Exposure assessment to heavy metals in general population in an area at high environmental risk through biological monitoring

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Experience of 170 cases of ductal carcinoma in ' (DCIS)

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Predictor Analysis in Radiofrequency Ablation of Benign Thyroid Nodules: A Single Center Experience

PURPOSE: To confirm the efficacy of ultrasound (US) guided radiofrequency ablation (RFA) in the treatment of benign thyroid nodules, we evaluated as primary outcome the technical efficacy and clinical success in a single center dataset. The secondary outcome was to find a correlation between nodules’ pre-treatment features and volume reduction rate (VRR) ≥75% at 12 months after RFA and during follow-up period. METHODS: This retrospective study included 119 consecutive patients (99 females, 20 males, 51.5 ± 14.4 years) with benign thyroid nodules treated in our hospital between October 2014 and December 2018 with a mean follow-up of 26.8 months (range 3–48). Clinical and US features before and after RFA were evaluated by a US examination at 1, 3, 6, 12 months and annually thereafter up to 48 months. RESULTS: The median pre-treatment volume was 22.4 ml; after RFA we observed a statistically significant volume reduction from the first month (11.7 ml) to the last follow-up (p 22.4 ml (HR 0.54, p 0.036) were found to be independent positive and negative predictors of VRR ≥75% respectively. One-month post RFA VRR ≥50% represented the best positive predictor of technical success. CONCLUSIONS: This study confirmed the efficacy of RFA in the treatment of benign thyroid nodules. In particular we show that by selecting macrocystic nodules smaller than 22.4 ml better long-term response can be achieved, which is predicted by an early shrinkage of the nodule

An integrated approach to evaluate PAH exposure

Introduction - An integrated evaluation of PAH exposure should consider different routes of absorption, reliability and specificity of biomarkers of dose, and individual susceptibility. Material and Methods - The present study investigated the exposure to PAHs in coke oven workers (n=100), asphalt pavers (n=98) and ground construction workers (n=47), by means of environmental exposure and biological monitoring. Results \u2013 Personal exposure to total airborne PAHs [from naphtalene to indeno(1,2,3-cd)pyrene] in coke oven workers (median 140 \ub5g/m3), was much higher than in pavers exposed to bitumen fumes (0.6 \ub5g/m3), or in construction workers (0.4 \ub5g/m3),. Urinary 1-hydroxypyrene (1-HOP) in end-shift samples was significantly higher in cokeoven workers (2.2 \ub5g/l) than in asphalt pavers (0.7 \ub5g/l) and in construction workers (0.4 \ub5g/l). An increasing trend in 1-HOP levels, over the workweek and the workshift was registered. A similar trend was observed for urinary 2-hydroxyfluorene (2-FLE) and 3-hydroxyphenanthrene (3-PHE) as well as for some unmetabolised PAH in urine. In smokers with low exposures an important contribution to biomarkers was given by tobacco smoking. PAH-DNA adducts in peripheral blood lymphocytes were not associated with external exposure. Genetic polymorphisms of metabolic and DNA repairing enzymes (CYP1A1, GSTM1, GSTT1, XPD) did not appear to influence the levels of biomarkers. Total dermal contamination of PAHs in pavers, assessed in a subgroup of workers (n=22), ranged from 23 to 623 \ub5g. Significant correlations between dermal phenanthrene or pyrene and 1-HOP (r = 0.41 and 0.55), suggest that dermal exposure significantly contributes to the internal dose of these compounds. Conclusion \u2013 Our results suggest that urinary biomarkers of PAHs, integrating exposure from all sources and routes, are reliable tools for risk assessment in occupational health

Tabaquismo en ambientes públicos de trabajo en la ciudad de La Plata : Año 2015

Objetivos: Determinar en tres ambientes públicos de trabajo (Ministerio de Educación, Economía y Salud de la Provincia de Buenos Aires) en la ciudad de La Plata: a) prevalencia de tabaquismo, b) características de los fumadores, c) cantidad de ex-fumadores, y d) antecedentes de tabaquismo en los no fumadores actuales.Facultad de Ciencias Médica

Environmentally friendly analysis of emerging contaminants by pressurized hot water extraction-stir bar sorptive extraction-derivatization and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

