Because of its persistence and toxicological profile, beta-hexachlorocyclohexane (beta-HCH) has been proposed for inclusion in the Stockholm Convention on persistent organic pollutants (POPs). Although the use of technical HCH, which is the primary source of beta-HCH in the environment, has been banned in the EU in 1978 and progressively at a global level, beta-HCH is still detectable in the ge...

A new approach for the removal of the pesticide lindane (gamma-hexachlorocyclohexane or gamma-HCH) makes use of catalytic reduction of HCH to benzene over a metal catalyst, namely Pd(0). Since specific surface area plays an important role in reactivity of catalysts, this study investigated the use of bioPd(0), i.e. nano-scale Pd(0) particles precipitated on the biomass of Shewanella oneidensis,...

Hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH), a synthetic organochloride, was first used as a broad-acre insecticide in the 1940s, and many HCH-degrading bacterial strains have been isolated from around the globe during the last 20 years. To date, the same degradation pathway (the lin pathway) has been implicated in all strains characterized, although the pathway has only been characterized intensively in two s...

The effect of prefeeding of dehydrated E. officinalis (amla) powder at 5 and 10% levels on hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH)-induced changes in multicomponent antioxidant system and lipid peroxides in rat liver was studied. HCH induced significant elevation in hepatic malondialdehyde, conjugated dienes and hydroperoxides. The prefeeding of amla at 10% level could decrease the formation of these lipid...

Hypochondroplasia (HCH) is an autosomal dominant condition characterised by short stature, micromelia, and lumbar lordosis. In a series of 29 HCH probands (13 sporadic cases, 16 familial cases), we tested their DNA for the N540K recurrent mutation previously described in the proximal tyrosine kinase domain of the FGFR3 gene on chromosome 4p16.3, and we detected this mutation in 21/29 HCH patien...

Sphingomonas paucimobilis UT26 utilizes gamma-hexachlorocyclohexane (gamma-HCH) as a sole source of carbon and energy. In our previous study, we cloned and characterized genes that are involved in the conversion of gamma-HCH to maleylacetate (MA) via chlorohydroquinone (CHQ) in UT26. In this study, we identified and characterized an MA reductase gene, designated linF, that is essential for the ...

background: hypothyroidism (ht), a relatively common condition among general population is associated with lipid profile abnormalities. the present study was designed to determine the contributive role of ht in the development of hypercholesterolemia (hch). methods: one hundred thirty six consecutive patients with ht and 272 euthyroid controls entered the study. serum total cholesterol (ch) lev...

BACKGROUND Here we report specific activities of all seven naturally occurring LinA variants towards three different isomers, α, γ and δ, of a priority persistent pollutant, hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH). Sequence-structure-function differences contributing to the differences in their stereospecificity for α-, γ-, and δ-HCH and enantiospecificity for (+)- and (-)-α -HCH are also discussed. METH...

Fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 (FGFR3) is the only gene known to cause achondroplasia (ACH), hypochondroplasia (HCH), and thanatophoric dysplasia types I and II (TD I and TD II). A second, as yet unidentified, gene also causes HCH. In this study, we used sequencing analysis to determine the frequency of FGFR3 mutations for each phenotype in 324 cases from the International Skeletal Dysplas...