Diagnostic Aspects of Paraquat in the Forensic Toxicology: A Systematic Review.

Background: Paraquat (N, N-dimethyl-4,4-bipyridinium dichloride) is a nonselective, fast-acting, and contact chemical herbicide used extensively for weed control. It has high acute oral toxicity, the ability to accumulate in the lungs, and a high potential for pulmonary fibrosis after its intoxication. The present systematic review focuses on evaluating diagnostic aspects of paraquat (PQ) in forensic toxicology. Methods: Evaluation of the literature according to the following criteria: only human studies published from February 1971 to March 2022 which are in English on the following databases: 1) Medline/PubMed/MeSH search words: ((Methyl viologen [Title/Abstract]) OR (paraquat [MeSH Terms])) AND (forensic [Title/Abstract]); 2) Scopus Keywords related to the study aim included forensic toxicology, paraquat, Methyl viologen; 3) Web of Science. Keywords related to the study aim included forensic toxicology, paraquat, and Methyl viologen. Results: Thirty full-text articles were included. The results of our review indicate plasma and urine are more used for identifying PQ, and liver, lung, and gastric fluid are important in postmortem cases. Preparation methods, including liquid-liquid extraction (LLE), solid-phase extraction, and acetonitrile-precipitated protein, are often required for removing interfering substances. Chromatographic methods, among other analytical techniques, are more sensitive, specific, and applicable. Conclusion: Our review suggests that plasma, urine, and lungs should be prioritized in sampling. Solid-phase extraction has better recovery than LLE in many samples. Colorimetric methods are not used much today, and radioimmunoassay (RIA) has limited application despite its high sensitivity. Gas and liquid chromatography methods appear to offer the best approach for the analysis of PQ.

Determination of melamine contamination in milk with various packaging: a risk assessment study.

Melamine is one type of monomer used as starting substance in manufacturing packaging lining in many countries worldwide. Environmental and food contamination is an issue constantly discussed. In the present study, the melamine content in milk samples with three package types was measured by HPLC/UV. Melamine is not a lipophilic compound. Therefore, the selected samples were low-fat milk. The melamine content in various packaged milk, including packet, polyethylene bags, and plastic packaging, is 790 ± 39.8, 50.7 ± 13, and 57.7 ± 24.54 ppb, respectively. According to the existing standards, the measured values in all the milk samples were lower than the permitted limits. The risk assessment for adults and children showed that the HQ value for both age groups was less than 1. Therefore, milk consumption will not pose a health risk in terms of contamination with melamine.

The association between polycystic ovary syndrome and environmental pollutants based on animal and human study; a systematic review.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most common endocrine disorders. This abnormality is identified with hyperandrogenism, polycystic ovary and ovulation disorder. Environmental factors are one of the etiologies of this disease. In this systematic review, a search was performed with the keywords of polycystic ovary syndrome, PCOS, pesticides, organochlorine, heavy metals, PCBs, PAHs, bisphenol A, BPA, phthalates, mycotoxin, Tributyltin, TBT, environmental contaminants, regardless of publication time. 567 studies were obtained and after assessing 26 articles were finally selected. 61 % of the studies were attributed to bisphenol A. The positive correlation was seen between bisphenol A, tributyltin, air pollutants and organic contaminates with this disease. The association between this syndrome and bisphenol A in adolescents was also confirmed. Zinc has led to a reduction in the incidence of disease in almost all research literature. This issue can be considered in the prevention of the disease.