Risk assessment of food contact materials.

Food Contact Materials (FCMs), such as plastics, papers, ceramics and inks used in food packaging, containers, kitchen utensils and tableware are subject to scrutiny due to their potential to release toxic compounds into food. In the European Union, materials and articles intended for contact with food must adhere to stringent safety regulations and novel materials not explicitly covered by existing legislation require individual risk assessment. This project focused on the assessment of the genotoxic potential of two substances used in FCMs, specifically neodecanoic acid (NDA) and di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), for which data gaps have been identified in genotoxicity studies.

Genotoxicity assessment: opportunities, challenges and perspectives for quantitative evaluations of dose-response data.

Genotoxicity data are mainly interpreted in a qualitative way, which typically results in a binary classification of chemical entities. For more than a decade, there has been a discussion about the need for a paradigm shift in this regard. Here, we review current opportunities, challenges and perspectives for a more quantitative approach to genotoxicity assessment.

Conducting ITO Nanoparticle-Based Aerogels-Nonaqueous One-Pot Synthesis vs. Particle Assembly Routes.

Indium tin oxide (ITO) aerogels offer a combination of high surface area, porosity and conductive properties and could therefore be a promising material for electrodes in the fields of batteries, solar cells and fuel cells, as well as for optoelectronic applications. In this study, ITO aerogels were synthesized via two different approaches, followed by critical point drying (CPD) with liquid CO. During the nonaqueous one-pot sol-gel synthesis in benzylamine (BnNH), the ITO nanoparticles arranged to form a gel, which could be directly processed into an aerogel via solvent exchange, followed by CPD.

Risk assessment of food contact materials.

In the EU, any material or article intended to come into contact with food, which is placed on the market, has to comply with the requirements of the Regulation (EC) No 1935/2004 - the so called 'framework regulation' for food contact materials (FCM). FCM covers a wide range of materials, including plastics, paper, metal and glass, which contain chemicals that might migrate into food. These chemicals must not migrate into the foodstuff in quantities that could endanger human health, bring about an unacceptable change in the composition of the food, or bring about a deterioration in the organoleptic characteristics thereof.

One year of COVID-19 pandemic: Health care workers' infection rates and economical burden in medical facilities for oral and maxillofacial surgery.

The aim of this study was to create an overview on the COVID-associated burdens faced by the oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMS) workforce during 1 year of the pandemic. OMS hospitals and private practices nationwide were surveyed regarding health care worker (HCW) screening, infection status, pre-interventional testing, personal protective equipment (PPE), and economic impact. Participants were recruited via the German Society for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery.

Migration of styrene oligomers from food contact materials: in silico prediction of possible genotoxicity.

Styrene oligomers (SO) are well-known side products formed during styrene polymerization. They consist mainly of dimers (SD) and trimers (ST) that have been shown to be still residual in polystyrene (PS) materials. In this study migration of SO from PS into sunflower oil at temperatures between 5 and 70 °C and contact times between 0.

Factors associated with an increased risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection in healthcare workers in aerosol-generating disciplines.

Background: Healthcare workers (HCWs) are at a high risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection due to exposure to potentially infectious material, especially during aerosol-generating procedures (AGP). We aimed to investigate risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 infection among HCWs in medical disciplines with AGP.

Methods: A nationwide questionnaire-based study in private practices and hospital settings was conducted between 12/16/2020 and 01/24/2021.

Risk Assessment of Food Contact Materials II.

Food contact materials (FCMs) are materials and articles intended to be placed in direct or indirect contact with foodstuffs, or which can reasonably be expected to come into contact with food under normal or foreseeable conditions of use. Substances intentionally used to manufacture FCMs, as well as non-intentionally added substances resulting from impurities, by-products and/or degradation products, can migrate from FMCs into food and, consequently, are taken up by humans. To protect consumers' health, EU legislation requires that FCMs must be sufficiently inert to prevent substances from being transferred into the food in quantities that could endanger human health.

SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination Rate and SARS-CoV-2 Infection of Health Care Workers in Aerosol-Generating Medical Disciplines.

Healthcare workers (HCW) who perform aerosol-generating procedures (AGP) are at high risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Data on infection rates and vaccination are limited. A nationwide, cross-sectional study focusing on AGP-related specialties was conducted between 3 May 2021 and 14 June 2021.

One Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Dental Medical Facilities in Germany: A Questionnaire-Based Analysis.

(1) Background: The COVID-19 pandemic forced healthcare workers to adapt to challenges in both patient care and self-protection. Dental practitioners were confronted with a potentially high possibility of infection transmission due to aerosol-generating procedures. This study aims to present data on healthcare worker (HCW) screening, infection status of HCWs, pre-interventional testing, the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and the economic impact of the pandemic in dental facilities.

[Impact of Covid 19 on endoscopy in Germany].

Background: Practices and hospitals are facing great challenges in coping with the COVID-19-pandemic. So far, data on the impact of the pandemic on gastroenterological facilities are lacking, especially on a temporal course. A database is lacking, especially for the outpatient care sector.

Gastrointestinal bleeding and endoscopic findings in critically and non-critically ill patients with corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19): Results from Lean European Open Survey on SARS-CoV-2 (LEOSS) and COKA registries.

Background: Corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients are at increased risk for thromboembolic events. It is unclear whether the risk for gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding is also increased.

Methods: We considered 4128 COVID-19 patients enrolled in the Lean European Open Survey on SARS-CoV-2 (LEOSS) registry.

Evaluation of the ESGE recommendations for COVID-19 pre-endoscopy risk-stratification in a high-volume center in Germany.

