Publications by authors named "Carmine Merola"

This study reports the determination of DNOC in the baits and gastric contents of poisoned dogs and wild canids collected in the Abruzzo region between 2014 and 2022. A total of 663 samples of the baits and carcasses of domestic and wild animals were analyzed for the determination of DNOC through GC-MS. DNOC was found to be present in 58 cases from 663 analyzed samples, with 49 poison baits and nine gastric content samples from dogs and red foxes.

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Rare earth elements (REEs) have shown promising potential in veterinary medicine, particularly as feed additives and diagnostic and therapeutic tools. Moreover, the increasing industrial use of REEs has raised concerns about their potential environmental contamination and bioaccumulation in animal tissues. While numerous studies have focused on the distribution of REEs in marine and freshwater ecosystems, information regarding their presence in terrestrial environments remains fragmented.

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Environmental pollutants used as plasticizers in food packaging and in thousands of everyday products have become harmful for their impact on human health. Among them, phthalates, recognized as emerging endocrine disruptors (EDs) can induce toxic effects leading to different health disorders. Only few studies evaluated the effects of di-n-hexyl phthalate (DnHP) in in vivo models and no studies have been conducted to investigate the effect of DnHP on the endocannabinoid system (ECS), one of the majors signaling pathways involved in the microbiota-gut-brain axis.

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is the causative agent of Q fever. The main reservoirs for this bacterium, which can lead to human infection, in our region are typically cattle, goats, and sheep. In animals, infection is often detected due to reproductive problems.

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Article Synopsis
  • Sodium valproate (SV), an anticonvulsant medication, has been shown to cause significant developmental issues when zebrafish embryos are exposed to it during early development.
  • The study found that exposure to SV resulted in severe abnormalities in the cardiovascular system, craniofacial structure, spinal skeleton, and high mortality rates among the embryos.
  • Additionally, neurobehavioral deficits were observed in the larvae, reflecting characteristics similar to those seen in autistic spectrum disorders, confirming SV's teratogenic potential.
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Quantification of trace element concentrations in human and animal tissues has acquired great importance in the last few years, considering the pivotal role of these elements in several physiological and pathological processes. Variations in their concentrations appear to have a role in the development and advancement of diseases in both humans and animals, for example, cancer. The purpose of this study was to investigate the concentration of rare earth elements and metals in healthy and neoplastic Formalin-Fixed Paraffin-Embedded (FFPE) mammary gland tissue of dogs.

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Rare Earth Elements (REEs) are strategical elements playing a crucial role in the industry, especially in producing high-tech materials. Therefore, REEs are new contaminants of emerging concerns. However, due to the lack of exposure data on REE occurrence in environmental matrices, especially in European countries, it is still tricky to establish environmental background levels to assess the ecotoxicological risk related to REEs exposure.

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Parabens are preservatives found in cosmetics, processed foods, and medications. The harmful repercussions on the central nervous system by one of the most common parabens, propylparaben (PrP), are yet unknown, especially during development. In this study, the neurodevelopmental effects of PrP and long-term neurotoxicity were investigated in the zebrafish model, using an integrated approach.

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Article Synopsis
  • Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a significant global health issue that requires new approaches to tackle infectious diseases.
  • The diverse plant species and phytochemicals found in Italian flora could provide promising solutions in the fight against AMR.
  • This study focuses on exploring the antimicrobial effects of these plants and their compounds to develop new antimicrobial agents for use in animal production.
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Among emerging layered materials, 2D transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) nanosheets (n-sheets) have received increasing attention for optoelectronics, energy storage, and, recently, for bioremediation and advanced biomedical applications; however, a lack of ecotoxicological in vivo studies is evident. Herein, for the first time, the potential nanotoxicity of liquid phase exfoliated Group VI TMDs n-sheets (MoS, WS, WSe, and MoSe) was comparatively investigated using zebrafish embryos (Z-EBs) as an in-vivo model. The 2D n-sheets were produced directly in aqueous-medium, the obtained n-sheets were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, Raman and visible spectroscopy, and their potential nanotoxicity was investigated by fish embryo test OECD TG 236.

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Many chemicals spilled in aquatic ecosystems can interfere with cognitive abilities and brain functions that control fitness-related behaviour. Hence, their harmful potential may be substantially underestimated. Triclocarban (TCC), one of the most common aquatic contaminants, is known to disrupt hormonal activity, but the consequences of this action on behaviour and its underlying cognitive mechanisms are unclear.

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sub. (SEZ) is described as a commensal bacterium of several animal species, including humans. Growing evidence supports the potential role of SEZ in the onset and progression of severe clinical manifestations of diseases in horses and other animals.

