Biomarkers in monitoring - a review

Årsliste 2006Biological effects are increasingly used to monitor impacts of contaminants in marine ecosystems. Biomarkers have been defined as ”biochemical, cellular, physiological or behavioural variations in the tissue or body fluids or at the level of whole organism that provide evidence of exposure to chemical pollutants, and may also indicate a toxic effect”. The biomarkers reviewed here were PAH bile metabolites, cytochrome P4501A, glutathione S-transferase, markers for DNA damage (adducts, alkaline unwinding, Comet assay), micronucleus formation, peroxisomal proliferation, acetyl cholinesterase inhibition, metallothionein, vitellogenin and delta-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase. Focus for the review was dose-response relationships, confounding factors, links to population effects, baseline values, assessment criteria and quality assurance for the relevant biomarker. Whereas correlative links to population-relevant effects have been found for some biomarkers, e.g. biomarkers for DNA damage, most biomarkers are generally more useful as markers for possible impacts elsewhere in ecosystems.OL

Radiological risk from thoron, a case study: The particularly radon-prone area of Bolsena, and the lesson learned

Abstract The contribution of 220 Rn is usually negligible compared to that of 222 Rn: its very short half-life makes escape from its source site within the rock very unlikely and it never has time enough to filtrate through the ground and through cracks in the floors or cellar walls to reach living quarters. This however becomes untrue if walls built with 232 Th-rich materials are present: then sizeable amounts of thoron may be detected in the closed areas bounded by those walls. This is the case for many dwellings in central Italy, and the town of Bolsena (northern Latium) is presented as a case study. A typical building of the area, entirely constructed with tuff blocks, is investigated and the annual dose rates calculated for varying distances from the wall. Thoron concentration was found to decrease with a relaxation length of 13 cm. Thoron was found to pose a significant risk. The rate of air exchange was found to produce little effect. Wall plastering acts as a filter: thoron diffuses through it but a HVL of less than 1 cm was found to prevail

Isolation of Mycobacterium avium Subspecies paratuberculosis Reactive CD4 T Cells from Intestinal Biopsies of Crohn’s Disease Patients

Background: Crohn’s disease (CD) is a chronic granulomatous inflammation of the intestine. The etiology is unknown, but an excessive immune response to bacteria in genetically susceptible individuals is probably involved. The response is characterized by a strong Th1/Th17 response, but the relative importance of the various bacteria is not known. Methodology/Principal Findings: In an attempt to address this issue, we made T-cell lines from intestinal biopsies of patients with CD (n = 11), ulcerative colitis (UC) (n = 13) and controls (n = 10). The T-cell lines were tested for responses to various bacteria. A majority of the CD patients with active disease had a dominant response to Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP). The T cells from CD patients also showed higher proliferation in response to MAP compared to UC patients (p,0.025). MAP reactive CD4 T-cell clones (n = 28) were isolated from four CD patients. The T-cell clones produced IL-17 and/or IFN-c, while minimal amounts of IL-4 were detected. To further characterize the specificity, the responses to antigen preparations from different mycobacterial species were tested. One T-cell clone responded only to MAP and the very closely related M. avium subspecies avium (MAA) while another responded to MAP, MAA and Mycobacterium intracellulare. A more broadly reactive T-cell clone reacted to MAP1508 which belongs to the esx protein family. Conclusions/Significance: The presence of MAP reactive T cells with a Th1 or Th1/Th17 phenotype may suggest a possible role of mycobacteria in the inflammation seen in CD. The isolation of intestinal T cells followed by characterization of their specificity is a valuable tool to study the relative importance of different bacteria in CD

Interacting mindreaders

Could interacting mindreaders be in a position to know things which they would be unable to know if they were manifestly passive observers? This paper argues that they could. Mindreading is sometimes reciprocal: the mindreader's target reciprocates by taking the mindreader as a target for mindreading. The paper explains how such reciprocity can significantly narrow the range of possible interpretations of behaviour where mindreaders are, or appear to be, in a position to interact. A consequence is that revisions and extensions are needed to standard theories of the evidential basis of mindreading. The view also has consequences for understanding how abilities to interact combined with comparatively simple forms of mindreading may explain the emergence, in evolution or development, of sophisticated forms of social cognition

Glycotope structures and intramolecular affinity factors of plant lectins for Tn/T antigens

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Deaths due to differentiated thyroid cancer: A 46-year perspective

