Conventional agrochemicals towards nano-biopesticides: an overview on recent advances

Pesticides are classified into several groups based on their structure, including fungicides, insecticides, herbicides, bactericides, and rodenticides. Pesticides are toxic to both humans and pests. For pest control, a very small amount of pesticides reach their target pests. Therefore, nearly all pesticides move through the environment and exert adverse effects on beneficial biota and public health. These chemicals pollute the water, soil, and atmosphere of the ecosystem. Agricultural workers in greenhouses and open fields, exterminators of house pests, and workers in the pesticide industry are occupationally exposed to pesticides. Pesticide exposure in the general population primarily happens through the consumption of food and water contaminated with pesticide residues; however, substantial exposure can also occur outside or inside the house. Currently, intelligent, responsive, biodegradable, and biocompatible materials have attracted considerable interest for the formulation of green, safe, and efficient pesticides. It was indicated that utilizing nanotechnology to design and prepare targeted pesticides with an environmentally responsive controlled release via chemical modifications and compounds offers great potential for creating new formulations. Furthermore, biopesticides include microbial pesticides, which are naturally happening biochemical pesticides. In addition, pesticidal substances generated by plants with added genetic materials, i.e., plant-incorporated protectants (PIPs), have emerged. Based on the foregoing evidence, various types of pesticides are summarized in this review for the first time. Here, new pesticides including nano-pesticides and biopesticides are discussed while focusing on the most recent findings on targeted and safe nano-formulated biopesticides and nano-pesticides. Graphical Abstract

Mites occurring in farm buildings as allergic agents and indicators in forensic analyses

Storage mites, especially several species in the families Acaridae, Glycyphagidae, and Chortoglyphidae are commonly found in farming and occupational environments. They are a source of clinically important allergens, and may also have a significant impact on forensic analyses. They may be of use in forensic situations, particularly as allergenic taxa, in relation to workers who are occupationally exposed to mites. Additionally, because many of them are present through all stages of vertebrate decomposition, they may provide valuable information as indicators of time and circumstances of death. This study aimed to investigate the possible occurrence and abundance of allergenic mites in farm buildings, as well as to examine and analyse collected material samples in relation to forensic medicine. A total of 58 samples from 15 farms in the Żywiecki district (Silesian Province, Poland) were examined as potential sources of allergenic mites in farm buildings with a special reference to forensic acarology. Mites were found in all the examined samples. A total of 4,473 specimens were isolated and 22 mite species were identified. Most of them were found in barns and pigsties. The species composition of the acarofauna was varied across the particular types of farm buildings examined. Generally, the dominant species were representatives of families Acaridae and Glycyphagidae (Astigmatina). This knowledge may be useful in a variety of cases or situations in the field of forensic medicine.

1,3-Butadiene: a ubiquitous environmental mutagen and its associations with diseases

Abstract1,3-Butadiene (BD) is a petrochemical manufactured in high volumes. It is a human carcinogen and can induce lymphohematopoietic cancers, particularly leukemia, in occupationally-exposed workers. BD is an air pollutant with the major environmental sources being automobile exhaust and tobacco smoke. It is one of the major constituents and is considered the most carcinogenic compound in cigarette smoke. The BD concentrations in urban areas usually vary between 0.01 and 3.3 μg/m3 but can be significantly higher in some microenvironments. For BD exposure of the general population, microenvironments, particularly indoor microenvironments, are the primary determinant and environmental tobacco smoke is the main contributor. BD has high cancer risk and has been ranked the second or the third in the environmental pollutants monitored in most urban areas, with the cancer risks exceeding 10-5. Mutagenicity/carcinogenicity of BD is mediated by its genotoxic metabolites but the specific metabolite(s) responsible for the effects in humans have not been determined. BD can be bioactivated to yield three mutagenic epoxide metabolites by cytochrome P450 enzymes, or potentially be biotransformed into a mutagenic chlorohydrin by myeloperoxidase, a peroxidase almost specifically present in neutrophils and monocytes. Several urinary BD biomarkers have been developed, among which N-acetyl-S-(4-hydroxy-2-buten-1-yl)-L-cysteine is the most sensitive and is suitable for biomonitoring BD exposure in the general population. Exposure to BD has been associated with leukemia, cardiovascular disease, and possibly reproductive effects, and may be associated with several cancers, autism, and asthma in children. Collectively, BD is a ubiquitous pollutant that has been associated with a range of adverse health effects and diseases with children being a subpopulation with potentially greater susceptibility. Its adverse effects on human health may have been underestimated and more studies are needed.

Deranged hembiosynthetic pathway in gasoline dispensers in Nigeria: Implications for risk of myeloproliferative disorders and chemoprevention

