Contributo alla conoscenza della biologia delle infestanti delle colture della Sardegna nord-occidentale: 1. censimento delle specie esotiche della Sardegna

Examining literature references and analysing all the specimens preserved in the main herbaria of Sardinia and Tuscany, at present 184 aliens are to be listed in this region, 29 of them as naturalised, 16 as casuals, 8 as uncertain and 131 as escaped from cultivation. According with previous papers, a card for each species, with reference to specific name, origin, ecology, distribution in Italy and in Sardinia provinces is provided. A particular attention is ma de at weeds - that are 55 (30% of the aliens) in order to valuate their role in the variation of the native vegetation and of the cultures

Infestanti esotiche presenti in Sardegna

Sono state rinvenute in Sardegna 173 specie di origine esotica. Un'attenzione particolare è stata riservata alle specie infestanti: ne sono state individuate 34 (il 20% della flora esotica della Sardegna). Di ognuna vengono fornite notizie riguardanti il paese di origine, il periodo di fioritura, l'ecologia, la biologa e la distribuzione nelle varie provincie della Sardegna

PRELIMINARY STUDY OF PLANTS USED IN ETHNOVETERINARY MEDICINE IN TUNISIA AND IN ITALY

Background: A survey relative to the use of plants for the cure of animals in Tunisia was conducted in order to make a comparison with the same species (or similar ones) in central and southern Italy. Materials and methods: available bibliographical data both for Italy and for Tunisia were consulted. Results: Thirty-nine plants, representing 22 families, used in Tunisia in ethnoveterinary medicine were reported, and comparisons made with close species used in Central and Southern Italy. Seven of the 39 species (about the 18% of the total) are not present in Italian flora. Fourteen of the 39 species (35% of the total) are also used in Italy. Camelidae (dromedaries and camels) are the most valuable types of domestic animals cured in Tunisia, but ovines, horses, bulls, dogs are also treated. Some uses coincide with those existing in different Italian regions. The plants used are the most common and most easily found in these areas. Conclusion: The present study confirms the convergence in ethnoveterinary medicine between Tunisia and Italy, even if it appears less significant than in human ethnobotany. Further studies are required in areas of Tunisia that have not yet been studied, in order to get the possibility of an evaluation of active compounds

<i>Trifolium nigrescens</i> Viv. subsp. <i>nigrescens</i>, leguminosa foraggera utilizzabile nel miglioramento dei pascoli in Sardegna: 1. Prime acquisizioni, su popolazioni naturali sarde

On the basis of a botanical survey of naturally established pastures in Sardinia (Italy), ball clover (Trifolium nigrescens p.p.) appeared to be one of the most widespread annual forage legumes. Thirteen natural populations collected in Sardinia in late spring 1987 were evaluated in 1987-88 at Sassari for chromosome number, fertility indexes, 1,000 seed weight, plant diameter 90 day after sowing (sowing date Oct. 30, 1987), flowering time, average stem length, number of stems and dry matter yield per plant at harvest (harvesting date May 19, 1988). All the populations were diploid (2n = 2x = 16), allogamous, self-incompatible and belonged to T. nigrescens Viv. subsp. nigrescens. The wide variability of the agronomic traits under study permits to obtain positive results with breeding programs aimed at developing ball clover varieties for pasture improvement in Sardinia. In particular, at population level 1,000 seed weight ranged from 0.163 g to 0.307 g, flowering time from Mar 13 to Apr 4 and dry matter yield per plant from 7.9 g to 17.9 g. In conclusion, the multiple regression analysis and the path coefficients analysis showed that average stem lenght could be used to assess the dry matter potentialities of the plants in the evaluation of large germplasm collections of ball clover. Allo scopo di iniziare la valutazione del germoplasma sardo di Trifolium nigrescens p.p., una delle leguminose foraggere annuali più diffuse nei pascoli naturali dell'isola, nella tarda primavera 1987 tredici popolazioni naturali sono state raccolte in differenti aree della Sardegna. Le popolazioni sono state valutate, a Sassari, nel corso del 1987-88 per numero cromosomico, indici di fertilità per autofecondazione e libera impollinazione, peso di 1.000 semi, diametro della pianta a 90 giorni dalla semina, epoca di fioritura, lunghezza degli steli, numero di steli e peso secco della pianta alla raccolta. Tutte le popolazioni sono risultate diploidi (2n = 2x = 16), allogarne, autoincompatibili, ad impollinazione entomofila e appartenenti alla specie T. nigrescens Viv. subsp. nigrescens. La variabilità osservata per i caratteri agronomici in esame suggerisce la possibilità di ottenere risultati positivi con programmi di miglioramento genetico volti allo sviluppo di varietà di T. nigrescens da utilizzare nel miglioramento dei pascoli in aree marginali della Sardegna. Di notevole interesse è la variabilità tra le medie delle popolazioni messa in luce per il peso di 1.000 semi (tra 0,163 g e 0,307 g), l'epoca di fioritura (tra il 13 marzo e il 4 aprile) e la produzione di sostanza secca per pianta (tra 7,9 g e 17,9 g). L'analisi della regressione multipla e l'analisi dei "path coefficients" hanno evidenziato che la produzione di sostanza secca per pianta è fortemente influenzata dalla lunghezza media degli steli. Poiché la determinazione di questo secondo carattere è più rapida di quella relativa alla produzione di sostanza secca, almeno nelle prime fasi di valutazione del germoplasma di T. nigrescens sarebbe possibile aumentare il numero di accessioni studiate utilizzando la lunghezza media degli steli per valutare indirettamente le potenzialità produttive delle piante

