Andrea Sanna

• Research Assistant at Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Abruzzo e del Molise G. Caporale

Heavy metals influence the development of several health conditions, including inflammation and cancer. This study investigates the relationship between heavy metal concentrations in plasma and urine, and the presence of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), precancerous lesions (PL), and prostate cancer (PC). The influence of age, total PSA levels,...

Aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) may be present in milk as a result of the ingestion of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), which could potentially be contained in dairy feed due to contamination by molds such as Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus. AFM1 is a toxic molecule classified by the IARC as “potentially carcinogenic to humans” in Group 1. In addition to the four af...

A total of 30 samples of Atlantic bluefin tuna were analysed for total mercury concentration. Relationships between total mercury content and age, Fulton’s condition index (K) and fat content were statistically evaluated. The effect of muscle status (raw, pre-canning, canned) on mercury content was also investigated. The average total mercury conte...

The presence of unauthorized substances, such as residues of veterinary medicines or chemical contaminants, in food can represent a possible health concern. For this reason, a complete legislative framework has been established in the European Union (EU), which defines the maximum limits allowed in food and carries out surveillance programs to cont...

The mechanisms of mercury accumulation and distribution in fish tissues are related to its high affinity for sulfhydryl groups in proteins. There is evidence that mercury is distributed unevenly based on the different reactivity of these groups in the various muscle proteins. Tuna fish also shows numerous specialized anatomical features including t...

Mercury contamination in fish products, and in large pelagic predatory fish in particular, is a remarkable food safety issue that affects fish industry. A lot made up by Bluefin tunas caught at Porto Paglia − in the southwestern coast of Sardinia − was subject to several sessions of fish meat official sampling, as disputable results of mercury leve...

Levels of hexabromocyclododecane isomers a, b, g, (HBCDDs) and tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBP-A) were determined in 24 representative samples of different wild fish and seafood species (benthic: N ¼ 16; pelagic: N ¼ 8) and 16 samples of farmed bivalve molluscs from the West Mediterranean Sea (FAO 37, 1.3 sub-area). An LC-MS/MS-based method with limits...

Brominated flame retardands have been considered among priority substances to be monitored in the environment and in the biota, due to their persistence, bioaccumulation and toxicity. HexaBromoCicloDoDecane (HBCDD) isomers (α-HBCD, β-HBCD, γ-HBCD) were determined in 24 different wild fish species (bentic: N = 16; pelagic N = 8) and of 8 farmed biva...

Cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb) and mercury (Hg) levels were determined in organs and tissues of free-ranging wild boars (n = 60) from hunting ground in an area of Sardinia. (Italy). In this area located in the Nord of the Island. the economy is mainly based on agriculture and sheep farming. Due to the low number of industrial activities, it can be conside...

A survey of cadmium levels in cephalopods was performed on samples purchased in Sardinia covering the period 2008-2014. Cadmium occurrence was determined in 139 samples, among different species (commons octopus, cuttlefish , common squid and flying squid), collected in local retail outlets. Results were evaluated in order to establish compliance wi...