Mineralogy and heavy metal assessment of the Pietra del Pertusillo reservoir sediments (Southern Italy)

The Pietra del Pertusillo freshwater reservoir is a major artificial lake of environmental, biological, and ecological importance located in the Basilicata region, southern Italy. The reservoir arch-gravity dam was completed in 1963 for producing hydroelectric energy and providing water for human use, and nearby there are potential sources of anthropogenic pollution such as urban and industrial activities. For the first time, the minero-chemistry of the lake and fluvio-lacustrine sediments of the reservoir have been evaluated to assess the environmental quality. Moreover, the composition of fluvial sediments derived from the peri-lacual zone of the reservoir and of local outcropping bedrock were also studied to understand the factors affecting the behavior of elements in the freshwater reservoir, with particular attention paid to heavy metals. In Italy, specific regulatory values concerning the element threshold concentration for lake and river sediments do not exist, and for this reason, soil threshold values are considered the standard for sediments of internal waters. The evaluation of the environmental quality of reservoir sediments has been performed using enrichment factors obtained with respect to the average composition of a reconstructed local upper continental crust. We suggest this method as an innovative standard in similar conditions worldwide. In the studied reservoir sediments, the trace elements that may be of some environmental concern are Cr, Cu, Zn, As, and Pb although, at this stage, the distribution of these elements appears to be mostly driven by geogenic processes. However, within the frame of the assessment and the preservation of the quality of aquatic environments, particular attention has to be paid to As (which shows median value of 10 ppm, reaching a maximum value of 26 ppm in Quaternary sediments), constantly enriched in the lacustrine samples and especially in the fine-grained fraction (median = 8.5 ppm)

Hydrogeochemistry and Groundwater Quality Assessment in the High Agri Valley (Southern Italy)

The High Agri Valley (southern Italy) is one of the largest intermontane basin of the southern Apennines affected by intensive agricultural and industrial activities. The study of groundwater chemical features provides much important information useful in water resource management. In this study, hydrogeochemical investigations coupled with multivariate statistics, saturation indices, and stable isotope composition (δD and δ18O) were conducted in the High Agri Valley to determine the chemical composition of groundwater and to define the geogenic and anthropogenic influences on groundwater quality. Twenty-four sampling point ( including well and spring waters) have been examined. The isotopic data revealed that groundwater has a meteoric origin. Well waters, located on recent alluvial-lacustrine deposits in shallow porous aquifers at the valley floor, are influenced by seasonal rainfall events and show shallow circuits; conversely, spring waters from fissured and/or karstified aquifers are probably associated to deeper and longer hydrogeological circuits. The R -mode factor analysis shows that three factors explain 94% of the total variance, and F1 represents the combined effect of dolomite and silicate dissolution to explain most water chemistry. In addition, very low contents of trace elements were detected, and their distribution was principally related to natural input. Only two well waters, used for irrigation use, show critical issue for NO3- concentrations, whose values are linked to agricultural activities. Groundwater quality strongly affects the management of water resources, as well as their suitability for domestic, agricultural, and industrial uses. Overall, our results were considered fulfilling the requirements for the inorganic component of the Water Framework Directive and Italian legislation for drinking purposes. The water quality for irrigation is from "good to permissible" to "excellent to good" although salinity and relatively high content of Mg2+ can occasionally be critical

Consolidative thoracic radiation therapy for extensive-stage small cell lung cancer in the era of first-line chemoimmunotherapy: preclinical data and a retrospective study in Southern Italy

