Biomedical subjects

Davide Calamari

Publications and source records attributed to Davide Calamari.

14 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Effects of a complex mixture of therapeutic drugs at environmental levels on human embryonic cells.

The potential risk associated with the presence of low levels of pharmaceuticals in aquatic environments is currently under debate. In this study we investigated the effects of 13 drugs merged to mimic both the association and low concentration (ng/L) profiles detected in the environment. The mixture comprised atenolol, bezafibrate, carbamazepine, cyclophosphamide, ciprofloxacin, furosemide, hydrochlorothiazide, ibuprofen, lincomycin, ofloxacin, ranitidine, salbutamol, and sulfamethoxazole. At environmental exposure levels, the drug mix inhibited the growth of human embryonic cells HEK293, with the highest effect observed as a 30% decrease in cell proliferation compared to controls. Pharmaceuticals activated stress-response signaling protein kinases (ERK1/2), and induced overexpression of glutathione-S-transferase P1 gene. No evidence was found for apoptosis or necrosis in HEK293 cells, although morphological changes were observed. The drug mixture effectively stimulated the expression of cell-cycle progression-mediating genes p16 and p21, with a slight accumulation of cells in the G2/M phase of the cell-cycle. Our results suggest that a mixture of drugs at ng/L levels can inhibit cells proliferation by affecting their physiology and morphology. This also suggests that water-borne pharmaceuticals can be potential effectors on aquatic life.

Cell Cycle↗

PubMed2006

Removal of pharmaceuticals in sewage treatment plants in Italy.

A listing of "priority pharmaceuticals" for human use in Italy resulted in the selection of 26 pharmaceuticals, belonging to 11 therapeutic classes. They were analyzed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, their occurrence was assessed in six sewage treatment plants (STPs), and the loads and the removal rates (RR) were studied. Total loads ranged from 1.5 to 4.5 g/day/1000 inhabitants in influents and 1.0 and 3.0 g/day/1000 inhabitants in effluents. Total RR in STPs were mostly lower than 40%. Pharmaceuticals could be divided into three groups according to their behavior in STPs: one group with RR higher in summer than in winter, one group with RR similar in summer and winter, and a last group not removed. Last, we studied the distribution and fate of residual pharmaceuticals in the surface waters receiving the effluents of the STPs and identified degradation and sorption as the major factors affecting attenuation. Ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin, sulfamethoxazole (antibiotics), atenolol (cardiovascular drug), ibuprofen (antiinflammatory), furosemide, hydrochlorothiazide (diuretics), ranitidine (gastrointestinal drug), and bezafibrate (lipid regulator) were the most abundant residual drugs, thus those of environmental concern.

Drug Residues↗

PubMed2006

Pharmaceuticals in the environment in Italy: causes, occurrence, effects and control.

BACKGROUND, AIM AND SCOPE: Environmental contamination by pharmaceuticals is an emerging issue. Until recently, information on medicinal substances released into the environment was scant, but several studies have now been published. Data are, however, usually scattered and a systematic approach to this subject is generally lacking. Moreover, because of differences in the prevalence of diseases, treatment habits and options, or simply for market reasons, the pollution profile can differ significantly in different countries. The aim of this work is to review the papers dealing with environmental contamination by pharmaceuticals in Italy, with the aim of providing a comprehensive view on a national scale. METHODS: Papers related to environmental contamination by pharmaceuticals in Italy were reviewed, in order to offer a comprehensive view of this subject. Topics included analysis, occurrence, monitoring, modelling, treatment, control of the emissions, and ecotoxicological effects of pharmaceuticals in the environment. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The literature suggests that pharmaceuticals are widespread contaminants, entering the environment from a myriad of scattered points. Patients, in case of drugs for human use, or animals for veterinary drugs, are the main sources of contamination. Pharmaceuticals can be ranked according to environmental loads, predicted by multiplying sales figures by the rate of metabolism in man or animals. Priority pharmaceuticals, i.e. the molecules of concern for the environment, can be measured in waste and surface water by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, and the loads detected are generally comparable to the predicted ones. Pharmaceuticals are designed to stimulate a response in humans and animals at low doses, with a very specific target, so the implications for human health and the environment need to be assessed. In vitro and in vivo studies suggest that pharmaceutical principles, taken singularly or in combinations, and concentrations close to those detected in the environment, may have ecotoxicological effects. The sewage system is an important point in the control of contamination, but sewage treatment plants are not able efficiently to abate a substantial part of water-borne pharmaceuticals. Several variables play a role, however, in the processes of waste water treatment, and could be specifically adjusted to improve the efficiency of drug abatement, mitigating the potential environmental hazards. RECOMMENDATION AND PERSPECTIVE: Pharmaceuticals in the environment are becoming a subject of global concern, with potential environmental consequences. Further knowledge of the causes, occurrence and effects of drugs as environmental pollutants is necessary for a better understanding of this ecological issue, as well as to improve abatement strategies, and to mitigate subtle environmental consequences.

