Tungsten contamination, behavior and remediation in complex environmental settings.

Tungsten (W) is a rare element and present in the earth's crust mainly as iron, aluminium, and calcium minerals including wolframite and scheelite. This review aims to offer an overview on the current knowledge on W pollution in complex environmental settlings, including terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, linking to its natural and anthropogenic sources, behavior in soil and water, environmental and human health hazards, and remediation strategies. Tungsten is used in many alloys mainly as wafers, which have wide industrial applications, such as incandescent light bulb filaments, X-ray tubes, arc welding electrodes, radiation shielding, and industrial catalysts.

The 'microbiome counterattack': Insights on the soil and root-associated microbiome in diverse chickpea and lentil genotypes after an erratic rainfall event.

Legumes maintain soil fertility thanks to their associated microbiota but are threatened by climate change that causes soil microbial community structural and functional modifications. The core microbiome associated with different chickpea and lentil genotypes was described after an unexpected climatic event. Results showed that chickpea and lentil bulk soil microbiomes varied significantly between two sampling time points, the first immediately after the rainfall and the second 2 weeks later.

Nature-Based Solutions for Restoring an Agricultural Area Contaminated by an Oil Spill.

A feasibility study is presented for a bioremediation intervention to restore agricultural activity in a field hit by a diesel oil spill from an oil pipeline. The analysis of the real contaminated soil was conducted following two approaches. The first concerned the assessment of the biodegradative capacity of the indigenous microbial community through laboratory-scale experimentation with different treatments (natural attenuation, landfarming, landfarming + bioaugmentation).

Bacterial Communities in the Fruiting Bodies and Background Soils of the White Truffle .

Picco is a greatly appreciated truffle species mainly distributed in Italy. Its price and characteristics mostly depend on its geographical origin. Truffles represent a fundamental step of the life cycle of species promoting spore dissemination.

Cannabis sativa L. and Brassica juncea L. grown on arsenic-contaminated industrial soil: potentiality and limitation for phytoremediation.

Phytoremediation represents a natural method to remove contaminants from soil. The goal of this study was to investigate the potential of phosphate-assisted phytoremediation by two energy crops, Cannabis sativa L. and Brassica juncea L.

Application of sulphate and cytokinin in assisted arsenic phytoextraction by industrial Cannabis sativa L.

Phytoextraction is currently investigated to effectively remediate soil contaminated by metals and provide highly competitive biomass for energy production. This research aimed to increase arsenic (As) removal from contaminated soil using industrial Cannabis sativa L., a suitable energy crop for biofuel production.

Dealing with complex contamination: A novel approach with a combined bio-phytoremediation strategy and effective analytical techniques.

Phytoremediation is a sustainable technology capable of efficiently removing low or moderate contamination. However, complex pollution conditions can drastically reduce efficiency, as plants can show themselves sensitive to organic contaminants, growing slowly and thus impairing metals' absorption. In cases where the action of indigenous bacteria degrading hydrocarbons and promoting plant growth is not sufficient, more sophisticated strategies are necessary.

The effect of residual hydrocarbons in soil following oil spillages on the growth of Zea mays plants.

Liquid hydrocarbon pipeline accidents, including leaks due to the illegal or unauthorized collection of petroleum from oil pipelines, are a widespread phenomenon that can lead to pollution that may negatively affect soil quality and plant growth. The aim of this study is to evaluate hydrocarbon uptake and accumulation in Zea mays plants grown on soil affected by spills of fossil fuels. The experiments were conducted in microcosm, mesocosm and field tests.

Enhancements in phytoremediation technology: Environmental assessment including different options of biomass disposal and comparison with a consolidated approach.

Phytoremediation represents a solution for treating soils contaminated by heavy metals, provided that appropriate plant species are selected and the proper strategy chosen. When dealing with soil contaminated with arsenic and/or lead, which are non-essential elements for plants but also among the most toxic metals, this task is particularly difficult to achieve. In a previous contribution we showed that metals accumulation by Lupinus albus, Brassica juncea and Helianthus annuus can be improved by dosing suitable chemicals (i.

Improved arsenic phytoextraction by combined use of mobilizing chemicals and autochthonous soil bacteria.

Proper plant selection and application of suitable strategies are key factors to ensure the effectiveness of a reclamation via phytoremediation approach. In this study, micro- and meso-cosm scale experimentation has been realized to address a persistent contamination by arsenic on a disused industrial site through an assisted phytoremediation intervention. Three crop species, namely Brassica juncea, Helianthus annuus and Zea mays, have been considered and the addition of KHPO, a common mobilizing agent for As, or (NH)SO, a promising additive for As mobilization in case of mercury co-presence, evaluated.

Overcoming limitation of "recalcitrant areas" to phytoextraction process: The synergistic effects of exogenous cytokinins and nitrogen treatments.

The aim of the present work was to test the efficiency of the phytoextraction process involving the use of exogenous phytohormone (cytokinins, CKs) and fertilizer (nitrogen, N) treatments in phytotechnologies to address risk management in "recalcitrant areas". The CKs and N treatments, alone or combined (CKs + N) in a Modulated Application (MA), were tested on the crop plant Helianthus annuus, common to Mediterranean area, fast growing and with high biomass production. Plants were grown on boron (B) contaminated sediments (collected from a geothermal area located in Tuscany (Italy).

Evidence for the natural origins of anomalously high chromium levels in soils of the Cecina Valley (Italy).