Itineraries of the Working Group for Vegetation Science of the Italian Botanical Society – 1 (2022): Excursion to the Egadi Islands, Mount San Giuliano and Mount Cofano (Trapani, western Sicily, Italy)

The results of the annual excursion of the Working Group for Vegetation Science of the Italian Botanical Society, held in the Egadi Islands, Mount San Giuliano and Mount Cofano (W Sicily) on April 23–27 2022, are presented. This paper includes: (1) general information on the visited sites; (2) geology and geomorphology; (3) climatology and bioclimatology with tables of climatic data; (4) description of the following five geobotanical itineraries – accompanied by 29 original vegetation relevés and 11 synthetic relevés, proceeding from different bibliographic references: (a) Mount San Giuliano; (b) Marettimo Island: coastal and sub-coastal stretch of the southern part, between Punta Bassana and Contrada Chiappera; (c) Marettimo Island: Case Romane, Mount Pizzo Falcone and the north-western coastal stretch; (d) Island of Levanzo; (e) Mount Cofano – with catenal pictograms of the vegetation, surveys and description of the plant communities and related syntaxonomic scheme; (5) list of the surveyed plant taxa, collected specimens and herbaria in which they are deposited. A new syntaxon is also described (Catapodio pauciflori-Moraeetum sisyrinchii ass. nova), referring to an ephemeral dry grassland located along the north-western coastal stretch of Marettimo. The new association is framed in the Plantagini-Catapodion balearici, alliance of the Stipo-Bupleuretalia semicompositi order of the class Stipo-Trachynietea distachyae (order Stipo-Bupleuretalia semicompositi, alliance Plantagini-Catapodion balearici). An original synoptic table, regarding 17 different plant communities with high frequency of Moraea sisyrinchium, provides a comparative framework of the new association with allied vegetation units so far described throughout the Mediterranean region. Syntaxonomical and nomenclatural remarks regarding the Mediterranean vegetation occurring in this territory are also given throughout the text. Some floristic updates for the study sites are also reported, including the discovery for the first time in Sicily of Lysimachia loeflingii

Impact of different exposure models and spatial resolution on the long-term effects of air pollution.

Abstract Long-term exposure to air pollution has been related to mortality in several epidemiological studies. The investigations have assessed exposure using various methods achieving different accuracy in predicting air pollutants concentrations. The comparison of the health effects estimates are therefore challenging. This paper aims to compare the effect estimates of the long-term effects of air pollutants (particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter less than 10 μm, PM10, and nitrogen dioxide, NO2) on cause-specific mortality in the Rome Longitudinal Study, using exposure estimates obtained with different models and spatial resolutions. Annual averages of NO2 and PM10 were estimated for the year 2015 in a large portion of the Rome urban area (12 × 12 km2) applying three modelling techniques available at increasing spatial resolution: 1) a chemical transport model (CTM) at 1km resolution; 2) a land-use random forest (LURF) approach at 200m resolution; 3) a micro-scale Lagrangian particle dispersion model (PMSS) taking into account the effect of buildings structure at 4 m resolution with results post processed at different buffer sizes (12, 24, 52, 100 and 200 m). All the exposures were assigned at the residential addresses of 482,259 citizens of Rome 30+ years of age who were enrolled on 2001 and followed-up till 2015. The association between annual exposures and natural-cause, cardiovascular (CVD) and respiratory (RESP) mortality were estimated using Cox proportional hazards models adjusted for individual and area-level confounders. We found different distributions of both NO2 and PM10 concentrations, across models and spatial resolutions. Natural cause and CVD mortality outcomes were all positively associated with NO2 and PM10 regardless of the model and spatial resolution when using a relative scale of the exposure such as the interquartile range (IQR): adjusted Hazard Ratios (HR), and 95% confidence intervals (CI), of natural cause mortality, per IQR increments in the two pollutants, ranged between 1.012 (1.004, 1.021) and 1.018 (1.007, 1.028) for the different NO2 estimates, and between 1.010 (1.000, 1.020) and 1.020 (1.008, 1.031) for PM10, with a tendency of larger effect for lower resolution exposures. The latter was even stronger when a fixed value of 10 μg/m3 is used to calculate HRs. Long-term effects of air pollution on mortality in Rome were consistent across different models for exposure assessment, and different spatial resolutions

