Luffa operculata effects on the epithelium of frog palate: histological features

SummaryLuffa operculata is the botanical name of buchinha-do-norte or cabacinha, which is a medicinal plant widely used for the treatment of rhinitis and rhinosinusitis. In Europe and USA, it is available in homeopathic medicines. In Brazil, Luffa operculata dry fruit infusion is inhaled or instilled into the nose releasing profuse mucous secretion, thus relieving nasal symptoms. Nevertheless, this often may cause irritation, epistaxis or anosmia.Study designExperimental.Material and MethodThe effects of Luffa operculata were evaluated in different concentration infusions, in isolated frog palate preparation, testing 46 palates after immersion. Four groups (n = 10) were tested with the infusion prepared with frog Ringer (isotonic): control; 60 mg/L; 600 mg/L; and 1200 mg/L. An additional group was tested using the infusion with water (600 mg/L H2O, n = 6). Epithelial samples were harvested to be studied under light microscopy and electron transmission microscopy.ResultsIn treated palates, light microscopy findings were dose-dependent standard toxic changes. Electron transmission microscopy showed enlargement of intercellular spaces and tight junctions disruption, pointing to ion-fluid transport abnormalities. Conclusions: Luffa operculata infusion in currently used doses can promote significant structural and ultrastructural changes in the epithelium of this ex vivo model of respiratory mucosa

Reliability of reflectance measures in passive filters

Measurements of optical reflectance in passive filters impregnated with a reactive chemical solution may be transformed to ozone concentrations via a calibration curve and constitute a low cost alternative for environmental monitoring, mainly to estimate human exposure. Given the possibility of errors caused by exposure bias, it is common to consider sets of m filters exposed during a certain period to estimate the latent reflectance on n different sample occasions at a certain location. Mixed models with sample occasions as random effects are useful to analyze data obtained under such setups. the intra-class correlation coefficient of the mean of the m measurements is an indicator of the reliability of the latent reflectance estimates. Our objective is to determine m in order to obtain a pre-specified reliability of the estimates, taking possible outliers into account. To illustrate the procedure, we consider an experiment conducted at the Laboratory of Experimental Air Pollution, University of São Paulo, Brazil (LPAE/FMUSP), where sets of m = 3 filters were exposed during 7 days on n = 9 different occasions at a certain location. the results show that the reliability of the latent reflectance estimates for each occasion obtained under homoskedasticity is k(m) = 0.74. A residual analysis suggests that the within-occasion variance for two of the occasions should be different from the others. A refined model with two within-occasion variance components was considered, yielding k(m) = 0.56 for these occasions and k(m) = 0.87 for the remaining ones. To guarantee that all estimates have a reliability of at least 80% we require measurements on m = 10 filters on each occasion. (C) 2014 the Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/).INAIRA - Instituto Nacional de Avaliacao Integrada de Risco AmbientalConselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Univ São Paulo, Inst Math & Stat, BR-05508 São Paulo, BrazilUniv São Paulo, Sch Med, BR-05508 São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, BrazilCNPq: 15/2008FAPESP: 2008/57717-6CNPq: 308613/2011-2Web of Scienc

Mucociliary clearance, airway inflammation and nasal symptoms in urban motorcyclists

OBJECTIVES: There is evidence that outdoor workers exposed to high levels of air pollution exhibit airway inflammation and increased airway symptoms. We hypothesized that these workers would experience increased airway symptoms and decreased nasal mucociliary clearance associated with their exposure to air pollution. METHODS: In total, 25 non-smoking commercial motorcyclists, aged 18-44 years, were included in this study. These drivers work 8-12 hours per day, 5 days per week, driving on urban streets. Nasal mucociliary clearance was measured by the saccharine transit test; airway acidification was measured by assessing the pH of exhaled breath condensate; and airway symptoms were measured by the Sino-nasal Outcome Test-20 questionnaire. To assess personal air pollution exposure, the subjects used a passive-diffusion nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentration-monitoring system during the 14 days before each assessment. The associations between NO2 and the airway outcomes were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney test and the Chi-Square test. Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT01976039. RESULTS: Compared with clearance in healthy adult males, mucociliary clearance was decreased in 32% of the motorcyclists. Additionally, 64% of the motorcyclists had airway acidification and 92% experienced airway symptoms. The median personal NO2 exposure level was 75 mg/m3 for these subjects and a significant association was observed between NO2 and impaired mucociliary clearance (p = 0.036). CONCLUSION: Non-smoking commercial motorcyclists exhibit increased airway symptoms and airway acidification as well as decreased nasal mucociliary clearance, all of which are significantly associated with the amount of exposure to air pollution

