Ricerc@Sapienza

A mycological survey from Monti della Tolfa, a volcanic region of central Italy that originated during the Early
Pleistocene and remained isolated from themainland for at least one million years, shows that a thermophilous
shrubland dominated by Arbutus unedo preserves fungal species typically associated with conifers. Pinaceae are
currently absent from the study area. Palynological data from the same region show a decline of Abies and Picea
around 70 ka BP and their complete disappearance during the Holocene. Pinus disappeared during the postglacial.

L’applicazione delle tecniche palinologiche a contesti sedimentari marini rappresenta un valore aggiunto
in molte indagini stratigrafiche e paleoclimatiche Quaternarie. Per l’Olocene sono stati finora pubblicati solo
pochi record pollinici dai mari italiani, nonostante le notevoli potenzialità che essi dimostrano da un punto di
vista biostratigrafico e paleoclimatico. Lo studio del polline fossile è infatti in grado di fornire informazioni
complementari a quelle di foraminiferi, nannoplancton, alchenoni e isotopi, estendendo l’interpretazione

Introduction: The aim of this study was to report our experience in the management of hematospermia observed in 16 patients suffering from xanthogranulomatous prostatitis. Methods: Recurrent episodes of hematospermia were the onset symptom in all patients, and in 25% of patients it was combined with fever. All patients reported PSA value elevation and the digital rectal examination (DRE) revealed an increase of the gland size and of its consistency in all cases.

The Eurasian (née European) Modern Pollen Database (EMPD) was established in 2013 to provide a public database of high-quality modern pollen surface samples to help support studies of past climate, land cover, and land use using fossil pollen. The EMPD is part of, and complementary to, the European Pollen Database (EPD) which contains data on fossil pollen found in Late Quaternary sedimentary archives throughout the Eurasian region. The EPD is in turn part of the rapidly growing Neotoma database, which is now the primary home for global palaeoecological data.

This book presents the results of the archaeological activities and specialistic studies carried out at the site of Abu Tbeirah (Nasiriyah, Province of Dhi Qar, southern Iraq) by the Iraqi-Italian joint mission of the Iraqi State Board of Antiquities and Heritage and of Sapienza, led by F. D’Agostino and L. Romano (Dipartimento – Istituto Italiano di Studi Orientali). In the volume the accomplishments of the first seven campaigns (2011-2016) are introduced together with an assessment of the palaeo-environment and landscape

Parietaria pollen is the most important cause of pollen allergies in the Mediterranean area, as Parietaria is widespread in this region. Many issues are associated with Parietaria allergy, including the duration of the pollen season (many doctors in fact believe that it lasts throughout the year), pollen load (which seems to be increasing over time), the impact of age (on IgE production and symptom severity), inflammatory changes (after pollen exposure), and the choice of allergen immunotherapy (AIT).

In this study, we present lipid biomarker and palynological data for a sediment core from Lake Dojran (Macedonia/Greece), which covers the entire Holocene period. We analyzed vascular plant-derived n-alkanes, combustion-derived polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), fecal steroids, and bacterial and archaeal glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraether (GDGT) lipids in concert with microcharcoal and pollen assemblages to reconstruct climatic, environmental, and human impact in the Dojran catchment and the greater Dojran area.

Recent advances in sequencing technologies now permit the analyses of plant DNA from fossil samples (ancient plant DNA, plant aDNA), and thus enable the molecular reconstruction of palaeofloras. Hitherto, ancient frozen soils have proved excellent in preserving DNA molecules, and have thus been the most commonly used source of plant aDNA. However, DNA from soil mainly represents taxa growing a few metres from the sampling point.

Multiproxy analysis composed of biostratigraphy and pollen analysis allowed reconstructing the palaeoecolo-gical and palaeoenvironmental evolution of the Tirso river coastal plain in Sardinia (NW Mediterranean) in thelast 6 millennia. We demonstrated that interplay between littoral and ?uvial processes have signi?cantly con-trolled the environmental evolution of the area and have played a key role in the pattern of historical andprehistorical settlements of this wide portion of western Sardinian coastline. At the end of Neolithic period (ca.6.0 to 5.5 cal.

Seed yield, a major determinant for the commercial success of grain crops, critically depends on pollen viability, which is dramatically reduced by environmental stresses, such as drought, salinity, and extreme temperatures. Salinity, in particular, is a major problem for crop yield known to affect about 20% of all arable land and cause huge economic losses worldwide. Flowering plants are particularly sensitive to environmental stress during sexual reproduction, and even a short exposure to stressing conditions can severely hamper reproductive success, and thus reduce crop yield.