Job hazards and respiratory symptoms in Hispanic female domestic cleaners

Abstract

The occupational hazards and respiratory symptoms of domestic cleaners in USA are largely unknown. We conducted a cross-sectional study among 56 Hispanic female domestic cleaner on their health status and frequency of cleaning products used and tasks performed. While women used multi-use products (60.0%) and toilet bowl cleaners (51.8%) most days of the week, many (39.3%) reported not using personal protective equipment while cleaning. Itchy/watery eyes (61.8%) and itchy nose (56.4%) were the most frequently reported symptoms. A history of physician-diagnosed asthma was reported by 14.3% while 33.9% had symptoms of bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR). In conclusion, this vulnerable population has high prevalence of physician-diagnosis asthma and BHR symptoms and is potentially exposed to myriad occupational hazards. Further research exploring associations between products use, cleaning tasks and respiratory symptoms is warranted.     

Benefits and risks of simvastatin in patients with familial hypercholesterolaemia.

Familial hypercholesterolaemia is a frequent, inherited, monogenic disorder, associated with accelerated development of atherosclerotic disease leading to coronary artery disease. Life expectancy of patients with familial hypercholesterolaemia is reduced by 15-30 years unless they are adequately treated with lipid-lowering therapy. Given the chronic nature of this disease, the selection of a therapeutic approach should be strongly based on its long-term safety and tolerability. The introduction of HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors has revolutionised the treatment of familial hypercholesterolaemia.Simvastatin 40-80 mg/day effectively reduces serum low density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol levels. Furthermore, simvastatin reduces triglycerides and mildly raises high density lipoprotein-cholesterol levels. In addition to the hypolipidaemic effect, other potentially important effects, such as improvement of endothelial function and reduction of LDL oxidation and vascular inflammation, have been associated with HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor therapy. Simvastatin has also been shown to abolish the progression, and even facilitate the regression, of existing human atherosclerotic lesions.The good safety and tolerability profile of simvastatin is clearly highlighted by the low rate of therapy discontinuation observed in several population-based clinical trials. The most common adverse events leading to the discontinuation of therapy are gastrointestinal upset and headache. Asymptomatic elevations in liver transaminase levels and myopathy are uncommon.The overwhelming clinical evidence regarding the long-term use of HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor therapy in patients with familial hypercholesterolaemia together with the long-term safety data (particularly relating to simvastatin) provide support for the use of this drug as a first-line agent when pharmacological treatment is indicated. Early intervention with simvastatin treatment can be successfully implemented with favourable economic benefits.     

The dysmorphic lung: imaging findings

Congenital lung malformations are not infrequent and can be discovered in adults. It is, therefore, necessary to know their radiological manifestations in order to avoid diagnostic errors. We classify the congenital lung malformations in two main groups: dysmorphic lung and focal pulmonary malformations. We review the radiological spectrum of dysmorphic lung, based on a classification that emphasises the pulmonary abnormality, adding variants when diaphragmatic or venous abnormalities are present. In our opinion this approach allows for a rational use of advanced imaging techniques (CT, MRI). Correspondence to: Josep M. Mata.     

In vivo gene therapy for pyridoxine-induced neuropathy by herpes simplex virus-mediated gene transfer of neurotrophin-3.

Neurotrophic factors have been demonstrated to prevent the development of peripheral neuropathy in animal models, but the therapeutic use of these factors in human disease has been limited by the short serum half-life and dose-limiting side effects of these potent peptides. We used peripheral subcutaneous inoculation with a replication-incompetent, genomic herpes simplex virus-based vector containing the coding sequence for neurotrophin-3 to transduce sensory neurons of the rat dorsal root ganglion in vivo, and found that expression of neurotrophin-3 from the vector protected peripheral sensory axons from neuropathy induced by intoxication with pyridoxine assessed by electrophysiological (foot sensory response amplitude, and conduction velocity, and H-wave), histological (nerve morphology and morphometry), and behavioral measures of proprioceptive function. In vivo gene transfer using herpes simplex virus vectors provides a unique option for treatment of diseases of the sensory peripheral nervous system.     

A double mutant [N543H+2393del9] allele in the LDL receptor gene in familial hypercholesterolemia: effect on plasma cholesterol levels and cardiovascular disease

Familial hypercholesterolemia is a genetic disorder caused by mutations in the LDL receptor gene. During a survey of mutations of LDL receptor gene in Spanish FH patients we found two mutations in the same allele: a missense N543H mutation in exon 11 and a 9bp inframe deletion (2393del9) located in exon 17. This double mutant allele was founded in 10 out of 458 unrelated patients: one homozygous FH [N543H+2393del9] + [N543H+2393del9], one compound heterozygote [N543H+2393del9] + [W-18X+E256K] and 8 heterozygotes. Flow cytometric analysis showed a defective LDL binding (20% of normal value) and internalization (23%) in lymphocytes from the homozygous patient; furthermore, studies of mitogen-stimulated lymphocytes demonstrated that the ability of LDL to support cell proliferation was impaired. Unexpectedly, not all carriers of the double mutant allele develop hypercholesterolemia and, furthermore, cholesterol-lowering treatment of the homozygous patient resulted in a 58% LDL cholesterol reduction. In conclusion, the phenotypic expression in the homozygous and heterozygous patients presented here, as well as the LDL-receptor residual activity, allowed the classification of this mutation as mild extending the group of mild mutations found at homozygosity.     

Developmental distribution of plasma membrane Ca2+-ATPase isoforms in chick cerebellum.

