scholarly journals Mycotoxins Exposure of French Grain Elevator Workers: Biomonitoring and Airborne Measurements

Toxins ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 382
Author(s):  
Sophie Ndaw ◽  
Aurélie Remy ◽  
Danièle Jargot ◽  
Guillaume Antoine ◽  
Flavien Denis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Fumonisin B1 ◽  
Urine Samples ◽  
Aflatoxin M1 ◽  
Airborne Dust ◽  
Airborne Measurements ◽  
Ochratoxin Α ◽  
Occupational Settings ◽  
Post Shift ◽  
Grain Elevator

It is now recognized that additional exposure to mycotoxins may occur through inhalation of contaminated dust at a workplace. The aim of this study was to characterize the multi-mycotoxin exposure of French grain elevator workers using biomonitoring and airborne measurements. Eighteen workers participated in the study. Personal airborne dust samples were analyzed for their mycotoxin concentrations. Workers provided multiple urine samples including pre-shift, post-shift and first morning urine samples or 24 h urine samples. Mycotoxin urinary biomarkers (aflatoxin B1, aflatoxin M1, ochratoxin A, ochratoxin α, deoxynivalenol, zearalenone, α-zearalenol, β-zearalenol, fumonisin B1, HT-2 toxin and T-2 toxin) were measured using a liquid chromatography–high-resolution mass spectrometry method. Grain elevator workers were highly exposed to organic airborne dust (median 4.92 mg.m−3). DON, ZEN and FB1 were frequent contaminants in 54, 76 and 72% of air samples, respectively. The mycotoxin biomarkers quantified were DON (98%), ZEN (99%), α-ZEL (52%), β-ZEL (33%), OTA (76%), T-2 (4%) and HT-2 (4%). DON elimination profiles showed highest concentrations in samples collected after the end of the work shift and the urinary DON concentrations were significantly higher in post-shift than in pre-shift-samples (9.9 and 22.1 µg/L, respectively). ZEN and its metabolites concentrations did not vary according to the sampling time. However, the levels of α-/β-ZEL were consistent with an additional occupational exposure. These data provide valuable information on grain worker exposure to mycotoxins. They also highlight the usefulness of multi-mycotoxin methods in assessing external and internal exposures, which shed light on the extent and pathways of exposure occurring in occupational settings.

scholarly journals Investigating Multi-Mycotoxin Exposure in Occupational Settings: A Biomonitoring and Airborne Measurement Approach

Toxins ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 54
Author(s):  
Sophie Ndaw ◽  
Daniele Jargot ◽  
Guillaume Antoine ◽  
Flavien Denis ◽  
Sandrine Melin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ochratoxin A ◽  
High Resolution Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Fumonisin B1 ◽  
Enzymatic Digestion ◽  
Aflatoxin M1 ◽  
European Medicines Agency ◽  
Workplace Exposure ◽  
Small Pilot Study ◽  
Ochratoxin Α ◽  
T2 Toxin

Investigating workplace exposure to mycotoxins is of the utmost importance in supporting the implementation of preventive measures for workers. The aim of this study was to provide tools for measuring mycotoxins in urine and airborne samples. A multi-class mycotoxin method was developed in urine for the determination of aflatoxin B1, aflatoxin M1, ochratoxin A, ochratoxin α, deoxynivalenol, zearalenone, α-zearalenol, β-zearalenol, fumonisin B1, HT2-toxin and T2-toxin. Analysis was based on liquid chromatography–high resolution mass spectrometry. Sample pre-treatments included enzymatic digestion and an online or offline sample clean-up step. The method was validated according to the European Medicines Agency guidance procedures. In order to estimate external exposure, air samples collected with a CIP 10 (Capteur Individuel de Particules 10) personal dust sampler were analyzed for the quantification of up to ten mycotoxins, including aflatoxins, ochratoxin A, deoxynivalenol, zearalenone, fumonisin B1 and HT-2 toxin and T-2 toxin. The method was validated according to standards for workplace exposure to chemical and biological agents EN 482. Both methods, biomonitoring and airborne mycotoxin measurement, showed good analytical performances. They were successfully applied in a small pilot study to assess mycotoxin contamination in workers during cleaning of a grain elevator. We demonstrated that this approach was suitable for investigating occupational exposure to mycotoxins.

Interpretable machine learning model to detect chemically adulterated urine samples analyzed by high resolution mass spectrometry

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriel L. Streun ◽  
Andrea E. Steuer ◽  
Lars C. Ebert ◽  
Akos Dobay ◽  
Thomas Kraemer
Keyword(s):  
Machine Learning ◽  
Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Liquid Chromatography ◽  
High Resolution ◽  
Retention Time ◽  
Drug Testing ◽  
High Resolution Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Urine Samples ◽  
Machine Learning Model ◽  
Resolution Mass

Abstract Objectives Urine sample manipulation including substitution, dilution, and chemical adulteration is a continuing challenge for workplace drug testing, abstinence control, and doping control laboratories. The simultaneous detection of sample manipulation and prohibited drugs within one single analytical measurement would be highly advantageous. Machine learning algorithms are able to learn from existing datasets and predict outcomes of new data, which are unknown to the model. Methods Authentic human urine samples were treated with pyridinium chlorochromate, potassium nitrite, hydrogen peroxide, iodine, sodium hypochlorite, and water as control. In total, 702 samples, measured with liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry, were used. After retention time alignment within Progenesis QI, an artificial neural network was trained with 500 samples, each featuring 33,448 values. The feature importance was analyzed with the local interpretable model-agnostic explanations approach. Results Following 10-fold cross-validation, the mean sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value was 88.9, 92.0, 91.9, and 89.2%, respectively. A diverse test set (n=202) containing treated and untreated urine samples could be correctly classified with an accuracy of 95.4%. In addition, 14 important features and four potential biomarkers were extracted. Conclusions With interpretable retention time aligned liquid chromatography high-resolution mass spectrometry data, a reliable machine learning model could be established that rapidly uncovers chemical urine manipulation. The incorporation of our model into routine clinical or forensic analysis allows simultaneous LC-MS analysis and sample integrity testing in one run, thus revolutionizing this field of drug testing.

scholarly journals Development of a Sensitive and Reliable UHPLC-MS/MS Method for the Determination of Multiple Urinary Biomarkers of Mycotoxin Exposure

Toxins ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 193 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhezhe Liu ◽  
Xiaoxue Zhao ◽  
Libiao Wu ◽  
Shuang Zhou ◽  
Zhiyong Gong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Human Urine ◽  
Solid Phase ◽  
Accurate Determination ◽  
Fumonisin B1 ◽  
High Sensitivity ◽  
Human Biomonitoring ◽  
Urine Samples ◽  
Specific Method ◽  
Alternariol Monomethyl Ether

A variety of mycotoxins from different sources frequently contaminate farm products, presenting a potential toxicological concern for animals and human. Mycotoxin exposure has been the focus of attention for governments around the world. To date, biomarkers are used to monitor mycotoxin exposure and promote new understanding of their role in chronic diseases. The goal of this research was to develop and validate a sensitive UHPLC-MS/MS method using isotopically-labeled internal standards suitable for accurate determination of 18 mycotoxin biomarkers, including fumonisins, ochratoxins, Alternaria and emerging Fusarium mycotoxins (fumonisin B1, B2, and B3, hydrolyzed fumonisin B1 and B2, ochratoxin A, B, and alpha, alternariol, alternariol monomethyl ether, altenuene, tentoxin, tenuazonic acid, beauvericin, enniatin A, A1, B, and B1) in human urine. After enzymatic digestion with β-glucuronidase, human urine samples were cleaned up using HLB solid phase extraction cartridges prior to instrument analysis. The multi-mycotoxin and analyte-specific method was validated in-house, providing satisfactory results. The method provided good linearity in the tested concentration range (from LOQ up to 25–500 ng/mL for different analytes), with R2 from 0.997 to 0.999. The limits of quantitation varied from 0.0002 to 0.5 ng/mL for all analytes in urine. The recoveries for spiked samples were between 74.0% and 133%, with intra-day precision of 0.5%–8.7% and inter-day precision of 2.4%–13.4%. This method was applied to 60 urine samples collected from healthy volunteers in Beijing, and 10 biomarkers were found. At least one biomarker was found in all but one of the samples. The high sensitivity and accuracy of this method make it practical for human biomonitoring and mycotoxin exposure assessment.

