Italian Children Exposure to Bisphenol A: Biomonitoring Data from the LIFE PERSUADED Project

A human biomonitoring (HBM) study on bisphenol A (BPA) in Italian children and adolescents was performed within the LIFE PERSUADED project, considering the residing areas, sex and age. The median urinary BPA level was 7.02 mu g/L, with children living in the South of Italy or in urban areas having higher levels than those residing in the North or in rural areas. Children aged 4-6 years had higher BPA levels than those aged 7-10 and 11-14 years, but no differences were detected between sexes. The exposure in Italian children was higher compared to children from other countries, but lower than the HBM guidance value (135 mu g/L). The estimated daily intake was 0.17 mu g/kg body weight (bw) per day, about 24-fold below the temporary Tolerable Daily Intake of 4 mu g/kg bw per day established by the European Food Safety Authority. However, this threshold was exceeded in 1.44% of the enrolled children, raising concern about the overall exposure of Italian young population

Raciocínio pictórico: campos de cor no espaço

The object of this dissertation research involves the design, construction and theoretical analysis of color fields in a three dimensional space, developed through a pictorial reasoning. The starting point for the creation of these work pieces is the appropriation of common objects of everyday use. To address this, I will use Arthur Danto s concept of transfiguration, in that these materials have their ordinary function subtracted by operating as a raw material in the construction of these chromatic structures, as they work temporarily as color modules. At the end of the exhibition, having the work been dismantled, these same objects can be placed back into the world and return to their ordinary functions. One can then say that there is a transitory estate, which tracks the reasoning of these propositions. This study aims at reflecting upon apart of the artistic production I have developed since 2008, which includes five series of works: Painting, Seeding, Chrome, Color-matter and Plastic. I treat them as paintings in na expanded territory, whose approach will be based on the concept of the expanded field proposed by Rosalind Krauss. Josef Albers and Israel Pedrosa will be important references to speak of the different ways in which these colors behave in the architectural space, under natural and artificial lighting, among other things. Richard Wollheim is a reference to discuss aspects of how a painting should be made in order to be considered art: brand, surface, edge, intent, and other aspects to analyze painting as an intentional act. I will also present a sequence of images to build a visual text and expose both the process of elaboration of the works and their implementation in different spaces, revealing the concept first developed in the studio and the specifics that the propositions have acquired in each place they were installedO objeto de pesquisa desta dissertação compreende a elaboração, construção e análise teórica de campos de cor no espaço tridimensional, desenvolvidos através de um raciocínio pictórico. O ponto de partida para a criação dos trabalhos ocorre por meio de apropriação de objetos do uso comum do cotidiano. Para abordar este aspecto, será utilizado o conceito de transfiguração, de Arthur Danto, na medida em que esses materiais ordinários têm a sua função subtraída ao operarem como matéria-prima na construção das estruturas cromáticas, e passam a funcionar, temporariamente, como módulos de cor. Ao final da exposição, com o trabalho desmontado, estes mesmo objetos podem voltar para o mundo e retomar suas funções ordinárias. É possível dizer, então, que há uma transitoriedade, que acompanha o raciocínio dessas proposições. O que se busca neste estudo é refletir sobre uma parte da produção plástica que tenho desenvolvido desde 2008, que engloba cinco séries de trabalhos: Pintura, Sementeira, Croma, Cor-matéria e Plástica. Trato-as como pinturas que habitam um território expandido, cuja abordagem terá como ponto de partida o conceito de campo ampliado proposto por Rosalind Krauss. Josef Albers e Israel Pedrosa serão importantes referências para falar das diferentes maneiras com que estas cores se comportam em virtude das condições arquitetônicas do espaço, da luz natural e da iluminação artificial, entre outros elementos. Richard Wollheim será referência para discorrer sobre os aspectos de como uma pintura deve ser elaborada para que seja considerada arte: marca, superfície, borda, intenção, entre outros que analisam a pintura como um ato intencional. Será apresentada também uma sequência de imagens que constroem um texto visual e expõem, tanto o processo de elaboração dos trabalhos quanto a sua execução em diferentes espaços, evidenciando o conceito desenvolvido inicialmente no ateliê e as especificidades que as proposições apresentaram em cada lugar que ocuparamCoordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superio

Rodent Model of Gender-Affirming Hormone Therapies as Specific Tool for Identifying Susceptibility and Vulnerability of Transgender People and Future Applications for Risk Assessment

