Urban green-space topsoils can retain persistent metal(loid) signatures from parent material, historical industry, traffic emissions, atmospheric deposition and reworked urban materials. This study assessed As, Be, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, V and Zn in composite topsoils from Leicester and Leicestershire, United Kingdom, using an area-level geochemical screening design. Eighteen urban parks/open spaces and eight rural areas were sampled through 850 field increments. Within each area, the increments were pooled and homogenised to form one area-level composite, from which two separately identified laboratory samples were obtained, yielding 52 samples. These samples were subsequently subsampled for independent analytical processing, resulting in 102 valid analytical subsamples. Target elements were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry after HNO₃/HCl pseudo-total digestion, except Fe, which was measured by atomic absorption spectrometry; Cd and Cr were treated as left-censored variables without substitution. Urban topsoils showed higher Cr, Cu and Zn, consistent with diffuse urban, traffic-related and historical land-use influences, whereas rural topsoils showed higher As and V, supporting stronger parent-material, clay/oxide or soil-matrix control. Atlas-normalised pollution index, enrichment factor and pollution load index values indicated mild to moderate enrichment, with the south-west quadrant showing the clearest cumulative signal and Cu and Pb the strongest Fe-normalised enrichment. Principal component analysis and Spearman correlation structure distinguished an Fe–As–V matrix-related component from enrichment-sensitive Cr–Cu–Pb/Ni/Cd/Zn behaviour. Screening-level health calculations identified child resident/public-access hazard indices above unity under precautionary assumptions, mainly because of As, while adult resident and worker hazard indices remained below unity. Pb screening ratios were below unity and estimated cancer risks fell within 10⁻⁶–10⁻4. These results provide composite-derived geochemical screening evidence, not a statutory contaminated-land assessment.

Iron (Fe) deficiency is a public health concern in the United Kingdom (UK). The dietary intake of Fe was determined in 111 (20.45 yrs. old; 78 females; 41 Asian, 41 African, and 27 European) De Montfort University (DMU, UK) students between 2015 and 2016. Overall, 25.7% and 8.3% of this population were overweight and obese; meanwhile, 9.2% were underweight. The dietary intake of Fe was significantly higher in male participants (17.700 vs. 13.634 mg/day), which could be attributed to the significantly higher intake of foods rich in bioavailable iron, specifically meat (271.553 vs. 193.063 g/day) in males. Moreover, the dietary intakes of Fe did not show statistical differences according to BMI or ethnic background, which might be attributed to the low/different number of responses. The dietary intakes of Fe recorded were higher than the reference nutrient intake (RNI) established for male (8.7, range = 6.257–43.809) and female (14.7, range = 4.748–40.693; all in mg/day) populations in the UK for most of the participants. Suboptimal iron status could have a negative impact on academic performance that should be tackled by implementing public health strategies to improve body Fe status in university students.

Face-to-face teaching was quickly moved to remote teaching following the introduction of a national lockdown in the United Kingdom (UK) on 23 March 2020 to tackle the coronavirus pandemic 2019 (COVID-19). In this context, De Montfort University (DMU, UK) expanded and adapted its pre-existing open-access virtual learning environment, named e-Biology (http://parasitology.dmu.ac.uk/ebiology/), to better support clinical biochemistry education in a remote setting. Originally created in 2017 to assist students' transition into biomedical science programmes, e-Biology was updated with specific modules for clinical biochemistry, including theoretical, laboratory, microscope, and case study components. This package has been used to teach final-year BSc Biomedical Science students since 2020/2021. Detailed analysis of scores of two multiple choice question tests distributed at the beginning (preScore; 39.3% and 41.4% successful, for all the cohort and paired students' exams, respectively) and end of the module (postScore; 41.8% and 45.3% successful), did show an improvement in students' overall performance but without statistical significance. However, this improvement showed statistical significance for the paired exams for the last cohort (2022/2023; from 34.0% to 46.8%; p < 0.05; n = 13/146). A total of 77.9% of respondents to the feedback questionnaire concurred that the mini-games and exercises within the e-practicals facilitated their learning and aided in their preparation for the unseen practical exam, while 13.0% neither agreed nor disagreed. These findings suggest that e-Biology was an effective tool for supporting the teaching and learning of applied clinical biochemistry remotely and may serve as a useful resource for blended and online education across STEM disciplines.

