Anna Pino

Background Metal oxide nanoparticles (NPs) are increasingly used in many industrial and biomedical applications, hence their impact on occupational and public health has become a concern. In recent years, interest on the effect that exposure to NPs may exert on human reproduction has grown, however data are still scant. In the present work, we investigated whether different metal oxide NPs interfere with mouse cumulus cell-oocyte complex (COC) expansion. Methods Mouse COCs from pre-ovulatory follicles were cultured in vitro in the presence of various concentrations of two types of TiO2 NPs (JRC NM-103 and NM-104) and four types of ZnO NPs (JRC NM-110, NM-111, and in-house prepared uncoated and SiO2-coated NPs) and the organization of a muco-elastic extracellular matrix by cumulus cells during the process named cumulus expansion was investigated. Results We show that COC expansion was not affected by the presence of both types of TiO2 NPs at all tested doses, while ZnO NM-110 and NM-...

The assessment of individual exposure to toxicants in industrially contaminated areas is difficult when multiple productions are active close to residential areas. Two thermoelectric power plants and a large harbor have been operating since the '60s in the area of Civitavecchia (North of Rome). The ABC (Ambiente e Biomonitoraggio nell'area di Civitavecchia, Environment and Biomonitoring in Civitavecchia) program involved, in the period 2013-2014, residents in Civitavecchia and in the nearby municipalities (Santa Marinella, Allumiere, Tolfa and Tarquinia). They were randomly selected from the Municipal Register's data and their residence addresses were geocoded using GIS techniques. Biomonitoring of the following urinary metals, Sb, Be, Mo, Cd, Sn, W, Ir, Pt, Hg, Tl, V, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Rh, Pd, As were performed. Glucose and lipid metabolism, liver, renal, and endocrine function were evaluated through blood laboratory tests. Tests of lung functionwere also carried ...

The human biomonitoring (HBM) of metals is a part of the ongoing project SPoTT for the longitudinal health surveillance of the population living near a waste-to-energy (WTE) incinerator (Turin, Italy). The HBM of metals in the SPoTT population aimed to evaluate: i) reference values (RVs) before the WTE incinerator started operation; ii) differences in exposure by variables; iii) variations respect to other HBM studies; iv) exposure that exceeds the available health-based benchmarks as the Biomonitoring Equivalents (BEs) for urine Cd and Human Biomonitoring (HBM-I and HBM-II) values for urine Hg, Tl, and blood Pb; v) risk assessment by generating hazard quotients (HQs) for the single metal and hazard index (HI) for the co-occurrence of metals. Eighteen metals in urine and Pb in blood were determined by sector field inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Metal concentrations were comparable with RVs reported in other countries, except for slightly higher As, Be, Ir, Pd, Pt, Rh,...

The Italian program for human biomonitoring (HBM) of chemical elements, PROgram for Biomonitoring of the Exposure (PROBE), started in 2008 with the aim to provide the knowledge about risk assessment of the Italian population following the environmental exposure to metals. The project is implemented through a HBM campaign for the production of data on 19 metals in the blood and serum of subjects living in different Italian Regions. The metals studied are: antimony, beryllium, cadmium, chromium, cobalt, iridium, lead, manganese, mercury, molybdenum, nickel, palladium, platinum, rhodium, thallium, tin, tungsten, uranium and vanadium. The first phase of the project has included the development and validation of laboratory protocols for the collection of fluids and quantification of metals. The second phase provides the HBM data expressed as the reference values (RVs) for the Italian population, i.e., as the level of metals in the general population not occupationally exposed. In this pa...

Although some studies suggested a link between exposure to trace elements and development of multiple sclerosis (MS), clear information on their role in the aetiology of MS is still lacking. In this study the concentrations of Al, Ba, Be, Bi, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Li, Mg, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Sb, Si, Sn, Sr, Tl, V, W, Zn and Zr were determined in the blood of 60 patients with MS and 60 controls. Quantifications were performed by inductively coupled plasma (ICP) atomic emission spectrometry and sector field ICP mass spectrometry. When the two groups were compared, an increased level of Co, Cu and Ni and a decrement of Be, Fe, Hg, Mg, Mo, Pb and Zn in blood of patients were observed. In addition, the discriminant analysis pointed out that Cu, Be, Hg, Co and Mo were able to discriminate between MS patients and controls (92.5% of cases correctly classified).

The haematic concentration of 26 metals and the oxidative damage in 60 patients (20 males and 40 females) affected by Alzheimer's disease and 44 healthy individuals (33 males and 11 females) were compared. In patients, the following significant (p < or = 0.05) discrepancies were found: i) increment of Ca, Cd, Hg, Mg, Si and Sn, and decrement of Al, Co, Fe and Zn in serum; ii) higher concentrations of Cu, Li, Mn, Sn and Zr and lower of Fe, Hg, Mo in blood; iii) overproduction of oxidant species (SOS) and decrease of the anti-oxidant capacity (SAC) (p < or = 0.001, for both). Variables that, joined, better discriminated between patients and controls resulted to be Si, SOS, SAC, Co, Ca, Al in serum (94% of cases correctly classified) and Cu, Zr, Mo and Fe in blood (90% of cases properly categorized).

