Effects of Organophosphorus Pesticides on Cardiorespiratory Parameters among the Farmers.

INTRODUCTION: Indiscriminate use and improper handling of synthetic pesticides in agriculture have resulted in serious problems such as asthma, wheeze and chronic bronchitis among the farmers. Though number of studies have been done on pesticide exposure and its effect on cardiorespiratory parameters in Northern India, only few studies were done in Southern India, thus this study was chosen. AIM: To find the cardiorespiratory changes in farm workers exposed to organophosphorus pesticides. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Peak Expiratory Flow Rate (PEFR), blood pressure, pulse rate were measured among 35 farm workers of Palayam and Naduveerpattu village of Cuddalore district and 35 age, sex, BMI matched controls were taken from urban area and the same parameters were measured in both groups from 10 am-12 am in the morning. History of use of personal protective equipments like face mask, eye mask, special clothes, shoes, hat, history of respiratory symptoms and hygienic work practices was also obtained from the farmers. Chi-square test was used to analyse the qualitative data. All values were expressed as Mean±SD. Students unpaired t-test was used to compare PEFR between two groups and to compare the duration of exposure and PEFR using GRAPH PAD PRISM. The p<0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. RESULTS: There was a significant decrease in PEFR among the farmers (p<0.001) compared to the controls. On comparing the duration of exposure of pesticide and the PEFR values by unpaired Students t-test, there was a significant difference with p-value of 0.03. Blood Pressure did not show any significant difference between the two groups. But the pulse rate was significantly decreased among the farmers (p<0.001) which could be due to their regular physical activity. About 71% of the farmers used personal protective equipments. CONCLUSION: Thus, chronic exposure to organophosphorus pesticides has an impact on PEFR among the farmers.

Response of male mice to odours of female mice in different stages of oestrous cycle: self-grooming behaviour and the effect of castration.

The behavioural assays were carried out in a Y-maze wherein intact, castrated and testosterone-treated male mice were exposed to oestrus and non-oestrus urine samples. The intact male mice investigated more frequently and spent more time in the Y-maze arm with oestrus urine than in that with non-oestrus urine. In contrast, the castrated mice were not attracted to oestrus urine, whereas testosterone-treated mice showed preference for oestrus urine. The rate of self-grooming was higher in intact males in case of exposure to oestrus urine while the rate was lower with respect to non-oestrus urine. However, castrated mice exhibited less self-grooming behaviour which was partially restored by testosterone treatment. The results suggest that self-grooming behaviour is an indicator of detection and discrimination of oestrus by males, and supports the androgen role in male chemosensory ability to discriminate between oestrus and non-oestrus female odours.