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This study investigated the suitability of X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis for routine multi-elemental composition analysis, checking its analytical capabilities by measuring a wide array of certified reference materials of soil and plant origin. A portable XRF analyzer was used to evaluate 32 soil and 12 plant standard materials, using both the Soil and Geochem mode, with sequential beams, allowing the detection of a wide range of elements. Recovery rates were calculated by comparing XRF measurements with certified values, and their correlations were verified through the Spearman coefficient. The results demonstrated the reliability of XRF measurements for soil samples, with a large number of elements showing a good or very good recovery and strong correlations with certified values. For plant samples, XRF largely overestimated the certified values, but the strong statistically significant correlations for almost all tested elements allowed us to correct this systematic bias, using the reported median value for dividing the value obtained via XRF. The Geochem mode emerged as more reliable for a larger number of elements. It was concluded that XRF may be a suitable alternative to ICP-MS in routine multi-elemental composition analysis.

Seed priming with synthetic chemicals may be harmful to the environment and human health. Their replacement with bio-based compounds may overcome these concerns. In this study, we assessed the effectiveness of wood distillate (WD) in enhancing in vitro germination of crop plants using basil, chickpea, and lettuce as case studies. Seeds of the three species were soaked for 24 h in 0.25% and 0.17% WD solutions and then left to germinate for 7 days at 20 °C in a dark germination chamber. Seed pre-treatment with 0.25% WD enhanced germination in all tested species, while 0.17% WD stimulated germination in lettuce and chickpea, but not in basil. For lettuce, 0.17% WD worked better than 0.25% WD. Radicle length of basil and chickpea increased following pre-treatment with 0.25% WD, while in lettuce, it increased after pre-treatment with 0.17% WD. Treating seeds with appropriate WD solutions is a potential strategy to improve germination of crop plants.

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrinological disorder in women, in which, besides chronic anovulation/oligomenorrhea and ovarian cysts, hyperandrogenism plays a critical role in a large fraction of subjects. Inositol isomers—myo-Inositol and D-Chiro-Inositol—have recently been pharmacologically effective in managing many PCOS symptoms while rescuing ovarian fertility. However, some disappointing clinical results prompted the reconsideration of their specific biological functions. Surprisingly, D-Chiro-Ins stimulates androgen synthesis and decreases the ovarian estrogen pathway; on the contrary, myo-Ins activates FSH response and aromatase activity, finally mitigating ovarian hyperandrogenism. However, when the two isomers are given in association—according to the physiological ratio of 40:1—patients could benefit from myo-Ins enhanced FSH and estrogen responsiveness, while taking advantage of the insulin-sensitizing effects displayed mostly by D-Chiro-Ins. We need not postulate insulin resistance to explain PCOS pathogenesis, given that insulin hypersensitivity is likely a shared feature of PCOS ovaries. Indeed, even in the presence of physiological insulin stimulation, the PCOS ovary synthesizes D-Chiro-Ins four times more than that measured in control theca cells. The increased D-Chiro-Ins within the ovary is detrimental in preserving steroidogenic control, and this failure can easily explain why treatment strategies based upon high D-Chiro-Ins have been recognized as poorly effective. Within this perspective, two factors emerge as major determinants in PCOS: hyperandrogenism and reduced aromatase expression. Therefore, PCOS could no longer be considered a disease only due to increased androgen synthesis without considering the contemporary downregulation of aromatase and FSH receptors. Furthermore, these findings suggest that inositols can be specifically effective only for those PCOS phenotypes featured by hyperandrogenism.

This study investigated the influence of the agro-climatic environment of Northern Ethiopia on the content of essential mineral elements of selected orange-fleshed sweetpotato genotypes, the potential contribution of each genotype’s essential mineral elements to the recommended dietary allowance, and the potential risk to human health from the accumulation of potentially toxic elements in the tuberous roots of the studied genotypes. The results showed consistent interspecific variations in the content of essential mineral elements among the studied orange-fleshed sweetpotato genotypes, as well as important intraspecific differences, which could depend on the variations in soil mineral and organic matter content, rainfall, temperature, as well as interactions between genotype and environment. The investigated genotypes, especially Kulfo, Ininda, Gloria, and Amelia, can provide an amount of several essential mineral elements high enough to meet 100% of the recommended dietary allowance for all age groups ≤8 years. The mean content of potentially toxic elements in tuberous roots and their daily intake values were within the recommended permissible levels; likewise, no health risk was associated with the consumption of these genotypes for Cr, As, and Pb. However, Al, Cd, Cu, Fe, Mn, and Ni is > 1, consumption imposes health risks based on daily accumulation.

