Exposure Assessment of Multiple Mycotoxins in Black and White Sesame Seeds Consumed in Thailand

2020 ◽  
Vol 83 (7) ◽  
pp. 1198-1207
Author(s):  
MAYTHAWE PONGPRAKET ◽  
AMNART POAPOLATHEP ◽  
KANNIKA WONGPANIT ◽  
PHANWIMOL TANHAN ◽  
MARIO GIORGI ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Liver Cancer ◽  
Hazard Quotient ◽  
Sesame Seed ◽  
World Health ◽  
Seed Sample ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Sesame Seeds ◽  
Black And White ◽  
Modified Quechers ◽  
Health Organization

ABSTRACT This study was conducted to determine the occurrence of 16 well-recognized and emerging mycotoxins in black and white sesame seed samples sold in Thailand and to evaluate possible health risks to consumers. Samples were extracted and cleaned with a modified QuEChERS procedure. Multiple mycotoxins in sesame seed samples were analyzed with a validated liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method. The risk of mycotoxin exposure via dietary intake of sesame seeds was evaluated based on the hazard quotient, margin of exposure (MOE), and quantitative liver cancer risk established by European Food Safety Authority, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, and the World Health Organization. Of the 200 samples, 21.5% were contaminated with mycotoxins, 19.5% were contaminated with a single mycotoxin, and 2% were contaminated with multiple mycotoxins. Although 9% of total samples were contaminated with aflatoxins (AFs), only one black sesame seed sample and one white sesame seed sample were above the regulatory limits for the European Union (2 μg/kg). The MOE values derived from consumption of black and white sesame seeds were generally <10,000, especially in the group consuming the most. The number of liver cancer cases over a lifetime associated with AFB1 exposure based on the upper bound values for the group consuming high level of black and white sesame seeds (97.5 percentile) was estimated at more than 1 case per one million persons. Therefore, a potential risk to consumer health exists through the consumption of black and white sesame seeds and subsequent exposure to AFB1. However, further evaluation with larger sample sizes is necessary for more accurate calculations. Continuous monitoring of mycotoxin contamination in sesame seeds with risk assessments is recommended. HIGHLIGHTS

Prevalence of Aflatoxin M1 in Milk and Its Potential Liver Cancer Risk in Taiwan

2009 ◽  
Vol 72 (5) ◽  
pp. 1025-1029 ◽  
Author(s):  
KAI-YAO PENG ◽  
CHIA-YANG CHEN
Keyword(s):  
Liver Cancer ◽  
Solid Phase ◽  
World Health ◽  
Aflatoxin M1 ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Milk Samples ◽  
Infant Formulae ◽  
Two Samples ◽  
Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass ◽  
Health Organization

Pasteurized milk may contain the liver carcinogen aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) if the cows that produce the milk ingest feed contaminated with aflatoxin B1. In this study, we collected 144 milk samples of three main brands in Taiwan twice a month over a 1-year period and purchased two samples each of eight domestic and imported brands of infant formula at two different times in 2005. Samples underwent solid-phase extraction, cleaning in immunoaffinity columns, and quantification by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. We found autumn and winter levels of AFM1 to be higher than those in the spring and the summer. We also found higher concentrations of AFM1 in low-fat milk than in whole-fat milk. We were able to detect trace amounts of AFM1 (1.17 to 54.7 ng/liter) in all of our milk samples, but there was only one sample in which the level of AFM1 slightly exceeded the regulatory limit of the European Union (50 ng/liter). We were unable to detect AFM1 in any of the infant formulae. Using a World Health Organization method of evaluating risk of liver cancer, the group we found to be at greatest risk was 6- to 9-year-old girls (average, 12.2 additional cases per billion); the group with the lowest risk was men of 45 to 64 years of age (average, 3.45 additional cases per billion), the latter consuming less milk than all other groups. Consequently, the risk for liver cancer due to ingestion of milk contaminated with AFM1 was estimated to be low in Taiwan.

