- الرئيسية
- وقائع المؤتمر
- QScience Proceedings
- وقائع المؤتمر
Sixth International Conference on Environmental Mutagens in Human Populations
- تاريخ المؤتمر: 26-29 Mar 2012
- الموقع: Qatar National Convention Center, Doha, Qatar
- رقم المجلد: 2012
- المنشور: ٠١ مارس ٢٠١٢
41 - 60 of 107 نتائج
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Establishing a Toxins in Desert Environments (TIDE) Network in Qatar
المؤلفون: Renee RicherAbstractObjectives: To establish a forum to discuss issues and share information related to research on Toxins in Desert Environments (TIDE network). Methods: We will solicit researchers, students, educators, and dignitaries who have published and studied desert toxins or have expressed an interest in toxins and deserts, to join a network to encourage research and an understanding of toxins in desert environments. We will target a variety of disciplines, including microbiology, zoology, botany, chemistry, anthropology, sociology, and toxicology. We will establish an interactive website to facilitate communication and hold a yearly workshop and conference in Qatar to build networking capacity and promote the network. The conference will be a three-day event including a keynote speaker and a guided field trip. Results: Topics will include information, and showcase current research and future needs for education and research on a variety of toxins as it relates to plants, animals, and people in desert environments. Human and ecosystem health will be an important focus of this group and attempts at protection and remediation will be discussed. This network will encourage and promote researchers interested in desert environments and natural and man-made toxins. Participants will liaise with other researchers and educators and foster links to maximize resources and disseminate information. Conclusions: The goal will be to cross disciplines and broaden discussions to develop a network of scientists, create international interest in the region and involve local scientists, students, and dignitaries. The desire is to establish Qatar as a center for research concerning a wide range of natural and anthropogenic toxins found in desert environments. The TIDE network will promote research, conservation and public outreach, and be a center to support scientists, students and media. The network will benefit the State of Qatar locally, but it will also draw international attention to the facilities and opportunities present, while protecting the citizens of Qatar from the potential adverse effects of toxins.
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Genotoxic Evaluation of Occupational Exposure to Antineoplastic Agents and its Association with Polymorphisms of Enzymes Involved in DNA Repair
المؤلفون: Andrés Felipe Aristizábal PachónAbstractThe increased use of combined chemotherapy in the management of different kinds of neoplasms allows us to question the adverse biological effects of occupational exposure to antineoplastic drugs, and generate studies to visualize the potential toxicity of these substances on the affected staff. Over the last few years, several reports have provided evidence about the increased presence of abortions, malformations and risk of diseases like cancer in the hospital staff responsible for the preparation and administration of these drugs. For that reason it becomes necessary to implement new methodologies to assess the genotoxic potential of these substances. Because of its sensitivity to detect mainly single chain ruptures and al-alkali labile sites in individual cells, the alkaline comet essay is an inexpensive and rapid method to evaluate the effects of these substances on the DNA of occupationally exposed staff. The aim of this study was to evaluate DNA damage in a population of individuals employed in oncology units in the city of Bogotá, Colombia and compare it with a control group. Due to genetic variants possibly determining the response to DNA damage we studied the possible effect of polymorphisms of repair genes XRCC1 and XRCC3 on damage levels of genetic material. Some characteristics and confounding factors such as age, gender, alcohol consumption, smoking, and exercise routines were also taken into account. Peripheral blood samples were obtained from 40 people between exposed workers and people from the control group. The comet essay was performed using isolated lymphocytes, for which the samples were embedded in agarose and placed on a glass slide; then they were exposed to lysis with detergent solution and finally subjected to an electric current with an alkaline buffer. The genotyping for XRCC1 and XRCC3 genes was performed by PCR-RFLP. Compared with those of the control group, partial results of exposed personnel evaluations show a significant increase in DNA damage. No influence of age, gender or time exposure was observed on the results of the comet essay. The presence of the XRCC1 polymorphism was associated with the increase of genotoxic effects of these substances, generating a greater individual susceptibility to the undesirable effect of dangerous agents. The results suggest that occupational exposure to antineoplastic drugs without the appropriate security measures can be a high risk to human health.
