Papers by zlatka knezović
The results of numerous studies have shown the constant presence of heavy metals in the environme... more The results of numerous studies have shown the constant presence of heavy metals in the environment. Metals are present in the air, water and soil due to natural processes, but mostly as a result of human activities such as industrial and agricultural processes. Fruits and vegetables accumulate soil metals during growth while different animal species bioaccumulate metals either from their environment or through food. Since metals are not biodegradable they can accumulate towards the top of the food chain presenting a risk to human health. This paper presents lead, cadmium and mercury concentrations in food sampled in the area of Split and Dalmatia County in the period 2001 - 2013. The study includes food that is most prevalent in the daily diet such as fruits, vegetables, grains, milk, meat, fish and their products. Concentrations above LOD were determined in 83% of analyzed samples for lead, 78% of analyzed samples for cadmium and 61% of analyzed samples for mercury. In certain food groups more than 30% of samples contained 75% of the maximum allowed concentration. Therefore simultaneously with measures for reducing emissions of heavy metals into the environment, it is necessary to conduct constant monitoring of the presence of heavy metals in food which is an important route of human exposure to metals
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Archives of Oral Biology, 2021
OBJECTIVES The objectives of the study were: (i) to compare mineral values of calcium, phosphorus... more OBJECTIVES The objectives of the study were: (i) to compare mineral values of calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, zinc and their ratios, in teeth from Croatian populations that lived in different historical periods, namely the Medieval period, the early 20th century, and the 21 st century; and (ii) to elucidate the influence of diet and lifestyle on tooth quality in these groups. DESIGN Determination of mineral content (Ca, Mg, P and Zn) in 294 teeth from three different periods of history (Medieval Period [G1], Second World War period [G2] and the contemporary period [G3]) using atomic absorption spectrometer and UV/VIS spectrometer methods. RESULTS Our results showed that the mineral content in teeth has changed over the centuries. Between analysed samples from all groups, there were significant differences in the elemental content as well as in the interrelationship of the elements. The largest differences were observed in the mean values of magnesium and zinc concentrations while smaller differences were observed for changes in calcium and phosphorus. CONCLUSIONS From the obtained results, it is evident that there are changes in the tooth mineral composition in specimens centuries apart that could be a reflection of changes in eating habits, food quality and the environment. In addition to differences in individual elements, differences in their mutual ratios were also observed.
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Fresenius Environmental Bulletin, 2016
The bioaccumulation of lead and cadmium in humans has been examined through analysis of 151 mecon... more The bioaccumulation of lead and cadmium in humans has been examined through analysis of 151 meconium samples of new-born children in the Split-Dalmatian County. Lead and cadmium content is related to pollution from industrial facilities, road traffic sources and landfills in the examined area. Lead was found in 89.4 % and cadmium in 94.0 % of analysed samples, indicating a high prevalence of both metals in the environment. The content of each metal has been examined relative to the sociodemographic description and dietary habits of mothers. Statistical results have shown values about forty times higher for lead median concentration compared to cadmium ; living in urban residences, frequency of consumption of vegetables and fish, and smoking habits have shown the most significant impacts. Results have shown that cadmium is uniformly dispersed from pollution sources over a larger area and penetrates all parts of the environment.
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Način prehrane značajno utječe na mentalnu i fizičku kondiciju studenata. Adekvatan unos visokovr... more Način prehrane značajno utječe na mentalnu i fizičku kondiciju studenata. Adekvatan unos visokovrijednih bjelančevina, vitamina (osobito B-skupine) i minerala regulira važne metaboličke procese u organizmu, te utječe na kognitivne funkcije bitne u procesu učenja kod studenata. Cilj rada bio je ispitati kvalitetu prehrane studenata u Splitu u odnosu na preporučene vrijednosti radi predlaganja mjera za unapređenje. U razdoblju od 1999. do 2005. godine u Nastavnom zavodu za javno zdravstvo u Splitu ispitana je prehrambena i energetska vrijednost 71 dnevnog obroka uzetih jedanput mjesečno metodom slučajnog izbora u Studentskom centru u Splitu. Analizirane vrijednosti uspoređene su sa zadanim normativima. Ispitana je učestalost korištenja namirnica iz osnovnih skupina. Prehrambene i energetske vrijednosti dnevnih obroka tijekom sedam godina ispitivanja manje su od zadanih normativa. Odstupanja su najveća za masti (do 40%) i bjelančevine (34%). Udio kruha u ukupnoj energetskoj vrijednosti...
