Chemical Indicators of Surface Water Pollution

High quality surface water is critical for maintaining healthy ecosystems and ensuring safe drinking water, yet is often compromised by point and non-point contamination sources. Failed septic systems, an example of non-point source pollution, may generate pools of untreated or minimally treated wastewater that can runoff into nearby streams. There are currently no means of quickly determining the impact of this pollution on surface water. Representative emerging contaminants (caffeine and triclosan) were targeted as indicators from failed septic systems and chlorination disinfection byproducts (haloacetic acids) for the effluent from conventional municipal wastewater treatment plants. Methods for the analysis of these compounds in various matrices were developed and applied to both effluent types and surrounding surface waters. Typical caffeine and triclosan concentrations in conventional municipal wastewater treatment plant effluents were 0.23μg/L and 0.3μg/L, respectively, as compared to 22μg/L and 7μg/L from septic tank effluents. Excitation-emission fluorescence spectrophotometry was also investigated as a tool for characterizing pollution from wastewater sources

Biological variation in HbA1c predicts risk of retinopathy and nephropathy in type 1 diabetes

WSTĘP. Autorzy niniejszej pracy założyli, że ryzyko powikłań mikronaczyniowych w badaniu Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT) jest uwarunkowane zarówno zmiennością hemoglobiny glikowanej (HbA1c), zależną od średniego stężenia glukozy we krwi (MBG, mean blood glucose), jak i biologiczną zmiennością osobniczą HbA1c. MATERIAŁ I METODY. Wartości MBG i HbA1c, oznaczone u uczestników badania DCCT (n = 1441) podczas wizyt odbywających się co 3 miesiące, poddano analizie według modelu liniowej regresji wieloczynnikowej. W celu oceny zmienności biologicznej podczas każdej wizyty obliczono indeks glikacji hemoglobiny (HGI, hemoglobin glycation index = wartość zmierzona HbA1c&#8211; wartość przewidywana HbA1c), aby ocenić biologiczną zmienność, opierając się na kierunkowych odchyleniach zmierzonej HbA1c od wartości przewidywanej na podstawie MBG. Populację podzielono w zależności od średnich wartości HGI podczas trwania badania na 3 części: o wysokim, średnim i niskim HGI. Dla poszczególnych grup przeprowadzono analizę z zastosowaniem modelu proporcjonalnego hazardu Coxa w celu porównania ryzyka wystąpienia oraz rozwoju retinopatii i nefropatii w zależności od MBG, wieku, sposobu leczenia, grupy prewencji pierwotnej lub interwencji i czasu trwania cukrzycy. WYNIKI. Współczynnik prawdopodobieństwa oraz analizy HGI w testach t podważają twierdzenie, że wartość HbA1c zależy jedynie od MBG. Podczas 7-letniej obserwacji u pacjentów z wysokimi wartościami HbA1c (wyższymi niż oczekiwane) było 3-krotnie wyższe ryzyko retinopatii (30 vs. 9%; p < 0,001) i 6-krotnie wyższe ryzyko nefropatii (6 vs. 1%, p < 0,001) w porównaniu z grupą o niskim HGI. WNIOSKI. Osobnicza biologiczna zmienność HbA1c, odmienna i niezależna od zmienności HbA1c warunkowanej średnią glikemią, występuje niewątpliwie u chorych na cukrzycę typu 1 biorących udział w badaniu DCCT. Ponadto jest silnym czynnikiem ryzyka rozwoju cukrzycy. Określenie procesów odpowiedzialnych za biologiczną zmienność HbA1c mogłoby prowadzić do stworzenia nowych kierunków leczenia hipoglikemizującego oraz opóźniającego powikłania i postęp choroby.INTRODUCTION. We hypothesized that biological variation in HbA1c, distinct from variation attributable to mean blood glucose (MBG), would predict risk for microvascular complications in the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT). MATERIAL AND METHODS. A longitudinal multiple regression model was developed from MBG and HbA1c measured in the 1,441 DCCT participants at quarterly visits. A hemoglobin glycation index (HGI = observed HbA1c&#8211;predicted HbA1c) was calculated for each visit to assess biological variation based on the directional deviation of observed HbA1c from that predicted by MBG in the model. The population was subdivided by thirds into high-, moderate-, and low- HGI groups based on mean participant HGI during the study. Cox proportional hazard analysis compared risk for development or progression of retinopathy and nephropathy between HGI groups controlled for MBG, age, treatment group, strata, and duration of diabetes. RESULTS. Likelihood ratio and t tests on HGI rejected the assumption that HbA1c levels were determined by MBG alone. At 7 years&#8217; follow-up, patients in the high-HGI group (higher than-predicted HbA1c) had three times greater risk of retinopathy (30 vs. 9%; P < 0.001) and six times greater risk of nephropathy (6 vs. 1%; P < 0.001) compared with the low- HGI group. CONCLUSIONS. Between-individual biological variation in HbA1c, which is distinct from that attributable to MBG, was evident among type 1 diabetic patients in the DCCT and was a strong predictor of risk for diabetes complications. Identification of the processes responsible for biological variation in HbA1c could lead to novel therapies to augment treatments directed at lowering blood glucose levels and preventing diabetes complications

