Evaluation of ZnO-NPs in canned seafood by single particle ICP-MS determination

 

Zinc is a well-known essential micronutrient, widely used as a food supplement, antimicrobial agent and food preservation. NOAEL was established at 50 mg/person per day and an upper limit of 25 mg/person per day was recommended. ZnONPs are GRAS substances approved by FDA. Nanotechnology is an emerging issue because of the industrial widespread use of ZnO nanoparticles and their potential toxicity and bioaccumulation. Aim of this study is to provide information regarding the quantification of ZnO-NPs, which may be intentionally or unintentionally added, in different brands of canned tuna (CT) and canned clam (CC), and to provide a first esteem of dietary exposure. Canned seafood was subjected to an alkaline digestion with TMAH. Assessment of ZnONPs was performed using a NexION 350D with the Syngistix Nano Application software (Perkin Elmer), allowing to identify number of particles, size and size distribution of metal NPs with the simultaneous quantification of the dissolved elemental concentration. Estimated Meal Intake was evaluated for adults by assuming a meal size of 227 g, 70 years old and 70 Kg of b.w. Results revealed a comparable mean size range between the considered food item (CT 69-80 nm; CC 75-83 nm). Concentration of ZnONPs are significantly higher in CC versus CT (CT 3.2-9.8 µg/Kg; CC 7.7-11.3 µg/Kg). The same we found for dissolved Zn concentration (CT 19.1-28.4 mg/Kg; CC 27.4-39.2 mg/Kg). For CT it was estimated an EMI of 0.018 µg/Kg bw for ZnONPs and 79.9 µg/Kg bw for dissolved Zn. For CC it was estimated an EMI of 0.031 µg/Kg bw for ZnONPs and 109 µg/Kg bw for dissolved Zn. Our findings revealed that ZnO-NPs have the potential to bioaccumulate in marine organisms, and seafood could be an important uptake route of ZnONPs. These results are a first important step to understand the ZnONPs human dietary exposure, but the characterization and quantification of ZnONPs is necessary for a large number of food items.

Key messages

The extensive use and discharge of ZnONPs will probably expose human population to concentration higher than the recommended upper limit 25 mg/person per day. The quantification of ZnONPs dietary exposure will be useful for risk assessors in developing provisional tolerable daily intake.

Impact of the environment on the health: From theory to practice

The Erice 56 Charter titled "Impact of the environment on the health: from theory to practice" was unanimously approved at the end of the 56th course of the "International School of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine G. D'Alessandro" held from 3rd to November 7, 2019 in Erice - Sicily (Italy) and promoted by the Study Group of "Environment and Health" of the Italian Society of Hygiene, Preventive Medicine and Public Health. The course, that included lectures, open discussions and guided working groups, was aimed to provide a general training on epidemiological and toxicological aspects of the environmental health impact, to be used by public health professionals for risk assessment, without forgetting the risk communications. At the end of the course 12 key points were agreed among teachers and students: they underlined the need of specific training and research, in the perspective of "One Health" and "Global Health", also facing emerging scientific and methodological issues and focusing on communication towards stakeholders. This Discussion highlight the need to improve knowledge of Health and Environment topic in all sectors of health and environmental prevention and management.

Water quality and human health: A simple monitoring model of toxic cyanobacteria growth in highly variable Mediterranean hot dry environments

Due to population growth, urbanization and economic development, demand for freshwater in urban areas is increasing throughout Europe. At the same time, climate change, eutrophication and pollution are affecting the availability of water supplies. Sicily, a big island in southern Italy, suffers from an increasing drought and consequently water shortage. In the last decades, in Sicilian freshwater reservoirs several Microcystis aeruginosa and more recently Planktothrix rubescens blooms were reported. The aims of the study were: (1) identify and quantify the occurring species of cyanobacteria (CB), (2) identify which parameters, among those investigated in the waters, could favor their growth, (3) set up a model to identify reservoirs that need continuous monitoring due to the presences, current or prospected, of cyanobacterial blooms and of microcystins, relevant for environmental and, consequentially, for human health. Fifteen artificial reservoirs among the large set of Sicilian artificial water bodies were selected and examined for physicochemical and microbiological characterization. Additional parameters were assessed, including the presence, identification and count of the cyanobacterial occurring species, the measurement of microcystins (MCs) levels and the search for the genes responsible for the toxins production. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was used to relate environmental condition to cyanobacterial growth. Water quality was poor for very few parameters, suggesting common anthropic pressures, and PCA highlighted clusters of reservoirs vulnerable to hydrological conditions, related to semi-arid Mediterranean climate and to the use of the reservoir. In summer, bloom was detected in only one reservoir and different species was highlighted among the Cyanobacteria community. The only toxins detected were microcystins, although always well below the WHO reference value for drinking waters (1.0 μg/L). However, molecular analysis could not show the presence of potential cyanotoxins producers since a few numbers of cells among total could be sufficient to produce these low MCs levels but not enough high to be proved by the traditional molecular method applied. A simple environmental risk-based model, which accounts for the high variability of both cyanobacteria growth and cyanotoxins producing, is proposed as a cost-effective tool to evaluate the need for monitoring activities in reservoirs aimed to guarantee supplying waters safety.

