Association of Glyphosate Exposure with Blood DNA Methylation in a Cross-Sectional Study of Postmenopausal Women

Background: Glyphosate is the most commonly used herbicide in the world and is purported to have a variety of health effects, including endocrine disruption and an elevated risk of several types of cancer. Blood DNA methylation has been shown to be associated with many other environmental exposures, but to our knowledge, no studies to date have examined the association between blood DNA methylation and glyphosate exposure.Objective: We conducted an epigenome-wide association study to identify DNA methylation loci associated with urinary glyphosate and its metabolite aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA) levels. Secondary goals were to determine the association of epigenetic age acceleration with glyphosate and AMPA and develop blood DNA methylation indices to predict urinary glyphosate and AMPA levels.Methods: For 392 postmenopausal women, white blood cell DNA methylation was measured using the Illumina Infinium MethylationEPIC BeadChip array. Glyphosate and AMPA were measured in two urine samples per participant using liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. Methylation differences at the probe and regional level associated with glyphosate and AMPA levels were assessed using a resampling-based approach. Probes and regions that had an false discovery rate q<0.1 in ≥90% of 1,000 subsamples of the study population were considered differentially methylated. Differentially methylated sites from the probe-specific analysis were combined into a methylation index. Epigenetic age acceleration from three epigenetic clocks and an epigenetic measure of pace of aging were examined for associations with glyphosate and AMPA.Results: We identified 24 CpG sites whose methylation level was associated with urinary glyphosate concentration and two associated with AMPA. Four regions, within the promoters of the MSH4, KCNA6, ABAT, and NDUFAF2/ERCC8 genes, were associated with glyphosate levels, along with an association between ESR1 promoter hypomethylation and AMPA. The methylation index accurately predicted glyphosate levels in an internal validation cohort. AMPA, but not glyphosate, was associated with greater epigenetic age acceleration.Discussion: Glyphosate and AMPA exposure were associated with DNA methylation differences that could promote the development of cancer and other diseases. Further studies are warranted to replicate our results, determine the functional impact of glyphosate- and AMPA-associated differential DNA methylation, and further explore whether DNA methylation could serve as a biomarker of glyphosate exposure. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP10174     

Short-Term PCB (Aroclor 1254) Toxicity on Few Phosphatases in Mice Brain

The present communication reports the dose and duration dependent toxicity of a PCB, Aroclor 1254, to a few ion dependent ATPases, Acid phosphatase, Alkaline phosphatase and Glucose-6-phosphatase in the whole brain tissue of mice. Two groups of mice were subjected to two sublethal doses (0.1 and 1 mg kgbw⁻¹ day⁻¹) of PCB orally and exposed for 4, 8 or12 days. A separate control group received the corn oil vehicle for the same exposure times. The observed results indicated exposure duration dependent changes in the enzymatic levels in the brain. The results suggest that the alteration in the enzymatic activity was possibly due to imposed oxidative stress generated by Aroclor 1254 on membrane-bound ion-dependent ATPases and other phosphatases in the brain tissue.     

Comparative Evaluation of Thoracoscopy Versus Thoracotomy in the Management of Lung Hydatid Disease

Background  

Lung hydatid disease is an endemic problem in Mediterranean countries, and the ideal surgical management for it is still debated. In this prospective study, we aimed to evaluate the feasibility and safety of thoracoscopy in patients with lung hydatid disease. We studied the advantages of thoracoscopic procedure over posterolateral thoracotomy.     

SPLENIC RUPTURE FOLLOWING ROUTINE COLONOSCOPY

Splenic rupture is a life‐threatening condition characterized by internal hemorrhage, often difficult to diagnose. Colonoscopy is a gold standard routine diagnostic test to investigate patients with gastrointestinal symptoms as well as to those on the screening program for colorectal cancer. Splenic injury is seldomly discussed during consent for colonoscopy, as opposed to colonic perforation, as its prevalence accounts for less than 0.1%. A 66‐year‐old Caucasian woman with no history of collagen disorder was electively admitted for routine colonoscopy for surveillance of adenoma. She was admitted following the procedure for re‐dosing of warfarin, which was stopped prior to the colonoscopy. The patient was found collapsed on the ward the following day with clinical shock and anemia. Computed tomography demonstrated grade 4 splenic rupture. Immediate blood transfusion and splenectomy was required. Splenic rupture following routine colonoscopy is extremely rare. Awareness of it on this occasion saved the patient's life. Despite it being a rare association, the seriousness warrants inclusion in all information leaflets concerning colonoscopy and during its consent.     

Segment-2 sequence analysis and cross-neutralization studies on some Indian bluetongue viruses suggest isolates are VP2-variants of serotype 23

Sequence analysis of segment 2 (seg-2) of three Indian bluetongue virus (BTV) isolates, Dehradun, Rahuri and Bangalore revealed 99% nucleotide identity amongst them and 96% with the reference BTV 23. Phylogenetic analysis grouped the isolates in ‘nucleotype D’. The deduced amino acid (aa) sequence of the Bangalore isolate showed a high variability in a few places compared to other isolates. B-cell epitope analyses predicted an epitope that is present exclusively in the Bangalore isolate. Two-way cross serum neutralization confirmed that Bangalore isolate is antigenically different from the other two isolates. The results of this study suggest that these three isolates are VP2 variants of BTV 23. This signifies that non-cross-neutralizing variants of the same BTV serotype should be included in vaccine preparation.     

Simultaneous Derivative Spectrophotometric Analysis of Doxylamine Succinate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride and Folic Acid in Combined Dosage Forms

Two UV spectrophotometric methods have been developed, based on first derivative spectrophotometry for simultaneous estimation of doxylamine succinate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, and folic acid in tablet formulations. In method I, the concentrations of these drugs were determined by using linear regression equation. Method II is also based on first derivative spectrophotometry however simultaneous equations (Vierdot''s method) were derived on derivative spectra. The first derivative amplitudes at 270.0, 332.8 and 309.2 nm were utilized for simultaneous estimation of these drugs respectively by both methods. In both the methods, linearity was obtained in the concentration range 2.5-50 μg/ml, 1-40 μg/ml and 1-30 μg/ml for doxylamine succinate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, and folic acid respectively. The developed methods show best results in terms of linearity, accuracy, precision, LOD, LOQ and ruggedness for standard laboratory mixtures of pure drugs and marketed formulations. The common excipients and additives did not interfere in their determinations.     

Uretero-vesical junction obstruction presenting as gaint hydronephrosis

A rare case of giant hydronephrosis due to ureterovesical junction obstruction is presented.     

Pattern of neoplasms in children

Pattern of neoplasms in children under 15 years is reviewed. Of 1424 lesions, 57 per cent were benign. The common malignant tumours in order of frequency were; lymphoma, central nervous system (CNS) tumors, soft tissue sarcomas, bona sarcomas, retinoblastoma, Wilms' tumour and carcinomas. Males were affected more often than females (ratio of 2·6∶1). Malignant tumours were commonest in the first five year of life.