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Biomedical subjects

S Monarca

Publications and source records attributed to S Monarca.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1980

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in petroleum products for medicinal and cosmetic uses--analytical procedure.

Two methods for extraction and determination of benzo[a]pyrene and other PAH in liquid and white soft paraffins, widely used for medicinal and cosmetic purposes, are compared. A method based on extraction by frontal elution chromatography, column and thin-layer chromatography and final spectrophotofluorometric determination gave the best results in the determination of the very low levels (ng/g) of PAH present in these fully refined samples. The complete analytical procedure showed an acceptable percentage of recoveries and good applicability to routine analysis of the PAH content in these petroleum products for the proper evaluation of their potential hazards to human health.

Benzopyrenes↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Evaluation of the clastogenic activity of some resins used in the prosthodontic field.

BACKGROUND: Dental materials, in particular resins used in prosthetic, orthodontic, conservative and gnathological dentistry, are frequently in long-term contact with the tissues of the mouth, and the chronic exposure to these products of a significant proportion of the population means that the release of genotoxic substances by dental resins must be evaluated. METHODS: For this purpose, ten methyl metacrylate-based resins, both cold- and hot-polymerising and all of frequent use in clinical practice, were prepared following the indications in Standard UNI 9582-2 now included in Standard ISO 10993. Genotoxicity was evaluated through the Tradescantia/micronuclei test. RESULTS: By using the Tradescantia/micronuclei test, which detects aberrant chromosomes by detecting micronuclei in flower tetrads, nine resins were found not to the positive; one resin caused a significant increase in the frequency of micronuclei compared to negative controls. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the Tradescantia/micronuclei test, together with the results of tests cytotoxicity and the Ames and Allium cepa tests performed in previous research, indicate a need for further analyses of these resins for dental use, through other in vivo and in vitro tests, in order to achieve certainty over the risk connected with their use in human populations.

Acrylic Resins↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Environmental monitoring of infective risks in Italian dental offices].

BACKGROUND: Bacterial contamination in dental offices plays a primary role in the evaluation of infective risks for patients and dental personnel. The aim of the research was to study bacterial contamination in eight Italian dental offices by investigating the water of dental units, the air and certain surfaces (push-button panel and instrument cabinet) in order to evaluate potential risks in dental practices. METHODS: The water underwent a microbiological test as specified by Italian law (DPR 236/88). The water was sampled from the hoses and air/water syringes of twenty dental units. The microbiological analysis of the air was performed using sedimentation plates to evaluate microbial fall-out. The microbiological analysis of the surfaces was performed using membrane filters to evaluate microbial accumulation. RESULTS: The research showed bacteriological contamination of the dental unit water in all the dental offices. During the working activity total bacteriological counts in the air fall-out were fairly high and the surfaces examined showed some widespread bacterial contamination in dental practices. The results of this study show the importance of routine monitoring of microbial contamination of dental offices and, in case of contamination, the need to apply disinfection treatments for the waterlines and preventive measures for the aerosol reduction. CONCLUSIONS: Our research was used to work out a program for the prevention of environmental contamination in dental offices.

Aerosols↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Drinking water hardness and chronic degenerative diseases. I. Analysis of epidemiological research].

For many years a causal relation between drinking water hardness and cardiovascular or other chronic degenerative diseases in humans has been hypothesized. In order to evaluate the association between the concentration of minerals (calcium and magnesium) responsible for the hardness of drinking water and human health, a review of all the articles published on the subject from 1980 up to today has been carried out. The retrieved articles have been divided into 4 categories: geographic correlation studies, cross-sectional studies, case-control and cohort studies, and clinical trials. The methods for the selection of the articles and the extraction and analysis of the data are detailed in this paper. Epidemiological studies have been reviewed critically, and some conclusions have been drawn taking into account the research in basic sciences and experimental studies. However, a formal meta-analysis has not been performed, due to the heterogeneity of measures of effect among the different studies.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Drinking water hardness and chronic degenerative diseases. II. Cardiovascular diseases].

