Electrochemical synthesis of peroxomonophosphate using boron-doped diamond anodes

A new method for the synthesis of peroxomonophosphate, based on the use of boron-doped diamond electrodes, is described. The amount of oxidant electrogenerated depends on the characteristics of the supporting media (pH and solute concentration) and on the operating conditions (temperature and current density). Results show that the pH, between values of 1 and 5, does not influence either the electrosynthesis of peroxomonophosphate or the chemical stability of the oxidant generated. Conversely, low temperatures are required during the electrosynthesis process to minimize the thermal decomposition of peroxomonophosphate and to guarantee significant oxidant concentration. In addition, a marked influence of both the current density and the initial substrate is observed. This observation can be explained in terms of the contribution of hydroxyl radicals in the oxidation mechanisms that occur on diamond surfaces. In the assays carried out below the water oxidation potential, the generation of hydroxyl radicals did not take place. In these cases, peroxomonophosphate generation occurs through a direct electron transfer and, therefore, at these low current densities lower concentrations are obtained. On the other hand, at higher potentials both direct and hydroxyl radical-mediated mechanisms contribute to the oxidant generation and the process is more efficient. In the same way, the contribution of hydroxyl radicals may also help to explain the significant influence of the substrate concentration. Thus, the coexistence of both phosphate and hydroxyl radicals is required to ensure the generation of significant amounts of peroxomonophosphoric acid

A Case for Revisiting the Safety of Pesticides: A Closer Look at Neurodevelopment

The quality and quantity of the data about the risk posed to humans by individual pesticides vary considerably. Unlike obvious birth defects, most developmental effects cannot be seen at birth or even later in life. Instead, brain and nervous system disturbances are expressed in terms of how an individual behaves and functions, which can vary considerably from birth through adulthood. In this article I challenge the protective value of current pesticide risk assessment strategies in light of the vast numbers of pesticides on the market and the vast number of possible target tissues and end points that often differ depending upon timing of exposure. Using the insecticide chlorpyrifos as a model, I reinforce the need for a new approach to determine the safety of all pesticide classes. Because of the uncertainty that will continue to exist about the safety of pesticides, it is apparent that a new regulatory approach to protect human health is needed

Occupation and skin cancer: the results of the HELIOS-I multicenter case-control study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) is the most frequent tumour among Caucasian populations worldwide. Among the risk factors associated with this tumour, there are host-related factors and several environmental agents. A greater likelihood of high exposure to physical agents (with the exception of solar radiation) and chemical agents depends on the work setting. Our objective is to evaluate the role of occupational exposures in NMSC, with special emphasis on risk factors other than solar radiation and skin type.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We analysed 1585 cases (1333 basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and 183 squamous cell carcinoma (SCC)) and 1507 controls drawn from the Helios-I multicenter study. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated using logistic regression mixed models.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>For NMSC as a whole (both <it>histological types</it>), miners and quarrymen, secondary education teachers, and masons registered excess risk, regardless of exposure to solar radiation and skin type (OR 7.04, 95% CI 2.44–20.31; OR 1.75, 95% CI 1.05–2.89 and OR 1.54, 95% CI 1.04–2.27, respectively). Frequency of BCC proved higher among railway engine drivers and firemen (OR 4.55; 95% CI 0.96–21.57), specialised farmers (OR 1.65; 95% CI 1.05–2.59) and salesmen (OR 3.02; 95% CI 1.05–2.86), in addition to miners and quarrymen and secondary education teachers (OR 7.96; 95% CI 2.72–23.23 and OR 1.76; 95% CI 1.05–2.94 respectively). The occupations that registered a higher risk of <it>SCC (though not of BCC</it>) were those involving direct contact with livestock, construction workers not elsewhere classified (OR 2.95, 95% CI 1.12–7.74), stationary engine and related equipment operators not elsewhere classified (OR 5.31, 95% CI 1.13–21.04) and masons (OR 2.55, 95% CI 1.36–4.78).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Exposure to hazardous air pollutants, arsenic, ionizing radiations and burns may explain a good part of the associations observed in this study. The Helios study affords an excellent opportunity for further in-depth study of physical and chemical agents and NMSC based on matrices of occupational exposure.</p

Relevance of diagnostic investigations in chronic inflammatory demyelinating poliradiculoneuropathy: Data from the Italian CIDP database

The objective of our work was to report the clinical features and the relevance of diagnostic investigations in patients with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP). We retrospectively reviewed data from patients with a clinical diagnosis of CIDP included in a national database. Among the 500 included patients with a clinical diagnosis of CIDP, 437 patients (87%) fulfilled the European Federation of Neurological Societies and Peripheral Nerve Society criteria for CIDP (definite in 407, probable in 26, possible in four). In 352 patients (86%) motor nerve conduction abnormalities consistent with demyelination were sufficient for the diagnosis of definite CIDP. In 55 patients, this diagnosis required the addition of one or two (from probable or from possible CIDP, respectively) supportive tests, while in 20 cases they improved the diagnosis from possible to probable CIDP, seven patients did not change diagnosis. Considering these 85 patients, cerebrospinal fluid studies were performed in 79 cases (93%) upgrading the certainty of diagnosis in 59% of examined patients. Sensory nerve conduction studies (NCS) were performed in 85% of patients with an improvement of diagnosis in 32% of cases. Nerve biopsy and ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging (US/MRI) exams resulted positive in about 40% of examined patients, but they were performed in few patients (7 patients and 16 patients, respectively). A response to the therapy was present in 84% of treated patients (n = 77), contributing to support the diagnosis in 40 patients in whom the other supportive criteria were not sufficient. In most patients with CIDP the diagnosis is possible solely with motor NCS while other investigations may help improving the diagnosis in a minority of patients

