The Relationship between Animal Welfare and Antimicrobial Use in Italian Dairy Farms

Information regarding the relationship between animal welfare (AW) and antimicrobial use (AMU) in dairy cows is limited. The current study aimed to investigate this relationship on Italian farms and to identify potential targets of AMU reduction. The study was performed at 79 Italian dairy farms housing over 15,000 cows during 2019. AW was scored with an on-farm protocol assessing farm management and staff training, housing systems, and animal-based measures. AMU was estimated using a defined daily dose per kg of animal biomass (DDDAit/biomass) for Italy. The median AW score was 73% (range: 56.6-86.8%). The median AMU was 4.8 DDDAit/biomass (range: 0-11.8). No relationship between the total AMU and AW was found. Management and staff training were positively associated with the use of the European Medicines Agency's category B antimicrobials, which are critical for human medicine, and with intramammary products for dry cow therapy. In those farms, antimicrobial stewardship should aim to reduce the category B antimicrobials and selective dry cow therapy. Our results underline the importance of implementing both an integrated monitoring system (AW, AMU, etc.) and antimicrobial stewardship tailored to the specific needs of each dairy farm.

Relationship between the 210Pb content of teeth and exposure to Rn and Rn daughters

Existing data on 210Pb in human teeth are reviewed for various countries. The mean value of 210Pb in the teeth of population groups exposed to "normal" levels of radon-daughter exposure is about 2 mBq/g. A detailed analysis of 48 samples from a "normal" Italian population group revealed that smoking habits and age may have some influence on 210Pb content of teeth, while this is not the case for differences in sex. A group of 45 Austrians exposed to elevated levels of radon and radon daughters is compared with the Italian group. After subtraction of background levels of 210Pb as found for the normal Italian population, the incremental 210Pb tooth content due to excessive radon-daughter exposure has been correlated with the individual cumulative exposure corrected for background radon-daughter exposure. A statistical analysis shows the significance of the linear correlation at the alpha = 0.01 level. For the incremental increase of 210Pb in teeth, a value of 1.2 mBq/g has been used for a lifetime exposure to 1 WLM. This result is compared to corresponding data published in the literature, which are predominantly related to the 210Pb content of bone after short-time exposure at high levels, e.g. in uranium mines. The comparison seems to indicate the influence of the exposure rate and the need for a comprehensive model, which takes into account radon-daughter inhalation, radon dissolved in body fluids and 210Pb metabolism.

A study of the mechanisms and sites of action of desferrioxamine in thalassaemia major

The effects of slow subcutaneous (s.c.) infusions of desferrioxamine (Desferal: DF) on iron metabolism and excretion were studied in 6 thalassaemia major patients in the course of a ferrokinetic study with 59Fe as a label; s.c. DF infusions were performed every 4th day starting 4 days after that of the 59Fe injection. Serum iron and total iron binding capacity (TIBC) increased after s.c. infusion, whereas serum ferritin levels remained unchanged. 59Fe urinary specific activity decreased in all subjects from the first to subsequent infusions, whereas faecal specific activity remained almost constant throughout the experiment. These data support the hypothesis that iron reaching RE cells concentrates initially in a readily chelatable pool from which then it moves to a larger and not readily chelatable pool, whereas iron reaching parenchymal hepatic cells remains permanently available to chelant.

Results of a survey on radioactivity of building materials in Italy

A program is underway in Italy to identify construction materials with high radioactivity contents and to evaluate the resulting indoor exposure on a nationwide scale. Building materials surveyed include those of natural origin and those employing particular by-products such as fly ash and phosphogypsum. The survey currently emphasizes natural building materials, which are widely used in many areas having particular geological features. First results show that Italy includes areas of high natural background, i.e. in Lazio and Campania, in which very high levels of indoor exposure occur that can be directly related to specific activities of the building materials. Moreover, 220Rn daughters are sometimes present at such levels that their contribution to the lung exposure is comparable to that from 222Rn daughters.

Standardization requirements for the in vivo counting techniques of gamma - and soft X-ray radionuclides

The techniques for the in vivo counting of the internal body burden of radionuclides for radiation protection purposes can be divided into two broad categories according to the energy of the measured radiation: (a) measurement of internal contamination due to radionuclides emitting gamma-rays with energies above 100 keV; (b) measurement of internal contamination due to radionuclides emitting soft gamma-or X-rays with energies below 100 keV. The subdivision into two categories is mainly dictated by the many different problems encountered in counting low levels of X-ray emitting radionuclides (such as plutonium isotopes) in man. A mandatory requirement to obtain a reasonable sensitivity of the counting systems for both categories requires a sensible reduction of the normal background due to cosmic rays and to the natural radioactivity present in the human environment (soil, building materials, air, etc).