first_page Download PDF settings Order Article Reprints Font Type: Arial Georgia Verdana Font Size: Aa Aa Aa Line Spacing:    Column Width:    Background: Open AccessAbstract Biomonitoring Chromium Contamination in Urban and Rural Topsoils from Leicestershire, England † by Gurminderjeet S. JagdevGurminderjeet S. Jagdev SciProfiles Scilit Preprints.org Google Scholar 1, María del Carmen Lobo-BedmarMaría del Carmen Lobo-Bedmar SciProfiles Scilit Preprints.org Google Scholar 2, María Ángeles Peña FernándezMaría Ángeles Peña Fernández SciProfiles Scilit Preprints.org Google Scholar 3, Mark D. EvansMark D. Evans SciProfiles Scilit Preprints.org Google Scholar 1 and Antonio Peña-FernándezAntonio Peña-Fernández SciProfiles Scilit Preprints.org Google Scholar 1,4,* 1 Leicester School of Allied Health Sciences, De Montfort University, Leicester LE1 9BH, UK 2 Departamento de Investigación Agroambiental, Instituto Madrileño de Investigación y Desarrollo Rural Agrario y Alimentario (IMIDRA), Finca El Encín, Crta. Madrid-Barcelona Km. 38.2, 28800 Alcalá de Henares, Spain 3 Departamento de Ciencias Biomédicas, Universidad de Alcalá, Crta. Madrid-Barcelona Km. 33.6, 28871 Alcalá de Henares, Spain 4 Department of Surgery, Medical and Social Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Alcalá, Ctra. Madrid-Barcelona, Km. 33.6, 28871 Alcalá de Henares, Spain * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed. † Presented at the 1st International Electronic Conference on Toxics, 20–22 March 2024; Available online: https://sciforum.net/event/IECTO2024. Proceedings 2024, 102(1), 50; https://doi.org/10.3390/proceedings2024102050 Published: 3 April 2024 Download keyboard_arrow_down Download PDF Download PDF with Cover Download XML Download Epub Download Supplementary Material Versions Notes Keywords: chromium mushrooms; presence and distribution; human risks; Leicestershire A monitoring study was performed to characterise the risks of chromium (Cr) in Leicestershire, England. A total of 106 wild-growing mushrooms were collected from Leicester city and Bradgate Park (a nearby rural park). Cr was monitored via ICP-MS in cleaned/dried/homogenised and appropriately mineralised mushrooms [LoD = 1.012 µg/g dry weight (dw)]. Cr was also monitored in 850 topsoils collected across Leicestershire and processed as composite samples via ICP-MS after acid/microwave digestion (LoD = 3.683 µg/g). Cr was detected in 92.2% of the topsoil samples and 47.1% of the mushroom samples [median and range, in µg/g dw; 0.863 (1.012–19.466)], showing significant distribution across the four ordinal directions in which Leicestershire was divided [SE (1.908) > NW (1.738) > NE (0.987) > SW (LoD); Peto–Prentice test, χ2(2) = 12.4, p-value = 0.002]. These results might suggest some level of Cr pollution in Leicestershire, as they are higher than the proposed reference interval for wild mushrooms that grow in unpolluted areas (0.5–5 µg/g dw). A similar distribution of Cr was found in the monitored topsoils. The highest concentration was found in those collected in the southeast and the lowest in the southwest quadrant (123.137 vs. 20.947 µg/g). Moreover, significantly higher levels were found in topsoils collected in the urban area (median and range, in µg/g; Peto–Prentice test, χ2(1) = 1.1, p-value = 9 × 10−4): 82.542 (3.683–196.795) vs. 32.806 (3.683–265.069). This difference might be attributed to different anthropogenic sources, such as vehicles. All bioconcentration factor values were lower than one, suggesting a low bioaccumulation of Cr in the wild mushrooms species collected in Leicestershire. Toxic risks derived from oral, inhalation, and dermal exposure to Cr from topsoils in the four urban ordinal directions (NW = 1.95 × 10−1, NE = 1.40 × 10−1, SW = 2.53 × 10−1, SE = 4.30 × 10−2) were lower than one, suggesting a minimal risk for Leicester's population. However, speciation analysis would be needed to rule out carcinogenic risks of exposure to hexavalent Cr. Supplementary MaterialsThe following are available online at https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/proceedings2024102050/s1.Author ContributionsConceptualization, A.P.-F.; methodology, G.S.J., M.d.C.L.-B., M.Á.P.F., M.D.E. and A.P.-F.; validation, G.S.J. and A.P.-F.; formal analysis, G.S.J., M.d.C.L.-B. and A.P.-F.; investigation, G.S.J., M.d.C.L.-B., M.Á.P.F., M.D.E. and A.P.-F.; resources, A.P.-F. and M.d.C.L.-B.; data curation, G.S.J., M.d.C.L.