Dora Dragčević, Vlatka Pandžić Jakšić, Ozren Jakšić
{"title":"Athlete biological passport: longitudinal biomarkers and statistics in the fight against doping.","authors":"Dora Dragčević, Vlatka Pandžić Jakšić, Ozren Jakšić","doi":"10.2478/aiht-2024-75-3793","DOIUrl":"10.2478/aiht-2024-75-3793","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>As novel substances, short time windows, and limits of detection increasingly challenge direct methods of doping detection in sports, indirect tools inevitably take a greater role in the fight against it. One such tool is the athlete biological passport (ABP) - a longitudinal profiling of the measured haematological and biochemical biomarkers, combined with calculated scores, against the background of epidemiological data crucial for doping detection. In both of its modules, haematological and steroidal, ABP parameters are analysed with the Bayesian adaptive model, which individualises reference and cut-off values to improve its sensitivity. It takes into account the confounding factors with proven and potential influence on the biomarkers, such as race and altitude exposure. The ABP has already changed the fight against doping, but its importance will further grow with the new modules (e.g., endocrinological), parameters (e.g., plasma volume-independent parameters), and complementing indirect methods (e.g., transcriptomic).</p>","PeriodicalId":55462,"journal":{"name":"Arhiv Za Higijenu Rada I Toksikologiju-Archives of Industrial Hygiene and Toxicology","volume":"75 1","pages":"24-31"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2024-03-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10978099/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140319910","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Nanoplastics increase <i>in vitro</i> oestrogenic activity of neurotherapeutic drugs.","authors":"Lucija Božičević, Valerije Vrček, Nikolina Peranić, Nikolina Kalčec, Ivana Vinković Vrček","doi":"10.2478/aiht-2024-75-3818","DOIUrl":"10.2478/aiht-2024-75-3818","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Environmental pollution with plastic nanoparticles (PNPs) has rendered hazard assessment of unintentional human exposure to neurotherapeutic drugs through contaminated water and food ever more complicated. Due to their small size, PNPs can easily enter different cell types and cross different biological barriers, while their high surface-to-volume ratio enables higher adsorption of chemicals. This is how PNPs take the role of a Trojan horse as they enhance bioaccumulation of many different pollutants. One of the health concerns related to water pollution with neurotherapeutic drugs is endocrine disruption, already evidenced for the anticonvulsant drug carbamazepine (Cbz) and antidepressant fluoxetine (Flx). Our study aimed to evaluate endocrine disrupting effects of Cbz and Flx in mixtures with polystyrene nanoparticles (PSNPs) using the <i>in vitro</i> luciferase assay to measure oestrogen receptor activity in T47D-KBluc cells treated with Cbz-PSNPs or Flx-PSNPs mixtures and compare it with the activities observed in cells treated with individual mixture components (Cbz, Flx, or PSNPs). Dose ranges used in the study were 0.1-10 mg/L, 1-100 µmol/L, and 0.1-10 µmol/L for PSNPs, Cbz, and Flx, respectively. Our findings show that none of the individual components activate oestrogen receptors, while the mixtures induce oestrogen receptor activity starting with 0.1 mg/L for PSNPs, 10 µmol/L for Cbz, and 0.5 µmol/L for Flx. This is the first study to evidence that PSNPs increase oestrogen receptor activity induced by neurotherapeutic drugs at their environmentally relevant concentrations and calls for urgent inclusion of complex mixtures in health hazard assessments to inform regulatory response.</p>","PeriodicalId":55462,"journal":{"name":"Arhiv Za Higijenu Rada I Toksikologiju-Archives of Industrial Hygiene and Toxicology","volume":"75 1","pages":"68-75"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2024-03-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10978159/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140319955","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A follow-up on the hesperetin issue in modelling the first electrochemical oxidation potential and antioxidant activity of flavonoids.","authors":"Ante Miličević","doi":"10.2478/aiht-2024-75-3823","DOIUrl":"10.2478/aiht-2024-75-3823","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":55462,"journal":{"name":"Arhiv Za Higijenu Rada I Toksikologiju-Archives of Industrial Hygiene and Toxicology","volume":"75 1","pages":"85-86"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2024-03-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10978156/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140319908","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Environmental