Animals↗

PubMed2005

A multiresidue analytical method using solid-phase extraction and high-pressure liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry to measure pharmaceuticals of different therapeutic classes in urban wastewaters.

An analytical method with two extraction steps has been developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of 30 pharmaceuticals belonging to various therapeutic categories in urban wastewater. The aim was to boost the little available information on drugs' fates in sewage treatment plants (STPs) and in the receiving surface water. Aqueous samples were divided into two aliquots, each extracted by a different solid-phase extraction (SPE) method and analysed by reversed-phase liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS-MS). Recoveries of the pharmaceuticals were mostly greater than 70% and the overall variability of the method was below 8%. The instrumental quantification limit (IQL) varied between 30 and 400 pg injected, and the limits of quantification (LOQ) were in the low ng/L range. Nineteen pharmaceuticals were detected in concentrations between 0.5 and 2000 ng/L in effluents collected from several STPs in Italy. Atenolol, ciprofloxacin, furosemide, hydrochlorothiazide, ofloxacin, ranitidine and sulphamethoxazole were the most abundant compounds. The present analytical method was useful to check for pharmaceuticals in various Italian STPs and to identify the most abundant compounds.

Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid↗

PubMed2005

Cocaine in surface waters: a new evidence-based tool to monitor community drug abuse.

BACKGROUND: Cocaine use seems to be increasing in some urban areas worldwide, but it is not straightforward to determine the real extent of this phenomenon. Trends in drug abuse are currently estimated indirectly, mainly by large-scale social, medical, and crime statistics that may be biased or too generic. We thus tested a more direct approach based on 'field' evidence of cocaine use by the general population. METHODS: Cocaine and its main urinary metabolite (benzoylecgonine, BE) were measured by mass spectrometry in water samples collected from the River Po and urban waste water treatment plants of medium-size Italian cities. Drug concentration, water flow rate, and population at each site were used to estimate local cocaine consumption. RESULTS: We showed that cocaine and BE are present, and measurable, in surface waters of populated areas. The largest Italian river, the Po, with a five-million people catchment basin, steadily carried the equivalent of about 4 kg cocaine per day. This would imply an average daily use of at least 27 +/- 5 doses (100 mg each) for every 1000 young adults, an estimate that greatly exceeds official national figures. Data from waste water treatment plants serving medium-size Italian cities were consistent with this figure. CONCLUSION: This paper shows for the first time that an illicit drug, cocaine, is present in the aquatic environment, namely untreated urban waste water and a major river. We used environmental cocaine levels for estimating collective consumption of the drug, an approach with the unique potential ability to monitor local drug abuse trends in real time, while preserving the anonymity of individuals. The method tested here--in principle extendable to other drugs of abuse--might be further refined to become a standardized, objective tool for monitoring drug abuse.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Effects of erythromycin, tetracycline and ibuprofen on the growth of Synechocystis sp. and Lemna minor.

Pharmaceutically active substances have recently been recognised as an emerging environmental problem. Human and veterinarian therapeutic agents can contaminate aquatic ecosystems via sewage discharges (human and animal excretion), improper disposal or industrial waste. Very little is known on the effects of pharmaceutical pollutants on aquatic photosynthetic organisms. In this study the effects of erythromycin, tetracycline and ibuprofen on the growth of the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC6803 and the duckweed Lemna minor FBR006 were studied at concentrations of 1-1000 microg l(-1). At dosage of 1 mg l(-1), erythromycin affected the growth of both Synechocystis and Lemna with a maximum inhibition of 70 and 20%, respectively. Tetracycline had inhibitory effects (20-22% reduction in growth) on Synechocystis at intermediate dosages. The same aminoglycoside antibiotic promoted growth in Lemna by 26% at 10 microg l(-1), while frond development was reduced at 1 mg l(-1) (tetracycline). The anti-inflammatory ibuprofen strongly stimulated the growth of Synechocystis at all concentrations tested (72% increase at 10 microg l(-1)) although inhibited Lemna in a linear dose-dependent manner with a 25% reduction over control levels at a dosage of 1 mg l(-1). The 7 days effective concentration (EC(50)) calculated for Lemna were 5.6, 1 and 4 g l(-1), respectively, for erythromycin, tetracycline and ibuprofen. Moreover, exposure to the three pharmaceuticals resulted in the production of the stress hormone, abscisic acid (ABA), in Lemna. Erythromycin and tetracycline were more effective in promoting ABA synthesis compared to ibuprofen. The effects shown by the three therapeutic drugs on Synechocystis and Lemna growth may have potential implications in the assessments of residual environmental risks associated with the presence of pharmaceuticals in freshwater ecosystems. Promotion of ABA synthesis in Lemna by the two antibiotics and by copper suggests that the plant hormone could be a suitable (additional) indicator for future evaluation of phytotoxicity that results in plant senescence.

