Human semen quality and environmental and occupational exposure to pollutants: A systematic review.

Background: The aim of the present systematic review was to evaluate the correlation between the exposure to environmental and/or occupational pollutants and possible alteration of semen quality, focalizing the attention on the studies performed using a biomonitoring approach. Methods: The review was conducted from inception to May 11 2023, according to the PRISMA Statement 2020 and using the following databases: Scopus, Pubmed and Web of Science. The protocol was registered on PROSPERO (CRD42023405607). Studies were considered eligible if they reported data about the association between exposure to environmental pollutants and alteration of semen quality using human biomonitoring. The quality assessment was carried out by the use of the Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale. Results: In total, 21 articles were included, conducted in several countries. The main matrices used for biomonitoring were urine and blood and the most sought-after contaminants were bisphenols, phthalates, pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, heavy metals and other inorganic trace elements. The results of the studies demonstrated a significant positive correlation between the increase of the pollutants' levels in the biological matrices examined and some alterations of the semen quality indicators, such as a decrease in motility, concentration and morphology of the spermatozoa. Conclusions: Male fertility can be negatively affected by the exposure to environmental and/or occupational pollutants. Human biomonitoring programs may be considered a useful tool for specific surveillance programs devoted to early highlight subjects who are more exposed to environmental pollutants in order to reduce risk exposure.

A survey on knowledge and awareness on the issue "microplastics": a pilot study on a sample of future public health professionals.

BACKGROUND: Microplastics pollution represents a global public health concern. Since the greatest amount of microplastics are of anthropogenic origin, one of the most relevant strategies to reduce microplastics pollution is to raise awareness among the population and this is even more important for all those involved in public health prevention interventions. The aim of this study was to assess the level of knowledge and awareness on microplastics of a samples of future healthcare workers. STUDY DESIGN: A cross-sectional study was performed on 151 university students in the field of Public Health, both pre- and post-graduate, attending the Sapienza University of Rome courses. METHODS: A questionnaire consisting of three sections was administered to the participants. The first section assessed knowledge and awareness on microplastics, the second consisted of an informative brochure on microplastics, the third evaluated the awareness after reading the brochure, and interventions considered useful to manage microplastics pollution. RESULTS: About 25% of participants had never heard of microplastics. The scores on knowledge about microplastics were low, and differences between the investigated courses were not statistically significant (p-Value=0.134). Internet was the main source of information on microplastics, while the scores describing concern about the investigated issue resulted always higher after reading the informative brochure respect to before reading. CONCLUSIONS: The lack of knowledge about microplastics pollution highlights that future public health workers should be better informed and, therefore, able to transfer essential information to the population. Increasing general population's knowledge and awareness would increase risk perception and make all individuals more active actors for reducing microplastics pollution.

Exposure to individual and multiple carcinogenic metals during paediatric age: an experience from an Italian urban scenario.

BACKGROUND: Exposure to single and multiple carcinogenic metals and/or semimetals represents a major environmental risk factor for public health. In particular, children are more susceptible to environmental pollutants than adults, but specific studies are still limited. The aims of the present study were: 1) to trace the exposure and co-exposure profiles to eight known or suspected carcinogenic metals and semimetals (As, Be, Cd, Co, Cr, Ni, Pb, and Sb); and: 2) to evaluate the influence of some possible interfering/confounding factors on the exposure to these elements during childhood. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. METHODS: We recruited 159 healthy Italian children attending a primary school of the urban area of Rome, Italy. Selected metals were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry on urinary samples collected at the end of a "typical" day (one sample for each child), while information about possible confounding/interfering factors were collected via questionnaires. RESULTS: The great part of the studied children resulted co-exposed to the monitored metals: 83.2%, 69.2%, 51.0% and 29.3% of the participants were concurrently exposed to at least two, three, four and five trace elements, respectively. Gender was the only one among the investigated variable that significantly influenced the co-exposure, with females resulting at lower risk (OR = 0.392; 95 IC = 0.156 - 0.989; p < 0.047). CONCLUSIONS: Given the importance of protecting child's health and the risks related to the exposure to carcinogenic metals, especially when they occur simultaneously, other researches in this field are strongly recommended.

