A study of blood contamination of Siqveland matrix bands

AIMS To use a sensitive forensic test to measure blood contamination of used Siqveland matrix bands following routine cleaning and sterilisation procedures in general dental practice. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixteen general dental practices in the West of Scotland participated. Details of instrument cleaning procedures were recorded for each practice. A total of 133 Siqveland matrix bands were recovered following cleaning and sterilisation and were examined for residual blood contamination by the Kastle-Meyer test, a well-recognised forensic technique. RESULTS: Ultrasonic baths were used for the cleaning of 62 (47%) bands and retainers and the remainder (53%) were hand scrubbed prior to autoclaving. Overall, 21% of the matrix bands and 19% of the retainers gave a positive Kastle-Meyer test, indicative of residual blood contamination, following cleaning and sterilisation. In relation to cleaning method, 34% of hand-scrubbed bands and 32% of hand-scrubbed retainers were positive for residual blood by the Kastle-Meyer test compared with 6% and 3% respectively of ultrasonically cleaned bands and retainers (P less than 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: If Siqveland matrix bands are re-processed in the assembled state, then adequate pre-sterilisation cleaning cannot be achieved reliably. Ultrasonic baths are significantly more effective than hand cleaning for these items of equipment

The contribution of housing renovation to children’s blood lead levels: a cohort study

BACKGROUND: Routine renovation of older housing is a risk factor for childhood lead poisoning, but the contribution to children’s blood lead levels is poorly defined for children with lower exposure levels. METHODS: We examined a prospective cohort of 276 children followed from 6 to 24 months of age. We conducted surveys of renovation activities and residential lead hazards and obtained blood lead level (B-Pb) every six months. We analyzed B-Pb in a repeated measures design using a mixed effects linear model. RESULTS: Parent reported interior renovation ranged from 11 to 25% of housing units at the four, 6-month periods. In multivariable analysis, children whose housing underwent interior renovation had a 12% higher mean B-Pb by two years of age compared with children whose housing units were not renovated (p < 0.01). The time between renovation and the child blood lead sample was associated with higher B-Pb (p-value for trend <0.01); compared to children in non-renovated housing, children whose housing units underwent renovation in the prior month had a 17% higher mean B-Pb at two years of age, whereas children whose housing renovation occurred in the prior 2–6 months had an 8% higher mean B-Pb. We also found an association between higher paint lead loading, measured using an X-ray fluorescence (XRF) based paint lead index, and child B-Pb (p = 0.02); for every 10 mg/cm(2) increase in paint lead loading index there was a 7.5% higher mean childhood B-Pb. CONCLUSIONS: In an analysis of data collected before the recent changes to Environmental Protection Agency’s Lead, Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule, routine interior housing renovation was associated with a modest increase in children’s B-Pb. These results are important for the provision of clinical advice, for housing and public health professionals, and for policymakers

The relationship between atmospheric lead emissions and aggressive crime: An ecological study

© 2016 Taylor et al. Background: Many populations have been exposed to environmental lead from paint, petrol, and mining and smelting operations. Lead is toxic to humans and there is emerging evidence linking childhood exposure with later life antisocial behaviors, including delinquency and crime. This study tested the hypothesis that childhood lead exposure in select Australian populations is related to subsequent aggressive criminal behaviors. Methods: We conducted regression analyses at suburb, state and national levels using multiple analytic methods and data sources. At the suburb-level, we examined assault rates as a function of air lead concentrations 15-24 years earlier, reflecting the ubiquitous age-related peak in criminal activity. Mixed model analyses were conducted with and without socio-demographic covariates. The incidence of fraud was compared for discriminant validity. State and national analyses were conducted for convergent validity, utilizing deaths by assault as a function of petrol lead emissions. Results: Suburb-level mixed model analyses showed air lead concentrations accounted for 29.8 % of the variance in assault rates 21 years later, after adjusting for socio-demographic covariates. State level analyses produced comparable results. Lead petrol emissions in the two most populous states accounted for 34.6 and 32.6 % of the variance in death by assault rates 18 years later. Conclusions: The strong positive relationship between childhood lead exposure and subsequent rates of aggressive crime has important implications for public health globally. Measures need to be taken to ameliorate exposure to lead and other environmental contaminants with known neurodevelopmental consequences

Klipsun Magazine, 2008, Volume 38, Issue 04 - March

In the span of Klipsun’s existence, it has served as campus yearbook and magazine, spurred controversy over racy illustrations and won numerous awards for excellence from the Society of Professional Journalists, the Washington Press Association and others. Klispun has worn many covers over the years, but continues to this day to serve as a face of Bellingham lifestyles. This issue goes to the heart of Bellingham: whether it is overcoming a life- shattering drug addiction, where Whatcom County drug cases surpass the average rate of Washington state, or following a group of leather-clad bikers riding their hogs in support of children with cancer, there is a little glimpse of everything. Take, for example, a group of bicyclists who meet every Wednesday to ride their bikes – rain, sleet or snow. Or a coffee shop that serves as the town hot spot for chess matches, where every person from any walk of life, is welcome. And where else do you find a group of people jumping over tables, buildings and trees for fun? In the production of this issue, our staff strove to make changes in content, design and photography to become a more readable, more enjoyable magazine. Klipsun has evolved over the years and will continue to change and morph as we strive to serve you, our readers. We welcome and appreciate your feedback. Happy reading.https://cedar.wwu.edu/klipsun_magazine/1117/thumbnail.jp

