An overview of the crocodylian fossil record from Sardinia (Italy)

Altres ajuts: CERCA Programme/Generalitat de CatalunyaIn the present contribution we focus on an overview of the Cenozoic crocodylians of Sardinia (Italy).Crocodylians from this Italian island have been published since the second half of the 19th Century anda number of papers reported on the presence of these vertebrates in 16 different localities. The remains,some of which apparently lost, are mainly represented by isolated teeth housed in historical collections ofdifferent museums (in Italy and The Netherlands) that in most cases have never been figured or described.We illustrate for the first time and provide brief descriptions of all crocodylian teeth collected in the islandas well as of the still available holotype of Tomistoma calaritanum, the only crocodylian taxon establishedon material from Sardinia. In addition, we report crocodylian remains from two new localities, one ofwhich testifies the presence of these vertebrates already in the Eocene record of the island.Dans la présente contribution, nous nous concentrons sur un aperçu des crocodyliens cénozoïques de Sardaigne (Italie). Les crocodiliens de cette île italienne ont été publiés depuis la seconde moitié du 19e siècle et un certain nombre d'articles ont fait état de la présence de ces vertébrés dans 16 localités différentes. Les restes, dont une partie semble avoir été perdue, sont principalement représentés par des dents isolées, conservés dans des collections historiques de différents musées (en Italie et aux Pays-Bas) qui, dans la plupart des cas, n'ont jamais été figurés ni décrits. Nous illustrons pour la première fois et fournissons une brève description de toutes les dents de crocodiliens collectées sur l'île ainsi que de l'holotype encore disponible de Tomistoma calaritanum, le seul taxon de crocodilien établi sur du matériel de Sardaigne. En outre, nous signalons des restes de crocodiliens de deux nouvelles localités, dont l'une témoigne de la présence de ces vertébrés déjà dans les dépots de l'Éocène de l'île

First evidence of vivianite in human bones from a third millennium BC Domus de Janas : Filigosa tomb 1, Macomer (NU), Sardinia

Altres ajuts: Acord transformatiu CRUE-CSICSardinia is an island located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea. Due to its position geologically acquired in the Middle Miocene (around 16 Ma ago), this island had a very strategic position in antiquity, as it was involved into all the trade routes that crossed the Mediterranean Sea; however, it developed original archaeological features up to the Iron Age. During the Final Neolithic, the Ozieri's Culture developed throughout the Sardinian territory, with diffusion of typically hypogea graves named Domus de Janas. The study was conducted inside the Domus de Janas at Filigosa necropolis, located on a tuffaceous hillside near the village of Macomer in the area of Marghine, Central-Western Sardinia. Tomb 1 dating back to the beginning of the third millennium BC had been excavated by Professor E. Contu in 1965 At the time of first excavation, this tomb showed very particular conditions that had enabled an excellent conservation of several osteological and wooden samples. This paper focuses on the presence of vivianite deposits on human bones and its origin. For such a mineral to be formed an interaction between phosphate, iron and water has to occur. These findings can be considered the first evidence of such mineral in a Sardinian archaeological site, and one of the most ancient findings of this mineral in Italy, as well as the first evidence observed in prehistoric sites related to a period before the introduction of iron use

Il Geosito paleontologico “Cava Duidduru” e il Museo P.AR.C. di Genoni: un esempio di ripristino e valorizzazione di un bene geopaleontologico in Sardegna

In the present note, we briefly illustrate the different phases of restoration and protection of the geopalaeontological site of “Cava Duidduru”. The geosite is located near the small village of Genoni, in the Sarcidano area (central Sardinia, Italy). The site was an abandoned quarry, recently renovated for scientific and tourism purposes. In fact, in the geosite it is possible to observe large sandstone layer surfaces highly rich with marine fossils of the lower Miocene. The restoration of the quarry and the activities carried out by the nearby palaeontological and archaeological museum P.AR.C. of Genoni are an excellent example to combine in a smart way environmental restoration, protection and geotourism

An overview of the crocodylian fossil record from Sardinia (Italy)

In the present contribution we focus on an overview of the Cenozoic crocodylians of Sardinia (Italy).Crocodylians from this Italian island have been published since the second half of the 19th Century anda number of papers reported on the presence of these vertebrates in 16 different localities. The remains,some of which apparently lost, are mainly represented by isolated teeth housed in historical collections ofdifferent museums (in Italy and The Netherlands) that in most cases have never been figured or described.We illustrate for the first time and provide brief descriptions of all crocodylian teeth collected in the islandas well as of the still available holotype of Tomistoma calaritanum, the only crocodylian taxon establishedon material from Sardinia. In addition, we report crocodylian remains from two new localities, one ofwhich testifies the presence of these vertebrates already in the Eocene record of the island.Dans la présente contribution, nous nous concentrons sur un aperc¸ u des crocodyliens cénozoïques deSardaigne (Italie). Les crocodiliens de cette île italienne ont été publiés depuis la seconde moitié du19esiècle et un certain nombre d’articles ont fait état de la présence de ces vertébrés dans 16 localitésdifférentes. Les restes, dont une partie semble avoir été perdue, sont principalement représentés par desdents isolées, conservés dans des collections historiques de différents musées (en Italie et aux Pays-Bas)qui, dans la plupart des cas, n’ont jamais été figurés ni décrits. Nous illustrons pour la première foiset fournissons une brève description de toutes les dents de crocodiliens collectées sur l’île ainsi que del’holotype encore disponible de Tomistoma calaritanum, le seul taxon de crocodilien établi sur du matérielde Sardaigne. En outre, nous signalons des restes de crocodiliens de deux nouvelles localités, dont l’unetémoigne de la présence de ces vertébrés déjà dans les dépots de l’Éocène de l’île

