Consensus demonstrates four indicators needed to standardize burn wound infection reporting across trials in a single-country study (ICon-B study).

INTRODUCTION: Evidence-based interventions are needed to treat burn wound infection (BWI). Evidence syntheses have been limited by heterogeneity of indicators used to report BWI across trials. Consistent reporting of BWI would be facilitated by an agreed minimum set of indicators. The Infection Consensus in Burns study aimed to achieve expert consensus about a core indicator set (CIS) for BWI. METHODS: The CIS was established through development of a long list of BWI indicators identified from a systematic review and expert input. In a Delphi survey, UK expert participants rated the indicators according to use in everyday practice, importance for diagnosis and frequency of observation in patients with BWI. Indicators were included in the CIS if ≥75% of participants agreed it was important for diagnosis and used in everyday practice, and ≥50% of participants rated it as frequently observed in patients with BWI. RESULTS: One hundred and ninety-five indicators were identified from the systematic review and reduced to 29 survey items through merging of items with the same meaning. Seventy-five UK experts participated in the Delphi survey. Following a single survey round and a consensus meeting with an expert panel, four items were included in the CIS: pyrexia, spreading erythema, change in white cell count, and presence of pathogenic microbes. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: To facilitate evidence synthesis, a single-country systematic, expert-informed approach was taken to develop a CIS to be reported consistently across trials reporting BWI as an outcome. Future work requires verification of the CIS with international experts.

Development of an HPLC-MS procedure for the quantification of N-acetyl-S-(n-propyl)-l-cysteine, the major urinary metabolite of 1-bromopropane in human urine.

An analytical procedure was developed for the detection and quantification of N-acetyl-S-(n-propyl)-l-cysteine (n-propylmercapturic acid, AcPrCys), a metabolite and biomarker for exposure to 1-bromopropane (1-BP). 1-BP is used as an industrial solvent and exposure is a health concern for industrial workers due to its toxicity. It has been associated with neurological disorders in both animals and humans. Urine sample preparation for the determination of AcPrCys consisted of solid phase extraction (SPE). Urine samples on preconditioned SPE (C18) columns were washed with 40% methanol/60% water solution prior to elution with acetone. Quantification was by means of a liquid chromatograph (LC) equipped with a mass spectrometer (MS) using an Aqua 3 microm C18 300A column and [d(7)]-AcPrCys was used as internal standard. Electrospray ionization (ESI) was used with the MS operated in the negative ion mode and selected ion monitoring (SIM) at m/z 204 for AcPrCys and m/z 211 for [d(7)]-AcPrCys. Demonstrated recovery of urine samples fortified at multiple levels (0.625-10 microg/ml) varied between 96 and 103% of theory with relative standard deviations (RSD) of 6.4% or less. The limit of detection (LOD) for the procedure was approximately 0.01 microg/ml AcPrCys in urine. These data will be discussed as well as other factors of the development of this test procedure.