Ethnobotanical remarks on Central and Southern Italy

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The present paper is a brief survey on the ethnobotanical works published by the Authors since 1981, concerning the research carried out in some southern and central Italian regions. Before Roman domination these territories were first inhabited by local people, while the southern areas were colonized by the Greeks. These different cultural contributions left certain traces, both in the toponyms and in the vernacular names of the plants and, more generally, in the culture as a whole.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Field data were collected through open interviews, mainly of farmers, shepherds and elderly people, born or living in these areas for a long time. Voucher specimens of collected plants are preserved in the respective herbaria of the Authors and in the herbarium of "Roma Tre" University. Important contributions have been made by several students native to the areas under consideration. A comparative analysis with local specific ethnobotanical literature was carried out.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The paper reports several examples concerning human and veterinary popular medicine and in addition some anti-parasitic, nutraceutic, dye and miscellaneous uses are also described. Moreover vernacular names and toponyms are cited. Eight regions of central and southern Italy (particularly Latium, Abruzzo, Marche and Basilicata) were investigated and the data obtained are presented in 32 papers. Most of the species of ethnobotanical interest have been listed in Latium (368 species), Marche (274) and Abruzzo (203). The paper also highlights particularly interesting aspects or uses not previously described in the specific ethnobotanical literature.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Phyto-therapy in central and southern Italy is nowadays practised by a few elderly people who resort to medicinal plants only for mild complaints (on the contrary food uses are still commonly practised). Nowadays therapeutic uses, unlike in the past, are less closely or not at all linked to ritual aspects. Several plants deserve to be taken into consideration not only from the anthropological or cultural point of view, but also for further phyto-chemical investigation. Our studies, as well as those of other authors, try to provide an original picture of the local ethno-biodiversity.</p

Cabbage and fermented vegetables : From death rate heterogeneity in countries to candidates for mitigation strategies of severe COVID-19

Large differences in COVID-19 death rates exist between countries and between regions of the same country. Some very low death rate countries such as Eastern Asia, Central Europe, or the Balkans have a common feature of eating large quantities of fermented foods. Although biases exist when examining ecological studies, fermented vegetables or cabbage have been associated with low death rates in European countries. SARS-CoV-2 binds to its receptor, the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). As a result of SARS-CoV-2 binding, ACE2 downregulation enhances the angiotensin II receptor type 1 (AT(1)R) axis associated with oxidative stress. This leads to insulin resistance as well as lung and endothelial damage, two severe outcomes of COVID-19. The nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 (Nrf2) is the most potent antioxidant in humans and can block in particular the AT(1)R axis. Cabbage contains precursors of sulforaphane, the most active natural activator of Nrf2. Fermented vegetables contain many lactobacilli, which are also potent Nrf2 activators. Three examples are: kimchi in Korea, westernized foods, and the slum paradox. It is proposed that fermented cabbage is a proof-of-concept of dietary manipulations that may enhance Nrf2-associated antioxidant effects, helpful in mitigating COVID-19 severity.Peer reviewe

Nrf2-interacting nutrients and COVID-19 : time for research to develop adaptation strategies

There are large between- and within-country variations in COVID-19 death rates. Some very low death rate settings such as Eastern Asia, Central Europe, the Balkans and Africa have a common feature of eating large quantities of fermented foods whose intake is associated with the activation of the Nrf2 (Nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2) anti-oxidant transcription factor. There are many Nrf2-interacting nutrients (berberine, curcumin, epigallocatechin gallate, genistein, quercetin, resveratrol, sulforaphane) that all act similarly to reduce insulin resistance, endothelial damage, lung injury and cytokine storm. They also act on the same mechanisms (mTOR: Mammalian target of rapamycin, PPAR gamma:Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor, NF kappa B: Nuclear factor kappa B, ERK: Extracellular signal-regulated kinases and eIF2 alpha:Elongation initiation factor 2 alpha). They may as a result be important in mitigating the severity of COVID-19, acting through the endoplasmic reticulum stress or ACE-Angiotensin-II-AT(1)R axis (AT(1)R) pathway. Many Nrf2-interacting nutrients are also interacting with TRPA1 and/or TRPV1. Interestingly, geographical areas with very low COVID-19 mortality are those with the lowest prevalence of obesity (Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia). It is tempting to propose that Nrf2-interacting foods and nutrients can re-balance insulin resistance and have a significant effect on COVID-19 severity. It is therefore possible that the intake of these foods may restore an optimal natural balance for the Nrf2 pathway and may be of interest in the mitigation of COVID-19 severity