A new isolate of Mesorhabditis monhystera (Bütschli, 1873) Dougherty, 1955 (Rhabditida: Rhabditidae): re-evaluated with molecular data and scanning electron microscopic observations.

A new isolate of Mesorhabditis monhystera (Bütschli, ) Dougherty, is described and illustrated with morphological and molecular data. The phylogenetic analysis based on the D2/D3 segment of 28S rDNA using the Bayesian inference method, revealed monophyly of the genus Mesorhabditis as the subordinate taxa clustered in one clade. The clade further divided into two subclades representing the Monhystera-group and Spiculigera-group with 100% posterior probability values. However, GenBank sequences of several species constituting the Monhystera-group, showed high similarity and very little genetic divergence (98-99%) of up to 4-5 bases. In order to ascertain the status of those isolates, detailed morphological comparison is provided along with a pictorial key. A sequence-based phylogeography of haplogroups of Mesorhabditis using the median-joining network method, was also inferred. The results suggested the need for morphological validation of a species before its sequences are deposited in GenBank.

Molecular phylogeny and new insight into the stomatal complexity of Fictor platypapillata sp. n. (Diplogastridae: Nematoda) associated with Oniticellus cinctus (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae).

The new species Fictor platypapillata was isolated from dung beetle Oniticellus cinctus (Scarabaeidae), collected from the district Balrampur, Uttar Pradesh, India. Fictor platypapillata sp. n. is described based on morphology, morphometric and molecular characterization, supplemented with scanning electron microscopy observations. The new species is characterized by two female morphs based on stomatal dimorphism: α morph with left subventral wall having 14 denticles, six low conical and eight elongated finger-like, slender denticles separated by a deep groove; inner wall of gymnostom with linearly arranged warts; ß morph with inner wall of gymnostom lacking warts; dorsal and right subventral stegostomal walls having large, slender teeth with hook-shaped apical end. Genital sensilla eight pairs with v5 pair flattened, button-shaped, located ventrally. The phylogenetic analyses revealed significant congruence, especially in the position of the subordinate taxa of genus Fictor that shows polyphyly by both Bayesian inference and minimum evolution methods. The taxonomy of the genus is updated with a valid species list along with their geographical mapping.

Molecular and phenotypic characterization of two cryptic species of the predatory genus Mononchoides Rahm, 1928 (Rhabditida: Diplogastridae) and their congeneric affinities.

Based on morphometric, morphological and molecular characterization using partial small subunit 18S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) and the D2/D3 domain of large subunit 28S rDNA, we described a new species Mononchoides kanzakii collected from manure, and the known species Mononchoides composticola Steel, Moens, Scholaert, Boshoff, Houthoofd and Bert, 2011, isolated from the dung beetle Oniticellus cinctus (Fabricius, 1775). Phylogenetic trees based on the evolutionary model (GTR + I + G) were inferred by Bayesian inference algorithms. Mononchoides kanzakii sp. n. is characterized by 28-32 longitudinal ridges, discontinuous at level of stoma; amphidial apertures inconspicuous; metastegostom armed with thorn-shaped dorsal tooth; a flattened, claw-like right subventral tooth, and left subventral denticulate ridge with 12-14 fine denticles delimited by a group of five denticles in females vs. triangular, flattened right subventral tooth, 5-8 prominent denticles at left subventral sector in males; cloacal lips with a distinct rim; and gubernaculum with cuticularized, proximal and distal extensions of equal length, each constituting half of the length of the wider part of gubernaculum.

Assessment of genotoxicity in female agricultural workers exposed to pesticides.

OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to determine the genotoxic effect of exposure to a mixture of pesticides in 106 female agricultural workers employed in cotton fields from India. METHODS: Comet, micronucleus and chromosomal aberrations tests were carried out in peripheral blood lymphocytes. Micronucleus test was also performed in buccal epithelial cells. Levels of antioxidant enzymes, RBC acetylcholinesterase and hematological parameters were analyzed in the blood samples of the study subjects. RESULTS: The results indicated significant DNA damage, increased frequency of micronuclei and chromosomal aberrations in the exposed subjects (p < 0.05). The levels of antioxidant enzymes were significantly lowered and the rate of lipid peroxidation was elevated in the exposed subjects. CONCLUSION: The outcome of the study revealed an increased risk of genotoxicity and health implications in female agricultural workers.