Reply for comment on "Exposure to microplastics (<10 μm) associated to plastic bottles mineral water consumption: The first quantitative study by Zuccarello et al. [Water Research 157 (2019) 365-371]"

Microplastics (MPs) are a threat to both the environment and human health. In the absence of an official method that would allow the analysis of all MPs with diameters less than 10 μm, it was not possible to estimate the exact exposure to these contaminants, yet. In the last years, few studies are available in literature with the first data concerning the concentrations of MPs on bottle mineral waters. Zuccarello et al. (2019) carried out an exposure assessment study where a high value of EDI (Estimated Daily Intake) has been reported. This rebuttal letter aims to reply to the comments of Oßmann et al. (2018) on the article of Zuccarello et al. (2019) about the new analytical method and both the use and the interpretation of Principal Component Analysis.

Vaccine hesitancy among parents in the general population in Sicily (South Italy): A survey study

Background

Vaccine hesitancy (VH) has become the focus of growing attention because of decreased vaccination rates and increased emergency department use, morbidity, and mortality. VH has not been deeply studied in Sicily. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of VH among parents and to investigate the potential determinants.

Methods

We performed a survey from 1 March to 1 June 2018, using a random sample of parents who reported on median 10 year-old children. The parents were recruited in pediatrician’s offices and elementary schools. Information pertaining to socio-demographic characteristics, sources of information regarding vaccination and VH was collected. VH was calculated using the Parents Attitudes about Childhood Vaccines (PACV) questionnaire. Associations between VH and predictors were tested using Multivariable Logistic Regression.

Results

In total 471 questionnaires were collected, 77.7% of respondents were mothers. Based on the PACV 100-point scale, 73.2% (95% CI: 69.0-77.2) of parents had a 0 to &lt;49 score (low level of VH); and 26.8% (95% CI: 22.8-31.0) had a score of 50 and higher (high level of VH). Internet (66.9%, 95% CI: 62.4-71.1) was the main source of information on vaccination followed by television (29.1%, 95% CI: 25.0-33.4). In the bivariate analyses, VH was associated with education, marital status and occupation, but not with gender and age of parents. In multivariate analyses, highly educated (ORadj = 0.297, 95% CI = 0.141-0.626) and married (ORadj = 0.457, 95% CI = 0.213-0.977) parents were more prone to be nonhesitant, but not so unemployed parents (ORadj = 1.787, 95% CI = 1.083-2.956).

Conclusions

The prevalence of VH among the Sicilian parents was comparable with other populations. These results could be an important starting point to support the implementation of effective vaccination strategies.

Key messages

Implement interventions and strategies to further understand the issue of VH, to restore trust in authorities and vaccines. Suggest strategies that could improve childhood vaccination rates.

Exposure to microplastics (<10 μm) associated to plastic bottles mineral water consumption: The first quantitative study

The uncontrolled introduction into the environment of plastic polymers have caused the dispersion of plastic fragments, known as Microplastics (MPs), that represent an important topic for public health. This study was the first to investigate the cause of the release of MPs in mineral waters and to estimate the concentration of MPs smaller than 10 μm both in number of particles and in mass unit. This study was carried out using a patent method regarding the extraction and analysis of MPs in more kind of matrix. Therefore, aims of this study were a) to assess the number of MPs with diameters of between 0.5 and 10 μm in mineral waters contained in plastic bottles, b) to evaluate if the physical-chemical properties of mineral waters and bottle quality could influence the release of MPs and, finally, c) to estimate the human daily exposure to MPs due to mineral water consumption. The Mps were found in every sample. The main concentration of MPs was 656.8 μg/L ± 632.9 or 5.42E+07 p/L ± 1.95E+07. The main diameter of detected MPs was 2.44 μm ± 0.66 (where p/L, where p was the number of MPs). The Estimated Daily Intake (EDI) for adults and children were 1,531,524 p/kg/body-weight/day corresponding to 40.1 μg/kg/body-weight/day and 3,350,208 p/kg/body-weight/day corresponding to 87.8 μg/kg/body-weight/day, respectively. The number of MPs contamination in bottled mineral waters was strongly correlated to the pH of waters and to plastic density of bottle. Otherwise, micrograms of MPs per liter and the MPs diameters were strongly affected by plastic thickness. The most mineral water brand contaminated by MPs was the one whose bottles were made from poor quality plastic. In absence of reference values, it was no possible carried out a risk assessment for MPs exposure. It is fundamental to establish the reference method of analysis to monitoring every source of human intake.

