in un'area interna della Sicilia Occidentale, nella media valle del Belice, dalla preistoria al medioevo. Di oltre 400 tra siti ed extra-sito si descrivono le caratteristiche topografiche e i materiali rinvenuti; i cataloghi sono corredati da un congruo apparato illustrativo. Indici specifici e tabelle di sintesi consentono di muoversi agevolmente in una consistente massa di dati archeologici