Occurrence and pattern of legacy and emerging per- and Poly-FluoroAlkyl substances (PFAS) in eggs of loggerhead turtle Caretta caretta from western Mediterranean.

Per-and Poly-FluoroAlkyl Substances (PFAS) are a class of persistent, toxic, and mobile and chemicals both from industrial sources and from the use and disposal of Consumers products containing PFAS, whose concentration in marine food webs could pose a toxicological risk for biota and humans. In 2021, unhatched eggs were sampled from 41 loggerhead turtle Caretta caretta nests from the Italian shores of the Campania Region (Southern Italy). Whole eggs were analysed for the presence of 66 legacy and emerging PFAS with Liquid Chromatography coupled to Hybrid High Resolution Mass Spectrometry.

Trace Elements and Persistent Organic Pollutants in Unhatched Loggerhead Turtle Eggs from an Emerging Nesting Site along the Southwestern Coasts of Italy, Western Mediterranean Sea.

Marine pollution is one of the major threats affecting loggerhead turtles, which due to their long life span, highly migratory behavior, and carnivorous diet, may be exposed to elevated levels of toxic elements throughout their life. The transfer of chemicals from mothers to their offspring is of particular conservation concern because it may affect embryonic development and hatching success. In this study, the concentrations of 16 toxic and potentially toxic trace elements, 6 indicator polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and organochlorine pesticide residues (OCPs) were determined in 138 eggs from 46 loggerhead turtle nests laid during the 2021 nesting season in Campania, Italy, western Mediterranean Sea.

Levels of non-dioxin-like PCBs (NDL-PCBs) in liver of loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) from the Tyrrhenian Sea (Southern Italy).

The levels of six non-dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs 28, 52, 101, 138, 153, and 180) were determined in the liver of 84 loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) stranded along the coasts of the Tyrrhenian Sea in Campania Region (Southern Italy), from 2017 to 2021. The average value of the sum (∑PCB) was 28.0 ± 52.

Essential and Non-Essential Elements in Razor Clams (, Pulteney, 1799) from the Domitio Littoral in Campania (Southwestern Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy).

The levels of essential (Cu, Cr, Co, Mn, Se, Zn) and non-essential (As, Be, Bi, Cd, Cs, Ga, Ni, Pb, Sr, Tl, U, V) trace elements were studied in razor clams (Solen marginatus) collected from the Tyrrhenian coast of Southern Italy at five selected sites along the Domitio littoral in the Campania region. The main objectives of this study were to assess the contamination status of these bivalve mollusks and to evaluate the risks to the environment and consumers due to metal contamination. The concentrations of 18 trace elements were determined after microwave-assisted mineralization and by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS).

Concentrations of trace elements in tissues of loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) from the Tyrrhenian and the Ionian coastlines (Calabria, Italy).

Toxic trace elements from both, natural and anthropogenic origin, pose a threat to aquatic environments and marine wildlife due to their long-range transport, bioaccumulative nature, and biomagnification through the food chain. Being long-lived and migratory animals, sea turtles can be exposed to elevated levels of toxic elements, and are therefore considered sentinel species for chemical pollution. In this study, concentrations of trace elements (arsenic, cadmium, lead, mercury) were determined in tissues of 46 loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) stranded along Tyrrhenian and Ionian coasts of Calabria, in Southern Italy, between 2014 and 2020.

Ecological risk and estimates of organophosphate pesticides loads into the Central Mediterranean Sea from Volturno River, the river of the "Land of Fires" area, southern Italy.

The organophosphate pesticides pollution in the Volturno River and its environmental impact on the Tyrrhenian Sea (Central Mediterranean Sea) were estimated. Eight selected organophosphate pesticides (diazinon, dimethoate, malathion, chlorpyrifos, pirimiphos-methyl, fenitrothion, methidathion and tolclofos-methyl) were determined in the water dissolved phase, suspended particulate matter and sediment samples collected from 10 sites in different seasons. Total organophosphate pesticides concentrations ranged from 0.

Role of key-regulator genes in melanoma susceptibility and pathogenesis among patients from South Italy.

Background: Several genetic alterations have been demonstrated to contribute to the development and progression of melanoma. In this study, we further investigated the impact of key-regulator genes in susceptibility and pathogenesis of such a disease.

Methods: A large series (N = 846) of sporadic and familial cases originating from South Italy was screened for germline mutations in p16(CDKN2A), BRCA2, and MC1R genes by DHPLC analysis and automated DNA sequencing.

Role of the EGF +61A>G polymorphism in melanoma pathogenesis: an experience on a large series of Italian cases and controls.

Background: A single nucleotide polymorphism (61A>G) in the epidermal growth factor (EGF) gene has been implicated in both melanoma pathogenesis and increased melanoma risk. To further evaluate this association, we conducted a case-control study in a clinic-based Italian population.

Methods: Individuals with less than 10 (N = 127) or more than 100 (N = 128) benign nevi, and patients with cutaneous melanoma (N = 418) were investigated for the EGF +61A>G polymorphism, using an automated sequencing approach.

Serial detection of circulating tumour cells by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction assays is a marker for poor outcome in patients with malignant melanoma.

Background: Detection of circulating malignant cells (CMCs) through a reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay seems to be a demonstration of systemic disease. We here evaluated the prognostic role of RT-PCR assays in serially-taken peripheral blood samples from patients with malignant melanoma (MM).

Methods: One hundred forty-nine melanoma patients with disease stage ranging from I to III were consecutively collected in 1997.

Factors predicting the occurrence of germline mutations in candidate genes among patients with cutaneous malignant melanoma from South Italy.

Clinical predictors for germline mutations of candidate genes in large clinic based population of patients with cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM) are widely awaited. Using denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography (DHPLC) analysis and DNA sequencing, 557 consecutively-collected CMM patients originating from South Italy were screened for CDKN2A germline mutations; subsets of them were screened for mutations in the BRAF and BRCA2 genes. Seven CDKN2A mutations were detected in 14 (2.