Abscisic Acid↗

PubMed2004

Preliminary investigation on the environmental occurrence and effects of antibiotics used in aquaculture in Italy.

A preliminary investigation has been carried out on the occurrence and effects of antibiotics used in Italian aquaculture with the objective of identifying priorities for monitoring programmes. According to the information available on the most pertinent and diffuse fish diseases and their related therapies, the presence of flumequine and oxytetracycline in sediments sampled from two trout farms and three sea-bass farms and in their surrounding environments was selected for an analytical investigation. The concentrations of oxytetracycline and flumequine varied up to a maximum of 246.3 and 578.8 microg/kg d.w., respectively. Flumequine was seen to have the highest toxicity in a bioluminescence assay with EC50 values varying within the range of 12-15 mg/l, while the EC50 values for oxytetracycline were within the range of 121-139 mg/l. The results of the present study indicate flumequine and oxytetracycline as priority chemicals to be monitored for possible environmental side effects of aquaculture in Italy. Apart from peak concentrations the chronic presence of flumequine and oxytetracycline in sediments both inside and outside farms should also be considered. In spite of the potential risks related to the use of antibiotics, the concentrations found in the sediments of the studied fish farms are significantly lower than those found in other areas.

Aquaculture↗

PubMed2004

Screening the leaching tendency of pesticides applied in the Amu Darya Basin (Uzbekistan).

The Amu Darya River, one of the most important water resources for Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, was declared a World Disaster Zone in 1991. The great increase in irrigation and the use of pesticides has led to both a lack of water and drinking water contamination. The aim of the present study, part of an EU project on water management guidelines, was to evaluate the leachability of 71 organic pesticides commonly employed in the area, and to assess compounds that could potentially contaminate the river and impair drinking water quality. A multivariate approach is proposed for the pesticide screening, condensing information from different environmental partition indexes (GUS, "modified LEACH", LIN) into a single ranking, the Global Leachability Index (GLI). For a selected data set in water medium this super-index identifies three classes with a risk potential for pesticide leachability, and allows the selection of a small number of chemicals for an analytical survey.

Environmental Monitoring↗

PubMed2004

Methodological approaches for studying pharmaceuticals in the environment by comparing predicted and measured concentrations in River Po, Italy.

A predictive approach seems useful to study human and veterinary pharmaceuticals in the environment and provide an idea of overall levels of contamination, so as to restrict monitoring to those molecules which are most likely to represent possible environmental contaminants. Predicted environmental concentrations (PECs) can be calculated by a mass balance approach, while a recent proposal from the European Agency for the Evaluation of Medicinal Products (EMEA) suggests an alternative method for calculating PEC for each pharmaceutical and then focusing further work on molecules with high PEC values. We used the results of monitoring campaigns on the River Po, in Northern Italy, to assess the accuracy of predictive models with measured environmental concentrations (MECs). The comparison indicated that in some cases a refined PEC value can provide a good approximation of the MEC. In other cases PECs substantially differed from the MECs, particularly when there were not enough data to estimate the environmental fate of the molecule. Predictive models might therefore be useful for studying pharmaceuticals in the environment, providing enough experimental data is available on the environmental fate of the molecules.

Environmental Monitoring↗

PubMed2003

Long-term ecological assessment of West African rivers treated with insecticides: methodological considerations on quantitative analyses.