Emergence of wheat blast in Bangladesh was caused by a South American lineage of Magnaporthe oryzae.

BACKGROUND: In February 2016, a new fungal disease was spotted in wheat fields across eight districts in Bangladesh. The epidemic spread to an estimated 15,000 hectares, about 16 % of the cultivated wheat area in Bangladesh, with yield losses reaching up to 100 %. Within weeks of the onset of the epidemic, we performed transcriptome sequencing of symptomatic leaf samples collected directly from Bangladeshi fields. RESULTS: Reinoculation of seedlings with strains isolated from infected wheat grains showed wheat blast symptoms on leaves of wheat but not rice. Our phylogenomic and population genomic analyses revealed that the wheat blast outbreak in Bangladesh was most likely caused by a wheat-infecting South American lineage of the blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that genomic surveillance can be rapidly applied to monitor plant disease outbreaks and provide valuable information regarding the identity and origin of the infectious agent.

Comparative study of genotoxicity and tissue distribution of nano and micron sized iron oxide in rats after acute oral treatment.

Though nanomaterials (NMs) are being utilized worldwide, increasing use of NMs have raised concerns over their safety to human health and environment. Iron oxide (Fe(2)O(3)) NMs have important applications. The aim of this study was to assess the genotoxicity of Fe(2)O(3)-30nm and Fe(2)O(3)-bulk in female Wistar rats. Fe(2)O(3)-30nm was characterized by using transmission electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering, laser Doppler velocimetry and surface area analysis. The rats were treated orally with the single doses of 500, 1000, 2000mg/kg bw of Fe(2)O(3)-30nm and Fe(2)O(3) -bulk. The genotoxicity was evaluated at 6, 24, 48 and 72h by the comet assay in leucocytes, 48 and 72h by micronucleus test (MNT) in peripheral blood cells, 18 and 24h by chromosomal aberration (CA) assay and 24 and 48h by MNT in bone marrow cells. The biodistribution of iron (Fe) was carried out at 6, 24, 48 and 72h after treatment in liver, spleen, kidney, heart, brain, bone marrow, urine and feces by using atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The % tail DNA, frequencies of micronuclei and CAs were statistically insignificant (p>0.05) at all doses. These results suggest that Fe(2)O(3)-30nm and Fe(2)O(3)-bulk was not genotoxic at the doses tested. Bioavailability of Fe was size and dose dependent in all the tissues from the groups exposed to Fe(2)O(3)-30nm. Fe(2)O(3) NMs were able to enter in the organs and the rats are biocompatible with much higher concentration of Fe. However, the accumulated Fe did not cause significant genotoxicity. This study provides additional knowledge about the toxicology of Fe(2)O(3) NMs.

Genotoxicity of nano- and micron-sized manganese oxide in rats after acute oral treatment.

The use of nanotechnology has led to rapid growth in various areas. Manganese oxide (MnO2) nanomaterials (NMs) are typically used for biomedical applications. However, characterizing the potential human health effects of MnO2 NMs is required before fully exploiting these materials. The aim of this study was to investigate the acute oral toxicity of MnO2 NMs and MnO2-bulk particles in female albino Wistar rats. The genotoxic effects were examined using comet, micronucleus and chromosomal aberration assays. Nanosized MnO2 (45nm) significantly (p<0.01) increased DNA damage in peripheral blood leukocytes and micronuclei and enhanced chromosomal aberrations in the bone marrow cells at 1000mg/kg bw. These findings showed that the neurotoxicity of MnO2-45nm in the brain and red blood cells, as determined through acetylcholinesterase activity, was significantly (p<0.01) inhibited at 1000 and 500mg/kg bw doses. MnO2-45nm disrupted the physicochemical state and neurological system of the animals through alterations in ATPases via the total Na(+)-K(+), Mg(2+) and Ca(2+) levels in the brain P2 fraction. In addition, 500 and 1000mg/kg bw doses of MnO2-45nm caused significant changes in AST, ALT and LDH levels in the liver, kidney and serum of treated rats. Significant tissue distribution was found in all tissues in a dose- and time-dependent manner. MnO2-45nm exhibited much higher absorptivity and tissue distribution compared with MnO2-bulk. A large fraction of MnO2-45nm was cleared in the urine and feces. The histopathological analysis revealed that MnO2-45nm caused alterations in the liver, spleen and brain. These findings will provide fundamental information regarding the potential toxicities and biodistribution of nano and bulk MnO2 generated through acute oral treatment.