exposure to glyphosate does not inhibit human acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase.","authors":"Dora Kolić, Vesna Pehar, Zrinka Kovarik","doi":"10.2478/aiht-2024-75-3822","DOIUrl":"10.2478/aiht-2024-75-3822","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Glyphosate has remained the leading herbicide on the global market to date, despite the continuous debate between consumers, scientific community, and regulatory agencies over its carcinogenicity, genotoxicity, environmental persistence, and the role in the development of neurodegenerative disorders. Chemically, glyphosate belongs to a large family of organophosphorus pesticides, which exert a neurotoxic effect by inhibiting acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), enzymes of the cholinergic system essential for maintaining neurotransmission. Although research shows that glyphosate is a weak cholinesterase inhibitor in fish and mammals compared to other OP compounds, no conclusive data exist concerning the inhibition of human AChE and BChE. In our study we analysed its inhibitory potency on human AChE and BChE, by establishing its IC<sub>50</sub> and reversible inhibition in terms of dissociation inhibition constants. Glyphosate concentration of 40 mmol/L caused near total inhibition of enzyme activity (approx. 10 % activity remaining). Inhibition dissociation constants (<i>K</i> <sub>i</sub>) of glyphosate-AChE and -BChE complexes were 28.4±2.7 mmol/L and 19.3±1.8 mmol/L, respectively. In conclusion, glyphosate shows a slight binding preference for BChE but exhibits inhibition only in a high concentration range. Our results are in line with studies reporting that its neurotoxic effect is not primarily linked to the cholinergic system.</p>","PeriodicalId":55462,"journal":{"name":"Arhiv Za Higijenu Rada I Toksikologiju-Archives of Industrial Hygiene and Toxicology","volume":"75 1","pages":"76-80"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2024-03-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10978157/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140319912","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Aylin Elkama, Nazlıcan İlik, Mehmet Ak, Bensu Karahalil
{"title":"Are changes in olanzapine-induced liver enzyme levels associated with <i>GSTT1</i>, <i>GSTM1</i>, <i>GSTP1</i>, and <i>OGG1</i> gene polymorphisms?","authors":"Aylin Elkama, Nazlıcan İlik, Mehmet Ak, Bensu Karahalil","doi":"10.2478/aiht-2024-75-3770","DOIUrl":"10.2478/aiht-2024-75-3770","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Olanzapine treatment sometimes produces transient liver biochemistry abnormalities, and such drug-induced liver injuries are mainly monitored by measuring blood levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST), whereas alpha-glutathione-S-transferase (α-GST) is not routinely measured in clinics, even though it can serve as an earlier and more specific biomarker of liver damage. Susceptibility to drug-induced liver injury can much depend on the gene polymorphisms regulating the activity of DNA detoxification and repair enzymes. The aim of this study was to evaluate which of the three liver enzymes - α-GST, ALT, and AST - is the most sensitive biomarker of olanzapine-induced liver injury and how their blood levels are affected by the <i>GSTT1</i>, <i>GSTM1</i>, <i>GSTP1,</i> and <i>OGG1</i> gene polymorphisms in 30 olanzapine-treated patients. Contrary to our hypothesis, the increase in serum α-GST levels was not significantly greater than that of the transaminases. ALT turned out to be an earlier biomarker of liver injury than the other two enzymes. No significant association was found between gene polymorphisms and liver enzyme levels, save for <i>GSTP1 Ile/Val + Val/Val</i> and ALT, which points to this genotype as a risk factor for drug-induced liver injury. Future studies might help to identify the underlying mechanisms of transient liver enzyme increase associated with this genotype.</p>","PeriodicalId":55462,"journal":{"name":"Arhiv Za Higijenu Rada I Toksikologiju-Archives of Industrial Hygiene and Toxicology","volume":"75 1","pages":"61-67"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2024-03-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10978158/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140319909","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nina Umićević, Jelena Kotur-Stevuljević, Katarina Baralić, Danijela Đukić-Ćosić, Evica Antonijević Miljaković, Aleksandra Buha Đorđević, Marijana Ćurčić, Zorica Bulat, Biljana Antonijević
