The role of selenium and iodine in controlling some egg minerals

Il ruolo del selenio e dello iodio nel controllo di alcuni minerali nell’uovo. Una prova è stata condotta su sette gruppi di galline ovaiole, alimentate con un mangime di controllo (C) o contenente: olio di lino (L), olio di pesce (F), olio ricco di DHA derivante dalla micro-alga Schizochytrium sp in presenza o meno (A) di 5ppm di ioduro di potassio (AI) o di selenito di sodio (ASe) oppure di entrambi i sali (AISe). I contenuti di selenio e di zinco e di altri minerali sono stati valutati nei tuorli delle uova. A fine prova la concentrazione di selenio era aumentata in modo significativo (P<0,001), mentre quella dello zinco si era ridotta (P<0,05) nei tuorli dei gruppi ASe e AISe. I valori di Ca, Mn, Fe, Cu, Cd e Pb non differirono tra i tuorli dei vari gruppi, a parte il cadmio, la cui concentrazione si era ridotta nel gruppo AISe, attestando una influenza di iodio e selenio sulla deposizione di questo metallo

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound features of hepatocellular carcinoma in dogs

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to describe the contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) features of canine hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in relation to cellular differentiation and lesion size. METHODS: Sixty dogs with a cytological diagnosis of HCC and that underwent a CEUS examination were retrospectively selected. The wash-in and wash-out patterns of contrast enhancement, along with the time to wash-in and the time to wash-out, of each lesion were recorded. A dimensional cut-off value of 3\u2009cm was adopted for classification. RESULTS: Cellular differentiation had a significant influence on both wash-in (chi-squared=16.99; P<0.001) and wash-out (chi-squared=10.9; P=0.004) patterns of contrast enhancement. Lesion size had a lower, but still significant, influence on both wash-in (chi-squared=12.7; P=0.005) and wash-out (chi-squared=7.42; P=0.024) patterns. A homogeneous hyperenhancement in the arterial phase followed by homogeneous wash-out were suggestive of a well-differentiated HCC. The cellular differentiation of lesions with inhomogeneous hyperenhancement or hypoenhancement/no enhancement as well as an inhomogeneous wash-out or no wash-out could not be inferred. CONCLUSIONS: No significant difference in the time to wash-in and the time to wash-out in relation to cellular differentiation or lesion size was evident. CEUS has the potential to improve efficiency in the diagnosis of HCCs in dogs

Dietary exposure estimates to fifteen trace elements in an adult population of Emilia Romagna region, Northern Italy

The health effects and the exposure levels of trace elements in humans are important public health topics. Assessing their dietary intake is fundamental to evaluate the long-term risks for public health and for food safety assessment. Since a priority of food safety regulatory agencies is to ensure the protection of consumers and to assess the health risks for the general population, to estimate the actual dietary intake of trace elements for comparison with the upper and lower tolerable levels is very important. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the dietary intake of several trace elements in an Italian community, namely of antimony, barium, beryllium, boron, cobalt, lithium, molybdenum, nickel, silver, strontium, tellurium, thallium, titanium, uranium, and vanadium. To do that, in 2016-2017 we collected a total of 908 food samples available in Italian markets and groceries from two Northern Italy provinces (Modena and Reggio Emilia), and we measured their trace element content through inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry. We also administered a validated semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire to 708 residents (300 men and 48 women) in the Emilia-Romagna Region, to assess their dietary habits and eventually to estimate their dietary intake of the aforementioned trace elements. Overall, study results showed that in our population the dietary exposure levels to selected trace elements could be considered similar to that observed in other European and non-European populations. Though we cannot rule out the possibility that the dietary exposure estimates in the present study may not be representative of the population as a whole, our results provide a good and updated assessment of trace elements far frequently evaluated in a sample of Italian adult consumers from the Emilia Romagna region. Our findings finally suggest that our population should not be at risk of adverse health effects in relation to excess or deficiency of the investigated trace elements since the estimated dietary intake generally point out exposure levels within the safe range as far as indicated by recommendations of international agencies

Health risk assessment of environmental selenium: Emerging evidence and challenges (Review)

New data have been accumulated in the scientific literature in recent years which allow a more adequate risk assessment of selenium with reference to human health. This new evidence comes from environmental studies, carried out in populations characterized by abnormally high or low selenium intakes, and from high-quality and large randomized controlled trials with selenium recently carried out in the US and in other countries. These trials have consistently shown no beneficial effect on cancer and cardiovascular risk, and have yielded indications of unexpected toxic effects of selenium exposure. Overall, these studies indicate that the minimal amount of environmental selenium which is source of risk to human health is much lower than anticipated on the basis of older studies, since toxic effects were shown at levels of intake as low as around 260 µg/day for organic selenium and around 16 µg/day for inorganic selenium. Conversely, populations with average selenium intake of less than 13-19 µg/day appear to be at risk of a severe cardiomyopathy, Keshan disease. Overall, there is the need to reconsider the selenium standards for dietary intake, drinking water, outdoor and indoor air levels, taking into account the recently discovered adverse health effects of low-dose selenium overexposure, and carefully assessing the significance of selenium-induced proteomic changes

