Common mental disorders and association with telomere length.

Telomeres are repeated 5'-TTAGGG-3' sequences at the end of chromosomes, which maintain genomic stability. Their length is related to a number of diseases that affect humans. Apart from cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and other, telomere length has been associated with chronic diseases. Chronic mental illness includes various types of mental disorders with the most common being depression, schizophrenia and stress-anxiety. The aim of this review is to summarize the current state of knowledge on the role of telomeres in these disorders and to compare telomere length variations in patients receiving medication and patients not taking treatment. Most studies report reduced telomere length in patients suffering from mental disorders, compared to the general population. Since the factors that can affect telomere length are various, more experiments and investigations are required to understand the general impact of different factors on telomere length.

Cardiotoxicity in rabbits after a low-level exposure to diazinon, propoxur, and chlorpyrifos.

Lethal cardiac complications leading to death and various arrhythmias have been reported after organophosphate and/or carbamate poisonings. The present study focuses on the long-term effects of repeated low-level exposure to diazinon, propoxur, and chlorpyrifos (CPF) on cardiac function in rabbits. The yearly based experimental scheme of exposure consisted of two oral administration periods, lasting 3 months and 1 month each, interrupted by an 8-month washout period (total duration 12 months). At the end of the experimental scheme, the rabbits underwent an echocardiographic evaluation under sedation, after which they were killed and the tissue and serum samples were collected. A mild localized cardiotoxic effect was established by echocardiography for the three pesticides tested. Severe histological alterations were identified, especially in the diazinon-treated animals in agreement with increased persistence of this pesticide established in the cardiac tissue. In addition, all pesticides tested increased the oxidative stress and oxidative modifications in the genomic DNA content of the cardiac tissues, each one following a distinct mechanism.