Toxicity assessment of manganese oxide micro and nanoparticles in Wistar rats after 28 days of repeated oral exposure.

In the near future, nanotechnology is envisaged for large-scale use. Hence health and safety issues of nanoparticles (NPs) should be promptly addressed. Twenty-eight-day oral toxicity, genotoxicity, biochemical alterations, histopathological changes and tissue distribution of nano and microparticles (MPs) of manganese oxide (MnO2 ) in Wistar rats was studied. Genotoxicity was assessed using comet, micronucleus and chromosomal aberration assays. The results demonstrated a significant increase in DNA damage in leukocytes, micronuclei and chromosomal aberrations in bone marrow cells after exposure of MnO2 -NPs at 1000, 300 mg kg(-1) bw per day and MnO2 -MPs at the dose of 1000 mg kg(-1) bw per day. Our findings showed acetylcholinestrase inhibition at 1000 as well as at 300 mg kg(-1) bw per day in blood and with all the doses in the brain indicating the toxicity of MnO2 -NPs. Further, the doses significantly inhibited different ATPases in the brain P2 fraction. Significant changes were observed in aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in the liver, kidney and serum in a dose-dependent manner. MnO2 -MPs at 1000 mg kg(-1) bw per day were found to induce significant alterations in biochemical enzymes. A significant distribution was found in all the tissues in a dose-dependent manner. MnO2 -NPs showed a much higher absorptivity and tissue distribution as compared with MnO2 -MPs. A large fraction of MnO2 -NPs and MnO2 -MPs was cleared by urine and feces. Histopathological analysis revealed that MnO2 -NPs caused alterations in liver, spleen, kidney and brain. The MnO2 -NPs induced toxicity at lower doses compared with MnO2 -MPs. Further, this study did not display gender differences after exposure to MnO2 -NPs and MnO2 -MPs. Therefore, the results suggested that prolonged exposure to MnO2 has the potential to cause genetic damage, biochemical alterations and histological changes.

Monitoring the drastic growth of ship breaking yards in Sitakunda: a threat to the coastal environment of Bangladesh.

The vast coastal and marine resources that occur along the southern edge of Bangladesh make it one of the most productive areas of the world. However, due to growing anthropogenic impacts, this area is under considerable environmental pressure from both physical and chemical stress factors. Ship breaking, or the dismantling and demolition of out-of-service ocean-going vessels, has become increasingly common in many coastal areas. To investigate the extent of ship breaking activities in Bangladesh along the Sitakunda coast, various spatial and non-spatial data were obtained, including remote sensing imagery, statistical records and published reports. Impacts to coastal and marine life were documented. Available data show that ship breaking activities cause significant physical disturbance and release toxic materials into the environment, resulting in adverse effects to numerous marine taxonomic groups such as fish, mammals, birds, reptiles, plants, phytoplankton, zooplankton and benthic invertebrates. Landsat imagery illustrates that the negatively impacted coastal area has grown 308.7 % from 367 ha in 1989 to 1,133 ha in 2010. Physicochemical and biological properties of coastal soil and water indicate substantially elevated pollution that poses a risk of local, regional and even global contamination through sea water and atmospheric transport. While damage to the coastal environment of Bangladesh is a recognized hazard that must be addressed, the economic benefits of ship breaking through job creation and fulfilling the domestic demand for recycled steel must be considered. Rather than an outright ban on beach breaking of ships, the enterprise must be recognized as a true and influential industry that should be held responsible for developing an economically viable and environmentally proactive growth strategy. Evolution of the industry toward a sustainable system can be aided through reasonable and enforceable legislative and judicial action that takes a balanced approach, but does not diminish the value of coastal conservation.