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Prevention of Waterborne Disease: translating Research into Public Health Policy
المؤلفون: Paul HunterAbstractWaterborne disease is a major contributor to the disease burden globally, causing substantial morbidity and mortality. Whilst of most of this burden of disease falls on the very young in the poorest countries, outbreaks of waterborne disease continue to affected wealthy nations. The main influencing agency in public health policy globally is the World Health Organization (WHO). Although WHO has no statutory or legislative power with regard to water safety and the prevention of waterborne disease, the guidance documents it publishes has a major impact on national legislation throughout the world with many countries simply transposing WHO guidance directly into law. This presentation considers how scientific advice may influence WHO guidance. Initially, we will consider the nature and strength of medical and public health scientific evidence, particularly focusing on the strengths and weaknesses of expert opinion and systematic review. Systematic reviews are potentially powerful tools for summarising scientific evidence. However, as with all tools they can be misused. Furthermore, even when properly conducted, it is still not always possible to translate such reviews directly into policy. We will then consider the issue of uncertainty in the scientific evidence. Some such uncertainties can be quantified, but others cannot. The precautionary principle is often heralded as the most appropriate approach to take in such issue but this leaves the question of how unlikely a risk or costly an intervention needs to be before this is set aside. One of the key issues regarding the formulation of good policy is the influence of political lobbying. Probably the most dramatic evidence of such lobbying comes for the disclosure concerning the activities of the tobacco industry which systematically abused the scientific evidence to prevent and delay public health interventions. Perhaps a modern day example of this is the political manoeuvring over the Climate Change issue. However, lobbying is not always one- sided and other lobby groups may push for public health interventions that are not warranted. The issues will be illustrated with recourse to two case studies, one centring on Household Water Treatment and the other on the issue of the health benefits of Magnesium in drinking water. A strategic approach to incorporating scientific evidence into public health policy formulation will be set out that will include approaches such as the GRADE scheme to quantify the strength of scientific evidence and cope with uncertainty in the evidence base.
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What Causes Seasonal Variation in Disease Prevalence and Rapid Evolutionary Changes in Virulence Mycoplasma gallisepticum?
المؤلفون: Andre DhondtAbstractBackground: Mycoplasma gallisepticum is a widespread bacterial pathogen that is economically important in poultry. A novel strain, causing severe conjunctivitis in wild passerines, emerged in 1994, and spread rapidly across eastern North America. In house finches the pathogen causes severe conjunctivitis. As the epidemic spread through the eastern (introduced) part of the finch’s range it caused massive declines in host abundance. In 2002 it successfully spread to the western (native) range of the host. There it spread much more slowly and disease prevalence and effects on host abundance are much lower than in the east. Mycoplasmal conjunctivitis in house finches is a system with strong seasonal variation: conjunctivitis prevalence is minimal (often zero) during the breeding season (April July); In late summer and fall, prevalence increases gradually reaching a maximum in October to November. In December, prevalence reaches a new low, followed by a second smaller peak in late February and early March, after which prevalence returns to the breeding season minimum. The objective was to 1. determine the factors driving seasonal variation in disease prevalence, and test the hypothesis that relapse of recovered individuals can be the origin of fall epidemics; and 2. determine factors driving changes in virulence once the disease is established. In the first study, birds not previously exposed to Mycoplasma gallisepticum were held in large aviaries. After one individual had been inoculated and horizontal transmission had caused all birds in the group to be exposed, birds recovered and were allowed to breed. In September naïve juveniles were added to the group and to test if the recovered adults would infect them. In March, when disease prevalence was declining naturally, Mycoplasma gallisepticum was reintroduced in the flock. In the second study, birds were sequentially exposed with two Mycoplasma gallisepticum strains that differed in virulence to test for cross‐immunity between strains. The first result showed n naive juveniles added to a flock of asymptomatic, fully recovered adults became infected with Mycoplasma gallisepticum showing that previously‐exposed, recovered and asymptomatic individuals can be the source of a new epidemic. The introduction of Mycoplasma gallisepticum in March, when in the wild disease prevalence is low to zero, caused a new outbreak whereby previously exposed and recovered individuals relapsed. The second result showed that after recovery individuals reinfected with a more virulent strain became very sick, while individuals reinfected with a less virulent strain were resistant to reinfection. We drew two conclusions from the study. First, that asymptomatic individuals can be the source of a new outbreak. The introduction of the pathogen in recovered groups is sufficient to cause a new disease outbreak. Seasonality in outbreaks is most likely tightly linked to seasonal variation in bird movements and behavior, rather than with external seasonal drivers. Secondly, in this system there exists partial cross‐immunity, whereby more virulent strains are able to cause disease in individuals recovered from a previous infection with a less virulent one. This result has two implications. First partial cross‐immunity selects for more virulent strains in nature. Second, incomplete vaccination would also cause an increase in pathogen virulence, which might have implications for vaccination strategies in humans.
