Occurrence of Acrylamide in Italian Baked Products and Dietary Exposure Assessment

Acrylamide (AA) is a neo-formed toxic compound that develops in foods during cooking at temperatures above 120 °C. AA shows in vivo neurotoxic and carcinogenic effects, and it is potentially carcinogenic for humans. Its occurrence is common in baked food, such as bread and similar products. This study set out to analyze bread and sweets from the Italian market to evaluate the effects of the benchmark thresholds set by EU Regulation 2017/2158 and to ascertain the exposure of the Italian population to AA, across three age groups, through the consumption of baked products, according to the margin of exposure (MOE) approach. Two hundred samples were tested, and the content of AA ranged from 31 to 454 µg/kg for bread and products thereof and from 204 to 400 µg/kg for the sweets category. The exposure data did not show any neurotoxic health concern, whereas the MOE related to the carcinogenic endpoint is well below the minimum safety value of 10,000.

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Acrylamide in Baby Foods: A Probabilistic Exposure Assessment

Foods ◽

10.3390/foods10122900 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (12) ◽

pp. 2900

Author(s):

Francesco Esposito ◽

Agata Nolasco ◽

Francesco Caracciolo ◽

Salvatore Velotto ◽

Paolo Montuori ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Monte Carlo Simulation ◽

Monte Carlo ◽

High Temperature ◽

Probabilistic Method ◽

Primary Source ◽

Dietary Exposure ◽

Carcinogenic Effects ◽

Baked Products ◽

Potential Carcinogen

Acrylamide (also known as 2-propenamide) (AA) is a toxicant that develops in food during high-temperature cooking, and its occurrence is common in biscuits and baked snacks. AA is known for its in vivo neurotoxic and carcinogenic effects, and it is considered a potential carcinogen for humans. Infants may be exposed to AA as early as during weaning through baked food such as biscuits. This study set out to ascertain the concentration of AA in food products intended for infants to assess the dietary exposure to this food contaminant. AA levels were determined through GC/MS and bromination, and dietary exposure was evaluated by a probabilistic method based on Monte Carlo simulation. The results showed that the probability of a carcinogenic exposure is 94%, 92%, and 87%, respectively, for 6-, 12-, and 18-months infants, suggesting the need to delay the introduction of baked products in the diet of weaned infants. It should be noted, however, that these conclusions were drawn considering the biscuits as the primary source of exposure.

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A Multi-Parameter Evaluation of the Neuroprotective and Cognitive-Enhancing Effects of Origanum Onites L. (Turkish Oregano) Essential Oil on Scopolamine-Induced Amnestic Rats

10.21203/rs.3.rs-1148541/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Asli Aykac ◽

Kerem Teralı ◽

Dilek Özbeyli ◽

Seren Ede ◽

Ömercan Albayrak ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Essential Oil ◽

Neurodegenerative Disorder ◽

Therapeutic Potential ◽

Age Groups ◽

Health Concern ◽

Albino Rats ◽

Herbaceous Plant ◽

Oregano Essential Oil ◽

Origanum Onites

Abstract Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressive deterioration of cognitive functions (dementia) and represents a growing public health concern since the population in the age groups at risk is increasing. The latter raises an urgent need to translate research findings in the basic brain and behavioral sciences into anti-AD drugs and disease-modifying therapies. Origanum onites (L.), also called Turkish oregano, is a perennial and herbaceous plant species grown for centuries for medicinal, cosmetic and culinary purposes. This is the first study to investigate the putative neuroprotective and pro-cognitive activities of O. onites essential oil (OOEO) against scopolamine-induced amnesia of AD-type in Wistar albino rats. The results of behavioral tests revealed that OOEO administration was able to significantly alleviate learning and memory impairments induced by scopolamine in vivo. The observed effects could be attributed to inhibition of acetylcholinesterase activity, attenuation of oxidative stress and prevention of neuronal apoptosis in the hippocampus and frontal cortex of AD rats. Modulation of pro-inflammatory enzymes, including cyclooxygenase-2, inducible nitric oxide synthase and myeloperoxidase, might further contribute to the neuroprotective properties of OEOO, as predicted by our in silico models. These findings offer novel insights into the therapeutic potential of OEOO in patients with AD.

