Quantification of Platinum in Edible Mushrooms Using Voltammetric Techniques

Edible mushrooms are a food source with interesting nutritional values. The chief objective of this research was to develop a consistent method for the quantitative ultra-trace analysis of Pt in mushrooms, which is complex because it cannot be readily quantified by common analytical procedures. This research is one of the first analytical methods to establish Pt amount in these vegetables. In this research, 28 different edible mushroom samples from Italy were investigated. Determination of Pt in mushrooms was completed using Differential Pulse Voltammetry (DPV). In this study, we applied the standard addition method because there are no certified reference mushrooms containing platinum group elements on the market. The platinum quantification limit was 0.03 µg kg−1 d.w. In the analyzed samples, platinum amount was in the range of 0.03–73 µg kg−1 . Our mushroom samples had a Pt content lower than the concentrations recommended by international establishments for other foodstuffs. In the future, the optimized method could be used for the analysis of plant and animal matrices intended for food supply

Formaldehyde and total aldehydes in indoor air of public environments by voltammetry

The proposed method involves active sampling, where a sampling pump is used to pull air through a solution and voltammetric analysis of the obtained solutions. No interferences have been observed. In addition, very little sample preparation is required. Analyses were performed in 19 indoor stations and one in outdoor. Measurements were carried out on University environments: Museum of Chemistry, Zoological Museum, libraries, laboratories, corridors, meeting rooms, photocopying room, machine shop and terrace. Formaldehyde concentrations in analyzed samples ranged from 2.6 to 85 μg m-3 (median = 32 μg m-3), while the sum of others aldehydes ranged from 2 to 25 μg m-3 (median =2.4 μg m-3). In the sample Zoological Museum 2, the sum of other aldehydes was very high (400 μg m-3). The results demonstrated that artificial ventilation is an efficient system to control indoor air pollution caused by aldehydes emissions

Colorectal Cancer Stage at Diagnosis Before vs During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Italy

IMPORTANCE Delays in screening programs and the reluctance of patients to seek medical attention because of the outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 could be associated with the risk of more advanced colorectal cancers at diagnosis. OBJECTIVE To evaluate whether the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic was associated with more advanced oncologic stage and change in clinical presentation for patients with colorectal cancer. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This retrospective, multicenter cohort study included all 17 938 adult patients who underwent surgery for colorectal cancer from March 1, 2020, to December 31, 2021 (pandemic period), and from January 1, 2018, to February 29, 2020 (prepandemic period), in 81 participating centers in Italy, including tertiary centers and community hospitals. Follow-up was 30 days from surgery. EXPOSURES Any type of surgical procedure for colorectal cancer, including explorative surgery, palliative procedures, and atypical or segmental resections. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary outcome was advanced stage of colorectal cancer at diagnosis. Secondary outcomes were distant metastasis, T4 stage, aggressive biology (defined as cancer with at least 1 of the following characteristics: signet ring cells, mucinous tumor, budding, lymphovascular invasion, perineural invasion, and lymphangitis), stenotic lesion, emergency surgery, and palliative surgery. The independent association between the pandemic period and the outcomes was assessed using multivariate random-effects logistic regression, with hospital as the cluster variable. RESULTS A total of 17 938 patients (10 007 men [55.8%]; mean [SD] age, 70.6 [12.2] years) underwent surgery for colorectal cancer: 7796 (43.5%) during the pandemic period and 10 142 (56.5%) during the prepandemic period. Logistic regression indicated that the pandemic period was significantly associated with an increased rate of advanced-stage colorectal cancer (odds ratio [OR], 1.07; 95%CI, 1.01-1.13; P = .03), aggressive biology (OR, 1.32; 95%CI, 1.15-1.53; P < .001), and stenotic lesions (OR, 1.15; 95%CI, 1.01-1.31; P = .03). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE This cohort study suggests a significant association between the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and the risk of a more advanced oncologic stage at diagnosis among patients undergoing surgery for colorectal cancer and might indicate a potential reduction of survival for these patients

Voltammetric determinations of platinum and rhodium in particulate of Palermo (Italy) area

Traffic has an important impact on the air quality which affects both the environmental and human health. Since the introduction of PGE-containing catalytic converters, a number studies have been undertaken to determine the effects of PGE emissions on human and to environment. This requires the development of good analytic methods to measure Pt and Rh concentrations in environmental matrices, as well to estimate background concentrations. In this paper are presented the results concerning Pt and Rh concentrations in PM10 samples collected at five stations within the urban area of Palermo. The highest mean values (Pt= 13 pg/m3, Rh=9.8 pg/m3) were recorded at an urban station, and the lowest (Pt = 1.2 pg/m3, Rh = 0.5 pg/m3) at a station considered as background. Considering that analita, in an urban area are emitted only by auto vehicular traffic and considering that concentrations of analita are not correlated with the level of particulate we can deduce that only a fraction of particulate can be attributed exclusively to vehicle traffic. This conclusion is very important because, in Italy and in other country, often the use of cars in urban areas is prohibited when particulate concentrations exceed a certain threshold and therefore would need to use other indicators of pollution from traffic to formulate decisions on the limitation in the use of private cars