The role of fine particulate matter composition of PM2,5 and ROFA in the cell mutagenic potential and toxicity: a vegetable and animal bioassay study

O consenso sobre os efeitos prejudiciais da material particulado atmosférico (MP) para a saúde humana é apoiado por um grande número de trabalhos epidemiológicos e experimentais mas a capacidade para definir qual o componente mais importante envolvido em sua toxicidade é dificultado pela sua grande complexidade de composição. O objetivo deste estudo é avaliar os efeitos de diferentes partículas de poluição atmosférica, quanto à origem e quanto a sua composição, sobre o sistema biológico através de 3 experimentos. O efeito do PM2,5 urbano de São Paulo, Brasil, coletado durante greve de ônibus foi avaliada através do TRAD-MN para a mutagenicidade e o teste de inibição de mitose em células meristemáticas da raiz de Allium cepa. para a toxicidade. Utilizamos o palato de rã para avaliar os parâmetros funcionais (transporte mucociliar -TMC, freqüência do batimento ciliar - FBC e diferença de potencial - DP) e morfométricos (espessura do epitélio, produção de muco) do aparelho mucociliar exposto ao ROFA, proveniente de usina siderúrgica e ao PM2,5 urbano. A análise comparativa da composição do PM2,5 através da ativação com nêutrons, fluorescência de raio-X e cromatografia gasosa espectrometria de massa mostrou redução na concentração de elementos traços de metais, redução de enxofre (44,17%) e de orgânicos (39,3%) na amostra de PM2,5 nos filtros coletados no dia de greve que associou-se com redução do dano no DNA. O ROFA induziu dano funcional do aparelho mucociliar (queda do TMC e aumento da FBC) que foi recuperado pela ação de antioxidantes vitamina E e n-Propil galato. O PM2,5 urbano provocou danos funcionais (diminuição do TMC e aumento da FBC) e morfológicos (diminuição da espessura e produção de muco) do epitélio respiratório. A análise comparativa da composição do ROFA e do PM2,5, demonstrou que o ROFA possui composição predominante de ferro (57,729%±0,004%) enquanto o PM2,5 urbano possui composição mais heterogênea, com predominância de enxofre (37,594%±17,930%), ferro (14,490%±6,489%) e silício (13,142%±8,516%) e pequenas quantidade de níquel (0,0336%±0,312%) e vanádio(0,260%±0,006%). Concluímos que substâncias oxidantes presentes no MP possuem papel relevante na injúria do aparelho mucociliar e que os efeitos lesivos do MP sobre os sistemas biológicos são fortemente dependentes de sua composição.The association between atmospheric particulate matter (PM) and adverse human health effects have been consistently reported in epidemiological and experimental studies however, the ability to define the most important components involved in PM toxicity is hindered by its complex composition. In the present study we decided to further explore the effects of different atmospheric particles due to both source and composition, on the biologic system through 3 experiments. The mutagenicity and toxicity of urban PM2,5 of Sao Paulo, Brazil, from a bus strike day was evaluated by the TRAD-MN assay and inhibition of mitotic rate test of root tips Allium cepa. The frog palate was used to evaluate functional parameters (mucociliary transport ? MCT, ciliary beating frequency - CBF and potential difference ? PD) and morphometric data (epithelium tikness and mucus production) of the mucocliary apparatus exposed to ROFA from an a still plant, and to urban PM2,5. The comparative analysis of PM2,5 composition made by neutrons activation, fluorescence X-ray and gas cromatography/mass spectrometry showed decrease of trace elements, sulfur concentration (44,17%) and organics compounds (39,3%) in relation to the non strike day and was associated to coherent reduction in DNA damage. ROFA induced functional injury of the mucociliary apparatus (decrease of MCT and icrease of CBF) and the presence of antioxidants n-Propyl gallate and E vitamin protected against the mucociliary impairment induced by ROFA exposure. The comparative analysis between ROFA and PM2,5 composition showed that ROFA exhibited predominance of iron while PM2,5 showed heterogeneous composition presenting predominance of sulfur (37,594%±17,930%), iron (14,490%±6,489%) and silicon (13,142%±8,516%) and decrement of nickel (0,0336%±0,312%) and vanadium (0,260%±0,006%). We concluded that PM plays an important role in respiratory injury through oxidative stress and that adverse effects of PM on the biologic systems are strongly dependent on its composition