Wood distillate (WD) is an environmentally safe bio-based product stimulating plant growth and yield and allowed in Italy in organic farming. To the best of our knowledge, there are no studies on the effects of WD on spontaneous plants growing among crops, including their functional traits such as biomass. To test such effects, we carried out a lab experiment on artificially reconstructed arable plant communities composed of five species of conservation interest, which are specialist winter cereal crops: Bromus secalinus L., Centaurea cyanus L., Lathyrus aphaca L., Legousia speculum-veneris (L.) Chaix, and Scandix pecten-veneris L. After sowing 45 pots under controlled conditions, we applied WD at three concentrations (0%, 0.2%, and 0.5%) six times over 7 weeks. The number of emerged plants in each pot was counted every two weeks. Finally, we harvested all plants and measured the fresh and dry above-ground weight of each species in each pot. The resulting data were analyzed by Permutational Analysis of Variance. The application of 0.2% and 0.5% WD modified the community composition after two weeks, but such differences later disappeared. Both 0.2% and 0.5% WD had a positive effect on the dry weight of S. pecten-veneris and a negative effect on that of L. speculum-veneris. Moreover, 0.2% and 0.5% WD increased seedling emergence in L. aphaca, and 0.5% WD increased seedling emergence in S. pecten-veneris. Both 0.2% and 0.5% WD enhanced seedling emergence in the entire community. We suggest that the use of WD at low concentrations in winter cereals may be a sustainable agricultural practice that benefits crops without harming the associated plant diversity.

Bio-stimulants are showing growing success and are gradually replacing synthetic fertilizers in agriculture. Wood distillate (WD), also known as wood vinegar or pyroligneous acid, is a by-product of biomass pyrolysis and is increasingly used as a bio-stimulant for crop production. This study investigated whether weekly foliar applications of 0.25% and 0.50% WD have a differential effect on the chlorophyll and sugar content as well as biomass production in lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.). Moreover, the additional beneficial effect from the addition of corroborants of plant origin such as 3% soy lecithin and 5% flavonoid-rich wood glycolic extract to WD (BF) was investigated. Moreover, the possible toxicological concern from some potentially toxic elements (PTEs), namely Cd, Cu, Fe, Pb, and Zn, which may be abundant in WD was verified. After four weeks, we found that 0.25% WD not only increases lettuce biomass, which has an economic value, but also has beneficial effects on other qualitative parameters such as sugars and total sweetness. On the other hand, the use of 0.5% WD decreased the content of soluble sugars, suggesting a hormetic-type effect. We did not find evidence of further beneficial effects from the addition to WD of plant-derived corroborants, nor of any enrichment in the content of the investigated PTEs.

In order to improve the electrochemical properties of poly(ethylene oxide), a well-known-solid polymer electrolyte, by adding zwitterion molecules, the synthesis of a new zwitterion (ZN) having imidazolium cation and sulfonyl(trifluoromethane sulfonyl)imide anion is investigated. The addition of different amounts of ZN to the mixture of lithium bis(trifluoromethane sulfonyl)imide (LiTFSI) and poly(ethylene glycol)dimethyl ether (PEGDM) of 1000 g mol−1 does not significantly affect the transition temperature of PEGDM but causes a slight decrease in ionic conductivity of the electrolyte mixtures. However, even with the presence of only 0.05 mole fraction of ZN, the anodic stability of LiTFSI/PEGDM based electrolytes is improved to over 4.5 V vs. Li+/Li at 25 °C. This makes the new synthesized zwitterion a promising electrolyte’s additive for high voltage batteries.

