Il GIS come strumento di stima delle aree suscettibili alla coltura di Hedysarum coronarium, per la produzione di biodiesel in Sicilia

zonizzazione del territorio siciliano suscettibile di rifornire una filiera bioenergetica che utilizza la sulla, Hedysarum coronarium, per la produzione di biodiesel

L’agricoltura biologica e lo sviluppo del territorio di qualità: un caso studio siciliano

Farming grows into an intense relationship with the territory; local products are the expression of local culture and environment. Territory itself is an attribute of the goods; at the same time, the consumer becomes a user of the same territory. It is possible to turn on a strategy that considers the territory a source of competitive advantage. Organic farming is paradigmatic of the relationship between agricultural production and the territory that is based on the pursuit of harmonious interaction between human activities and the environmen

Air quality data for Catania: analysis and investigation case study: 2010-2011

Abstract This paper focuses on the principal atmospheric pollutants monitored in Catania (Italy) according to European Directive 50/2008. A couple of years, 2012 and 2013 have been considered as a study period. The monitoring system of Catania is made up of five stations that control the presence of the air pollutants in the most important anthropic areas of the urban territory. First of all the mechanisms of formation of the main pollutants have been summarized in order to identify the main causes and effects in urban environment. The raw data have been collected and validated according the UNI CEI EN ISO/IEC 17025:2005 by the Ecologic and Environmental research unit of the municipality of Catania. The trend of all pollutants during the two cited years have been investigated and the results highlight that the most principal polluting gas is NO 2 confirming the trend of the previous years. A further analysis of what the principal causes of pollution in Catania could be,has been conducted in order to evaluate possible actions to reduce the atmospheric pollution. As a result it has been demonstrated that the principal cause of the atmospheric pollutant emissions is connected to private urban mobility. The experimental results demostrated that the principal cause of the atmospheric pollutant emissions is connected to private urban mobility. A development of realistic mathematical model will be the object of future research works

Micro- and nano-plastics in edible fruit and vegetables. The first diet risks assessment for the general population.

Microplastics (MPs) represent a current public health concern since toxicity has not yet fully investigated. They were found in several foods, but to the best of our knowledge, at this time no data was reported for the edible vegetables and fruits. We focused on diet exposure aiming to evaluate the number and the size (10 μm) of MPs in the most commonly consumed vegetables and fruits, in relation to their recommended daily intake too. MPs extraction and analysis were carried out using an innovative Italian methodology and SEM-EDX, respectively. Finally, we calculated the Estimated Daily Intakes (EDIs) for adults and children for each type of vegetal and fruit. The higher median (IQR) level of MPs in fruit and vegetable samples was 223,000 (52,600-307,750) and 97,800 (72,175-130,500), respectively. In particular, apples were the most contaminated fruit samples, while carrot was the most contaminated vegetable. Conversely, the lower median (IQR) level was observed in lettuce samples 52,050 (26,375-75,425). Both vegetable and fruit samples MPs levels were characterized by wide variability. The smallest size of MPs was found in the carrot samples (1.51 μm), while the biggest ones were found in the lettuce (2.52 μm). Both vegetable and fruit samples had size of the MPs characterized by low variability. We found the highest median level of MPs in samples purchased from the "fruiter 3" (124,900 p/g) and the lowest in those purchased in "supermarket" (87,600 p/g). The median size of the MPs had overlapping dimensions in all the purchase sites, with the exception of the samples purchased at the "shop at km zero 2″ which had slightly smaller size (1.81 μm). The highest adults' (4.62 E+05) and children's (1.41 E+06) EDIs are due the ingestion of apples, instead the lowest are due to the ingestion of carrots (adults: 2.96 E+04; children: 1.15 E+05). We hypothesized that the mechanism of uptake and translocation of MPs can be the same described and reported for carbon-nanomaterials. This may be a possible translocation route of MPs by environment to vegetables permitting, so, the translocation or uptake inside of their biological systems. Based on the results obtained it is urgent important to perform toxicological and epidemiological studies to investigate for the possible effects of MPs on human health

The Relevance of Microcystin Monitoring in Dialysis Centers of Sicilians Cities: An Environmental Study

Background: Sicilian surface basins are among the most important water supply resources available on the island. They are often affected by harmful cyanobacteria blooms as Planktothrix rubescens and Microcystis aeruginosa. Since dialysates are produced using network water, they could contain cyanotoxins. No study has been conducted yet to evaluate the removal efficiency of osmotic systems for cyanotoxins in abnormal conditions at room temperatures of about 40°C. The aim of this study was to monitor the presence of microcystins in Sicilian dialysis center, network waters and, finally, dialysates produced from these waters in an Agrigento dialysis unit where environmental conditions are favorable for algal bloom. Methods: This clinic normally receives surface water from artificial basins, where several times, traces of cyanobacteria have been detected. Moreover, dialysates and underground supply waters of a clinic in Catania were also sampled as control. Samplings were performed in summer 2018, when room temperatures were above 38 °C. A total of 40 samples were analyzed by ELISA assay. Results: Results of our monitoring highlighted concentrations of MCs in waters of several basins among LOD - 155 ng/L, lower than WHO reference value for drinking waters (1,0 µg/L), that decrease up to undetectable levels whereas no MC contamination was detected both in supply waters and dialysates. Conclusion: Although our first set of data outcomes seem to be quite comforting, an improvement of law and a complete census of the water supplies of dialysate centers would be ideal

Phytoremediation potential of Arundo donax (Giant Reed) in contaminated soil by heavy metals

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Dietary habits and thyroid cancer risk: A hospital-based case-control study in Sicily (South Italy).

