MATERIAL CHARACTERISATION OF A FLORENTINE PAINTER IN PORTUGAL IN THE LATE 19TH CENTURY: PAINTINGS BY GIORGIO MARINI

This paper presents the analytical characterisation of a series of paintings authored by Giorgio Marini (1836-1905) from the Museum of Évora. Marini was an Italian painter who lived in Portugal in the 19th century. He was a very prolific painter and his works, most of them portraits commissioned by urban and rural bourgeois and noble elites, are dispersed all over the country. The general good conservation state of most paintings prevented the collection of micro-samples for detailed study. Hence, material identification of the painting materials was performed primarily by XRF, given its non-destructive and non-invasive nature, and it was complemented when possible by auxiliary techniques optical microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and SEM-EDX. Pigments and fillers such as yellow and red ochre, lead white, zinc white, barium white, chrome yellow and green chrome are among the identified pigments. This is the first time the palette used by Giorgio Marini was identified, helping to characterised the pigments used by foreign painters during the 19th century in Portuga

Could Estradiol be used as a biomarker of infection in Schistosoma haematobium infected patients?

Urogenital schistosomiasis is a chronic infection caused by the human blood fluke Schistosoma haematobium. Schistosomiasis haematobia is a known risk factor for cancer leading to squamous cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder (SCC). This is a neglected tropical disease endemic in many countries of Africa and the Middle East. Schistosome eggs produce catechol-estrogens. These estrogenic molecules are metabolized to active quinones that cause alterations in DNA (leading in other contexts to breast or thyroid cancer). Our group has shown that schistosome egg associated catechol estrogens induce tumor-like phenotypes in urothelial cells, originated from parasite estrogen-host cell chromosomal DNA adducts and mutations. Also we have demonstrated that these molecules are detected as Estradiol in sera of infected patients.N/

The metallic artifacts of the prehistoric fortified settlement of Leceia (Oeiras) inventory and analytical study

This paper presents the results of a study carried on a collection of 144 metal artefacts from the Early (ca. 2800-2600/2500 a.C.) and the Middle/Final Chalcolithic (ca. 2600/2500-2000 a.C.), found at the site of Leceia (Oeiras, Central Portugal) during the excavations conducted between 1983 and 2000. A systematised analysis of the collection was provided in order to enumerate the different typologies found in the site and to determine their chemical composition. From a typological point of view, a great diversity of artifacts was found, namely, punches, fish-hooks, flat axes, chisels, saws, ingots and foundry remnants. Elemental analysis, by X-ray Fluorescence, shows that the artefacts were made of copper, with a variable occurence of arsenic, nickel, silver, antimony, bismuth, lead and iron. In this paper, data is exposed and discussed within the regional early metallurgy.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Monitoring glucose, calcium, and magnesium levels in saliva as a non-invasive analysis by sequential injection multiparametric determination

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Improvement of the Sandell-Kolthoff reaction method (ammonium persulfate digestion) for the determination of iodine in urine samples

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

From sampling to collection: the sample collection from Universidade Católica Portuguesa

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Islamic copper-based metal artefacts from the Garb al-Andalus. A multidisciplinary approach on the Alcáçova of Martulah (Mértola, South of Portugal)

A multidisciplinary approach has been applied to investigate the production technology of a collection of copper-based artefacts found during archaeological excavation campaigns carried out in the Almohad neighbourhood of Martulah, the Islamic name of modern Mértola (South of Portugal). In stark contrast to other Islamic materials found in the same site such as common and finely decorated pottery, glass, and bone artefacts, metal objects have received less attention despite the high number of artefacts recovered. This study focuses on the chemical characterisation of 171 copper-based artefacts dating back to the 12th and the first half of the thirteenth centuries. The artefacts are daily use objects and consist of personal ornaments (earrings, rings, and casket ornaments), tools (spindles, spatulas, and oil lamp sticks) and artefacts with unknown functions. The analytical results by X-ray fluorescence Spectroscopy (XRF) provided information not only about technological issues but infer as well on the socio-economic implications of metal consumption in Islamic Mértola. Results revealed that metals were produced using a variety of Cu-based alloys, namely unalloyed copper, brasses (Cu + Zn), bronzes (Cu + Sn), and red brasses (Cu + Sn + Zn), with a variable concentration of Pb, without any apparent consistency, as a likely result of recurrent recycling and mixing scrap metals practices or use of mineral raw materials available locally

Langerhans cell histiocytosis involving the liver of a male smoker: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Langerhans' cell histiocytosis is a proliferative histiocytic disorder of unknown cause originating from dendritic cells.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>The authors report a case of Langerhans' cell histiocytosis in a 48-year-old man with multisystemic disease presentation, including liver involvement.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Hepatic involvement is an uncommon feature in this rare disease and there is no consensus on the most effective therapeutic approach.</p