BackgroundConsolidative thoracic radiotherapy (TRT) has been commonly used in the management of extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC). Nevertheless, phase III trials exploring first-line chemoimmunotherapy have excluded this treatment approach. However, there is a strong biological rationale to support the use of radiotherapy (RT) as a boost to sustain anti-tumor immune responses. Currently, the benefit of TRT after chemoimmunotherapy remains unclear. The present report describes the real-world experiences of 120 patients with ES-SCLC treated with different chemoimmunotherapy combinations. Preclinical data supporting the hypothesis of anti-tumor immune responses induced by RT are also presented.MethodsA total of 120 ES-SCLC patients treated with chemoimmunotherapy since 2019 in the South of Italy were retrospectively analyzed. None of the patients included in the analysis experienced disease progression after undergoing first-line chemoimmunotherapy. Of these, 59 patients underwent TRT after a multidisciplinary decision by the treatment team. Patient characteristics, chemoimmunotherapy schedule, and timing of TRT onset were assessed. Safety served as the primary endpoint, while efficacy measured in terms of overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) was used as the secondary endpoint. Immune pathway activation induced by RT in SCLC cells was explored to investigate the biological rationale for combining RT and immunotherapy.ResultsPreclinical data supported the activation of innate immune pathways, including the STimulator of INterferon pathway (STING), gamma-interferon-inducible protein (IFI-16), and mitochondrial antiviral-signaling protein (MAVS) related to DNA and RNA release. Clinical data showed that TRT was associated with a good safety profile. Of the 59 patients treated with TRT, only 10% experienced radiation toxicity, while no ≥ G3 radiation-induced adverse events occurred. The median time for TRT onset after cycles of chemoimmunotherapy was 62 days. Total radiation dose and fraction dose of TRT include from 30 Gy in 10 fractions, up to definitive dose in selected patients. Consolidative TRT was associated with a significantly longer PFS than systemic therapy alone (one-year PFS of 61% vs. 31%, p<0.001), with a trend toward improved OS (one-year OS of 80% vs. 61%, p=0.027).ConclusionMulti-center data from establishments in the South of Italy provide a general confidence in using TRT as a consolidative strategy after chemoimmunotherapy. Considering the limits of a restrospective analysis, these preliminary results support the feasibility of the approach and encourage a prospective evaluation

Correlation between geochemical, mineralogical and physical characters of sediments and salinization phenomena in a pilot area in the ionian plain (Southern Italy)

Superficial and sub-superficial soils affected by salinization were studied on a pilot site on an Ionian coastal plain in Basilicata, Southern Italy. Grain-size, mineralogical, and geochemical features favouring soil degradation were analyzed. This study identifies the main mechanisms for triggering soil salinization, including electrical conductivity which provide a physical marker by measuring the level of salinization and silty grain component size and halite and/or chlorite percentages provided compositional markers. A critical depth of about 20 cm was identified, impacting the downward diffusion mechanism of the superficial salt and a possible chloritization of smectite from/by soluble magnesium relating to saline water-soil interaction from weathering processes

The Study of Characteristic Environmental Sites Affected by Diverse Sources of Mineral Matter Using Compositional Data Analysis

Compositional data analysis was applied on mineral element concentrations (i.e., Al, Ti, Si, Ca, Mg, Fe, Sr) content in PM10, PM2.5 and PM1 simultaneous measurements at three characteristic environmental sites: kerbside, background and rural site. Different possible sources of mineral trace elements affecting the PM in the considered sites were highlighted. Particularly, results show that compositional data analysis allows for the assessment of chemical/physical differences between mineral element concentrations of PM. These differences can be associated with both different kinds of involved mineral sources and different mechanisms of accumulation/dispersion of PM at the considered sites

Going Conservative or Conventional? Investigating Farm Management Strategies in between Economic and Environmental Sustainability in Southern Italy

The European “Green Deal” strategy is aimed at making Europe the first climate-neutral continent by 2050 through integrated actions relying on healthier agricultural systems grounded in (environmental and economic) sustainable practices, including soil carbon management and biodiversity enhancement. In this vein, the present study contrasts the economic-environmental performances of conventional (deep tillage) and conservative (no-tillage and soil ripping) practices for two varieties of durum wheat (Triticum turgidum spp. durum), namely a modern (Anco Marzio) and an ancient landrace (Saragolla Lucana) variety in the Basilicata region (Southern Italy). Field and laboratory analysis (granulometry, mineralogy, and geochemistry) as well as satellite data (RapidEye) were used to characterize the soil and vegetation patterns. The empirical results indicate a higher biomass production and vegetative potential together with higher grain yields in soils managed with conventional deep tillage compared with soil managed with conservative practices. Similarly, the modern wheat variety exhibited better performance with respect to the old landrace. The soils managed with conventional practices had a distribution of exchangeable macro-nutrients characterized by a reduction in Ca+ and an increase in Mg2+ and K+ between pre-sowing and post-harvesting. Such a distribution was also genotype-dependent, with a higher variability for Saragolla Lucana than Anco Marzio, showing a diverging adsorption of macro-elements between the modern and ancient landrace varieties

2-(tert-Butyl)-4-phenyloxetane

The two geometric isomers of 2-(tert-butyl)-4-phenyloxetane have, for the first time, been prepared starting from the commercially available 4,4-dimethyl-1-phenylpentane-1,3-dione. The latter was reduced with NaBH4 to give a mixture of diastereomeric syn and anti diols which were then stereospecifically cyclized into the corresponding oxetanes with an overall yield for the two steps of 69.6%. The newly synthesized stereoisomeric four-membered oxygenated heterocycles were separated by column chromatography on silica gel and fully spectroscopically characterized