Arhiv za Higijenu Rada i Toksikologiju

Literature data about all-cause and cause-specific mortality among professional drivers are inconsistent. Most studies report lower all-cause and higher cause-specific mortality. Higher cause-specific mortality is most often the result of malignant and circulatory diseases. The aim of our retrospective cohort study was to get a better insight into the mortality, cancer incidence, and occupational disability of the entire professional driver population in Slovenia (N=8,231) from 1997 to 2016 through standardised mortality ratio (SMR), standardised proportional mortality ratio (SPMR), standardised cancer incidence ratio (SIR), and standardised disability ratio (SDR)...

With this study we challenge the widely held assumption that sulphur-containing compounds in ambient air are good indicators of the presence noxious odours near waste management facilities. We analysed an extensive set of olfactometric data and data on the concentrations of hydrogen sulphide and trace sulphur compounds (TSCs) near a waste management facility in Croatia in 2021. The results show that the presence of noxious odours significantly correlates only with the concentrations of hydrogen sulphide and methyl mercaptan in ambient air but not with other measured TSCs...

Antineoplastic drugs (ADs) are essential tools in cancer treatment, but their cytotoxicity poses a risk to workers involved in their handling. In a hospital environment fundamental strategies for minimising exposure involve proper use of safety cabinets and closed-circuit transfer devices, along with personnel training and increased awareness of risks. However, medical gloves remain the first line of defence. In this respect the evaluation of glove materials and best choices can improve hospital safety management and prevent potential hazards and long-term consequences...

Polymyxin antibiotics are the last resort for treating patients in intensive care units infected with multiple-resistant Gram-negative bacteria. Due to their polycationic structure, their mode of action is based on an ionic interaction with the negatively charged lipid A portion of the lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The most prevalent polymyxin resistance mechanisms involve covalent modifications of lipid A: addition of the cationic sugar 4-amino-L-arabinose (L-Ara4N) and/or phosphoethanolamine (pEtN). The modified structure of lipid A has a lower net negative charge, leading to the repulsion of polymyxins and bacterial resistance to membrane disruption...

Valproate is known to disturb the kidney function, and high doses or prolonged intake may cause serum ion imbalance, kidney tubular acidosis, proteinuria, hyperuricosuria, polyuria, polydipsia, and dehydration. The aim of this in vivo study was to see whether naringin would counter the adverse effects of high-dose valproate in C57Bl/6 mice and to which extent. As expected, valproate (150 mg/kg bw a day for 10 days) caused serum hyperkalaemia, more in male than female mice. Naringin reversed (25 mg/kg bw a day for 10 days) the hyperkalaemia and activated antioxidative defence mechanisms (mainly catalase and glutathione), again more efficiently in females...

Clinical treatment with the antineoplastic drug irinotecan (IRI) is often hindered by side effects that significantly reduce the quality of life of treated patients. Due to the growing public support for products with Δ9 -tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), even though relevant scientific literature does not provide clear evidence of their high antitumour potential, some cancer patients take unregistered preparations containing up to 80 % THC. This study was conducted on a syngeneic colorectal cancer mouse model to test the efficiency and safety of concomitant treatment with IRI and THC...

Utilised in a variety of consumer products, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are major environmental contaminants that accumulate in living organisms due to their highly hydrophobic, lipophobic, heat-resistant, and non-biodegradable properties. This review summarizes their effects on microbial populations in soils, aquatic and biogeochemical systems, and the human microbiome. Specific microbes are insensitive to and even thrive with PFAS contamination, such as Escherichia coli and the Proteobacteria in soil and aquatic environments, while some bacterial species, such as Actinobacteria and Chloroflexi , are sensitive and drop in population...

The aim of this safety study in mice was to determine in vivo toxicity and biodistribution potential of a single and multiple doses of L-glutamic acid-g-p(HEMA) polymeric nanoparticles as a drug delivery system. The single dose did not cause any lethal effect, and its acute oral LD50 was >2.000 mg/kg body weight (bw). Multiple doses (25, 50, or 100 mg/kg bw) given over 28 days resulted in no significant differences in body and relative organ weights compared to control. These results are supported by biochemical and histological findings...

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), which have recently gained attention due to their antimicrobial activity, can also be produced by green synthesis. The aims of this study were to (i) characterise green synthesized AgNPs using microwave-assisted aqueous extracts of Galium aparine (G-AgNPs) and Helichrysum arenarium (H-AgNPs) and (ii) investigate the combined antimicrobial effects of the G- and H-AgNPs in different ratios. Nanoparticle formation and reactions were determined with UV-Vis spectroscopy. The G-AgNPs were 52...

Ketamine is a dissociative anaesthetic used to induce general anaesthesia in humans and laboratory animals. Due to its hallucinogenic and dissociative effects, it is also used as a recreational drug. Anaesthetic agents can cause toxic effects at the cellular level and affect cell survival, induce DNA damage, and cause oxidant/antioxidant imbalance. The aim of this study was to explore these possible adverse effects of ketamine on hepatocellular HepG2 and neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells after 24-hour exposure to a concentration range covering concentrations used in analgesia, drug abuse, and anaesthesia (0...

