Exposure to multiple heavy metals associated with levels of inflammatory cytokines in workers in vulnerable conditions.

Purpose: Individuals in occupational environments are particularly susceptible to the impacts of pollutants; making it crucial to assess systemic inflammation markers. The study aimed to evaluate the immune response to inflammation through the assessment of a cytokine profile in individuals working in vulnerable conditions exposed to heavy metals.

Methods: A total of 137 adults participated in this study from three work environments: brickyards, waste scavenging and quarries.

Serum levels of inflammatory cytokines in mercury mining workers in a precarious situation: A preliminary study.

Mercury is a ubiquitous environmental xenobiotic; the primary sources of exposure to this metal are artisanal gold mining and the direct production of mercury. In Mexico, artisanal mercury mining continues to be an important activity in different regions of the country. Exposure to mercury vapors releases can have severe health impacts, including immunotoxic effects such as alterations in cytokine profiling.

Microplastics: challenges of assessment in biological samples and their implication for in vitro and in vivo effects.

Microplastics (MPs) have attracted global interest because they have been recognized as emerging pollutants that require urgent attention. MPs are plastic particles with a size between 1 micron and 5 mm (1 µm-5mm); those measuring less than 1 µm are known as nanoplastics (NPs). MP is distributed in the environment in various physical forms that depend on the degradation process, the erosion factors to which it was subjected, or the original form in which it was intentionally manufactured.

Atrazine modifies markers of melanocyte maturation and apoptosis in primary skin cultures.

Atrazine (ATZ) is part of a group of herbicides called triazines. ATZ is widely used in agricultural areas of Mexico, commonly used for the selective control of weeds in corn and sorghum crops. The exposure to ATZ can have serious human health effects since its use was associated with the development of cutaneous melanoma in an epidemiological study.

Profile of urinary exosomal microRNAs and their contribution to diabetic kidney disease through a predictive classification model.

Aim: Evaluate the expression of exomiRs-126, -146, and -155 in urinary exosomes of patients with T2DM and diabetic kidney disease to establish a predictive classification model with exomiRs and clinical variables in order to determine their contribution to DKD.

Methods: The study group included 92 subjects: 64 patients diagnosed with T2DM subclassified into two groups with albuminuria (T2DM with albuminuria, n = 30) and without albuminuria (TD2M, n = 34) as well as 28 healthy, non-diabetic participants. Exosomes were isolated from urine and identified by TEM and flow cytometry.

Circulating exosomal MicroRNAs: New non-invasive biomarkers of non-communicable disease.

Exosomes are vesicles, ranging of 30-150 nm in diameter, which are released by different cell types into the extracellular space. Exosomes are capable of transporting several biomolecules such as proteins, lipids, DNA, mRNA, and non-coding RNA, including microRNAs (miRs). miRs signatures have been linked to the development of non-communicable diseases and their classification into various subtypes and/or stages.

Respiratory health assessment and exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in Mexican indigenous population.

Indoor air pollution is an important risk factor for the generation of lung diseases in developing countries. The indigenous population is particularly susceptible to be exposed to the mixture of pollutants from the biomass burning, among them, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The objective of this study was to assess respiratory health and exposure to PAHs in indigenous populations of the Huasteca Potosina in Mexico.

Low cytotoxicity of anisotropic gold nanoparticles coated with lysine on peripheral blood mononuclear cells "in vitro".

The aim of this study was to evaluate the cytotoxic effects of anisotropic (non spherical morphologies) gold nanoparticles coated with the amino acid Lysine (Lys) on peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) "in vitro". Gold (Au) nanoparticles tested in this study were synthesized by a seed-mediated growth using Lys as a structure and shape directing agent. Cytotoxic effects were evaluated by cell viability (resazurin assay), reactive oxygen species (ROS) induction (2',7'-dichlorofluorescein diacetate assay), DNA damage (comet assay) and apoptosis/necrosis (AnnexinV/propidium iodide assay) after PBMC were exposed to increasing concentrations (10, 25, 50, 100, and 250μM) of AuNPs coated with Lys (AuNPs-Lys) at different exposure times (3, 6, 12, and 24h).

Serum adipocyte-fatty acid binding protein (FABP4) levels in women from Mexico exposed to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).

Recent studies indicate that exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is a very important risk factor for the development of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Correspondingly, adipocyte-fatty acid binding protein (FABP4, also known as aP2 and AFABP) has been proposed as a new, meaningful and useful biomarker to predict metabolic and cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate serum FABP4 levels in Mexican women exposed to PAHs.

Plasma asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) levels in Mexican women exposed to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs): A preliminary study.

Recent studies indicate that exposure to environmental pollutants (as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) is a very important risk factor for development of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Correspondingly, in recent times asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) has been proposed as a new and meaningful biomarker predictor for the risk of CVDs. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate plasma ADMA concentrations in Mexican women (n=155) exposed to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).

Exposure Assessment to Environmental Chemicals in Children from Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico.

It has been demonstrated that the human biomonitoring of susceptible populations is a valuable method for the identification of critical contaminants. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess the exposure profile for arsenic (As), lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OHP), 1,1-bis(p-chlorophenyl)-2,2,2-trichloroethane (DDT), 1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl) ethylene (DDE), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in children living in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico (a major manufacturing center in Mexico). In 2012, we evaluated a total of 135 healthy children living in Ciudad Juarez since birth.

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) concentration in soil from San Luis Potosi, Mexico: levels and ecological and human health risk characterization.

The aim of this study was to assess the levels of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in soils from the city of San Luis Potosi in Mexico and perform an ecological and human health risk characterization. In order to confirm the presence of PBDEs, outdoor surface soil samples were collected and the concentrations of PBDEs in urban, industrial, agricultural, and brick kiln industry areas were determined. The mean total PBDEs levels obtained in the study sites were 25.