Transgenders (TGs) are individuals with gender identity and behaviour different from the social norms; they often undergo gender-affirming hormone therapy (HT). HT for TG men involves testosterone treatment and, for TG women, oestrogen plus androgen-lowering agents. Due—but not limited—to the lifelong lasting HT, usually TG people experience several physical and behavioural conditions leading to different and specific susceptibility and vulnerability in comparison to general population, including the response to chemical contaminants present in daily life. In particular, the exposure to the widespread endocrine disrupters (EDs) may affect hormonal and metabolic processes, leading to tissue and organ damage. Since the endocrine system of TG people is overstimulated by HT and, often, the targets overlap with ED, it is reasonable to hypothesize that TG health deserves special attention. At present, no specific tools are available to study the toxicological effects of environmental contaminants, including EDs, and the potential long-term consequences of HT on TG people. In this context, the development of adequate and innovative animal models to mimic gender-affirming HT have a high priority, since they can provide robust data for hazard identification in TG women and men, leading to more reliable risk assessment

Workshop finale del Progetto - Biomonitoraggio di ftalati e BPA nei bambini italiani e associazione con patologie infantili: il progetto europeo LIFE PERSUADED

Biomonitoraggio di ftalati e BPA nei bambini italiani e associazione con patologie infantili: il progetto europeo LIFE PERSUADED. Istituto Superiore di Sanità. Roma, 25-26 ottobre 2018. Riassunti. A cura di Roberta Tassinari, Lucia Coppola e Cinzia La Rocca. 2018, viii, 62 p. ISTISAN Congressi 18/C3 Ftalati e bisfenolo A sono sostanze plastificanti ubiquitarie e riconosciuti interferenti endocrini. Il progetto LIFE PERSUADED ha avuto come obiettivo principale la valutazione dei livelli di ftalati e Bisfenolo A nei bambini e adolescenti della popolazione italiana, attraverso uno studio di biomonitoraggio che ha coinvolto coppie madre-figlio reclutate al Nord, Centro e Sud Italia. LIFE PERSUADED si è proposto inoltre di indagare sulla possibile associazione tra esposizione a tali sostanze e patologie infantili sempre più diffuse, come le alterazioni dello sviluppo puberale e l’obesità. Attraverso studi sperimentali su un modello murino ad hoc, LIFE PERSUADED ha studiato gli effetti diretti di queste sostanze ed evidenziato marcatori precoci. Il Workshop ha lo scopo di presentare i risultati del progetto, con particolare riferimento alla problematica degli interferenti endocrini in relazione alla salute del bambino, evidenziandone le ricadute in ambito regolatorio, della valutazione e comunicazione del rischio

Toxicogenomic analysis of placenta samples from mice exposed to different doses of BPA

Bisphenol A (BPA), a widespread Endocrine Disrupter mainly used in food contact plastics, may induce adverse effects especially on susceptible lifestages, first of all pregnancy. The present study considered placental development as a potential target of BPA and investigated potential differences in the modes of action of two doses of BPA by a toxicogenomic approach. Pregnant CD-1 mice were administered with vehicle, 0.5 (BPA05) or 50 mg/kg (BPA50) body weight (bw)/die of BPA, from gestational day (GD) 1 to GD11. At GD12 dams were sacrificed and transcriptomic analysis was performed on placenta samples. Histological, histomorphometrical and immunohistochemical analyses were also performed to phenotypically anchor transcriptional changes associated with BPA exposure. The interpretation and description of the overall data are included in a manuscript under revision [1]. Here we describe the experimental design and the analysis performed on the gene expression data which are publicly available through the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database with accession number GSE63852

Sex-Specific Effects of Short-Term Oral Administration of Food-Grade Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles in the Liver and Kidneys of Adult Rats

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanomaterial is used in several items (implant materials, pills composition, cosmetics, etc.). Although TiO2 is no longer considered safe as a food additive, the general population is exposed daily through different routes, and information is lacking on some aspects of animal and human health. This study evaluated liver and kidney toxicity of food-grade TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs) (primary size 2 NPs are known to affect the gastric mucosa, short-term exposure induced sex-specific effects: general toxicity parameters were predominantly altered in female rats, whereas the liver appeared to be more affected than the kidneys in male rats, which also showed overexpression of NPY and SPP1. In the kidneys, the TiO2 NP effects were quantitatively similar but qualitatively different in the two sexes. In conclusion, careful consideration should be paid to the presence of TiO2 NPs in other items that can lead to human exposure