ASSESSMENT OF HUMAN EXPOSURE TO TOLUENE DIISOCYANATE

Assessment of human exposure to toluene diisocyanate. Toluene diisocyanate (TDI), an aromatic compound, may be dangerous for human health. Diisocyanates have wide industrial use in the fabrication of flexible and rigid foams, fibers, elastomers, and coatings such as paints and varnishes. Isocyanates are known skin and respiratory sensitizers, and proper engineering controls should be in place to prevent exposure to isocyanate liquid and vapor; exposure to TDI vapors is well documented to increase asthma risk. The study focused on the exposure of workers and nearby populations to toluene diisocyanate in a Polyurethane Foam Factory located in Baia Mare, Romania. Workplace air measurements were performed in different departments of the plant, after sampling either in fixed points or as personal monitoring. Sampling in four different locations of Baia Mare town was carried out, - during and after the foaming process. TDI sampling was performed on silica cartridge followed by GC-MS analysis. TDI concentration at workplace was lower than 0,035 mg/m³, which represents the permissible exposure limit, while in the city the TDI concentration had shown values below 0,20 μg/m³. Health assessment of a group of 49 workers was based on questionnaire interview, determination of TDI antibodies and lung function tests. Data collected until this stage do not show any negative effects of TDI on the employees health. Since this plant had only recently begun operating, continuous workplace and ambient air TDI monitoring, along with workers health surveillance, is deemed necessary

Artificial Intelligence as a Substitute for Human Creativity

Creativity has always been perceived as a human trait, even though the exact neural mechanisms remain unknown, it has been the subject of research and debate for a long time. The recent development of AI technologies and increased interest in AI has led to many projects capable of performing tasks that have been previously regarded as impossible without human creativity. Music composition, visual arts, literature, and science represent areas in which these technologies have started to both help and replace the creative human, with the question of whether AI can be creative and capable of creation more realistic than ever. This review aims to provide an extensive perspective over several state-of-the art technologies and applications based on AI which are currently being implemented into areas of interest closely correlated to human creativity, as well as the economic impact the development of such technologies might have on those domains

Repurposing anti-inflammatory drugs for fighting planktonic and biofilm growth. New carbazole derivatives based on the NSAID carprofen: synthesis, in silico and in vitro bioevaluation

IntroductionOne of the promising leads for the rapid discovery of alternative antimicrobial agents is to repurpose other drugs, such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents (NSAIDs) for fighting bacterial infections and antimicrobial resistance.MethodsA series of new carbazole derivatives based on the readily available anti-inflammatory drug carprofen has been obtained by nitration, halogenation and N-alkylation of carprofen and its esters. The structures of these carbazole compounds were assigned by NMR and IR spectroscopy. Regioselective electrophilic substitution by nitration and halogenation at the carbazole ring was assigned from H NMR spectra. The single crystal X-ray structures of two representative derivatives obtained by dibromination of carprofen, were also determined. The total antioxidant capacity (TAC) was measured using the DPPH method. The antimicrobial activity assay was performed using quantitative methods, allowing establishment of the minimal inhibitory/bactericidal/biofilm eradication concentrations (MIC/MBC/MBEC) on Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis) and Gram-negative (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa) strains. Computational assays have been performed to assess the drug- and lead-likeness, pharmacokinetics (ADME-Tox) and pharmacogenomics profiles.Results and discussionThe crystal X-ray structures of 3,8-dibromocarprofen and its methyl ester have revealed significant differences in their supramolecular assemblies. The most active antioxidant compound was 1i, bearing one chlorine and two bromine atoms, as well as the CO2Me group. Among the tested derivatives, 1h bearing one chlorine and two bromine atoms has exhibited the widest antibacterial spectrum and the most intensive inhibitory activity, especially against the Gram-positive strains, in planktonic and biofilm growth state. The compounds 1a (bearing one chlorine, one NO2 and one CO2Me group) and 1i (bearing one chlorine, two bromine atoms and a CO2Me group) exhibited the best antibiofilm activity in the case of the P. aeruginosa strain. Moreover, these compounds comply with the drug-likeness rules, have good oral bioavailability and are not carcinogenic or mutagenic. The results demonstrate that these new carbazole derivatives have a molecular profile which deserves to be explored further for the development of novel antibacterial and antibiofilm agents

