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This study presents the mineralogy and strontium isotope ratio (87Sr/86Sr) of 21 pathological biominerals (bladder and kidney stones) collected from patients admitted between 2018 and 2020 at the Department of Urology of the San Pio Hospital (Benevento, southern Italy). Urinary stones belong to the calcium oxalate, purine or calcium phosphate mineralogy types. Their corresponding 87Sr/86Sr range from 0.707607 for an uricite sample to 0.709970 for a weddellite one, and seem to be partly discriminated based on the mineralogy. The comparison with the isotope characteristics of 38 representative Italian bottled and tap drinking waters show a general overlap in 87Sr/86Sr with the biominerals. However, on a smaller geographic area (Campania Region), we observe small 87Sr/86Sr differences between the biominerals and local waters. This may be explained by external Sr inputs for example from agriculture practices, inhaled aerosols (i.e., particulate matter), animal manure and sewage, non-regional foods. Nevertheless, biominerals of patients that stated to drink and eat local water/wines and foods every day exhibited a narrower 87Sr/86Sr range roughly matching the typical isotope ratios of local geological materials and waters, as well as those of archaeological biominerals from the same area. Finally, we conclude that the strontium isotope signature of urinary stones may reflect that of the environmental matrices surrounding patients, but future investigations are recommended to ultimately establish the potential for pathological biominerals as reliable biomonitoring proxies, taking into the account the contribution of the external sources of Sr. [Display omitted] • 87Sr/86Sr ratios of Italian drinking waters and uroliths have been determined. • A general overlap between examined biominerals and drinking waters can be observed. • Slight discrepancies can be explained by additional external Sr inputs. • Patients stating to drink and eat local products delimited narrower 87Sr/86Sr range. • Uroliths could be promising proxies for a reliable biomonitoring purpose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Estimation of the genetic relatedness of traditional olive cultivars with genetic markers and phenotypic data enables progress in plant breeding, management of genetic resources, and protection of both breeders' rights and certified premium products. We used amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLPs), simple sequence repeats (SSRs), and quantitative and qualitative morphological traits, including characteristics recommended for variety registration, to study genetic diversity and relationships in the olive at different levels. The 14 varieties analyzed, which are used for the production of Protected Denomination of Origin extra-virgin olive oil, represent the most important cultivars in the Campania region of Italy and typify a regional diversity characteristic of traditional olive cultivation. The genetic distances obtained with the two DNA marker systems were significantly correlated, as were those obtained by quantitative and qualitative traits. A lower but significant correlation was also observed between distances based on molecular markers and quantitative traits, but qualitative traits, even if sampled in high numbers, failed to describe the pattern of molecular similarity. Our data imply that the type and the number of phenotypic traits scored can greatly influence the outcome of the analysis, and care should be taken when qualitative and quantitative data are combined. Furthermore, the data indicate that the two molecular marker systems are useful for investigating genetic relationships, but they may also be used to complement and assist the traditional registration of varieties. We propose that since the information provided by molecular and morphological marker systems in olive is different, they should serve different purposes.