scholarly journals The politics of crisis management by regional and international organizations in fighting against a global pandemic: the member states at a crossroads

2021 ◽  
pp. 002085232098451
Author(s):  
Steven Van Hecke ◽  
Harald Fuhr ◽  
Wouter Wolfs
Keyword(s):  
Crisis Management ◽  
International Organizations ◽  
Governance Structure ◽  
Added Value ◽  
World Health ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Member States ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
Turbulent Times ◽  
Health Organization

Despite new challenges like climate change and digitalization, global and regional organizations recently went through turbulent times due to a lack of support from several of their member states. Next to this crisis of multilateralism, the COVID-19 pandemic now seems to question the added value of international organizations for addressing global governance issues more specifically. This article analyses this double challenge that several organizations are facing and compares their ways of managing the crisis by looking at their institutional and political context, their governance structure, and their behaviour during the pandemic until June 2020. More specifically, it will explain the different and fragmented responses of the World Health Organization, the European Union and the International Monetary Fund/World Bank. With the aim of understanding the old and new problems that these international organizations are trying to solve, this article argues that the level of autonomy vis-a-vis the member states is crucial for understanding the politics of crisis management. Points for practitioners As intergovernmental bodies, international organizations require authorization by their member states. Since they also need funding for their operations, different degrees of autonomy also matter for reacting to emerging challenges, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The potential for international organizations is limited, though through proactive and bold initiatives, they can seize the opportunity of the crisis and partly overcome institutional and political constraints.

scholarly journals Mental healthcare in Hungary: contradictions and possibilities

2010 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 36-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tamás Kurimay
Keyword(s):  
Health Spending ◽  
Mental Healthcare ◽  
World Health ◽  
Minority Population ◽  
Official Language ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
The Republic ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
The Uk

The Republic of Hungary is a landlocked country of 93000 km2 in central Europe; it is bordered by Austria, Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia. Its official language is Hungarian. Hungary joined the European Union (EU) in 2004. About 90% of the population of c. 10 million is ethnically Hungarian, with Roma comprising the largest minority population (6–8%). Currently classified as a middle-income country with a gross domestic product (GDP) of $191.7 billion (2007 figure), Hungary's total health spending accounted for 7.4% of GDP in 2007, less than the average of 8.9% among member states of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD, 2009). The proportion of the total health budget for mental health is 5.1%, which is low when compared with, for instance, the UK (England and Wales 13.8%, Scotland 9.5%) (World Health Organization, 2008, p. 118, Fig. 8.1).

scholarly journals Pathways to clean hands: highlights of successful hand hygiene implementation strategies in Europe

2010 ◽  
Vol 15 (18) ◽  
Author(s):  
A P Magiorakos ◽  
E Leens ◽  
V Drouvot ◽  
L May-Michelangeli ◽  
C Reichardt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hand Hygiene ◽  
Implementation Strategies ◽  
World Health ◽  
Surveillance Systems ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Hygiene Practices ◽  
Governmental Support ◽  
Hygiene Compliance ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Healthcare Associated

Hand hygiene is the most effective way to stop the spread of microorganisms and to prevent healthcare-associated infections (HAI). The World Health Organization launched the First Global Patient Safety Challenge - Clean Care is Safer Care - in 2005 with the goal to prevent HAI globally. This year, on 5 May, the WHO’s initiative SAVE LIVES: Clean Your Hands, which focuses on increasing awareness of and improving compliance with hand hygiene practices, celebrated its second global day. In this article, four Member States of the European Union describe strategies that were implemented as part of their national hand hygiene campaigns and were found to be noteworthy. The strategies were: governmental support, the use of indicators for hand hygiene benchmarking, developing national surveillance systems for auditing alcohol-based hand rub consumption, ensuring seamless coordination of processes between health regions in countries with regionalised healthcare systems, implementing the WHO's My Five Moments for Hand Hygiene, and auditing of hand hygiene compliance.