The Evolution of Photographic Arts Is Linked to Progress in Chemistry: A Review of Two Centuries of Symbiosis

Photography is a major component of present art. It has applications in arts, in sciences and mainly health sciences, in social interaction. The evolution of photography since its advent 200 years ago relied and was dependent on the knowledge of chemistry. This is a review of the chemical techniques used in the recording and reproduction of photographs and of its applications. In the last two centuries, numerous chemical substances: inorganic, organic and polymeric, influenced the aspect and quality of the photographic techniques and of photographs. Teaching photography requires knowledge of chemistry, while chemistry education needs knowledge of esthetics as offered by photography

Reabilitarea sustenabilă a comunitătilor prin sisteme de culturi forestiere în România

Development of green areas at the periphery of towns was a concern for city planners since the middle of the XIXth century. Sustainable design of urban systems as ecological entities calls for increasing the percentage of planted areas as well as community oriented projects. The control of urban sprawl is basically unattainable, the trend of housing developments at the periphery being noticeable in later years in all major towns in Romania. The need to juxtapose green areas in- between housing developments is just as pressing as the one for public functions. A solution would be to intervene with a pattern of small forestry plantation patches of fast growing trees, in addition to extending the natural forests. Urban forestry provides means for sustainable tree harvesting, additionally stabilizing the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere at microclimatic level. Forestry plantation could be beneficial for the community in terms of socioeconomics, providing a sustainable source of income. The authors propose means of implementing such forestry systems with regard to socio-economic aspects of community rehabilitation

Phthalate Exposure from Drinking Water in Romanian Adolescents

Phthalates are plastic softeners that have been linked to several adverse health outcomes. The relative contributions of different sources to phthalate exposure in populations in different regions and at different life stages is unclear. We examined the relationships between water consumption, consumer product use, and phthalate exposure among 40 adolescents (20 males, 20 females) in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. Interviewers administered a questionnaire about drinking water consumption and use of phthalate-containing consumer products. Four common phthalates were measured in representative samples of participants’ municipal drinking water and consumed bottled water using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Urine samples were collected from participants and analyzed for the corresponding phthalate metabolites. Relationships between different exposure measures were assessed using nonparametric tests (Spearman rank correlation coefficients and the Kruskal–Wallis test). Diisobutyl phthalate, dibutyl phthalate, and bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate were commonly detected in bottled water, but generally not the municipal drinking water samples. Mono-n-butyl phthalate (MnBP) was the most commonly detected urinary metabolite (detected in 92.5% of participants) and had the highest maximum concentration (1139.77 µg/g creatinine). We did not identify any statistically significant associations between water consumption or consumer product use practices and urinary phthalate metabolite concentrations in our adolescent group, and directions of correlation coefficients differed by individual phthalate compound. While phthalate exposure was widespread, these results highlight the challenges in examining phthalate exposure determinants and emphasize the need for further investigation into understanding exposure sources and potential health risks from chronic low-level exposures

The therapeutic effect of carbogaseous natural mineral waters in the metabolic syndrome

Metabolic syndrome (syndrome X or insulin resistance syndrome) is a complex of metabolic disturbances that increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Entity includes: dyslipidemia (altered lipid profile, with increasing levels of serum triglycerides and low serum levels of HDL-cholesterol, which promotes the development of atherosclerosis), high blood sugar (diabetes type II) or increased insulin resistance, hypertension, abdominal obesity syndrome, proinflammatory, prothrombotic syndrome. In the last 20 years, there was a continuous increase in individuals suffering from this syndrome, the cause remains unknown, but several studies also claim that it is a complex interaction between genetic, metabolic and environmental factors. Of environmental factors, diet low in micronutrients such as calcium, magnesium and potassium seems to be an essential contributor element (Feldsein et al, 2007, Cidalia Pereira et al, 2011). Decreased intake of sodium and increased intake of calcium, magnesium and potassium, proposed by Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension - DASH diet (Van Leer et al 1995, Meigl et al 2008) leads to optimized blood pressure. Even in the absence of increased sodium intake, low levels of magnesium in the blood and cells can induce in some conditions, hypertension, diabetes, insulin resistance or completely metabolic syndrom.Among the methods proposed to correct dietary intake of micronutrients, natural mineral water, often very complex in terms of chemical composition and versatile in terms of the intended effect is one handy, safe and simple.Although used in order to preserve the health from ancient times, scientific studies proving natural mineral water effects on the human body takes place only since the twentieth century. Carbonated mineral waters are the result of deep water filtering through volcanic soils, which contain CO2, carbon dioxide, thus obtained, will help dissolve other elements contained in the soil layers through which water, like calcium, magnesium, sodium, iron, chlorides, ATC bromides, so finally carbonated water will have a complex and varied composition