This work describes the development, optimiza- tion, and validation of a new method for the simultaneous determination of a wide range of pharmaceuticals (beta- blockers, lipid regulators ... ) and personal care products (fragrances, UV filters, phthalates ... ) in both aqueous and solid environmental matrices. Target compounds were extracted from sediments using pressurized hot water ex- traction followed by stir bar sorptive extraction. The first stage was performed at 1,500 psi during three static extrac- tion cycles of 5 min each after optimizing the extraction temperature (50 – 150 °C) and addition of organic modifiers (% methanol) to water, the extraction solvent. Next, aqueous extracts and water samples were processed using polydime- thylsiloxane bars. Several parameters were optimized for this technique, including extraction and desorption time, ionic strength, presence of organic modifiers, and pH. Fi- nally, analytes were extracted from the bars by ultrasonic irradiation using a reduced amount of solvent (0.2 mL) prior to derivatization and gas chromatography – mass spectrome- try analysis. The optimized protocol uses minimal amounts of organic solvents (<10 mL/sample) and time ( ≈ 8 h/sam- ple) compared to previous ex isting methodologies. Low standard deviation (usually below 10 %) and limits of de- tection (sub-ppb) vouch for the applicability of the method- ology for the analysis of target compounds at trace levels. Once developed, the method was applied to determin

Percepción del grado de cumplimiento de los ambientes libres de tabaco en tres lugares públicos de trabajo de la ciudad de La Plata : Año 2015

En el marco de un estudio multicéntrico sobre ambientes libres de tabaco en diferentes ciudades de Argentina, en el que participa la Cátedra de Salud Pública de la Facultad de Ciencias Médicas de la Universidad Nacional de La Plata, se realizó un estudio observacional descriptivo sobre la población de tres ambientes públicos de trabajo (tres ministerios públicos de la Provincia de Buenos Aires en la ciudad de La Plata: Ministerio de Educación, Salud y Economía). Se realizaron 168 encuestas estructuradas, anónimas, y autoadministradas durante Mayo y Junio de 2015.Facultad de Ciencias Médica

Addressing Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome in Cancer Patients, from Visceral Obesity and Myosteatosis to Systemic Inflammation: Implications in Cardio-Onco-Metabolism

Cardiovascular disease and cancer are the two leading causes of morbidity and mortality in the world. The emerging field of cardio-oncology described several shared risk factors that predispose patients to both cardiovascular disease and cancer. Post-acute COVID-19 syndrome is a chronic condition that occurs in many patients who have experienced a SARS-CoV-2 infection, mainly based on chronic fatigue, sedentary lifestyle, cramps, breathing difficulties, and reduced lung performance. Post-acute COVID-19 exposes patients to increased visceral adiposity, insulin resistance, myosteatosis, and white adipose tissue content (surrounded by M1 macrophages and characterized by a Th1/Th17 phenotype), which increases the risk of cardiovascular mortality and cancer recurrence. In this review, the main metabolic affections of post-acute COVID-19 syndrome in cancer patients at low and high risk of cardiomyopathies will be summarized. Furthermore, several non-pharmacological strategies aimed at reducing atherosclerotic and cardiac risk will be provided, especially through anti-inflammatory nutrition with a low insulin and glycemic index, appropriate physical activity, and immune-modulating bioactivities able to reduce visceral obesity and myosteatosis, improving insulin-related signaling and myocardial metabolism

Percepción del grado de cumplimiento de los ambientes libres de tabaco en tres lugares públicos de trabajo de la ciudad de La Plata : Año 2015

En el marco de un estudio multicéntrico sobre ambientes libres de tabaco en diferentes ciudades de Argentina, en el que participa la Cátedra de Salud Pública de la Facultad de Ciencias Médicas de la Universidad Nacional de La Plata, se realizó un estudio observacional descriptivo sobre la población de tres ambientes públicos de trabajo (tres ministerios públicos de la Provincia de Buenos Aires en la ciudad de La Plata: Ministerio de Educación, Salud y Economía). Se realizaron 168 encuestas estructuradas, anónimas, y autoadministradas durante Mayo y Junio de 2015.Facultad de Ciencias Médica