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FDA Total Diet Study, July 1986-April 1991, dietary intakes of pesticides, selected elements, and other chemicals.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration conducts the Total Diet Study to determine dietary intakes of selected pesticides, industrial chemicals, and elements (including radionuclides). This paper reports results for the sampling period July 1986 to April 1991. The study involves retail purchase of foods representative of the ¿total diet¿ of the U.S. population, preparation for ¿table-ready¿ consumption, and individual analyses of 234 items making up the diets of 8 population groups. The diets were based on 2 nationwide food consumption surveys. The data presented represent 21 food collections (also termed ¿market baskets¿) in regional metropolitan areas during the 5-year period. Dietary intakes of nearly 120 analytes are presented for 8 population groups, which range from infants to elderly adults. Intakes of selected population groups are compared with representative findings from earlier Total Diet Study sampling periods. As reported previously, average daily intakes are well below acceptable limits.

Adolescent↗

A graphical method to determine the uptake of nuclides by workers.

A method is presented which simplifies the estimation of the uptake, retention, and elimination of radioactive or stable nuclides following instantaneous ingestion or inhalation. A graph can be presented which shows the time-related presence of the element in organs of interest. It is not necessary to go back to the original differential equations used in the metabolic models or to resort to the publications which present their solutions. A glance at a graph and some simple calculations will allow the health professional to make the required determinations.

Aerosols↗

Temporal changes in water quality at a childhood leukemia cluster.

Since 1997, 15 cases of acute lymphocytic leukemia and one case of acute myelocytic leukemia have been diagnosed in children and teenagers who live, or have lived, in an area centered on the town of Fallon, Nevada. The expected rate for the population is about one case every five years. In 2001, 99 domestic and municipal wells and one industrial well were sampled in the Fallon area. Twenty-nine of these wells had been sampled previously in 1989. Statistical comparison of concentrations of major ions and trace elements in those 29 wells between 1989 and 2001 using the nonparametric Wilcoxon signed-rank test indicate water quality did not substantially change over that period; however, short-term changes may have occurred that were not detected. Volatile organic compounds were seldom detected in ground water samples and those that are regulated were consistently found at concentrations less than the maximum contaminant level (MCL). The MCL for gross-alpha radioactivity and arsenic, radon, and uranium concentrations were commonly exceeded, and sometimes were greatly exceeded. Statistical comparisons using the nonparametric Wilcoxon rank-sum test indicate gross-alpha and -beta radioactivity, arsenic, uranium, and radon concentrations in wells used by families having a child with leukemia did not statistically differ from the remainder of the domestic wells sampled during this investigation. Isotopic measurements indicate the uranium was natural and not the result of a 1963 underground nuclear bomb test near Fallon. In arid and semiarid areas where trace-element concentrations can greatly exceed the MCL, household reverse-osmosis units may not reduce their concentrations to safe levels. In parts of the world where radon concentrations are high, water consumed first thing in the morning may be appreciably more radioactive than water consumed a few minutes later after the pressure tank has been emptied because secular equilibrium between radon and its immediate daughter progeny is attained in pressure tanks overnight.

Arsenic↗

Growth of Thiobacillus ferrooxidans on Elemental Sulfur.

Growth kinetics of Thiobacillus ferrooxidans in batch cultures, containing prills of elementary sulfur as the sole energy source, were studied by measuring the incorporation of radioactive phosphorus in free and adsorbed bacteria. The data obtained indicate an initial exponential growth of the attached bacteria until saturation of the susceptible surface was reached, followed by a linear release of free bacteria due to successive replication of a constant number of adsorbed bacteria. These adsorbed bacteria could continue replication provided the colonized prills were transferred to fresh medium each time the stationary phase was reached. The bacteria released from the prills were unable to multiply, and in the medium employed they lost viability with a half-life of 3.5 days. The spreading of the progeny on the surface was followed by staining the bacteria on the prills with crystal violet; this spreading was not uniform but seemed to proceed through distortions present in the surface. The specific growth rate of T. ferrooxidans ATCC 19859 was about 0.5 day, both before and after saturation of the sulfur surface. The growth of adsorbed and free bacteria in medium containing both ferrous iron and elementary sulfur indicated that T. ferrooxidans can simultaneously utilize both energy sources.

