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This work started as a joint academia and company research project with the aim of finding new applications for domestically sourced volcanic products and related waste (pumice, lapillus, zeolitic tuff and volcanic debris from Tessennano and Arlena quarry) by creating a database of secondary volcanic raw materials and their intrinsic characteristics to help industry replace virgin materials and enhance circularity. In this context, accurate chemical, mineralogical, morphological, granulometric and thermal characterizations were performed. Based on the results presented, it can be concluded that due to their lightness, these materials can be used in the design and preparation of lightweight aggregates for agronomic purposes or in the construction field. Furthermore, due to their aluminosilicate nature and amorphous fraction, pumice and lapillus can play the role of precursor or activator for geopolymer preparation. With its porous nature, zeolitic tuff can be exploited for flue gas treatment. Due to the presence of feldspathic phase (sanidine), these materials can be used in tile production as a fluxing component, and with their pozzolanic activity and calcium content, they have application in the binder field as supplementary cementitious material or as aggregates.

Eucalyptus essential oil and its major constituent eucalyptol are extensively employed in the cosmetic, food, and pharmaceutical industries and their clinical use has recently expanded worldwide as an adjuvant in the treatment of infective and inflammatory diseases. We previously demonstrated that essential oil from Eucalyptus globulus (Labill.) (EO) stimulates in vitro the phagocytic activity of human monocyte-derived macrophages and counteracts the myelotoxicity induced by the chemotherapeutic 5-fluorouracil in immunocompetent rats. Here we characterize some mechanistic aspects underlying the immunostimulatory ability exerted by EO on macrophages. The internalization of fluorescent beads, fluorescent zymosan BioParticles, or apoptotic cancer cells was evaluated by confocal microscopy. Pro-inflammatory cytokine and chemokine release was determined by flow cytometry using the BD cytometric bead array. Receptor involvement in EO-stimulated phagocytosis was assessed using complement- or IgG-opsonized zymosan particles. The localization and expression of podosome components was analyzed by confocal microscopy and western blot. The main results demonstrated that: EO-induced activation of a macrophage is ascribable to its major component eucalyptol, as recently demonstrated for other cells of innate immunity; EO implements pathogen internalization and clearance by stimulating the complement receptor-mediated phagocytosis; EO stimulates podosome formation and increases the expression of podosome components. These results confirm that EO extract is a potent activator of innate cell-mediated immunity and thereby increase the scientific evidence supporting an additional property of this plant extract besides the known antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties.

This study proposes different manufacturing techniques (manual pelletization, powder pressing, and "shell scaffold") to obtain lightweight clay ceramics containing recovery raw materials. The sintering in an electrical furnace (1000 °C, 1 h processing time) was conducted by traditional firing from room temperature, for pressed and shell-scaffold samples, while the flash heating (i.e., samples directly put at 1000 °C) was used only for the pellets. The porous materials (porosity 40-80%), functionalized with nutrients (K and P) in amounts to confer the fertilizer capability, gave suitable results in terms of pH (6.7-8.15) and electrical conductivity (0.29-1.33 mS/cm). Thus, such materials can be considered as feasible lightweight clay ceramics, with a positive effect on the soil. These findings permit us to hypothesize a potential use in green roofs or in agronomic applications.

In non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), many lines of investigation have reported a dysregulation in lipid homeostasis, leading to intrahepatic lipid accumulation. Recently, the role of dysfunctional sphingolipid metabolism has also been proposed. Human and animal models of NASH have been associated with elevated levels of long chain ceramides and pro-apoptotic sphingolipid metabolites, implicated in regulating fatty acid oxidation and inflammation. Importantly, inhibition of de novo ceramide biosynthesis or knock-down of ceramide synthases reverse some of the pathology of NASH. In contrast, cell permeable, short chain ceramides have shown anti-inflammatory actions in multiple models of inflammatory disease. Here, we investigated non-apoptotic doses of a liposome containing short chain C6-Ceramide (Lip-C6) administered to human hepatic stellate cells (hHSC), a key effector of hepatic fibrogenesis, and an animal model characterized by inflammation and elevated liver fat content. On the basis of the results from unbiased liver transcriptomic studies from non-alcoholic fatty liver disease patients, we chose to focus on adenosine monophosphate activated kinase (AMPK) and nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor (Nrf2) signaling pathways, which showed an abnormal profile. Lip-C6 administration inhibited hHSC proliferation while improving anti-oxidant protection and energy homeostasis, as indicated by upregulation of Nrf2, activation of AMPK and an increase in ATP. To confirm these in vitro data, we investigated the effect of a single tail-vein injection of Lip-C6 in the methionine-choline deficient (MCD) diet mouse model. Lip-C6, but not control liposomes, upregulated phospho-AMPK, without inducing liver toxicity, apoptosis, or exacerbating inflammatory signaling pathways. Alluding to mechanism, mass spectrometry lipidomics showed that Lip-C6-treatment reversed the imbalance in hepatic phosphatidylcholines and diacylglycerides species induced by the MCD-fed diet. These results reveal that short-term Lip-C6 administration reverses energy/metabolic depletion and increases protective anti-oxidant signaling pathways, possibly by restoring homeostatic lipid function in a model of liver inflammation with fat accumulation.

This paper presents an innovative application for spent coffee grounds (SCGs) used as filler for the formulation of lightweight clay ceramic aggregates (LWA). LWA can be used for urban and agricultural purposes as a sustainable solution. Spent coffee grounds were tested as a pore forming agent partially acting as a replacement for red clay in material formulation before firing. Substitutions of 10, 15, and 20 wt.% of red clay were tested. The properties of lightweight aggregates with 15 wt.% of SCGs were improved using a specifically tailored fertilizer glass due to its low pH and conductivity within the soil tolerance range. Packaging glassy sand, cattle-bone flour ash, and potassium carbonate were mixed and melted in order to obtain this glass, which when added to the clayey batch functionalized the aggregates by phosphorus and potassium nutrients. The results (in particular, porosity and bulk density) show that the lightweight aggregates obtained have interesting properties for possible uses both in urban (e.g., green roofs as a drainage layer) and agricultural purposes. Moreover, pH and conductivity are in line with the Italian Standard regarding soil amendment (D.lgs. 75/2010). In addition, several leaching tests were performed in a solution containing 2 vol.% citric acid (C 6 H 8 O 7 ) to evaluate the release capacity not only of nutrients (P and K) but also to check the presence and release of heavy metals, such as lead (Pb), that may come from the glassy precursor. The results obtained showed that nutrients are efficiently released in 21 days (P = 87.73% and K = 25.74% of released percentage) and Pb release is under the standard threshold of 30 ppm.