-B., M.Á.P.F., M.D.E. and A.P.-F.; writing—original draft preparation, A.P.-F.; writing—review and editing, G.S.J., M.d.C.L.-B., M.Á.P.F., M.D.E. and A.P.-F.; visualization, G.S.J., M.d.C.L.-B., M.Á.P.F., M.D.E. and A.P.-F.; supervision, M.d.C.L.-B., M.Á.P.F., M.D.E. and A.P.-F.; project administration, M.D.E. and A.P.-F.; funding acquisition, M.d.C.L.-B. and A.P.-F. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.FundingThis work has been funded through the program EIADES: "Technology Assessment and Remediation of Contaminated Sites" S0505/AMB-0296 and S2009/AMB-1478. Consejería de Educación, Comunidad de Madrid, Spain.Institutional Review Board StatementNot applicable.Informed Consent StatementNot applicable.Data Availability StatementThe data presented in this study are available on request from the corresponding author. The data are not publicly available due to further processing for a future submission as a manuscript.Conflicts of InterestThe authors declare no conflict of interest. Disclaimer/Publisher's Note: The statements, opinions and data contained in all publications are solely those of the individual author(s) and contributor(s) and not of MDPI and/or the editor(s). MDPI and/or the editor(s) disclaim responsibility for any injury to people or property resulting from any ideas, methods, instructions or products referred to in the content. © 2024 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Share and Cite MDPI and ACS Style Jagdev, G.S.; Lobo-Bedmar, M.d.C.; Peña Fernández, M.Á.; Evans, M.D.; Peña-Fernández, A. Biomonitoring Chromium Contamination in Urban and Rural Topsoils from Leicestershire, England. Proceedings 2024, 102, 50. https://doi.org/10.3390/proceedings2024102050 AMA Style Jagdev GS, Lobo-Bedmar MdC, Peña Fernández MÁ, Evans MD, Peña-Fernández A. Biomonitoring Chromium Contamination in Urban and Rural Topsoils from Leicestershire, England. Proceedings. 2024; 102(1):50. https://doi.org/10.3390/proceedings2024102050 Chicago/Turabian Style Jagdev, Gurminderjeet S., María del Carmen Lobo-Bedmar, María Ángeles Peña Fernández, Mark D. Evans, and Antonio Peña-Fernández. 2024. "Biomonitoring Chromium Contamination in Urban and Rural Topsoils from Leicestershire, England" Proceedings 102, no. 1: 50. https://doi.org/10.3390/proceedings2024102050 Article Metrics No No Article Access Statistics Multiple requests from the same IP address are counted as one view.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: University represents a key transition into adulthood with important associated concerns including poor quality diets. To assess intake of sugars and their relation to obesity in a young population of students at De Montfort University (DMU, UK). METHOD: Comprehensive nutrient intake was collected from 111 (18-23 yrs-old; 78 female) DMU students from three geographical/ethnic backgrounds (41 Asia, 41 Africa, 27 Europe), using a validated variant of the EPIC-Norfolk Food Frequency Questionnaire. Questionnaires were processed with Nutritics software and BMI calculated using height/weight, measured appropriately by a qualified nurse. RESULTS: 25.7% and 8.3% of this population were categorised as overweight or obese, respectively. Dietary intake of carbohydrates (393.93 vs. 283.70 g/day; p-value=0.0004), carbohydrate as monosaccharide equivalents (418.59 vs. 301.11 mg/day; p-value=0.00038), sugars (174.19 vs. 132.03 g/day; p-value=0.013), free sugars (83.82 vs. 55.96 g/day; p-value=0.017), glucose (28.28 vs.22.19 g/day; p-value=0.029) and fructose (30.43 vs. 23.58 g/day; p-value=0.032) were significantly higher in males, possibly explaining the significantly higher intake of energy (3064.9 vs. 2310.8 kcal/day; p-value=0.0011) seen in men. Further studies would be required to explain the higher intake of sugars in the male participants, as they are usually reported to be higher in females. The dietary intakes of galactose and sucrose did not show sex differences. Conversely, the intakes of these nutrients did not show statistical differences according to degree of obesity or ethnic background, perhaps due to the low number of participants within these different groups. CONCLUSIONS: British university students monitored eat more carbohydrates, total sugars, fructose and sucrose than those reported in American college students (20.1 years-old.) The reference intakes of total sugars (90 g/day) and free sugars (30 g/day) were also notably higher in DMU students, suggesting a high risk of obesity in this population that should be tackled by implementing strategies to promote healthier dietary and lifestyle behaviours.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: A monitoring study in Leicestershire's topsoils (UK) revealed that lanthanum (La) exceeded the established soil screening level (SSL). To gain a better understanding of the environmental presence/distribution/risks of La by using wild mushrooms collected in the same areas. METHOD: 106 mushrooms were collected from Leicester city and Bradgate Park. Species identification was confirmed by DNA barcoding. La was monitored by ICP-MS in cleaned/dried/homogenised mushrooms mineralised with HNO3/H2O2 [LoD=0.533 ng/g dry weight (dw)]. La was also monitored in 850 topsoils collected in these areas. RESULTS: Significantly higher levels were found in mushrooms collected in the urban area (median and ranges, in µg/g dw; p-value=0.04): 0.238 (0.013-10.580) vs. 0.198 (0.131-2.670), which might be attributed to the technological uses of La in catalytic converters and phosphors. Content of La varied between mushrooms collected across the four cardinal subareas in which Leicester city was divided (p-value=5E-18); the lower levels were observed in mushrooms sampled in NW areas [0.146 (0.123-4.866)], meanwhile the higher levels were found in those collected in the SW [1.286 (0.842-4.953)]. La also varied between major mushroom species collected (ranges, in µg/g; p-value=1E-19): {Agaricus bitorquis} (edible; 0.123-0.180), {Panaeolus foenisecii} (poisonous; 0.298-10.580) and {Mycena citrinomarginata} (0.374-8.194; unclassified), which might suggest a minimal exposure to La despite consumption of edible wild mushrooms collected in Leicestershire. Although a similar distribution of La was found in the topsoils, i.e. significant (p-value=0.0153) higher levels in the SW (19.621 µg/g) and lower in the NW (16.447 µg/g), no correlation was found between the content of La in mushrooms and the respective topsoils. CONCLUSIONS: The presence of La in wild mushrooms in Leicester was within the same ranges as those reported in other similar European cities. Although the risks would be minimal, La presence could contribute to the maximum level of intake of total REEs for vegetables set at 0.7 µg/g.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The aim was to determine the environmental presence and distribution of praseodymium (Pr) across Leicestershire's topsoils (UK) and examine risk characterisation. METHOD: A total of 850 samples were collected (2017-18); 26 composite samples were appropriately prepared after mixing topsoil samples collected per park/location (18 urban, 8 rural), which were further processed in duplicate. Pr was measured in triplicate in each of the 52 composite samples by ICP-MS. Both areas were further subdivided into the four ordinal directions to study the distribution of Pr. Noncarcinogenic risks were characterised following US EPA methodologies. RESULTS: Levels of Pr were similar in both urban and rural areas, respectively (median and interquartile ranges, in mg/kg): 4.692 (4.250, 5.152) and 4.883 (3.469, 6.126). Significant differences were detected for the Pr monitored in the composite samples collected throughout Leicester city (p=0.0207) and rural areas (p=0.021), which revealed different concentration patterns NESWSENW and SENESWNW for each area, respectively, reflecting a wide distribution of Pr in Leicestershire soils. The median level of Pr in both areas were lower than the background values described for this element in European topsoils (FOREGS; 5.6 mg/kg), but were higher than the described in topsoils from the industrialised town of Maribor (Slovenia; 3.13 mg/kg). Noncarcinogenic risks quotients for ingestion (1.10E-05) and dermal contact (3.90E-07) due to Pr in urban topsoils were lower than the threshold. CONCLUSIONS: Although the levels of Pr in Leicestershire topsoils would be lower than those described as background in Europe and in the Upper Continental Crust (9.1 mg/kg), further monitoring studies would be needed to have a better understanding of the potential sources (natural/anthropic) of Pr in Leicestershire, including agricultural practices, waste disposal, metal recycling, vehicular/industrial emissions and urbanisation, as a slight contamination by this metal was detected in Leicester when comparing with other industrialised towns in Europe.

Omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), are poorly synthesised in the human body and are substantially lower in Western diets compared with their shorter-chain omega-3 essential fatty acid precursors, α-linolenic acid (18:3n-3; ALA). We assessed their intake among 111 (20.45 years old; 78 females) De Montfort University (DMU, England) students. The dietary intakes of total fat (100.55 vs. 81.72; p-value = 0.032), PUFA (14.61 vs. 12.91; NS), linoleic acid (LA; 3.893 vs. 2.787; p-value = 0.0019), ALA (0.925 vs. 0.613; p-value = 0.00008), arachidonic acid (AA; 0.109 vs. 0.082; p-value = 0.0303), EPA (0.088 vs. 0.075; NS), DHA (0.153 vs. 0.121; NS), and docosapentaenoic acid (DPA; 0.043 vs. 0.032 all in g/day; NS) were significantly higher or higher in male participants, respectively. The dietary intakes of DHA + EPA in the whole group monitored (0.130 + 0.079 = 0.209 g/day) were lower than the RDI of 0.5 g/day, which considers the intake of one to two portions of fish per week. Our results highlight that some DMU students did not meet the nutritional goals for ALA, EPA, and DHA. DMU students should specifically enhance the intake of oily fish (12.422, 13.406, and 10.054 g/day for the overall, female, and male population, respectively), as these intakes only provide around 0.228, 0.246, and 0.184 g of DHA + EPA/day. Education would be required to increase awareness of the importance of consuming more fish among these young adults. Another option would be to encourage the intake of dietary fish oil supplements or the enrichment of food items largely consumed by young British adults with these long-chain PUFAs.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Although the current levels of europium (Eu) in topsoils monitored across Leicestershire (UK) did not represent an oral/dermal toxic risk for the population, wild mushrooms were collected in the same areas to gain a better picture of its environmental distribution and risks. METHOD: 106 mushrooms were collected from Leicester city and Bradgate Park, and species were identified by DNA barcoding. Eu was monitored by ICP-MS in cleaned/dried/homogenised mushrooms [LoD=0.00056 µg/g dry weight (dw)] and in 850 topsoils collected in these areas. RESULTS: Eu concentrations were higher in mushrooms collected in urban areas, although without significance (median and ranges, in µg/g dw): 0.0016 (0.0004-0.2891) vs. 0.0013 (0.00036-0.0529), which might be attributed to fertilisers. However, levels of Eu varied between mushrooms collected across the four cardinal subareas in which the city was divided (p-value=7E-9), which might indicate differences in urbanisation, as Eu is used in flat screen displays and optical fibres. Although a correlation between the content of Eu in mushrooms and their respective topsoil/subareas was not found, a similar distribution was found. Thus, significantly higher median concentrations of Eu were found in the NE (0.0047, 0.8110) and lower in the NW (0.00087, 0.5960), in mushrooms and topsoils (all in µg/g dw and µg/g, respectively). Moreover, Eu significantly varied between the three main mushroom species collected (ranges, in µg/g dw; p-value=7E-15): Agaricus bitorquis (edible; 0.00079-0.00706), Panaeolus foenisecii (poisonous; 0.00104-0.17146) and Mycena citrinomarginata (unclassified; 0.00123-0.07117). Moreover, Eu was only detected in 54.5% of the A. bitorquis samples, although detected in all the other main species collected. CONCLUSIONS: The levels of Eu found were similar/lower than those reported in other major monitoring studies performed in other European countries, suggesting that the environmental presence of Eu would represent a minimal risk for Leicestershire's population, including those individuals that pick up wild mushrooms for consumption.