DNA strand breaks, oxidative damage, and 1-OH pyrene in roofers with coal-tar pitch dust and/or asphalt fume exposure.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the potential for asphalt fume exposure to increase DNA damage, we conducted a cross-sectional study of roofers involved in the application of roofing asphalt. METHODS: DNA strand breaks and the ratio of 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) to 2-deoxyguanosine (dG) were measured in peripheral blood leukocytes of roofers. In addition, urinary excretion of 8-OHdG and 8-epi-prostaglandin F2alpha (8-epi-PGF) was also measured. The study population consisted of 26 roofers exposed to roofing asphalt and 15 construction workers not exposed to asphalt during the past 5 years. A subset of asphalt roofers (n = 19) was exposed to coal-tar pitch dust (coal tar) during removal of existing roofs prior to applying hot asphalt. Personal air monitoring was performed for one work-week to measure exposure to total particulates, benzene-soluble fraction of total particulates, and polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs). Urinary 1-OH-pyrene levels were measured as an internal biomarker of PAC exposure. RESULTS: Full-shift breathing zone measurements for total particulates, benzene-solubles and PACs were significantly higher for coal-tar exposed workers than for roofers not exposed to coal tar. Similarly, urinary 1-OH-pyrene levels were higher in coal-tar exposed roofers than roofers not exposed to coal tar. Total particulates or benzene-soluble fractions were not associated with urinary 1-OH-pyrene, but PAC exposure was highly correlated with urinary 1-OH-pyrene. When stratified by 1-OH-pyrene excretion, DNA strand breaks increased in a dose-dependent manner, and leukocyte 8-OHdG/dG decreased in a dose-dependent manner. Significant changes in DNA damage appeared to be linked to PACs from coal-tar exposure, although asphalt fume alone was associated with a small but significant increase in urinary 1-OH-pyrene and DNA strand breaks. CONCLUSIONS: Results are consistent with previous reports that asphalt or coal-tar exposure can cause DNA damage. Urinary 8-epi-PGF remained relatively constant during the week for virtually all subjects, regardless of exposure indicating that neither asphalt nor coal-tar exposure induces an overt oxidative stress. A small, but statistically significant increase in 8OHdG was evident in end-of-week urine samples compared with start-of-week urine samples in roofers exposed to coal-tar. The increase in urinary 8OHdG coupled with the decrease in leukocyte 8-OHdG/dG, suggests that coal-tar exposure induces protective or repair mechanisms that result in reduced levels of steady-state oxidative-DNA damage.

Male adolescent exposure to endocrine-disrupting pesticides: vinclozolin exposure in peripubertal rabbits.

Adolescence is a time of dramatic neuroendocrine changes that are required for sexual maturation. Hormonal mimicking or inhibiting chemicals can cause significant impairment during this critical period. Vinclozolin (Vin) has been shown to be an anti-androgen affecting male offspring in rats in utero, and its mechanism of action may be mediated by inhibition of androgenic receptor action. The majority of teenagers working on farms are male, and therefore a systemic fungicide, vinclozolin, was selected for study. The rabbit has proved to be an excellent species for modelling reproductive toxicant effects in the male and was selected as the test species. The peripubertal phase for the rabbit was determined to be between the 3rd and 4th months. A 2-month dosing period was therefore initiated at 3 months of age and carried through to the 4th month. Vin was administered by dermal application (100 mg kg(-1) in 100 microl of dimethylsulphoxide) daily. Body weights were determined weekly. The rabbits were then held until fully mature (6 months of age). Semen was collected and evaluated from sexually mature males on a weekly schedule for 5 weeks to maximize sperm output. An automated solid phase extraction procedure for monitoring exposures through isolation and quantification of Vin and its metabolic products was developed. Increased plasma levels of Vin and M2 were found throughout the experimental period. The exposed rabbits had a smaller weight gain during pubertal growth (approaching significance; P=0.059). At maturity, the accessory sex glands of the exposed animals weighed less than those of the controls (P=0.016). Surprisingly, the pooled sperm count of the exposed animals was significantly higher (P=0.017) than that of the unexposed animals. The anti-androgenic effects of Vin may have blocked the negative feedback mechanism of testosterone on the hypothalamus or pituitary gland, allowing for an increase in gonadotrophin release, and consequently increasing sperm production at puberty.

Geomagnetic origin for transient particle events from nuclear reactor-powered satellites.

Transient events observed since 1980 by the Gamma-Ray Spectrometer experiment on the Solar Maximum Mission satellite (SMM) have been identified with radiation emitted from 18 different Soviet nuclear reactor-powered satellites. Most of these satellites are similar to Cosmos 954 and 1402 which reentered the atmosphere. Gamma radiation from these satellites was detected when they passed within about 400 to 500 kilometers of SMM. Positron annihilation line radiation (511 kiloelectron volts) and charged-particle events were detected when SMM encountered clouds of positrons and electrons emitted by these satellites and stored up to tens of minutes in the geomagnetic field. The rate of these events varied from about 1 in 5 days to over 30 per day and was strongly dependent on the operating altitudes of the Cosmos satellites and density of the upper atmosphere.