Micro determination of dithiocarbamates in pesticide formulations using voltammetry

The purpose of this work was to develop a reliable method for the micro determination of dithiocarbamates (Mancozeb, Maneb, Propineb, Nabam, Na(CH3)2DTC, Zineb, Ziram, Ferbam and Thiram) in pesticide formulations for agriculture using adsorptive stripping voltammetry (AdSV). The accuracy of analytical method was valued by analyzing simulates formulation samples prepared by us with known amounts of active ingredients. In addition, the applicability of the AdSV procedure for the analysis of DTCs and EBDTCs in micro samples was evaluated by estimating its recoveries from spiked commercial formulate samples. The accuracy, valuated as recovery percentage ranged between 85% and 97%. The precision ranged from 1.3 to 6.1%

Platinum and Rhodium in Potato Samples by Using Voltammetric Techniques

Potato is a starchy, tuberous crop from the perennial Solanum tuberosum having high nutritional values. This paper is the first analytical approach to quantify Pt and Rh in vegetal food. In this study a total of 38 different potato samples produced in Europe and one in Australia were investigated. Determinations of Pt and Rh in potato samples were carried out by Differential pulse voltammetry (DPV/a) for platinum and by Adsorptive stripping voltammetry (AdSV) for Rh using standard addition procedure. Because no certified reference potatoes containing platinum and rhodium are available, we used addition standard method. The quantification limits for Pt and Rh are 0.007 and 0.0008 μg kg−1 respectively. Considering all the potato samples, concentrations of Pt and Rh vary in the ranges from 0.007 to 109 μg kg−1 (sample no, 6 potatoes grown in Sicily) and from 0.0008 to 0.030 μg kg−1 (sample no. 3 of potatoes grown in Emilia Romagna), respectively. For both metals, in many cases the concentrations fall near the quantification limit. In all the samples, platinum is always more abundant than rhodium and their mean ratio is 14,500, which is much greater than that of the Earth’s crust (about 100)

Aldehydes measurements in public indoor environments in Palermo (Italy) using voltammetry.

Studies on indoor air quality are important since people spend more than 80% of life in confined environments, thus it is necessary to evaluate indoor contaminant concentrations and distributions for assessing total human exposure to them (Mannino and Orecchio, 2008; Orecchio, 2011). Aldehydes are indoor and outdoor chemical pollutants of particular interest due to their potential impact on health. Formaldehyde is usually the most abundant aldehyde in air and also the most studied since it is classified as human carcinogen. It is well known that formaldehyde is directly emitted from building materials, wood combustion, cigarette smoking, and is used as a bactericidal agent. One purpose of this research was to develop a reliable, economic, simple and fast method for the determination of formaldehyde and acetaldehyde in air. In this work, we use voltammetry to measure the concentrations of formaldehyde and acetaldehyde in indoor air. Aldehydes were determined in several public environments in Palermo University (libraries, studies, museum, laboratories, etc.). The mean concentrations of formaldehyde and acetaldehyde are respectively about 40 and 5µg/m3. References 1. Mannino M. R. and Orecchio S. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in indoor dust matter of Palermo (Italy) area: Extraction, GC–MS analysis, distribution and sources Atmospheric Environment 42 (2008) 1801-1817. 2. Orecchio S., Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in indoor emission from decorative candles Atmospheric Environment 45 (2011) 1888-1895

Platinum and Rhodium associated with the leaves of Nerium oleander L.; Analytical method using voltammetry; Assessment of air quality in the Palermo (Italy) area

A rapid accumulation of the catalytic active noble metals in the environmental and biological matrices was observed and concern arose about potential environmental and health risks. The development of reliable analytic methods to measure very low Pt and Rh concentrations is required. The main purpose of this work was to develop a reliable method for the determination of Pt and Rh in environmental matrices because of inherent difficulties in using conventional techniques used, in particular, the ICP-OES technique. A direct determination of Pt using ICP-MS, for instance, is problematic, due to interfering signals. In this work, Differential Pulse Voltammetry (DPV/a) and Adsorptive Stripping Voltammetry (AdSV) were used for the determination of Pt and Rh in Nerium oleander leaves. Pt and Rh concentrations were found in the ranges 0.33-25 µg/Kg d.w. and 0.40- 4.6 µg/kg d.w. respectively. We carried out linear regression analysis between total PAH concentrations in leaves of oleander and of quercus ilex measured in previous researches and the data obtained, in this work. The high correlation coefficients were obtained; which demonstrates that oleander leaves can be used to establish the presence and the distribution of pollutants in a chosen area