The aim was two-fold: to characterise the risks of lead (Pb) in Agaricus bitorquis collected in the city of Leicester (England), and to evaluate its presence in urban topsoils. Pb was monitored by ICP-MS in twenty-two homogenised mushroom samples (caps and stipes) mineralised with HNO3/H2O2 [LoD = 0.872 mg/kg dry weight (dw)]. Moreover, 450 topsoil samples were collected from 18 urban parks across Leicester; Pb was also measured by ICP-MS after appropriate digestion (LoD = 0.698 mg/kg). Levels were significantly higher in the mushroom caps (p-value = 3 × 10−5); median and ranges are provided in mg/kg dw: 2.461 (1.806–6.664) vs. 1.579 (0.988–4.223). Concentrations were much higher than those reported in sixteen A. bisporus (median < 1.0 mg/kg DW) specifically cultivated in high-traffic areas in the inner city of Berlin, suggesting some contamination by Pb. All caps monitored exceeded the established maximum concentration limit for Pb in cultivated mushrooms in the European Union (3 mg/kg dw), in line with the high accumulative metal capability described in the literature for Agaricus spp. Although non-carcinogenic risks characterised for Pb were negligible in the monitored mushrooms, a high consumption of wild green edibles in Leicester’s city should be limited as there are multiple additional sources of Pb and other metals, and they should be substituted by cultivated edibles where possible.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The aim was to determine the presence, distribution and risks to cerium (Ce) in topsoils from Leicestershire (UK). METHOD: A total of 850 samples were collected (2017-18); 26 composite samples were appropriately prepared after mixing topsoil samples collected per park/location (18 urban, 8 rural), which were further processed in duplicate. Ce was measured in triplicate in each of the 52 composite samples by ICP-MS. Noncarcinogenic risks were characterised following US EPA methodologies. RESULTS: Slightly higher levels of Ce were found in the rural area, although without significance (data presented as median and interquartile ranges, in mg/kg): 39.825 (29.156, 51.610) vs. 38.745 (35.012, 43.746), suggesting a wide dispersion of this element. The urban/rural regions were subdivided into the four ordinal directions to study the distribution of this element. A Duncan test showed significant differences in the presence of Ce throughout Leicester city (p=0.037; NESESWNE), which might be attributed to the use of fertilisers, one of the major diffuse sources of rare earths in soils. The median level of Ce was lower than the described in soils (5-20 cm depth) sampled across London (50.9 mg/kg) and much lower than the described in topsoils monitored in urban parks in Beijing (82.7 mg/kg). Noncarcinogenic risks quotients for inhalation of Ce in resuspended soils (0.0248, 0.0255) were lower than the threshold for urban and rural areas, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, Leicester's topsoils would be slightly less contaminated by Ce than other areas in Europe as they were lower than the described as background levels for European soils (39.2 vs. 48.2 mg/kg), and would represent a minimal risk through inhalation for the population living in Leicestershire. However, a better risk characterisation is needed due to the scarcity of toxicological data for Ce, including understanding the fate processes Ce undergoes in the environment to inform decontamination strategies.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Hair mercury (Hg) levels are considered a good biomarker of exposure to this pollutant. To evaluate the exposure to Hg in undergraduate De Montfort University (DMU) students. METHOD: Nutrient intake was collected from 111 (20.45 ± 1.16 yrs-old; 33 male and 78 female) DMU students from different ethnic backgrounds (41 Asia, 41 Africa, 27 Europe, 1 Central America and 1 Caribbean), using a validated variant of the Nutrition Norfolk Food Frequency Questionnaire (EPIC-Norfolk FFQ). Hg was analysed in scalp-hair provided by 73 of the participants (58 female) by ICP-MS. RESULTS: Hg was detected in 63 hair samples (49 female; LoD=0.0310 µg/g) and were significantly higher in male participants (p-value0.05; data presented as mean and range, in µg/g): [0.9794 (0.0891-6.6073) vs. 0.2956 (0.0443-1.6732)]. The concentrations of total-Hg are higher than the mean average reported in Polish individuals aged 21-22 years-old (0.435 vs. 0.150 µg/g) but lower than the geometric mean reported in Spanish individuals aged 18-29 years-old (0.30 vs. 1.65 µg/g). Hg was only correlated with chocolate intake (r=-0.2957; p-value0.05). However, chocolate intake did not show differences due to sex in the population monitored. Similar results were observed for the intake of fish/seafood (the major source of Hg in the diet), i.e. intake did not show significance due to sex (p-value=0.826) or ethnic background (p-value=0.589). However, the intake of fish was much higher in male participants (72.656 vs. 53.907 g/day), which could explain the sex differences found in total-Hg in hair. CONCLUSIONS: Although the levels of Hg found in hair would highlight a generally lower exposure to Hg in the population studied when comparing with other studies on populations that traditionally eat more fish/seafood, some individuals presented higher concentrations of total-Hg than the USEPA recommended reference level (1 μg/g), individuals that should be followed up with dietary recommendations.