It is estimated that four million people in the United Kingdom have either osteo arthritis or rheumatoid arthritis. With the extension in lifespan seen in recent decades, the number is thought to be increasing. Many of the above will be treated with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Lithium has been proven to be useful in the prophylaxis of affective disorders. It is also used in refractor...

Understanding the toxicity of chemicals to organisms requires considering the molecular mechanisms involved as well as the relationships between exposure concentration and toxic effects with time. Our current knowledge about such relationships is mainly explained from a toxicodynamic and toxicokinetic perspective. This paper re-introduces an old approach that takes into account the biochemical ...

OBJECTIVE To determine the contribution of 7,8-methylenedioxylycoctonine (MDL)-type alkaloids to the toxic effects of tall larkspur (Delphinium spp) consumption in cattle. ANIMALS Sixteen 2-year-old Angus steers. PROCEDURES Plant material from 3 populations of tall larkspur that contained different concentration ratios of MDL-type-to-N-(methylsuccinimido) anthranoyllycoctonine (MSAL)-type a...

Blooms of toxic cyanobacteria are becoming increasingly frequent, mainly due to water quality degradation. This work applied qPCR as a tool for early warning of microcystin(MC)-producer cyanobacteria and risk assessment of water supplies. Specific marker genes for cyanobacteria, Microcystis and MC-producing Microcystis, were quantified to determine the genotypic composition of the natural Micro...

We investigated the accumulation and adverse effects of toxic and non-toxic Microcystis in the edible clam Corbicula leana. Treated clams were exposed to toxic Microcystis at 100 μg of MC (microcystin)-LReq L-1 for 10 days. The experimental organism was then placed in toxin-free water and fed on non-toxic Microcystis for the following 10 days for depuration. Filtering rates (FRs) by C. leana of...

Background: Persian Gulf is a semi-closed environment which is affected by pollution ‎from heavy metals. Entrance of heavy metals to the water column and binding to ‎sediment particles can affect the benthic organisms that can accumulate these ‎materials in their body. Noticing this ability, mussels are considered as bio-monitoring ‎agents.‎ Methods: The pearl oyster, Pinctada radiate, and sed...

background: suicide is a problem worldwide and occupation is an important risk factor. in the last decade, 55 200 deaths in the us were attributed to occupational risk factors. objective: to determine if toxic metal exposure was associated with suicide risk among paducah gaseous diffusion plant (pgdp) workers. methods: we assembled a cohort of 6820 nuclear industry workers employed from 1952 to...

Concentration-dependent effects of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), 2,3,4,7,8-pentachlorodibenzofuran (PeCDF), and 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzofuran (TCDF) on cytochrome P4501A (CYP1A) induction were determined in primary cultures of embryonic herring gull (Larus argentatus) hepatocytes exposed for 24 h. Based on the concentration that induced 50% of the maximal response (EC50), the re...

While cisplatin (CP) is still one of the world's bestselling anticancer drugs, its intravenous administration is inherently associated with severe, dose limiting toxic side-effects. Although the molecular basis of the latter are not well understood, biochemical transformations of CP in blood and the interaction of the generated platinum species with plasma proteins likely play a critical role s...

background: the trace element copper has been identified as a highly toxic element for sperm. it is known to affect sperm motility in humans and experimental implantation of copper in the epididymis vas deferens and scrotum of mammals has been demonstrated to affect fertility detrimentally. objective: sperm concentration motility vitality and morphology are parameters used to evaluate potential...