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Assessment of perfluorooctane sulfonate and perfluorooctanoic acid exposure through fish consumption in Italy

Italian Journal of Food Safety ◽

10.4081/ijfs.2016.6055 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 5 (4) ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Andrea Barbarossa ◽

Teresa Gazzotti ◽

Federica Farabegoli ◽

Francesca R. Mancini ◽

Elisa Zironi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Age Groups ◽

Dietary Exposure ◽

Perfluorooctane Sulfonate ◽

Perfluorooctanoic Acid ◽

Population Exposure ◽

Italian Population ◽

Scientific Report ◽

Polyfluoroalkyl Substances ◽

High Fish

Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are pollutants of anthropic origin with possible side effects on human health. Diet, and in particular fish and seafood, is considered the major intake pathway for humans. The present study investigated the levels of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) contamination in twenty-five samples of fresh fillet of five widely consumed fish species purchased from large retailers in Italy, to be used for an estimation of the Italian population exposure to these contaminants. PFOS and PFOA were found in all samples, at concentrations up to 1,896 (mean = 627 ng/kg) and 487 ng/kg (mean = 75 ng/kg), respectively, confirming the role of fish as high contributor to human exposure. However, a remarkable inter-species variability was observed, and multiple factors were suggested as potentially responsible for such differences, suggesting that the preferential consumption of certain species could likely increase the intake, and thus the exposure. The exposure estimates for both average and high fish consumers resulted far below the TDIs for PFOS and PFOA in all age groups, confirming the outcomes of EFSA’s scientific report. In particular, the calculated total dietary exposure for the 95th percentile consumers belonging to the toddler age class, the most exposed group, resulted equal to 9.72 ng/kg b.w./day for PFOS and 8.39 ng/kg b.w./day for PFOA.

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Efficacy of Six Plants of Apiaceae Family for Body Weight Management: A Review from the Perspective of Modern and Traditional Persian Medicine

Current Drug Discovery Technologies ◽

10.2174/1570163817999201006192538 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 ◽

Author(s):

Maryam Rameshk ◽

Shahram Kalantari-Khandani

Keyword(s):

Body Weight ◽

Lifestyle Modification ◽

Age Groups ◽

Health Concern ◽

Therapeutic Effects ◽

Anethum Graveolens ◽

Foeniculum Vulgare ◽

Traditional Persian Medicine ◽

Almost All

Background: Obesity is a common health concern among all populations and age groups worldwide and is a risk factor that leads to a significant increase in mortality and cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, stroke, and cancer. Disappointing results and weight regain after stopping lifestyle modification or drug therapy indicate the need for other methods of treatment to achieve better and longer effective results. Objective: In this study, the effect of the Apiaceae plants, including Carum carvi L., Bunium persicum Boiss., Cuminum cyminum L., Anethum graveolens L., Foeniculum Vulgare Mill. and Trachyspermum ammi L., in the TPM to treat obesity, were compared to modern database covering all in vivo and clinical trials on animal models or humans. Method: In TPM sources, we used the keywords, "Saman-e- Mufrat", "Hazāl", and "Mohazzel”. Each of the six plants were searched in the electronic databases, including Pubmed, Scopus, and Embase from 1975 to 1/1/2020 using keywords, namely "body mass", "body weight" and "obesity". Results: The results indicated that six plants had reducing effects on body weight, BMI, fat mass, and appetite in almost all clinical studies on humans and some studies on animals. Conclusion: Since the TPM is a rich source of information about the medicinal properties and effects of medicinal plants, investigating the therapeutic effects of plants from the perspective of TPM can represents the vision of a new horizon in the treatment of many diseases.

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Dietary Exposure to Acrylamide and Associated Health Risks for the Korean Population

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph17207619 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (20) ◽

pp. 7619

Author(s):

Sanghee Lee ◽

Hyun Jung Kim

Keyword(s):

Body Weight ◽

Health Risks ◽

Confidence Limit ◽

Dietary Habits ◽

Age Groups ◽

Dietary Exposure ◽

Health Concern ◽

Processed Food ◽

Lower Confidence ◽

The Mean

The aim of the study was to estimate the dietary exposure to acrylamide (AA) from the consumption of various processed food and to assess the associated health risks in different age groups in Korea. Potato crisps and French fries presented the highest mean levels of AA (546 and 372 μg/kg, respectively) followed by coffee (353 μg/kg) and tea products (245 μg/kg). The mean AA dietary exposure values for toddlers (≤2 years), children (3–6 years), children (7–12 years), adolescents (13–19 years), adults (20–64 years), and seniors (≥65 years) were estimated to be 0.15, 0.13, 0.06, 0.06, 0.08, and 0.06 μg/kg body weight (BW)/day, respectively. Based on the benchmark dose lower confidence limit (BMDL10) of 0.18 and 0.31 mg/kg BW/day, the calculated mean and 95th percentile values for the margin of exposure were below 10,000 for the all age groups suggesting possible health concern for Koreans. Biscuits, crisps, and coffee were the primary foods contributing to dietary AA exposure among these in the Korean populations. In children, considering the health risk of AA dietary exposure, especially from biscuits and crisps, there is a need to further control and modify dietary habits to ensure lower AA exposure.