Occurrence of Rhinoptericola megacantha (Cestoda, Trypanorhyncha) in new host and new location / Ocorrência de Rhinoptericola megacantha (Cestoda, Trypanorhyncha) em novo hospedeiro e nova localidade

Relata-se a ocorrência de Rhinoptericola megacantha (Cestoda, Trypanorhyncha) parasitando duas raias da espécie Rhinoptera brasiliensis, de um total de sete espécimes analisados. Foram encontrados três espécimes do cestóide, que havia sido descrito ocorrendo apenas no hospedeiro Rhinoptera bonasus capturado em Virginia (EUA), Golfo Venezuelano e Golfo do México. Este é o primeiro relato da ocorrência de R. megacantha no hospedeiro R. brasiliensis e primeira ocorrência no Brasil deste cestóide.(AU)

Vitamin C supplementation has no effect on American bullfrog's immune response.

American bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus) is the only species raised in Brazilian commercial frog farms, and the intensive culture of these animals has gained great popularity in Brazil over the past several years. Stress is one of the major obstacles in frog culture. To minimise this problem, the aim of the present study was to investigate the role of added vitamin C in the diet of American bullfrogs as an antistress factor through the assessment of plasma corticosterone, leucocyte levels and macrophage activation in animals raised in confinement. The experimental design was entirely randomised, with six treatments (supplementation of 0, 250, 500, 750, 1000 and 2000 mg of vitamin C/kg of feed) and four replications. The plasma corticosterone level, leucocyte level and macrophage activation were evaluated. It was concluded that vitamin C had no influence on the evaluated parameters due to the possible adaptation of the animals to life in captivity (domestication). The results of this research indicate that farmers should not increase the levels of vitamin C in commercial feeds because this would only enhance production costs.

Tracking viral particles in the intestinal contents of the American bullfrog, Lithobates catesbeianus, by Transmission Electron Microscopy / Pesquisa de partículas virais em conteúdo intestinal de rãs-touro americanas, Lithobates catesbeianus, por meio da microscopia eletrônica de transmissão

Feces are an important viral agent elimination route for infected carrier animals and in aquatic organisms these pathogenic agents can very rapidly propagate due to the habitation environment. The objective of this work is to track viral particles in the intestinal contents of bullfrogs (Lithobates catesbeianus) from five commercial frog farms in the region of Vale do Paraíba, in the State of São Paulo, Brazil, using negative contrast transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The Coronaviridae, Paramyxoviridae, Parvoviridae and Herpesviridae families were observed and photographed in specimens. This work emphasizes the importance of adopting sanitary measures in commercial farms and confirms that observing feces by TEM is an efficient and rapid diagnostic tool for detecting viral agents...

Sabendo-se que as fezes são uma importante via de eliminação de agentes virais pelos animais portadores e que, por estarem na água, os agentes patogênicos podem se propagar mais rapidamente, objetivou-se a pesquisa de vírus em conteúdo intestinal de rãs-touro (Lithobates catesbeianus) de cinco ranários comerciais na região do Vale do Paraíba, no estado de São Paulo, pela técnica de microscopia eletrônica de transmissão. As famílias Coronaviridae, Paramixoviridae, Parvoviridae e Herpesviridae foram observadas e fotografadas. Este trabalho ressalta a importância da adoção de medidas sanitárias nas criações, além da confirmação de que a observação de fezes pela microscopia eletrônica de transmissão é uma eficiente ferramenta de diagnóstico rápido para agentes virais...

Perception of occupational risk by rural workers in an area of central Italy.

The aim of this study is to analyze the subjective perception of risks for rural workers in Abruzzo, an area of central Italy. A group of 273 workers were asked to fill in a questionnaire which included, apart from general information, questions relative to six different types of risks normally found in the field of agriculture. The types of risks considered were: falling from a height, manually moving loads, overturning/accident whilst driving an agricultural tractor, noise and vibration, use of pesticides, the risk of being cut/injured. The workers were requested to assess, on a scale of 1 to 3, both the probability of an accident taking place and the consequent damage which could result from each of the risks considered. The assessment of the risks provided by the workers was related to the objective assessment of the risks carried out by the study group, also on the basis of objective data provided by INAIL (Italian insurance company) indexes, to highlight the eventual under/over estimations of risk. Furthermore, the possible correlation was evaluated between having received specific training regarding work safety and the workers perception of the risk. The results showed that approximately 11 percent of the workers do not consider their job as being dangerous; the risk perceived by the workers is higher for accidents that cause an immediate injury compared to those which cause professional illnesses, except the risk deriving from noise/vibrations. A direct correlation was found between the job as being dangerous and having attended courses on accident prevention.

