{"title":"[Reference values in biological monitoring of occupational exposure to mutagens and carcinogens].","authors":"E Clonfero, S Pavanello","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This work reports values of biological markers indicating mutagenic/carcinogenic risk in professionally non-exposed populations. The main confounding factors for most of these biomarkers are tobacco smoke, diet and air pollution. With the sole exception of compounds specifically present in work environments, in which determination in biological fluids of unchanged substances or their metabolites has high sensitivity and specificity (e.g., some aromatic amines), other biomarkers (urinary mutagenicity, DNA adducts and cytogenetic analyses), in order to be used properly as reference values, require ad hoc study of suitable control groups paired for the main confounding factors. Analytical determination of some protein adducts appears to be promising, due to its sensitivity and specificity.</p>","PeriodicalId":77147,"journal":{"name":"Giornale italiano di medicina del lavoro","volume":"16 1-6","pages":"25-9"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1994-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"19657190","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"[Multiple occupational exposure to solvents].","authors":"L Alessio, P Apostoli, M Crippa","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This article review papers published over the last 20 years on multiple occupational exposure to solvents. At low-levels of exposure the toxicokinetic interferences between solvents have generally not been observed in man and presumably a threshold limit exists. Conversely, at exposure levels close to the \"limit values\" metabolic interference has sometimes been observed and the behaviour of the biological indicators differs from what would be expected. Toxicodynamic interference between solvents can give rise to additive, potentiation, synergistic, antagonistic effects. For the identification of \"limit values\", it has generally been suggested in the literature that the possible effects deriving from multiple exposure be considered as additive. However, numerous potentiation effects have frequently been reported for combined exposure to substances of widespread use. In this paper lists of multiple exposure in which the doses of the substances, the types of interferences and the behaviour of the biological levels have been drawn up and proposed as a tool for easy consultation.</p>","PeriodicalId":77147,"journal":{"name":"Giornale italiano di medicina del lavoro","volume":"16 1-6","pages":"37-42"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1994-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"19656439","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"[Blood interface in environmental and occupational exposure to industrial chemical pollutants].","authors":"F Brugnone, L Perbellini","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The concentration of 12 environmental chemical pollutants was measured in the blood of the general population. With reference to the 12 different pollutants, the blood samples tested varied from 88 for acetone to 431 for benzene. Nine of these agents (benzene, toluene, styrene, cumene, xilene, n-hexane, nitrous oxide (N20), acetone and carbon disulphide) were present in all or almost all (100-94%) blood samples. The three chlorides (chloroform, trichloroethylene and tetrachloroethylene) were present only in 60-85% of samples. After acetone and carbon disulphide, with blood concentrations in microgram/l (mean 840 micrograms/l and 2.4 micrograms/l respectively), the highest mean blood levels were those of toluene (1097 ng/l), chloroform (955 ng/l), N2O (915 ng/l), and n-hexane (642 ng/l). Trichloroethylene and free carbon disulphide had similar values (458 and 438 ng/l, respectively). Finally, benzene, styrene and tetrachloroethylene had the lowest values (262, 217 and 149 ng/l, respectively). There was generally a significant difference between rural and urban workers in terms of blood benzene (200 ng/l vs. 264 ng/l), trichloroethylene (180 ng/l vs 763 ng/l) and tetrachloroethylene (62 ng/l vs. 263 ng/l). In a group of subjects potentially exposed to industrial solvents, classed as chemical workers, blood benzene, toluene, chloroform and n-hexane were significantly higher than in rural and urban workers. Smokers showed a significantly higher blood concentration than non-smokers for benzene (381 ng/l vs. 205 ng/l), toluene (1431 ng/l vs. 976 ng/l) and n-hexane (803 ng/l vs. 505 ng/l).</p>","PeriodicalId":77147,"journal":{"name":"Giornale italiano di medicina del lavoro","volume":"16 1-6","pages":"11-7"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1994-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"19657188","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"[Occupational exposure and individual factors influencing urinary elimination of hippuric acid].","authors":"P Bavazzano, A Perico, V Li Donni, A Colzi","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The influence of not occupational factors (smoking, alcohol, coffee, drugs, sport, sex, age and body weight) on hippuric acid excretion was analyzed in two groups of healthy male subjects. A group was constituted of 710 painters occupied in wood and coach workings and the other one of 109 not occupational. The 5 degrees, 50 degrees, 95 degrees percentiles of the two distribution were 208, 605, 1784 and 153, 538, 1700 mg/g creatinine respectively. The analysis of variance undertaken on exposed subjects showed that there was a significative difference between urinary hippuric acid levels of subjects consuming alcohol and the not ones. Multiple regression analysis on hippuric acid excretion values distribution in not exposed group showed that only the variable \"coffee consumption\" resulted statistically significative (Ln hippuric acid = 5.0287 + 0.8062; R2 = 01221). Coffee consumption increase excretion rate (mg/hour) of hippuric acid likely an exposure to a toluene air concentration of 50 mg/m3. The authors suggest an action of caffeine on endogenous amount of benzoic acid.