The Toxic Effects of Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs) on Gut Microbiota: Bisphenol A (BPA) A Review.

BACKGROUND: Bisphenol A (BPA), an important industrial material widely applied in daily products, is considered an endocrine-disrupting chemical that may adversely affect humans. Growing evidence has shown that intestinal bacterial alterations caused by BPA exposure play an important role in several local and systemic diseases. AIMS: Finding evidence that BPA-induced alterations in gut microbiota composition and activity may perturb its role on human health. RESULTS: Evidence from several experimental settings shows that both low and high doses of BPA interfere with the hormonal, homeostatic, and reproductive systems in animals and humans. Moreover, it has recently been classified as an environmental obesogenic, with metabolic-disrupting effects on lipid metabolism and pancreatic b-cell functions. Several evidence characterizes PBA as an environmental contributor to type II diabetes, metabolic syndromes, and obesity. However, the highest estimates of the exposure derived from foods alone or in combination with other sources are 3 to 5 times below the new tolerable daily intake (TDI) value, today reduced by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) experts from 50 micrograms per kilogramme of bodyweight per day (µg/kg bw/day) to 4 µg/kg bw/day. CONCLUSION: Considering estimates for the total amount of BPA that can be ingested daily over a lifetime, many International Health Authorities conclude that dietary exposure of adult humans to BPA does not represent a risk to consumers' health, declaring its safety due to very-low established levels in food and water and any appreciable health risk.

Venoms and Poisonings during the Centuries: A Narrative Review.

The first traces of man's of poison use date back to ten thousand years ago since the last period of the Paleolithic era. Man used poison for hunting and defense. Indeed, in the second half of the 19th century, arrows made from the bones of animals characterized by particular grooves were found in some caves. In ancient Greece, the term pharmakon (φάρµακον) had a double meaning: remedy for therapy and venom. This is the period in which humans became aware of the fact that poison cannot be defined simply as a substance capable of changing the properties of things. Poison is very frequently mentioned in the history of the Roman Empire, and its use continued through the Renaissance and even during the modern era. Poison was the protagonist in multiple political intrigues of power and is one of the most used lethal weapons over the years. Thought of as the optimal solution for a perfect murder, the poison has a long history. Its success is due to the invisible, untraceable, and often unpunished death it causes.

The Cannabis Spread throughout the Continents and its Therapeutic Use in History.

BACKGROUND: Cannabis sativa L. (C. sativa) is a plant whose use as a therapeutic agent shares its origins with the first Far East's human societies. Cannabis has been used not only for recreational purposes but as food to obtain textile fibers, to produce hemp paper, to treat many physical and mental disorders. AIM: This review aims to provide a complete assessment of the deep knowledge of the cannabis psychoactive effects and medicinal properties in the course of history covering i.) The empirical use of the seeds and the inflorescences to treat many physical ailments by the ancient Oriental physicians' ii.) The current use of cannabis as a therapeutic agent after the discovery of its key psychoactive constituent and the human endogenous endocannabinoid system. METHODS: This study was performed through a detailed analysis of the studies on the historical significance and medical applications of Cannabis sativa by using international scientific databases, historical and medical books, ancient Greek and Chinese manuscripts translations, library and statistical data from government reports and texts from the National Library of Greece (Stavros Niarchos Foundation), from the School of Health Sciences of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (Greece). We selected papers and texts focusing on a historical point of view about the medical importance of the plant and its applications for a therapeutic purpose in the past. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Through a detailed analysis of the available resources about the origins of C. sativa, we found that its use by ancient civilizations as a source of food and textile fibers dates back over 10,000 years, while its therapeutic applications have been improved over the centuries, from the ancient East medicine of the 2nd and 1st millennium B.C. to the more recent introduction in the Western world after the 1st century A.D. In the 20th and 21st centuries, Cannabis and its derivatives have been considered as a menace and banned throughout the world, but nowadays, they are still the most widely consumed illicit drugs all over the world. Its legalization in some jurisdictions has been accompanied by new lines of research to investigate its possible applications for medical and therapeutic purposes.

Fatal poisoning by ingestion of a self-prepared oleander leaf infusion.

An unusual case of poisoning by the ingestion of oleander leaves is reported. A 71 year old male laboratory technician committed suicide at home in this unusual manner. At the death scene a steel pan and other paraphernalia, used for the extraction of oleandrin and other cardiac glycosides from the leaves of the Nerium oleander plant were found.Toxicological investigations for oleandrin, oleandrigenin, neritaloside, and odoroside were performed by LC-MS/MS on all biological samples (peripheral blood, vitreous humor, urine, liver, gastric contents) and on the yellow infusion found at the death scene.In all samples, toxic levels of oleandrin were detected (blood 37.5 ng/mL, vitreous humor 12.6 ng/mL, urine 83.8 ng/mL, liver 205 ng/mg, gastric content 31.2 µg/mL, infusion 38.5 µg/mL). Qualitative results for oleandrigenin, neritaloside, and odoroside were obtained. Oleandrigenin was present in all tissue samples whereas neritaloside and odoroside were absent in the blood and vitreous humor but present in urine, liver, gastric content, and in the leaf brew.The purpose of this study was the identification of oleandrin and its congener oleandrigenin, detected in the vitreous humor. The blood/vitreous humor ratio was also calculated in order to assess of the likely time interval from ingestion to death. According to the toxicological results death was attributed to fatal arrhythmia due to oleander intoxication. The manner of death was classified as suicide through the ingestion of the infusion.