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Post-mortem urine samples were collected from 25 persons who died in Split-Dalmatia County during... more Post-mortem urine samples were collected from 25 persons who died in Split-Dalmatia County during 1999-2000 under suspicion of drug intoxication. Samples were analyzed by fluorescence polarization immunoassay (FPIA) and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) in the aim of examination the possibility of FPIA usage as screening test method in determination of drug abuse in urine. The presence of the following drugs/metabolites was detected: opiates, methadone, amphetamines, tetrahydrocanabinol and cocain. The results have shown that FPIA is sufficiently reliable method for determination of addictive drugs (for each group the results match in 80% of analyses and more). Reliatively small number of samples comparised by this paper leaves this question open for further investigation.
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U radu su prikazani rezultati određivanja kemijskih parametara zdravstvene ispravnosti kozmeticki... more U radu su prikazani rezultati određivanja kemijskih parametara zdravstvene ispravnosti kozmetickih proizvoda analiziranih u NZZJZ splitsko - dalmatinske županije (2011.-2012.)
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Kao sveucilisni udžbenik ovo je djelo namijenjeno prije svega studentima, polaznicima preddiploms... more Kao sveucilisni udžbenik ovo je djelo namijenjeno prije svega studentima, polaznicima preddiplomskih, diplomskih, integriranih, specijalistickih i doktorskih studija, ali i svima onima koji se bave forenzicnom toksikologijom ili su zainteresirani za istraživanja u tom podrucju. Također je namijenjeno sudcima, odvjetnicima i svima ostalima kojima je potrebno znanje, poduka ili razumijevanje vjestacenja iz forenzicne toksikologije. S obzirom na multidisciplinarnost tekstovi u knjizi podijeljeni su u dvadeset poglavlja. Obrađeni su osnovni pojmovi u toksikologiji, prikazana je dobra laboratorijska praksa, sudbina otrova u ljudskom organizmu, vrste i zapljena droga, ostali otrovi, vrste uzoraka za analizu. Obrađen je utjecaj sredstava ovisnosti na ljudsko zdravlje s osvrtom na njihov utjecaj na novorođence. Posebno je dan prikaz testiranja i vjestacenja sudionika u prometu. Spomenuta su testiranja na radnome mjestu i zloporaba lijekova u sportu. Na kraju je dan prikaz zakonskih okvira. ...
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Legal Medicine, 2016
Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scanning is a gold standard for bone mineral density measu... more Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scanning is a gold standard for bone mineral density measurement and diagnosis of primary and secondary osteoporosis in living persons. DXA is becoming widespread when analysing archaeological material, and is considered to provide an accurate diagnosis of osteoporosis in skeletal samples. The aim of this study was to explain the differences in results between bone mineral density (obtained with DXA) and chemical determination of calcium and phosphorus concentrations in skeletal remains. We examined bone mineral density (BMD) and mineral content of femoral bone samples exhumed from mass graves of the Second World War. BMD was determined by Hologic QDR 4500 C (S/N 48034) Bone Densitometer. Concentrations of calcium and phosphorus were determined with AAS (Atomic absorption spectroscopy) and UV/VIS (Ultraviolet-visible) spectroscopy. The results obtained in this study do not support the hypothesis according to which BMD measured by DXA scan has positive correlation with chemically determined concentrations of calcium and phosphorus in bones, especially in acidic soils where there was significant impact of diagenesis observed.