From 1940 to 1986, a total of 798 patients were treated for differentiated thyroid carcinoma. One hundred and seventy-two patients died during the follow-up period: 42 (24.4%) patients from thyroid cancer, 14 (8.1%) from other causes with extensive thyroid cancer present, 75 (43.6%) with no thyroid cancer, and 41 (23.8%) with an unknown status of thyroid cancer . Of the 42 patients dying due to thyroid cancer, 15 were male and 27, female. Mean age at diagnosis was 48.3±17.7 years with one-third of patients age 45 or younger at the time of the initial diagnosis. The primary tumors were large (>4 cm) and 59.5% of the patients had local invasion and/or cervical metastasis. Distant metastases were present in 9 (21.4%) patients at the time of diagnosis . Surgical therapy included total thyroidectomy (72.1%) and limited or radical neck dissection (69.4%). Radioactive iodine ( 131 I) was used to treat residual cancer and/or distant metastasis in 73.8% of the patients. External radiation therapy was used to treat locally advanced or recurrent disease in 52.3% of the patients. Distant metastases and local recurrence were identified earlier in patients with follicular thyroid cancer whose survival time and disease-free interval were significantly shorter ( p < 0.001) than that of patients with papillary neoplasms. However, the survival and disease-free intervals were often very long in both papillary and follicular thyroid cancer deaths . Onset of differentiated thyroid cancer before the age of 40 years does not preclude serious sequelae and death. Since no known histopathologic features can consistently predict outcome, we continue to advocate aggressive treatment of all patients with differentiated thyroid cancer . Entre 1940 et 1986, 798 patients au total ont été traités pour un cancer différencié de la thyroïde. Cent-soixant-douze patients sont morts par la suite: 42 (24.4%) de leur cancer, 14 (8.1%) d'une autre cause alors que des signes d'extension du cancer étaient présents, 75 (43.6%) d'une autre cause sans signe de cancer, et 41 (23.8%) sans qu'on ait pu connaître le stade du cancer. Des 42 patients morts de leur cancer, il y avait 15 hommes et 27 femmes. L'âge moyen au moment du diagnostic était de 48.3±17.7 ans: un tiers des patients avait 45 ans ou moins au moment du diagnostic. Les tumeurs primitives avaient plus de 4 cm et 59.5% des patients présentaient un envahissement local et/ou une métastase cervicale. Les métastases à distance ont été détectées chez 9 (21.4%) patients au moment du diagnostic. Une thyroïdectomie totale a été effectuée chez 72.1% des patients, associée à un curage cervical limité ou radical chez 69.4% des patients. Chez 73.8% des patients on a traité le tissu cancéreux résiduel et/ou des métastases à distance par de l'I 131. La radiothérapie a été utilisée pour traiter les patients présentant une extension importante ou une récidive chez 52.3% des patients. Des métastases à distance et des récidives ont été identifiées précocement chez les patients ayant un cancer folliculaire. Dans ce groupe de patients, la survie et l'intervalle de temps sans maladie étaient significativement plus courts ( p <0.001) que chez les patients ayant un cancer papillaire. Il faut cependant noter que la survie et l'intervalle de temps sans maladie étaient très longs dans les 2 groupes de patients. La découverte d'un cancer différencié de la thyroïde avant l'âge de 40 ans n'est pas un facteur pronostique particulier. Puisqu'il n'y pas de facteur histologique permettant de prévoir l'évolution, nous continuons de préconiser un traitement agressif chez tout patient présentant un cancer différencié de la thyroïde. En el período 1940–1986, un total de 798 pacientes recibieron tratamiento para carcinoma tiroideo; 172 murieron en el curso del seguimiento: 42 (24.4%) por cancer tiroideo, 14 (8.1%) por otras causas pero con presencia de extenso cáncer tiroideo, 75 (43.6%) libres de cáncer tiroideo, y 41 (23.8%) con estado desconocido en cuanto al cancer tiroideo.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/41283/1/268_2005_Article_BF01655866.pd

Migrant participation in Norwegian health care. A qualitative study using key informants

Background Little is known about how migrants adapt to first-world public health systems. In Norway, patients are assigned a registered general practitioner (RGP) to provide basic care and serve as gatekeeper for other medical services. Objectives: To explore determinants of migrant compliance with the RGP scheme and obstacles that migrants may experience. Methods: Individuals in leadership positions within migrant organizations for the 13 largest migrant populations in Norway in 2008 participated in this qualitative study. Semi-structured interviews, with migrants serving as key informants, were used to elucidate possible challenges migrant patients face in navigating the local primary health-care system. Conversations were structured using an interview guide covering the range of challenges that migrant patients meet in the health-care system. Results: According to informants, integration into the RGP scheme and adequacy of patient-physician communication varies according to duration of stay in Norway, the patient's country of origin, the reason for migration, health literacy, intention to establish permanent residence in Norway, language proficiency, and comprehension of information received about the health system. Informants noted as obstacles: doctor-patient interaction patterns, conflicting ideas about the role of the doctor, and language and cultural differences. In addressing noted obstacles, one strategy would be to combine direct intervention by migrant associations with indirect intervention via the public-health system