Health Implications of PAH Release from Coated Cast Iron Drinking Water Distribution Systems in the Netherlands

Background: Coal tar and bitumen have been historically used to coat the insides of cast iron drinking water mains. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) may leach from these coatings into the drinking water and form a potential health risk for humans.Objective: We estimated the potential human cancer risk from PAHs in coated cast iron water mains.Method: In a Dutch nationwide study, we collected drinking water samples at 120 locations over a period of 17 days under various operational conditions, such as undisturbed operation, during flushing of pipes, and after a mains repair, and analyzed these samples for PAHs. We then estimated the health risk associated with an exposure scenario over a lifetime.Results: During flushing, PAH levels frequently exceeded drinking water quality standards; after flushing, these levels dropped rapidly. After the repair of cast iron water mains, PAH levels exceeded the drinking water standards for up to 40 days in some locations.Conclusions: The estimated margin of exposure for PAH exposure through drinking water was > 10,000 for all 120 measurement locations, which suggests that PAH exposure through drinking water is of low concern for consumer health. However, factors that differ among water systems, such as the use of chlorination for disinfection, may influence PAH levels in other locations.     

Testimony therapy: treatment method for traumatized victims of organized violence

Former political prisoners in Chile gave testimony of their traumatic experiences, which resulted in diminishing their posttraumatic symptoms. Based on this experience, testimony therapy has been developed and used in treatment of traumatized victims of war or other organized violence. This short-term therapy, as it applied in the treatment of traumatized asylum seekers and refugees in Centrum '45/De Vonk in the Netherlands, is described in this article. The therapy consists of 12 sessions in which patients tell their life stories, including the traumatic experiences. The narrative is reflected in a written document that, for example, can be read to family and friends, or be sent to a historical archive. This article discusses the preliminary research data on the effects of testimony therapy. Finally, hypotheses on the working mechanisms of testimony therapy are offered.     

Characterisation,mutation detection,and association analysis of alternative promoters and 5' UTRs of the human dopamine D3 receptor gene in schizophrenia

The dopamine D(3) receptor gene (DRD3) is a candidate for a number of psychiatric conditions including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and alcohol and drug abuse. Previous studies have reported associations between polymorphisms in DRD3 and these disorders, but these findings may have reflected linkage disequilibrium with pathogenic variants that are further upstream. We have isolated and sequenced approximately 9 kb of genomic sequence upstream of the human DRD3 translational start site. Using 5' RACE, we have identified within this region three additional exons and two putative promoter regions which show promoter activity in three different cell lines. A 5' UTR identified only in lymphoblasts is spread over three exons and is 353 bp long. A second 5' UTR, found in adult and fetal brain, lymphocytes, kidney and placenta is spread over two exons and is 516 bp long. A 260-bp sequence within this 9 kb corresponds to a previously reported EST, but corresponding mRNA could not be found in the tissues above. The EST, 5' UTRs and putative promoter regions have been analysed for polymorphisms, revealing 10 single nucleotide polymorphisms, seven of which were tested for association in a large sample of unrelated patients with schizophrenia and matched controls. No associations were observed with schizophrenia. In addition we failed to replicate previous findings of association with homozygosity of the Ser9Gly variant. The results from this study imply that neither the coding nor the regulatory region of DRD3 plays a major role in predisposition to schizophrenia.     

Hypercholesterolemia enhances thromboembolism in arterioles but not venules: complete reversal by L-arginine

We investigated in vivo the effect of cholesterol diet-induced hypercholesterolemia (HC) on thromboembolism in nonatherosclerotic rabbit mesenteric arterioles and venules (diameter 21 to 45 micrometer). After mechanical vessel wall injury, the ensuing thromboembolic reaction was studied by intravital videomicroscopy. A dramatic prolongation of embolization duration (median >600 seconds) was observed in the arterioles of the HC group compared with the arterioles of a normal chow-fed (NC) control group (142 seconds, P<0.0001); concomitantly, relative thrombus height increased (thrombus height/vessel diameter was 68% for the HC group and 58% for the NC group; P<0.05). By contrast, in venules, cholesterol did not affect embolization duration (42 seconds for HC group, 34 seconds for NC group) and thrombus height (66% for HC group, 64% for NC group). Furthermore, the role of endothelial NO synthesis was studied. In arterioles, stimulation of endogenous NO synthesis through mesenteric superfusion of L-arginine (1 mmol/L) completely reversed cholesterol-enhanced embolization (152 seconds) but did not influence thrombus height (63%). L-Arginine had no effect in venules of the HC group (51 seconds) and nor in the arterioles and venules of the NC group (177 seconds for arterioles, 43 seconds for venules). This study indicates that hypercholesterolemia selectively enhances thrombus formation and embolization in arterioles but not in venules and that stimulation of endogenous NO production antagonizes this enhancement of arteriolar thromboembolism.