[Innovation in the ergonomic procedures for evaluating risk in building activities of the Abruzzo region (Italy)]. / Innovazione nelle procedure ergonomiche per la valutazione del rischio nel settore edile in Abruzzo.

After the earthquake of L'Aquila, INAIL further stimulated the local Universities to train specialists in the prevention of occupational risks on construction sites. Since 2005 the University of Chieti-Pescara evaluated occupational stress (through the Karasek's JCQ) as well as perception of occupational risk of the building workers. Moreover, procedures (including planning) in the field of building technology were analyzed. The perception of job strain of the workers in building activities were high because of elevated job demand and low decision latitude. The risk perception was higher regarding dangers producing immediate injury. There was no direct relationship between considering the job dangerous and having attended training courses, while the relationship between risk perception and past injury events was marked. At present, we are also evaluating, by instrumental methods, the biomechanical overload of workers, due to the main repetitive and forceful manual activities.

Patient-reported outcomes and gut dysmotility in functional gastrointestinal disorders.

BACKGROUND: Unlike chronic idiopathic intestinal pseudo-obstruction (CIIP), severe digestive syndromes that are not characterized by episodes resembling mechanical obstruction remain poorly characterized. The present study compared clinical features, small bowel motility, and quality of life (QoL) in patients with CIIP or severe functional gastrointestinal disorders (SFGID), compared to irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). METHODS: We enrolled 215 consecutive patients: 70 CIIP, 110 malnourished SFGID [body mass index (BMI) 17.8±1.8kg m(-2) ] and 35 non-malnourished SFGID (BMI 22.8±3.6kgm(-2) ). KEY RESULTS: Abnormal motor patterns that fulfilled diagnostic criteria for small bowel dysmotility were virtually absent in IBS patients, but were recorded in69 CIIP patients (98.6%), 82 malnourished SFGID patients (74.5%;), and 23 SFGID patients without malnutrition (65.7%) (P<0.0001). CIIP patients presented more frequently abnormal activity fronts, lack of response to feeding, and hypomotility than malnourished and non-malnourished SFGID patients (61.4%vs 42.7% and 31.4%, P<0.05 only vs non-malnourished SFGID; 8.6%vs 0.9% and 2.9%; 21.4%vs 0.9% and 0%, P<0.05). Quality of life mean scores were all significantly lower in CIIP patients and malnourished SFGID patients than in IBS. Bodily pain, general health, and vitality scores were lower in CIIP also compared to non-malnourished SFGID. CONCLUSIONS & INFERENCES: Chronic idiopathic intestinal pseudo-obstruction and SFGIDs are frequently associated with small bowel dysmotility and marked derangements of QoL which are significantly more severe than in IBS and result particularly in being severe in patients with recurrent sub occlusive episodes or inability to maintain a normal body weight.

Effects of palladium nanoparticles on the cytokine release from peripheral blood mononuclear cells of non-atopic women.

The object of this study is to determine the cytokine release from PBMCs exposed to Pd model nanoparticles emitted from catalytic converters. PBMCs of 8 healthy non-atopic women were incubated in the presence of Pd nanoparticles (5-10 nm) or salt (potassium hexa-chloropalladate) 10-5 and 10-6 M. Release of cytokines in supernatant of PBMCs was then determined. In cultures without LPS, IL-10 and IL-17 release from PBMCs was inhibited by Pd salt, while Pd nanoparticles inhibited TNF-alpha and IL-17 release. In LPS-stimulated cultures, release of IFN-gamma, TNF-alpha, IL-10 and IL-17 was inhibited by Pd salt, whereas IFN-gamma release was enhanced and TNF-alpha and IL-17 release was inhibited by Pd nanoparticles. In conclusion, Pd salt inhibits cytokine release, whereas Pd nanoparticles exert modulatory effects enhancing the release of IFN-gamma, a Th1 cytokine typical of delayed allergic reactions. This result is interesting considering the increase of allergic contact dermatitis to Pd in people exposed to Pd nanoparticles in urban environments.

Correlation between BMI and PASI in patients affected by moderate to severe psoriasis undergoing biological therapy.

