Mercury Dispersion through Streams Draining The Mt. Amiata District, Southern Tuscany, Italy

Abstract The Mt. Amiata area hosts the 3 rd largest Hg district in the world, overlapping with a present-day geothermal system that is exploited for energy production. Mining activity ceased in 1980; remediation of mining areas was only partial, and is still under way. A significant transport of mercury is documented in the streams draining the district. By far the largest output occurs to the southeast in the Paglia River catchment; this river is tributary of Tiber River, the largest river of central Italy. A much smaller transport occurs to the north, in the Orcia-Ombrone catchment. Most transport is in particulate form; mercury is temporarily stored in stream and overbank sediments, and can be significantly mobilized and redistributed by extreme events such as flash floods. Transfer to the biosphere and food chain is not negligible, as some fish in Paglia and Tiber Rivers show Hg contents that may be harmful for human consumption. The overall output from the Monte Amiata district represents a significant contribution to the Mediterranean Sea budget of this metal

Cydonia oblonga Mill. Pulp Callus Inhibits Oxidative Stress and Inflammation in Injured Cells

The pharmacological activity of a callus extract from the pulp of Cydonia oblonga Mill., also known as quince, was investigated in murine macrophage (RAW 264.7) and human keratinocyte (HaCaT) cell lines. In particular, the anti-inflammatory activity of C. oblonga Mill. pulp callus extract was assessed in lipopolysaccharides (LPS)-treated RAW264.7 by the Griess test and in LPS-treated HaCaT human keratinocytes by examining the expression of genes involved in the inflammatory process, including nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-1 (IL-1 ), nuclear factor-kappa-B inhibitor alfa (ikB ), and intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM). The antioxidant activity was evaluated by quantizing the reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in the hydrogen peroxide and tert-butyl hydroperoxide-injured HaCaT cell line. The obtained results indicate that C. oblonga callus from fruit pulp extract has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities, suggesting its possible application in delaying and preventing acute or chronic diseases associated with aging or in the treatment of wound dressing

Glutathione Depletion Is Linked with Th2 Polarization in Mice with a Retrovirus-Induced Immunodeficiency Syndrome, Murine AIDS: Role of Proglutathione Molecules as Immunotherapeutics

Injection of the LP-BM5 murine leukemia virus into mice causes murine AIDS, a disease characterized by many dysfunctions of immunocompetent cells. To establish whether the disease is characterized by glutathione imbalance, reduced glutathione (GSH) and cysteine were quantified in different organs. A marked redox imbalance, consisting of GSH and/or cysteine depletion, was found in the lymphoid organs, such as the spleen and lymph nodes. Moreover, a significant decrease in cysteine and GSH levels in the pancreas and brain, respectively, was measured at 5 weeks postinfection. The Th2 immune response was predominant at all times investigated, as revealed by the expression of Th1/Th2 cytokines. Furthermore, investigation of the activation status of peritoneal macrophages showed that the expression of genetic markers of alternative activation, namely, Fizz1, Ym1, and Arginase1, was induced. Conversely, expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase, a marker of classical activation of macrophages, was detected only when Th1 cytokines were expressed at high levels. In vitro studies revealed that during the very early phases of infection, GSH depletion and the downregulation of interleukin-12 (IL-12) p40 mRNA were correlated with the dose of LP-BM5 used to infect the macrophages. Treatment of LP-BM5-infected mice with N-(N-acetyl-L-cysteinyl)-S-acetylcysteamine (I-152), an N-acetyl-cysteine supplier, restored GSH/cysteine levels in the organs, reduced the expression of alternatively activated macrophage markers, and increased the level of gamma interferon production, while it decreased the levels of Th2 cytokines, such as IL-4 and IL-5. Our findings thus establish a link between GSH deficiency and Th1/Th2 disequilibrium in LP-BM5 infection and indicate that I-152 can be used to restore the GSH level and a balanced Th1/Th2 response in infected mice

Bilancio di genere 2022

Il Bilancio di Genere è il risultato di un'analisi condotta, secondo gli standard della CRUI, da un Gruppo di lavoro Uniurb - coordinato dalla Prorettrice alla Sostenibilita e Valorizzazione delle Differenze – volta a delineare la distribuzione di genere nelle varie componenti della comunità universitaria e individuare politiche e strategie per ridurre eventuali gap. L'edizione 2022 include il primo monitoraggio sullo stato di attuazione delle azioni previste dal Gender Equality Plan (2022-2024).p>Il Bilancio di Genere è il risultato di un'analisi condotta, secondo gli standard della CRUI, da un Gruppo di lavoro Uniurb - coordinato dalla Prorettrice alla Sostenibilita e Valorizzazione delle Differenze – volta a delineare la distribuzione di genere nelle varie componenti della comunità universitaria e individuare politiche e strategie per ridurre eventuali gap. L'edizione 2022 include il primo monitoraggio sullo stato di attuazione delle azioni previste dal Gender Equality Plan (2022-2024)

Medieval Pb (Cu-Ag) Smelting in the Colline Metallifere District (Tuscany, Italy): Slag Heterogeneity as a Tracer of Ore Provenance and Technological Process

Archaeological investigations of the Colline Metallifere district (Southern Tuscany, Italy) have highlighted several Medieval sites located close to the main Cu-Pb-Fe (Ag) ore occurrences. This study is focused on the investigation of late-medieval slags from Cugnano and Montieri sites using both geochemical and mineralogical methods to understand slag heterogeneities as result of ore differences and technological processes. Matte-rich slags present in both sites (with abundant matte ± speiss and frequent relict phases) represent waste products related to primary sulphide ore smelting to obtain a raw lead bullion. The distribution of slags between the Ca-rich or Fe-rich dominant composition, and the consequent mineralogy, are tracers of the different ore–gangue association that occurred in the two sites. Silver is present only in very small matte-rich slags and ores enclosed within the mortar of the Montieri site; wastes derived from silver-rich mineral charges were probably crushed for the recovery of silver. Matte-poor slags found at Montieri represent a second smelting; raw lead bullion obtained from matte slags (both Fe- and Ca-rich) was probably re-smelted, adding silica and Al2O3-phase-rich fluxes, under more oxidizing conditions to reduce metal impurities. This second step was probably employed for Zn-rich lead ores; this process helped to segregate zinc within slags and improve the quality of the metal