Lethal Hydrogen Sulfide poisoning in open space: An atypical case of asphyxiation of two workers.

Hydrogen sulfide is one of the most dangerous toxic gases that has led to the deaths in confined spaces of many workers. We report an atypical case of a fatal accident of H2S poisoning in an open space when two workers died during the opening of a hatch on a tanker truck filled with leachate water. Despite being outdoors, the two workers, were suddenly and quickly overwhelmed by a lethal cloud of H2S, which escaped like a geyser from the hatch and hovered over the top of the tanker making it impossible for them to survive. The first operator was engulfed by the sudden flow of lethal gas near the hatch while the second worker, who came to his aid, immediately lost consciousness and fell off the tanker onto the ground. Environmental toxicological analyses were carried out on the air near the hatch and inside the tanker 2h, 20 days and 70 days after the accident. Toxicological analyses on the blood were also carried out but unfortunately, no urine sample was available. The thiosulfate, detected by GC/MS analysis after derivatization of PFBBr, was found to be 0.01 and 0.04mM/L. These values are included in the medium-low lethal values of occupational fatalities involving H2S reported in the literature.

Suicide by self-administration of a drug mixture (propofol, midazolam, and zolpidem) in an anesthesiologist: the first case report in Italy.

The authors report an unusual case of suicide of an anesthesiologist, in which the suicide manner and means depend upon the victim's occupation. This is the first case report published in Italy of a death involving propofol and other drugs. The anesthesiologist was found dead with an empty drip still inserted in the hand and another one near his body. Forensic and toxicological findings suggested that the cause of death was a respiratory depression due to a self-administration of a rapidly infused lethal drug mixture. Analytical drug quantification was performed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Blood analysis revealed: zolpidem (0.86 µg/mL), propofol (0.30 µg/mL), midazolam (0.08 µg/mL), thiopental (0.03 µg/mL), and amitriptyline (0.07 µg/mL). Adipose tissue and hair analysis suggested a previous and repeated use of these drugs verifying the fact that in Italy recreational abuse of anesthetic and sedative agents in health care practitioners is becoming an increasing problem.

Monitoring of total and bioavailable heavy metals concentration in agricultural soils.

The aim of this paper is to evaluate total and bioavailable concentration of heavy metals in agricultural soils in order to estimate their distribution, to identify the possible correlations among toxic elements and the pollution sources, to distinguish the samples in relation to sampling site or to sampling depth, and to evaluate the available fraction providing information about the risky for plants. In particular, we reinvestigated total concentrations of As, Be, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sb, V, and Zn and available concentrations of As, Be, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, Sb, and Zn in soil from Apulia (Southern Italy). Analytical results showed that total concentrations, for all soils, are in the range permitted by regulations in force in Italy, but some soils evidence slight enrichment of Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, and Zn. All the heavy metals in the available fraction were below the detection limits of the analytical techniques used except Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn.

Nitrous oxide determination in postmortem biological samples: a case of serial fatal poisoning in a public hospital.

In a public hospital, eight cases of fatal poisoning by nitrous oxide (N(2)O) occurred under oxygen administration, due to an erroneous swapping of the lines in the gas system. The aim of the study was to clarify the factors involved in asphyxia by characterizing gases from different lines and measuring N(2)O concentrations in postmortem biological samples from bodies exhumed. Analyses carried out on the gas system confirmed the erroneous substitution of O(2) line with N(2)O and air line with O(2). Consequently, high N(2)O amounts were revealed in several tissues and gaseous biological samples. All specimens were analyzed by headspace gas chromatography technique. A rigorous quantitative analysis was possible only in blood (11.29-2152.04 mg/L) and urine (95.11 mg/L) and in air samples from stomach and trachea (from 5.28 to 83.63 g/m(3)). This study demonstrates that N(2)O can be detected in biological samples even 1 month after death.

Determination of firing distance. Lead analysis on the target by atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS).

This paper reports a method for the determination of the firing distance. Atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) was used to determine the lead (Pb) pattern around bullet holes produced by shots on test targets from the gun. Test shots were made with a Colt 38 Special at 5, 10, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 60, 80, and 100 cm target distance. The target was created with sheets of Whatman no. 1 paper on a polystyrene support. The target was subdivided into three carefully cut out rings (1, 2, and 3; with external diameters of 1.4 cm; 5 cm; 10.2 cm, respectively). Each sample was analyzed with graphite furnace AAS. Lead values analysis performed for each ring yielded a linear relation between the firing distance (cm) and the logarithm of lead amounts (microg/cm(2)) in definite target areas (areas 2 + 3): [ln dPb(2+3) = a(0) + a(1)l]; where dPb(2+3) = lead microg/cm(2) of area 2 + 3; a(0) and a(1) are experimentally calculated; l = distance in cm.