scholarly journals Optimization and Comparison of Information-Dependent Acquisition (IDA) to Sequential Window Acquisition of All Theoretical Fragment Ion Spectra (SWATH) for High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry in Clinical Toxicology

2019 ◽  
Vol 65 (7) ◽  
pp. 862-870 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey D Whitman ◽  
Kara L Lynch
Keyword(s):  
Mass Spectrometry ◽  
High Resolution ◽  
Data Acquisition ◽  
High Resolution Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Limit Of Detection ◽  
Clinical Toxicology ◽  
Urine Samples ◽  
Analytical Sensitivity ◽  
High Resolution Mass ◽  
Resolution Mass

Abstract BACKGROUND Untargeted data acquisition on high-resolution mass spectrometers (HRMSs) has been used in clinical toxicology for screening and identifying unknown compounds in patient samples. A common modality for untargeted HRMS data acquisition is information-dependent acquisition (IDA), which analyzes the most abundant small molecules within an acquisition cycle. This process can potentially lead to false negatives of clinically relevant compounds at low concentrations. Sequential window acquisition of all theoretical fragment ion spectra (SWATH) has emerged as a method of unbiased, untargeted HRMS data acquisition in which no spectral data are lost. SWATH has yet to be optimized and assessed for use in clinical toxicology. METHOD We developed a variable-window SWATH method (vSWATH) and compared it to IDA by limit of detection studies in drug-supplemented urine (81 compounds) and against a retrospective cohort of 50 clinical urine samples characterized by LC-MS/MS. RESULTS vSWATH had a lower limit of detection than IDA for 33 (41%) drugs and metabolites added into urine samples. Both IDA and vSWATH were equivalent in discovering compounds from clinical urine samples and confirmed 26 additional compounds not previously discovered by targeted LC-MS/MS. Lastly, the unbiased acquisition of spectra in vSWATH allowed for identification of 5 low-abundance compounds missed by IDA. CONCLUSIONS This vSWATH method for clinical toxicology demonstrated equivalent analytical sensitivity and specificity for untargeted drug screening and identification in urine samples. vSWATH provided the additional benefit of collecting all tandem mass spectrometry spectra in a sample, which could be useful in discovering low-abundance compounds not discovered by IDA.

Screening of aflatoxin M1, a metabolite of aflatoxin B1 in human urine samples in Malaysia: A preliminary study

Food Control ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-58 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohd Redzwan Sabran ◽  
Rosita Jamaluddin ◽  
Mohd Sokhini Abdul Mutalib
Keyword(s):  
Aflatoxin B1 ◽  
Human Urine ◽  
Urine Samples ◽  
Aflatoxin M1 ◽  
Human Urine Samples ◽  
Preliminary Study

scholarly journals Survey of Urinary Aflatoxin Levels Among Residents of Makueni County, Kenya: A Follow-Up Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-76
Author(s):  
Martin Buuri ◽  
Michael Gicheru ◽  
Joshua Mutiso ◽  
Festus Mulakoli
Keyword(s):  
Food Contamination ◽  
Pathogenic Fungi ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Urine Samples ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Aflatoxin M1 ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
High Exposure ◽  
Study Participants

Although fungi are known to be less pathogenic and mostly saprophytic in their nature as compared to other groups of microbes, those that produce aflatoxin have been associated with severe human disease. An example of such disease is Aflatoxicosis caused by soil-borne pathogenic fungi of the species Aspergillus parasiticus and Aspergillus flavus. They produce a mycotoxin substance that is carcinogenic to the human liver with severe outcomes. The objective of this study was to determine urinary aflatoxin levels among the residents of Makueni County, previously affected by Aflatoxicosis. This was a cross-sectional study that involved the use of primary data collected from 106 participants. The method for data collection included a structured questionnaire and the collection of the urine samples for aflatoxin M1 analysis at Bora Biotech Laboratories LTD. The urinary levels of AFM1 were detected by use of an ELISA kit. Data was entered in SPSS and analysed through Chi-Square for the association. The study participants, including both male and female, had an age of between 15 and 91 years and with an average age of 41±18. Out of the 106 study participants, n=68 (72%) were females and n=26 (28%) were males. Majority of the study participants were with a median age of 24 years old. AFM1 levels were detected in 99.1% % of all urine samples at a range of 25-2337 pg./ml. The mean and median concentration of AFM1 in urine was 637.6 ± 512.7and 525 pg./mL, respectively. The results of this study provide information on the current situation of aflatoxin exposure. From what is evident from our study a lot needs to be done to mitigate on the long-term effect of this high exposure.  Therefore, the study encourages the concerned ministry to have a broader focus on the extent of aflatoxin food contamination from this region plus other regions across the country.