Obesity is common in psoriatic patients, and it has been shown to be important for many aspects of the condition. In particular, low-calorie diets can improve the symptoms and response to treatment in pustular psoriasis. The present study investigates the influence of body-weight alteration on the disease's clinical manifestations in moderate to severe psoriasis patients treated with biological drugs. Finally, the influence of a caloric restriction was assessed. This observational transversal study enrolled 33 patients attending our Severe Psoriasis Outpatient Clinic, who were treated with biological drugs. Body Mass Index (BMI) was used as a diagnostic indicator of being overweight and of obesity. Waist circumference was also measured. Body weight and Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI) index were measured at follow-up visits at 4 and 8 months. Nonparametric test of Mann-Whitney was used to detect the differences between patient groups. Fisher's exact test was performed to evaluate the different results depending on the therapeutic changes of BMI. There was a strong prevalence of overweight-obese individuals in the group with a mean BMI of 30.59 +/- 6.94. Waist circumference was also above normal in the majority of the patients. Obese patients had a PASI index higher than the average of the whole group (25.03 +/- 12.43), with grade III obese patients having an average PASI of 44 +/- 3.37. At the first and second follow-ups, patients who put on weight did not achieve PASI 50; patients who had a stable weight presented variable response to treatment, while patients who decreased their weight achieved PASI 90 or PASI 75 even when not responding at the first. Further studies are needed to understand if the poor response observed in heavier patients is due to biological drugs pharmacokinetics or because therapy should be BMI based rather than administered in fixed doses, posing then an ethical consideration.

Chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction related to viral infections.

Chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction (CIPO), one of the most severe gastrointestinal motility disorders, is a condition characterized by a clinical picture mimicking small bowel occlusion with related symptoms and signs in the absence of demonstrable mechanical obstruction. Analysis of full-thickness biopsy samples may unravel structural changes of the neuromuscular layer involving the whole gut, although the midgut is usually worst affected. Intestinal pseudo-obstruction can occur in association with systemic neurological, endocrine, and connective tissue diseases or malignancy but, when no recognizable etiology is found, CIPO is referred to as idiopathic (CIIPO). The latter form can be diagnosed early in life due to a genetic etiology or in adulthood when a viral origin may be considered. This review addresses the hypothesis that some systemic neurotrophic viral infections can affect the enteric nervous system thereby altering normal peristaltic activity. Available data are reviewed, focusing specifically on herpesviruses or polyomaviruses (JC virus). These suggest that in comparison to a proportion of CIIPO patients, healthy controls rarely harbor viral DNA in the myenteric plexus, leaving open the possibility that a viral infection might have an etiologic role in the development of CIIPO. The review thus provides some new perspectives in the pathophysiology and perhaps targeted treatment of CIIPO.

Natural history of intestinal failure induced by chronic idiopathic intestinal pseudo-obstruction.

Chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction is a severe, often unrecognized disease characterized by disabling and potentially life-threatening complications over time. The diagnosis is based on the evidence of typical clinical manifestations, radiological evidence of distended bowel loops with air-fluid levels, and the exclusion of any organic obstruction of the gut lumen. The radiological sign of intestinal occlusion allows the distinction from enteric dysmotility, which is characterized by better outcomes. Manometry can play a supportive role in defining the diagnosis, and differences in the manometric pattern of chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction and enteric dysmotility have been shown. The disease is often unrecognized, and the diagnosis, therefore, delayed by several years. Thus, the majority of patients undergo useless and potentially dangerous surgeries. Long-term outcomes are generally poor despite surgical and medical therapies characterized by disabling and potentially life-threatening complications over time. A substantial percentage of patients requires parenteral nutrition. Failure of this nutritional support represents an indication for small bowel transplantation.

[In vitro study on the immune effects of the exposure to palladium nanoparticles]. / Studio in vitro sugli effetti immunitari dell'esposizione a nanoparticelle di palladio.

Pd allergic contact dermatitis is increasing in the general population; aim of this preliminary study was to determine, in women with Pd sensitization, the cytokine release from PBMC exposed to Pd nanoparticles similar to those emitted from catalytic converters. PBMC of 8 non-atopic and of 5 Pd sensitized women were incubated with LPS stimulation in presence of Pd nanoparticles (5-10 nm) or potassium hexa-chloropalladate 10(-5) and 10(-6) M. This Pd salt inhibited IFN-gamma, TNF-alpha, IL-10 and IL-17 release from PBMC of non-atopic women, whereas Pd nanoparticles enhanced the release of IFN-gamma and inhibited that of TNF-alpha and IL-17. In the Pd-sensitized women, with high basal values of cytokine release, the 10(-5) M Pd salt (but not Pd nanoparticles) inhibited IL-10 and IL-17 release. In conclusion, Pd salt inhibits the cytokine release from PBMC, whereas Pd nanoparticles exert modulatory effects enhancing release of IFN-gamma which plays an important role in autoimmune diseases.