</p>","PeriodicalId":77147,"journal":{"name":"Giornale italiano di medicina del lavoro","volume":"16 1-6","pages":"57-61"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1994-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"19656997","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"[Reference values for xenobiotics in biological matrixes: the state of the art].","authors":"P Apostoli","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The basic concepts of reference values of xenobiotics in biological matrixes have been extensively discussed over the last 3-4 years by transferring the principles from clinical chemistry. In this paper three topics of current interest, i.e. the control of variability factors, metanalysis procedure for production of reference values, the reference values as a part of the system of guide values, are dealt with. The control of variability factors is identified as the most important procedure to guarantee the quality and consequently the usefulness of the reference values. Metanalysis is not considered as a correct method to produce reference values, but rather a method to compare the investigation published and to compel the investigators to standardize their working methods. Lastly reference values should be considered as the first step of an integrated system of values (action levels, limit values) which enable us to correctly interpret the significance of biological monitoring.</p>","PeriodicalId":77147,"journal":{"name":"Giornale italiano di medicina del lavoro","volume":"16 1-6","pages":"19-24"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1994-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"19657189","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"[Biological indicators and reference values].","authors":"I Franchini, E Bergamaschi","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>For biological indicators of exposure, effect or susceptibility, appropriate reference values should be available for a comparative evaluation at individual or at group level. Reference values can be either measured in the same subjects before the exposure starts (internal reference), or extrapolated from an appropriately selected group (external reference). In both cases, confounding factors as well as possible sources of variability (biological and analytical), must be taken into account and controlled. Proceeding from clinical chemistry to occupational and environmental medicine, different exclusion and partition criteria in producing reference values should be adopted. Whereas clinical chemistry is aimed at discriminating people as having or not diseases, preventive medicine deals with healthy subjects to prevent effects derived from abnormal exposure to xenobiotics. To this purpose, it is mandatory that general requirements are satisfied, such as the clear definition of the reference population, the conditions under which the specimens were obtained, the adequacy of the indicator itself to provide information, provided that all laboratory results were produced by adequately standardized methods under sufficient quality control. Since we are shifting from macro to microdoses, reference values would help in discriminating natural or man-made sources of exposure.</p>","PeriodicalId":77147,"journal":{"name":"Giornale italiano di medicina del lavoro","volume":"16 1-6","pages":"5-9"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1994-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"19656442","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"[Life style as a confounding factor in the study of biological effects of the occupational exposure to chemical substances].","authors":"G Franco, S Bisio","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The evaluation of health status of workers exposed to a variety of chemicals is usually performed by means of several laboratory indices. Our aim was to assess the influence of some lifestyle characteristics (alcohol intake and cigarettes smoking) on these parameters. 103 subjects occupationally exposed to chemicals and 146 non occupationally exposed subject were studied. A significant increase in gamma-GT, MCV e UDGA was observed among drinkers (> or = 5 g alcohol/day) as compared with non drinkers and among cigarette smokers (> or = 5 cigarettes/day) as compared with non smokers. Statistically cigarette smoking and alcohol intake influenced parameters independently from any occupational exposure to chemicals. Among the explored indices, UDGA only was significantly and positively associated to occupationally exposure to chemicals. Alcohol intake and cigarettes smoking are responsible for a modification of some laboratory parameters in healthy workers. The medical surveillance of workers exposed to chemicals should include a careful evaluation of alcohol intake (when gamma-GT and ADGU are measured) and cigarette smoking (when MCV and ADGU are measured).