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Effect of TiO2 Nanoparticles in Human Cells from Healthy Individuals and Patients with Respiratory Diseases
المؤلفون: Diana AndersonAbstractNanotechnology has preceded nanotoxicology and little is known of the effects of nanoparticles in human systems, let alone in diseased individuals. Therefore, the effects of titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles in peripheral blood lymphocytes from patients with respiratory diseases (lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma) were compared with those in healthy Individuals to determine differences in sensitivity to insult from nanoparticles. Ethical permission was obtained to collect peripheral blood lymphocytes from respiratory disease patients and healthy individuals. The Comet assay was performed according to guidelines recommended by Tice et al (1). The micronucleus assay was conducted according to Fenech (2) and ras oncoprotein detection according to Anderson et al (3). The means of Olive tail moments and % tail DNA in peripheral blood lymphocytes were compared in the Comet assay after treatment for 30 minutes with different non-cytotoxic TiO2 concentrations (10, 30 and 50 µg/ml), as well as the negative control of untreated lymphocytes and the positive control of 80 µM (2.72 µg/ml) H2O2 . The results showed statistically significant concentration–dependent DNA damaging effects of TiO2 in both respiratory patient and healthy control groups. In the micronucleus (CBMN) assay, micronuclei (MN) per 1000 binucleated cells of healthy controls, lung cancer, COPD and asthma patients were examined after treatment of blood cultures with two different TiO2 concentrations (5 and 10µg/ml), as well as the negative control of untreated blood cultures and the positive control of 0.4 µM MMC. There was an increase in micronuclei without statistical significance when compared with the untreated control of the patients, but with significance when compared with the negative control of healthy individuals. Furthermore, when modulation of ras p21 expression was investigated, regardless of TiO2 treatment, only lung cancer and COPD patients expressed measurable ras p21 levels.
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Environmental Determinants of Malaria Transmission in Africa
المؤلفون: Eltahir EltahirAbstractA new mechanistic and spatially-explicit model of hydrological and entomological processes that lead to malaria transmission has been developed recently at MIT. This unique model was tested against field observations from Africa. HYDREMATS (Hydrology, Entomology, and Malaria Transmission Simulator) is described in (Bomblies, Duchemin, and Eltahir, WRR, 44, 2008). HYDREMATS is suitable for low cost screening of environmental management interventions, and for studying the impact of climate change on malaria transmission. Examples of specific applications will be presented for two villages from Niger in Africa.
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Insects as model animals to examine the harmful effects of agricultural pesticides on the environment
المؤلفون: Aurora M CastillaAbstractChanges in modern agricultural practice have allowed an increased production of fertilizers, herbicides and other pesticides causing important negative effects on the environment worldwide. Organic fertilizers are also extensively applied to agricultural lands, but they can contain bacteria and a large variety of microbial communities and parasites that can be rather pathogenic for wildlife. Also, because trace elements are often added to poultry diets to increase resistance to diseases of farm animals, poultry litter can also contain trace elements which are potentially toxic to living systems when present in high concentrations. We have examined experimentally the effect of commonly used mixtures of organic and mineral fertilizers and herbicides on the mortality of insects. Mealworms of Tenebrio molitor (n = 300) were exposed for four weeks to four different treatments: organic liquid fertilizer (pig manure), organic solid fertilizer (turkey litter), mineral fertilizer (nitrates), and herbicides (a mixture of glyphosate and 2, 4-D). After four weeks in direct contact with all treatments, mealworm mortality ranged from 74 percent to 88 percent. Surprisingly, control mealworms placed in the same room with the other treatments also experienced high mortality (72 percent) while mortality of control-isolated mealworms was low (eight percent), suggesting that volatile compounds from tested products can be noxious to insects. Our results also indicate that more individuals escaped from the herbicides and nitrate treatments than from the others, suggesting some kind of behavioural avoidance of toxic environments. The traditional organic fertilizers appear to be less toxic than inorganic fertilizers for the species studied. Organic fertilizers from farms should be adequately treated before being dispersed into the environment. Also, mineral fertilizers and herbicides should be used with moderation and well in the prescribed proportions to reduce their damage to the environment.