Impact of exposure to tobacco smoke, arsenic, and phthalates on locally advanced cervical cancer treatment—preliminary results

Background Cancer research is a national and international priority, with the efficiency and effectiveness of current anti-tumor therapies being one of the major challenges with which physicians are faced. Objective To assess the impact of exposure to tobacco smoke, arsenic, and phthalates on cervical cancer treatment. Methods We investigated 37 patients with locally advanced cervical carcinoma who underwent chemotherapy and radiotherapy. We determined cotinine and five phthalate metabolites in urine samples collected prior to cancer treatment, by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry, and urinary total arsenic by atomic absorption spectrometry with hydride generation. We used linear regression to evaluate the effects of cotinine, arsenic, and phthalates on the change in tumor size after treatment, adjusted for confounding variables. Results We detected no significant associations between urinary cotinine, arsenic, or phthalate monoesters on change in tumor size after treatment, adjusted for urine creatinine, age, baseline tumor size, and cotinine (for arsenic and phthalates). However, higher %mono-ethylhexyl phthalate (%MEHP), a putative indicator of phthalate diester metabolism, was associated with a larger change in tumor size (β = 0.015, 95% CI [0.003–0.03], P = 0.019). Conclusion We found no statistically significant association between the urinary levels of arsenic, cotinine, and phthalates metabolites and the response to cervical cancer treatment as measured by the change in tumor size. Still, our results suggested that phthalates metabolism may be associated with response to treatment for locally advanced cervical cancer. However, these observations are preliminary and will require confirmation in a larger, more definitive investigation

SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Emery-Dreifuss Syndrome in a Young Patient with a Family History of Dilated Cardiomyopathy

Emery–Dreifuss muscular dystrophy (EDMD) is a rare genetic disease that affects the musculoskeletal system, including the heart, causing rhythm disorders and cardiomyopathy, sometimes requiring an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) or heart transplantation due to severe heart damage. The case described herein concerns a 16-year-old girl, with grade II obesity, without other known pathological antecedents or cardiac pathology diagnosis given an annual history of cardiological investigations. She was admitted to the Infectious Diseases Department with SARS-CoV-2 virus infection. The anamnesis showed that the cardiological investigations performed in the past were completed due to the medical history antecedents of her sister, who had been diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy, having undergone the placement of an ICD and a heart transplant. Numerous investigations were performed during hospitalization, which revealed high levels of high-sensitive cardiac troponin I (hs-cTnI), creatine kinase (CK) and N-terminal pro b-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP). Dynamic electrocardiographic evaluations showed ventricular extrasystoles, without clinical manifestations. The patient presented stage 2 arterial hypertension (AHT) during hospitalization. A cardiac ultrasound was also performed, which revealed suspected mild subacute viral myocarditis with cardiomyopathy, and antihypertensive medication was initiated. A heart MRI was performed, and the patient was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy, refuting the suspicion of viral subacute myocarditis. After discharge, as the patient developed gait disorders with an impossible heel strike upon walking and limitation of the extension of the arms and ankles, was hospitalized in the Neurology Department. Electrocardiograms (ECGs) were dynamically performed, and because the rhythm disorders persisted, the patient was transferred to the Cardiology Department. On Holter monitoring, non-sustained ventricular tachycardia (NSVT) was detected, so antiarrhythmic treatment was initiated, and placement of an ICD was subsequently decided and was diagnosed with EDMD. Genetic tests were also performed, and a mutation of the lamin A/C gene was detected (LMNA gene exon 2, variant c448A > C (p.Thr150pro), heterozygous form, AD)