Journal Article↗

Aetiology of Balkan nephropathy: a reappraisal after 30 years.

Balkan nephropathy (BN) has been a complete aetiological puzzle for many years. Intense research produced many controversial results, but also helped some clues to be traced. Thus, it became rather obvious that the disease is caused by environmental factors (though it may be, to some extent, genetically controlled). Among live agents, slow viruses are the only (and theoretically very attractive) possible cause of both BN and urothelial tumours, which occur frequently in BN endemic areas. Apart from occasional visualization of virus-like particles, other evidence supporting this hypothesis has been lacking. The role biological products, particularly fungal toxins, needs to be further defined. An excess of any heavy metal or radioactive substance as a cause of BN is very unlikely indeed; however, a deficiency of a bio-essential element could not be ruled out. Many epidemiological data indicate that water might be a transmitter of the agent(s). A wide range of ions and minerals have been incriminated, but up to now most of the studies have provided negative or inconclusive results. Organic compounds in well water have never been sufficiently considered. Another ignored area are unstable and, particularly, photosensitive substances. Fertilizers, pesticides, analgesics, local herbs and teas have no causal relation to BN.

Balkan Nephropathy↗

Soils: their implications to human health.

This paper reviews how the health of humans is affected by the world's soils, an association that to date has been under appreciated and under reported. Soils significantly influence a variety of functions (e.g. as a plant growth medium; its importance on the cycling of water; as a foundation for buildings) that sustains the human population. Through ingestion (either deliberate or involuntary), inhalation and dermal absorption, the mineral, chemical and biological components of soils can either be directly beneficial or detrimental to human health. Specific examples include: geohelminth infection and the supply of mineral nutrients and potentially harmful elements (PHEs) via soil ingestion; cancers caused by the inhalation of fibrous minerals or Rn gas derived from the radioactive decay of U and Th in soil minerals; and tetanus, hookworm disease and podoconiosis caused by skin contact and dermal absorption of appropriate soil constituents. Human health can also be influenced in more indirect ways as soils interact with the atmosphere, biosphere and hydrosphere. Examples include: the volatilisation of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) from soils and their subsequent global redistribution that has health implications to the Aboriginal people of the Arctic; the frequent detrimental chemical and biological quality of drinking and recreational waters that are influenced by processes of soil erosion, surface runoff, interflow and leaching; and the transfer of mineral nutrients and PHEs from soils into the plants and animals that constitute the human food chain. The scale and magnitude of soil/health interactions are variable, but at times a considerable number of people can be affected as demonstrated by the extent of hookworm infection or the number of people at risk because they live in an I-deficient environment. Nevertheless, it can often be difficult to establish definite links between soils and human health. This, together with the emergence of new risks, knowledge, or discoveries, means that there is considerable scope for research in the future. Such investigations should involve a multidisciplinary approach that both acquires knowledge and ensures its dissemination to people in an understandable way. This requires an infrastructure and finance that governments need to be responsive to.

Environmental Exposure↗

Serotonin-containing neurones in vertebrate retinas.

It has been established by a combination of HPLC and electrochemical detection that frog, lizard, goldfish, rabbit, and bovine retinas contain both dopamine and serotonin. Immunohistological and immunoradiographical methods show that serotonin is localised in amacrine perikarya and processes situated in the inner plexiform layers of frog, lizard, and goldfish retinas. The amount of serotonin in the mammalian retina appears to be too low for detection in neurones. The serotonin in the bovine retina is located mainly in the inner nuclear and plexiform layers, suggesting that the amine is present in the same types of cells as found for frog, lizard, and goldfish retinas. Retinas incubated in [3H]serotonin showed that radioactivity is associated with processes in the inner plexiform layer and amacrine perikarya. These results suggest that the neuronal elements that contain endogenous serotonin also have the capacity to accumulate exogenous amine and are consistent with the opinion that serotonin has a neuronal function in retinas of a variety of vertebrates.

