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Scandinavian Journal of Work,... Sep 2023The etiology of testicular germ cell tumors (TGCT) is suspected to be related to prenatal environmental risk factors. Some solvents have potential endocrine disrupting...
OBJECTIVES
The etiology of testicular germ cell tumors (TGCT) is suspected to be related to prenatal environmental risk factors. Some solvents have potential endocrine disrupting or carcinogenic properties and may disrupt male genital development in utero. The aim of this study was to examine the association between parental occupational exposure to solvents and TGCT risk among their offspring.
METHODS
A French nationwide case-control study, TESTIS included 454 TGCT cases and 670 controls frequency-matched on region and 5-year age strata. Participants were interviewed via telephone and provided information on parental occupations at birth. Job-exposure matrices (JEM) developed in the French Matgéné program were used to assign exposure to five petroleum-based solvents, five solvents or groups of oxygenated solvents, and five chlorinated solvents. Odds ratios (OR) for TGCT and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated using conditional logistic regression, adjusting for TGCT risk factors.
RESULTS
Occupational exposure to at least one solvent during the year of their son's birth was 41% among fathers and 21% among mothers. Paternal exposure to at least one solvent showed OR 0.89 (95% CI 0.68-1.15). Exposure to perchloroethylene (OR 1.41, 95% CI 0.55-3.61), methylene chloride (OR 1.13, 95% CI 0.54-2.34) and diesel/kerosene/fuel oil (OR 1.17, 95% CI 0.80-1.73) disclosed OR >1 but with low precision. Our results suggest a possible modest increase in non-seminoma risk for sons whose fathers were highly exposed to trichloroethylene (OR 1.44, 95% CI 0.79-2.63). Maternal exposure to at least one solvent showed OR 0.90 (95% CI 0.65-1.24). When stratifying by birth year, men born in the 1970s experienced an increased TGCT risk following maternal exposure to fuels and petroleum-based solvents (OR 2.74, 95% CI 1.11-6.76).
CONCLUSION
Overall, no solid association was found between parental occupational exposure to solvents and TGCT risk. The association found with maternal occupational exposure to fuels and petroleum solvents among older men needs further investigation.
Topics: Infant, Newborn; Female; Pregnancy; Male; Humans; Aged; Testis; Nuclear Family; Solvents; Case-Control Studies; Neoplasms, Germ Cell and Embryonal; Petroleum
PubMed: 37649372
DOI: 10.5271/sjweh.4102 -
Journal of Nephrology Mar 2024The development of purple urine after methylene blue (methylthioninium chloride) and hydroxocobalamin co-administration is a rare clinical entity that has not been fully...
BACKGROUND
The development of purple urine after methylene blue (methylthioninium chloride) and hydroxocobalamin co-administration is a rare clinical entity that has not been fully elucidated. A 47-year-old male presented to the emergency department with hypotension, cyanosis, and depressed mental status. The patient was noted to have profound peripheral and central cyanosis, as well as chocolate-colored arterial blood. He was treated with both methylene blue and hydroxocobalamin and developed purple urine for approximately 1 week.
METHODS
Color chromatography was performed by placing the patient's urine directly onto absorbent filter paper. Urine spectrophotometry was performed utilizing the NanoDrop One/One C UV-Vis Spectrophotometer.
RESULTS
Color chromatography of the urine was demonstrated clear separation of distinct red and blue phases. Urine spectrophotometry demonstrated near perfect overlap between the methylene blue + hydroxocobalamin absorbance spectrum and the patient's purple urine absorbance spectrum.
CONCLUSION
Purple urine secondary to methylene blue and hydroxocobalamin co-administration is due to combined urinary excretion of methylene blue (blue) and hydroxocobalamin (red), and not a novel purple metabolite. We anticipate that this is going to be an increasingly common clinical entity as the roles of both hydroxocobalamin and methylene blue expand from toxicologic antidotes to adjunct therapies for vasoplegia, poor cardiac output, and sepsis.
Topics: Humans; Methylene Blue; Male; Hydroxocobalamin; Middle Aged; Color; Spectrophotometry; Antidotes; Drug Interactions
PubMed: 37644365
DOI: 10.1007/s40620-023-01769-8 -
International Journal of Molecular... Aug 2023The aim of this study was to investigate the chemical composition and antioxidant capacity of various polar fractions obtained from Hook (DH). First, a 90%...