New n-nonadecanoyl-ß-sitosterol and other constituents from the stem-bark of Anacardium occidentale.

A new steroidal ester bearing n-nonadecanoyl moiety (1) and a mixture of isomeric cerebrosides (2) along with two known compounds were isolated from the methanol extract of the stem-bark of Anacardium occidentale. The structure of the new steroidal ester was determined as 3-n-nonadecanoyl-ß-sitosterol on the basis of modern spectroscopic techniques (IR, ESI-MS, HR-ESIMS, 1D and 2D NMR) and chemical degradation studies. The structures of the known compounds were identified as gallic acid and tanacetene by comparison of the spectroscopic data with those of reported data. The mixture of cerebrosides was confirmed based on the analysis of 1D and 2D NMR. These compounds were evaluated for cytotoxicity against human cancer cell lines A549, SCOV3 and rat normal cell line NRK49f.

A unified approach to design controller in cascade control structure for unstable, integrating and stable processes.

This article presents a unified approach of controller design in cascade control structure (CCS) for unstable, integrating and stable processes with dead-time to achieve enhanced load disturbance rejection. The design of inner and outer loop controllers in CCS is based, partially on the direct synthesis approach and partially on the pole placement method. First, the parameters of the inner loop controller are obtained and then the outer loop controller is designed by considering the inner loop as a part of the primary plant. The proposed design approach deals with a wide range of processes having unstable, integrating and stable dynamics in a unified way. It is applied directly on the higher and lower order processes, as the proposed strategy is acquitted from the approximation of the dead-time and model order reduction of the plant. Simulations have been conducted to show the efficacy of the present approach. The results shows that the present approach provides enhanced regulatory performance as compared to the recently reported approaches from the literature.

The Modulation of Water, Nitrogen, and Phosphorous Supply for Growth Optimization of the Evergreen Shrubs Ammopiptanthus mongolicus for Revegetation Purpose.

Surface mining is a critical anthropogenic activity that significantly alters the ecosystem. Revegetation practices are largely utilized to compensate for these detrimental impacts of surface mining. In this study, we investigated the effects of five water (W) regimes [W40: 40%, W48: 48%, W60: 60%, W72: 72%, and W80: 80% of field capacity (FC)], five nitrogen (N) (N0: 0, N24: 24, N60: 60, N96: 96, and N120: 120 mg kg-1 soil), and five phosphorus (P) fertilizer doses (P0: 0, P36: 36, P90: 90, P144: 144, and P180: 180 mg kg-1 soil) on morpho-physiological and biochemical parameters of Ammopiptanthus mongolicus plants to assess the capability of this species to be used for restoration purposes. The results showed that under low W-N resources, A. mongolicus exhibited poor growth performance (i.e., reduced plant height, stem diameter, and dry biomass) in coal-degraded spoils, indicating that A. mongolicus exhibited successful adaptive mechanisms by reducing its biomass production to survive long in environmental stress conditions. Compared with control, moderate to high W and N-P application rates greatly enhanced the net photosynthesis rates, transpiration rates, water-use efficiency, chlorophyll (Chl) a, Chl b, total Chl, and carotenoid contents. Under low-W content, the N-P fertilization enhanced the contents of proline and soluble sugar, as well as the activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase, and peroxidase in leaf tissues, reducing the oxidative stress. Changes in plant growth and metabolism in W-shortage conditions supplied with N-P fertilization may be an adaptive strategy that is essential for its conservation and restoration in the desert ecosystem. The best growth performance was observed in plants under W supplements corresponding to 70% of FC and N and P doses of 33 and 36 mg kg-1 soil, respectively. Our results provide useful information for revegetation and ecological restoration in coal-degraded and arid-degraded lands in the world using endangered species A. mongolicus.

Genetic damage in wood dust-exposed workers.