Dietary Estimated Intake of Trace Elements: Risk Assessment in an Italian Population

Dietary intake to trace elements may represent the most relevant source of exposure for the general, non-occupationally population, but some of them have been rarely evaluated. We measured content of fifteen trace elements (antimony, barium, beryllium, boron, cobalt, lithium, molybdenum, nickel, silver, strontium, tellurium, thallium, titanium, uranium, and vanadium) in 908 food and beverage samples through inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. We estimated their dietary intake using a validated semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire collected from a population of the Emilia-Romagna Region in Northern Italy. We compared our estimates with tolerable upper intake levels reported by international agencies and we assessed the non-carcinogenic risk through calculation of total hazard quotient for each trace element according to the US-EPA approach. Overall, estimates of their dietary intake were substantially similar to those reported from other countries, and they fell below the tolerable upper intake levels provided by international agencies. The total hazard quotient for each trace element was below 1. Our findings provide updated estimates of food levels and dietary intake of trace elements far frequently evaluated in a sample of Italian adult consumers. They also suggest that any non-carcinogenic risk associated with intake of investigated trace elements may be ruled out in our population

Characterisation of Mega-Constellation Links for LEO Missions with Applications to EO and ISS Use Cases

Satellite missions demand ever greater connectivity, especially in the LEO regime. In this paper, we introduce the new mega-constellation services in space paradigm: we show that mega constellations, deployed to offer innovative services to Earth’s users, can provide excellent connectivity to LEO spacecrafts, too. First, we characterise the communication link between space users and the actual OneWeb and Starlink constellations. A full set of results in terms of availability, access duration, Doppler, and path losses as a function of user orbital parameters, identifying optimal user orbits, is provided. The results achieved by a multi-system user able to communicate with both fleets are also presented. The potential improvements available if geostationary constellations are used to complement LEO mega constellations in a multi-orbit system are discussed, too. Finally, we focus on two LEO use cases, the International Space Station and an Earth Observation Sun Synchronous satellite. All the results demonstrate the numerous advantages of the mega-constellation connectivity solution, which is able to transform LEO spacecrafts into highly responsive nodes of a space-to-space networ

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound features of adrenal lesions in dogs

Background: The contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) features of adrenallesions are poorly reported in veterinary literature. Methods: Qualitative and quantitative B-mode ultrasound and CEUS features of 186 benign (adenoma) and malignant (adenocarcinoma and pheochromocytoma)adrenal lesions were evaluated. Results: Adenocarcinomas (n = 72) and pheochromocytomas (n = 32) had mixed echogenicity with B-mode, and a non-homogeneous aspect with a diffusedor peripheral enhancement pattern, hypoperfused areas, intralesional microcirculation and non-homogeneous wash-out with CEUS. Adenomas (n = 82) had mixed echogenicity, isoechogenicity or hypoechogenicity with B-mode, and a homogeneous or non-homogeneous aspect with a diffused enhancement pattern, hypoperfused areas, intralesional microcirculation and homogeneous wash-out with CEUS. With CEUS, a non-homogeneous aspect and the presence of hypoperfused areas and intralesional microcirculation can be used to distinguish between malignant (adenocarcinoma and pheochromocytoma) and benign (adenoma) adrenal lesions. Limitations: Lesions were characterised only bymeans of cytology. Conclusions: CEUS examination is a valuable tool for distinction between benign and malignant adrenal lesions and can potentially differentiatepheochromocytomas fromadenocarcinomas and adenomas.However, cytology and histology are necessary to obtain the final diagnosis

Food contamination from the food packaging metals aluminum and tin: estimation of their dietary exposure in an Italian adult community.

2018 Scientific meeting Italian Association for the Study of Trace Elements in living Organisms – AISETOV. Ozzano Emilia, Bologna, October 12, 2018 (ISBN: 9788894309812

Safety and effectiveness of monochloramine treatment for disinfecting hospital water networks

The formation of potentially carcinogenic N-nitrosamines, associated with monochloramine, requires further research due to the growing interest in using this biocide for the secondary disinfection of water in public and private buildings. The aim of our study was to evaluate the possible formation of N-nitrosamines and other toxic disinfection by-products (DBPs) in hospital hot water networks treated with monochloramine. The effectiveness of this biocide in controlling Legionella spp. contamination was also verified. For this purpose, four different monochloramine-treated networks, in terms of the duration of treatment and method of biocide injection, were investigated. Untreated hot water, municipal cold water and, limited to N-nitrosamines analysis, hot water treated with chlorine dioxide were analyzed for comparison. Legionella spp. contamination was successfully controlled without any formation of N-nitrosamines. No nitrification or formation of the regulated DBPs, such as chlorites and trihalomethanes, occurred in monochloramine-treated water networks. However, a stable formulation of hypochlorite, its frequent replacement with a fresh product, and the routine monitoring of free ammonia are recommended to ensure a proper disinfection. Our study confirms that monochloramine may be proposed as an effective and safe strategy for the continuous disinfection of building plumbing systems, preventing vulnerable individuals from being exposed to legionellae and dangerous DBPs