Patient Safety Concerns among Emergency Medical Staff and Patients

2013 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-52
Author(s):  
Pi-Fang Hsu ◽  
Wen-Chun Tsai ◽  
Chia-Wen Tsai
Keyword(s):  
Patient Safety ◽  
Emergency Departments ◽  
Medical Staff ◽  
World Health ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Department Of Health ◽  
Perceptions And Attitudes ◽  
The World ◽  
Health Organization

Recently, much of the world, including the World Health Organization, the European Union and many North American countries, have emphasized patient safety. Around the same time, Taiwan’s Department of Health (DOH) devoted a significant amount of resources to better the quality of medical treatment for their patients. This study explores perceptions of and attitudes towards patient safety among medical staff and patients in emergency departments. Analysis results indicate that medical staff and patients significantly differ in perceptions and attitudes. Results of this study provide a valuable reference for governmental authorities and hospital managers in formulating policies aimed at clarifying perceptions and attitudes regarding patient safety among medical staff and patients in emergency departments.

Genetic Material and Sequence Data to Protect Global Health in the Light of Pandemic Outbreaks: Mapping the Legal Landscape under European and International Law

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 232-241
Author(s):  
Claudia Seitz
Keyword(s):  
Global Health ◽  
International Law ◽  
Sequence Data ◽  
Influenza Pandemic ◽  
Genetic Material ◽  
World Health ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Corona Virus ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
The Eu

Abstract The current pandemic outbreak of corona virus SARS-CoV-2 shows the need for comprehensive European cooperation in drug development and the importance of genetic material and sequence data in research concerning this unknown disease. As corona virus SARS-CoV-2 is spreading across Europe and worldwide, national authorities and the European Union (EU) institutions do their utmost to address the pandemic and accelerate innovation to protect global health. In order to be prepared and to be able to respond immediately to serious epidemic and pandemic diseases, the EU has already adopted the Decision No (EU) 1082/2013 on serious cross-border threats to health. The World Health Organization (WHO) has established a global system to collect genetic material and information to protect a global influenza pandemic outbreak. The article describes the current legal landscape under EU and international law.

The Institutional Active Aging Paradigm in Europe (2002–2015)

2019 ◽  
Vol 60 (3) ◽  
pp. 406-415 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raúl López-López ◽  
Mariano Sánchez
Keyword(s):  
World Health ◽  
Critical Examination ◽  
Active Aging ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Reductive Treatment ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Ideal Framework ◽  
Point Of Departure ◽  
The Eu ◽  
The Ideal

Abstract Background and Objectives The paradigm of active aging has been slowly gaining ground in Europe as the ideal framework for public policy and for responding to the population’s aging. Taking the work by Rune Ervik as its point of departure, this article updates his conclusions on conceptualizations and policies of active aging by performing a study of the institutional discourses in the matter produced by the World Health Organization (WHO), the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), and the European Union (EU). Methods A corpus of 15 WHO, OECD, and EU documents published in the period 2002–2015 and tackling active aging were analyzed qualitatively through a combination of content and thematic analysis, based on a scheme integrated by deductive and inductive iterative manual and computerized codification. Results The institutional discourses on active aging analyzed have not changed dramatically in the period considered. However, a divergent path has emerged regarding the accent placed on participation and contribution in the construction of the paradigm: the more socially productive and health-oriented WHO discourse is slowly separating from the more economically productive and labor-oriented discourses of the EU and OECD. Discussion and Implications The institutional paradigm on active aging is evolving into a reductive treatment of a phenomenon that is multidimensional. International institutions and researchers should pay closer attention and forge a path toward an honest and critical examination of the real conditions and expectations of older people concerning the discursive and practical proposals of active aging, in all its different forms.

