Environmental sanitation and hygiene of elderly workers in Nakhon Si Thammarat Province, Thailand

Introduction: Thailand will become a complete aged society in 2021 and a super-aged society in 2030, resulting in a high proportion of older people. Living environments, especially at home, play an essential health determinant for the elders. Methods: This cross-sectional analytical study evaluated 319 households in Nakhon Si Thammarat Province according to the standard of housing sanitation for elders and assessed biological contamination in food, water, and indoor air in the homes. Results: The housing assessment results revealed some issues that are necessary to be improved, i.e., the wet and dry areas in bathrooms were not separated (89.4%), there was no anti-slip sheet in the bathrooms (97.2%), and handrails were not suitably installed (92.8%). The proportion of coliform bacteria contamination in the samples of elderly hand, dish, spoon, cooked rice, side dish, and drinking water was 78.4%, 82.1%, 88.3%, 93.4%, and 97.5%, respectively. The average total bacteria count in bedrooms and kitchens was 110 CFU/m3 and 148 CFU/m3, respectively. The average total fungi count was 82 CFU/m3 in bedrooms and 92 CFU/m3 in kitchens. Most indoor air quality parameters complied with the standards. Conclusions:  Significant health risks for the elderly workers while living at home were injuries due to slipping fall in the house, especially in the bathroom, as well as foodborne and waterborne diseases. The health risks should be communicated to the elders. Prevention of the risks should be performed by the cooperation of relevant government agencies and the older adults in the study area

Blood Lead Levels among Non-Occupationally Exposed Pregnant Women in Southern Thailand

Lead (Pb) is a heavy metal that is toxic to humans, especially children and pregnant women. In Thailand, guidelines exist to minimize lead exposure in pregnant women working in lead-related occupations. However, no guidelines exist for pregnant women who are not employed in these economic sectors. This cross-sectional study aimed to examine blood lead levels (BLLs) and related risk factors among 80 non-occupationally exposed pregnant women from the general population living in Nakhon Si Thammarat province, Southern Thailand. BLLs were determined by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrophotometry. A validated questionnaire was adopted to interview participants which included demographic, consumer goods, supplement intake, and health factors. The mean BLL was 4.68 ± 1.55 µg/dL (95% CI 4.33–5.02) and 42.50% had BLLs ≥ 5 µg/dL. Higher education was the only demographic factor associated with BLLs ≥ 5 µg/dL (aOR 0.16, 95% CI 0.03–0.80, p = 0.027). Systolic blood pressure was also associated with BLLs ≥ 5 µg/dL (aOR 5.00, 95% CI 1.23–17.16, p = 0.023). However, consumer goods and supplement intake were not associated with BLLs. Our results indicate that pregnant women from the general population who were not in the risk exposure group had lead in their bodies. Except for education, demographics were not associated with pregnant women with BLLs. However, with health factors, even low BLLs had a small effect on systolic blood pressure. These data suggest a need for promoting health education and health interventions to prevent the dangers of lead exposure, especially for pregnant women and children

Hematological Indices of Pesticide Exposure Rice Farmers in Southern Thailand

The most common pesticides used in rice farming are organophosphates and carbamates. These pesticides inhibit acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity, resulting in excessive levels of acetylcholine accumulation and disrupted neurotransmission. This study compared AChE activity and hematological parameters between pesticide-using rice farmers, non-pesticide using rice farmers, and non-agricultural occupational groups (non-farmers). Pesticide residues that accumulated in rice and the water and soil of the study area were also determined. AChE activity of all participants showed 10 from 87 samples (11.49%) as borderline depressed, with 50% of these being pesticide-using farmers. Most of the hematological parameters were normal in all samples. However, platelet numbers of pesticide self-spraying rice farmers were significantly lower than non-self-spraying rice farmers. The results suggested that the use of pesticides during rice farming affected AChE activity and some hematological cells. In addition, pesticide residues in soil, water and rice in rice fields using pesticides were higher than in non-pesticide use areas. Results confirmed that the exposure rates of farmers using pesticides were at higher risk than farmers who did not use pesticide

An engineered cell line lacking OGG1 and MUTYH glycosylases implicates the accumulation of genomic 8-oxoguanine as the basis for paraquat mutagenicity

Paraquat (1,1′-dimethyl, 4,4′-bipyridinium dichloride; PQ), a widely used herbicide, is toxic to mammals through ingestion, inhalation and skin contact. Epidemiological data suggest that PQ is also mutagenic and carcinogenic, especially in high doses. The toxic and mutagenic properties of PQ are attributed to the ability of the molecule to redox-cycle, which generates reactive oxygen species (ROS) and subsequent oxidative stress. ROS also cause oxidative DNA damage such as 8-oxoguanine (8OG), a mutagenic base that, when replicated, causes G to T transversion mutations. The present study employed the CHO-derived cell line AS52 to quantify the mutagenic properties of low doses of PQ. By containing a functional, chromosomally-integrated copy of the bacterial gpt gene, AS52 cells a facile system for evaluating the mutagenic properties of genotoxicants. To bolster the sensitivity of this system for detecting mutagenesis of weak mutagens like PQ, and to provide a tool for mechanistic evaluation of the mutagenic process, we constructed a new AS52-derived cell line defective for 8OG DNA repair. Specifically, we employed CRISPR-Cas9 technology to knock out 8-oxoguanine DNA glycosylase (OGG1) and MUTYH glycosylase, two key enzymes involved in the base excision repair of 8OG. The double knock-out (DKO) AS52 cells were found to be more sensitive to PQ toxicity than the parental (WT) AS52 cell line. They experienced higher levels of ROS, which translated into more DNA double-strand breaks, which explained the PQ toxicity. The increased ROS levels also led to more 8OG genomic accumulation, and a higher level of mutations in the DKO cells, suggesting that PQ mutagenesis is mediated primarily by 8OG genomic accumulation. Consistent with this view, antioxidant co-treatment lowered induced cellular ROS and PQ-induced mutagenesis. Taken together, our data demonstrate the strong protective role of OGG1 and MUTYH against PQ-induced mutagenesis. Moreover, our experiments establish the engineered OGG1 MUTYH AS52 cell line and associated methods as a versatile cellular system for studying in quantitative terms the mutagenesis of other agents, environmental or endogenous, that induce oxidative stress. -/- -/