Organic pollutants in sea-surface microlayer and aerosol in thecoastal environment of Leghorn—(Tyrrhenian Sea)

The levels of dissolved and particle-associated n-alkanes, alkylbenzenes, phthalates, PAHs, anionic surfactants and surfactant fluorescent organic matter ŽSFOM. were measured in sea-surface microlayer ŽSML. and sub-surface water ŽSSL. samples collected in the Leghorn marine environment in September and October 1999. Nine stations, located in the Leghorn harbour and at increasing distances from the Port, were sampled three times on the same day. At all the stations, SML concentrations of the selected organic compounds were significantly higher than SSL values and the enrichment factors ŽEFsSML concentrationrSSL concentration. were greater in the particulate phase than in the dissolved phase. SML concentrations varied greatly among the sampling sites, the highest levels Žn-alkanes 3674 mgrl, phthalates 177 mgrl, total PAHs 226 mgrl. being found in the particulate phase in the Leghorn harbour. To improve the knowledge on pollutant exchanges between sea-surface waters and atmosphere, the validity of spray drop adsorption model ŽSDAM. was verified for SFOM, surface-active agents, such as phthalates, and compounds which can interact with SFOM, such as n-alkanes and PAHs. q2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved

Intracellular Calcium and Ischemic Damage: Dual Role of the Na+/Ca2+ Exchanger

Introduction The book describes the significant multidisciplinary research findings at the Università Politecnica delle Marche and the expected future advances. It addresses some of the most dramatic challenges posed by today’s fast-growing, global society and the changes it has caused. It also discusses solutions to improve the wellbeing of human beings. The book covers the main research achievements in the various disciplines of the life sciences, and includes chapters that highlight mechanisms relevant to all aspects of human diseases, the molecular, cellular, and functional basis of therapy, and its translation into the management of people’s health needs. It also describes research on traditional and innovative foods to enhance quality, safety and functionality, and to develop bioactive/nutraceutical compounds. Further chapters address conservation and management of various environments, from the forests to the oceans, describing the studies on countermeasures against climate changes and terrestrial/aquatic pollutants, and on terrestrial/marine biodiversity, ecosystems and landscapes, erosion of genetic biodiversity, innovative aquaculture feed, sustainable crop production and management of forests. Lastly, the book reports the findings of research work on different classes of biomolecules, and on the molecular basis of antibiotic resistances and their diffusion

Striatal implants protect the host striatum against quinolinic acid toxicity.

Quinolinic acid (QA) and related excitotoxins produce a pattern of neuronal loss and neurochemical changes in the rat striatum similar to that of patients suffering from Huntington's disease, suggesting neurotoxicity is important in the etiology of that disease. Thus, strategies for limiting excitotoxin-induced striatal damage, like that caused by QA, may be of great benefit to these individuals. Accordingly, we tested the ability of both neural and non-neural tissue implants to protect the rat striatum against a subsequent QA challenge. Our results demonstrated that recipients of fetal striatal grafts were significantly less affected by striatal injections of QA than non-grafted animals. In contrast to the latter, fetal striatal tissue recipients did not exhibit apomorphine-induced rotation behavior and showed a sparing of cholinergic and enkephalinergic systems normally lost following QA injections. Animals grafted with adult rat sciatic nerve, adrenal medulla or adipose tissue all showed a less dramatic behavioral protection and sparing of cholinergic and enkephalinergic systems. These results suggest that fetal striatal tissue exerts an optimal, and perhaps specific protective influence on the host brain