Exposure to wood dust is common in carpentry workshops. Wood dust is known to be a human carcinogen, with a very high relative risk of adenocarcinoma of the nasal cavities and paranasal sinuses. The goal of this investigation was to conduct genotoxicity monitoring of carpenters involved in wooden furniture industry in order to test possible wood dust-induced genotoxic effects due to occupational exposure. The level of genetic damage was determined by comet, micronucleus and chromosomal aberration (CA) assays in peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) of 60 carpentry workers. In addition, the micronucleus test in buccal epithelial cells was carried out in the same subjects. Total antioxidant enzyme activities were measured by the indices: superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase and catalase. A group of 60 non-exposed subjects matched by age, smoking and alcohol consumption habits were chosen as controls. The effect of age, smoking, alcohol consumption and duration of exposure was also analysed in the subjects of the present study. The results showed a statistically significant increase in mean DNA damage by comet assay, micronuclei frequency in buccal cells as well as PBL and frequency of CA in the exposed workers when compared to controls (P < 0.05). Analysis of the data showed that all the confounding factors had a significant effect on DNA damage and micronucleus frequency in buccal epithelial cells and PBL. Smoking and alcohol consumption did not have any significant effect by chromosomal aberration test. Antioxidant enzyme levels significantly decreased in the exposed subjects. Our findings indicate enhanced levels of genotoxicity in carpenters. Hence, these workers may have an increased cancer risk.

In vivo genotoxicity assessment of aluminium oxide nanomaterials in rat peripheral blood cells using the comet assay and micronucleus test.

Advances in nanotechnology and its usage in various fields have led to the exposure of humans to engineered nanomaterials (NMs) and there is a need to tackle the potential human health effects before these materials are fully exploited. The main purpose of the current study was to assess whether aluminium oxide NMs (Al(2)O(3)-30 nm and Al(2)O(3)-40 nm) could cause potential genotoxic effects in vivo. Characterization of Al(2)O(3)-30 nm and Al(2)O(3)-40 nm was done with transmission electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering and laser Doppler velocimetry prior to their use in this study. The genotoxicity end points considered in this study were the frequency of micronuclei (MN) and the percentage of tail DNA (% Tail DNA) migration in rat peripheral blood cells using the micronucleus test (MNT) and the comet assay, respectively. Genotoxic effects were evaluated in groups of female Wistar rats (five per group) after single doses of 500, 1000 and 2000 mg/kg body weight (bw) of Al(2)O(3)-30 nm, Al(2)O(3)-40 nm and Al(2)O(3)-bulk. Al(2)O(3)-30 nm and Al(2)O(3)-40 nm showed a statistically significant dose-related increase in % Tail DNA for Al(2)O(3)-30 nm and Al(2)O(3)-40 nm (P < 0.05). However, Al(2)O(3)-bulk did not induce statistically significant changes over control values. The MNT also revealed a statistically significant (P < 0.05) dose-dependent increase in the frequency of MN, whereas Al(2)O(3)-bulk did not show any significant increase in frequency of MN compared to control. Cyclophosphamide (40 mg/kg bw) used as a positive control showed statistically significant (P < 0.001) increase in % Tail DNA and frequency of MN. The biodistribution of Al(2)O(3)-30 nm and Al(2)O(3)-40 nm and Al(2)O(3)-bulk in different rat tissues, urine and feces was also studied 14 days after treatment using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The data indicated that tissue distribution of Al(2)O(3) was size dependent. Our findings suggest that Al(2)O(3) NMs were able to cause size- and dose-dependent genotoxicity in vivo compared to Al(2)O(3)-bulk and control groups.

Evaluation of genotoxic effects of oral exposure to aluminum oxide nanomaterials in rat bone marrow.

