Correction to: Longitudinal Assessment of Chlorpyrifos Exposure in Farmers and Residents of an Italian Alpine Region

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Correction to: Longitudinal Assessment of Chlorpyrifos Exposure in Farmers and Residents of an Italian Alpine Region (Exposure and Health, (2021), 10.1007/s12403-021-00409-5)

To access publisher's full text version of this article, please click on the hyperlink in Additional Links field or click on the hyperlink at the top of the page marked DownloadThe aim of this study was to obtain a longitudinal evaluation of the exposure to chlorpyrifos (CP) and chlorpyrifos-methyl (CPM) in agricultural workers in South Tyrol and in a residential group living in the same area. CP and CPM are widely used pesticides in agriculture. Biological monitoring of CP and CPM exposure in humans can be achieved by analyzing urinary levels of 3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinol (TCPy). TCPy a metabolite of CP and CPM which is produced by a two-step metabolic transformation. Between May 14th, 2014 and March 16th, 2015 we conducted a longitudinal study on 28 farmers actively working in spray pesticide treatment and 43 non-farmers living in the same agricultural area of South Tyrol (Italy). Urine samples were collected at two time points: during the pesticide treatment period and in a temporally distant season that should guarantee metabolite clearance. We developed and validated a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method for the determination of urinary TCPy levels. During the treatment season, both farmers and residents showed higher TCPy levels (median = 6.8 and 6.73 ug/g creatinine, respectively) than during the non-treatment season (median = 2.54 and 3.22 ug/g creatinine, respectively), suggesting a similar effect of the pesticide spraying on both groups. However, the observed TCPy levels resulted in a daily CP and CPM intake well below the limits recommended by FAO/WHO. During the non-treatment season, non-farmers showed higher TCPy levels values than farmers, suggesting the existence of TCPy of other unmeasured sources of exposure not considered in this study. This suggests that, for a comprehensive evaluation of the risks associated with TCPy exposure, additional sources should be identified in addition to CP and CPM pesticides.Pronvincia Autonoma di Bolzan

Influence of collection tubes during quantitative targeted metabolomics studies in human blood samples.

To access publisher's full text version of this article click on the hyperlink belowPlasma and serum are the most widely used matrices in clinical studies. However, some variability in absolute concentrations of metabolites are likely to be observed in these collection tubes matrices. We analyzed 189 metabolites using the same protocol for quantitative targeted metabolomics (LC-MS/MS AbsoluteIDQ p180 Kit Biocrates) in three types of samples, serum, plasma EDTA and citrate, of 80 subjects from the Cooperative Health Research In South Tyrol cohort (40 healthy elderly and 40 healthy young). The concentration levels were higher in serum than citrate and EDTA, in particular for amino acids and biogenic amines. The average Pearson's correlation coefficients were however always higher than 0.7 for these two classes of metabolites. We could also demonstrate that blank EDTA vacutainer tubes contain a significant amount of sarcosine. Finally, we compared the metabolome of young people against elderly subjects and found that the highest number of metabolites significantly changing with age was detected in serum. Serum samples provide higher sensitivity for biomarker discovery studies. Due to the presence of spurious amount of sarcosine in vacutainer EDTA tubes, plasma EDTA is not suitable for studies requiring accurate quantification of sarcosine

Correction

To access publisher's full text version of this article click on the hyperlink belowNIDDK NIH HH

Quantitative UPLC-MS/MS assay of urinary 2,8-dihydroxyadenine for diagnosis and management of adenine phosphoribosyltransferase deficiency.

To access publisher's full text version of this article click on the hyperlink at the bottom of the pageAdenine phosphoribosyltransferase (APRT) deficiency is a hereditary disorder that leads to excessive urinary excretion of 2,8-dihydroxyadenine (DHA), causing nephrolithiasis and chronic kidney disease. Treatment with allopurinol or febuxostat reduces DHA production and attenuates the renal manifestations. Assessment of DHA crystalluria by urine microscopy is used for therapeutic monitoring, but lacks sensitivity. We report a high-throughput assay based on ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) for quantification of urinary DHA. The UPLC-MS/MS assay was optimized by a chemometric approach for absolute quantification of DHA, utilizing isotopically labeled DHA as an internal standard. Experimental screening was conducted with D-optimal design and optimization of the DHA response was performed with central composite face design and related to the peak area of DHA using partial least square regression. Acceptable precision and accuracy of the DHA concentration were obtained over a calibration range of 100 to 5000ng/mL on three different days. The intra- and inter-day accuracy and precision coefficients of variation were well within ±15% for quality control samples analyzed in replicates of six at three concentration levels. Absolute quantification of DHA in urine samples from patients with APRT deficiency was achieved wihtin 6.5min. Measurement of DHA in 24h urine samples from three patients with APRT deficiency, diluted 1:15 (v/v) with 10mM ammonium hydroxide (NH4OH), yielded a concentration of 3021, 5860 and 10563ng/mL and 24h excretion of 816, 1327 and 1649mg, respectively. A rapid and robust UPLC-MS/MS assay for absolute quantification of DHA in urine was successfully developed. We believe this method will greatly facilitate diagnosis and management of patients with APRT deficiency.Rare Kidney Stone Consortium (U54DK083908), Rare Diseases Clinical Research Network (RDCRN), National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS). National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK

Psychobiological stress response to a lung cancer diagnosis: a prospective study of patients in Iceland and Sweden

A diagnostic work-up leading to a lung cancer diagnosis is a severely stressful experience that may impact tumor progression. Yet, prospective data are scarce on psychological and biological components of stress at the time of lung cancer diagnosis. The aim of this study was to assess pre-to-post diagnosis change in psychological distress and urinary excretion of catecholamines in patients with suspected lung cancer. Participants were 167 patients within the LUCASS study, recruited at referral for suspected lung cancer to University Hospitals in Iceland and Sweden. Patients completed questionnaires on perceived distress (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, HADS) before and after diagnosis of lung cancer or a non-malignant origin. A subpopulation of 85 patients also provided overnight urine for catecholamine analysis before and at a median of 24 days after diagnosis but before treatment. A lung cancer diagnosis was confirmed in 123 (73.7%) patients, with a mean age of 70.1 years. Patients diagnosed with lung cancer experienced a post-diagnosis increase in psychological distress (p = 0.010), while patients with non-malignant lung pathology showed a reduction in distress (p = 0.070). Both urinary epinephrine (p = 0.001) and norepinephrine (p = 0.032) levels were higher before the diagnosis among patients eventually diagnosed with lung cancer compared to those with non-malignant lung pathology. We observed indications of associations between pre-to-post diagnosis changes in perceived distress and changes in urinary catecholamine levels. Receiving a lung cancer diagnosis is associated with an increase in psychological distress, while elevated catecholamine levels are evident already before lung cancer diagnosis.</p