Evidence for Interindividual Heterogeneity in the Glucose Gradient Across the Human Red Blood Cell Membrane and Its Relationship to Hemoglobin Glycation

OBJECTIVE—To determine whether interindividual heterogeneity in the erythrocyte (red blood cell [RBC]) transmembrane glucose gradient might explain discordances between A1C and glycemic control based on measured fructosamine

Early Markers of Glycaemic Control in Children with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus

Background: Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) may lead to severe long-term health consequences. In a longitudinal study, we aimed to identify factors present at diagnosis and 6 months later that were associated with glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA 1c) levels at 24 months after T1DM diagnosis, so that diabetic children at risk of poor glycaemic control may be identified. Methods: 229 children,15 years of age diagnosed with T1DM in the Auckland region were studied. Data collected at diagnosis were: age, sex, weight, height, ethnicity, family living arrangement, socio-economic status (SES), T1DM antibody titre, venous pH and bicarbonate. At 6 and 24 months after diagnosis we collected data on weight, height, HbA 1c level, and insulin dose. Results: Factors at diagnosis that were associated with higher HbA1c levels at 6 months: female sex (p,0.05), lower SES (p,0.01), non-European ethnicity (p,0.01) and younger age (p,0.05). At 24 months, higher HbA1c was associated with lower SES (p,0.001), Pacific Island ethnicity (p,0.001), not living with both biological parents (p,0.05), and greater BMI SDS (p,0.05). A regression equation to predict HbA1c at 24 months was consequently developed. Conclusions: Deterioration in glycaemic control shortly after diagnosis in diabetic children is particularly marked in Pacific Island children and in those not living with both biological parents. Clinicians need to be aware of factors associated wit

Immunotoxicity of polystyrene nanoplastics in different hemocyte subpopulations of Mytilus galloprovincialis

Plastic represents 60-80% of litter in the ocean. Degradation of plastic to small fragments leads to the formation of microplastics (MPs <5mm) and nanoplastics (NPs <1 mu m). One of the most widely used and representative plastics found in the ocean is polystyrene (PS). Among marine organisms, the immune system of bivalves is recognized as suitable to assess nanomaterial toxicity. Hemocyte subpopulations [R1 (large granular cells), R2 (small semi-granular cells) and R3 (small agranular or hyaline cells)] of Mytilus galloprovincialis are specialized in particular tasks and functions. The authors propose to examine the effects of different sizes (50 nm, 100 nm and 1 mu m) PS NPs on the different immune cells of mussels when they were exposed to (1 and 10mg.L-1) of PS NPs. The most noteworthy results found in this work are: (i) 1 mu m PS NPs provoked higher immunological responses with respect to 50 and 100nm PS NPs, possibly related to the higher stability in size and shape in hemolymph serum, (ii) the R1 subpopulation was the most affected with respect to R2 and R3 concerning immunological responses and (iii) an increase in the release of toxic radicals, apoptotic signals, tracking of lysosomes and a decrease in phagocytic activity was found in R1