Aflatoxin Levels in Airborne Dust Generated from Contaminated Corn During Harvest and at an Elevator in 1980

1984 ◽  
Vol 67 (2) ◽  
pp. 309-312
Author(s):  
William R Burg ◽  
Odette L Shotwell
Keyword(s):  
Dust Sample ◽  
Conveyor Belt ◽  
Total Aflatoxin ◽  
Aflatoxin Level ◽  
Airborne Dust ◽  
Personal Sampler ◽  
Settled Dust ◽  
Railroad Cars ◽  
Grain Elevator

Abstract Bulk corn samples and airborne samples generated therefrom were collected on a Georgia farm during the 1980 harvest and while the 1980 corn was being ground and fed to swine. The bulk corn harvested had 1640 ng total aflatoxin/g. Airborne dust samples collected at the front of the combine had an average of 3850 ng total aflatoxin/g; at the side of the combine, the average aflatoxin level was 2550 ng/g of dust. At one time, the operator was exposed to airborne dust containing 1360 ng/g while inside the combine cab. An airborne dust sample taken with a personal sampler during transfer of the corn to a truck had 52 000 ng/g. Airborne dusts collected while corn containing aflatoxin (1240- 1850 ng/g) was being ground and fed had total aflatoxin levels ranging from nondetected to 43 700 ng/g. Airborne dust, bulk corn, and settled dust samples were collected at a grain elevator. Airborne dust samples collected during the delivery of corn in farm trucks to the elevator had an average of 1240 ng total aflatoxin/g. The airborne dust samples taken while corn was being unloaded from the elevator into trucks and railroad cars had lower average aflatoxin levels than those in dusts collected during delivery. Settled dusts in the elevator had 173-669 ng total aflatoxin/g. The highest aflatoxin level in the air in the elevator was 13 000 ng/cu. m near the conveyor belt. Airborne dust samples collected by personal samplers on elevator workers contained aflatoxin levels of 429-1300 ng/g; aflatoxin levels in the air were .9-1120 ng/cu. m.

Analytical Detection of Novel Stimulants by Immunoassay and Liquid Chromatography–High Resolution Mass Spectrometry: Case Studies on Ethylphenidate and Mephedrone

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah L Belsey ◽  
Robert J Flanagan
Keyword(s):  
Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Liquid Chromatography ◽  
High Resolution ◽  
High Resolution Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Limit Of Detection ◽  
False Negative ◽  
Cross Reactivity ◽  
Urine Samples ◽  
High Resolution Mass ◽  
Resolution Mass

Abstract The advent of hundreds of new compounds aimed at the substance misuse market has posed new analytical challenges. A semi-quantitative liquid chromatography–high resolution mass spectrometry (LC–HRMS) method has been developed to detect exposure to two novel stimulants, mephedrone and ethylphenidate, and selected metabolites. Centrifuged urine (50 µL) was diluted with LC eluent containing internal standards (mephedrone-d3, methylphenidate-d9, and ritalinic acid-d10, all 0.02 mg/L) (450 µL). Intra- and inter-assay accuracy and precision were within ± 15% and < 6% respectively, for all analytes. The limit of detection was 0.01 mg/L all analytes. Urine samples from mephedrone and ethylphenidate users were analyzed using immunoassay (amphetamine-group CEDIA) and LC–HRMS. Ethylphenidate, mephedrone, and selected metabolites all had low cross-reactivity (<1%) with the immunoassay. The median (range) amphetamine-group CEDIA concentration in urine samples from mephedrone users (N = 11) was 0.30 (<0.041–3.04) mg/L, with only one sample giving a positive CEDIA result. The amphetamine-group CEDIA concentration in the urine sample from an ethylphenidate user was <0.041 mg/L. Improving the detection of novel compounds is of increasing importance to enable accurate diagnosis and treatment. Immunoassay methods used for drug screening may be inappropriate and lead to false negative results. Conversely, detection of these compounds is possible through use of LC–HRMS and can provide information on the metabolites present after exposure to these drugs.

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