RESUMO
In the Panasqueira mine area of central Portugal, some environmental media show higher metal(loid) concentrations when compared with the local geochemical background and the values proposed in the literature for these environmental media. In order to evaluate the effect of the external contamination on selected indexes of internal dose, As, Cd, Cu, Cr, Fe, Hg, Mg, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, S, Se, Si, and Zn were quantified by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry in blood, urine, hair and nail samples from individuals environmentally (N = 41) and occupationally exposed (N = 41). A matched control group (N = 40) was also studied, and data from the three groups were compared. Results obtained agreed with those reported by environmental studies performed in this area, pointing to populations living nearby and working in the mine being exposed to metal(loid)s originated from mining activities. Arsenic was the element with the highest increase in exposed populations. The concentration of other elements such as Cr, Mg, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, S, Se, and Zn was also increased, although at a lesser extent, specifically in the individuals environmentally exposed and in females. These findings confirm the need for competent authorities to act as soon as possible in this area and implement strategies aimed to protect exposed populations and the entire ecosystem.
Assuntos
Exposição Ambiental/análise , Poluentes Ambientais/análise , Metais/análise , Mineração , Exposição Ocupacional/análise , Idoso , Arsênio/análise , Arsênio/sangue , Arsênio/urina , Estudos de Casos e Controles , Feminino , Cabelo/química , Humanos , Masculino , Metais/sangue , Metais/urina , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Análise Multivariada , Unhas/química , PortugalRESUMO
With aging populations around the world, frailty is becoming more prevalent increasing the need for health systems and social systems to deliver optimal evidence based care. However, in spite of the growing number of frailty publications, high-quality evidence for decision making is often lacking. Inadequate descriptions of the populations enrolled including frailty severity and frailty conceptualization, lack of use of validated frailty assessment tools, utilization of different frailty instruments between studies, and variation in reported outcomes impairs the ability to interpret, generalize and implement the research findings. The utilization of common data elements (CDEs) and core outcome measures (COMs) in clinical trials is increasingly being adopted to address such concerns. To catalyze the development and use of CDEs and COMs for future frailty studies, the Canadian Frailty Network (www.cfn-nce.ca; CFN), a not-for-profit pan-Canadian nationally-funded research network, convened an international group of experts to examine the issue and plan the path forward. The meeting was structured to allow for an examination of current frailty evidence, ability to learn from other COMs and CDEs initiatives, discussions about specific considerations for frailty COMs and CDEs and finally the identification of the necessary steps for a COMs and CDEs consensus initiative going forward. It was agreed at the onset of the meeting that a statement based on the meeting would be published and herein we report the statement.
Assuntos
Pesquisa Biomédica/organização & administração , Fragilidade , Canadá , Elementos de Dados Comuns , Consenso , Humanos , Avaliação de Resultados em Cuidados de SaúdeRESUMO
Styrene is used in the production of plastics, resins and rubber. The highest human exposures to styrene take place by inhalation during the production of fiberglass reinforced plastics. Styrene is metabolized mainly in the liver to styrene-7,8-oxide (SO), its principal in vivo mutagenic metabolite. In this study, human peripheral white blood cells were exposed to several SO concentrations (10-200 microM) in order to evaluate its genotoxic properties by means of comet assay, sister-chromatid exchanges (SCE) and cytokinesis-blocked micronucleus (MN) test, in addition to determine its clastogenic or aneugenic properties by combining MN with fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) procedures. Our results show that SO induces DNA damage, SCE and MN in human leukocytes in vitro at concentrations above 50 microM, and that there is a strong relationship between DNA damage, as measured by the comet assay, and cytogenetic damage induced by SO at the doses employed. SO shows preferentially a clastogenic activity and produces a cytostatic effect at high doses, reflected by the significant decrease of the calculated proliferation indices. A good dose-effect relationship is obtained in the three tests performed at the concentration range assayed.