Gender differences in the burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD) have been observed worldwide. In this study, plasmatic levels of trimethylamine (TMA) and blood oxidative biomarkers have been evaluated in 358 men (89 controls and 269 CVD patients) and 189 women (64 control and 125 CVD patients). The fluorescence technique was applied to determine erythrocyte membrane fluidity using 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene (DPH) and Laurdan, while lipid hydroperoxides were assessed by diphenyl−1-pyrenylphosphine (DPPP). Results show that levels of plasmatic TMA were higher in healthy men with respect to healthy women (p = 0.0001). Significantly lower TMA was observed in male CVD patients (0.609 ± 0.104 μM) compared to healthy male controls (0.680 ± 0.118 μM) (p < 0.001), while higher levels of TMA were measured in female CVD patients (0.595 ± 0.115 μM) with respect to female controls (0.529 ± 0.073 μM) (p < 0.001). DPPP was significantly higher in healthy control men than in women (p < 0.001). Male CVD patients displayed a lower value of DPPP (2777 ± 1924) compared to healthy controls (5528 ± 2222) (p < 0.001), while no significant changes were measured in females with or without CVD (p > 0.05). Membrane fluidity was significantly higher (p < 0.001) in the hydrophobic bilayer only in control male subjects. In conclusion, gender differences were observed in blood oxidative biomarkers, and DPPP value might be suggested as a biomarker predictive of CVD only in men.

Background. Despite massive immigration towards Southern Europe in the last two decades, data on mortality by cause among immigrants in Italy are scarce. The aim of this study was to investigate mortality from all and from specific causes of death among immigrants residing in the Veneto Region (Northeastern Italy).Methods. Mortality records for the period 2008–2013 were extracted from the regional archive of causes of death, whereas population data were obtained from the 2011 Italian census. Immigrants were grouped by area of provenience based on the information on country of citizenship available both in mortality and census data. Standardized Mortality Ratios (SMR) with 95% Confidence Intervals (CI) were computed for the period 2008–2013 in subjects aged 20–59 years, with rates of Italian citizens as a reference.Results. Overall mortality was reduced both in male (SMR 0.86, CI [0.80–0.92]) and female immigrants (SMR 0.72, CI [0.65–0.78]), although an increased risk was observed for subjects from Sub-Saharan Africa. Significantly raised SMR for circulatory diseases were found among Sub-Saharan Africans and Southern Asians in both genders. Sub-Saharan Africans experienced a higher risk of death, especially from cerebrovascular diseases: SMR 4.78 (CI [2.67–7.89]) and SMR 6.09 (CI [1.96–14.2]) in males and females, respectively. Among Southern Asians, the increase in mortality from ischemic heart diseases reached statistical significance in males (SMR 2.53, CI [1.42–4.18]). In spite of a lower risk of death for all neoplasms combined, mortality from cancer of cervix uteri was increased among immigrants (SMR 2.61, CI [1.35–4.56]), as well as for other cancer sites in selected immigrant groups. A raised mortality was found for infectious diseases in Sub-Saharan Africans (both genders), and for transport accidents among females from Eastern Europe.Conclusion. Our study showed great variations in mortality by cause and area of provenience among immigrants resident in the Veneto Region and highlighted specific health issues that should be addressed through tailored efforts in chronic diseases prevention.

Abstract Background Statistics on occupational accidents are based on data from registered employees. With the increasing number of immigrants employed illegally and/or without regular working visas in many developed countries, it is of interest to estimate the injury rate among such unregistered workers. Findings The current study was conducted in an area of North-Eastern Italy. The sources of information employed in the present study were the Accidents and Emergencies records of a hospital; the population data on foreign-born residents in the hospital catchment area (Health Care District 4, Primary Care Trust 20, Province of Verona, Veneto Region, North-Eastern Italy); and the estimated proportion of illegally employed workers in representative samples from the Province of Verona and the Veneto Region. Of the 419 A&E records collected between January and December 2004 among non European Union (non-EU) immigrants, 146 aroused suspicion by reporting the home, rather than the workplace, as the site of the accident. These cases were the numerator of the rate. The number of illegally employed non-EU workers, denominator of the rate, was estimated according to different assumptions and ranged from between 537 to 1,338 individuals. The corresponding rates varied from 109.1 to 271.8 per 1,000 non-EU illegal employees, against 65 per 1,000 reported in Italy in 2004. Conclusions The results of this study suggest that there is an unrecorded burden of illegally employed immigrants suffering from work related injuries. Additional efforts for prevention of injuries in the workplace are required to decrease this number. It can be concluded that the Italian National Institute for the Insurance of Work Related Injuries (INAIL) probably underestimates the incidence of these accidents in Italy.

