Biological monitoring of occupational exposure to metals in electric steel foundry workers and its contribution to 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2′-deoxyguanosine levels

In this study, the urinary concentrations of selected metals in workers from an electric steel foundry in Tunisia were assessed and compared with existing biological limit values and general population reference values. Moreover, the association between oxidative DNA damage, measured as urinary 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2\u2019deoxyguanosine (8-oxodG) and co-exposure to metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) was evaluated. Urinary levels of 12 metals were determined by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) in end-shift spot samples from 89 workers. The urinary levels of phenanthrene (U-PHE), as marker of exposure to PAHs, and 8-oxodG were also available. Median levels ranged from 0.4 \ub5g/L (cobalt, Co, and thallium, Tl) to 895 \ub5g/L (zinc, Zn). Only 1% of samples was above the biological limit values for Co, and up to 13.5% of samples were above limit values for Cd. From 3.4% (Co) to 72% (lead, Pb) of samples were above the reference values for the general population. Multiple linear regression models, showed that manganese (Mn), Zn, arsenic (As), barium (Ba), Tl, and Pb were significant predictors of 8-oxodG (0.012 64 p 64 0.048); U-PHE was also a significant predictor (0.003 64 p 64 0.059). The variance explained by models was low (0.11 64 R2 64 0.17, p < 0.005), showing that metals and PAHs were minor contributors to 8-oxodG. Overall, the comparison with biological limit values showed that the study subjects were occupationally exposed to metals, with levels exceeding biological limit values only for Cd

Lignin: a sustainable antiviral coating material

Transmission of viruses through contact with contaminated surfaces is an important pathway for the spread of infections. Antiviral surface coatings are useful to minimize such risks. Current state-of-the-art approaches toward antiviral surface coatings either involve metal-based materials or complex synthetic polymers. These approaches, however, even if successful, will have to face great challenges when it comes to large-scale applications and their environmental sustainability. Here, an antiviral surface coating was prepared by spin-coating lignin, a natural biomass residue of the paper production industry. We show effective inactivation of herpes simplex virus type 2 (>99% after 30 min) on a surface coating that is low-cost and environmentally sustainable. The antiviral mechanism of the lignin surface was investigated and is attributed to reactive oxygen species generated upon oxidation of lignin phenols. This mechanism does not consume the surface coating (as opposed to the release of a specific antiviral agent) and does not require regeneration. The coating is stable in ambient conditions, as demonstrated in a 6 month aging study that did not reveal any decrease in antiviral activity. This research suggests that natural compounds may be used for the development of affordable and sustainable antiviral coatings

Trauma, Memory and Religion

How can we screen trauma? This question might lead the perception of documentary films about atrocities in the 20th and 21st centuries, like S21 THE KHMER ROUGE KILLING MACHINE (Rithy Panh, CAMB/FR 2003) about Cambodia, THE LOOK OF SILENCE (Joshua Oppenheimer, ID/DK 2014) about Indonesia or DAS RADIKAL BÖSE (Stefan Ruzowitzky, AT 2013) about Nazi-Europe. A concern that may emerge as we watch films on atrocities is whether these artistic representations perhaps guide the public away from what “really happened”. There certainly is a huge gap between, on the one hand, the immediate experience of the event that lies behind the interpretative screening and, on the other hand, watching the director’s material while neither being a part nor ever having been part of the event. Yet often filmic representations are not intended to show what happened; instead they present case studies to be explored in the present. Often the films contain an inherent critique of genocidal violence and present humanistic perspectives on obedience. Mostly, these films underline the humanity of the victims, seeking to give names, faces and biographies so that they are much more than just numbers. What appears on the screen therefore challenges the audience with a moral question: what would you do

Comparison of the effect of MFAT and MFAT + PRP on treatment of hip osteoarthritis : an observational, intention-to-treat study at one year

Hip osteoarthritis (OA) is a major contributor to reduced quality of life and concomitant disability associated with lost working life months. Intra-articular injection of various biological materials has shown promise in alleviating symptoms and potentially slowing down the degenerative process. Here, we compared the effects of treatment of a cohort of 147 patients suffering from grade 1–4 hip OA; with either micro-fragmented adipose tissue (MFAT), or a combination of MFAT with platelet-rich plasma (PRP). We found significant improvements in both the visual analogue score for pain (VAS) and Oxford hip score (OHS) that were similar for both treatments with over 60% having an improvement in the VAS score of 20 points or more. These results suggest a positive role for intra-articular injection of MFAT + PRP as a treatment for hip osteoarthritis which may be important particularly in low body mass index (BMI) patients where the difficulty in obtaining sufficient MFAT for treatment could be offset by using this combination of biologicals

Patient-Centered Outcomes of Microfragmented Adipose Tissue Treatments of Knee Osteoarthritis: An Observational, Intention-to-Treat Study at Twelve Months

© 2020 Nima Heidari et al. Introduction. Microfragmented adipose tissue (MFAT) has been shown to benefit osteoarthritic patients by reducing pain and supporting tissue regeneration through a mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-related paracrine mechanism. This observational study of 110 knees assessed patient-centered outcomes of pain, functionality, and quality of life, analyzing their variation at twelve months following one ultrasound-guided intra-articular injection of autologous MFAT for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis (KOA). Method. Inclusion criteria were as follows: VAS >50, and the presence of KOA as diagnosed on X-ray and MRI. Exclusion criteria included the following: recent injury (<3 months) of the symptomatic knee, intra-articular steroid injections performed within the last three months, and hyaluronic acid injections prior to this treatment. Changes in VAS, OKS, and EQ-5D were scored at baseline and twelve months following a single intra-articular injection of autologous MFAT. Score variation was analyzed utilizing a nonparametric paired samples Wilcoxon test. The statistical analysis is reproducible with Open Access statistical software R (version 4.0.0 or higher). The study was carried out with full patient consent, in a private practice setting. Results. Median VAS (pain) improved from 70 (IQR 20) to 30 (IQR 58) (p<0.001); median OKS (function) improved from 25 (IQR 11) to 33.5 (IQR 16) (p<0.001); and median EQ-5D (quality of life) improved from 0.62 (IQR 0.41) to 0.69 (IQR 0.28) (p<0.001). No adverse events were reported during the intraoperative, recovery, or postoperative periods. Conclusions. For patients with all grades of knee osteoarthritis who were treated with intra-articular injections of MFAT, statistically significant improvements in pain, function, and quality of life were reported. Although further research is warranted, the results are encouraging and suggest a positive role for intra-articular injection of MFAT as a treatment for knee osteoarthritis

Microfragmented Adipose Tissue Injection (MFAT) may be a solution to the rationing of total knee replacement : a prospective, gender-bias mitigated, reproducible analysis at two years

Background. Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a significant cause of disability in a globally ageing population. Knee replacement surgery has been shown to improve function and quality of life. Access to this intervention can be limited for a number of reasons including rationing of care, lack of healthcare provision in austere environments, and more recently, due to the cessation of elective orthopaedic care as a result of the COVID pandemic. Referral for knee replacement surgery is often guided by the patient's Oxford Knee Score (OKS). Recent therapies including treatment with microfragmented adipose tissue (MFAT) have emerged as alternatives to relieve pain and improve function in such patients. Method. We identified all patients with KOA Kellgren-Lawrence grade 3 and 4 in our dataset of patients treated with a single injection of MFAT and applied published OKS thresholds for referral for TKR to separate them into 3 cohorts according to their functional impairment. 220 patients (95 females, 125 males) with KOA were given one MFAT injection. The function (OKS) and quality of life (EuroQol-5) prior to and 24 months after therapy were compared. Results. MFAT injection provided a statistically significant improvement in the quality of life (EQ-5D) at 24 months in patients with a baseline OKS of 39 or less (p value: <0.001) as well as those with OKS of 27 or less who are deemed suitable for a knee replacement (p value: <0.001). Conclusion. MFAT injection improves quality of life in patients with KOA who are deemed suitable for the knee replacement. MFAT is a low-morbidity alternative biological treatment and can delay the need for total knee replacement in suitable patients