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The total absorbed metals dose could be objectively determined by checking the element status in ... more The total absorbed metals dose could be objectively determined by checking the element status in biological samples. Content of heavy metals in a diet could correlate with heavy metals content in human bones ; therefore, determining heavy metals concentrations, and their relationship in human bone, could be used to reconstruct the basic diet. One of the goals of this study was to testing metal concentration levels of the bone material excavated from ancient burials for better understanding of medieval living habits. The aim of our study was to determine metal content of 100 mediaeval individuals excavated from Ostrovica and Naklice burial sites (Southern Croatia) and 30 recent human bones. After microwave digestion (CEM, USA Model Mars 5-2004) element content of manganese (Mn), iron (Fe), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), calcium (Ca) and strontium (Sr) were measured with an Atomic Absorption Spectrometer. Mercury concentration was determined by direct consecutive measured by mercury analyzer...
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Collegium antropologicum, 2014
In 2000, human skeletal remains were discovered in Split (Croatia). As archaeologists confirmed, ... more In 2000, human skeletal remains were discovered in Split (Croatia). As archaeologists confirmed, it was an ancient skeleton accompanied by ceramics and bracelet characteristic for late Roman period whose possible violent death was excluded. The bone sample was radiocarbon dated by AMS to 1750 years. DNA was successfully extracted from the bone sample and subsequently typed using mt DNA and STR systems. The metal content was determined by atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) in flame mode. Mercury concentration was determined by direct consecutive measures taken with a mercury analyzer. According to our results, we consider that the bones could belong to the one of the last citizens of the Diocletian's Palace.
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Toxicology Letters, 2011
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Toxicology Letters, 2011
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Journal of Archaeological Science, 2014
ABSTRACT This work is a contribution to the existing knowledge of lifestyle and diet of the South... more ABSTRACT This work is a contribution to the existing knowledge of lifestyle and diet of the South Croatian population who lived in Early Medieval Period. The one hundred samples dating from 9th century were discovered and collected at the burial sites Ostrovica and Naklice. Concentrations of metals and their mutual relationships were examined in regards to gender and age of skeletal remains. Differences were observed in diet between men and women as well as among age groups. For a correct interpretation of the results it is necessary to determine the metal content in the soil. Namely, metals in archaeological bones are influenced by changes in soil - diagenesis, which is confirmed by our results. We concluded that there were no influences of diagenesis on lead, calcium, strontium and zinc content while cadmium, iron, manganese and copper are most exposed.
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Presence of heavy metals in the environment due to their toxicity is a problem of increasing sign... more Presence of heavy metals in the environment due to their toxicity is a problem of increasing significance for ecological, evolutionary, nutritional and environmental reasons. Their accumulation in soils is of concern in agricultural production due to the effects on plants and their metabolic activities, possible bioaccumulation, affecting food safety and human health. Humans and other living organisms are part of a biogeochemical cycle of metals and directly exposed to their impacts. Virgin olive oils are high quality food with balanced triglyceride composition that provides their nutritional as well as protective value. The ideal composition of olive oil does not automatically imply a positive effect on health. Namely, during ripening, harvesting and processing of olives, especially during oil storage, oxidation processes can occur on triglycerides and can significantly affect the quality and safety of virgin olive oil. These chemical changes in virgin olive oil are agitated on exp...
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Foods
The aim of this research was to determine the concentrations of nitrates and nitrites in differen... more The aim of this research was to determine the concentrations of nitrates and nitrites in different types of vegetables that are commonly represented in the diet of the inhabitants of Split and Dalmatian County. Therefore, using the method of random selection, there were 96 samples of different vegetables. The determination of the nitrate and nitrite concentrations was carried out by high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) with a diode array detector (DAD). The nitrate concentrations in the range 2.1–4526.3 mg kg−1 were found in 92.7% of the analyzed samples. The highest nitrate values were found in rucola (Eruca sativa L.) followed by Swiss chard (Beta vulgaris L.). In 36.5% of the leafy vegetables intended for consumption without prior heat treatment, nitrite was found in the range of 3.3–537.9 mg kg−1. The high levels of nitrite in the vegetables intended for fresh consumption and the high nitrate values in Swiss chard indicate the need to establish maximum nitrite limits in ve...
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Archives of Oral Biology, 2019
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Papers by zlatka knezović