Space biomedicine has provided significant technological breakthroughs by developing new medical devices, diagnostic tools, and health-supporting systems. Many of these products are currently in use onboard the International Space Station and have been successfully translated into clinical practice on Earth. However, biomedical research performed in space has disclosed exciting, new perspectives regarding the relationships between physics and medicine, thus fostering the rethinking of the theoretical basis of biology. In particular, these studies have stressed the critical role that biophysical forces play in shaping the function and pattern formation of living structures. The experimental models investigated under microgravity conditions allow us to appreciate the complexity of living organisms through a very different perspective. Indeed, biological entities should be conceived as a unique magnification of physical laws driven by local energy and order states overlaid by selection history and constraints, in which the source of the inheritance, variation, and process of selection has expanded from the classical Darwinian definition. The very specific nature of the field in which living organisms behave and evolve in a space environment can be exploited to decipher the underlying, basic processes and mechanisms that are not apparent on Earth. In turn, these findings can provide novel opportunities for testing pharmacological countermeasures that can be instrumental for managing a wide array of health problems and diseases on Earth.

Microgravity impairs tissue organization and critical pathways involved in the cell–microenvironment interplay, where fibroblasts have a critical role. We exposed dermal fibroblasts to simulated microgravity by means of a Random Positioning Machine (RPM), a device that reproduces conditions of weightlessness. Molecular and structural changes were analyzed and compared to control samples growing in a normal gravity field. Simulated microgravity impairs fibroblast conversion into myofibroblast and inhibits their migratory properties. Consequently, the normal interplay between fibroblasts and keratinocytes were remarkably altered in 3D co-culture experiments, giving rise to several ultra-structural abnormalities. Such phenotypic changes are associated with down-regulation of α-SMA that translocate in the nucleoplasm, altogether with the concomitant modification of the actin-vinculin apparatus. Noticeably, the stress associated with weightlessness induced oxidative damage, which seemed to concur with such modifications. These findings disclose new opportunities to establish antioxidant strategies that counteract the microgravity-induced disruptive effects on fibroblasts and tissue organization.

This study investigated the dynamics of the accumulation and release of Hg2+ in lichens, using Evernia prunastri (L.) Ach. as a model species. Thalli were incubated with solutions containing 1, 10, and 100 µM Hg2+ and then exposed for 1, 2, 3, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months at the Botanical Garden of the University of Siena (a location free from local Hg sources). Lichen samples accumulated Hg proportionally to the exposure concentration, and after the exposure, reductions over time were evident, already starting from 1–2 months. After 24 months, samples released 72–74 (healthy thalli) to 94% (unhealthy thalli) of the accumulated Hg, but control values of untreated samples were never reached. Depending on the Hg content after the exposure, stable decreased concentrations were reached after 6–24 months. The results of this study highlight the ability of the lichen E. prunastri to reflect rapidly increasing environmental Hg concentrations, as well as to indicate an ameliorated situation (e.g., the closure of an Hg source). However, we have found evidence that an acute pollution episode can influence the content of Hg in lichens for several years.

In the Valdichiana area (Tuscany, Italy) an ancient native landrace of elephant garlic (Allium ampeloprasum L.), locally known as “Aglione della Valdichiana”, has long been cultivated. The aim of this study was to check whether there are differences in the mineral and nutraceutical profiles of the Aglione della Valdichiana cultivated conventionally and organically. Based on the analysis by ICP-MS of a wide array of major, minor, essential, and non-essential trace elements as well as rare earth elements, and the evaluation of the content of polyphenols, flavonoids, antioxidants, soluble proteins, soluble sugars, and starch, as well as the weight and water content, it was concluded that differences in the mineral and nutraceutical profiles of organically and conventionally grown bulbs were very limited. Only a statistically (p < 0.05) higher concentration of Cd (+2620%), Co (+113%), Mn (+55%), Rb (+180%), and Sb (+180%), as well as glucose (+37%) in conventionally cultivated bulbs emerged. Cadmium was the only element slightly higher than in the “reference plant,” but with a negligible risk (three orders of magnitude lower) for human health based on consumption. It is concluded that we failed to find evidence of healthier food or a higher nutraceutical quality for organically cultivated elephant garlic.