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The Relevance of the Deer as an Animal Model for Studying the Contaminant Effect on Early Embryo Development
المؤلفون: Olga García-ÁlvarezAbstractNowadays, environmental contaminants are a ubiquitous part of the ecological scenario, as is the ability of many of these chemicals to alter embryo development. There is therefore a need for researching and clarifying the effects of contaminants during different phases of early embryo development in humans. The use of alternative animal models may provide new insights into research on human embryo development, and the Iberian red deer may be a viable option. The main advantage of this animal model is the availability of samples which have not been sacrificed for this purpose, as we have access to samples (mature spermatozoa and oocytes) from animals killed during hunting activities. Therefore, our aim was to optimize the system that allows us to carry out in vitro fertilization (IVF) in deer, to then assess the effect of different contaminants on embryonic development. The aim of this work was to test two different oxygen concentrations (5 percent or 20 percent) on the in vitro fertilization. We have also assessed the addition, or not, of fetal calf serum (FCS) during embryo culture after IVF. Ovaries and testicles were transported to the laboratory at 20 ºC. Oocytes were matured in TCM 199 supplemented with 10 percent foetal calf serum, 100 mM cysteamine and 10 µgmL-1 FSH and LH during 24 h with 20 percent CO2. Matured oocytes were inseminated with thawed epididymal spermatozoa during 18 h at 38.5ºC with 5 percent or 20 percent O2.The presumptive embryos were cultured with synthetic oviductal fluid (SOF) supplemented with FCS at 0 hour, at 2 days post insemination (d.p.i.), 4 d.p.i. and without FCS at 38.5ºC with 5 percent CO2. Our results showed that treatment rendering best results for cleavage and blastocyst rates included five percent oxygen and embryo culture without fetal calf serum, as these conditions are quite similar to those used in human IVF. In conclusion, the optimization of the in vitro embryo development system in deer might prove useful information for the role of contaminants during this critical physiological period. Alternative animal models may contribute to advance our understanding of the effect of contaminants on early embryo development in humans.
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Maintaining Drug Quality Standards
المؤلفون: Atholl JohnstonAbstractMedicines are manufactured, sold, distributed, and dispensed across the globe today, bringing enormous benefits for patients. However, this globalisation has also increased the spread and prevalence of medicines that are unsafe or may be ineffective. Substandard medicines, according to the WHO, are “products whose composition and ingredients do not meet the correct scientific specifications and which are consequently ineffective and often dangerous to the patient”. Substandard drugs are able to gain approval in countries that do not have robust regulatory standards for drug quality. Legitimate generic medicines meet accepted regulatory standards, typically through bioequivalence evaluation with rigorous identity and quality testing verified by a stringent regulatory evaluation process. These quality drugs provide a vital and cost-effective way to meet the pharmaceutical needs of patients around the world. Substandard medicines can arise due to the lack of scientific expertise of the manufacturer, problems with the manufacturing processes and/or quality and testing system deficiencies. The negative consequences of substandard drugs are serious and can contribute to significant mortality and morbidity due to treatment failure, toxicity or promotion of drug resistance. The theoretical scientific concerns regarding comparability between different versions of drugs containing the same active ingredient (originator, generic or substandard) have been borne out in investigations of the purity and clinical performance of specific copies relative to the originator drug. These studies can reveal insight into the extent to which substandard drugs have become available around the world and the impact they can have on healthcare. This presentation will present an overview of the healthcare issues that arise due to substandard drugs. The presentation will give examples of clinical and technical issues that give rise to substandard drugs and the potential impact of these formulations on individual patients and healthcare systems.