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and are emerging as major milk-borne pathogens. Additionally, resistance to antibiotics of pathogens is of concern. Therefore, this study investigated the prevalence and drug resistance of and in mastitis milk samples and assessed the antimicrobial potential of sodium alginate (G)-stabilized MgO nanoparticles (M) and antibiotics (tylosin [T] and ampicillin [A]) against both of these pathogens.

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Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the world's industrialized nations' biggest issues. It has a significant influence on the ecosystem and negatively affects human health. The overuse of antibiotics in the healthcare and agri-food industries has historically been defined as a leading factor, although the use of antimicrobial-containing personal care products plays a significant role in the spread of AMR.

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Triclocarban (TCC), is an antimicrobial component in personal care products and it is one of the emerging contaminants since it has been detected in various environmental matrices. Its presence in human cord blood, breast milk, and maternal urine raised issues about its possible impact on development and increased concerns about the safety of daily exposure. This study aims to provide additional information about the effects of zebrafish early-life exposure to TCC on eye development and visual function.

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Valproic acid (VPA) is an anti-epileptic drug used alone or in combination with other medications to treat seizures, mania, and bipolar disorder. VPA recognized as a teratogenic chemical can cause severe birth defects mainly affecting the brain and spinal cord when administered during pregnancy. However, the potential mechanisms of developmental toxicity are still less studied, and in the present study, the influence of VPA exposure was evaluated on zebrafish early-life stages.

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Recent pharmacological research on milk whey, a byproduct of the dairy industry, has identified several therapeutic properties that could be exploited in modern medicine. In the present study, we investigated the anticancer effects of whey from Mediterranean buffalo () milk. The antitumour effect of delactosed milk whey (DMW) was evaluated using the HCT116 xenograft mouse model of colorectal cancer (CRC).

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Introduction: Oxysterols are cholesterol oxidation products and bioactive lipids involved in developmental signalling pathways, embryonic and postembryonic tissue patterning and homeostasis. The embryonic period is a very sensitive window of exposure to bisphenol A (BPA), hence the role of BPA on the levels of oxysterols in the very early stages of zebrafish embryogenesis is a relevant novel field of investigation.

Objectives: To compare the role of BPA on oxysterols levels in zebrafish embryos at 8 and 24 h post fertilization (hpf) with cytochromes P450 (CYPs)-modulating chemicals (carbamazepine, ketoconazole, and hydrogen peroxide).

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Pendimethalin (PND) is a dinitroaniline preemergent herbicide widely used to control grasses and weeds. The present study aimed to evaluate the PND potential effects on the development of zebrafish early-life stages. The research focuses first on acute toxicity, followed by the integration of toxicity results through histopathology, oxidative status, and neurotoxicity evaluation of sublethal and environmentally relevant concentrations.

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Oxysterols have long been considered as simple by-products of cholesterol metabolism, but they are now fully designed as bioactive lipids that exert their multiple effects through their binding to several receptors, representing endogenous mediators potentially involved in several metabolic diseases. There is also a growing concern that metabolic disorders may be linked with exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs). To date, there are no studies aimed to link EDCs exposure to oxysterols perturbation-neither in vivo nor in vitro studies.

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Objectives: The present study aimed to investigate the acute toxicity and the developmental alterations induced by triclosan (TCS) exposure in zebrafish early-life stages using fish embryo acute toxicity tests as a methodological approach.

Material And Methods: Zebrafish embryos were exposed to five concentrations of TCS and the four lethal alterations were daily recorded to determine the toxicological endpoints of acute toxicity. Furthermore, sublethal alterations were recorded to assess the effect of exposure concentrations on zebrafish embryo's development.

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Human activity is responsible for producing several chemical compounds, which contaminate the aquatic environment and adversely influence the survival of aquatic species and indirectly human health. Triclocarban (TCC) belongs to the category of emerging pollutants and its presence in aquatic environment is justified by its wide use as antimicrobial agent in personal care products. The concern about this chemical is due to the risk of persistence in water and soils and bioaccumulation, which contributes to human exposition through the contaminated food consumption.

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The reasons behind the extensive use of pesticides include the need to destroy vector organisms and promote agricultural production in order to sustain population growth. Exposure to pesticides is principally occupational, even if their persistence in soil, surface water and food brings the risk closer to the general population, hence the demand for risk assessment, since these compounds exist not only as individual chemicals but also in form of mixtures. In light of this, zebrafish represents a suitable model for the evaluation of toxicological effects.

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Parabens are classified as endocrine disrupting chemicals due to their ability to activate several nuclear receptors causing changes in hormones-dependent signalling pathways. Central nervous system of developing organisms is particularly vulnerable to changes in hormonal pathways, which could lead to altered brain function, abnormal behaviour and even diseases later in life. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of exposure to butylparaben (BuP), ethylparaben (EtP) and methylparaben (MeP) during early development on nervous system using zebrafish larvae's behavioural models.

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The pathophysiological processes of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs), i.e., Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), are still not completely understood.

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