Long-term 238Pu and 239Pu retention and organ distribution in mice at low doses

The 238Pu and 239Pu distribution in femur, liver, kidneys and testes and the retention function in the skeleton and liver have been studied in about 50 (C57 BL X C3H) F1 male mice. Groups of about 5-10 male mice were sacrificed from 10 to 800 days postinjection to cover their entire life span. All animals were injected intravenously with monomeric solutions of plutonium (1% trisodium citrate at pH 6.5) at doses of the order 7-15 kBq/kg body weight. The low levels of plutonium have been measured by direct counting in the entire animals and by radiochemical methods in the various tissues and organs. Significant differences between 238Pu and 239Pu were not observed at the injected doses used. The following proportions of the injected doses are retained in mice at the end of their life span: 12% in the skeleton, 0.7% in the liver, 0.1% in kidneys and 0.06% in gonads. Furthermore, the data have shown that (1) the long-term component of the plutonium skeleton retention in mice has a biological half-time that is much longer than their average life span; and (2) the long-term component of the plutonium liver retention in mice has a biological half-time of about 350 days.

The concentration of some trace elements in human milk from Italy

The concentration of some trace elements has been measured in samples of breast milk collected from several subjects over a period of about 1-3 months starting 15 days post-partum. A decrease of Zn concentration during the lactation period was observed in all subjects. The marked relation existing between dietary intake and milk content of trace elements is confirmed by the finding that Cs concentration in diet, fresh waters and human milk samples from Latium were one to two orders of magnitude higher than those measured in a small town in the south of Italy. In most subjects Cs, Zn, Rb, Fe concentrations during the same day, and in the same feed, are fairly constant. Larger variations are observed for concentrations of Co, Sc, and Sb.

Mercury levels in food and its intake in high-risk population groups

The mercury levels in many diet samples collected in 5 groups of normal Italian adult population were measured and compared to those referred to an area well known for its high environmental mercury content. In the same subjects, the hair and blood concentration of mercury was evaluated and related to the dietary intake. In fact, the somatic and cytogenetic effects due to the mercury contamination are mainly correlated with the blood and hair content of mercury. Significant cytogenetic effects were detected in a group of subjects exposed to elemental mercury vapor, thus showing an average mercury concentration in the blood of about 45 micrograms/ml. On the basis of the mercury content in the diet and in the blood of both the Italian population groups and the population group of the high mercury area, it can be argued that significant somatic and cytogenetic effects are undetectable at those mercury exposures, thus confirming that a daily intake of 10-40 micrograms mercury can be considered as an acceptable level for the normal population as suggested by WHO.

Mercury and selenium distribution in a defined area and in its population

In the Amiata Mountain area of Tuscany, Italy, a survey has examined the concentrations of mercury and selenium in the environment, in the food chain, and in human biological samples of blood, urine, and hair. This area was selected for study because of its large mineral deposits and concentration of elements, e.g., iron, copper, silver, antimony, and particularly mercury. Subjects consisted of a group with high occupational exposure to mercury vapor, a group randomly exposed to mercury dust, and a group nonoccupationally exposed to mercury. The selenium and mercury contents in all samples were determined by nondestructive neutron activation analysis, and results showed that the human metabolism of mercury is different from that of selenium and that the selenium retention in man could be influenced by the mercury intake. Furthermore, a great part of selenium introduced through the diet passes into the blood, where it is mainly associated with blood cells.

[Content of mercury and other elements in samples of canned tunafish (author's transl)]

On the basis of the several studies recently published on the concentration of Hg and other heavy elements in seafish and especially tunafish a work as been carried out to determine the intake due to canned tunafish for the italian population. Instrumental activation analysis has been applied to tunafish canned samples avaible on the market in Rome. The following trace elements have been measured: Cr, Se, Hg, Cs, Fe, Zn, Co, Sb. The intake of Hg and other elements through the canned tuna foods have been evaluated on the basis of the production of such foods in Italy. The tunafish contribution to the total trace elements intakes has been determined by comparing the trace elements concentrations in the canned tunafish with those referred to diets that are representative for the italian population. The results obtained have demonstrated that the trace elements intake through the diet is not significantly influenced by the tunacanned foods intake.