Inhalation of Tetramethyllead and Tetraethyllead

In a study of the specificity of the iodine-azide reaction in carbon disulfide (CS₂) exposure, iodine-azide reaction and dithiocarb (sodium diethyidithiocarbamate) in the urine of alcoholics treated with disulfiram (tetraethylthiuram disulfide) were determined.

After application of disulfiram, the iodine-azide reaction was negative 40% of the time, but some dithiocarb is always present in urine. Therefore, dithiocarb determination could be used to measure the patient’s discipline.

The great dispersion of dithiocarb results is discussed as a possible influence of pathologic condition and compared with other drugs, especially, meprobamate.

The application of meprobamate increased the percentage of positive iodine-azide reaction in disulfiram, treated alcoholics, but dispersion of dithiocarb results was the same as in alcoholics not using meprobamate.

The iodine-azide test (IAT) does not provide a satisfactory index of exposure in individuals taking disulfiram for alcoholism.     

Metabolic Syndrome and Inflammatory Biomarkers: a community-based cross-sectional Study at the Framingham Heart Study

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Prior studies reported conflicting findings on the association between metabolic syndrome and inflammatory biomarkers. We tested the cross-sectional association between metabolic syndrome, its components, and 9 inflammatory markers. METHODS: We measured C-reactive protein, CD40 ligand, interleukin-6, intercellular adhesion molecule-1, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, osteoprotegerin, P-selectin, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and tumor necrosis factor receptor-2 in 2570 Framingham Offspring Study participants free of diabetes and cardiovascular disease at exam 7. Metabolic syndrome was defined by criteria of the National Cholesterol Education Program. We performed multivariable linear regressions for each biomarker with metabolic syndrome as the exposure adjusting for age, sex, smoking, aspirin use, and hormone replacement. We subsequently added each component of the metabolic syndrome as a continuous trait to the models, adjusting for age, sex, smoking, aspirin use, hormone replacement, lipid lowering treatment and hypertension therapy. We considered P < 0.05 as statistically significant. RESULTS: Metabolic syndrome was present in 984 participants, and statistically significantly associated with each biomarker (all P<0.0001) except osteoprotegerin. After adjusting for its components, the metabolic syndrome was only associated with P-selectin (beta=0.16, 95% CI (0.05, 0.27)). CONCLUSIONS: Metabolic syndrome was associated with multiple inflammatory biomarkers. However, adjusting for each of its components eliminated the association with most inflammatory markers, except P-selectin. Our results support the hypothesis that the relation between metabolic syndrome and inflammation is largely accounted for by its components.     

Adjuvant radiotherapy for atypical and malignant meningiomas: a systematic review

Atypical meningiomas (AMs) and malignant meningiomas (MMs) are tumors with a lower incidence and poorer prognosis than benign meningiomas. The role of radiotherapy as an adjuvant to surgical resection, especially for AMs, is incompletely defined. In this study, the English-language literature was systematically reviewed for studies that reported tumor characteristics, treatment parameters, and clinical outcomes after adjuvant radiotherapy for AM and MM, including overall survival, progression-free survival, and/or time to recurrence or mortality. Clinical outcomes were further assessed in the context of resection status, timing of administration, and radiation dose. Outcomes after stereotactic radiosurgery were also examined. Treatment toxicity and other potential prognostic or confounding factors were appraised. Ten and 11 studies for AM and MM, respectively, met the inclusion criteria. The median 5-year progression-free survival and overall survival after adjuvant radiotherapy were 54.2% and 67.5%, respectively, for AM and 48% and 55.6% for MM. The complication rates were 11.1% for AM and 5.1% for MM. Incomplete resection and radiation dose <50 Gy conferred significantly poorer 5-year progression-free survival. Most studies were unable to demonstrate a statistically significant prognostic benefit for adjuvant radiotherapy in AM. In conclusion, adjuvant radiotherapy significantly improved local control of AMs and MMs, especially after subtotal resection. Study limitations, including inadequate statistical power, may underlie the studies'' inability to demonstrate a statistically significant benefit for adjuvant radiotherapy in AM. Because these tumors preferentially recur within 5 years of surgical resection, future studies should define whether early adjuvant therapy should become part of the standard treatment paradigm for completely excised tumors.     

Characterization of indoor air contaminants in a randomly selected set of commercial nail salons in Salt Lake County,Utah, USA

Air samples were collected in 12 randomly selected commercial nail salons in Salt Lake County, Utah. Measurements of salon physical/chemical parameters (room volume, CO₂ levels) were obtained. Volatile organic compound (VOC) concentrations were collected using summa air canisters and sorbent media tubes for an 8-h period. Multivariate analyses were used to identify relationships between salon physical/chemical characteristics and the VOCs found in the air samples. The ACGIH^® additive mixing formula was also applied to determine if there were potential overexposures to the combined airborne concentrations of chemicals monitored. Methyl methacrylate was detected in 58% of the establishments despite having been banned for use in nail products by the state of Utah. Formaldehyde was found above the NIOSH REL^® (0.016?ppm) in 58% of the establishments. Given the assortment of VOCs to which nail salon workers are potentially exposed, a combination of engineering as well as personal protective equipment is recommended.     

“It's a touchy subject”: Latino adolescent sexual risk behaviors in the school context

Adverse sexual health outcomes remain disproportionately high for Latino adolescents. To examine sexual risk behaviors in Latino adolescents, we conducted in-depth interviews with 18 Latino parents and 13 school staff members and carried out 1 year of fieldwork in the school and community. “It's a touchy subject [sex] here” exemplified the reluctance of addressing sexual risk behaviors. Community- and systems-level strategies are recommended.