The European Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ESGE) has defined COVID-19 infection prevention and control strategies within the endoscopy unit. These include pre-endoscopic questionnaire-based risk-stratification as well as pre-procedure viral testing. Real-life data on the effectiveness of these measures are presented here.

Performance of antigen testing for diagnosis of COVID-19: a direct comparison of a lateral flow device to nucleic acid amplification based tests.

Objectives: The gold standard for diagnosing an infection with SARS-CoV-2 is detection of viral RNA by nucleic acid amplification techniques. Test capacities, however, are limited. Therefore, numerous easy-to-use rapid antigen tests based on lateral flow technology have been developed.

Status quo after one year of COVID-19 pandemic in otolaryngological hospital-based departments and private practices in Germany.

Purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic has affected healthcare systems worldwide. Data on the impact on otolaryngological clinics and private practices is sparse. This study aimed to present data on healthcare worker (HCW) screening, status of HCW, pre-interventional testing, the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and the economic impact of the pandemic.

A prospective whole-mixture approach to assess risk of the food and chemical exposome.

Many widely used chemicals result in ubiquitous human exposure from multiple sources, including diet. Legislation mainly deals with the toxicological evaluation of single substances owing to a methodological and conceptual lack of alternatives, and does so within defined silos subject to over 40 distinct regulations in the EU alone. Furthermore, much of the research and many of the initiatives concerned with the assessment and evaluation of chemical mixtures and their potential effects on human health rely on retrospective analysis.

Ticagrelor or Aspirin After Coronary Artery Bypass in Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease.

Background: The optimal antiplatelet therapy for patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery remains unknown.

Methods: This post hoc analysis of the Ticagrelor in Coronary Artery Bypass (TiCAB) trial examined the efficacy and safety of ticagrelor vs aspirin in patients with and patients without CKD. The primary endpoint was major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE), namely, the composite of cardiovascular death, stroke, myocardial infarction, or revascularization at 1 year after coronary artery bypass graft surgery.

Novel indirect co-culture of immortalised hepatocytes with monocyte derived macrophages is characterised by pro-inflammatory cytokine networks.

The liver is composed of different cell populations. Interactions of different cell populations can be investigated by a newly established indirect co-culture system consisting of immortalised primary human hepatocytes and human monocyte derived macrophages (MDMs). Using the time-dependent cytokine secretion of the co-cultures and single cultures, correlation networks (including the cytokines G-CSF, CCL3, MCP-1, CCL20, FGF, TGF-β1, GM-CSF, IL-8 IL-6, IL-1β, and IL-18) were generated and the correlations were validated by application of IL-8 and TNF-α-neutralising antibodies.

Indirect co-cultivation of HepG2 with differentiated THP-1 cells induces AHR signalling and release of pro-inflammatory cytokines.

HepG2 and THP-1 cells, the latter differentiated by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA), were co-cultured and characterized for typical liver-specific functions, such as xenobiotic detoxification, lipid and cholesterol metabolism. Furthermore, liver injury-associated pathways, such as inflammation, were studied. In general, the co-cultivation of these cells produced a pro-inflammatory system, as indicated by increased levels of cytokines (IL-8, TGF-α, IL-6, GM-CSF, G-CSF, TGF-β, and hFGF) in the respective supernatant.

Step-by-step monitoring of a magnetic and SERS-active immunosensor assembly for purification and detection of tau protein.

We report a bottom-up synthesis of iron oxide and gold nanoparticles, which are functionalized and combined to form a nanohybrid serving as an immune sensor, which selectively binds to tau protein, a biomarker for diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. Detection of the target analyte is achieved by surface-enhanced Raman scattering originating from the diagnostic part of the nanohybrid that was prepared from Au nanoparticles functionalized with 5,5'-dithiobis-(2-nitrobenzoic acid) as a Raman reporter and monoclonal anti-tau antibody. The magnetic part consists of Fe O nanoparticles functionalized with polyclonal anti-tau antibody and is capable to separate tau protein from a complex matrix such as cerebrospinal fluid.

Aggregated aluminium exposure: risk assessment for the general population.

Aluminium is one of the most abundant elements in earth's crust and its manifold uses result in an exposure of the population from many sources. Developmental toxicity, effects on the urinary tract and neurotoxicity are known effects of aluminium and its compounds. Here, we assessed the health risks resulting from total consumer exposure towards aluminium and various aluminium compounds, including contributions from foodstuffs, food additives, food contact materials (FCM), and cosmetic products.

Minor structural modifications of bisphenol A strongly affect physiological responses of HepG2 cells.

Bisphenols represent a large group of structurally similar compounds. In contrast to bisphenol A (BPA) and bisphenol S (BPS), however, toxicological data are usually scarce, thus making bisphenols an ideal candidate for read-across assessments. BPA, bisphenol C (BPC) and a newly synthesized bisphenol A/C (BPA/C) differ only by one methyl group attached to the phenolic ring.

Insights into possibilities for grouping and read-across for nanomaterials in EU chemicals legislation.

This paper presents a comprehensive review of European Union (EU) legislation addressing the safety of chemical substances, and possibilities within each piece of legislation for applying grouping and read-across approaches for the assessment of nanomaterials (NMs). Hence, this review considers both the overarching regulation of chemical substances under REACH (Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 on registration, evaluation, authorization, and restriction of chemicals) and CLP (Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 on classification, labeling and packaging of substances and mixtures) and the sector-specific pieces of legislation for cosmetic, plant protection and biocidal products, and legislation addressing food, novel food, and food contact materials. The relevant supporting documents (e.