Animals↗

Intracellular localization of cerium. A microanalytical study using an electron microprobe and ionic microanalysis.

Radioactive cerium is a nuclear toxicant. Metallic cerium is used in industry. Aspects of the intracellular metabolism of this element were studied following intraperitoneal injection and aerosol exposure in rat. Two microanalytic methods, an electron microprobe and ionic microanalysis, enabled the sites of incorporation and the process of intracellular concentration of cerium to be determined in the liver, lung, kidney, bone marrow and bone tissue. The very high sensitivity of ionic analysis enabled very low concentrations of cerium to be detected with a spatial resolution of 0.5 microns. Microanalysis by electron microprobe permitted: (i) the lysosomal localization of cerium to be determined; and (ii) the lysosomal coprecipitation of cerium with phosphorus to be demonstrated. Results are discussed in relation to aspects of radiological protection.

Administration, Inhalation↗

[Positron emission tomography. A new measurement method for imaging of regional and biochemical parameters].

Positron emission tomography (PET) is a method for quantitative imaging of regional physiological and biochemical parameters. Positron emitting radioactive isotopes can be produced by a cyclotron, eg. the biologically important carbon (11C), oxygen (15O), and nitrogen (13N) elements. With the tomographic principle of the PET scanner the quantitative distribution of the administered isotopes can be determined and images can be provided as well as dynamic information on blood flow, metabolism and receptor function. In neurology PET has been used for investigations on numerous physiological processes in the brain: circulation, metabolism and receptor studies. In Parkinson's disease PET studies have been able to localize the pathology specifically, and in early stroke PET technique can outline focal areas with living but non-functioning cells, and this could make it possible to intervene in this early state. With positron emission tomography a quantitative evaluation of myocardial blood flow, glucose and fatty acid metabolism can be made as well as combined assessments of blood flow and metabolism. Combined studies of blood flow and metabolism can determine whether myocardial segments with abnormal motility consist of necrotic or viable tissue, thereby delineating effects of revascularisation. In the future it will probably be possible to characterize the myocardial receptor status in different cardiac diseases. The PET technique is used in oncology for clinical as well as more basic research on tumor perfusion and metabolism. Further, tumor uptake of positron labelled cytotoxic drugs might predict the clinical benefit of treatment.

Brain↗

Radium, Marie Curie and modern science.

In 1898, the discovery of two new elements, polonium and radium, reawakened interest in the topic of uranic rays discovered 2 years before by H. Becquerel. Radioactivity, a name coined by Marie Curie, became a major research field for decades. The contrasting personalities of Pierre Curie, already a first-rank physicist, and of the young Marie Curie-Sklodowska as they undertook their common work are described. It is shown how a well-chosen quantitative method and a systematic approach combining physics and chemistry led to the discovery within less than 1 year. The special role of radium and the determination of its atomic weight by Marie Curie followed by her long-term program for accumulating pure radium salts are emphasized. The first woman with a full professorship at a French University, Marie Curie created and managed the Radium Institute.

Academies and Institutes↗

Bis(hydroxyphenylethyl)deoxyguanosine adducts identified by [32P]-postlabeling and four-sector tandem mass spectrometry: unanticipated adducts formed upon treatment of DNA with styrene 7,8-oxide.