For the control of the aquatic stage of the blackfly vector of the onchocerciasis in West Africa, rivers had been partially sprayed weekly with insecticides from 1974 to 2002 on an area over 1 million km(2), as part of the onchocerciasis control programme (OCP). To evaluate the possible short- and long-term effects of insecticides on non-target fauna, an aquatic monitoring programme was set-up and carried on for over 20 years. A number of papers have been published concluding that biological variations found are ecologically acceptable. In this paper, by means of a new elaboration of a subset of data, the authors discuss value and limitations of the data analysis methodologies utilised in the ecological assessment. Multivariate analysis, rank-abundance curves and diversity indices are applied to evaluate the modification occurred in invertebrate community taxa richness and evenness. These methodologies allow to decompose the variance between insecticides effects and seasonal biological variations, to evidence the relative toxicological potency and to show the fingerprint of action among various insecticides.

Africa, Western↗

PubMed2003

Conifer needles as passive biomonitors of the spatial and temporal distribution of DDT from a point source.

Needles of two conifer species, Picea abies and Pinus nigra, were used as passive samplers for monitoring air contamination by sampling at increasing distances from a suspected point source of DDT. Needle concentrations declined with increasing distance downwind of the point source allowing to identify spatial and temporal trends of accumulation. This suggested that conifer needles are effective biomonitors of contamination levels in areas characterized by the presence of semi-volatile substances. Differences in uptake were apparent between the species. Needle morphology and structure were studied with scanning electron microscope (SEM) as were dimensional parameters (surface area, volume). The results suggest that the concentrations depend on a mechanism involving the inner structure of the needles, specifically the number and accessibility of resin channels rather than their surface area. Pine needles have more channels with greater accessibility than spruce. The results suggest that spruce is more suitable for short term measurement while pine for determining long term cumulative exposure.

Air Pollutants↗

PubMed2003

Effects of saxitoxin (STX) and veratridine on bacterial Na+ -K+ fluxes: a prokaryote-based STX bioassay.

Saxitoxin (STX) is a potent natural sodium channel blocker and represents a significant health concern worldwide. We describe here the antagonistic effects of STX and veratridine (VTD), an Na+ channel activator, on three gram-negative bacteria and their application to an STX bioassay. STX reduced the total cellular levels of both Na+ and K+, as measured by flame photometry, whereas VTD increased the cellular concentrations relative to control ion fluxes in the cyanobacterium Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii AWT205. Endogenous STX production in toxic cyanobacterial strains of C. raciborskii and Anabaena circinalis prevented cell lysis induced by VTD stress. Microscopic cell counts showed that non-STX producing cyanobacteria displayed complete cell lysis and trichome fragmentation 5 to 8 h after addition of VTD and vanadate (VAN), an inhibitor of sodium pumps. The addition of STX, or its analogue neoSTX, prior to treatment with VTD plus VAN prevented complete lysis in non-STX-producing cyanobacteria. VTD also affected cyanobacterial metabolism, and the presence of exogenous STX in the sample also ameliorated this decrease in metabolic activity, as measured by the cellular conversion of tetrazolium into formazan. Reduced primary metabolism was also recorded as a decrease in the light emissions of Vibrio fischeri exposed to VTD. Addition of STX prior to VTD resulted in a rapid and dose-dependent response to the presence of the channel blocker, with samples exhibiting resistance to the VTD effect. Our findings demonstrate that STX and VTD influence bacterial Na+ and K+ fluxes in opposite ways, and these principles can be applied to the development of a prokaryote-based STX bioassay.

Bacteriolysis↗

PubMed2002

Assessment of persistent and bioaccumulating chemicals in the aquatic environment.

In recent years several national and international organizations have initiated actions to control the use and release of persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic substances (PBTs). Consequently, a number of criteria have been proposed for the classification of these parameters. The scientific bases for PBTs assessment has grown a great deal over the last decades. In some specific areas reliable predictive capability exists while in other areas considerable uncertainty is still present. This paper will briefly point out the achievements and limitations of the knowledge on persistence and bioaccumulation with reference to the aquatic environment.

Animals↗

PubMed2002

Environmental risk assessment of pesticides on aquatic life in Xiamen, China.

This paper describes the results of the environmental risk assessment of the pesticides used in agriculture in Xiamen, China. The goal was to assess the impact on water resources, particularly on fisheries and mariculture. Data on ecotoxicological properties of the pesticides and their physico-chemical profile were collected. The simulation of the environmental behaviour of the pesticides in relation to the load applied onto the agricultural areas was done using the SoilFug model. Risk assessment was performed, pesticides approximate concentrations have been calculated, chemicals at highest risk were identified, and risk management measures were indicated. This study could represent a cost-effective method that may be used before engaging in expensive monitoring programs for pesticide use in developing countries, where analytical facilities are lacking.

Animals↗