Small-Scale Variations in Urban Air Pollution Levels Are Significantly Associated with Premature Births: A Case Study in São Paulo, Brazil

Premature birth is the result of a complex interaction among genetic, epigenetic, behavioral, socioeconomic, and environmental factors. We evaluated the possible associations between air pollution and the incidence of prematurity in spatial clusters of high and low prevalence in the municipality of São Paulo. It is a spatial case-control study. The residential addresses of mothers with live births that occurred in 2012 and 2013 were geo-coded. A spatial scan statistical test performed to identify possible low-prevalence and high-prevalence clusters of premature births. After identifying, the spatial clusters were drawn samples of cases and controls in each cluster. Mothers were interviewed face-to-face using questionnaires. Air pollution exposure was assessed by passive tubes (NO2 and O3) as well as by the determination of trace elements’ concentration in tree bark. Binary logistic regression models were applied to determine the significance of the risk of premature birth. Later prenatal care, urinary infection, and hypertension were individual risk factors for prematurity. Particles produced by traffic emissions (estimated by tree bark accumulation) and photochemical pollutants involved in the photochemical cycle (estimated by O3 and NO2 passive tubes) also exhibited significant and robust risks for premature births. The results indicate that air pollution is an independent risk factor for prematurity

Air pollution from biomass burning and asthma hospital admissions in a sugar cane plantation area in Brazil

Objective: To evaluate the association between the total suspended particles (TSPs) generated from preharvest sugar cane burning and hospital admission due to asthma ( asthma hospital admissions) in the city of Araraquara.Design: An ecological time-series study. Total daily records of asthma hospital admissions (ICD 10th J15) were obtained from one of the main hospitals in Araraquara, São Paulo State, Brazil, from 23 March 2003 to 27 July 2004. the daily concentration of TSP (mu g/m(3)) was obtained using Handi-vol equipment (Energetica, Brazil) placed in downtown Araraquara. the local airport provided the daily mean figures of temperature and humidity. the daily number of asthma hospital admissions was considered as the dependent variable in Poisson's regression models and the daily concentration of TSP was considered the independent variable. the generalised linear model with natural cubic spline was adopted to control for long-time trend. Linear terms were used for weather variables.Results: TSP had an acute effect on asthma admissions, starting 1 day after TSP concentrations increased and remaining almost unchanged for the next four days. A 10 mu g/m(3) increase in the 5-day moving average (lag1-5) of TSP concentrations was associated with an increase of 11.6% (95% CI 5.4 to 17.7) in asthma hospital admissions.Conclusion: Increases in TSP concentrations were definitely associated with asthma hospital admissions in Araraquara and, despite using sugar cane alcohol to reduce air pollution from automotive sources in large Brazilian urban centres, the cities where sugar cane is harvested pay a high toll in terms of public health.Univ São Paulo, Fac Med, Lab Poluicao Atmosfer Expt, Nucleo Estudos Epidemiol Ambiental, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista Med, Grp Fisiopatol Resp & Poluicao Ambiental, São Paulo, BrazilUniv Catolica Santos, Programa Posgrad Saude Coletiva, Santos, SP, BrazilUniv Santo Amaro, Fac Med, Programa Pediat Ambiental, São Paulo, BrazilABC, Fac Med, Dept Saude Coletividade, Santo Andre, SP, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista Med, Grp Fisiopatol Resp & Poluicao Ambiental, São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc