Seasonal and regional contributors of 1-hydroxypyrene among children near a steel mill.

Urinary 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OHP) is a biomarker of exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). Effect of residence on children's PAH exposure was reported among children living near a polluted area. Instead of a snapshot assessment, however, a temporal history of exposure characteristics needs to be assessed in the studies of chronic disease development such as cancer. The urinary 1-OHP measurements were repeated to determine regional effect of ambient air pollution on 1-OHP levels over extended periods. Two sites were chosen: (a) one site located near the steel mill ("nearby" site) and (b) the other site located at a longer distance from the mill ("remote" site). Spot urinary 1-OHP levels were measured from 72 children for 3 consecutive days per month, repeated over 9-month period. Compared with remote site, the nearby site had increased the urinary 1-OHP level by 62.3% [95% confidence interval (95% CI), 39.8-88.3%]. Other statistically significant factors that contributed to the level include sex [16.5% (95% CI, 1.2-34.1%) higher for girls than boys], consumption of charbroiled meat [16.5% (95% CI, 1.1-34.2%) higher], and an increase in PM(10) [10.1% (95% CI, 4.8-15.7%) higher for the interquartile range increment]. Controlling for covariates, the 1-OHP levels were increased in the summer and fall compared with winter. The magnitude of the effects of both seasons had diminished after adjusting for PM(10). This is the first report providing seasonal and regional contributors to environmental PAH exposure, assessed by urinary 1-OHP, with higher 1-OHP levels during summer when ambient pollution was also high.

Mutational analysis of PMP22, MPZ, GJB1, EGR2 and NEFL in Korean Charcot-Marie-Tooth neuropathy patients.

We examined CMT1A duplication of 17p11.2-p12, mutations of PMP22, MPZ (P0), GJB1 (Cx32), EGR2 and NEFL genes in 57 Korean families with patients diagnosed as having Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease. The CMT1A duplication was present in 53.6% of 28 CMT type 1 patients. In the 42 CMT families without CMT1A duplication, 10 pathogenic mutations were found in 9 families. The 10 mutations were not detected in 105 healthy controls. Seven mutations (c.318delT (p.Ala106fs) in PMP22, c.352G>A (p.Asp118Asn), c.449-1G>T (3'-splice site), c.706A>G (p.Lys236Glu) in MPZ, c.407T>C (p.Val136Ala)[corrected], c.502T>C (p.Cys168Arg) in GJB1, and c.1001T>C (p.Leu334Pro) in NEFL) were determined to be novel. The mutation frequencies of PMP22 and MPZ were similar to those found in several European populations, however, it appeared that mutations in GJB1 are less frequent in East Asian CMT patients than in Eur opean patients. We described the identified mutations and phenotype-genotype correlations based on nerve conduction studies.

In vivo pressure sore-healing efficacy of ß-cyclodextrin/polyethyleneimine/silk fibroin xerogel.

BACKGROUND: ß-Cyclodextrin (ßCD) xerogel containing silk fibroin (SF) was prepared, and the efficacy of the xerogel for a pressure sore developed on the back of an ICR mouse was investigated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Tosyl ßCD was conjugated to polyethyleneimine (PEI), and the ßCD residues were cross-linked in an aqueous phase using epichlorohydrin as a cross-linker in the presence of SF. The xerogel composed of ßCD, PEI, and SF (ßCD/PEI/SF xerogel) was prepared by freeze drying the hydrogel. The in vivo pressure sore-healing efficacy of the xerogel was estimated through the skin appearance, skin thickness, hyperplasia of the epidermis, and number of neutrophils in the skin tissue. RESULTS: The animal group treated with ßCD/PEI/SF xerogels showed a better sore-healing efficacy than the group without treatment and the group treated with over-the-counter products through the determination of the reduction of hyperplasia of the epidermis and the number of neutrophils in skin tissue. We also got the same result by macroscopic evaluation. CONCLUSIONS: ßCD/PEI/SF xerogel exhibited a high wound-healing efficacy for pressure sores developed on the back of an ICR mouse and left no scar.

1-hydroxypyrene as a biomarker of PAH exposure among subjects living in two separate regions from a steel mill.

OBJECTIVE: Steel mills are known to be a source of ambient polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and increased cancer risk has been reported among neighborhoods previously. In this study, we tried to assess the exposure to PAHs among residents nearby to a large steel mill in Korea by measuring urinary 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OHP). METHODS: Two separate areas at different distances from a steel mill but on the same wind direction were chosen to evaluate the environmental exposures to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Three-hundred and fifty children living in the vicinity of steel plant ("nearby" group) and 606 children residing much farther from the factory ("remote" group) participated. Urine was collected on three consecutive days, and questionnaires about exposure to passive smoking and food consumption as well as demographics were obtained. Routine monitoring data of ambient pollutants were obtained and particulate matter less than 10 microm (PM10) was analyzed with multiple regressions to assess the associations with urinary 1-OHP. RESULTS: The geometric mean concentration of urinary 1-OHP among nearby group (0.048+/-1.878 micromol/mol creatinine, GM+/-GSD) was approximately 1.3 times higher than that among remote group (0.036+/-2.425 micromol/mol creatinine, GM+/-GSD), and using multiple regression techniques, the difference was significant (P<0.0001) after adjusting for confounding variables. When different periods before the sampling of urine were examined, PM10 averages over 2 days, 3 days, and 1 week prior to urine sampling showed significant associations with urinary 1-OHP levels. CONCLUSION: Our findings are consistent with the interpretation that residents nearby to a steel mill are exposed to PAHs through ambient exposures.