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Health Impact of Substandard Medicines in the Developing World: Risk of Genotoxic Impurities
المؤلفون: Azeddine ElhajoujiAbstractSubstandard medicines are becoming a global concern that is particularly endemic in developing countries. According to the WHO Substandard medicines are genuine drugs produced by legitimate manufacturers which do not meet the recognized quality and purity standards. A substandard drug is a medicine that does not meet specifications necessary to ensure quality, efficacy and safety; has not demonstrated bioequivalence to the originator; or does not have sufficient evidence to demonstrate originator data can be referenced. In general the substandard drugs are copies of medicines that have been approved in countries with limited regulatory standards and thus might not be made to high quality standards or be sufficiently tested to be approved in countries with more stringent regulatory standards and controls, eg, US, EU, Japan, and Australia. The synthesis of pharmaceutical products frequently involves the use of reactive reagents and the formation of intermediates and by-products. Low levels of some of these may be present in the final drug substance and/or drug product as impurities resulting either from the synthesis process or from degradation. Such chemically reactive impurities may have the potential for unwanted toxicities including genotoxicity and carcinogenicity. So, besides not providing any benefit to patients they may, if not tightly controlled, be hazardous. The pharmaceutical industry and the regulatory agencies (e.g. US-FDA, EMA) recognize their respective obligation to limit specifically genotoxic impurities. Therefore, substantial efforts are made during development to control all impurities at safe concentrations. Control of impurities in the drug substance and degradants in drug product are addressed in the respective ICH Quality Guidelines. Justification of limits per these ICH guidelines is normally based on the qualification of batches of the active pharmaceutical ingredient including its impurities in pivotal toxicity studies that include genetic toxicology tests. According to current regulatory practice it is assumed that genotoxic compounds with a direct interaction with DNA have the potential to damage DNA at any level of exposure and that such damage may lead/contribute to tumor development. Therefore the use of poor quality and potentially harmful substandard medicines especially with high levels of genotoxic impurities could lead to therapeutic failure, exacerbation of disease, resistance to medicines and sometimes death.
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Genomic Alterations in Non-Cancer Diseases
المؤلفون: Silvio De FloraAbstractIn spite of their multitude and obvious clinical diversities, cancer and other chronic degenerative diseases may share common risk factors and protective factors as well as common pathogenetic determinants, such as DNA damage and repair, epigenetic events, oxidative stress, and chronic inflammation. We applied the same biomarkers that are usually exploited in cancer research to investigate genomic and post-genomic alterations occurring during critical periods of life, such as pregnancy, the perinatal period, and aging. Molecular and cellular alterations were detected in cancers associated with chronic viral infections, physical agents, individual chemicals or complex mixtures, as well as in other chronic diseases, including atherosclerosis, degenerative heart diseases, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, skin alopecia, ocular diseases, and neurodegenerative disorders. Not only DNA damage and repair but also alterations of the microtubule-associated protein tau, which are involved in Alzheimer’s disease, were detected in cigarette smoke-related neurodegeneration. The proliferation rate is the main factor that affects the possible evolution towards a given disease. In fact, the aforementioned pathogenetic mechanisms may evolve (a) into cancer when they occur in highly proliferating cells, (b) into atherosclerotic plaques when they occur in the smooth muscle cells of the artery medium layer, and (c) into genuinely degenerative diseases when they occur in perennial, postmitotic cells, such as cardiac myocytes and neurons, being thus associated with cardiomyopathies and neurodegenerative diseases, respectively.
