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Biomedical subjects

N Gruener

Publications and source records attributed to N Gruener.

59 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Health effects from exposure to organophosphate pesticides in workers and residents in Israel.

Major findings from our work on exposures and effects from organophosphate-containing pesticides in selected occupational and community patients and groups in Israel are reviewed as a basis for recommending control measures. The worker groups were pilots, ground-crews, and field workers; exposed nonworkers were adults and children living in kibbutzim with drift exposures, and household residents in houses treated by pest exterminators. In all groups, evidence of exposure-illness associations was found even though persons with acute poisoning were not seen. Complaints (headache, dizziness, fatigue, nausea, breathing problems, abdominal cramps, and tingling in extremities) were associated with within-normal depressions in cholinesterase activity. Whole blood and plasma cholinesterase activity were slightly more sensitive indicators of mixed exposure than red blood cell cholinesterase activity. High alkyl phosphate levels and symptoms were seen in individuals with within-normal limit depressions in cholinesterase activity. Complaints of weakness and tingling in hands and feet, together with low-grade changes in nerve conduction, suggest the possible influence of agents with a neurotoxic esterase-type activity independent of cholinesterase activity. Transient in-season neuropsychological changes in tests of mood status and performance were associated with exposure. Recommendations for exposure reduction include: accelerating the already declining use of pesticides in general, and organophosphates in particular; promoting the shift from more to less toxic organophosphates and other pesticides; and introducing rigid performance specifications for closed systems in loading and mixing at end-user sites. Dermal protection remains a problem. Cholinesterase activity levels and symptom interviews are useful for monitoring workers at risk, but alkyl phosphate levels are the definitive measure of exposure, surveys, investigations and surveillance.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Early detection of changes in kidney function in workers exposed to solvents and heavy metals.

Increases in urine concentration of specific proteins have been proposed as early indicators of deleterious changes in kidney function. Four urinary proteins (albumin, superoxide dismutase, transferrin and N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase) were measured in workers exposed to heavy metals and solvents. None of the workers had clinical evidence of renal disease or hypertension. Workers exposed to mercury had a significant increase in urinary transferring, superoxide dismutase levels were slightly increased in workers exposed to solvents and lead, follow-up of these workers is needed to confirm that these changes predict late clinical deterioration of kidney functions.

Chemical Industry↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The use of a seminal vesicle specific protein (MHS-5 antigen) for diagnosis of agenesis of vas deferens and seminal vesicles in azoospermic men.

Azoospermia is the cause of infertility in 8% of infertile male patients. Ten percent of those patients suffer from agenesis of the seminal vesicle (SV) and vas deferens (VD) agenesis. Currently, the diagnosis of SV and VD agenesis is based on low semen volume, low pH, and low fructose content of the seminal fluid of azoospermic men who have normal serum gonadotropins. In this study, an SV-specific sperm-coating antigen, the MHS-5 antigen, was used as a marker for the presence of SVs. The SV-specific protein (SVSP), MHS-5, was present in the control group but was not found in any of the seven samples from azoospermic men with proven agenesis of SV and VD. Another semen component, the prostate-specific antigen (PSA), whose presence in the semen is not influenced by the SV and VD agenesis, was found in both the study and the control groups. Its presence ruled out the possibility of azoospermia due to ejaculatory duct obstruction. The absence of MHS-5 antigen in seminal fluid can be used as a tool for a reliable diagnosis of agenesis of SV and VD in azoospermic men.

Biomarkers↗