<i>Trichomonas vaginalis</i> degrades nitric oxide and expresses a flavorubredoxin-like protein: a new pathogenic mechanism?

Besides possessing many physiological roles, nitric oxide (NO) produced by the immune system in infectious diseases has antimicrobial effects. Trichomoniasis, the most widespread non-viral sexually transmitted disease caused by the microaerophilic protist Trichomonas vaginalis, often evolves into a chronic infection, with the parasite able to survive in the microaerobic, NO-enriched vaginal environment. We relate this property to the finding that T. vaginalis degrades NO under anaerobic conditions, as assessed amperometrically. This activity, which is maximal (133 ± 41 nmol NO/108 cells per minute at 20°C) at low NO concentrations (≤ 1.2 μM), was found to be: (i) NADH dependent, (ii) cyanide insensitive and (iii) inhibited by O2. These features are consistent with those of the Escherichia coli A-type flavoprotein (ATF), recently discovered to be endowed with NO reductase activity. Using antibodies against the ATF from E. coli, a protein band was immunodetected in the parasite grown in a standard medium. If confirmed, the expression of an ATF in eukaryotes suggests that the genes coding for ATFs were transferred during evolution from anaerobic Prokarya to pathogenic protists, to increase their fitness for the microaerobic, parasitic life style. Thus the demonstration of an ATF in T. vaginalis would appear relevant to both pathology and evolutionary biology. Interestingly, genomic analysis has recently demonstrated that Giardia intestinalis and other pathogenic protists have genes coding for ATFs

Molecular subtyping of Blastocystis sp. isolates from symptomatic patients in Italy

Blastocystis sp. is the most common eukaryotic parasite in the intestinal tract of humans. Due to its potential impact in public health, we determined the Blastocystis sp. subtypes (STs) and their relative frequency in symptomatic patients living in or in the vicinity of two Italian cities (Rome and Sassari). A total of 34 Blastocystis sp. isolates corresponding to 26 single and 4 mixed infections were subtyped using partial small subunit ribosomal RNA gene sequencing. From this molecular approach, the ST distribution in the present Italian population was as follows: ST3 (47.1%), ST2 (20.6%), ST4 (17.7%), ST1 (8.8%), and ST7, and ST8 (2.9%). As in almost all countries worldwide, ST3 was the most common ST reinforcing the hypothesis of its human origin. Together with a previous preliminary report, a total of seven STs (with the addition of ST5) have been found in Italian symptomatic patients. The wide range of STs identified in the Italian population suggest that Blastocystis sp. infection is not associated with specific STs even if some STs (ST1-ST4) are predominant as reported in all other countries. Since most of the STs identified in Italian patients are zoonotic, our data raise crucial questions concerning the identification of animal reservoirs for Blastocystis sp. and the potential risks of transmission to humans

Molecular subtyping of <i>Blastocystis</i> sp. isolates from symptomatic patients in Italy

Blastocystis sp. is the most common eukaryotic parasite in the intestinal tract of humans. Due to its potential impact in public health, we determined the Blastocystis sp. subtypes (STs) and their relative frequency in symptomatic patients living in or in the vicinity of two Italian cities (Rome and Sassari). A total of 34 Blastocystis sp. isolates corresponding to 26 single and 4 mixed infections were subtyped using partial small subunit ribosomal RNA gene sequencing. From this molecular approach, the ST distribution in the present Italian population was as follows: ST3 (47.1%), ST2 (20.6%), ST4 (17.7%), ST1 (8.8%), and ST7, and ST8 (2.9%). As in almost all countries worldwide, ST3 was the most common ST reinforcing the hypothesis of its human origin. Together with a previous preliminary report, a total of seven STs (with the addition of ST5) have been found in Italian symptomatic patients. The wide range of STs identified in the Italian population suggest that Blastocystis sp. infection is not associated with specific STs even if some STs (ST1–ST4) are predominant as reported in all other countries. Since most of the STs identified in Italian patients are zoonotic, our data raise crucial questions concerning the identification of animal reservoirs for Blastocystis sp. and the potential risks of transmission to humans