The aim of this study was to investigate the chemical composition and antioxidant capacity of various polar fractions obtained from Hook (DH). First, a 90% ethanol-aqueous extract of DH (CF) was subjected to sequential fractionation using different organic solvents, resulting in the isolation of a methylene chloride fraction (DF), an ethyl acetate fraction (EF), an n-butanol fraction (BF), and a remaining water fraction (WF) after condensation. Additionally, the CF was also subjected to column chromatography via a D101 macroreticular resin column, eluted with ethanol-aqueous solution to yield six fractions (0%, 20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, and 100%). UPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap-MS/MS analysis identified a total of 47 chemical compounds from these polar fractions, including fatty acids, amino acids, phenolic acids, flavonoids, organic heterocyclic molecules, and aromatic compounds. Moreover, DF, EF, and the 60%, 80%, and 100% ethanol-aqueous fractions had higher total phenol content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC) values and greater 2,2'-azinobis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt (ABTS-) and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH)-scavenging abilities. In HO-induced HepG2 cells, the aforementioned fractions could increase the activities of antioxidative enzymes NAD(P)H: quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1), superoxide dismutase (SOD), heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and catalase (CAT), stimulate glutathione (GSH) synthesis by increasing the activities of glutamic acid cysteine ligase (GCL) and glutathione synthetase (GS), regulate GSH metabolism by increasing glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and glutathione reductase (GR) activities, and reduce levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malondialdehyde (MDA). Furthermore, the antioxidative stress effect of the DH fractions was found to be positively correlated with the activation of nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) protein and the presence of antioxidative chemical constituents. In conclusion, this study highlights the efficacy of both liquid-liquid extraction and macroporous resin purification techniques in the enrichment of bioactive compounds from natural food resources. The comprehensive analysis of chemical constituents and antioxidant effects of different polar fractions from Hook contributes to the understanding of its potential application in functional foods and nutraceuticals.
Topics: Antioxidants; Dendrobium; Hydrogen Peroxide; Tandem Mass Spectrometry; Glutathione
PubMed: 37628832
DOI: 10.3390/ijms241612646 -
Membranes Aug 2023The structural features and thermophysical and transport properties of dense nonporous membranes of the casting type from (co)polyamide-imides synthesized by the...
The structural features and thermophysical and transport properties of dense nonporous membranes of the casting type from (co)polyamide-imides synthesized by the polycondensation of the diacid chloride of 2-(4-carboxyphenyl)-1,3-dioxoisoindoline-5-carboxylic acid and diamines 5,5'-methylene-bis (2-aminophenol) (DADHyDPhM) and 4,4'-methylenebis(benzeneamine) (DADPhM), taken in molar ratios of 7:3, 1:1, and 3:7, have been studied. The effect of hydroxyl-containing modifying fragments of dihydroxy diphenylmethane introduced in various amounts into the main polymer chain on the pervaporation properties of the formed films is discussed. It has been shown that the presence of the residual solvent N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone in the films not only has a plasticizing effect on the characteristics of film membranes but also promotes the preferential transmembrane transport of polar liquids, primarily methanol (permeation rate over 2 kg for a copolymer with a ratio of DADHyDPhM:DADPhM = 7:3). The removal of the residual solvent from the polymer film, both thermally (heating to 200 °C) and by displacement with another solvent as a result of sequential pervaporation, led to a significant decrease in the rate of transfer of polar liquids and a decrease in the selectivity of the membrane. However, the dehydrocyclization reaction resulted in more brittle films with low permeability to penetrants of different polarities. The results of our comprehensive study made it possible to assume the decisive influence of structural changes in membranes occurring in connection with the competitive formation of intra- and intermolecular hydrogen bonds.
PubMed: 37623777
DOI: 10.3390/membranes13080716 -
Iranian Journal of Basic Medical... 2023The present research aimed to identify the functional effects and underlying mechanisms of metformin on the rat thoracic aorta.