</p>","PeriodicalId":77147,"journal":{"name":"Giornale italiano di medicina del lavoro","volume":"16 1-6","pages":"53-6"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1994-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"19656444","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"[Statistical aspects of the definition of reference values].","authors":"G Maranelli","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The criteria adopted in the study of reference values have a great influence on the statistical analysis of the data. To avoid a poor statistical treatment of the data, the scope of the study must be well defined: a study to establish reference values for a chemical in the body fluids of a population is not a survey to prove relations among variables and the chemical. In this latter case, criteria to select subjects and methods are different. Confusion between the two types of surveys can lead to poor results. Reference subjects must be selected with precision, using reproducible criteria. It can be suggested to pick-up subjects from a variety of sub-groups of the population. It must be used selection criteria strictly defined to exclude from the study groups of subjects having specified characteristics (patients, resident in contaminated-zone...). The use of partition criteria is useful to know the distribution of some characteristics in the population, or to describe reference values in particular subgroups. On the contrary, partition can not be used to study relationships. Particular attention must be payed in choosing number of strata and variable of partition. When a population is analysed for reference values, the choice of subjects and relevant variables must be made after consulting a statistician.</p>","PeriodicalId":77147,"journal":{"name":"Giornale italiano di medicina del lavoro","volume":"16 1-6","pages":"31-6"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1994-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"19656438","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"[The diagnosis of occupational hand-arm syndromes. 2. The quantification of the plethysmographic changes due to the cold test].","authors":"A Taccola, M Perotti, F Scafa","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The diagnostic utility of digital volumetric pulse plethysmography with the cold test in well known for the study of subjects vibrations exposed and symptomatic for acrosyndrome. In this study the authors show how to perform this test and how to analyse the results quantitatively (in particular the time-course of the vascular modifications during cold test) to improve the clinical interpretation and to allow a comparison during the years. The parameters studied are: the morphologic pattern of each wave; the entity, duration and the regression pattern of the modifications after cold test; the existence of hemorrheologic predisposing conditions to vasospasm. To each of these parameters it has attributed a score and all the scores together represent the sphygmic answer to the cold test.</p>","PeriodicalId":77147,"journal":{"name":"Giornale italiano di medicina del lavoro","volume":"15 5-6","pages":"165-7"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1993-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"18619432","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"[The echographic diagnosis of neurogenic paraosteoarthropathies in myelosis patients].","authors":"C Pistarini, S Carlevati, A Contardi","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>To assess the role of the ultrasonic imaging evaluation of articular lesions suspected to be the initial presentation of heterotopic ossifications (HO) 59 consecutive spinal cord injured patients were studied. 32 out of 59 patients showed clinical signs of local inflammation in one of the articular sites of the upper or lower limbs, sonographic scans proved to be diagnostic of HO in 7 out of those 32 patients before a their radiographic findings. Serial sonographic examinations were performed utilising a 7.5 MegaHertz transducer probe for 2 months. The imaging abnormalities were correlated with biochemical levels of serum alkaline phosphatase, modifications of radiographic features and bone 99mTC scintigraphy. Scintigraphy revealed to have a high sensitivity but a low specificity for the diagnosis of HO. Also the serum levels of alkaline phosphatase was not a sensitive indicator of early HO in our group of patients. Moreover serial sonographic scans confidently excluded the HO in the 25 patients with no initial signs of the disease without any false negative results. Thus, early sonographic assessment of patients with spinal cord injury in which local signs of inflammation suggest initial HO formation revealed to be superior to the other utilized technique for the diagnosis of HO and may be considered a valuable alternative in particular to evaluate the evolutive pattern of this disease.</p>","PeriodicalId":77147,"journal":{"name":"Giornale italiano di medicina del lavoro","volume":"15 5-6","pages":"159-63"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1993-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"18619429","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}