{"title":"Increased oxidative stress in shoe industry workers with low-level exposure to a mixture of volatile organic compounds.","authors":"Nina Umićević, Jelena Kotur-Stevuljević, Katarina Baralić, Danijela Đukić-Ćosić, Evica Antonijević Miljaković, Aleksandra Buha Đorđević, Marijana Ćurčić, Zorica Bulat, Biljana Antonijević","doi":"10.2478/aiht-2024-75-3804","DOIUrl":"10.2478/aiht-2024-75-3804","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study aimed to assess the redox status and trace metal levels in 49 shoe industry workers (11 men and 38 women) occupationally exposed to a mixture of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which includes aliphatic hydrocarbons, aromatic hydrocarbons, ketones, esters, ethers, and carboxylic acids. All measured VOCs were below the permitted occupational exposure limits. The control group included 50 unexposed participants (25 men and 25 women). The following plasma parameters were analysed: superoxide anion (O<sub>2</sub> <sup>•-</sup>), advanced oxidation protein products (AOPP), total oxidative status (TOS), prooxidant-antioxidant balance (PAB), oxidative stress index (OSI), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and paraoxonase-1 (PON1) enzyme activity, total SH group content (SHG), and total antioxidant status (TAS). Trace metal levels (copper, zinc, iron, magnesium, and manganese) were analysed in whole blood. All oxidative stress and antioxidative defence parameters were higher in the exposed workers than controls, except for PON1 activity. Higher Fe, Mg, and Zn, and lower Cu were observed in the exposed vs control men, while the exposed women had higher Fe and lower Mg, Zn, and Cu than their controls. Our findings confirm that combined exposure to a mixture of VOCs, even at permitted levels, may result in additive or synergistic adverse health effects and related disorders. This raises concern about current risk assessments, which mainly rely on the effects of individual chemicals, and calls for risk assessment approaches that can explain combined exposure to multiple chemicals.</p>","PeriodicalId":55462,"journal":{"name":"Arhiv Za Higijenu Rada I Toksikologiju-Archives of Industrial Hygiene and Toxicology","volume":"75 1","pages":"51-60"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2024-03-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10978162/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140319954","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Recent findings and advancements in the detection of designer benzodiazepines: a brief review.","authors":"Dihua Wu, Li Fu","doi":"10.2478/aiht-2023-74-3771","DOIUrl":"10.2478/aiht-2023-74-3771","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This review article takes a closer look at a new class of psychoactive substances called designer benzodiazepines (DBZs) and the challenges of their detection. These are adinazolam, clonazolam, deschloroetizolam, diclazepam, etizolam, flualprazolam, flubromazepam, flubromazolam, phenazepam, and pyrazolam. They are central nervous system depressants and sedatives that can cause psychomotor impairment and increase the overdose risk when combined with other sedatives. DBZs undergo phase I and II metabolism similar to traditional benzodiazepines, but their specific metabolic pathways and the influence of genetic polymorphisms are yet to be clarified. Advances in liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) have enhanced the method's sensitivity for DBZs and their metabolites in biological samples and coupled with improved blood sampling methods require less blood for drug monitoring. Further research should focus on elucidating their pharmacokinetic properties and metabolism in humans, especially in view of genetic polymorphisms and drug interactions that could inform clinical treatment choices. Even though we have witnessed important advances in DBZ detection and measurement, further refinements are needed to expand the scope of detectable DBZs and their metabolites. All this should help toxicological research to better identify and characterise the risks of chronic and polydrug abuse and facilitate clinical, forensic, and regulatory responses to this growing issue.</p>","PeriodicalId":55462,"journal":{"name":"Arhiv Za Higijenu Rada I Toksikologiju-Archives of Industrial Hygiene and Toxicology","volume":"74 4","pages":"224-231"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2023-12-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10750316/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139038159","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Roko Žaja, Sanja Stipičević, Milan Milošević, Andro Košec, Jakov Ajduk, Iva Kelava, Adrijana Zglavnik Baća, Marko Klarica, Mihael Ries
