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Archaeological excavations in the docking site of Pisa (Central Italy) unearthed several shipwrecks which dated back to the Roman time, from the Republican to the Imperial periods. The recent identification of the woods used for building ships D, E, H, I and P, in addition to data of the previous analysis of ships A, B, C, F, L, revealed the utilization of 18 different taxa . Wood from oaks, both deciduous and evergreen, is mostly represented. 6 different softwood timbers, mostly from maritime and umbrella pine, were also largely used. Some of the hulls were entirely realized with hardwoods, others with softwoods or using a combination of softwoods for planking (mostly pines) and different hardwoods for the frame. The selection of timber indicates a skilful knowledge of the technological properties of the different woods and their suitable utilization in the Roman vessels. The use of woods largely available in the territory surrounding the Pisa docking site, as demonstrated by pollen analysis, does not necessary indicate the local production and/or provenance of the ships, given the spread of the identified wood taxa throughout the North Mediterranean area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The aim of the work is to set up a methodological approach to verify the effectiveness of the treatments of decayed waterlogged archaeological wood and to point out the proper thermo-hygrometric conditions for its preservation after treatment. The treatments were performed on wood samples of maritime pine (Pinus pinaster Aiton), oak (Quercus sp. caducifolia), elm (Ulmus cf. minor) and strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo L.), obtained from stems pertaining to the original vegetation found in the excavation site of the Ancient Ships in Pisa (Italy), and dated from seventh century BC to second century AD The utilised products were: Polyethylene Glycols (PEG) of various molecular weights, a Polypropylene Glycol (PPG 425), Trehalose (α-D-glucopyranosyl-α-D-glucopyranoside), and their mixtures, and also a Hydroxypropylcellulose (Klucel). The main objective to be pursued by the treatments was considered the stabilisation of the original size and shape of samples. The various steps of this approach were: the execution of a preliminary diagnostic survey on untreated samples; the characterisation of treatment solutions ‘as such’ to establish the property to be monitored during the treatment; the evaluation of the main physical characteristics of wood after the treatment were determined. Among the latter, the coefficient of dimensional stability during the exposure to a series of selected thermo-hygrometric conditions and the retention of consolidants after the treatment. These two measurements allowed the definition of the ‘efficacy of a treatment’, φ T , a new parameter firstly utilised in this work. It measures the stabilisation capability of the percent unit of retained product, and its value permits to put in evidence the consolidants that stabilise wood with the lowest amount of product. Conversely, it was not possible to measure the Anti-Shrink Efficiency (ASE), one of the most utilised parameters for the evaluation of treatments, because of the serious distortions and fractures observed in all the heavily degraded untreated samples. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• A new LC–MS/MS method for articaine and mepivacaine quantification in blood. • Very low LOQ values were obtained: 0.8 (articaine) and 0.1 (mepivacaine) ng/mL. • The method was successfully applied to real samples. Local anaesthetics (LAs) are commonly used in surgery, especially in dentistry. They cause a transitory inhibition of nerve signal due to the blockade of the voltage-gated sodium channels. LAs are administrated alone or with vasoconstriction agents, such as adrenaline. Toxicity of LAs is associated to neurological and cardiovascular alterations. Tachycardia, arrhythmia, tremors, tonic-clonic seizure and respiratory depression (at high doses) are the main symptoms of intoxication by LAs. Lidocaine, articaine and mepivacaine are among the most used anaesthetics. This study aimed to fully validated a new method for the simultaneous detection of articaine and mepivacaine in whole blood. Sample treatment consisted in a liquid-liquid extraction with phosphate buffer (pH 8, 0.1 M) and ethyl-acetate. Analysis was performed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry in multiple reaction monitoring mode (transitions: articaine, 285→8658 m/z ; mepivacaine, 247→9870 m/z ; lidocaine – internal standard –, 235→8658 m/z). The method proved to be highly sensitive with limit of quantifications for articaine and mepivacaine of 0.8 and 0.1 ng/mL, respectively. Accuracy and precision were always within the acceptance criteria. The new procedure was also successfully applied to a preliminary pharmacokinetics study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]