The persistence of metals in the environment and their natural occurrence in rocks, soil and water cause them to be present in the manufacture of pigments and other raw materials used in the cosmetic industry. Thus, people can be exposed to metals as trace contaminants in cosmetic products they daily use. Cosmetics may have multiple forms, uses and exposure scenarios, and metals contained in them can cause skin local problems but also systemic effects after their absorption via the skin or ingestion. Even this, cosmetics companies are not obliged to report on this kind of impurities and so consumers have no way of knowing about their own risk. This paper reviewed both the concentration of metals in different types of cosmetics manufactured and sold worldwide and the data on metals' dermal penetration and systemic toxicology. The eight metals of concern for this review were antimony (Sb), arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), cobalt (Co), mercury (Hg), nickel (Ni) and lead (Pb). This was because they are banned as intentional ingredients in cosmetics, have draft limits as potential impurities in cosmetics and are known as toxic.

A simple and efficient digestion method for rapid sample preparation and quantification of 25 chemical elements in lichens by sector field inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry is described. A microwave (MW)‐assisted acid digestion was carried out at atmospheric pressure simultaneously handling up to 80 samples in screw‐capped disposable polystyrene tubes. This digestion procedure was compared with the established MW digestion in closed vessels in order to examine its potential applicability in routine analysis for environmental monitoring. Three certified reference materials, i.e. BCR 482 (lichens), BCR 62 (olive leaves) and BCR 100 (beech leaves), as well as a small set of real samples were analyzed. Limits of quantification, accuracy and precision of the method were assessed. The majority of the elements were totally recovered from the lichens and from the other vegetable matrices. Low contamination risk, simplicity, time‐saving, and applicability in routine analyses make ...

The role of some chemical elements in neurodegeneration was suggested by various authors. To obtain a profile of chemical elements and oxidative status in complex neurological diseases, an unbiased "omics" approach, i.e., quantification of 26 elements and oxidative stress parameters (serum oxidative status (SOS) and serum anti-oxidant capacity (SAC)), combined with multivariate statistical procedures (forward discriminant analysis, FDA) to analyse the vast amount of data, was applied to four groups of subjects (53 patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD), 71 with Parkinson disease (PD), 60 with multiple sclerosis (MS) and 124 healthy individuals). Descriptive statistics revealed numerous differences between each disease and healthy status. A concordant imbalance (reduction in Fe, Zn and SAC, and increase in SOS) was shared by AD, PD and MS. The FDA yielded three significant discriminant functions based on age, SOS, Ca, Fe, Si, Sn, V, Zn and Zr, and identified disease-specific profiles of element imbalances, thus showing the appropriateness of the "omics" approach. It may help assess the contribution of chemical elements and oxidative stress to disease causation and may provide complex predictors of disease evolution or treatment response.

Metals are suspected of being involved in the pathogenesis of various neurologic diseases. We previously found a complex imbalance in serum chemical elements and oxidative status in patients with clinically definite multiple sclerosis (CDMS). To understand whether this imbalance affects people with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) and, if so, whether it predicts conversion to CDMS. We studied 22 chemical elements and the oxidative status in 49 patients with CIS, 49 patients with CDMS, and 49 healthy donors (HD). Univariate and multivariate approaches were used to identify profiles for each group. A logistic regression analysis was used to identify the predictive potential of baseline data (elements, oxidative status, and MRI findings) for conversion to CDMS over 36 months. Several elements and oxidative status values differed significantly among the 3 groups. Discriminant analysis revealed a major contribution of Ca, Fe, Sn, Zn, serum antioxidant capacity, and serum oxidative status, which resulted in distinct profiles (the prediction of group membership was 96% [cross-validated 92%] for HD, 92% [cross-validated 92%] for CDMS, and 90% [cross-validated 86%] for CIS). A weighted combination of element concentrations and oxidative status values, adjusting for all other predictors, would predict a reduction in the risk of conversion to CDMS within 3 years (odds ratio 0.37; 95% confidence interval 0.18-0.76; p = 0.007), thereby proving more effective than MRI at baseline. The peculiar imbalance in serum elements and oxidative status that characterizes patients with CIS and may predict conversion to CDMS warrants studies on larger sample sizes.

Lichen Usnea barbata was tested as a possible biomonitor of atmospheric deposition in a supposedly pristine environment Tierra del Fuego (Argentina). Lichen samples were collected in 2005 and again in 2006 in 71 sites covering almost the entire region. The aim of the study was to evaluate the bioaccumulation of 26 elements in order to define the background levels in the region. The quantification was carried out by the sector field inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. No relevant temporal accumulation patterns between 2005 and 2006 sampling campaigns were observed. Then, the results were submitted to multivariate statistical analysis (cluster and principal component analyses). Cluster analysis produced a dendrogram where the 71 sites were divided into four clusters at (Dlink/Dmax)100<30. The areas and the elements were correlated according to the element concentrations by principal component analysis. Four significant components that accounted for 67% were obtained. Cluster 1 was mainly composed of sites of Ushuaia-Road 3 (E area) and it was characterized by high levels of Cd, Co, Ni, Pb, Sb, and W in lichens. The present study has revealed the good capacity of U. barbata to reflect the baseline levels of elements in the environment at a regional scale level. The presence of certain level of elements in lichens agrees with the hypothesis that Tierra del Fuego is not a relatively pristine environment as occasionally supposed. However, when comparing our results with other countries, Tierra del Fuego lichens have a very low content of the measured elements.