Occupational and environmental toxicology specialists find catecholamine fluctuations in brain tissue relevant for research of neurotoxicity, such as that induced by manganese or zinc, pesticides, industrial solvents, plastic, air pollution, or irradiation. Considering that catecholamine tissue concentrations are generally very low, their extraction requires a reliable and optimal method that will achieve maximum recovery and minimise other interferences. This study aimed to evaluate whether the aluminium (III) oxide (Al2 O3 , alumina) based cartridges designed for catecholamine isolation from plasma could be used for solid-phase extraction (SPE) of catecholamine from the brain tissue...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

This paper brings a brief review of the human patatin-like phospholipase domain-containing protein (PNPLA) family. Even though it consists of only nine members, their physiological roles and mechanisms of their catalytic activity are not fully understood. However, the results of a number of knock-out and gain- or loss-of-function research models suggest that these enzymes have an important role in maintaining the homeostasis and integrity of organelle membranes, in cell growth, signalling, cell death, and the metabolism of lipids such as triacylglycerol, phospholipids, ceramides, and retinyl esters...

In this paper, I tested our quadratic regression models for the estimation of flavonoid oxidation potentials based on spin populations, the differences in the net atomic charges between a cation and a neutral flavonoid, between a radical and an anion of a flavonoid, and between a radical and a neutral flavonoid on a larger set of flavonoids ( N = 35). By including six new flavonoids (5,6,7-trihydroxyflavone, 3,3',4',7-tetrahydroxyflavone, 3,7-dihydroxyflavone, 4',7-dihydroxyflavone, 4',5,7-trihydroxyisoflavone, and 6-hydroxyflavone), we created a respectable calibration set of 35 flavonoids with their oxidation potentials all measured at the same conditions by the same experimentalist...

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of resveratrol against fumonisin B1 (FB1 )-induced liver toxicity, as, to the best of our knowledge, these effects have not been investigated yet, even though the toxic effects and mechanisms of FB1 and the antioxidative effects of resveratrol are well known. 40 BALB/c mice were divided into control, FB1 , resveratrol, and FB1 +resveratrol groups. Control received saline for 14 days. The FB1 group received 2.25 mg/kg FB1 every other day for 14 days. The resveratrol group received 10 mg/kg resveratrol for 14 days...

Girdin is a protein involved in neuronal migration and hippocampal development. It is encoded by the coiled-coil domain-containing 88A ( CCDC88A ) gene, located on the short arm of chromosome 2 (2p). The CCDC88A gene is modulated by the intergenic single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of the rs1437396, situated 9.5 kb downstream from its transcription stop site. As recent genome-wide research has associated the T allele of the SNP with increased risk of alcohol use disorder (AUD), we wanted to validate this finding in an independent cohort and to test further for an association with comorbid major depressive disorder (MDD)...

The burnout syndrome may affect academic achievement, but research on burnout and academic success of medical students is sparse. This research aimed to estimate the prevalence of high risk of burnout in students of medicine and to investigate its association with academic performance. It included 760 full-time medical students who completed the survey (response rate = 90.9 %). A significant independent predictor for high burnout risk in students with lower grade point average (GPA) was male gender (adjusted OR=2...

As the number of radiotherapy and radiology diagnostic procedures increases from year to year, so does the use of general volatile anaesthesia (VA). Although considered safe, VA exposure can cause different adverse effects and, in combination with ionising radiation (IR), can also cause synergistic effects. However, little is known about DNA damage incurred by this combination at doses applied in a single radiotherapy treatment. To learn more about it, we assessed DNA damage and repair response in the liver tissue of Swiss albino male mice following exposure to isoflurane (I), sevoflurane (S), or halothane (H) alone or in combination with 1 or 2 Gy irradiation using the comet assay...

This review summarises current knowledge about the genotoxic and genoprotective effects of 1,4-dihydropyridines (DHP) with the main focus on the water-soluble 1,4-DHPs. Most of these water-soluble compounds manifest very low calcium channel blocking activity, which is considered "unusual" for 1,4-DHPs. Glutapyrone, diludine, and AV-153 decrease spontaneous mutagenesis and frequency of mutations induced by chemical mutagens. AV-153, glutapyrone, and carbatones protect DNA against the damage produced by hydrogen peroxide, radiation, and peroxynitrite...

The aim of this study was to determine the sociodemographic characteristics that affect job stress and job satisfaction in 454 healthcare workers (physicians, nurses, midwives, technicians, and other healthcare personnel) working with COVID-19 patients in primary healthcare institutions in Turkey with a cross-sectional, web-based survey between 9 and 30 August 2021. The survey included a personal information form, a standard job stress scale, and the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire. The levels of job stress and job satisfaction did not differ between male and female respondents...