Nanomaterials have novel properties and functions because of their small size. The unique nature of nanomaterials may be associated with potentially toxic effects. The aim of this study was to evaluate the in vivo genotoxicity of rats exposed with Aluminum oxide nanomaterials. Hence in the present study, the genotoxicity of Aluminum oxide nanomaterials (30 and 40 nm) and its bulk material was studied in bone marrow of female Wistar rats using chromosomal aberration and micronucleus assays. The rats were administered orally with the doses of 500, 1000 and 2000 mg/kg bw. Statistically significant genotoxicity was observed with Aluminum oxide 30 and 40 nm with micronucleus as well as chromosomal aberration assays. Significantly (p < 0.05 or p < 0.001) increased frequency of MN was observed with 1000 and 2000 mg/kg bw dose levels of Aluminum oxide 30 nm (9.4 +/- 1.87 and 15.2 +/- 2.3, respectively) and Aluminum oxide 40 nm (8.1 +/- 1.8 and 13.9 +/- 2.21, respectively) over control (2.5 +/- 0.7) at 30 h. Likewise, at 48 h sampling time a significant (p < 0.05 or p < 0.001) increase in frequency of MN was evident at 1000 and 2000 mg/kg bw dose levels of Aluminum oxide 30 nm (10.6 +/- 1.68 and 16.6 +/- 2.66, respectively) and Aluminum oxide 40 nm (9.0 +/- 1.38 and 14.7 +/- 1.68, respectively) compared to control (1.8 +/- 0.75). Significantly increased frequencies (p < 0.05 or p < 0.001) of chromosomal aberrations were observed with Aluminum oxide 30 nm (1000 and 2000 mg/kg bw) and Aluminum oxide 40 nm (2000 mg/kg bw) in comparison to control at 18 and 24 h. Further, since there is need for information on the toxicokinetics of nanomaterials, determination of these properties of the nanomaterials was carried out in different tissues, urine and feces using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). A significant size dependent accumulation of Aluminum oxide nanomaterials occurred in different tissues, urine and feces of rats as shown by ICP-MS data. The results of our study suggest that exposure to Aluminum oxide nanomaterials has the potential to cause genetic damage.

Effects of dietary vitamin E, C and soybean oil supplementation on antioxidant enzyme activities in liver and muscles of rats.

The effect of elevated levels of dietary vitamin E, C and a combination of vitamin E and C (E&C) with soybean oil on activities of antioxidant (AOE) enzymes important in the protection against lipid peroxidation was studied in male rats fed with vitamin C (12 mg/g), vitamin E (3.68 mg/g) or E&C (3.68 mg/kg+12 mg/g) supplemented diets for 28 days. Catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and glutathione reductase (GR) activity in liver, pectoralis major (PM) and sartorius (S) muscles was increased significantly in rats fed with dietary vitamin C, E separately, and vitamin C&E combination, except, superoxide dismutase (SOD), which showed no alterations. These results clearly indicated that vitamin E&C separately and E&C together increased AOE activity in liver, PM and S muscle of rats. However, vitamin E and C combination enhanced AOE activity more significantly and our findings suggest the possible role of vitamin C&E and their combination in reducing the risk of chronic diseases related to oxidative stress.

Biomarkers of oxidative stress for in vivo assessment of toxicological effects of iron oxide nanoparticles.

Iron oxide nanoparticles (Fe2O3-IONPs) have revolutionized the industry by significant economic and scientific impacts. Enormous increase in the usage of IONPs has raised concerns about their unseen adverse effects. In the current study, we investigated the effects of IONPs and its bulk on oxidative stress biomarkers, histopathology and biodistribution in rats after 28 days repeated oral treatment at 30, 300 and 1000 mg/kg body weight (b.w.). IONPs size in dry, wet forms and crystallinity was determined using TEM, DLS and XRD. The investigation of oxidative stress biomarkers demonstrated significant increase in lipid peroxidation and decrease in reduced glutathione content in the liver, kidney and the brain of the treated groups in a dose dependant manner. Further, antioxidant enzymes catalase, glutathione S transferase, glutathione peroxidase and glutathione reductase activities were significantly elevated along with significant decrease in superoxide dismutase activity in treated rat organs. ICP-OES analysis revealed dose and size dependant accumulation of IONPs in the liver followed by kidney and the brain than bulk. Moreover, accumulation of IONPs at high dose brought pathological changes only in liver. A large fraction of IONPs was eliminated in urine. Bulk material was substantially excreted in faeces than IONPs suggesting increased absorption of IONPs. In conclusion accumulated IONPs and bulk in organs trigger free radical generation, leading to the induction of oxidative stress condition in rats. The results obtained highlight the importance of toxicity assessments in evaluating the efficiency of IONPs for the safe implementation for diversified applications.