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Environmental Mutagenesis In Cardiovascular and Eye Diseases
المؤلفون: Alberto IzzottiAbstractTo check the pathogenic role of exposure to mutagens in cardiovascular and eye disease we examined molecular damages in affected subjects. 107 atherosclerotic patients were tested for molecular alterations in aorta specimens and molecular biomarkers evaluated for their prognostic value in a 15-year follow up. Mitochondrial damage (mitochondrial DNA common deletion 4977 bp) and oxidative DNA damage (8-oxo-dG), detected at very high level in atherosclerotic aorta, were significantly related with patients survival. Physical activity dramatically decreased these biomarkers, improving survival, although with a remarkable inter-individual variability. Indeed, preventive effects of physical activity were mainly detected in patients bearing double GSTM/T homozygous deletion, which have a 3.6-year survival only in case of being sedentary while a 9.7-year survival in case of being physically active (a 30-minute walk a day). Dealing with ocular diseases, we analyzed 73 patients affected by glaucoma, the most common cause of irreversible blindness worldwide, as compared to 158 unaffected controls for the occurrence of molecular damage in the ocular trabecular meshwork, the tissue regulating aqueous humor outflow. Oxidative nuclear DNA (8-oxo-dG) and mitochondrial DNA damage (mitochondrial DNA common deletion 4977 bp) were consistently detected and tightly related with clinical variables, including intraocular pressure increase and visual field defects. Mitochondrial damage in trabecular meshwork results in apoptosis activation and cell loss, as demonstrated by proteome analysis of aqueous humor. On a comparative basis with iris and cornea, trabecular meshwork resulted to be the most sensitive tissue of the ocular anterior chamber to oxidative damage when ocular tissues collected from corneal donors were challenged with hydrogen peroxide. In the same experimental system we demonstrated that beta blockers and carbonic anhydrase inhibitor drugs, commonly used in glaucoma therapy, are able to attenuate DNA and mitochondrial damage as induced by reactive oxygen species in trabecular meshwork. These studies provide experimental evidence that molecular damage as induced by exogenous and endogenous mutagens play a pathogenic role in cardiovascular and ocular diseases by inducing nuclear and mitochondrial DNA damage.
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Association Between the Environmental Risk Factors and Chinese Male Semen Quality
المؤلفون: Jia CaoAbstractIn order to analyze the trend of change in semen quality of Chinese healthy men over recent 25 years, a total of 115 reports were collected on quality inspection of semen of healthy Chinese men between 1985-2009 through literature search. This involved 23,126 people from 69 counties and cities in China. The results indicated that the semen concentration of healthy Chinese men appears in possible decline over the last 25 years (P < 0.05). A cross-sectional study in our group was performed to evaluate the semen quality of 1346 healthy men residing in Chongqing area of south-west China in 2007. We analyzed urinary levels of PAHs and PAEs metabolites and assessed semen quality, sperm DNA damage, and sperm apoptosis in 232 men from the population. The data indicates that the environmental level of PAH exposure is associated with increased sperm DNA damage, but not in the semen quality. These findings suggest that exposure to PAHs may disrupt the genetic integrity of sperm and thereby interfere with Chinese male fertility. Meanwhile, we observed weak associations between MBP of PAE metabolites and sperm concentration in Chongqing general population. This suggested that the Chinese general population exposure to the environmental level of PAEs may cause a reduction in sperm concentration. We observed no significant association between other phthalates and reproductive biomarkers suggested that phthalates may vary in their reproductive toxicity.
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Induction of Germ-cell Mutations by Particulate Air Pollutants
المؤلفون: Carole YaukAbstractThe particulate component of urban air pollution contains many compounds that are genotoxic and carcinogenic. Anthropogenic particulates are primarily derived from vehicle and power plant emissions, and various industrial sources. Particulates contain polycyclic aromatic compounds and metals that are known to be either directly or indirectly mutagenic through the creation of DNA adducts and oxidative stress. Although the regulation of acceptable levels of exposure to air pollution are primarily based on cardiopulmonary effects, data from our lab suggest that germ cells are a highly sensitive cell type that are responsive to low levels of particulate air pollution exposure. DNA damage in germ cells can lead to heritable mutations that may result in a wide variety of detrimental outcomes, from embryonic lethality to genetic disease in the offspring. Thus, hazards to germ cells are critically important to evaluate in the context of the health of future generations. Work in our laboratory examines the genetic and epigenetic consequences of parental exposure to particulate air pollutants on their gametes and their unexposed descendants. Our work applies highly unstable repetitive elements in the genome to measure induced mutation in pedigrees or sperm samples of mice. These studies have demonstrated that exposure to various sources of particulate air pollutants cause DNA mutations at repetitive sites in the germline that are inherited. Exposure of male mice to air pollutants leads to increased DNA strand breaks, DNA mutations and altered DNA methylation in sperm. Exposure of male in utero to diesel exhaust particles causes an increase in inherited mutation in their unexposed descendants. Mice exposed to both mainstream and sidestream tobacco smoke at environmentally relevant levels show similar increases in mutation frequency, above those doses leading to induction of somatic mutation. The data demonstrate that particles derived from combustion cause mutation in gametes, possibly mediated by epigenetic events. The mechanisms linking particle exposure and inherited mutation remain elusive but are the subject of research in our laboratory.