Length of gestation and gender are associated with HLA genotypes at risk for Type 1 diabetes (Italian DIABFIN 3)

AIM

The aim of this study, which is part of the ongoing DIABFIN project, was to correlate HLA class II genotypes, classified for their effect on susceptibility to Type 1 diabetes (T1D), with various risk factors during pregnancy and the neonatal period.

METHODS

Cord blood was collected from 4349 neonates; 1.0% were at high HLA risk (HR), 9.0% at moderate HLA risk (MR), and 90.0% at low HLA risk (LR) for T1D. Information about the mother's pregnancy, type of delivery, the neonates' clinical features at birth, and family history for autoimmune diseases were collected.

RESULTS

Significant correlations were found between the different HLA risk categories and length of gestation, even when adjusted for sex, weight and length at birth of the neonate, birth order and mother's age (adjusted P = 0.007). The male : female ratio tended to increase from the LR to the HR category, from 1.00 and 1.21, respectively, in the LR and MR groups, to 1.62 in the HR group (P = 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Length of gestation is inversely correlated with HLA risk categories for T1D. The higher the HLA risk for T1D, the shorter the gestational age, especially in male neonates.

Effect of low dose fentanyl-droperidol administration on respiratory drive, respiratory pattern and gas exchange in ASA 1 spontaneously breathing patients

The aim of this study was to investigate the short term effects of low doses of fentanyl and droperidol on central respiratory drive, gas exchanges, respiratory pattern and inspiratory impedance of the respiratory system in a group of ASA 1 patients. Fourteen ASA 1 patients scheduled for minor surgery or endoscopic procedures were enrolled in the study, thirty minutes before the intervention. During spontaneous breathing of air we evaluated, by recording airflow, airway opening pressure and volume, the following variables: Respiratory Rate (RR), Tidal Volume (TV), Total respiratory cycle, Inspiratory and Expiratory Time (Ti, Te), mean inspiratory flow, P0.1, pH, PaO2 and PaCO2. After obtaining basal measurements, droperidol and fentanyl were injected and the above mentioned variables evaluated at 5 min (T1), 10 min (T2), 15 min (T3) intervals. Arterial blood was age, sampled at T3 for blood gas evaluation. The administration of droperidol (0.1 mg/kg) and fentanyl (0.002 mg/kg) significantly reduced P0.1 and Tidal Volume comparing basal with T1 and, T2 values. The other variables did not significantly modify. Two patients showed transient respiratory rhythm abnormalities in the first 180 sec following the administration of droperidol+fentanyl. Our results suggest that, in ASA 1 patients, droperidol+fentanyl preoperative administration, has no significant effects on respiratory pattern, respiratory impedance and gas exchanges: however also at low doses, the association of droperidol+fentanyl can reduce the respiratory center activity, expressed as P0.1, with a consequent reduction in Tidal Volume.

Hemimegalencephaly, hemihypertrophy and vascular lesions

We report on two children with hemihypertrophy and ipsilateral hemimegalencephaly. Vascular lesions in one were consistent with a diagnosis of the Klippel-Trénaunay-Weber Syndrome. MRI performed in the first days of life and at 1 month of age revealed the presence of the neuronal anomaly.

CONCLUSION

The occurrence of hemimegalencephaly in our patients indicates that hemihypertrophy and vascular dysplasia are pathogenetically related phenomena of a continuous spectrum in which this brain disorder may appear.

[Reoperation in patients with heart valve prostheses. Analysis of risk factors affecting perioperative mortality]

Sixty-two patients with at least one prosthetic heart valve each underwent a total of 70 reoperations. Their cases were analysed with special regard to the risk of perioperative mortality and to the factors affecting that risk. The age of the patients studied was 47 +/- 14.6 years (mean +/- 1 SD), and 4.75 +/- 4 years had elapsed since their previous operation. A total of 85 prostheses were implanted at the time of initial surgery. Forty-nine of those were mitral, 28 were aortic, and 8 were tricuspid prostheses. There were 48 mechanical valves, 24 bioprostheses and 13 Carpentier rings (9 of the latter being mitral and 4 tricuspid). At reoperation (n = 70) 95 valves required treatment. Eighteen patients died following their first reoperation (18/62, 29%), and two more died after a second reoperation (2/8, 25%). Actuarial probability of hospital survivors being alive 8-9 years following reoperation was 47 +/- 15%. It was found by multiple regression analysis that the duration of cardiopulmonary bypass (p less than 0.01), surgical priority (p less than 0.05) and the patient's age (p less than 0.05) were the only independent predictors of hospital death. A review of the literature and our own results suggest that surgical problems encountered with reoperation have unfavourably affected surgical results in the past. Objective risk factors are currently more related to the operative outcome. For these to be neutralised, patients with dysfunctioning prosthetic heart valves should be operated at an early stage before they reach a critical one. Only patients with stable, mild dysfunction unlikely to worsen acutely may probably be followed-up safely.