Trace elements were analyzed in organisms collected at five sampling stations along coastal areas of Linosa Island, Sicily (southern Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy). Concentrations of Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, and Zn were measured in Posidonia oceanica L. Delile tissues, the two brown algae Padina pavonica (L.) Thivy and Cystoseira sp., and the two gastropod mollusks Monodonta turbinata Born and Patella caerulea L. Seawater samples were also collected at each site to assess soluble metal concentrations and to gain relevant information on their bioaccumulation ability. Data were processed by multivariate techniques, such as principal component analysis (PCA) and linear discriminant analysis on PCA factors. The scoreplots obtained showed that the pollutant distribution is more significantly correlated with species than with sites. For seaweeds, P. oceanica was associated with higher Cd, Cu, and Zn levels; Padina species had higher Cr concentrations, and Cystoseira had higher Pb levels. For mollusks, Monodonta species had high concentrations of Cu and Cr and Patella species were associated with Cd. Some general metal bioaccumulation patterns are described but no one sampling site was more contaminated than the others. The hypothesis of Linosa island serving as a reference ecosystem for baseline trace metal levels in southern Tyrrhenian areas is indeed supported by the statistical comparison among other southern Tyrrhenian ecosystems performed with Kruskall Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests. For P. oceanica leaves, P. pavonica, M. turbinata, and P. caerulea, this study confirms their usefulness as possible cosmopolitan biomonitors of trace metals in marine Mediterranean areas.

Many experimental evidences point out the correlation between the presence of aluminum-ferritin complex and neursopathological disorders. In these complexes, two different ranges of Aluminium (Al) atoms are usually found, i.e., just few atoms or several hundreds. Here, we investigated the in-vitro Al-apoferritin binding, with the aim to elucidate the mechanism behind the formation of Al-ferritin complexes in-vivo. To this purpose, we studied the mineralization of Al in its ionic and complexed form with citrate demonstrating that high Al levels found in clinical studies can be obtained only conveying Al by small physiological ligands.

Neurodevelopmental disorders are constantly increasing on a global scale. Some elements like heavy metals are known to be neurotoxic. In this cross-sectional study we assessed the neurobehavioral effect of the exposure to trace elements including lead, mercury, cadmium, manganese, arsenic and selenium and their interactions among 299 schoolchildren residing in the heavily polluted Taranto area in Italy. Whole blood, urine and hair were collected for metal analyses, while the Child Behavior Checklist and the Social Responsiveness Scale, administered to the main teacher and the mothers were considered to identify behavioral problems in children. Blood lead mainly influenced social problems, aggressive behavior, externalizing and total problems. Urinary arsenic showed an impact on anxiety and depression, somatic problems, attention problems and rule breaking behavior. A significant interaction between lead and arsenic was observed, with a synergistic effect of the two metals increasing...

Data on metals involvement in colorectal polyps are scarce and fragmentary. The aim of this study was to examine whether the level of metals could be associated with risk of colorectal polyp development. The concentration of 15 chemical elements (Al, Ba, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg Mg, Mn, Pb, Se, Sr, and Zn) in 17 colorectal biopsies of healthy individuals, in 15 polypotic and corresponding nonpolypotic biopsies taken from the same individual, was evaluated. Concentration in polyps of metals such as Al, Ca, Mg, Mn, Pb, Sr, and Zn was unchanged both in unpaired and paired samples; elements such as Ba, Cd, and Hg were significantly lower and Fe was significantly higher both in individual and paired tissues. Cobalt, Cr, and Cu were significantly different only between polyps and the adjacent normal tissue area; Se showed a significant accumulation comparing polyps versus healthy tissues. The difference found in some elements between polyps and a control tissue provides an indication about the role of essential and nonessential elements in the early stage (polyps) in the colon carcinogenic process and encourages further studies to confirm the involvement of such elements in neoplastic processes.

Summary. - Quantification of 26 elements was performed in blood of patients affected by neurodegene- rative pathologies, i.e., Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD) and multiple sclerosis (MS), and of a control group to study the potential role of blood elements as markers for the different neurodegenera- tions. A multivariate discriminant analysis (stepwise method) was applied to determine the best set of variables to discriminate among subjects with different health status. Preliminary results show three classification functions of seven elements, namely Ca, Co, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb and Zr.

An analytical procedure applicable to restricted sample sizes was developed and applied to the analysis of 30 chemical elements in colorectal biopsies of healthy patients. Acidic microwave digestion processed ≤10 mg of tissue at 80°C in 15-mL polystyrene liners. The digests ...