Gestational Exposure to Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals and Reciprocal Social, Repetitive, and Stereotypic Behaviors in 4- and 5-Year-Old Children: The HOME Study

Background: Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) may be involved in the etiology of autism spectrum disorders, but identifying relevant chemicals within mixtures of EDCs is difficult. Objective: Our goal was to identify gestational EDC exposures associated with autistic behaviors. Methods: We measured the concentrations of 8 phthalate metabolites, bisphenol A, 25 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), 6 organochlorine pesticides, 8 brominated flame retardants, and 4 perfluoroalkyl substances in blood or urine samples from 175 pregnant women in the HOME (Health Outcomes and Measures of the Environment) Study (Cincinnati, OH). When children were 4 and 5 years old, mothers completed the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS), a measure of autistic behaviors. We examined confounder-adjusted associations between 52 EDCs and SRS scores using a two-stage hierarchical analysis to account for repeated measures and confounding by correlated EDCs. Results: Most of the EDCs were associated with negligible absolute differences in SRS scores (≤ 1.5). Each 2-SD increase in serum concentrations of polybrominated diphenyl ether-28 (PBDE-28) (β = 2.5; 95% CI: –0.6, 5.6) or trans-nonachlor (β = 4.1; 95% CI: 0.8–7.3) was associated with more autistic behaviors. In contrast, fewer autistic behaviors were observed among children born to women with detectable versus nondetectable concentrations of PCB-178 (β = –3.0; 95% CI: –6.3, 0.2), β-hexachlorocyclohexane (β = –3.3; 95% CI: –6.1, –0.5), or PBDE-85 (β = –3.2; 95% CI: –5.9, –0.5). Increasing perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) concentrations were also associated with fewer autistic behaviors (β = –2.0; 95% CI: –4.4, 0.4). Conclusions: Some EDCs were associated with autistic behaviors in this cohort, but our modest sample size precludes us from dismissing chemicals with null associations. PFOA, β-hexachlorocyclohexane, PCB-178, PBDE-28, PBDE-85, and trans-nonachlor deserve additional scrutiny as factors that may be associated with childhood autistic behaviors. Citation: Braun JM, Kalkbrenner AE, Just AC, Yolton K, Calafat AM, Sjödin A, Hauser R, Webster GM, Chen A, Lanphear BP. 2014. Gestational exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals and reciprocal social, repetitive, and stereotypic behaviors in 4- and 5-year-old children: the HOME Study. Environ Health Perspect 122:513–520; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.130726

An ecological study of pasture cover

According to the report of th« Land Utilisation Committee (18) appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture in 1921 there are approximately 231,000,000 acres of humid grassland pasture in the United States* This area has an average carrying capacity of about one animal unit per five acres. (An animal unit may be defined as the equivalent of a mature horee, cow er steer, five hogs, or seven sheep* ) In addition to the above it is estimated that there are 587,000,000 acres of arid and ee»iarid pasture and range, practically all of which ie located in the fleet* The productiveness of this area is low, however, about twenty- four acres being required for one animal unit. Considering the potential acreage of agricultural land in the United States as 1,734,000,000 acres (18), it thus becomes apparent that nearly one half of that area is new devoted to pasturage

Human Health Risks from Low-Level Environmental Exposures: No Apparent Safety Thresholds

Wigle and Lanphear argue that for many toxins widely dispersed in the environment, even very low levels pose health risks

Elucidating PGC-1α and ERRγ Gene Regulation in Neurons

Neuronal energy production is critical to the function of the entire central nervous system. Without enough ATP, neurons are not able to maintain their synaptic structure or activity, leading to a circuit-wide dysregulation, affecting movement and memory. The main process for ATP production in neurons is oxidative phosphorylation, which is supported by several proteins encoded by nuclear DNA. Transcription of nuclear DNA is regulated by DNA-binding transcription factors and co-activators which recruit other members of the transcription initiation complex to induce gene expression. While important basally, during neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s Disease, the transcription of these genes is altered before the onset of neuron death. Factors that are proposed to be critical to gene expression in neurons include peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma co-activator 1α (PGC-1α) and the estrogen-related receptors (ERRα/β/γ). The ERRs bind DNA and engage PGC-1α and the rest of the transcriptional machinery to activate genes related to the electron transport chain, structural support of synapses, and calcium buffering. Here, we not only demonstrate that ERRs are required for PGC-1α-dependent gene expression in neurons, but that ERRγ plays multiple roles in transcriptional regulation including initiation, mRNA editing, and splicing. To do so we used a wide array of -omics assays to examine the network of proteins interacting with ERRγ to influence gene expression in a neuron-like cell. We used RNA-seq with ERRγ or PGC-1α overexpression to reveal responsive genes, proximity biotin-labeling of iv proteins within 10 nm of ERRγ to identify putative interactors, and validation of responsive genes and interactors independent of the biotin labeling. We generated a protein-protein interaction network in a neuron-specific context to provide a ranked list of targetable ERRγ interactors to screen for drug target viability. Altogether, this thesis provides an unbiased framework for future experiments examining ERRγ and its interactors in the context of neuronal health and disease, with the potential to provide strategies for therapeutic manipulation of mitochondrial and synaptic gene regulation in neurodegenerative diseases