Calf thymus DNA was incubated with [8-14C]styrene oxide in vitro, and six covalent xenobiotic-DNA adducts were detected using the [32P]-postlabeling procedure. Adducts 1-3 were purified by HPLC and identified as bis-substituted-2'-deoxyguanosine 3'-phosphate derivatives using four-sector tandem mass spectrometry. These adducts represented less than 2% of the total adducts detected by [14C]-radioactivity. Adducts 1-3 were also detected when styrene oxide was allowed to react with the mononucleotide, 2'-deoxyguanosine 3'-phosphate only. The elemental compositions of these adducts (C26H30N5O9P) were determined by measurement of their accurate masses by high-resolution mass spectrometry and revealed the unusual incorporation of 2 mol of hydroxyphenylethyl moieties. The structures of these bis(phenylethyl) adducts were established by interpretation of high-energy collision-induced dissociation (CID) mass spectra, together with UV/visible and fluorescence spectrophotometry as N2-(2-hydroxy-1-phenylethyl)-O6-(2-hydroxy-2-phenylethyl)-2'-deoxygua nos ine 3'-phosphate (adduct 1), N2-(2-hydroxy-1-phenylethyl)-O6-(2-hydroxy-1-phenylethyl)-2'-deoxygua nos ine 3'-phosphate (adduct 2), and N1,N2-bis(2-hydroxy-1-phenylethyl)-2'-deoxyguanosine 3'-phosphate (adduct 3). The other most abundant adducts were detected only by [14C]-radioactivity and represented approximately 65% of the total covalent binding. These were identified as depurinated N7-substituted guanines by tandem mass spectrometry and UV/visible spectroscopy. The combination of advanced techniques of mass spectrometry with the [32P]-postlabeling assay and spectroscopic techniques is a comprehensive strategy to assure complete structural identification of all xenobiotic-DNA adducts.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗

Waste form corrosion modeling: comparison with experimental results.

Results of leaching experiments using active and inactively simulated HLW glass in concentrated NaCl solution are described. Measured solution concentrations of glass components, fission products and actinides are compared with computed data. The computed pH value corresponds with the findings from experiments with inactively simulated glass samples. Moreover, the concentrations of silica and strontium can be described adequately by reaction path modelling. The computed U concentration is explained by the precipitation of schoepite or Na2U2O7. The computed Am concentration significantly exceeds the measured data. This may be attributed to sorption processes on corrosion products of the glass, which are relevant also for lanthanide elements under the conditions of the experiments. This hypothesis is tested by solid solution approaches and by computing sorption of Am onto SiO2 precipitates.

Actinoid Series Elements↗

Inhalation of foreign bodies by children: review of experience with 74 cases from Dubai.

Seventy four out of 94 cases of bronchoscopy carried out over a five year period are reviewed. The clinical history of choking followed by recurrent spasmodic cough were found to be the most important element in making the diagnosis and proceeding to diagnostic and therapeutic bronchoscopy. Radiology was inferior as a diagnostic aid although radioactive scanning may be helpful in difficult cases.

Adolescent↗

Differential effects of chloroquine on cardiolipin biosynthesis in hepatocytes and H9c2 cardiac cells.

Chloroquine is a potent lysomotropic therapeutic agent used in the treatment of malaria. The mechanism of the chloroquine-mediated modulation of new cardiolipin biosynthesis in isolated rat liver hepatocytes and H9c2 cardiac myoblast cells was addressed in this study. Hepatocytes or H9c2 cells were incubated with [1,3-(3)H]glycerol in the absence or presence of chloroquine and cardiolipin biosynthesis was examined. The presence of chloroquine in the incubation medium of hepatocytes resulted in a rapid accumulation of radioactivity in cardiolipin indicating an elevated de novo biosynthesis. In contrast, chloroquine caused a reduction in radioactivity incorporated into cardiolipin in H9c2 cells. The presence of brefeldin A, colchicine or 3-methyladenine did not effect radioactivity incorporated into cardiolipin nor the chloroquine-mediated stimulation of cardiolipin biosynthesis in hepatocytes indicating that vesicular transport, cytoskeletal elements or increased autophagy were not involved in de novo cardiolipin biosynthesis induced by chloroquine. The addition of chloroquine to isolated rat liver membrane fractions did not affect the activity of the enzymes of de novo cardiolipin biosynthesis but resulted in an inhibition of mitochondrial cytidine-5'-diphosphate-1,2-diacyl-sn-glycerol hydrolase activity. The mechanism for the reduction in cardiolipin biosynthesis in H9c2 cells was a chloroquine-mediated inhibition of glycerol uptake and this did not involve impairment of lysosomal function. The kinetics of the chloroquine-mediated inhibition of glycerol uptake indicated the presence of a glycerol transporter in H9c2 cells. The results of this study clearly indicate that chloroquine has markedly different effects on glycerol uptake and cardiolipin biosynthesis in hepatocytes and H9c2 cardiac cells.

