Acute FeNO and Blood Pressure Responses to Air Pollution Exposure in Young Adults during Physical Activity

During physical exercise, the absorbed dose of air pollutants increases. Acute effects of exposure to air pollutants during exercise in healthy young adults remain poorly documented. The aim of this study was to assess the acute responses in fractionated exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) and blood pressure to air pollution exposure during exercise in young adults with different physical activity levels (low or high). In this study, 76 healthy university students participating in physical activity classes (low level of physical activity) and attending sports training (high level of physical activity) completed two indoor exercise trials when air pollutant concentrations were high (exposure trial) and when the quality of the air was good (control trial). We monitored indoor particulate matter with diameter <10 µm and <2.5 µm (PM10 and PM2.5) and outdoor PM10, nitric oxides (NO2, NOx, NO), and sulfur dioxide (SO2) concentrations. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP and DBP), heart rate (HR), oxygen saturation (SpO2), and FeNO were measured at baseline and after 45–60 min of physical activity. There were no significant differences between physiological responses to training performed under different exposure conditions in blood pressure, HR, and SpO2. Significant positive correlations between post-exercise ΔFeNO during exposure trials and ambient air pollutants were found. FeNO increase during the exposure trial was associated with a higher physical activity level and higher outdoor PM10 and NO2 concentrations. In young and healthy adults, some differences in physiological responses to physical activity between polluted and control environments could be observed. Participants with a high physical activity level were more likely to have an increase in FeNO after exercise in a polluted environment but not after the control exercise trials.

Reduced levels of biomarkers of exposure in smokers switching to the Carbon-Heated Tobacco Product 1.0: a controlled, randomized, open-label 5-day exposure trial

In addition to smoking cessation, for those who would otherwise continue to smoke, replacing cigarettes with less harmful alternatives can reduce the harms of smoking. Heating instead of burning tobacco reduces, or eliminates, the formation of harmful and potentially harmful constituents (HPHC) that are found in cigarette smoke. The Carbon-Heated Tobacco Product (CHTP), a heat-not-burn tobacco product, mimics the cigarette smoking ritual. This randomized, open-label, two-arm, parallel-group, short-term confinement study tested the hypothesis that the geometric means of the BoExp levels for subjects switching to CHTP 1.0 for 5 days are lower relative to those continuing to smoke cigarettes. Biomarkers of exposure (BoExp), including nicotine, urinary excretion of mutagenic constituents (Ames test), and cytochrome P450 (CYP) 1A2 activity, were measured in blood and/or 24-h urine samples during ad libitum product use. Nicotine exposure remained at similar levels in individuals using CHTP as in those continuing to smoke cigarettes. Switching to CHTP resulted in marked decreases in all other urinary BoExp (56–97%), carboxyhemoglobin (59%), urinary mutagenic constituents, and CYP1A2 activity compared with continued cigarette smoking. Our results provide evidence of decreased exposure to 15 selected HPHCs in smokers switching from cigarettes to exclusive CHTP use. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02503254; Date of first registration: 20/07/2015 https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02503254. Study protocol Study protocol published at: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ProvidedDocs/54/NCT02503254/Prot_000.pdf.

Histopathological changes in the gonads, liver, and kidney of Glossogobius giuris exposed to sub-lethal concentration of diazinon

The organophosphorus insecticide, diazinon that is widely used in agricultural field and private industrial premises to control pests, easily accumulates in aquatic ecosystems and exerts toxic effects on aquatic animals. The study aimed to evaluate the acute toxicity (LC50) of diazinon on Glossogobius giuris and histopathological alterations of its gonads, liver and kidney due to the effect of this insecticide. G. giuris were exposed to different concentrations of diazinon ranging from 0.00025 ppm to 2.048 ppm with parallel untreated control. At the doses of 0.0005 ppm, 0.001 ppm, 0.002 ppm, and 0.004 ppm 40%, 50%, 70%, and 90% mortality of G. giuris were observed within 96 hrs, respectively, whereas, 100% mortality was observed at doses above 0.008 ppm. Based on probit analysis, the LC50 value of diazinon for 96 hrs of exposure on G. giuris was found as 0.001 ppm. During the exposure trial several behavioral alterations including restlessness, sudden and quick movements, loss of equilibrium, increased opercular activities and paralysis were observed in the fish. The histopathological changes observed in the tissues of G. giuris indicate that sub lethal concentration as well as higher concentration caused moderate to severe alterations in the liver, kidney as well as gonads. Kidney was found to be the most seriously affected organ compared to gonads and liver. Major histopathological changes like fragmentation of testis and ovary with ruptured wall, karyolysis, hypertrophy, pyknosis and degenerative changes such as necrosis of tubular and haematopoietic cells of kidney, necrotic hepatocytes, pyknosis, hypertrophy, haemorrhage and vacuolation were observed in the liver cells. The present study demonstrated that diazinon is highly toxic especially to G. giuris and thus, indiscriminate use of this insecticide in the agriculture and industrial sectors should be strictly controlled.Progressive Agriculture 27 (4): 530-538, 2016

Influence of different tropical stress conditions on biochemical parameters invarious broiler strains

The present experiment was conducted to study the effect of different tropical stress conditions on biochemical traits in various broiler strains during 3 to 4 weeks of age. Introgressing some important major genes likes Naked neck (Na) and Frizzle (F) into broiler germplasm may substantially improve the heat tolerance. Hence, the experiment was designed to evaluate three indigenously developed broilers <italic>viz</italic>. CARIBRO-Tropicana (Naked neck and Frizzle gene bearing), CARIBRO-Mritunjai (Naked neck gene bearing) and CARIBRO-Vishal (Normal plumaged) under different THI (i.e. 72, 85 and 91) for 4 hours daily for 7 days. Total 324 broiler chicks (i.e. 36 chicks in each group) of 3 weeks of age were used in this study. The changes in blood biochemical parameters (i.e. Na, K, Glucose and ACTH) were examined in these experiments at 0^th, 3^rd and ₇th into exposure trials. The glucose, ACTH were observed lowest in frizzle and highest in normal plumaged birds under different THI. In experiment Na and K were observed higher in Frizzle and lowest in normal plumaged birds under different THI. The CARIBRO-Vishal showed highest stress as compared to other group. Higher the THI more severe was the effect on the traits. During the 7 day of exposure trial, birds of all the genetic group exhibited the phenomenon of acclimatization as reveled by the averages of various traits at different days into the exposure.

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Analysis of Glucose Levels in Weanling Piglets Plasma as a Function of Deoxynivalenol Exposure

Deoxynivalenol (DON) is a mycotoxin contaminant of cereal crops, and whilst animal toxicity has demonstrated its role at low doses in animals, and in human toxicity in general remains unclear. Here we investigated potential biological markers in sera using samples obtained from a previous DON-controlled feeding study on weanling piglets. Piglets (n=10 per group) received diets containing 0 (control), 240, 560-or 840 μg DON/kg feed for 28 days. Plasma samples collected at the end of the DON exposure trial were reassessed, using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). A modest trend was observed between plasma glucose concentration and DON ingestion (P=0.04). Plasma DON (P=0.04) and plasma protein-associated DON (P=0.08) were moderately correlated with DON ingestion in a more limited survey of a subset of samples used for glucose analysis (n=20). This is a preliminary study but suggests that a more detailed survey of the temporal nature of these biological measures is warranted.