OBJECTIVES
The present research aimed to identify the functional effects and underlying mechanisms of metformin on the rat thoracic aorta.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Thoracic aorta segments of Wistar Albino rats were put in the chambers of an isolated tissue bath system. The resting tone was adjusted to 1 g. Following the equilibration time, potassium chloride or phenylephrine was used to contract the vascular segments. The vessel segments were cumulatively treated with metformin (10-10 M) when a steady contraction was achieved. The described experimental approach was repeated after incubations with signaling pathway inhibitors and selective blockers of potassium channels to identify the effect mechanisms of metformin.
RESULTS
Metformin had a potent vasorelaxant effect in a concentration-dependent way (<0.001). After the endothelium was removed, the vasorelaxant effect level of metformin was significantly reduced. The level of vasorelaxant effect of metformin was increased by the maintenance of perivascular adipose tissue. Following administrations of L-NAME, methylene blue, compound C, BIM-I, and potassium channel blockers, the level of vasodilatory action of metformin was significantly reduced (<0.001).
CONCLUSION
According to the results of this investigation, metformin significantly relaxes the thoracic aorta segments of rats. Metformin-mediated vasorelaxation involves the activation of numerous subtypes of potassium channels, including BKCa, IKCa, Kv, Kir, and K2p channels, as well as endothelium-dependent processes, including AMPK and eNOS/NO/sGS signaling pathways. Moreover, metformin-induced vasorelaxation is mediated through PVAT activation and the PKC signaling pathway.
PubMed: 37605728
DOI: 10.22038/IJBMS.2023.69728.15179 -
BMC Chemistry Aug 2023Considering the green chemistry perspective and improving the environmental impact of quality control labs; two direct techniques with less hazardous solvents, less...
Sustainable eco-friendly ratio-based spectrophotometric and HPTLC-densitometric methods for simultaneous analysis of co-formulated anti-migraine drugs with overlapped spectra.
Considering the green chemistry perspective and improving the environmental impact of quality control labs; two direct techniques with less hazardous solvents, less waste production and less energy consumption were developed for simultaneous analysis of Aspirin and Metoclopramide in bulk powder and pharmaceutical formulation. The ratio between the two drugs in their co-formulated preparation is very challenging; (90: 1, Aspirin: Metoclopramide). The first technique is spectrophotometry using simple mathematical operations; ratio difference and derivative ratio-zero crossing. The second technique is high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) -densitometry which used a mobile phase consisting of cyclo-hexane: methanol: methylene chloride in a ratio of (1:4:1, v/v/v). The greenest solvents which give acceptable resolution were chosen. Following the International Conference on Harmonization (ICH) guidelines, the methods were found to be accurate, precise, and selective. Those methods were statistically compared to the reported spectrophotometric method and the results proved that there is no significant difference in accuracy and precision. Furthermore, the developed methods were assessed using the Analytical Eco-scale, Green Analytical Procedure Index (GAPI) and the Analytical Greenness calculator (AGREE), which gave a full image about their greenness profile. The spectrophotometry was found to be an excellent green technique compared to HPTLC with was considered an acceptable green one. The developed HPTLC-densitometric method was used for the first time for the analysis of this binary mixture. The two proposed spectrophotometric methos have advantages over the published methods as they used easy manipulation steps and are applied on the market pharmaceutical formulation. Owing to the advantages of the developed techniques; being green, do not require expensive sophisticated equipment or large volume of solvents; they could be used for routine analysis in quality control aspects.
PubMed: 37592319
DOI: 10.1186/s13065-023-01020-2 -
ACS Omega Aug 2023Doxorubicin (DOX) is a cornerstone chemotherapeutic agent for the treatment of several malignancies such as breast cancer; however, its activity is ameliorated by the...
