Impact of chlorpyrifos exposure on lung function in Egyptian adolescent agriculture workers.

Chlorpyrifos (CPF) is a widely used organophosphate insecticide that has been linked to detrimental health effects that range from neurological impacts to respiratory disease. The objective of this study was to assess respiratory symptoms associated with CPF exposure throughout the application season. Urine samples were collected from Egyptian adolescent applicators ( = 206) and non-applicators ( = 72) to assess 3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinol (TCPy), a biomarker for CPF exposure, along with spirometry measures to determine lung ventilatory function.

Jugular Approach for the Transcatheter Pacemaker Implant - Better Access for Smaller Hearts?

Background: The Micra leadless pacemaker was developed to fit inside the right ventricle, thereby reducing overall complications by 48% compared with a historical control group. The current labeling restricts implants to the femoral approach. In this article we used 3-dimensional computer models of human hearts to demonstrate why implants can be difficult in small patients and how using the jugular approach reduces these difficulties.

Indoor air pollution exposure and early childhood development in the Upstate KIDS Study.

Background: Limited human studies have investigated the impact of indoor air pollution on early childhood neurodevelopment among the US population. We aimed to examine the associations between prenatal and postnatal indoor air pollution exposure and early childhood development in a population-based birth cohort.

Methods: This analysis included 4735 mother-child pairs enrolled between 2008 and 2010 in the Upstate KIDS Study.

Visual observation of extraction of a Micra leadless pacemaker from a human cadaver.

Introduction: In this article we present the extraction of a Micra from a human cadaver implanted 3 years previously with both visual and X-ray imaging taken during the removal.

Methods: A Micra pacemaker was extracted from a human cadaver with endoscopy and fluoroscopy using a Micra delivery tool. Histological analysis was performed on slices from the tissue surrounding the Micra.

Effects of exposure to environmental pollutants on mitochondrial DNA copy number: a meta-analysis.

Exposure to environmental pollutants has been associated with alteration on relative levels of mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNAcn). However, the results obtained from epidemiological studies are inconsistent. This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate whether environmental pollutant exposure can modify the relative levels of mtDNAcn in humans.

Acute and Cumulative Effects of Repeated Exposure to Chlorpyrifos on the Liver and Kidney Function among Egyptian Adolescents.

Background: There is a paucity of research that tracks changes in liver and kidney function among pesticide applicators. The aim of the current study was to investigate the role of repeated seasonal exposure to the organophosphorus pesticide, chlorpyrifos, on serum measures of liver and kidney function.

Methods: Pesticide exposure was assessed by measuring the urinary concentrations of 3,5,6-trichloro-2 pyridinol (TCPy), a specific biomarker for chlorpyrifos.

Changes in arachidonic acid (AA)- and linoleic acid (LA)-derived hydroxy metabolites and their interplay with inflammatory biomarkers in response to drastic changes in air pollution exposure.

Background: Untargeted metabolomics analyses have indicated that fatty acids and their hydroxy derivatives may be important metabolites in the mechanism through which air pollution potentiates diseases. This study aimed to use targeted analysis to investigate how metabolites in arachidonic acid (AA) and linoleic acid (LA) pathways respond to short-term changes in air pollution exposure. We further explored how they might interact with markers of antioxidant enzymes and systemic inflammation.

Evaluation of occupational pesticide exposure on Egyptian male adolescent cognitive and motor functioning.

Background: Chronic low-level exposure to organophosphorus pesticides is associated with adverse health effects, including a decline in neurological functioning and long-term impairment. These negative effects may be more detrimental in children and adolescents due to their critical stage in development. Little work has investigated the effects of chronic exposure to pesticides, specifically chlorpyrifos (CPF) during the adolescent period.

A framework for stability-based module detection in correlation graphs.

Graphs can be used to represent the direct and indirect relationships between variables, and elucidate complex relationships and interdependencies. Detecting structure within a graph is a challenging problem. This problem is studied over a range of fields and is sometimes termed community detection, module detection, or graph partitioning.

Effect of exposure to 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) on mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) copy number in rats.

Mitochondria are intracellular organelles responsible for biological oxidation and energy production. These organelles are susceptible to damage from oxidative stress and compensate for damage by increasing the number of copies of their own genome, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). Cancer and environmental exposure to some pollutants have also been associated with altered mtDNA copy number.

Telomeres as targets for the toxicity of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in rats.

Telomere length (TL) can be affected by various factors, including age and oxidative stress. Changes in TL have been associated with chronic disease, including a higher risk for several types of cancer. Environmental exposure of humans to PCBs and dioxins has been associated with longer or shorter leukocyte TL.

Epicardial implantation of a leadless pacemaker in a lamb model.

Background: Pacemaker used in small children typically consist of an abdominally placed generator and epicardially affixed leads, making such a system prone to lead dysfunction during growth. Aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of epicardial pacing with a leadless pacemaker in a lamb model.

Animals And Methods: Seventeen lambs underwent epicardial implantation of a Micra transcatheter pacing system (TPS) (Medtronic, Minneapolis, MN, USA) via left-lateral thoracotomy to the left ventricle (LV) surface (n = 11/17) and to the left atrial appendage (n = 6).

Risk perception and behavior in Egyptian adolescent pesticide applicators: an intervention study.

Background: Adolescents are engaged in agricultural work, including pesticide application, around the world. Adolescent pesticide applicators are more likely to be exposed to pesticides than their adult counterparts because of their application practice and hygiene habits surrounding pesticide use. There is a need for low-cost interventions to reduce pesticide exposure.

Ambient air pollution and lung cancer risk among never-smokers in the Women's Health Initiative.

Background: Ambient air pollution is classified as a human carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). However, epidemiologic studies supporting this classification have focused on lung cancer mortality rather than incidence, and spatial and temporal resolutions of exposure estimates have varied considerably across studies.

Methods: We evaluated the association of outdoor air pollution and lung cancer incidence among never-smoking participants of the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) study, a large, US-based cohort of postmenopausal women (N = 65,419; 265 cases).

Responses of serum chemokines to dramatic changes of air pollution levels, a panel study.

Despite the and evidence, studies are limited in evaluating whether chemokines are potential inflammatory mediators in response to air pollution exposure in humans. We conducted a panel study coinciding with the Beijing Olympics, when temporary air pollution controls were implemented. We measured a suite of serum chemokines among healthy adults before, during and after the Olympics, respectively.

Metabolomics Profiling before, during, and after the Beijing Olympics: A Panel Study of Within-Individual Differences during Periods of High and Low Air Pollution.

Background: The metabolome is a collection of exogenous chemicals and metabolites from cellular processes that may reflect the body's response to environmental exposures. Studies of air pollution and metabolomics are limited.

Objectives: To explore changes in the human metabolome before, during, and after the 2008 Beijing Olympics Games, when air pollution was high, low, and high, respectively.

Occupational pesticide exposure and symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in adolescent pesticide applicators in Egypt.

Background: Exposure to environmental chemicals, including organophosphorus pesticides, is associated with behavioral disorders such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, the impact of occupational pesticide exposure on ADHD development in adolescents has not been examined.

Objective: We examined the association between exposure to chlorpyrifos and ADHD symptoms among adolescents in Egypt.

Urinary Phthalate Biomarker Concentrations and Postmenopausal Breast Cancer Risk.

Background: Growing laboratory and animal model evidence supports the potentially carcinogenic effects of some phthalates, chemicals used as plasticizers in a wide variety of consumer products, including cosmetics, medications, and vinyl flooring. However, prospective data on whether phthalates are associated with human breast cancer risk are lacking.

Methods: We conducted a nested case-control study within the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) prospective cohort (n = 419 invasive case subjects and 838 control subjects).

Active and secondhand smoke exposure throughout life and DNA methylation in breast tumors.

Purpose: Tobacco smoke exposure has been associated with altered DNA methylation. However, there is a paucity of information regarding tobacco smoke exposure and DNA methylation of breast tumors.

Methods: We conducted a case-only analysis using breast tumor tissue from 493 postmenopausal and 225 premenopausal cases in the Western New York Exposures and Breast Cancer (WEB) study.

A Miniaturized, Programmable Pacemaker for Long-Term Studies in the Mouse.

Rationale: Cardiac pacing is a critical technology for the treatment of arrhythmia and heart failure. The impact of specific pacing strategies on myocardial function is an area of intense research and high clinical significance. Mouse models have proven extremely useful for probing mechanisms of heart disease, but there is currently no reliable technology for long-term pacing in the mouse.

Pesticide use and LINE-1 methylation among male private pesticide applicators in the Agricultural Health Study.

Cancer risk may be associated with DNA methylation (DNAm) levels in Long Interspersed Nucleotide Element 1 (LINE-1), a surrogate for global DNAm. Exposure to certain pesticides may increase risk of particular cancers, perhaps mediated in part through global DNAm alterations. To date, human data on pesticide exposure and global DNAm alterations are limited.

How do glutathione antioxidant enzymes and total antioxidant status respond to air pollution exposure?

This study aims to investigate how antioxidant enzyme activity and overall antioxidant capacity respond to short-term changes in exposure to air pollution. 201 participants were recruited before- and followed up during- and after- the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Serum levels of antioxidant enzymes including glutathione S-transferases (GST), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione reductase (GR), and total antioxidant status (TAS) were measured.

Lifetime exposure to ambient air pollution and methylation of tumor suppressor genes in breast tumors.

Background: We previously reported increased risk of breast cancer associated with early life exposure to two measures of air pollution exposure, total suspended particulates (TSP) and traffic emissions (TE), possible proxies for exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Exposure to PAHs has been shown to be associated with aberrant patterns of DNA methylation in peripheral blood of healthy individuals. Exposure to PAHs and methylation in breast tumor tissue has received little attention.

Longitudinal assessment of occupational determinants of chlorpyrifos exposure in adolescent pesticide workers in Egypt.

Chlorpyrifos (CPF) is an organophosphourus insecticide applied to cotton fields by adolescents employed by the Egyptian Ministry of Agriculture. Urinary 3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinol (TCPy) is a biomarker of CPF exposure that has substantial variability among these applicators. In order to identify predictors of CPF exposure, we conducted a longitudinal study of 43 adolescent pesticide applicators in Egypt from April 2010 to January 2011 in Egypt.