Game activity is fundamental for children’s cognitive and social development. During recent years, technology development has led to changes in several areas, including the ludic one. However, while in the literature, there are plenty of studies that report the importance of technology-based games in rehabilitation program, little attention has been paid to their role as pure entertainment. In contrast, the market does not provide videogames that are engaging, accessible, and inclusive. In this context, a survey was distributed to families who have a child with neuromotor limitations to investigate how these children deal with play, in particular with videogames, and what the requirements are for accessible and inclusive videogames. FightTheStroke distributed the questionnaire to families with a child with neuromotor impairments in April 2020. Fifty-six families responded to the survey. The answers revealed that children generally manifest positive feelings when playing with videogames, especially with cooperative ones, even if they are not fully accessible. The survey also collected user needs and suggestions from families about the design of videogames for neuromotor-impaired children. Guidelines derived from the survey are reported for the development of entertaining, inclusive, and accessible videogames, playable by children with neuromotor disabilities.

Incorrect pesticide use in plant protection often involve a risk to the health of operators and consumers and can have negative impacts on the environment and the crops. The application of artificial intelligence techniques can help the reduction of the volume sprayed, decreasing these impacts. In Italy, the production of ready-to-eat salad in greenhouses requires usually from 8 to 12 treatments per year. Moreover, inappropriate sprayers are frequently used, being originally designed for open-field operations. To solve this problem, a small vehicle suitable for moving over rough ground (named “rover”), was designed, able to carry out treatments based on a single row pass in the greenhouse, devoted to reduce significantly the sprayed product amount. To ascertain its potential, the prototype has been tested at two growth stages of some salad cultivars, adopting different nozzles and boom settings. Parameters such as boom height, nozzle spacing and inclination, pump pressure and rover traveling speed were studied. To assess the effectiveness of the spraying coverage, for each run several water-sensitive papers were placed throughout the vegetation. Compared to the commonly distributed mixture volume (1000 L/ha), the prototype is able to reduce up to 55% of product sprayed, but still assure an excellent crop coverage.

Multi-center epidemiological studies must ascertain that their measurements are accurate and reliable. For laboratory measurements, reliability can be assessed through investigation of reproducibility of measurements in the same individual. In this paper, we present results from the quality control analysis of the baseline laboratory measurements from the ELSA-Brasil study. The study enrolled 15,105 civil servants at 6 research centers in 3 regions of Brazil between 2008–2010, with multiple biochemical analytes being measured at a central laboratory. Quality control was ascertained through standard laboratory evaluation of intra- and inter-assay variability and test-retest analysis in a subset of randomly chosen participants. An additional sample of urine or blood was collected from these participants, and these samples were handled in the same manner as the original ones, locally and at the central laboratory. Reliability was assessed with the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), estimated through a random effects model. Coefficients of variation (CV) and Bland-Altman plots were additionally used to assess measurement variability. Laboratory intra and inter-assay CVs varied from 0.86% to 7.77%. From test-retest analyses, the ICCs were high for the majority of the analytes. Notably lower ICCs were observed for serum sodium (ICC=0.50; 95%CI=0.31–0.65) and serum potassium (ICC=0.73; 95%CI=0.60–0.83), due to the small biological range of these analytes. The CVs ranged from 1 to 14%. The Bland-Altman plots confirmed these results. The quality control analyses showed that the collection, processing and measurement protocols utilized in the ELSA-Brasil produced reliable biochemical measurements.

HER2 expression or gene amplification is crucial for performing targeted theraphy. We assessed p185HER2 (p185) expression, HER2 amplification and copy number of chromosome 17 centromere (CEP17) in pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PAC). We analyzed 26 tumours at diagnosis, 21 metastatic lymph nodes (mLN) and 38 distant metastases (mTS) by immunohistochemistry and by FISH. p185 overexpression was shown in 4% of primary PAC, 6% of mLN and 29% of mTS. Amplification was found restricted to 10% of the mTS and increased CEP17 in 21% of mTS and 16% of mLN. Overexpression of p185 was present in all amplified cases but in only 36% of increased CEP17. In conclusion HER2 amplification and increased CEP17 were mainly related to mTS or mLN and increased CEP17 was not always linked to overexpression of p185.

We investigated the association of circulating tumor cells (CTC) with poor prognostic markers in breast cancer (BC) at time of diagnosis. Peripheral blood (PB) samples from 190 patients with invasive BC, 12 patients with in situ BC, before theraphy and/or surgery, and 330 from patients without BC were tested for CTCs by RT-PCR for human mammaglobin (hMAM). hMAM was expressed only in PB of invasive BC (9.5%) and a significant correlation was found between CTCs with lymph node involvement, tumour size and negative ER. We conclude that CTC detention in invasive BC may be an additional poor prognostic indicator.