MEASUREMENT OF RADON ACTIVITY CONCENTRATION IN UNDERGROUND WATER OF BURETI SUB-COUNTY OF KERICHO COUNTY KENYA

2020 ◽  
Vol 192 (1) ◽  
pp. 56-60
Author(s):  
Charles K Rotich ◽  
Nadir O Hashim ◽  
Margaret W Chege ◽  
Catherine Nyambura
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Protection Agency ◽  
Activity Concentration ◽  
Underground Water ◽  
World Health ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Annual Dose ◽  
Radon Activity ◽  
A Value ◽  
The Us ◽  
Health Organization

Abstract The activity concentration of radon in underground water of Bureti sub-county was measured using liquid scintillating counter device. The average radon activity concentration in all the water samples was 12.41 Bql−1. The maximum and minimum activity concentrations of radon were 22.5 and 4.57 Bql−1, respectively. In total, 53% of the total samples analysed had radon concentration levels above the US Environmental Protection Agency-recommended limit of 11.1 Bql−1. The annual dose received by an individual as a result of waterborne radon was determined according to the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effect of Atomic Radiation reports and was found to be 33.23 𝜇Svy−1. All the samples recorded a value <100 𝜇Svy−1 recommended by the World Health Organization and the European Union council.

scholarly journals HIV among injecting drug users in Europe: increasing trends in the East

2008 ◽  
Vol 13 (50) ◽  
Author(s):  
L Wiessing ◽  
M J van de Laar ◽  
M C Donoghoe ◽  
B Guarita ◽  
D Klempová ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drug Users ◽  
Injecting Drug Users ◽  
World Health ◽  
European Region ◽  
Trade Association ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Prevention Measures ◽  
Opioid Substitution Treatment ◽  
Hiv Epidemic ◽  
Health Organization

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic among injecting drug users (IDUs) shows different developments in different parts of the European region. In the countries of the European Union (EU) and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), the rates of reported newly diagnosed cases of HIV infection in IDUs are mostly at stable and low levels or in decline. In contrast, those rates increased in 2007 in many of the other (eastern) countries in the World Health Organization (WHO) European Region, suggesting that the HIV epidemic among IDUs in Europe is still growing. In countries or regions where indicators of HIV incidence show upward trends, existing prevention measures may be insufficient and in need of strengthening. In the EU/EFTA region the larger availability of harm reduction measures such as opioid substitution treatment and needle and syringe programmes may have played a key role in containing the epidemic among IDUs.

scholarly journals Antimicrobial Bacillus: Metabolites and Their Mode of Action

Antibiotics ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 88
Author(s):  
Charlie Tran ◽  
Ian E. Cock ◽  
Xiaojing Chen ◽  
Yunjiang Feng
Keyword(s):  
World Health ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Feed Conversion ◽  
Growth Promoters ◽  
Agricultural Industry ◽  
Antibiotic Growth Promoters ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Harsh Conditions ◽  
Spore Forming Bacteria ◽  
Upper Gastrointestinal

The agricultural industry utilizes antibiotic growth promoters to promote livestock growth and health. However, the World Health Organization has raised concerns over the ongoing spread of antibiotic resistance transmission in the populace, leading to its subsequent ban in several countries, especially in the European Union. These restrictions have translated into an increase in pathogenic outbreaks in the agricultural industry, highlighting the need for an economically viable, non-toxic, and renewable alternative to antibiotics in livestock. Probiotics inhibit pathogen growth, promote a beneficial microbiota, regulate the immune response of its host, enhance feed conversion to nutrients, and form biofilms that block further infection. Commonly used lactic acid bacteria probiotics are vulnerable to the harsh conditions of the upper gastrointestinal system, leading to novel research using spore-forming bacteria from the genus Bacillus. However, the exact mechanisms behind Bacillus probiotics remain unexplored. This review tackles this issue, by reporting antimicrobial compounds produced from Bacillus strains, their proposed mechanisms of action, and any gaps in the mechanism studies of these compounds. Lastly, this paper explores omics approaches to clarify the mechanisms behind Bacillus probiotics.

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