Socioeconomic differences in cancer survival: The Norwegian Women and Cancer Study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Cancer survival has been observed to be poorer in low socioeconomic groups, but the knowledge about the underlying causal factors is limited. The purpose of this study was to examine how cancer survival varies by socioeconomic status (SES) among women in Norway, and to identify factors that explain this variation. SES was measured by years of education and gross household income, respectively.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We used data from The Norwegian Women and Cancer Study, a prospective cohort study including 91 814 women who responded to an extensive questionnaire between 1996 and 1998. A total of 3 899 incident cancer cases were diagnosed during follow-up, of whom 1 089 women died, 919 of them from cancer. Cox Proportional Hazards Model was used to calculate relative risks (RR) of mortality and 95% confidence intervals.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We observed an overall negative socioeconomic gradient in cancer survival, which was most evident in the site specific analyses for survival of ovarian cancer by years of education. For colorectal cancer, mortality increased with years of education, but not with income. After adjustment for household size, marital status, disease stage, and smoking status the SES variation in cancer survival became non-significant. We found that the unequal socioeconomic distribution of smoking status prior to diagnosis contributed considerably to the poorer survival in low SES groups.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We found an overall negative socioeconomic gradient in cancer survival when SES is measured as years of education or gross household income. Smoking status prior to diagnosis was an important predictive factor for socioeconomic variation in survival.</p

The neurophysiological lesson from the Italian CIDP database

Introduction Electrophysiological diagnosis of chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP) may be challenging. Thus, with the aim ofproviding some practical advice in electrophysiological approach to a patient with suspected CIDP, we analyzed electrophysiological data from 499 patients enrolled inthe Italian CIDP Database. Methods We calculated the rate of each demyelinating feature, the rate of demyelinating features per nerve, the diagnostic rate for upper andlower limb nerves, and, using a ROC curve analysis, the diagnostic accuracy of each couple of nerves and each demyelinating feature, for every CIDP subtype.Moreover, we compared the electrophysiological data of definite and probable CIDP patients with those of possible and not-fulfilling CIDP patients, and by a logisticregression analysis, we estimated the odds ratio (OR) to make an electrophysiological diagnosis of definite or probable CIDP. Results The ulnar nerve had the highestrate of demyelinating features and, when tested bilaterally, had the highest diagnostic accuracy except for DADS in which peroneal nerves were the most informative.In possible and not-fulfilling CIDP patients, a lower number of nerves and proximal temporal dispersion (TD) measurements had been performed compared to definiteand probable CIDP patients. Importantly, OR for each tested motor nerve and each TD measurement was 1.59 and 1.33, respectively. Conclusion Our findingsdemonstrated that the diagnosis of CIDP may be missed due to inadequate or incomplete electrophysiological examination or interpretation. At the same time, thesedata taken together could be useful to draw a thoughtful electrophysiological approach to patients suspected of CIDP

Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy: can a diagnosis be made in patients not fulfilling electrodiagnostic criteria?

OBJECTIVE: to identify the clinical and diagnostic investigations that may help supporting a diagnosis of chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP) in patients not fulfilling the EFNS/PNS electrodiagnostic criteria. METHODS: we retrospectively reviewed the data from patients with a clinical diagnosis of CIDP included in a national database. RESULTS: we included 535 patients with a diagnosis of CIDP. This diagnosis fulfilled the EFNS/PNS criteria in 468 patients (87.2%) (definite in 430, probable in 33, possible in 3, while two had CISP). Sixty-seven patients had a medical history and clinical signs compatible with CIDP but electrodiagnostic studies did not fulfill the EFNS/PNS criteria for CIDP. These patients had similar clinical features and frequency of abnormal supportive criteria for the diagnosis of CIDP compared to patients fulfilling EFNS/PNS criteria. Two or more abnormal supportive criteria were present in 40 (61.2%) patients raising to 54 (80.6%) if we also included a history of a relapsing course as a possible supportive criteria. Increased cerebrospinal fluid proteins and response to immune therapy most frequently helped in supporting the diagnosis of CIDP. Response to therapy was similarly frequent in patients fulfilling or not EFNS/PNS criteria (87.3% versus 85.9%) CONCLUSIONS: Patients with a clinical diagnosis of CIDP had similar clinical findings, frequency of abnormal supportive criteria and response to therapy compared to patients fulfilling EFNS/PNS criteria. The presence of abnormal supportive criteria may help supporting the diagnosis of CIDP in patients with a medical history and clinical signs compatible with this diagnosis but non-diagnostic nerve conduction studies

Apparent diffusion coefficient restriction in the white matter: going beyond acute brain territorial ischemia

BACKGROUND: Reduction of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values in white matter is not always ischaemic in nature. METHODS: We retrospectively analysed our MRI records featuring reduced ADC values in the centrum semiovale without grey matter involvement or significant vasogenic oedema. RESULTS: Several conditions showed the aforementioned MR findings: moose-horn lesions on coronal images in X-linked Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease; small fronto-parietal lesions in Menkes disease; marked signal abnormalities in the myelinised regions in the acute neonatal form of maple syrup urine disease; strip-like involvement of the corpus callosum in glutaric aciduria type 1; persistent periventricular parieto-occipital abnormalities in phenylketonuria; diffuse signal abnormalities with necrotic evolution in global cerebral anoxia or after heroin vapour inhalation; almost completely reversible symmetric fronto-parietal lesions in methotrexate neurotoxicity; chain-like lesions in watershed ischaemia; splenium involvement that normalises in reversible splenial lesions or leads to gliosis in diffuse axonal injury. CONCLUSION: Neuroradiologists must be familiar with these features, thereby preventing misdiagnosis and inappropriate management