Animals↗

Physical and biological targeting of radiotherapy.

Targeting of radiotherapy can be based on improving physical dose distribution of radiation delivered or on utilization of specific biological processes for targeting. Tools for physical targeting include brachytherapy, hadron therapy, conformal radiotherapy, stereotactic radiotherapy, stereotactically guided conformal fractionated radiotherapy, and intensity-modulated radiotherapy. Biological targeting can be based on specific metabolic pathways such as uptake of iodine-131 by thyroid cancer cells, difference in substrate uptake between cancer cells and normal cells (e.g. boronophenylalanine in boron neutron capture therapy), targeting of radioactive isotopes by specific carrier molecules (radioimmunotherapy, labeled hormone derivatives or bone-seeking phosphonates), or on the distribution of elements in the body (therapy of bone metastases with a calcium analog strontium-89 or phosphorus-32).

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗

Germanium-68 as a possible marker for silicon transport in rat brain.

Silicon (Si) is an essential trace element normally present in brain and cerebrospinal fluid, although the mechanism by which it enters and distributes in brain is largely unknown. Due to the short radioactive half-life of 31Si (156 min) we have investigated the use of 68Germanium (68-Ge, half-life 282 days) as a possible marker for Si transport in rat brain over longer periods than are possible with 31Si. Adult male anaesthetised rats were given a bolus of 68Ge I.V. and arterial blood samples taken during experiments that lasted between 5 min and 3 days. At termination, the brain was removed and analysed for radioactivity as were the plasma samples. Data were analyzed by Graphical Analysis which showed that the blood-brain barrier permeability to 68Ge (Kin approximately 10(-4) ml/min/g) is similar to that for many non protein-bound electrolytes in plasma and that 68Ge fluxes across cerebral capillaries are bidirectional. The autoradiographic distribution of 68Ge in brain was homogenous. Our results are in agreement with those of previous studies using 31Si or 68Ge, which suggest 68Ge may be a useful marker for Si when investigating the role of this element in conditions such as neurodegenerative diseases.

Animals↗

Radiation accidents.

It is essential that emergency physicians understand ways to manage patients contaminated by radioactive materials and/or exposed to external radiation sources. Contamination accidents require careful surveys to identify the metabolic pathway of the radionuclides to guide prognosis and treatment. The level of treatment required will depend on careful surveys and meticulous decontamination. There is no specific therapy for the acute radiation syndrome. Prophylactic antibodies are desirable. For severely exposed patients treatment is similar to the supportive care given to patients undergoing organ transplantation. For high-dose extremity injury, no methods have been developed to reverse the fibrosing endarteritis that eventually leads to tissue death so frequently found with this type of injury. Although the Three Mile Island episode of March 1979 created tremendous public concern, there were no radiation injuries. The contamination outside the reactor building and the release of radioiodine were negligible. The accidental fuel element meltdown at Chernobyl, USSR, resulted in many cases of acute radiation syndrome. More than 100,000 people were exposed to high levels of radioactive fallout. The general principles outlined here are applicable to accidents of that degree of severity.

Bone Marrow Transplantation↗