The plasma membrane Ca(2+)-ATPase (PMCA) is highly expressed in the nervous system, but little information is available about its implication in neuronal development. We have analyzed the expression and localization of different isoforms of PMCA in membrane vesicles and sections of chick cerebellum from embryonic day 10 to hatching. We found that the relative amount of each PMCA isoform and their spatiotemporal distribution in the cerebellum are directly linked to precise cellular types during the cerebellar maturation, even in a non-neural tissue as choroid plexus. Purkinje cells contain the highest diversity of PMCA isoforms of the cerebellar cortex since the moment of its morphogenesis. From embryonic day 15, the PMCA2 was highly expressed in the whole Purkinje cell, while PMCAs 1 and 3 had a more restricted distribution in the soma and dendritic branches, and these distributions were evolving according with cell maturation. Other cellular types seem to contain a specific combination of isoforms, but with a well-defined distribution pattern at late moments of development. Thus, PMCAs 1 and 3 were located in the soma of molecular layer interneurons, and only the PMCA2 was observed in granule cells at hatching. Furthermore, PMCA isoforms are also expressed in cellular compartments characterized by a high amount of synapses, suggesting a key role of these proteins in synaptogenesis and in the maturation of neuronal electrophysiological properties.     

Choline acetyltransferase variants and their influence in schizophrenia and olanzapine response.

Choline acetyltransferase (ChAt) is extensively distributed throughout the CNS where, by catalyzing acetylcholine synthesis, it participates in modulating wide-ranging cholinergic-dependent functions including cognitive performance, sleep, arousal, movement, and visual information processing. Recently, compelling evidence has mounted implicating ChAt in schizophrenia. In particular, studies have identified significant reductions in ChAt activity in the nucleus accumbens and pontine tegmentum of such patients, which furthermore correlate significantly with measures of cognitive performance in the disorder. Similarly, elevated levels of choline, the acetylcholine precursor, have been identified among patients, implicating altered ChAt activity in these individuals. We sought to investigate the potential contribution of three ChAt gene polymorphisms in schizophrenia, and uncovered evidence for significant association between one of these, rs1880676G/A, and disease susceptibility among Basque individuals (genotypewise chi(2) = 20.7, P = 0.00003; allelewise chi(2) = 10.1, P = 0.002). A similar trend for association with susceptibility was observed for a second SNP, rs3810950G/A, (genotypwise chi(2) = 6.4, P = 0.05; allelewise chi(2) = 3.75, P = 0.05). Evidence was also uncovered for a potential influence of these polymorphisms on olanzapine treatment outcome among Spanish patients (F-statistic = 5.02, P = 0.03; F-statistic = 6.53, P = 0.02 respectively), and on improvements in positive symptoms in the case of rs3810950 (F-statistic = 5.3, P = 0.03) and general psychopathology in the case of rs1880676 and rs3810950 (F-statistic = 5.24, P = 0.03; F-statistic = 5.31, P = 0.03 respectively) during therapy. While more comprehensive studies are warranted to determine the precise contribution of ChAt mediated mechanisms in schizophrenia, our findings tentatively implicate a genetic influence of ChAt in the disorder's susceptibility and treatment.     

Analysis of Connective Tissue Progenitor Cell Behavior on Polydimethylsiloxane Smooth and Channel Micro-Textures

Growth of human connective tissue progenitor cells (CTPs) was characterized on smooth and microtextured polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) surfaces. Human bone marrow derived cells were cultured for nine days under conditions promoting osteoblastic differentiation on Smooth PDMS and PDMS Channel microtextures (11 m high, 45 m wide channels, and separated by 5 m wide ridges). Glass tissue culture dish surfaces were used as controls. Cell numbers per colony, cell density within colonies, alignment of cells, area of colonies, and colony shapes were determined as a function of substrate surface topography. An alkaline phosphatase stain was used as a marker for osteoblastic phenotype. CTPs attached, proliferated, and differentiated on all surfaces with cell process lengths of up to 80 m. Cells on the Smooth PDMS and control surfaces spread and proliferated as colonies in proximity to other cells and migrated in random directions creating colonies that covered significantly larger areas (0.96 and 1.05 mm², respectively) than colonies formed on PDMS Channel textures (0.64 mm²). In contrast, cells on PDMS Channel textures spread, proliferated, aligned along the channel axis, and created colonies that were more dense, and with lengths of longest colony axes that were significantly longer (3252 m) than those on the Smooth PDMS (1265 m) and control surfaces (1319 m). Cells on PDMS Channel textures were aligned at an angle of 14.44° relative to the channel axis, and the resulting colonies exhibited a significantly higher aspect ratio (13.72) compared to Smooth PDMS (1.57) and control surfaces (1.51).     

Effect of rotational alignment on patellar tracking in total knee arthroplasty

Forty-four consecutive patients (65 knees) who underwent identical condylar type total knee arthroplasty were evaluated retrospectively. In 22 of the patients (32 knees), the femoral component was set parallel to the posterior condylar axis (neutrally aligned group). In the remaining 22 patients (33 knees), it was set in an external rotation position of 3 degrees to 5 degrees relative to the axis (externally aligned group). Of the total knee arthroplasties in the neutrally aligned group, 34% required lateral release, compared with only 6% in the externally aligned group; patellar tracking in the externally aligned group was significantly better than that in the neutrally aligned group. Postoperative measurements performed using computed tomography scans showed that the mean angle between the prosthetic posterior condylar axis and the transepicondylar axis was 7.9 degrees in the neutrally aligned group and 3.2 degrees in the externally aligned group. The external rotation setting of the femoral component diminished the need for lateral retinacular release and may decrease the rate of patellofemoral complications that occur after total knee arthroplasty.