Gender-specific response in pain and function to biologic treatment of knee osteoarthritis : a gender-bias-mitigated, observational, intention-to-treat study at two years

Knee osteoarthritis is a major cause of disability worldwide. Newer modalities of treatment with less morbidity, such as intra-articular injection of microfragmented fat (MFAT), are showing promise. We report on our novel observation that women show a greater improvement in pain and function to MFAT than men. Traditionally, women have been underrepresented in studies and studies with both sexes regularly fail to analyze the results by sex. To mitigate for this bias and quantify it, we describe a technique using reproducible statistical analysis and replicable results with Open Access statistical software R to calculate the magnitude of this difference. Genetic, hormonal, environmental, and age factors play a role in our observed difference between the sexes. There is a need for further studies to identify the molecular basis for this difference and be able to utilize it to improve outcome for both women and men

ETS exposure and PAH body burden in nonsmoking Italian adults

Active smoking is associated with increased body burden of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs); the aim of this study was to assess whether environmental tobacco smoking (ETS) increases the internal dose of PAHs. In 344 nonsmoking Italian adults, out of 497 individuals selected as representative of the population of the town of Modena, ETS exposure was evaluated by a self-administered questionnaire and by the measurement of urinary cotinine (COT-U). PAH exposure was assessed by the measurement of urinary 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OHPYR) and of ten urinary PAHs. In all subjects, median (5th-95th percentile) COT-U was 0.47 (<0.1-3.91) mu g/L. While 58 subjects reported to be ETS exposed (ETSQUEST), 38 individuals were identified as ETS exposed on the basis of a COT-U value of 1.78 (90% confidence interval 1.75-1.80) mu g/L, previously derived as an upper reference value in not ETS exposed Italian adults (ETSCOT). Median COT-U levels were 1.38 (<0.1-9.06) and 3.63 (1.80-17.39) mu g/L in ETSQUEST and in ETSCOT subjects, respectively. Significant correlations between COT-U and 1-OHPYR, and urinary anthracene, fluoranthene, pyrene, and chrysene were found among all subjects. Significantly higher levels of 1-OHPYR, and urinary fluorene, anthracene, and pyrene were found in ETSCOT individuals. The results of multiple linear regression analyses, taking into consideration diet and other sources of PAHs exposures such as the residence area/characteristics and traffic, confirmed that 1-OHPYR and urinary fluorene were affected by ETS exposure, even if ETS played a minor role

Novel GCH1 variant in Dopa-responsive dystonia and Parkinson's disease

Background: GTP cyclohydrolase I (GCH1) mutations are the commonest cause of Dopa-responsive dystonia (DRD). Clinical phenotypes can be broad, even within a single family. Methods: We present clinical, genetic and functional imaging data on a British kindred in which affected subjects display phenotypes ranging from DRD to Parkinson's disease (PD). Twelve family members were studied. Clinical examination, dopamine transporter (DAT) imaging, and molecular genetic analysis of GCH1 and the commonest known familial PD-related genes were performed. Results: We have identified a novel missense variant, c.5A>G, p.(Glu2Gly), within the GCH1 gene in affected family members displaying a range of phenotypes. Two affected subjects carrying this variant had abnormal DAT imaging. These two with abnormal DAT imaging had a PD phenotype, while the remaining three subjects with the novel GCH1 variant had normal DAT imaging and a DRD phenotype. Conclusions: We propose that this GCH1 variant is pathogenic in this family and these findings suggest that similar mechanisms involving abnormal GTP cyclohydolase I may underlie both PD and DRD. GCH1 genetic testing should be considered in patients with PD and a family history of DRD