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Despite the potential risks from urban contamination, the popularity of home grown urban food products is increasing. To assess the risks to cadmium (Cd) present in wild edible mushrooms collected in Leicester city and a rural location (UK). METHOD: Twenty-two Agaricus bitorquis were collected from an open green area close to St Augustine Road, in the inner city, four Marasmius oreades from the northeast of the city, and eight Coprinus atramentarius from Bradgate Park, Charnwood Forest. Species identification was confirmed by DNA barcoding. Cu was detected in all the mushrooms collected by ICP-MS [LoD=2.224 mg/kg dry weight (dw)]. RESULTS: Levels of Cu showed species dependence across the species sampled (p-value=7E-08; all data presented as median and ranges, in mg/kg dw): A. bitorquis [114.908 (101.1-186.2)] C. atramentarius [68.202 (29.040-106.660)] M. oreades [65.810 (49.0-83.320)]. The very high levels of Cu found in A. bitorquis could be explained by the high-traffic density of the adjacent road, recommending the performance of a risk assessment study for Cu and traffic-related metals (lead, cadmium, zinc) in Leicester. Thus, the bioconcentration factor values calculated (BCF=1.845) suggests that Cu was bioaccumulated in Leicester's native mushrooms. Cu also showed significant concentration in the A. bitorquis' caps compared to the stripes (114.908 vs. 93.303; p-value=7E-06), which is the portion that is more likely to be consumed. The content of Cu was much higher than those reported in wild edible mushrooms from Greece (32.6 mg/kg dw). Moreover, the presence of Cu in most of the mushrooms monitored exceeded the maximum limit of Cu of 40 mg/kg established by FAO/WHO/CODEX standard. CONCLUSIONS: Although the characterised risk quotients were below the threshold for adults and children, the collection/consumption of wild edible mushroom species in Leicestershire should be discouraged.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The platinum group elements (PGEs): platinum (Pt), palladium (Pd) and rhodium (Rh), are increasingly emitted into the environment due to their industrial and medical uses. We assessed dietary exposure to PGEs in young adults (18-23 yrs-old) at De Montfort University (DMU, England). METHOD: 111 (20.45 ± 1.16 yrs-old; 78 female) DMU students completed a validated variant of the EPIC-Norfolk Food Frequency Questionnaire. PGEs were analysed in scalp-hair provided by 73 participants (58 female) by ICP-MS after removal of exogenous contamination. Data was processed with the statistical package 'NADA' in R due to high presence of censored results (data presented as censored percentages and LoDs in µg/g for Pd, Pt and Rh, respectively: 100%, 0.0057; 75.34%, 0.00046; 82.19%, 0.0014). RESULTS: Pt was detected in hair from sixteen female [median and IQR, in µg/g: 0.00014 (0.000036, 0.000551)] and two male participants [P95=0.00205, in µg/g]; Rh was detected in seven female [P95=0.0038, in µg/g] and six male participants [median and IQR, in µg/g: 0.00097 (0.00028, 0.00335)]. Only Rh showed sex-dependency (p-value=0.00392) possibly due to the high presence of censored values in female/male participants. Concentrations of Pt were similar to those reported in adolescents' hair from Palermo, which also reported higher levels in females. Pt was positively correlated with fatty fish intake (r=0.292; p-value0.05) and Rh with dairy product and fish intake (r=0.293, 0.286; p-value0.05) and very positively with eggs, meat and crisps and snacks (r=0.311, 0.315, 0.335; p-value0.01). The differences in intake of these foods might explain the sex differences found for Rh in hair. Thus, the intakes of eggs (17.625 vs. 16.998 g/day) and meat (271.55 vs. 193.06 g/day) were higher in male counterparts. Similarly for Pt, as female participants eat more fatty fish (13.41 vs. 10.05 g/day). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that DMU students would have shown a minimal exposure to PGEs.

INTRODUCING BLOCK-TEACHING AT DE MONTFORT UNIVERSITY (ENGLAND): HOW THIS CAN IMPACT ON THE TEACHING OF MEDICAL PARASITOLOGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES?