Trace Elements in Soil and Urban Groundwater in an Area Impacted by Metallurgical Activity: Health Risk Assessment in the Historical Barga Municipality (Tuscany, Italy).

Trace elements were measured in soil and groundwater collected within the Fornaci di Barga urban area (Serchio River Valley, Tuscany, Italy), a territory that integrates natural assets with touristic vocation, impacted by long-lasting metallurgical activity. Epidemiological studies highlighted that the area surrounding the industrial plants is characterized by a persistent excess of diseases, attributed to heavy metal pollution. Soils were taken in school gardens, public parks, sport grounds and roadsides.

"De Novo" trisomy 20p with macroorchidism in a prepuberal boy.

A 9-year-old prepuberal boy with trisomy 20p syndrome and previously undescribed macroorchidism is presented. This is the second report of trisomy 20p originated "de novo" supporting a frequency rate of about the 10% for this etiological mechanism. Reviewing the most common clinical findings of all 19 previous patients, a typical phenotype with a recognizable face can be carried out in several cases.

Tetrasomy 9p confirmed by GALT.

We report a boy aged 12 years 7 months with mental retardation, hydrocephalus, dysmorphic facial features, congenital heart disease, and skeletal and renal anomalies. The karyotype showed a mosaic tetrasomy 9p involving the secondary constriction. This result was confirmed by tetraplex gene dosage effect for galactose-1-P-uridyltransferase (GALT).

[Yersinia enterocolitica infection in thalassemia. Report of one case (author's transl)].

The Authors describe a rare case of Yersinia Enterocolitica (Y.E.) infection in a child affected by thalassemia.