Arsenic Methyltransferase and Apolipoprotein E Polymorphism in Pregnant Women Exposed to Inorganic Arsenic in Drinking Water in Western Romania.

Previous studies have shown that inorganic arsenic (iAs) exposure may be associated with genotoxic and cytotoxic effects. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between several polymorphisms in and genes and urinary As and the relationship between these polymorphisms and pregnancy loss. We determined urinary As concentrations and performed genotyping analysis in 50 cases of spontaneous pregnancy loss and 50 controls, matched to cases on gestational age.

Differential effect of the duration of exposure on the carcinogenicity of cadmium in MCF10A mammary epithelial cells.

The carcinogenic role of cadmium (Cd) in breast cancer is still debatable. Current data points to duration of exposure as the most important element. In our study, we designed an in vitro model to investigate the effects of 3 weeks versus 6 weeks of low-level CdCl exposure on MCF10A cells.

Urinary arsenic and spontaneous pregnancy loss - a hypothesis-generating case-control investigation in western Romania.

Arsenic occurs as a natural contaminant of drinking water supplies in arsenic endemic areas, posing a threat to public health. Our aim was to evaluate the relationship between urinary arsenic concentrations and spontaneous pregnancy loss in a population with low-moderate level drinking water arsenic exposure (mostly <10 μg/L). We enrolled 150 women with incident spontaneous pregnancy losses and 150 controls with ongoing pregnancies matched by gestational age.

Health effects of air pollutant mixtures (volatile organic compounds, particulate matter, sulfur and nitrogen oxides) - a review of the literature.

The health risks associated with individual air pollutant exposures have been studied and documented, but in real-life, the population is exposed to a multitude of different substances, designated as mixtures. A body of literature on air pollutants indicated that the next step in air pollution research is investigating pollutant mixtures and their potential impacts on health, as a risk assessment of individual air pollutants may actually underestimate the overall risks. This review aims to synthesize the health effects related to air pollutant mixtures containing selected pollutants such as: volatile organic compounds, particulate matter, sulfur and nitrogen oxides.

Emerging roles and mechanisms of semaphorins activity in cancer.

Semaphorins are regulatory molecules that are linked to the modulation of several cancer processes, such as angiogenesis, cancer cell invasiveness and metastasis, tumor growth, as well as cancer cell survival. Semaphorin (SEMA) activity depends on the cancer histotypes and their particularities. In broad terms, the effects of SEMAs result from their interaction with specific receptors/co-receptors - Plexins, Neuropilins and Integrins - and the subsequent effects upon the downstream effectors (e.