Semen quality in Peruvian pesticide applicators: association between urinary organophosphate metabolites and semen parameters

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Organophosphates are broad class of chemicals widely used as pesticides throughout the world. We performed a cross-sectional study of associations between dialkylphosphate metabolites of organophosphates and semen quality among pesticide applicators in Majes (Arequipa), Peru.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Thirty-one men exposed to organophosphate (OP) pesticides and 31 non-exposed were recruited (age, 20–60 years). In exposed subjects, semen and a blood sample were obtained one day after the last pesticide application. Subjects were grouped according to levels of OP metabolites in urine. Semen samples were analyzed for sperm concentration, percentage of sperm motility, percentage of normal morphology, semen leucocytes and concentrations of fructose and zinc. Exposure to OP was assessed by measuring six urinary OP metabolites (dimethyl and diethyl phosphates and thiophosphates) by gas chromatography using a single flame photometric detector.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Diethyldithiophosphate (p = 0.04) and diethylthiophosphate (p = 0.02) better reflected occupational pesticide exposure than other OP metabolites. Semen analysis revealed a significant reduction of semen volume and an increase in semen pH in men with OP metabolites. Multiple regression analysis showed that both occupational exposure to pesticides and the time of exposure to pesticides were more closely related to alterations in semen quality parameters than the single measurement of OP metabolites in urine.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The study demonstrated that occupational exposure to OP pesticides was more closely related to alterations in semen quality than a single measurement of urine OP metabolites. Current measurement of OP metabolites in urine may not reflect the full risk.</p

Oxime-type acetylcholinesterase reactivators in pregnancy: an overview

Oxime-type acetylcholinesterase reactivators (oxime-AChER) are used as an adjunct in the treatment for organophosphorus anticholinesterase poisoning. Because of the widespread usage and exposure of organophosphorus compounds (OPCs), its poisoning and fatalities is obvious in pregnant women, embryos and fetuses. OPCs irreversibly inhibit acetylcholinesterase (AChE) at nerve synapses. Furthermore, the role of AChE other than neurotransmission termination has been defined in the literature. The growing evidences show that cholinergic mechanisms are involved during growth and development of other organ systems. In contrary to the fact, the data on the use of oxime-AChER in OPC poisoning in pregnancy are scanty. The present review aimed to comprehend the status of oximes in pregnancy in lieu of the published literature. A thorough literature search was performed in January 2013, using ten popular search engines including Medline/PubMed, Google scholar, etc., using nine standard keywords. The search period was set from 1966 to present. The search did not reveal substantial data. No considerable studies were retrieved which could really demonstrate either the beneficial, harmful or even null effect of oxime-AChER usage in pregnancy. Only eighteen relevant articles were obtained for a period of about 47 years. In the literature, there is no report available to demonstrate the risk of using oxime-AChER in pregnancy for the treatment of OPC poisoning. The study reveals that the use of oxime-AChER in pregnancy is largely un-addressed, inconclusive and based on speculation albeit the incidences of OPC poisoning are quite prevalent. Well-designed studies are warranted for a tangible conclusion. © 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg