Chromium toxicity among leather industry workers in Kolkata-A pilot Study

Introduction: Chromium (Cr) exposure is known to cause various health issues such as cancer, dermatitis, respiratory problems, etc. The recent exposure of Cr can be determined by analysis of Cr either in blood/urine/plasma, Cr (III) ions cannot permeate through cell membranes of red blood cells (RBC) because their ionic radii are bigger as compared to Cr (VI), and hence Cr in RBC is an indicator for exposure to Cr (VI) ions. The purpose of this study was to investigate chromium exposure, hygienic habits and the occurrence of dermatological problems with leather industry workers in Kolkata. Methods: A total of 68 leather industry workers with minimum work exposure of five years and aged between 18-60 years were recruited for this study. The study protocol included a questionnaire and analysis of Cr in blood and urine samples by GF-AAS. Results: All values were under the Biological Exposure Index (BEI) of 25µg /L at the end of the shift of a five-day work week recommended by the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (AcGIH).  15.2% of subjects suffered from dermatological problems at least once in the last year during work in the leather industry. Conclusion: It was found that leather industry workers were not using personal protective equipment and it must be promoted to them for occupational health and safety

HPLC analysis of biomarkers of Toluene and Xylene in human urine samples

Introduction: Urinary Hippuric acid (HA) and Methylhippuric acid (MHA) are considered reliable biomarkers for monitoring exposure to toluene and xylenes. A simple and robust HPLC method for simultaneous determination of HA and MHA in urine samples was developed and validated as per Internation Conference on Harmonization (ICH) Q2 guidelines. Methods: Mobile phase consisting of two solvents A & B, solvent A was 0.1% TFA in water, and solvent B was 0.1% TFA in acetonitrile.  Separation was performed in gradient elution mode and the time program was as follows - Time (min)/%B: 0/20, 4/20, 11/80, 11.1/90, 16/90, 16.1/20, 25/20. The detection wavelength was 205 nm. Results: The limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) of HA in urine were 0.3 and 1.0 mg/L, and for MHA were 0.25 mg/L and 1.0 mg/L respectively and the recovery for HA and MHA were 95% and 98.9% respectively.  Conclusion: The developed method was successfully applied for the analysis of urine samples

Measurement of the Higgs boson production rate in association with top quarks in final states with electrons, muons, and hadronically decaying tau leptons at s√=13TeV

The rate for Higgs (H) bosons production in association with either one (tH) or two (tt¯H) top quarks is measured in final states containing multiple electrons, muons, or tau leptons decaying to hadrons and a neutrino, using proton–proton collisions recorded at a center-of-mass energy of 13TeV by the CMS experiment. The analyzed data correspond to an integrated luminosity of 137fb−1. The analysis is aimed at events that contain H→WW, H→ττ, or H→ZZ decays and each of the top quark(s) decays either to lepton+jets or all-jet channels. Sensitivity to signal is maximized by including ten signatures in the analysis, depending on the lepton multiplicity. The separation among tH, tt¯H, and the backgrounds is enhanced through machine-learning techniques and matrix-element methods. The measured production rates for the tt¯H and tH signals correspond to 0.92±0.19(stat)+0.17−0.13(syst) and 5.7±2.7(stat)±3.0(syst) of their respective standard model (SM) expectations. The corresponding observed (expected) significance amounts to 4.7 (5.2) standard deviations for tt¯H, and to 1.4 (0.3) for tH production. Assuming that the Higgs boson coupling to the tau lepton is equal in strength to its expectation in the SM, the coupling yt of the Higgs boson to the top quark divided by its SM expectation, κt=yt/ySMt, is constrained to be within −0.9<κt<−0.7 or 0.7<κt<1.1, at 95% confidence level. This result is the most sensitive measurement of the tt¯H production rate to date.SCOAP

Curcumin ameliorates oxidative stress in red blood cells during ageing

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Protective effect of ellagic acid on erythrocytes subjected to oxidative stress during human ageing

107-111In the present study, the potential role of ellagic acid on various biomarkers of oxidative stress during human ageing has been studied. The study was carried out on 75 healthy individuals of both sexes. They were divided into three age groups viz., young (60 years; n=14; male=8, female=6). The oxidative stress was induced by using tert-butyl hydroperoxide (t-BHP). In each age group, erythrocytes were incubated with ellagic acid (final concentration 10-5M). The result demonstrated a significant (P <0.01) decrease in total antioxidant potential in terms of FRAP value during ageing. A significant (P <0.05) in vitro protective effect of ellagic acid on malondialdehyde and reduced glutathione levels on erythrocytes against oxidative stress induced by tert-butyl hydroperoxide has been reported. The study was performed on erythrocytes of different age groups. The findings suggest a possible role of ellagic acid as an anti-ageing compound

Health Benefits of Quercetin in Age-Related Diseases

Polyphenols are the known group of phytochemicals that essentially consists of phenolic rings. These are the plant product present in varied fruits and vegetables. These secondary metabolites perform a protective function in plants from environmental and biological stress. When consumed as a human diet these are also known to prevent various age-associated diseases. Polyphenols are known to possess antioxidant properties and protect against oxidative stress. The literature survey was carried out using databases such as PubMed, Science direct and Springer. The research articles from last 10&ndash;12 years were selected for this review based on its relevancy with the topic. The articles selected was mainly focused on quercetin and its health benefits. The present review highlights the main functions of a flavonoid, quercetin. Quercetin is among the widely occurring polyphenol, found abundantly in nature. It is commonly present in different plant products. Onion is known to have the highest quantity of quercetin. This plant compound is possessed antioxidant properties and is considered to have a protective function against aging. It is known to be present in both free and conjugated forms. Quercetin has anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory, anti-proliferative, anti-carcinogenic, anti-diabetic, and anti-viral properties. The molecule is lipophilic and can easily cross the BBB (Blood-Brain Barrier) and hence protects from neurodegenerative diseases. Various in vivo and in vitro studies have demonstrated the role of quercetin and here a detailed review of quercetin as a curative agent in neurodegeneration, diabetes, cancer, and inflammation has been carried out. Studies have proved that quercetin plays a crucial role in the prevention of age-related disorders. Quercetin is a potent antioxidant which is currently being used in various pharmaceuticals. Properties of quercetin can be further explored in various other disorders. Nanoformulations and liposomal formulations of quercetin can be made to treat other age associated diseases