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Privacy and Ethics in Human Biomarker Studies
المؤلفون: Ludwine CasteleynAbstractHuman biomarker studies support the understanding and prevention of environmentally induced adverse health effects. However, using human samples and data related to human health raises sensitive issues related to ethics and privacy and is subject to various regulations/rules. Overall emphasis is primarily on decisional autonomy and protection of individual rights. The collective need to protect health as a public asset is less valued. The question is whether study subjects are adequately and equally protected in current practices and whether progress in environmental health research is still safeguarded. Scientific needs have to be balanced with rights of study subjects. At the same time samples and data should be used at maximum to the benefit of all, which might include secondary uses of samples/data. Decision making processes should take into account respect for human dignity and equality of moral status of all individuals, social justice, solidarity and democratic participation as appealing values and useful complements to the four conventional bioethical principles. Trust and confidence are needed to promote voluntary participation in studies. An adequate communication at all stages of the study is of key importance.
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Establishment of Ethical Research Committees in Developing Countries
المؤلفون: Wagida AnwarAbstractThe majority of biomedical research has been predominantly motivated by concern for the benefit of the communities. Therefore, establishment of Research Ethics committees is essential for communicating bioethical issues and ethical perspectives when we are carrying out Genetic Toxicology research. These committees need to follow the international standards and to set up guidelines to follow to evaluate the research projects. International guidelines can assist in strengthening the capacity for the ethical review of biomedical research in all countries contributes. The ethical and scientific standards for carrying out biomedical research on human subjects have been developed and established in international guidelines, including the Declaration of Helsinki, the CIOMS International Ethical Guidelines for Biomedical Research Involving Human Subjects, and the WHO and ICH Guidelines for Good Clinical Practice. Compliance with these guidelines helps to ensure that the dignity, rights, safety, and wellbeing of research participants are promoted and that the results of the investigations are credible. Ethical and scientific review of biomedical research is required alongside informed consent as essential measures to protect the individual person and the communities who participate in research. Biomedical research includes genetic toxicology research, research on pharmaceuticals, medical devices, medical radiation and imaging, surgical procedures, medical records, and biological samples, as well as epidemiological, social, and psychological investigations. As an example, in Egypt, the Ministry of Higher Education created The Egyptian National Bioethics Committee (NBC) in 1996. The mission of the committee is to serve as the international contact organization for bioethics, especially with regard to the communication with the UNESCO. It gives advice to and cooperates with the other Egyptian committees that deal with bioethical issues and raise awareness for bioethical questions in Egypt. The committee has established working groups, for medical and pharmaceutical applications, for food and agricultural applications, and for information. It sees itself as counterpart of the International Bioethics Committee (IBC) of the UNESCO. The NBC has issued reports on conducting biological and medical research, on human organ transplantation, surrogate motherhood, and scientific research on gene therapy. The NBC has members with different education, e.g. medicine, agriculture, biology, law, religious and social sciences. Since the 1980s Egypt has hosted a number of regional and international conferences, dealing with bioethical questions. Furthermore, several Egyptian universities and research centers established ethical committee and they are very active in improving the quality of their performance through networking and training programs.
