Papers by Corina-Aurelia Zugravu
A statement on the developmental immunotoxicity of bisphenol A (BPA): answer to the question from... more A statement on the developmental immunotoxicity of bisphenol A (BPA): answer to the question from the Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport Abstract This statement addresses a request to EFSA from the Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport to assess the impact of recent evidence underlying the conclusions of the 2016 RIVM report on the temporary tolerable daily intake (t-TDI) for BPA of 4 lg/kg bw per day set by EFSA in 2015. The CEF Panel has then evaluated the results of two studies published by M enard et al. in 2014, suggesting food intolerance and impaired immune response to parasitic infection in rats exposed perinatally to BPA doses in the lg/kg bw per day range. The same appraisal criteria and weight-of-evidence analysis used for the 2015 EFSA opinion on BPA were applied to these studies. This new evidence adds to the indications of immunotoxicity of BPA in animals reported in previous reviews. For the only endpoint for which multiple BPA doses were tested (immunoglobulin G (IgG) levels), a benchmark dose analysis of the dose–response data was carried out. Due to the high interanimal variability within the treatment groups resulting in wide confidence intervals and the limited dose–response, the CEF Panel concluded that these data on anti-ovalbumin IgG antibodies are not suitable to derive a reference point for BPA on immunotoxicity. Furthermore, the limitations identified in both the M enard et al. studies confound the interpretation of the results and prevent the assessment of the relevance to human health. The CEF Panel overall considers that the results from the two M enard et al. studies are not sufficient to call for a revision of the EFSA t-TDI for BPA. EFSA will start a review of all the scientific evidence published after 2012 and relevant for BPA hazard assessment (including immunotoxicity) in 2017. The results of immunological studies, such as the two evaluated here, would form a useful contribution to this evaluation provided that the limitations identified herein were addressed.
Bulletin of University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj Napoca Animal Science and Biotechnologies, Sep 30, 2009
journal-of-agroalimentary.ro
In the contemporary world, almost all foodstuffs on market are packed. Once the package material ... more In the contemporary world, almost all foodstuffs on market are packed. Once the package material chosen, it is essentially to know if there is any interaction between food and the material in contact. The objective of this study was the supervising and control of materials in direct contact with cheeses in 2005 and 2008 and consisted in: identifying the conditions of contact between food and package, identifying the extraction conditions and verifying the global migration of components. The value of global migration of components from plastics tested before and after the contact with cheeses was not over the limits imposed by the legislation (10 mg/dm2 or 60 mg/kg). In conclusion, plastic materials in contact with foods are stable and respect the in force legislation.
Bulletin of University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj Napoca Animal Science and Biotechnologies, Sep 30, 2009
Honey is the oldest natural sweetener known. Recent researches bring to light different pathologi... more Honey is the oldest natural sweetener known. Recent researches bring to light different pathological circumstances in which honey has heeling effects. In the same time, honey raises problems of food safety, because of the possible contamination by different pollutants. As a result, consumers`health can be affected. We synthesized the possibilities to contaminate honey, the chemical substances involved and we searched some usual pollutants in honey samples from the South of Romania. The most frequent contamination was due to veterinary drugs and to antibiotics.
In the contemporary world, almost all foodstuffs on market are packed. Once the package material ... more In the contemporary world, almost all foodstuffs on market are packed. Once the package material chosen, it is essentially to know if there is any interaction between food and the material in contact. The objective of this study was the supervising and control of materials in direct contact with cheeses in 2005 and 2008 and consisted in: identifying the conditions of contact between food and package, identifying the extraction conditions and verifying the global migration of components. The value of global migration of components from plastics tested before and after the contact with cheeses was not over the limits imposed by the legislation (10 mg/dm2 or 60 mg/kg). In conclusion, plastic materials in contact with foods are stable and respect the in force legislation.
Environmental heavy metal pollution is a reality in our country and can lead to chemical contamin... more Environmental heavy metal pollution is a reality in our country and can lead to chemical contamination of products entering in the human food chain. Several European studies linked the environmental level of lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) with their respective level in local hive products. In the present study, the purpose was to evaluate if there can be found a correlation between the environmental pollution with cadmium and lead and the level of these metals in some samples of Romanian honey. Honey was harvested from areas located near pollution sources (very circulated points, factories) and from areas generally known as unpolluted (far from towns, circulated roads, industrial plants) of 2 counties, Prahova and Arges (n=108). The metal content was measured by atomic absorption spectrophotometry and the team evaluated statistically (t-test) if there are any significaticantive differences between honeys from the 2 types of environment. It has been found that the metal load was greater in polluted areas (for cadmium: t=+6, df=106, p<.001, for lead: t=+7.91, df=106, p<.001 ) and concluded that in future this study has to be extended in order to clarify if on a large scale honey can be considered in Romania a reliable marker for heavy metal environmental pollution.
Savory snacks and chips are appreciated products on the modern market. Recent years brought to li... more Savory snacks and chips are appreciated products on the modern market. Recent years brought to light the necessity to lower salt consumption. The question is if in Romania there is a real necessity of reformulation when it comes to snacks and chips This research had in target to evaluate the salt concentration in savory snacks and chips produced in Romania and to evaluate their contribution to the daily salt intake of a Romanian. The highest level of salt was reported in salty biscuits, but with high differences between samples and producers. The average intake of savory snacks and chips in Romania was small, 3.58 g/person/day, giving 1% of the daily salt intake.
Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is a long-chain polymer belonging to the generic family of polye... more Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is a long-chain polymer belonging to the generic family of polyesters. PET has found increasing applications within the food packaging field. The aim of the study was to survey the behavior of materials intended to come in contact with non-alcoholic or alcoholic beverages of an alcoholic concentration greater than 5% vol., like fruit juices, sparkling water, beer and others. The conclusion was that PET is a stable material, the value of global migration of components in selectedsimulants being in compliance with the legislation’s requirements (10 mg/dm2 or 60 mg/kg of food).
A huge number of studies have shown that overeating is a behavior driven by stress. Since the des... more A huge number of studies have shown that overeating is a behavior driven by stress. Since the description of the sense of coherence (SOC) by Antonovsky, this concept proved to be a useful tool as measure of coping with stress. Even more, the management of simptomatololgy of different diseases(e.g. pain) is better, as the SOC score goes higher. The present pilot study tried to find links between weight and food behavior on one hand, and the SOC score, on the other hand, in a sample of Romanians. We used the 13 item SOC questionnaire and an evaluation questionnaire of the self perception of the nutritional status and attitudes (23 items). There were no statistically significant links between BodyMassIndex and the SOC score. In a regression model, after correcting for age, education and income, the main predictors for SOC score were : the self perceived health, the perception of the relation between health and normal weight, the evaluation of the relation between food intake and weight...
The main safety problem regarding ceramic materials in contact with aliments is the release of le... more The main safety problem regarding ceramic materials in contact with aliments is the release of lead and cadmium. Hence, a strict and efficient control is needed, in order to protect consumer against the eventual dangers caused by the use of glazing, enamel and decorations on surfaces which come in direct relation with foodstuffs. Lead is a heavy metal used in pigments, coatings and stabilizers. It has soluble salts, so it passes easily in acidic solutions. Cadmium's salts are used usually as pigments. In 2009, 160 ceramic samples were analyzed in Romania, in order to evaluate the heavy metal release in acidic solutions. The determination method was the atomic absorption spectrometry. Whatever the origin of the materials (EU/non-EU countries), the release of heavy metals was far under the maximal limits (as stated by law), so that all the ceramic objects were considered appropriate for use in contact with foodstuff.
Cadmium is a potential environmental hazard for different types of foods, originating in polluted... more Cadmium is a potential environmental hazard for different types of foods, originating in polluted water, soil and air, as well as in inadequate food containers, where it can be used in the composition of pigments, coatings, plating, and as stabilizer for plastic. Cadmium is highly toxic and presumably carcinogenetic in humans, accumulating in tissues when chronically ingested. We evaluated the cadmium content in various samples of vegetables, fruit, eggs, diary and meat products from 4 areas of Romania, by means of atomic absorption spectrometry and compared them with the European Committee regulation 466/2001 for the maximum allowed limit of cadmium in foods. The results showed that the majority of the samples from each category and each area raised above the limits, thus becoming a real toxic threat for the consumers. The “winners” for high cadmium content were the capital of the country, Bucharest, and a tourists` county, located in a mountainous area. As products, the “leaders” ...
The sexual-reproductive health is a world priority. In September 2000, the 189 countries particip... more The sexual-reproductive health is a world priority. In September 2000, the 189 countries participating in the Millennium Summit adopted the Millennium Declaration; three of the eight Objectives of the Declaration are directly linked to the reproductive health: infant mortality decrease, maternal health improvement, fighting against HIV/AIDS. In this respect, we are running a Grant (project code 72/2008), financially supported by the National Council of Scientific Research in Academic Education, and aimed to evaluate the reproductive health quality in south-western Romania. We interviewed 1,200 people, men and women, about their opinion and experience regarding abortion. More than 60% of the subjects consider abortion is the best solution to end an unexpected pregnancy; this opinion is more frequently expressed by men and by people with academic instruction (p<0.05). The latent class cluster analysis indicates three clusters: (1) abortion is always justified (61.4% of the responde...
The European Journal of Public Health
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Papers by Corina-Aurelia Zugravu
Objectives: We investigated the nutritional/lifestyle knowledge and the self evaluation of the BMI, in a randomly selected sample of 1201 highschool teens from 10 Romanian towns, all learning in math-profile schools. The sample is quite homogenous regarding the socio-economical background (middle class).
Methods:The descriptive cross sectional study was based on a self-completed questionnaire with 26 items and on the evaluation of weight and height of each participant, at the schools` nurseries. The results were analyzed by SPSS program.
Results: Nutritional knowledge regarding each food group is generally correct. The suitable level of daily physical activity is underestimated, over a half (65.8%)of the teens having a sedentary life, mostly due to the overloaded school schedule. A percent of 17.3 smoke. The main sources of lifestyle information are Internet and TV programs(65,5%). Regarding BMI, 69% of the sample are between the 5th and the 85th percentile (WHO percentiles for children and adolescents), 27.6%, under the 5th percentile and 3,4 %,between the 85th and the 95th percentile. Almost a half has an incorrect image of the body weight (think being overweighed) and wishes to get thinner. The body image discrepancy is significantly associated with underweight (p<0.01), sex (female, p<0.01), has no connection with age, smoking or overexercising and is connected with an insufficient food intake (eating less in order to lose weight : p<0.01).
Conclusions:Even if well educated adolescents have a good nutritional knowledge, a special educational effort has to be paid in order to teach them to evaluate correctly their BMI so that the probability of eating disorders onset can be avoided.