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Inequalities and Impact of Socioeconomic-Cultural Factors in Suicide Rates Across Italy

Crisis ◽

10.1027/0227-5910/a000084 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 32 (4) ◽

pp. 178-185 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Maurizio Pompili ◽

Marco Innamorati ◽

Monica Vichi ◽

Maria Masocco ◽

Nicola Vanacore ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Suicide Rate ◽

Age Groups ◽

Premature Death ◽

Mortality Rates ◽

Mortality Data ◽

Italian Population ◽

Comprehensive Overview ◽

Suicide Rates ◽

Younger Age ◽

Age And Sex

Background: Suicide is a major cause of premature death in Italy and occurs at different rates in the various regions. Aims: The aim of the present study was to provide a comprehensive overview of suicide in the Italian population aged 15 years and older for the years 1980–2006. Methods: Mortality data were extracted from the Italian Mortality Database. Results: Mortality rates for suicide in Italy reached a peak in 1985 and declined thereafter. The different patterns observed by age and sex indicated that the decrease in the suicide rate in Italy was initially the result of declining rates in those aged 45+ while, from 1997 on, the decrease was attributable principally to a reduction in suicide rates among the younger age groups. It was found that socioeconomic factors underlined major differences in the suicide rate across regions. Conclusions: The present study confirmed that suicide is a multifaceted phenomenon that may be determined by an array of factors. Suicide prevention should, therefore, be targeted to identifiable high-risk sociocultural groups in each country.

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Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) Lectin Exhibit Inhibition of ACE-I, α-amylase and α-glucosidase Activity

Protein and Peptide Letters ◽

10.2174/0929866526666190327130037 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 26 (7) ◽

pp. 494-501 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Sameer Suresh Bhagyawant ◽

Dakshita Tanaji Narvekar ◽

Neha Gupta ◽

Amita Bhadkaria ◽

Ajay Kumar Gautam ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Biological Effects ◽

Exchange Chromatography ◽

Health Concern ◽

Carbohydrate Binding ◽

Dependent Manner ◽

Concentration Dependent Manner ◽

Ic50 Values ◽

Chickpea Lectin

Background: Diabetes and hypertension are the major health concern and alleged to be of epidemic proportions. This has made it a numero uno subject at various levels of investigation. Glucosidase inhibitor provides the reasonable option in treatment of Diabetes Mellitus (DM) as it specifically targets post prandial hyperglycemia. The Angiotensin Converting Enzyme (ACE) plays an important role in hypertension. Therefore, inhibition of ACE in treatment of elevated blood pressure attracts special interest of the scientific community. Chickpea is a food legume and seeds contain carbohydrate binding protein- a lectin. Some of the biological properties of this lectin hitherto been elucidated. Methods: Purified by ion exchange chromatography, chickpea lectin was tested for its in vitro antioxidant, ACE-I inhibitory and anti-diabetic characteristic. Results: Lectin shows a characteristic improvement over the synthetic drugs like acarbose (oral anti-diabetic drug) and captopril (standard antihypertensive drug) when, their IC50 values are compared. Lectin significantly inhibited α-glucosidase and α-amylase in a concentration dependent manner with IC50 values of 85.41 ± 1.21 ҝg/ml and 65.05 ± 1.2 µg/ml compared to acarbose having IC50 70.20 ± 0.47 value of µg/ml and 50.52 ± 1.01 µg/ml respectively. β-Carotene bleaching assay showed antioxidant activity of lectin (72.3%) to be as active as Butylated Hydroxylanisole (BHA). In addition, lectin demonstrated inhibition against ACE-I with IC50 value of 57.43 ± 1.20 µg/ml compared to captopril. Conclusion: Lectin demonstrated its antioxidant character, ACE-I inhibition and significantly inhibitory for α-glucosidase and α-amylase seems to qualify as an anti-hyperglycemic therapeutic molecule. The biological effects of chickpea lectin display potential for reducing the parameters of medically debilitating conditions. These characteristics however needs to be established under in vivo systems too viz. animals through to humans.

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Methylmercury-induced pro-inflammatory cytokines activation and its preventive strategy using anti-inflammation N-acetyl-l-cysteine: a mini-review

Reviews on Environmental Health ◽

10.1515/reveh-2020-0026 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 35 (3) ◽

pp. 233-238

Author(s):

Muflihatul Muniroh

Keyword(s):

Inflammatory Cytokines ◽

Health Concern ◽

Brain Cells ◽

Preventive Strategy ◽

Hearing Impairments ◽

Sensory Disturbances ◽

Anti Inflammation ◽

Pro Inflammatory Cytokines

AbstractThe exposure of methylmercury (MeHg) has become a public health concern because of its neurotoxic effect. Various neurological symptoms were detected in Minamata disease patients, who got intoxicated by MeHg, including paresthesia, ataxia, gait disturbance, sensory disturbances, tremors, visual, and hearing impairments, indicating that MeHg could pass the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and cause impairment of neurons and other brain cells. Previous studies have reported some expected mechanisms of MeHg-induced neurotoxicity including the neuroinflammation pathway. It was characterized by the up-regulation of numerous pro-inflammatory cytokines expression. Therefore, the use of anti-inflammatories such as N-acetyl-l-cysteine (NAC) may act as a preventive compound to protect the brain from MeHg harmful effects. This mini-review will explain detailed information on MeHg-induced pro-inflammatory cytokines activation as well as possible preventive strategies using anti-inflammation NAC to protect brain cells, particularly in in vivo and in vitro studies.

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Experimental Models of Hepatocellular Carcinoma—A Preclinical Perspective

Cancers ◽

10.3390/cancers13153651 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (15) ◽

pp. 3651

Author(s):

Alexandru Blidisel ◽

Iasmina Marcovici ◽

Dorina Coricovac ◽

Florin Hut ◽

Cristina Adriana Dehelean ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽

Molecular Mechanisms ◽

Prediction Models ◽

3D Models ◽

Experimental Models ◽

Health Concern ◽

Liver Carcinoma ◽

Tumor Type

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most frequent form of primary liver carcinoma, is a heterogenous and complex tumor type with increased incidence, poor prognosis, and high mortality. The actual therapeutic arsenal is narrow and poorly effective, rendering this disease a global health concern. Although considerable progress has been made in terms of understanding the pathogenesis, molecular mechanisms, genetics, and therapeutical approaches, several facets of human HCC remain undiscovered. A valuable and prompt approach to acquire further knowledge about the unrevealed aspects of HCC and novel therapeutic candidates is represented by the application of experimental models. Experimental models (in vivo and in vitro 2D and 3D models) are considered reliable tools to gather data for clinical usability. This review offers an overview of the currently available preclinical models frequently applied for the study of hepatocellular carcinoma in terms of initiation, development, and progression, as well as for the discovery of efficient treatments, highlighting the advantages and the limitations of each model. Furthermore, we also focus on the role played by computational studies (in silico models and artificial intelligence-based prediction models) as promising novel tools in liver cancer research.

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Three-dimensional distribution of CT attenuation in the lumbar spine pedicle wall

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-020-80676-5 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Tomoyo Y. Irie ◽

Tohru Irie ◽

Alejandro A. Espinoza Orías ◽

Kazuyuki Segami ◽

Norimasa Iwasaki ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Lumbar Spine ◽

Age Groups ◽

Three Dimensional ◽

Hounsfield Unit ◽

Lateral Wall ◽

Ct Attenuation ◽

Dimensional Distribution ◽

The Mean ◽

Pedicle Wall

AbstractThis study investigated in vivo the three-dimensional distribution of CT attenuation in the lumbar spine pedicle wall measured in Hounsfield Unit (HU). Seventy-five volunteers underwent clinical lumbar spine CT scans. Data was analyzed with custom-written software to determine the regional variation in pedicle wall attenuation values. A cylindrical coordinate system oriented along the pedicle’s long axis was used to calculate the pedicular wall attenuation distribution three-dimensionally and the highest attenuation value was identified. The pedicular cross-section was divided into four quadrants: lateral, medial, cranial, and caudal. The mean HU value for each quadrant was calculated for all lumbar spine levels (L1–5). The pedicle wall attenuation was analyzed by gender, age, spinal levels and anatomical quadrant. The mean HU values of the pedicle wall at L1 and L5 were significantly lower than the values between L2–4 in both genders and in both age groups. Furthermore, the medial quadrant showed higher HU values than the lateral quadrant at all levels and the caudal quadrant showed higher HU values at L1–3 and lower HU values at L4–5 than the cranial quadrant. These findings may explain why there is a higher incidence of pedicle screw breach in the pedicle lateral wall.

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