Doxorubicin (DOX) is a cornerstone chemotherapeutic agent for the treatment of several malignancies such as breast cancer; however, its activity is ameliorated by the development of a resistant phenotype. species have been studied previously for their potential anticancer properties. The current work is aimed to study the potential cytotoxicity and chemomodulatory effects of hypophyllanthin () and phyllanthin () isolated from to DOX against the adriamycin multidrug-resistant breast cancer cells (MCF-7) and elucidate their mechanism of action. The major compounds of the active methylene chloride fraction were isolated and assessed for their potential cytotoxicity and chemomodulatory effects on DOX against naïve (MCF-7) and resistant breast (MCF-7) cancer cells. The mechanism of action of both compounds in terms of their impacts on programmed/non-programmed cell death (apoptosis and autophagy/necrosis), cell cycle progression/arrest, and tumor cell migration/invasion was investigated. Both compounds and showed a moderate but similar potency against MCF-7 as well as MCF-7 and significantly synergized DOX-induced anticancer properties against MCF-7. The chemomodulatory effect of both compounds to DOX was found to be via potentiating DOX-induced cell cycle interference and apoptosis induction. It was found that and blocked the apoptosis-escape autophagy pathway in MCF-7. On the molecular level, both compounds interfered with SIRT1 expression and consequently suppressed Akt phosphorylation, and blocked apoptosis escape. Furthermore, and showed promising antimigratory and anti-invasive effects against MCF-7, as confirmed by suppression of N-cadherin/β-catenin expression. In conclusion, for the first time, hypophyllanthin and phyllanthin isolated from showed promising chemomodulatory effects to the DOX-induced chemotherapeutic activity against MCF-7. Both compounds significantly synergized DOX-induced anticancer properties against MCF-7. This enhanced activity was explained by further promoting DOX-induced apoptosis and suppressing the apoptosis-escape autophagy feature of the resistant breast cancer cells. Both compounds (hypophyllanthin and phyllanthin) interfered with the SIRT1/Akt pathway and suppressed the N-cadherin/β-catenin axis, confirming the observed antiproliferative, cytotoxic, and anti-invasive effects of hypophyllanthin and phyllanthin.
PubMed: 37576627
DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.3c02953 -
Nanomaterials (Basel, Switzerland) Aug 2023Plant leaf ashes were obtained via the high temperature calcination of the leaves of various plants, such as sugarcane, couchgrass, bracteata, garlic sprout, and the...
Plant leaf ashes were obtained via the high temperature calcination of the leaves of various plants, such as sugarcane, couchgrass, bracteata, garlic sprout, and the yellowish leek. Although the photosynthesis systems in plant leaves cannot exist after calcination, minerals in these ashes were found to exhibit photochemical activities. The samples showed solar light photocatalytic oxidation activities sufficient to degrade methylene blue dye. They were also shown to possess intrinsic dehydrogenase-like activities in reducing the colorless electron acceptor 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride to a red formazan precipitate under solar light irradiation. The possible reasons behind these two unreported phenomena were also investigated. These ashes were characterized using a combination of physicochemical techniques. Moreover, our findings exemplify how the soluble and insoluble minerals in plant leaf ashes can be synergistically designed to yield next-generation photocatalysts. It may also lead to advances in artificial photosynthesis and photocatalytic dehydrogenase.
PubMed: 37570577
DOI: 10.3390/nano13152260 -
Se Pu = Chinese Journal of... Aug 2023Short- and medium-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs and MCCPs) have attracted significant attention because of their persistence, biotoxicity, bioaccumulation, and...
[Determination of short- and medium-chain chlorinated paraffins in different components of human blood using gas chromatography-electron capture negative ion-low resolution mass spectrometry].
