Biomedical subjects

Daniel L Sudakin

Publications and source records attributed to Daniel L Sudakin.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Pyrethroid insecticides: advances and challenges in biomonitoring.

Pyrethroid insecticides have a wide variety of applications throughout the world. They are structurally diverse chemicals that are synthetically derived from naturally occurring pyrethrin insecticides. Significant advances in analytical chemistry have led to the development of biomarkers of exposure to pyrethroids, and these methods are currently being applied to study exposure in the general population. This article reviews the chemistry and toxicology of pyrethroid insecticides, with an emphasis on the development of biomarkers to assess environmental exposure. Future challenges in the application of these biomarkers in epidemiological studies are explored, as is a need for improved understanding of the toxicokinetics of pyrethroids in humans.

Biomarkers↗

PubMed2005

Pesticides and electronic resources for health care providers.

Agricultural workers are at higher risk of occupational injuries, including pesticide exposures. There is general agreement that the training of health care providers to recognize and manage such exposures is limited and in need of improvement. While the Internet presents opportunities for health care providers to access information and continue their medical education, it can be difficult to identify relevant resources in a timely manner. This case report presents a realistic scenario of a suspected pesticide exposure among symptomatic agricultural workers. The discussion that follows presents Web-based resources that health care providers can rely upon in recognizing, managing, and preventing pesticide-related illness.

Agricultural Workers' Diseases↗

PubMed2003

Trichothecenes in the environment: relevance to human health.

Trichothecenes are agriculturally important mycotoxins of relevance to human health. Fungi capable of producing trichothecenes can be found throughout the world, and include certain species of Fusarium, Myrothecium, and Stachybotrys. The production of mycotoxins by these toxigenic species is determined by genetic factors and the environmental conditions of their growth. The environmental fate of trichothecenes may be affected by other microorganisms that can detoxify them. Deoxynivalenol and T-2 toxin are examples of trichothecenes that are detectable as natural and unavoidable contaminants of certain agricultural commodities as well as commercial foods. Current estimates of dietary exposure to deoxynivalenol and T-2 toxin are below thresholds for adverse effects that have been reported in experimental animal studies, although historical epidemics of human illness have rarely been described in association with consumption of food derived from heavily contaminated grains. The toxicodynamic properties of trichothecenes include inhibition of protein synthesis and immunomodulatory effects. Very little information is available relating to their toxicokinetics and toxicodynamics in humans. While there is general agreement that the diet represents an important source of human exposure to trichothecenes, risk assessment from non-dietary routes of exposure is complicated by the limited epidemiological data that are currently available.

Agriculture↗

PubMed2003

Dietary aflatoxin exposure and chemoprevention of cancer: a clinical review.

Exposure to dietary aflatoxins is considered to be an important risk factor for the development of hepatocellular carcinoma in certain regions of the world. Significant advances have recently been made in understanding the clinical toxicology of aflatoxins. These include the development and validation of biomarkers of exposure and genotoxic effect. These biomarkers are currently being utilized to explore the potential that pharmaceutical interventions may have in modifying the toxicokinetics of dietary aflatoxin exposure. Preliminary results of clinical trials with the drug oltipraz suggest that it may modify the genotoxic effects of aflatoxin B1 by inhibiting bioactivation pathways and stimulating detoxification pathways. More recent results of a clinical trial with chlorophyllin suggest that this drug may have a role in preventing dietary exposure to aflatoxin B1 by reducing its oral bioavailability. The preliminary results of these chemoprevention studies may ultimately have implications for cancer prevention in high-risk populations in the future.

Aflatoxins↗

PubMed2003

DEET: a review and update of safety and risk in the general population.

The emergence of West Nile Virus (WNV) in North America has resulted in increased public awareness and utilization of insect repellents containing N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide (DEET) in the prevention of mosquito-borne disease. Regulatory reassessments in North American countries have recently been completed for insect repellents containing DEET as active ingredient, resulting in labeling changes intended to minimize unnecessary exposure to special populations, including children. This article describes those changes, and summarizes more recent data relating to the pharmacokinetics, toxicology, and epidemiology of adverse effects associated with DEET in humans.

Animals↗

PubMed2003

Biopesticides.

The term 'biopesticide' encompasses a broad array of microbial pesticides, biochemicals derived from micro-organisms and other natural sources, and processes involving the genetic incorporation of DNA into agricultural commodities that confer protection against pest damage (plant-incorporated protectants). Some microbial pesticides, such as Bacillus thuringiensis, have a long history of safe and effective use as a biological insecticide. More recent developments in microbial pest control include the utilisation of other bacterial and fungal species that may competitively inhibit the growth of pathogenic and toxigenic micro-organisms on important agricultural commodities. The use of microbes and their gene products introduces additional considerations to the toxicological dose-response relationship, including a need to determine the plausibility of infectious and immunological effects in association with human exposure to these biopesticides in food or the environment. Studies of substantial equivalence suggest that foods currently derived from plant-incorporated protectants are not likely to differ from conventional foods. However, there is general consensus that the scientific methods to assess risks from genetically modified foods and micro-organisms will continue to evolve in the future.

Agriculture↗

PubMed2002

Regional variation in the incidence of symptomatic pesticide exposures: applications of geographic information systems.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the epidemiology of symptomatic human pesticide exposures using poison control center data and geographic information systems. METHODS: All symptomatic human pesticide exposures reported to the poison center during the period from January 1 to December 31, 2000 were included for analysis using geographic information systems. A space-time scan statistic was utilized to evaluate for clustering of symptomatic human exposures. RESULTS: Of 322 symptomatic pesticide exposures, 297 (92%) contained spatial identifiers that could be further analyzed using geographic information systems. A spatial and temporal cluster of symptomatic pesticide exposures was identified during the periodfrom April 1 to August 31, 2000, covering a large geographic area of eastern and predominantly rural regions of the state. The relative risk of reporting a symptomatic pesticide exposure among individuals living within this geographic area was 1.8 (log likelihood ratio = 18.5, P = 0.0005). CONCLUSIONS: Geographic information systems can be effectively utilized by poison control centers to study regional and temporal variation in the incidence of human pesticide exposures. With the collection of more specific spatial identifiers, geographic information systems may have many additional applications in the surveillance and prevention of pesticide and other sentinel event exposures.

Cluster Analysis↗