The problem of high levels of chromium is one of the most important issues in soils of the Mediterranean area, in particular those deriving from ophiolitic parent materials. Very often the chromium concentration is greater than the threshold values of legislation on soil pollution and the knowledge of the origin of contamination (natural or anthropogenic) is important to formulate risk characterization. This study evaluated the soils from three coastal areas of the Cecina Valley (Tuscany, Italy) to understand the origin of chromium in the soils, where high levels of hexavalent chromium were found in well and spring waters of the areas.

Assisted phytoremediation of a multi-contaminated soil: Investigation on arsenic and lead combined mobilization and removal.

The removal of contaminants from an earthy matrix by phytoremediation requires the selection of appropriate plant species and a suitable strategy to be effective. In order to set up an assisted phytoremediation intervention related to a disused industrial site affected by an arsenic and lead complex contamination, an extensive experimental investigation on micro and mesocosm scale has been conducted. Particular attention was given to the choice of plant species: using crop plants (Lupinus albus, Helianthus annuus and Brassica juncea) a series of parallel test campaigns have been realized to investigate different scenarios for the reclamation.

Tungstate adsorption onto Italian soils with different characteristics.

The study of tungsten in the environment is currently of considerable interest because of the growing concerns resulting from its possible toxicity and carcinogenicity. Adsorption reactions are some of the fundamental processes governing the fate and transport of tungsten compounds in soil. This paper reports data on the adsorption of tungstate ions in three different Italian soils, which are characteristic of the Mediterranean region.

Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress Enhances Mitochondrial Metabolic Activity in Mammalian Adrenals and Gonads.

The acute response to stress consists of a series of physiological programs to promote survival by generating glucocorticoids and activating stress response genes that increase the synthesis of many chaperone proteins specific to individual organelles. In the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), short-term stress triggers activation of the unfolded protein response (UPR) module that either leads to neutralization of the initial stress or adaptation to it; chronic stress favors cell death. UPR induces expression of the transcription factor, C/EBP homology protein (CHOP), and its deletion protects against the lethal consequences of prolonged UPR.

Multidisciplinary treatment of olfactory neuroblastoma: Patterns of failure and management of recurrence.

Purpose: Esthesioneuroblastoma is an uncommon malignancy of the head and neck for which there is no defined treatment protocol. The purpose of this study is to report our experience with the treatment and patterns of failure of this disease.

Methods And Materials: From 1994 to 2012, 37 previously unreported patients with esthesioneuroblastoma were evaluated, and 32 eventually treated for cure at 2 academic medical centers.

A locally invasive giant cell tumor of the skull base: case report.

Giant cell tumors (GCTs) are rare, usually affecting the epiphyses in long bones of the extremities. They seldom occur in the skull, where they preferentially affect the sphenoid and temporal bones. Considered to be benign, locally aggressive lesions, they may cause cranial nerve deficits by compression but infrequently invade the dura and parenchyma of the brain.

Effects of phosphate and thiosulphate on arsenic accumulation in the species Brassica juncea.

Arsenic (As) is recognized as a toxic pollutant in soils of many countries. Since phosphorus (P) and sulphur (S) can influence arsenic mobility and bioavailability, as well as the plant tolerance to As, phytoremediation techniques employed to clean-up As-contaminated areas should consider the interaction between As and these two nutrients. In this study, the bioavailability and accumulation of arsenate in the species Brassica juncea were compared between soil system and hydroponics in relation to P and S concentration of the growth substrate.

Using a plant hormone and a thioligand to improve phytoremediation of Hg-contaminated soil from a petrochemical plant.

Mercury-contaminated soils from a petrochemical plant in southern Italy were investigated to assess the phytoextraction efficiency of crop plants treated with the phytohormone, cytokinine (CK foliar treatment), and with the thioligand, ammonium thiosulfate (TS, soil application). Plant biomass, evapotranspiration, Hg uptake and distribution in plant tissues following treatment were compared. Results indicate the effectiveness of CK in increasing plant biomass and the evapotranspiration rate while TS treatment promoted soil Hg solubility and availability.

Ancillary studies in determining human papillomavirus status of squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx: a review.

Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the oral cavity and pharynx represents the sixth most common form of malignancy worldwide. A significant proportion of these cases are related to human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. In general, HPV-associated SCC is more commonly nonkeratinizing and poorly differentiated, whereas non-HPV-associated SCC is typically keratinizing and moderately differentiated.

Influence of the application renewal of glutamate and tartrate on Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn distribution between contaminated soil and Paulownia tomentosa in a pilot-scale assisted phytoremediation study.

The influence of repeated applications of tartrate (TAR) and glutamate (GLU) at 50-mmol kg(-1) of soil on Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn distribution between a contaminated soil and Paulownia tomentosa was investigated. TAR and GLU were applied by a single or a double dosage, the latter carried out with an interval between the two applications of thirty days. The comparison of the differences in mean amounts of metals accumulated in the whole plant at the end of single and double TAR and GLU application experiments indicated the positive effect of repeated GLU applications on the accumulation of Cu, Pb, and Zn by Paulownia tomentosa as compared to untreated controls.

Frontal sinus schwannoma: case report and review of literature.

Although schwannomas are frequently found in the head and neck region, sinonasal tract involvement is extremely rare, especially those of the frontal sinus. We report a patient with an incidentally found right frontal sinus lesion. The patient underwent resection of the tumor via a right craniotomy.