Assuntos
Compostos de Epóxi/toxicidade , Leucócitos/efeitos dos fármacos , Micronúcleos com Defeito Cromossômico , Mutagênicos/toxicidade , Troca de Cromátide Irmã , Adulto , Ensaio Cometa , Feminino , Humanos , Hibridização in Situ Fluorescente , Leucócitos/ultraestrutura , MasculinoRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Concern about the genotoxic risk associated with chronic handling of antineoplastic drugs has increased, and usual safety practices may not avoid exposure. METHODS: Comet assay and MN test were performed on 30 oncology nurses and 22 controls. Genetic polymorphisms of XRCC1, XRCC3, and APE1 genes were determined by PCR-RFLP. RESULTS: Data obtained showed increased cytogenetic and DNA damage in the exposed group, although statistical significance was only reached in the comet assay. Significant differences in TL were observed for carriers of the variant alleles of every gene analyzed. However, no significant effect was detected in the MN test. CONCLUSIONS: Evidence that the present handling practices of antineoplastic drugs in some Portuguese hospitals are not enough to prevent exposure are provided. Present data suggest that genetic polymorphisms in the studied DNA repair enzymes may influence the individual susceptibility to DNA damage related to chronic handling of antineoplastic drugs.
Assuntos
Antineoplásicos/toxicidade , Dano ao DNA/genética , Enzimas Reparadoras do DNA/genética , Sistemas de Medicação no Hospital/normas , Recursos Humanos de Enfermagem Hospitalar , Exposição Ocupacional/efeitos adversos , Enfermagem Oncológica , Polimorfismo Genético , Adulto , Análise de Variância , Estudos de Casos e Controles , Ensaio Cometa , Feminino , Humanos , Entrevistas como Assunto , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Exposição Ocupacional/prevenção & controle , Reação em Cadeia da Polimerase , Portugal/epidemiologia , Fatores de RiscoRESUMO
Styrene is one of the most important organic chemicals in use today. The highest human exposures to styrene take place by inhalation during the production of fibreglass-reinforced plastics. Styrene is oxidized by hepatic cytochrome P450 to styrene-7,8-oxide (SO), an epoxide that has been shown to induce chromosome aberrations, sister chromatid exchanges and micronuclei in many cell systems. In this work, the effect of SO on the expression of some genes involved in the cell cycle and apoptosis regulation in human white blood cells was studied. Lymphocyte cultures from four donors were exposed to 50 and 200 microM SO, 1% DMSO being the control. Aliquots of the cultures were taken at six different time points (30, 36, 42, 48, 60 and 72 h), total mRNA was extracted in each one of them and RT-PCR was carried out to analyze the expression of the genes p53, p21, bcl-2 and bax. Moreover, a cytokinesis block assay was performed to estimate cell proliferation kinetics by calculating the cytokinesis block proliferation index (CBPI), and to evaluate the number of cells undergoing apoptosis. Furthermore, apoptotic events were detected by the DNA fragmentation assay. In our results, a high interindividual variation in the expression of the studied genes was observed. Expression curves obtained for the four genes, together with the data from the CBPI and apoptotic cells scored, suggest that exposure to high levels of SO may induce a delay in the cell cycle, probably directed to allowing repair systems to act on the genotoxic damage produced, more than driving cells towards programmed cell death.
Assuntos
Compostos de Epóxi/farmacologia , Regulação da Expressão Gênica/efeitos dos fármacos , Genes bcl-2/efeitos dos fármacos , Genes p53/efeitos dos fármacos , Linfócitos/efeitos dos fármacos , Mutagênicos/farmacologia , Proteínas Proto-Oncogênicas c-bcl-2 , Proteínas Proto-Oncogênicas p21(ras)/genética , Proteínas Proto-Oncogênicas/biossíntese , Proteínas Proto-Oncogênicas/genética , Adulto , Apoptose/efeitos dos fármacos , Células Cultivadas , Fragmentação do DNA/efeitos dos fármacos , Feminino , Humanos , Linfócitos/metabolismo , Masculino , RNA Mensageiro/biossíntese , Proteína X Associada a bcl-2RESUMO
Styrene is rapidly metabolised to mandelic acid (MA) and phenylglyoxylic acid (PGA), which are excreted in urine. In this work, we have developed a simple, sensitive and specific high-performance liquid chromatographic method with minor sample preparation procedures for the simultaneous determination of MA and PGA in urine of workers exposed to styrene. Moreover, urine samples from workers of two plastic factories were analysed, styrene exposure levels of the workers were estimated and data obtained from the two factories were compared.