Depressive symptoms and suicide attempts among farmers exposed to pesticides.

Pesticides safeguard crop health but may diminish cholinesterase activity in farmers, potentially leading to psychiatric disorders like depression and suicide attempts. This study, with 453 participants (225 pesticide-exposed farmers, 228 non-farmers) in Almería, Spain, aimed to investigate the presence of depressive symptoms and suicide attempts, the decrease acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) activity, and their relationship with pesticide exposure in farmers. Depressive symptoms were evaluated using the Spanish adaptation of the Beck Depression Inventory, and blood samples were analyzed for AChE and BChE activity. Farmers showed significantly increased risk of moderate/severe depression and suicide attempts compared to non-farmers (OR = 2.18; p = 0.001), with highest risks observed among mancozeb users (OR = 2.76; p = 0.001 for depression) and malathion users (OR = 3.50; p = 0.001 for suicide attempts). Findings emphasize elevated depression and suicide risks among pesticide-exposed farmers, particularly associated with chlorpyrifos, mancozeb, and malathion exposure.

Occupational Exposure to Pesticides as a Risk Factor for Sleep Disorders.

Inadequate sleep has been linked to a variety of impairments in bodily functions, including endocrine, metabolic, higher cortical function, and neurological disorders. For this reason, the aim of this study was to analyze the link between occupational pesticide exposure and sleep health among farmers in Almeria. A cross-sectional study was conducted among a population living on the coast of Almeria (southeastern Spain), where about 33,321 hectares of land are used for intensive agriculture in plastic greenhouses. A total of 380 individuals participated in the study: 189 greenhouse workers and 191 control subjects. The participants were contacted during their annual scheduled occupational health survey. Data on sleep disturbances were collected using the Spanish version of the Oviedo Sleep Questionnaire. Agricultural workers were found to be at a significantly higher risk of insomnia, especially among those who did not wear protective gloves (OR = 3.12; 95% C.I. = 1.93-3.85; p = 0.04) or masks (OR = 2.43; 95% C.I. = 1.19-4.96; p = 0.01). The highest risk of insomnia related to pesticide applicators was observed in those who did not wear a mask (OR = 4.19; 95% C.I. = 1.30-13.50; p = 0.01) or goggles (OR = 4.61; 95% C.I. = 1.38-10.40; p = 0.01). This study supports previous findings indicating an increased risk of sleep disorder in agricultural workers exposed to pesticides at work.

Effects of doxorubicin and gemcitabine on the induction of apoptosis in breast cancer cells.

Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer and the leading cause of cancer-related mortality in females worldwide. The efficacy of chemotherapeutic drugs on breast cancer is hindered by many factors, including that cancer stem-like side population (SP) cells may contribute to tumorigenesis and resistance to chemotherapy. Doxorubicin and gemcitabine are two of the most effective and widely used chemotherapeutic agents for the treatment of various human malignancies. To the best of our knowledge, the effects of doxorubicin and gemcitabine on breast cancer SP cells are poorly understood. In the present study, we examined the potential roles of doxorubicin and gemcitabine in breast cancer main population (MP) and SP cells, and the mechanisms of doxorubicin and gemcitabine. The results showed that doxorubicin and gemcitabine decreasede proliferation, and increased apoptosis in the MCF7 MP and SP cells in vitro. Furthermore, doxorubicin and gemcitabine inhibited tumor growth and improved the survival rate of mice in vivo. Additionally, the mechanisms of doxorubicin and gemcitabine in MCF7 MP and SP cells were determined.

Effects of bortezomib in sensitizing human prostate cancer cell lines to NK-mediated cytotoxicity.

The proteasome inhibitor, bortezomib, has been demonstrated to sensitize tumor cells to tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL)-mediated apoptosis. Natural killer (NK) cells represent potent antitumor effector cells. They also express TRAIL. Therefore, we investigated whether bortezomib could sensitize tumor cells to NK cell-mediated killing, and have the same effect in human prostate cancer cell lines (LNCaP and DU145). We found that bortezomib strongly inhibits proliferation in both cell lines. Furthermore, compared with LNCaP cells, DU145 cells are more sensitive to bortezomib-induced apoptosis. However, bortezomib is unable to sensitize these two cell lines to NK cell-mediated killing in short-term assays. In long-term assays, we found that killing mediated by activated NK cells following bortezomib treatment leads to greater antitumor effects than either treatment alone. In addition, treatment with bortezomib causes these cells to upregulate apoptosis-related mRNA as well as death receptors and downregulate the major histocompatibility class (MHC)-I molecule on the cell surface of DU145 cells. In contrast, LNCaP cells are not sensitized by this treatment. Death receptors and the MHC-I molecule did not change in this cell line. These data suggest that bortezomib can be used to sensitize prostate cancer cells to NK cell-mediated killing and improve current cancer therapies. This therapeutic strategy may be more effective in patients with androgen-insensitive prostate cancer.