Effect of melatonin supplementation on plasma lipid hydroperoxides, homocysteine concentration and chronic fatigue syndrome in multiple sclerosis patients treated with interferons-beta and mitoxantrone.

UNLABELLED: Multiple sclerosis (MS) prevalence is higher in geographic regions with less sunlight exposure. Melatonin participates in the effects of sunlight in healthy individuals and could play a role in MS pathophysiology. Melatonin crosses the blood-brain barrier and exerts antioxidative, immunomodulatory, and anti-inflammatory effects. Chronic fatigue syndrome concerns 80 - 90% MS patients. The pathophysiology of chronic fatigue syndrome is unknown, however activation of immune, inflammatory, oxidative and nitrosative stress mechanisms and plasma lipid peroxide elevation was reported. Homocysteine increases plasma lipid hydroperoxides levels. The aim was to determine the effect of melatonin supplementation on chronic fatigue syndrome in MS patients and evaluate plasma lipid hydroxyperoxides (LHP) and homocysteine concentrations as a potential biochemical fatigue biomarkers. Into a case-control prospective study 102 MS patients divided according receiving immunomodifying MS treatment into groups: RRMS-pretreated, RRMS-INF-beta, SP/PPMS-mitoxantrone, RRMS-relapse were enrolled. Patients were supplemented with melatonin over 90 days. Plasma LHP, homocysteine concentration, brain MRI and fatigue score were examined. Results show that LHP concentrations were significantly higher in all studied MS groups vs. CONTROLS: In all MS patient groups melatonin application resulted in significant decrease in plasma LHP concentrations. Plasma homocysteine concentration was similar in healthy people, RRMS-pretreated, RRMS-INF-beta and SP/PP-MS-mitoxantrone groups. However, in the RRMS-relapse group plasma levels of homocysteine were significantly higher compared to the RRMS-pretreated group. There were no significant differences in plasma homocysteine concentration in the studied groups before and after melatonin application. The fatigue score was significantly lower in RRMS pretreated group compared to RRMS-INF-beta and SP/PP MS-mitoxantrone treated patients. Plasma lipid hydroxyperoxides could be potential biochemical chronic fatigue syndrome biomarker in MS patients and homocysteine could be a potential marker of acute phase of MS. Melatonin exerts beneficial effects in MS patients based on its' proved antioxidative properties.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and metals in transplanted lichen (Pseudovernia furfuracea) at sites adjacent to a solid-waste landfill in central Italy.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the airborne contamination by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and some heavy metals (arsenic [As], cadmium [Cd], chromium [Cr], copper [Cu], nickel [Ni], lead [Pb], and zinc [Zn]) of different pollution scenarios around a solid-waste landfill in central Italy using the lichen Pseudovernia furfuracea as a monitoring tool. For this purpose, eight stations around a landfill characterized by different air pollution sources (industrial, agricultural, residential areas, and roads with different traffic intensities), together with three stations far from the landfill (control areas), were monitored using a set of 22 lichen samples (11 samples analysed for PAHs and metals after 4 months, and 11 samples analysed for metals after 8 months). After 4 months of exposure, the lichen content of all of the analysed elements was greater than that in the pre-exposed lichens. In addition, the Cu and Pb concentration after 8 months was greater than the level after 4 months. The order of metal concentration was Zn > Pb > Cu (or Cu > Pb) > Cr > Ni > As > Cd in all cases. The range of ∑11PAHs concentration was 634-1,371 ng/g dw (three to seven times greater than the amount in the pre-exposed lichens). The ∑11PAHs were dominated (>70 %) by compounds with three aromatic rings. The comparison of the levels of air pollutants among the monitored stations shows nonrelevant spatial patterns between the landfill stations and the control areas; the levels of PAHs and metals found in the lichen samples around the landfill seemed to be more related to the general diffusion of these pollutants in that area.

4,4'-, 5,5'-, and 6,6'-dimethyl-2,2'-bipyridyls: the structures, phase transitions, vibrations, and methyl group tunneling of their complexes with chloranilic acid.

The crystal and molecular structures of 4,4(')- and 6,6(')-dimethyl-2,2(')-bipyridyl complexes with 2,5-dichloro-3,6-dihydroxy-p-benzoquinone (chloranilic acid, CLA) have been determined and compared with those of the complex with the 5,5(')-derivative, which is known to possess interesting antiferroelectric properties. In the crystalline state, all three compounds form hydrogen bonded chains with N(+)-H···O(-) and O-H···N bridges on both sides of the bipyridyl constituent. The comparison of three derivatives indicates that the N(+)-H···O(-) hydrogen bonds are shortest for the 5,5(')-dimethyl complex. The 4,4(')- and 6,6(')-derivatives do not show any ferroelectric feature. The 6,6(')-one is, however, characterized by a continuous phase transition, revealed in the differential scanning calorimetry, dilatometric, and dielectric characteristics. The tunneling splitting measured by neutron backscattering in the energy range ±30 µeV for the neat dimethyl bipyridyls and their complexes with CLA indicates that the different splittings are primarily due to the crystal packing effect and that charge transfer between interacting compounds plays only a minor role.