Protein kinase Calpha early activates splicing factor SC-35 during post-natal rat heart development.

Rat myocardial fiber development and formation is a complex event which begins in the early stages of fetal life and continues until the end of the first month of life. In fact, a progressive morphological structure arrangement is observed until the 22nd day of life. These modifications are based on biochemical events which are switched on at plasma membrane level and then transduced into the nucleus. Since the presence of Protein Kinase C (PKC) inside the nucleus could allow the enzyme to phosphorylate also proteins located on chromatin, on nuclear matrix and speckles, in this study attention was paid to the role played by phospho-Protein Kinase C-alpha (p-PKCalpha) in regulating the activation of SC-35 splicing factor which leads to the occurrence of morphological modifications during post-natal rat heart development. Besides the parallel increase of the expression of both proteins up to 4/8 days of life, firstly p-PKCalpha and SC-35 co-localize at nuclear level at day 1 after birth, thus suggesting a main role of p-PKCalpha in modulating the early transcription of components related to post-natal rat heart development.

p53 and telomerase control rat myocardial tissue response to hypoxia and ageing.

Cellular senescence implies loss of proliferative and tissue regenerative capability. Also hypoxia, producing Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS), can damage cellular components through the oxidation of DNA, proteins and lipids, thus influencing the shortening of telomeres.Since ribonucleoprotein Telomerase (TERT), catalyzing the replication of the ends of eukaryotic chromosomes, promotes cardiac muscle cell proliferation, hypertrophy and survival, here we investigated its role in the events regulating apoptosis occurrence and life span in hearts deriving from young and old rats exposed to hypoxia.TUNEL (terminal-deoxinucleotidyl -transferase- mediated dUTP nick end-labeling) analysis reveals an increased apoptotic cell number in both samples after hypoxia exposure, mainly in the young with respect to the old. TERT expression lowers either in the hypoxic young, either in the old in both experimental conditions, with respect to the normoxic young. These events are paralleled by p53 and HIF-1 α expression dramatic increase and by p53/ HIF-1 α co-immunoprecipitation in the hypoxic young, evidencing the young subject as the most stressed by such challenge. These effects could be explained by induction of damage to genomic DNA by ROS that accelerates cell senescence through p53 activation. Moreover, by preventing TERT enzyme down-regulation, cell cycle exit and apoptosis occurrence could be delayed and new possibilities for intervention against cell ageing and hypoxia could be opened.

Lymphocyte apoptosis, caspase activation and inflammatory response in septic shock.

BACKGROUND: We examined lymphocyte apoptosis, activity of caspases-1, -3, -8 and -9 and the relationship between those two events and inflammation response in septic shock. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Blood samples were obtained within 24 h after diagnosis of septic shock from 16 patients to measure apoptosis, caspases-3, -8, -9 expression, changes in mitochondrial transmembrane potential and expression of Fas/FasL system of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). Moreover, serum levels of caspase-1 and blood concentrations of IL-6, IL-12, IL-15 and IL-18 were assessed. RESULTS: PBMCs from patients with septic shock compared to control individuals exhibited a greatly increased frequency of apoptosis (39.10 +/- 7.33% vs 4.19 +/- 1.13%; p < 0.001), an over expression of caspases-3, -8, and -9 (p < 0.01, p < 0.05, p < 0.001 for caspases-3, -8 and -9, respectively) as well as of Fas/FasL system (p < 0.05) and significant changes in mitochondrial transmembrane potential. Blood levels of caspase-1 (101.5 +/- 18.2 pg/ml vs 9.09 +/- 2.7 pg/ml, p < 0.001) and of IL-6, IL-12, IL-15 and IL-18 were significantly higher in septic patients vs control (p < 0.0001, p < 0.05, p < 0.05 and p < 0.0001, respectively). Furthermore, a correlation linking IL-6 blood level with both the apoptotic rate (r(2) = 0.75; p = 0.001) and caspase-9 expression (r(2) = 0.92; p = 0.0001) of PBMCs was observed.