Safe Production of Rice ( L.) in Arsenic-Contaminated Soil: a Remedial Strategy using Micro-Nanostructured Bone Biochar.

This study investigated the effects of fine-sized pork bone biochar particles on remediating As-contaminated soil and alleviating associated phytotoxicity to rice in 50-day short-term and 120-day full-life-cycle pot experiments. The addition of micro-nanostructured pork bone biochar (BC) pyrolyzed at 400 and 600 °C (BC400 and BC600) significantly increased the As-treated shoot and root fresh weight by 24.4-77.

Special Issue Physiological and Molecular Responses of Plants to Engineered Nanomaterials.

Engineered nanomaterials (ENMs), by definition materials with a size between 1 and 100 nm, are becoming an important part of the economy and thanks to their many fields of applications, from photovoltaic cells to fertilizers, are increasingly coming into contact with plants and with the environment in general [...

Plant responses to climate change, how global warming may impact on food security: a critical review.

Global agricultural production must double by 2050 to meet the demands of an increasing world human population but this challenge is further exacerbated by climate change. Environmental stress, heat, and drought are key drivers in food security and strongly impacts on crop productivity. Moreover, global warming is threatening the survival of many species including those which we rely on for food production, forcing migration of cultivation areas with further impoverishing of the environment and of the genetic variability of crop species with fall out effects on food security.

Microbial consortia and biochar as sustainable biofertilisers: Analysis of their impact on wheat growth and production.

The European Union is among the top wheat producers in the world, but its productivity relies on adequate soil fertilisation. Biofertilisers, either alone or in combination with biochar, can be a preferable alternative to chemical fertilisers. However, the addition of biofertilisers, specifically plant growth promoting microbes (PGPM), could modify grain composition, and/or deteriorate the soil composition.

Long-term exposure to ambient air pollution and inflammatory response in the KORA study.

Previous studies consistently showed an association between fine atmospheric particulate matter (PM) and cardiovascular diseases. Concerns about adverse health effects of ultrafine particles (UFP) are growing but long-term studies are still scarce. In this study, we examined the association between long-term exposure to ambient air pollutants and blood biomarkers of inflammation and coagulation, including fibrinogen, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), serum amyloid A (SAA) adiponectin and interleukin-6 (IL-6), measured in the German KORA-S4 cohort study (1999-2001).

Effectiveness of different local actions to control vitamin D prescription in Italy.

Introduction: In the last decade, the significant expenditure and consumption increase of vitamin D in Italy led some regions to adopt strategies to improve prescribing appropriateness and contain expenditure.

Materials And Methods: Using the statistical analysis method of interrupted time series for consumption and expenditure of cholecalciferol, different types of interventions adopted in four Italian regions and their efficacy were evaluated.

Results: Molise achieved the best results by adopting a health professionals' education program in addition to a prescriber-sanction system.

[Vitamin D and COVID-19: a communication far from reality].

The intake of Vitamin D against COVID-19 has theoretical bases. In the 3-year period of the pandemic, hundreds of favorable observational studies and some small randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have been produced.However, to date, RCTs of larger size and quality have unfavorable results and do not support its use, neither in oral form at various doses nor as injection boluses nor in prophylaxis nor in treatment of COVID-19, not even in severe or critical cases, nor to prevent deaths.

Ultra-high Performance Liquid Chromatography-Ion Mobility-High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry to Evaluate the Metabolomic Response of Durum Wheat to Sustainable Treatments.

Sustainable agriculture aims at achieving a healthy food production while reducing the use of fertilizers and greenhouse gas emissions using biostimulants and soil amendments. Untargeted metabolomics by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-ion mobility-high-resolution mass spectrometry, operating in a high-definition MS mode, was applied to investigate the metabolome of durum wheat in response to sustainable treatments, i.e.

Nanoparticles and biochar with adsorbed plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria alleviate Fusarium wilt damage on tomato and watermelon.

The addition of biochars and nanoparticles with adsorbed Azotobacter vinelandii and Bacillus megaterium alleviated damage from Fusarium infection in both tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) and watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) plants. Tomato and watermelon plants were grown in greenhouse for 28 and 30 days (respectively) and were treated with either nanoparticles (chitosan-coated mesoporous silica or nanoclay) or varying biochars (biochar produced by pyrolysis, gasification and pyrogasification). Treatments with nanoparticles and biochars were applied in two variants - with or without adsorbed plant-growth promoting bacteria (PGPR).

Spatial proximity of tumor-immune interactions predicts patient outcome in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background And Aims: The fitness and viability of a tumor ecosystem are influenced by the spatial organization of its cells. We aimed to study the structure, architecture, and cell-cell dynamics of the heterogeneous liver cancer tumor microenvironment using spatially resolved multiplexed imaging.

Approach And Results: We performed co-detection by indexing multiplexed immunofluorescence imaging on 68 HCC biopsies from Thai patients [(Thailand Initiative in Genomics and Expression Research for Liver Cancer (TIGER-LC)] as a discovery cohort, and then validated the results in an additional 190 HCC biopsies from Chinese patients [Liver Cancer Institute (LCI)].

A nondepleting anti-CD19 antibody impairs B cell function and inhibits autoimmune diseases.

B cells contribute to multiple aspects of autoimmune disorders, and B cell-targeting therapies, including B cell depletion, have been proven to be efficacious in treatment of multiple autoimmune diseases. However, the development of novel therapies targeting B cells with higher efficacy and a nondepleting mechanism of action is highly desirable. Here we describe a nondepleting, high-affinity anti-human CD19 antibody LY3541860 that exhibits potent B cell inhibitory activities.

Engineered Nanoparticles, Natural Nanoclay and Biochar, as Carriers of Plant-Growth Promoting Bacteria.

The potential of biochar and nanoparticles to serve as effective delivery agents for beneficial bacteria to crops was investigated. Application of nanoparticles and biochar as carriers for beneficial bacteria improved not only the amount of nitrogen-fixing and phosphorus-solubilizing bacteria in soil, but also improved chlorophyll content (1.2-1.

A Metagenomic and Gene Expression Analysis in Wheat () and Maize () Biofertilized with PGPM and Biochar.

Commodity crops, such as wheat and maize, are extremely dependent on chemical fertilizers, a practice contributing greatly to the increase in the contaminants in soil and water. Promising solutions are biofertilizers, i.e.

Effectiveness of a Protocol to Reduce Children's Exposure to Particulate Matter and NO in Schools during Alert Days.

Reducing children's exposure to air pollutants should be considered a primary goal, especially for the most vulnerable subjects. The goal of this study was to test the effectiveness of applying a protocol in the event of alert days, i.e.

Building a risk matrix for the safety assessment of wood derived biochars.

Biochar is recognized as an efficient amendment and soil improver. However, environmental and quality assessments are needed to ensure the sustainability of its use in agriculture. This work considers the biochar's chemical-physical characterization and its potential phyto- and geno-toxicity, assessed with germination and Ames tests, obtaining valuable information for a safe field application.

Immunomodulatory peptides-A promising source for novel functional food production and drug discovery.

Immunomodulatory peptides are a complex class of bioactive peptides that encompasses substances with different mechanisms of action. Immunomodulatory peptides could also be used in vaccines as adjuvants which would be extremely desirable, especially in response to pandemics. Thus, immunomodulatory peptides in food of plant origin could be regarded both as valuable suplements of novel functional food preparation and/or as precursors or possible active ingredients for drugs design for treatment variety of conditions arising from impaired function of immune system.

Immunity Depletion, Telomere Imbalance, and Cancer-Associated Metabolism Pathway Aberrations in Intestinal Mucosa upon Short-Term Caloric Restriction.

Systems cancer biology analysis of calorie restriction (CR) mechanisms and pathways has not been carried out, leaving therapeutic benefits unclear. Using metadata analysis, we studied gene expression changes in normal mouse duodenum mucosa (DM) response to short-term (2-weeks) 25% CR as a biological model. Our results indicate cancer-associated genes consist of 26% of 467 CR responding differential expressed genes (DEGs).

The 3Rs Principle in Animal Experimentation: A Legal Review of the State of the Art in Europe and the Case in Italy.

The aim of this paper is to describe the essential points of Italian and European legislation governing the use of animals in biomedical experimentation. A close look will be taken at the principles of the 3Rs, which represent the mainstay of the legal architecture based on which a correct interpretation may be drawn of the legislative documents on animal experimentation. Furthermore, this paper will address the ways in which Directive 2010/63/EU is implemented in Italian legislation on the welfare of laboratory animals.

Identification of Beneficial Microbial Consortia and Bioactive Compounds with Potential as Plant Biostimulants for a Sustainable Agriculture.

A growing body of evidence demonstrates the potential of various microbes to enhance plant productivity in cropping systems although their successful field application may be impaired by several biotic and abiotic constraints. In the present work, we aimed at developing multifunctional synthetic microbial consortia to be used in combination with suitable bioactive compounds for improving crop yield and quality. Plant growth-promoting microorganisms (PGPMs) with different functional attributes were identified by a bottom-up approach.

Virtual cultural circle: promoting the health of nurses fighting the covid-19.

Objective: To report a virtual Cultural Circle experience implemented with nurses to allow them to dialogue and promote health amidst the pandemic of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Method: Experience report of a virtual Cultural Circle based on Paulo Freire's framework. The stages were correlated to the oil lamp, the symbol of the nursing profession: the lamp body was considered the Thematic Investigation, the lamp support corresponded to Encoding and Decoding, and the light corresponded to Critical Unveiling.

Structuring a philosophical and theoretical framework in the pedagogical project to teach nursing care.

Objectives: to analyze the philosophical, theoretical and methodological conceptions of the Theory of Praxic Intervention in Nursing in Collective Health by professors at a federal university, aiming at structuring a reference proposal for teaching nursing care.

Methods: Convergent Assistance Research, with 17 teachers, gathered in convergence groups for instrumentalization and production about the referential.

Results: the focus was primarily on issues considered preliminary to the theoretical and philosophical deepening of theory; and then a theoretical-methodological essay on historicity and dialectics was developed for teaching in nursing care.

Marine Bioactive Peptides-An Overview of Generation, Structure and Application with a Focus on Food Sources.

The biggest obstacles in the application of marine peptides are two-fold, as in the case of non-marine plant and animal-derived bioactive peptides: elucidating correlation between the peptide structure and its effect and demonstrating its stability in vivo. The structures of marine bioactive peptides are highly variable and complex and dependent on the sources from which they are isolated. They can be cyclical, in the form of depsipeptides, and often contain secondary structures.

[Vitamin D and coronavirus: a new field of use?].

Given the succession of communications in scientific and popular circuits, tending to take for granted a role for vitamin D in the control of the coronavirus pandemic, the authors conducted an analysis of the literature currently available in order to recognize what is supported by opinions personal and what evidence of effectiveness. At the end of the bibliographic survey there is the current absence of evidence of efficacy in favor of vitamin D in the treatment of coronavirus infection in its various expressions. The diffusion of personal opinions as if they were evidence can be a disturbing factor for adequate assistance and for correct research.