Objectives: There is increasing exposure to petrochemicals, including benzene, particularly in the low and medium-income countries. Benzene is a component of many petrochemicals and a ubiquitous environmental pollutant. Phenol is one of its principal metabolites and serves as a biomarker of exposure to benzene. The mechanism of its toxicity is incompletely elucidated. Benzene’s interaction with key micronutrients; copper (Cu), iron (Fe), and zinc (Zn) in the haemopoietic system has only been poorly explored, particularly in the developing countries where their status is variable and uncertain, with attendant intense exposure to petrochemicals. Material and Methods: Two groups of 50 gasoline dispensers (GDs) and 50 non-occupationally exposed participants were selected from Oye Local Government Area, Nigeria. The duration of occupational exposure was 2–10 years. Serum levels of Cu, Fe, and Zn were determined using flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry while heme and phenol were determined by standard spectrophotometry. Results: Phenol was significantly higher in GDs (P = 0.000), compared to controls (P < 0.05). The micronutrients, Cu, Fe, and Zn were all significantly decreased in GDs compared to controls (P = 0.000 in all cases). Phenol and Fe demonstrated significant inverse correlation (r = −0.557, P = 0.00), while heme and Zn also exhibited inverse correlation respectively to phenol (r = −0.38, P = 0.01; r = −0.37, P = 0.01). Conclusion: These data suggest intense perturbation of the haemopoietic system in GDs; likely from altered xenobiotic metabolism requiring heme in cytochrome P450; cell cycle dysregulation, where Zn is pivotal, p53 suppression also dependent on Zn and oxidative stress all converging in haemopoietic dysregulation. Importantly, depression of these micronutrients implies potentiation of myelotoxicity and risk of myeloproliferation, probably arising from alterations in transcription, differentiation errors, genome instability, and derangement in cell signal transduction moderated by Zn; accentuating risk of myeloproliferation; suggesting a role for these micronutrients in chemoprevention. Understanding these events may be important in risk assessment, policy formulation, regulatory measures and chemoprevention in GDs and the general population.

Preference between serum homocysteine and urinary periostin as early predictive biomarkers of renal dysfunction among uncontrolled diabetics

Objectives Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) represents a serious public health problem. Environmental toxins, other than infectious agents or exposures can stimulate immune responses which are associated with the occurrence of T2DM. Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a serious complication of diabetes that leads to changes in the structure and function of the kidneys. The study aimed to detect diagnostic biomarkers for (DN), at an early stage, to prevent disease progression in these patients and improve their outcomes. Methods This study was performed on 102 T2DM patients and 80 normal controls. Blood glucose, HbA1c, serum homocysteine (Hcy) and urinary periostin were assessed. Patients were divided into: controlled (n=46) (HbA1c <6.5%) and uncontrolled diabetics (n=56) (HbA1c >6.5%). Results The study results revealed a significant rise in blood glucose and HbA1c as well as serum Hcy levels in diabetic groups compared to controls. Also, urinary periostin exhibited significant elevation in diabetic groups. Serum glucose, HbA1c and serum Hcy revealed a highly significant difference between diabetic subgroups and control groups, while urinary periostin demonstrated a non-significant difference. Only, urinary periostin showed a significant increase in uncontrolled diabetics. Conclusions The highest levels of serum Hcy and urinary periostin were recorded only in the uncontrolled diabetics. Urinary periostin was demonstrated as a more preferable biomarker being a non-invasive sample for predicting renal insult in diabetic subjects. This biomarker could be performed regularly for early detection of DN. Also, it could be added to the periodic medical examinations of workers occupationally exposed to workplace pollutants inducing diabetes.

isks of incidence of breast cancer in a cohort of females occupationally exposed to ionizing radiation

Breast cancer (BrCa) holds the first rank place in morbidity and mortality due to malignant neoplasms among Russian women. BrCa is a multifactorial disease and ionizing radiation is among factors that cause elevated risks of developing BrCa. Our research aim was to assess relative risk (RR) of incidence of BrCa among women who were occupationally exposed to chronic ionizing radiation taking into account radiation and non-radiation factors. RR of incidence of BrCa was analyzed in a cohort of women employed at a nuclear production enterprise, namely Mayak PA, in 1948–1982. 95 % of women started working at the enterprise at their reproductive age. All those women were chronically exposed to ionizing radiation at their workplaces. A mean cumulative breast absorbed dose of external gamma-ray exposure amounted to 0.45 (standard deviation was 0.68) Gy; an average cumulative muscle absorbed dose of internal alpha-particle exposure amounted to 0.003 (0.01) Gy. According to data taken from “Clinic” medical-dosimetric database, 165 BrCa cases were detected in 157 women of the analyzed cohort (8 women had BrCa in both breasts). Our analysis involved calculating RR of incidence of BrCa in relation to known non-radiation and radiation factors. Categorical data analysis was performed without age-related and calendar period-related stratification and with them. RR was analyzed based on Poisson regression with AMFIT module in EPICURE software package. Incidence of BrCa was revealed to be associated with attained age, age of menarche, age of menopause, number of abortions, age of concomitant diseases prior to cancer diagnosis, height, body mass index, age of hiring at the Mayak PA. There was no relationship between BrCa incidence and cumulative doses of occupational chronic external gamma-ray, internal alpha-particle and neutron exposure.

Oxidative stress as a molecular mechanism of exposure to organophosphorus pesticides. A Review-

: Exposure to organophosphorus pesticides is an important public health issue due to a large number of occupationally exposed populations, as well as their effects mainly at the level of the nervous, reproductive, and immune systems. It has been reported that one of the molecular mechanisms by which adverse effects of exposure to organophosphorus pesticides can be explained is oxidative stress, which leads to alterations at the cellular level that, if chronic, could affect the functionality of different organs and tissues. These data constitute the basis of the relevant literature on its toxicity. The induction of oxidative damage, which has been referred to, increases the occurrence of processes such as eryptosis and/or hemolysis in erythrocytes that promote greater susceptibility to clinical conditions such as anemia, dehydration, and chronic kidney disease. Thus, it is mentioned that the determination of oxidative damage parameters could be useful to monitor occupationally exposed peopleby exploring their oxidative status. This review focuses on presenting the state of knowledge in recent years on the toxicity of organophosphorus pesticides and their relationship with the oxidative damage evaluated in erythrocytes.