Since the 1950s a causal relation between water hardness and cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in humans has been hypothesized. In order to evaluate the influence of calcium and magnesium, the minerals responsible for the hardness of drinking water, on human health, a review of all the articles published on the subject from 1980 up to today has been carried out. Many but not all geographic correlation studies showed an inverse association between water hardness and mortality for CVD. Most case-control and one cohort studies showed an inverse relation, statistically significant, between mortality from CVD and water levels of magnesium, but not calcium. Consumption of water containing high concentrations of magnesium seems to reduce of about 30-35% the mortality for CVD, but not the incidence. This inverse association is supported by clinical and experimental findings and is biologically plausible and in line with Hill's criteria for a cause-effect relationship.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Drinking water hardness and chronic degenerative diseases. III. Tumors, urolithiasis, fetal malformations, deterioration of the cognitive function in the aged and atopic eczema].

For several decades a causal relation has been hypothesised between drinking water hardness and cardiovascular and other chronic degenerative diseases in humans. Only recently some epidemiological studies also investigated the association between the concentration of the minerals responsible for the hardness of drinking water (calcium and magnesium) and other chronic diseases. Some case-control studies carried out in Taiwan using aggregated data showed a possible protective effect of water hardness toward the risk of dying from various neoplasms, though more research is needed on the issue, possibly based on individual data, to draw definitive conclusions. There is a substantial evidence that consumption of water with high levels of calcium does not increase, and maybe reduces the risk of developing urinary stones of the most common type in developed countries (calcium oxalate), on the contrary, there is no conclusive evidence on the relation between water hardness and foetal malformations, cognitive functions in old men, diabetes and eczema.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Genotoxic and ecotoxic effects of urban waste water disinfected with sodium hypochlorite or peracetic acid].

Genotoxic and ecotoxicologic effects of urban wastewater disinfected with sodium hypochlorite or peracetic acid were analyzed. The formation of genotoxic species was studied by determining clastogenic and mutagenic activity of aqueous samples and their extracts with in vivo and in vitro tests, respectively. In particular, we have applied citogenetic tests to Allium cepa roots and Tradescantia inflorescence (Allium cepa test and Tradescantia/micronuclei test) and reversion test to Salmonella typhimurium according to the microsuspension procedure (Kado test). The latter is the method of choice for the analysis of complex matrices due to its high sensitivity and specificity. The mutagenic activity of disinfected effluents was similar to the corresponding untreated wastewater both sampled in four different periods. Therefore, the disinfection process did not seem to contribute to aquatic mutagenicity in the examined range of biocide concentration. The potential toxicity of disinfected wastewater for aquatic organisms was evaluated using Daphnia magna. The acute toxicity of peracetic acid in sewage was 0.4 mg/L (24 h E(L)C50). By comparing this value with peracetic acid concentrations detected in effluents from a pilot plant it is expected that treated wastewater would show acute toxic effects on aquatic organisms. Dissociation compounds (hydrogen peroxide and acetic acid) and possible by-products of peracetic acid did not seem to contribute significantly to the toxicity of sewage treated with peracetic acid.

Acetic Acid↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Hygiene education in the Laureate Course of Dentistry and Dental Prosthetics: evaluation of student knowledge about the risk of infection in a dental practice environment].

Hygiene education for dental students is crucial in order to control and reduce the risk of infections in their future professional practices. The aim of this study was to evaluate the improvement in university students' knowledge of infectious disease prevention, dental instruments and environmental decontamination following the Course in Dental Hygiene and Prevention. 595 questionnaires were submitted to dental students at twelve Italian Universities; 335 were filled out before the Course began and 260 at the end of the same course. The students in both the PRE-course and at the POST-course evaluations demonstrated adequate knowledge regarding the transmission of infections in dental practices, knowledge improved following the Hygiene course.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Multicentric survey on hygienic aspects in private dental practice].

The aim of this research was to evaluate the knowledge of cross-infection hazards in private dental practices, and their control procedures. The survey, carried out by questionnaire in 11 Italian cities, showed that dental personnel do not completely follow the main procedures for infection control. The interviewed subjects usually wear gloves (95.5%), masks (90.1%) and glasses (91.2%), less frequently caps (23.9%) and coats (54.9%). They use steam sterilizers (92.9%) and periodically check the effectiveness (80.6%). Regarding individuals protection, 20.5% is not vaccinated against HBV and only 55.2% of those previously vaccinated has checked their immunity. Moreover, the majority of subjects underestimate the infection hazards especially for air-transmitted diseases.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Genotoxicity of surface water treated with different disinfectants using in situ plant tests].

Disinfection of surface drinking water, in particular water chlorination, produces many by-products with genotoxic and/or carcinogenic activity. The aim of this research was to evaluate the genotoxicity of surface water after treatment with different disinfectants by means of in situ plant genotoxicity assays. The study was carried out in a pilot plant using lake water after sedimentation and filtration, which supplied four stainless steel basins: three basins were disinfected with sodium hypochlorite, chlorine dioxide and peracetic acid, respectively, and the fourth basin contained untreated lake water and was used as a control. The study was carried out using water collected in different seasons over a period of about one year in order to assess the treatments under different physical and chemical lake water conditions. Plant genotoxicity tests were performed by exposing plant bioindicators directly to raw and disinfected water. The Tradescantia micronucleus test in pollen cells of the flowers of an hybrid of Tradescantia and the Allium cepa test, a chromosome aberration test in root cells of Allium cepa, showed genotoxic effects only in some disinfected samples and revealed genotoxicity also in raw water in one experiment. The Vicia faba test, a micronucleus test in root cells of Vicia faba, revealed genotoxicity in many samples of disinfected water. The results of the study indicated that the Vicia faba/MCN test was the most sensitive plant assay for disinfected water, and that peracetic acid disinfection produced lower genotoxicity than sodium hypochlorite or chlorine dioxide treatment.

Disinfectants↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Evaluation of genotoxicity of sodium hypochlorite, chlorine dioxide and peracetic acid using plant tests].

The aim of this research was to evaluate the potential genotoxic effects of three drinking water disinfectants by means of in vivo short-term mutagenicity tests using plants. The study was carried out in laboratory using distilled water disinfected with sodium hypochlorite (NaClO), chlorine dioxide (ClO2) and peracetic acid (PAA) at different concentrations both in neutral and acid conditions. Untreated distilled water was used as a negative control. Micronuclei test in Tradescantia pollen cells and chromosomal aberration test in root cells of Allium cepa were the bioassays performed by exposing directly plant bioindicators to treated and untreated distilled water. The Tradescantia/micronuclei test gave positive results in most of the ClO2-treated water samples but only at acid pH. The Allium cepa test showed genotoxicity in NaClO-treated samples at acid pH and in a ClO2-treated sample at pH 7. PAA-treated samples were always nongenotoxic. Since the concentrations tested of free disinfectants are usually present in drinking water for biocidal purposes, genotoxicity of these compounds could be a public health problem.

Chlorine Compounds↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Genotoxic effects of pesticide-treated vegetable extracts using the Allium cepa chromosome aberration and micronucleus tests].

The presence of chemical residues in vegetables and fruit is a source of human exposure to toxic and genotoxic chemicals. The mutagenic and carcinogenic action of herbicides, insecticides and fungicides on experimental animals is already known. Several studies have shown that chronic exposure to low levels of pesticides can cause adverse health effects and that many pesticides are mutagenic/carcinogenic. In the present research we monitored concurrently the presence of pesticides and genotoxic compounds extracted from 21 treated vegetables and 8 types of grapes sampled from the markets of a region in Southern Italy. The extracts were analysed for pesticides by gas-chromatography and HPLC, and for genotoxicity with two plant tests in Allium cepa roots: the micronucleus test and the chromosomal aberration test. We found 33 pesticides, some of which are outlawed. Genotoxicity was found in some of the vegetables and grapes tested. Allium cepa tests were sensitive for monitoring genotoxicity in food extracts. The micronucleus test in interphase cells gave much higher mutagenicity than the chromosomal aberration test in anaphase-telophase cells.

Allium↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Mechanism of the mutagenic/carcinogenic action of cigarette smoke at the pulmonary level: enzymatic induction, activation and detoxification].

Aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase (AHH) and dimethylnitrosamine demethylase (DMND) activities in pulmonary and hepatic tissues of male Sprague-Dawley rats were assayed following pretreatment with known inducers (benzo(a)pyrene, 3-methylcholanthrene, Aroclor 1254, phenobarbital) and with mainstream (MS) and side-stream (SS) cigarette smoke condensate and their related fractions. Biochemical assays by spectrophotofluorimetry (AHH activity) and spectrophotometry (DMND activity) and by a biological assay (Ames test) were performed to detect AHH and DMND induction. Ames test proved to be much less sensitive than the spectrophotometric analysis for the AHH determination. Both main-stream and side-stream cigarette smoke condensates and some fractions, containing water-soluble bases, water-insoluble bases, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, were found to induce AHH activity in lung and liver, the lung being induced to the greatest extent. The highest levels of AHH inducibility were found for the SS-smoke condensate and related fractions. In particular, the insoluble-bases fraction gave the highest induction. On the contrary, pulmonary DMND activity was not affected by pretreatment with the same materials, while hepatic DMND response was only minimally induced by Aroclor and phenobarbital treatment. Twenty-two S12 preparations of surgical lung specimens obtained from smoker and non-smoker cancer patients were also assayed to detect aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase (AHH), dimethylnitrosamine demethylase (DMND), and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) activities, in both normal and neoplastic lung tissue from the same patients. Pulmonary fractions were also tested for their ability to activate some precarcinogens into mutagenic metabolites in the Ames test. Statistically significant differences were found for AHH and DMND activities between normal and neoplastic tissue of smoker patients. In addition, higher AHH activity in the neoplastic tissue of the smoker group was observed compared with that found in the non-smoker group. No difference were found for GST activity. All the lung S12 preparations were able to metabolize water-soluble bases and water-insoluble bases, derived from main-stream cigarette smoke condensate, into mutagenic agents in the Salmonella test system. However, S12 preparations from smokers group neoplastic tissues were more effective.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Survey of alcohol and psychoactive drug consumption in a sample of high school students of the 9th and 19th local health units in the Marche Region].

A random sample of high school students of the Health Districts N. 9 and N. 19 of Marche Region, Central Italy, was interviewed about their alcohol and psychoactive medicine consumption. The questionnaire, previously used in other surveys in Italy, was anonymous and collected information on demographic and socio-economic status, smoking and drinking habits, psychoactive medicine consumption attitudes and knowledges on the health hazards of alcohol and psychoactive medicine abuse. A total of 237 males and 352 females in the 9th grade (mean age: 14.7 yrs) and of 131 males and 207 females in the 13th grade (mean age: 18.4 yrs) were enrolled in the survey. We observed higher alcohol consumption in males than in females and in grade-13 than in grade-9 for each beverage. Wine was the most used alcohol beverage: 30.4% of males in grade-9 and 39.7% in grade-13 were used to drink it daily, 13.7% of females in grade-9 and 17.4% in grade-13 were daily drinkers. In the youngest group, 6.8% of males and 0.3% of females drank 4 or more glasses of wine a day, while in grade-13 the percentages of heavy wine drinkers were 7.6% of males and 0.5% of females. On the contrary, beer consumption seemed to be more occasional: 55.7% of males and 33.6% of females in grade-9, and 67.2% of males and 49.4% of males and 36.8% of females in grade-13 were occasionally drinkers. However, the percentages of heavy drinkers of beer were not far from those observed in wine drinkers: 2.9% of males and 0.3% of females in grade-9 and 6.9% of males and 0.5% of females in grade-13 daily drank 4 glasses of beer or more. Spirit consumption reached a particularly high level in grade-13th males. And 22.9% of them were used to have 11 or more drinks per month. Among spirit drinkers, about 35-40% of males drank brandy, whisky, cognac and other strong spirits, while females showed to prefer less alcoholic liquors. According to the amount of pure alcohol consumed, 10.1% of males in grade-9 and 16.9% of males in grade-13 drank 200 or more g/week, while only 1.5% of females admitted such a high consumption. A large part of students in the youngest group drank more than one alcoholic beverage, particularly wine and beer. Among grade-13 students, 47.3% of males and 15.9% of females daily or occasionally drank wine, beer and spirits.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Adolescent↗