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Ethical Guidelines for the Use of Biological Samples in Human Research
المؤلفون: Eman SadounAbstractHuman biological materials have been, and continue to be, invaluable resources for a wide variety of research activities. Researchers and clinical investigators relay on the availability of stored human biological materials as well as the willingness of individuals to participate in research protocols by donating blood, tissue, or DNA samples to research. This ongoing process raises a number of ethical issues. This necessitates a distinct policy to facilitate proper management of these activities. The Research Department at Supreme Council of Health (SCH) has developed a policy on the use of stored data and biological samples in human research. Dr Eman Sadoun will present the SCH policy guidelines. The guidelines provided in the policy are intended to promote the goals of improving health through biomedical and environmental research while protecting the rights and welfare of those individuals who contribute to human knowledge through the donation of their biological materials. Such guidelines, while seeking to protect patient confidentiality and autonomy, are also developed to ensure that appropriate access for legitimate research purposes is maintained.
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Grey Areas, Controversies and Possibilities in Ethical Review of Environmental Health Research
المؤلفون: Kip KanteloAbstractThis presentation will provide an overview of considerations facing research ethics boards and human research protection programs in the handling of environmental health research. Based on the ethical principles and regulatory requirements underlying the Qatari and American human research protections systems, the presentation will briefly examine issues such as:
- - determining what constitutes "human subjects research".
- - providing the appropriate level of review.
- - evaluating risks and benefits.
- - showing due respect to subjects.
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Environmental Impact Assessment: What, When, How?
المؤلفون: Mahmoud Hesham MohamedAbstractEnvironmental Impact assessment (EIA) is a term that has become widely known in both developed and developing countries. It is well-recognized that EIA talks about the process by which the environmental impacts of a project can be systematically collected, analyzed and well- presented to inform and assure a proper decision making process [1]. The measures would include air quality, water quality, soil contamination, restoration, noise pollution, and others. The activities undertaken during decision taking stages to monitor, evaluate, manage and communicate the environmental outcomes, were EIA methods, tools and techniques ranging from simple to complex, requiring different kinds of data, different data formats, and different levels of expertise for their interpretation [2]. The EIA practitioner is faced with a vast quantity of raw, and usually disorganized, information that must be collected and analyzed in preparation for an EIA report. This EIA report that accompanies the Planning Application is usually called the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), This report shows that the significant effects of a development, both positive and negative are objectively analyzed. Upon receiving this information it is determined whether the development should go ahead or not; it also helps to predict the effects and scope for reduction [3]. EIA is not only a tool for decision makers, it is also a tool for the designers and developers to ensure that they best minimize local adverse impacts and derive maximum benefits from a development with environmental enhancement [4]. This project will review the environmental Impact Assessment process, indicating how this fits in to the planning process but equally how it can be used as design guide for a factory planning and construction. The study project will address the following questions: What is an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)? When is it required? What is the process of an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)? What are the environmental, social and economic issues associated with construction developments? How do you assess them and mitigate for them? Are there any local policies and laws under town planning regulations that regulate the EIA? How does the regulatory body decide whether to grant permission? How does the regulatory body enforce any mitigation requirements following construction?.
Sponsored by the National Institutes of Health.
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DNA Ligases I and III Cooperate to Mediate Alternative Non-homologous End-joining in Vertebrates
المؤلفون: George IliakisAbstractIn eukaryotes, the three families of ATP-dependent DNA ligases are associated with specific functions in DNA metabolism. DNA ligase I (LigI) catalyzes Okazaki-fragment ligation at the replication fork and nucleotide excision repair (NER). DNA ligase IV (LigIV) mediates repair of DNA double strand breaks (DSB) via non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ). The evolutionary younger DNA ligase III (LigIII) is restricted to higher eukaryotes and has been associated with base excision (BER) and single strand break repair (SSBR). We show that in vertebrate DT40 cells, in the absence of LigI, LigIII efficiently supports semi-conservative DNA replication via an alternative DNA replication pathway, as well as NER. LigIII also supports an alternative, low efficiency, NHEJ process that operates as backup to LigIV-dependent NHEJ. Together with its exclusive and essential function in mitochondria, these observations elevate LigIII to a universal ligase, equipped to substitute or backup the functions of all other DNA ligases.
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