Genotoxic evaluation of workers employed in pesticide production.

Pesticides are widely used throughout the world in agriculture to protect crops and in public health to control diseases. Nevertheless exposure to pesticides can represent a potential risk to humans. Pesticide manufacturing unit workers are prone to possible occupational pesticide exposure. Therefore, this study was performed to evaluate the genotoxic effect of pesticide exposure in these workers. In the present investigation 54 pesticide workers and an equal number of control subjects were assessed for genome damage in blood lymphocytes utilizing the chromosomal aberration analysis and the buccal epithelial cell by adopting the micronucleus test. The results suggested that pesticide workers had a significantly increased frequency of chromosomal aberrations when compared with controls (mean+/-S.D., 8.43+/-2.36 versus 3.32+/-1.26; P<0.05). Similarly, the pesticides exposed workers showed a significant increase in micronucleated cells compared with controls (1.24+/-0.72 versus 0.32+/-0.26; P<0.05). Analysis of variance revealed that occupational exposure to pesticides had a significant effect on frequency of micronuclei (P<0.05), whereas smoking, age, gender and alcohol consumption had no significant effect on genetic damage (P>0.05). However, no association was found between years of exposure, smoking, age, gender, alcohol consumption and higher levels of genetic damage as assessed by the chromosomal aberration assay (P>0.05). Our findings indicate that occupational exposure to pesticides could cause genome damage in somatic cells.

Genotoxic effects of chromium oxide nanoparticles and microparticles in Wistar rats after 28 days of repeated oral exposure.

The nanotechnology industry has advanced rapidly in the last 10 years giving rise to the growth of the nanoparticles (NPs) with great potential in various arenas. However, the same properties that make NPs interesting raise concerns because their toxicity has not been explored. The in vivo toxicology of chromium oxide (Cr2O3)-NPs is not known till date. Therefore, this study investigated the 28-day repeated toxicity after 30, 300 and 1000 mg/kg body weight (bw)/day oral treatment with Cr2O3-NPs and Cr2O3 microparticles (MPs) in Wistar rats. The mean size of Cr2O3-NPs and Cr2O3-MPs was 34.89 ± 2.65 nm and 3.76 ± 3.41 µm, respectively. Genotoxicity was assessed using comet, micronucleus and chromosomal aberration (CA) assays. The results revealed a significant increase in DNA damage in peripheral blood leucocytes and liver, micronuclei and CA in bone marrow after exposure of 300 and 1000 mg/kg doses of Cr2O3-NPs and Cr2O3-MPs only at 1000 mg/kg bw/day. Cr biodistribution was observed in all the tissues in a dose-dependent manner. The maximum amount of Cr was found in the kidneys and least in the brain of the treated rats. More of the Cr was excreted in the faeces than in the urine. Furthermore, nanotreated rats displayed much higher absorption and tissue accumulation. These findings provide initial data of the probable genotoxicity and biodistribution of NPs and MPs of Cr2O3 generated through repeated oral treatment.

Serum lipid peroxidation and antioxidant enzyme levels in male and female diabetic patients.

INTRODUCTION: The depletion of defensive body chemicals called antioxidants may increase the risk of complications from the most common form of diabetes mellitus. This study aims to evaluate blood serum lipid peroxidation product (malondialdehyde), an antioxidant, in non-insulin dependent male and female type 2 diabetic patients. METHODS: Blood serum samples were collected from the diabetic patients and non-diabetic healthy controls. Malondialdehyde (MDA) level, which is an index of endogenous lipid peroxidation, reduced glutathione and protein content of the serum were estimated. RESULTS: A significant elevation in MDA level and decrease in glutathione and protein content was observed in both male and female diabetic patients in comparison to non-diabetic controls. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that the increase in the lipid peroxidation product MDA and decline in glutathione-dependent antioxidant defences may appear early in non-insulin dependent type 2 diabetes mellitus patients before the development of secondary complications.