Short- and medium-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs and MCCPs) have attracted significant attention because of their persistence, biotoxicity, bioaccumulation, and long-range migration. Given their worldwide detection in a variety of environmental matrices, concerns related to the high exposure risks of SCCPs and MCCPs to humans have grown. Thus, knowledge of the contamination patterns of SCCPs and MCCPs and their distribution characteristics in the vivo exposure of humans is of great importance. However, little information is available on the contamination of SCCPs and MCCPs in human blood/plasma/serum, mainly because of the difficulty of sample preparation and quantitative analysis. In this study, a new blood sample pretreatment method based on Percoll discontinuous density gradient centrifugation was developed to separate plasma, red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets from human whole blood. A series of Percoll sodium chloride buffer solutions with mass concentrations of 1.095, 1.077, and 1.060 g/mL were placed in a centrifuge tube from top to bottom to establish discontinuous density gradients. The dosage for each density gradient was 1.5 mL. Human whole blood samples mixed with 0.85% sodium chloride aqueous solution were then added to the top layer of the Percoll sodium chloride solution. After centrifugation, the whole blood was separated into four components. The plasma was located at the top layer of the centrifuge tube, whereas the platelets, white blood cells, and red blood cells were retained at the junction of the various Percoll sodium chloride solutions. The sampling volume of human whole blood and incubation time were optimized, and results indicated that an excessively long incubation time could lead to hemolysis, resulting in a decrease in the recoveries of SCCPs and MCCPs. Therefore, a sampling volume of 1.5 mL and incubation time of 10 min at 4 ℃ were adopted. The cells of the blood components were further broken and extracted by ultrasonic pretreatment, followed by multilayer silica gel column chromatography for lipid removal. The use of 80 mL of -hexane-dichloromethane (1∶1, v/v) and 50 mL of dichloromethane as the elution solvents (collected together) for the gel column separated the SCCPs and MCCPs from the lipid molecules in the blood samples. Gas chromatography-electron capture negative ion-low resolution mass spectrometry (GC-ECNI-LRMS) was used to determine the SCCPs and MCCPs. Quantification using the corrected total response factor with degrees of chlorination was achieved with linear corrections (=0.912 and 0.929 for the SCCPs and MCCPs, respectively). The method detection limits (MDLs) for the SCCPs and MCCPs were 1.57 and 8.29 ng/g wet weight (ww, =7), respectively. The extraction internal standard recoveries were 67.0%-126.6% for the SCCPs and 69.5%-120.5% for the MCCPs. The developed method was applied to determine SCCPs and MCCPs in actual human whole blood samples. The contents of SCCPs and MCCPs were 10.81-65.23 and 31.82-105.65 ng/g (ww), respectively. Red blood cells exhibited the highest contents of CPs, followed by plasma, white blood cells, and platelets. The proportions of SCCPs and MCCPs in red blood cells and plasma were 70% and 66%, respectively. In all four components, the MCCP contents were higher than the SCCP contents, and the ratios of MCCPs to SCCPs ranged from 1.04 to 3.78. Similar congener patterns of SCCPs and MCCPs were found in the four components of human whole blood. C-CPs and C-CPs were predominantly observed in the SCCPs and MCCPs, respectively. In summary, a simple and efficient method was proposed to determine low concentrations of SCCPs and MCCPs in human blood with high sensitivity and selectivity. This method can meet requirements for the quantitative analysis of SCCPs and MCCPs in human blood components, thereby providing technical support for human health risk assessment.
Topics: Humans; Paraffin; Methylene Chloride; Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated; Electrons; Sodium Chloride; Environmental Monitoring; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; Lipids; China
PubMed: 37534557
DOI: 10.3724/SP.J.1123.2022.11012 -
Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) Jul 2023This study shed light for the first time on the diabetic wound healing potential activity of natural marine soft coral polymeric nanoparticle gel using an excision...
This study shed light for the first time on the diabetic wound healing potential activity of natural marine soft coral polymeric nanoparticle gel using an excision wound model. A sp. methanol-methylene chloride extract loaded with pectin nanoparticles (LPNs) was created. For the preparation of gel, ion-gelation techniques, the entrapment efficiency, the particle size, the polydispersity index, the zeta potential, the drug release, and a transmission electron microscope were used and the best formula was selected. Using (UPLC-Q/TOF-MS), 27 secondary metabolites responsible for extract biological activity were identified. Isolation and identification of arachidic acid, oleic acid, nervonic acid, and bis-(2-ethylhexyl)-phthalate (DEHP) of sp. was firstly reported here using NMR and mass spectral analyses. Moreover, LPN gel has the best effects on regulating the proinflammatory cytokines (NF-κB, TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β) that were detected on days 7 and 15. The results were confirmed with an enzymatic inhibitory effect of the extract against glycogen synthase kinase (GSK-3) and matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1), with IC values of 0.178 ± 0.009 and 0.258 ± 0.011 µg/mL, respectively. The molecular docking study showed a free binding energy of -9.6 kcal/mol for chabrolosteroid E, with the highest binding affinity for the enzyme (GSK-3), while isogosterone B had -7.8 kcal/mol for the enzyme (MMP-1). A pharmacokinetics study for chabrolohydroxybenzoquinone F and isogosterone B was performed, and it predicted the mode of action of wound healing activity.
PubMed: 37513869
DOI: 10.3390/ph16070957