Abstract Several studies have investigated the role of diet as a risk and/or protective factor against thyroid cancer, both considering individual foods, groups of foods and dietary patterns, but the results are not consistent. The aim of the study was to investigate the relationship between dietary habits and thyroid cancer. Cases and controls were recruited at the University Hospital "G. Rodolico" of Catania. The dietary habits were defined through the "Lifestyle Assessment Questionnaire". The frequency of consumption of each food item was reported on a 4-level scale (never, one time a week, 2–3 times a week, every day of the week). We computed the odds ratios (ORs) of thyroid cancer and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) according to the median of control group daily intake of each food group, using multiple logistic regression models adjusted for major confounding factors. Starchy foods (OR = 1.39, 95% CI 0.83–2.32), sweets (OR = 1.39, 95% CI 0.81–2.40) and products rich in salt and fat showed a positive association with thyroid cancer risk. Conversely, an inverse association with disease risk was found for vegetables (cruciferous OR = 0.30, 95% CI 0.10–0.92, non cruciferous OR = 0.57 (0.20–1.57) milk and dairy products (OR = 0.68, 95% CI 0.40–1.13) and seafood (OR = 0.68, 95% CI 0.34–1.22). An increased risk was observed for consumption of iodized salts (OR 2.06, 95% CI 1.21–3.51), tea (OR = 1.42, 95% CI 0.84–2.41) and coca-cola (OR = 3.08, 95% CI 1.53–6.20). Finally, our results confirm the protective effect of a daily water intake of 1–2 L, but unfortunately this quantity is usually consumed by about a quarter of the sample. Dietary habits appear to modify the risk of thyroid carcinoma. A diet with a limited consumption of starchy foods, products rich in salt, fat and sugar and a higher consumption of, cruciferous/non-cruciferous vegetables, milk and dairy products and seafood could be protective towards thyroid cancer. Moreover, the water intake should be increased and the actual need to consume iodized salt should be verified for each subject/area. These results warrant further investigations and, if confirmed, they might have important public health implications for the reduction of thyroid cancer through the improvement of dietary habits

Detection of Arcobacter spp. in food products collected from Sicilia region: A preliminary study

The aim of the study was to evaluate the occurrence of Arcobacter spp. in food samples collected from Sicilia region. A total of 91 food products of animal origin (41 meat, 17 fresh milk, 18 shellfish) and 15 samples of fresh vegetables, were examined by cultural method and confirmed by biochemical analysis and PCR methods. The detection of Arcobacter spp. was performed, after selective enrichment, on two selective agar plates: Arcobacter agar and mCCD (modified charcoal cefoperazone deoxycholate) agar supplemented with CAT (Cefoperazone, Amphotericin B and Teicoplanin). Arcobacter species were isolated using the membrane filtration technique. In 13 (14.3%) out of the 91 tested samples, the presence of Arcobacter spp. was found: the isolates were confirmed by multiplex PCR and identified as belonging to the species A. butzleri and A. cryaerophilus. The highest prevalence rate was observed in chicken meat (8.8%) followed by shellfish (3.3%). Negative results have been obtained for raw milks and vegetables samples. The preliminary study highlights the importance of this emerging pathogen and the need for further studies on its prevalence and distribution in different types of food for human consumption

Environmental and Occupational Risk Factors of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: A Population-Based Case-Control Study

Objectives: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive and fatal neurodegenerative disease with still unknown etiology. We aimed at investigating the association between environmental and occupational factors with ALS risk. Methods: We performed a population-based case-control study in four Italian provinces (Catania, Modena, Novara, and Reggio Emilia) by administration of tailored questionnaires to ALS cases (n = 95) and randomly selected population referents (n = 135). We estimated ALS risk by calculating the odds ratio (OR) with its 95% confidence interval (CI) using an unconditional logistic regression model. Results: We found a positive association with disease risk for history of occupation in the agricultural sector (OR = 2.09, 95% CI 0.79-7.54), especially for longer than 10 years (OR = 2.72, 95% 1.02-7.20). Overall occupational exposure to solvents also suggested a positive association, especially for thinners (OR = 2.27, 95% CI 1.14-4.54) and paint removers (OR = 2.01, 95% CI 0.90-4.48). Both occupational and environmental exposure to electromagnetic fields show a slightly increased risk with OR = 1.69 (95% CI 0.70-4.09) and 2.41 (95% CI 1.13-5.12), respectively. Occupational but not environmental exposure to pesticides (OR = 1.22, 95% CI 0.63-2.37), particularly fungicides, and exposure to metals (OR = 4.20, 95% CI 1.88-9.38), particularly lead, mercury, and selenium, showed an imprecise but positive association. Finally, there was an indication of increased risk for living in proximity to water bodies. Conclusions: Despite the caution that needs to be used due to some study limitations, such as the low number of exposed subjects and the possibility of recall bias, these results suggest the potential role of some environmental and occupational factors in ALS etiology