{"title":"Salivary cortisone as potential predictor of occupational exposure to noise and related stress.","authors":"Roko Žaja, Sanja Stipičević, Milan Milošević, Andro Košec, Jakov Ajduk, Iva Kelava, Adrijana Zglavnik Baća, Marko Klarica, Mihael Ries","doi":"10.2478/aiht-2023-74-3785","DOIUrl":"10.2478/aiht-2023-74-3785","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Salivary cortisone strongly correlates with serum cortisol, and since it is less invasive to measure salivary cortisone than serum cortisol and easier than to measure cortisol in saliva, as its concentrations are much lower, we wanted to compare salivary cortisone and cortisol levels as markers of noise-induced stress reaction. The study included 104 participants aged 19-30 years, 50 of whom were exposed to occupational noise ≥85 dB(A) and 54 non-exposed, control students. All participants took samples of their saliva with Salivette<sup>®</sup> Cortisol synthetic swabs on three consecutive working days first thing in the morning. Salivary cortisone and cortisol levels were determined with high-performance liquid chromatography. In addition, they completed a 10-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) questionnaire, and occupationally noise-exposed participants also completed the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) questionnaire on occupational psychosocial risks. The exposed participants had significantly higher cortisone (P<0.001) and cortisol (P<0.001) levels than controls, and the correlation between cortisone and cortisol levels in the exposed participants was strong (ϱ =0.692, P<0.001), which suggests that salivary cortisone can replace cortisol measurements in saliva as a more reliable method than salivary cortisol and less invasive than serum cortisol. However, the level of perceived stress scored on PSS-10 in the exposed participants did not differ significantly from stress reported by controls, but correlated negatively with cortisone levels, which is contrary to our expectations and raises questions as to why.</p>","PeriodicalId":55462,"journal":{"name":"Arhiv Za Higijenu Rada I Toksikologiju-Archives of Industrial Hygiene and Toxicology","volume":"74 4","pages":"232-237"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2023-12-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10750323/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139038160","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ahmet Atıcı, Lina Miçooğulları, Bahar Uğur, Mehmet Emin Çelikkaya, Bülent Akçora
{"title":"Accidental ingestion of concentrated white vinegar in Hatay children in Turkey.","authors":"Ahmet Atıcı, Lina Miçooğulları, Bahar Uğur, Mehmet Emin Çelikkaya, Bülent Akçora","doi":"10.2478/aiht-2023-74-3792","DOIUrl":"10.2478/aiht-2023-74-3792","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>White vinegar which contains high concentrations (~85 %) of acetic acid is a staple ingredient used in food preparation in many Mediterranean cuisines but in small amounts. Being corrosive, it can cause ulcerative injury to the oropharynx and oesophagus and upset the stomach with resulting nausea and vomiting. This study presents 11 cases of paediatric patients (five boys and six girls, aged between 11 and 89 months) with oesophageal strictures who drank white vinegar by accident. They all received endoscopic oesophageal dilation (with a bougie) ranging from one to 28 per patient, depending on the severity of the injury. Follow-up showed uneventful healing in eight patients, who at the time of the telephone call were able to swallow solids and liquids normally. Two patients who could not be reached by telephone were found healthy by consulting the national database (e-Nabız). Unfortunately, one patient, who was discharged without any symptoms after the first dilation, suffered massive gastrointestinal bleeding 24 hours after the dilation and died. The loss of this patient shows that ingesting white vinegar can be very dangerous in children, especially if parents delay seeking medical help. We believe that controlling the production and sales of highly concentrated white vinegar and selling it in child-proof containers can help to prevent accidental ingestions by children and tragic outcomes such as the one reported here.</p>","PeriodicalId":55462,"journal":{"name":"Arhiv Za Higijenu Rada I Toksikologiju-Archives of Industrial Hygiene and Toxicology","volume":"74 4","pages":"288-291"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2023-12-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10750426/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139038239","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Corrigendum.","authors":"Angel Dzhambov","doi":"10.2478/aiht-2023-74-3704corr","DOIUrl":"10.2478/aiht-2023-74-3704corr","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":55462,"journal":{"name":"Arhiv Za Higijenu Rada I Toksikologiju-Archives of Industrial Hygiene and Toxicology","volume":"74 4","pages":"296"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2023-12-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11377125/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139038241","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}