Search results for "LCA"

Bone mineral density and physical activity in 50–60-year-old women

1991

Abstract The bone mineral density (BMD) of the calcaneus was measured utilizing a single energy photon absorption method in 108 women, aged 50–60 years. The women who participated in vigorous exercise two or more times a week or whose total physical activity amounted to 4 h a week had significantly higher BMD values than those who exercised less than two times a week or did less than 4 h physical activity a week. The physically active women also showed higher values for leg extension force and maximal oxygen uptake. BMD and leg extension force were positively correlated, whereas correlations between BMD and body mass, and the width of the calcaneus were negative. When other life-style varia…

Comparison of metals and essential trace elements levels between Autistic Spectrum Disorders cases and their sibs in Sicily (southern Italy)

2016

Introduction: A role of metals exposure and essential trace element deficiency in Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD) etiology has been suggested by epidemiologic studies, but conclusive evidence on this topic is still lacking and controversial. We compared metals and essential trace element levels between cases both with their brothers and healthy children. Methods: The diagnosis of ASD were performed by ADOS and ADI-R according to DSM IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) criteria. Hair samples were collected from cases and sibs by single cutting from the occipital region. The samples were cut to lengths of about 1.5–2 cm using clean stainless steel scissors. Approximat…

Exposure to trace elements by hair mineral analysis. Mining , volcanic and urban areas

2015

Concerns about the effects of environmental exposure to metals and metalloids on human health have driven the scientific community to find reliable tools and methodologies for assessing the impact of emission of toxic metals from anthropogenic sources or through natural anomalous levels of metals in water, soil and air. Biological monitoring has been extensively employed with this end in view and blood, urine, hair and nails are the biological materials mostly collected and analyzed for the levels of multiple metals. With respect to blood and urine, whose metal concentrations decrease rapidly after the exposure period, hair and nails appear to be of greater value in evaluating past and cont…

Metals in Scalp Hair from Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis Patients (RRMS)

2014

We measured the concentrations of 21 chemical elements (TE) in hair of 48 Sicilian patients with RRMS compared with 51 controls (HC). MS patients showed a significantly (p<0.01) lower hair concentration of Al and Rb and higher hair concentration of U compared to HC. The percentage of MS patients showing hair elemental concentrations greater than the 95th percentile of controls was 20% for Ni, 19% for Ba and U, and 15% for Ag, Mo and Se. The ratio Zn/Cu varied from 17 to 19, with no significant differences between HC and MS groups or between individuals differentiated by gender. No significant association was found between levels of each TE and age, disease duration, Expanded Disability Stat…

Trace elemental composition of PM2.5 atmospheric aereosol in Palermo urban area

2009

Geochemical investigation of trace metal pollutants in the Oreto river, Palermo (Italy)

2022

In the past, three main rivers, named Kemonia, Papireto and Oreto, were present in the plain of Palermo, in northwestern Sicily. Today, only the latter one has been preserved from the unregulated urban expansion. Fortunately, over the last ten years, attention and consciousness towardsthe Oreto river and its delicate ecosystem has grown considerably, also thanks to many associations and citizens’ committees involved in protecting, preserving and valorising the precious area. In this context, our study is focused on a hydrogeochemical investigation of its surface water quality. The Oreto river flows for about 20 km within a catchment area of about 130 km2. Over the past three years, numerous…

The contribution of volcanoes to the atmospheric trace metals budget in the Mediterranean basin

2009

Volcanic emissions represent one of the major natural source for several trace metals (Cd, Cu, As, Pb, Hg and Zn) into the atmosphere both as gaseous and aerosol forms. The Mediterranean Sea can be considered a large geochemical sink for these elements whose source are the huge amounts of aerosols of different origin. The industrialised areas located in the northern part of the basin represent a nearly constant source of the anthropogenic-dominated aerosol. By contrast, the arid and desert regions located at the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean, are the sources of frequent dust “pulses” perturbing the “steady-state” conditions of the local atmosphere through the input of seve…

Sedimentary record of anthropogenic chemical and organic pollution in a Mediterranean coastal area (Gulf of Palermo, Italy).

2009

The relatively high influx of unregulated industrial and domestic effluents has progressively degraded the Palermo coastal environment in NW Sicily. To evaluate the poorly known effects of these inputs on the Palermo Gulf, three sediment box-cores were collected along a transect perpendicular to the coast, in front of the Oreto river mouth, in water depths of 20—750 m. The samples, dated by 210Pb and 137Cs, were analysed for concentration of major/trace elements, total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH), total organic carbon (TOC) and for organic carbon and nitrogen isotopic compositions. Total organic carbon concentrations show relatively high values (0.4—2.9%), with a decreasing seawar…

Geochemical comparison of natural and anthropogenic metal fluxes in extreme environments: Mt. Etna volcano (Italy) and Šalek Valley (Slovenia)

2009

Geochemical comparison between some metals (As, Cd, Cu, Pb, Se, V, Zn) emissions from an active volcano (Mt. Etna) and a highly industrialized area (Šalek Valley) showed some interesting similarities: in general, most of the elements emitted into the atmosphere do not return to the Earth’s surface and are therefore dispersed into the environment. Exceptions for Šalek Valley are Cd, which probably derives in large part from rock leaching, and in part As and Pb, which fall mostly as ash. Also, Etna’s emissions are richer in Cd and Cu, whereas industrial emissions at Šalek Valley are richer in V and Zn. All other metals have similar fluxes in the two types of emissions.

Desclasamientoy desencanto. La representación de las clases medias como eje de una relectura generacional de la transición española

2014

Resumen: A partir de un ejemplo de cultura underground de mediados de los años setenta, este texto reflexiona sobre los límites de las narrativas convencionales y críticas sobre la instauración de la democracia en España debido a su sesgo politológico y plantea la existencia de un metarrelato sociológico subyacente común. Su fundamento es una representación de la clase media como estrato social que suaviza el conflicto social y garantiza la modernización económica y política. El artículo desvela una parte del proceso de cristalización, a partir de legados anteriores, de un discurso mesocrático en la cultura española durante la dictadura franquista, al que contribuyeron al unísono intelectua…