A multi-biomarker analysis of DNA damage in automobile painters.

The genotoxic effects associated with automobile painting were analyzed using a panel of biomarkers. Chromosomal aberrations (CAs), sister chromatid exchange (SCE), and micronuclei were evaluated in 25 car painters (12 smokers, 13 nonsmokers) working in different automobile paint-shops in Italy and in 37 control subjects. The controls were healthy blood donors (14 smokers, 23 non-smokers) that were matched with the experimental population for gender and age. Air samples were analyzed regularly at the work places, and elevated concentrations of benzene and toluene were detected consistently. The exposed group had higher frequencies of CAs (both chromosome- and chromatid-type), micronuclei, and SCE (P < 0.5 - P < 0.001). Furthermore, exposed and control subjects were also genotyped for GSTM1 and GSTT1 polymorphism. No significant associations were detected between the biomarker responses and either the GSTM1 or GSTT1 genotype of the subjects, but the small sample size does not allow definite conclusions on the relationship between the genetic polymorphism and the biomarkers. The results indicate that automobile painters have increased levels of clastogenic and possible aneugenic damage and that smoking may be a confounding factor for the responses.

Lichens as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon bioaccumulators used in atmospheric pollution studies.

The aim of this work has been to determine the possibility of using lichens as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) bioaccumulators for the evaluation of atmospheric pollution in the city of Rieti. A lichen sample collected in a remote unpolluted area was divided into 18 sub-samples. These were collocated in nine different stations in the city of Rieti and every 5 months the PAH concentrations were determined. Only phenanthrene, anthracene, fluoranthene, pyrene and chrysene were found at concentrations over the limit of quantification. In the meantime a continuous increase of their concentrations was observed.

Evaluation of genotoxic and cytotoxic properties of pesticides employed in Italian agricultural practices.

In a program coordinated by the Italian Ministry of Works, we tested in vitro four pesticides widely employed in a developed agricultural region of central Italy. The four commercial agents were chosen on the basis of their diffusion in agricultural practice, knowledge of their active principle(s), and scant availability of data concerning their toxic and genotoxic activity. The agents were Cirtoxin, Decis, Tramat Combi (TC), and Lasso Micromix (LM). All substances were tested in three in vitro systems: Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, a metabolically competent hamster cell line (Chinese hamster epithelial liver; CHEL), and root tips of Vicia faba (VF). The cytotoxic and genotoxic end points challenged were micronuclei and root tip length (RTL) in VF and mitotic index (MI), proliferation index (PI), cell survival (CS), cell growth (CG), cell cycle length (CCL), sister chromatid exchanges, chromosomal aberrations, and single-cell gel electrophoresis, or comet assay, in CHEL and CHO cells. Tested doses ranged from the field dose up to 200x the field dose to take into account accumulation effects. On the whole, tested agents appear to induce genotoxic damage only at subtoxic or toxic doses, indicating a low clastogenic risk. MI, PI, CS, CG, RTL, and CCL appear to be the less sensitive end points, showing no effects in the presence of a clear positive response in some or all of the other tests. Using cytogenetic tests, we obtained positive results for TC and LM treatments in CHO but not in CHEL cells. These data could be accounted for by postulating a detoxifying activity exerted by this cell line. However, cytogenetic end points appear to be more sensitive than those referring to cytotoxicity.

[Laboratory diagnosis: correlated health and environmental risks]. / La diagnostica di laboratorio: rischi sanitari e ambientali correlati.

Method description and initial results of a study to assess risks to health sector workers and environment due to chemical agents used and waste products generated in diagnostic clinical chemical laboratories, and image diagnostic testing. A survey was conducted of the methods and agents used and their toxicological classification, the number of workers exposed and an analytical profile of the waste produced. The assessment of risk to workers was based on cytogenetic tests (chromosome aberrations and micronuclei); the assessment of environmental risk from waste disposal was based on tests on plant systems.

Buthionine sulfoximine prevents the reduction of the genotoxic activity of maleic hydrazide by soil humic substances in Vicia faba seedlings.

A significant reduction of the genotoxic effects caused by herbicide maleic hydrazide (MH) in Vicia faba seedlings was observed to be induced by a growth step in an organic soil as well as by a pretreatment with highly purified humic substances. In addition, such protective activity was resulted quite similar to that observed when the conditioning pretreatment was carried out with metal salts, so suggesting the involvement of the GSH biosynthesis in determining the protective activity observed. In agreement with this hypothesis, a previous exposure to buthionine sulfoximine (BSO), an inhibitor of the phytochelatins production, through the inhibition of GSH synthesis, prevented the reduction of the genotoxic activity of MH. The findings provide evidence for the involvement of the GSH biosynthesis pathway in determining the antigenotoxic activity revealed and suggest a possible involvement of the phytochelatins in this process. However, yet to be clarified is whether the stimulation of GSH production results as a consequence of a nonspecific influence on the protein synthesis by humic substances or of its direct activation due to the presence, as contaminants, of some heavy metals in both organic soil and humic acids extracts.