Human health risk assessment of lead,cadmium, and mercury co-exposure from agricultural soils in the Tuzla Canton (Bosnia and Herzegovina)

The aim of this study was to assess the risk of human exposure to lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), and mercury (Hg) through agricultural soil by considering both uncertainty and variability in key exposure parameters. For this reason we collected soil samples from 29 locations in the Tuzla Canton (Bosnia and Herzegovina) and measured their metal levels with inductively coupled plasma atomic emission or absorption spectrometry (ICP-AES and ICP-AAS, respectively). The levels of Pb ranged from 13.33 to 1692.33 mg/kg, of Cd from 0.05 to 3.67 mg/kg, and of Hg from 0.02 to 2.73 mg/kg. To estimate cancer and non-cancer risks we used deterministic and semi-probabilistic methods. Lead was found to involve higher health risk than the other two heavy metals. Its hazard index (HI) decreased between population groups (children>women>men) and exposure routes (ingestion>skin contact>inhalation). Our Monte Carlo simulations indicated that Pb HIs for both adult populations had a 0.6 % probability to exceed the threshold value of 1, while in children this probability was 14.2 %. Cd and Hg showed no probability to exceed the threshold in any scenario. Our simulation results raise concern about possible adverse health effects of heavy metals from soil, especially in children. It is very important to continue monitoring environmental pollution and assess human health risk, not only with respect to soil, but also with other important environmental compartments, such as air and water.KEY WORDS: cancer risk, deterministic methodology, heavy metals, Monte Carlo simulations, non-cancer risk, probabilistic methodology     

Small-scale pattern formation in a cortical area of the embryonic chicken telencephalon

The parahippocampal area is a cortical region of the avian dorsomedial telencephalon. In the chicken embryo, it contains discrete clusters of cadherin-7-positive cells, which are embedded in a cadherin-7-negative matrix. In the present work, the development and spatial distribution of these clusters is studied in whole-mount specimens. The clusters form a complex, coherent pattern of patches of variable size, spacing, and staining intensity. The pattern is especially prominent and regularly spaced in the rostral part of the caudolateral parahippocampal area. Here, it consists of stripes and connecting bridges with an average periodicity of approximately 0.3 mm. This pattern vaguely resembles some animal fur patterns and the ocular dominance domain of the mammalian visual cortex. The cadherin-7-positive patches also differ from their surrounding area by their cytoarchitecture and their increased acetylcholinesterase activity, suggesting that they represent functionally specialized subregions within the parahippocampal area. During development, the patchiness is first observed between 9 and 10 days of incubation and gradually becomes more prominent until 15 days of incubation. Our results indicate that the patchy organization of cortical gray matter on a small scale of periodicity (below 1 mm), which is well studied in the mammalian neocortex, is also found in the avian telencephalon.     

Prevalence of psychotic comorbidity in combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder

OBJECTIVE: We explored the prevalence of comorbidity of psychotic symptoms among Croatian war veterans with combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and the psychotic features among these patients, as well as the association between psychotic symptoms and personality disorders. METHODS: The study included 680 men who had experienced combat stress and had diagnoses of PTSD confirmed before examination. They were compared with a group of 289 soldiers with combat experience under regular medical examination, who were still in active military service. The groups were matched in duration of combat experience, time elapsed between combat experience and the study, age, marital status, and education. Statistical analyses were performed using the t test and chi2 test. RESULTS: The study showed that 15% of war veterans had current chronic PTSD and 45% had PTSD with one or more comorbid diagnoses. Psychotic disorders with PTSD were confirmed for 17% of those patients and major depressive disorder with psychotic features for 15%. Depression and psychotic symptoms were more often found among patients without personality disorders. Also, we found that 9% of the war veterans who were still in active military service had some psychiatric disorders. CONCLUSIONS: Many patients demonstrated psychotic symptoms different from flashbacks and dissociative symptoms. Those psychotic symptoms are an integral part of PTSD and have a symbolic relation to the trauma.     

Hypersensitivity to pollen allergens on the Adriatic coast

This paper describes a study of air concentrations of pollens and a calendar of pollination around the town of Split on the Croatian Adriatic in 1994. High pollen concentrations of Parietaria officinalis dominated during the year (up to 20% from April to June) followed by the pollens of Pistacia lentiscus, Olea europaea, Pinus halepensis, Juniperus oxycedrus, Acacia baileyana, Artemisia vulgaris, Ambrosia elatior and Cistus monspeliensis. In 1994-95, skin prick tests using commercially available standard inhalation allergens and specially prepared pollen allergens were performed on 3,500 patients with allergic respiratory symptoms. About 30% were allergic to standard pollen allergens (mixed grass pollen, mixed tree pollen, Parietaria officinalis and Pittosporum tobira). Hypersensitivity to more than one allergen was found in 45% of patients, whereas 15% did not react to any of the standard allergens. Additional testing with newly prepared individual allergens (P. lentiscus, O. europaea, P. halepensis, A. baileyana, C. monspeliensis, A. vulgaris, A. elatior) revealed hypersensitivity in a number of patients, but 36% showed no reaction. This finding suggests that further studies of this kind are needed for additional identification, isolation, and characterisation of pollen allergens that are present in the Adriatic coast.