Ewa Gomółka

Accumulation of furanocoumarins in Ruta graveolens L. shoot culture

Ruta graveolens L. shoots cultured in stationary liquid phase produced furanocoumarins: psoralen, bergapten, xanthotoxin, isopimpinellin and imperatorin at the amount totalling almost 1 g/100 g dry wt of the shoots. The dominating metabolites were therapeutically important compounds: xanthotoxin – 0.33 g/100 g dry wt and bergapten – 0.32 g/100 g dry wt. Maximum contents of the majority of the compounds were observed on 28th day of culture.

Acute CO Poisoning is Associated with Impaired Fibrinolysis and Increased Thrombin Generation

Carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning is a leading cause of unintentional poisoning deaths in many countries. In ex vivo studies, CO released from carbon monoxide‐releasing molecules has been shown to attenuate fibrinolysis via increased alpha‐2‐antiplasmin activity. Hypofibrinolysis is associated with coronary ischaemia, which is also commonly observed in CO poisoning. We examined fibrin clot properties in acutely poisoned CO patients. Ex vivo plasma fibrin clot permeability, turbidimetry and efficiency of fibrinolysis were investigated in 48 patients and controls matched for age and sex. CO‐poisoned patients had 11.6% longer clot lysis time than the controls (p < 0.0001). No intergroup differences in clot permeability or turbidimetric variables were observed. Plasma tissue‐type plasminogen antigen (tPA), plasminogen activator inhibitor‐1 (PAI‐1) antigen and activity and F1.2 prothrombin fragments were higher in the patients than in the controls (all p < 0.0001). Plasma tPA activity was lower in the CO‐poisoned group. Multiple linear regression showed that a thrombin generation marker, F1.2, is the strongest predictor of clot lysis time, followed by PAI‐1 activity and carboxyhaemoglobin levels. In conclusion, this report is the first to demonstrate that acute CO poisoning in human beings is linked to increased thrombin generation and impaired fibrinolysis, which might contribute to ischaemic complications.

Diplopia in Green Tobacco Sickness

ABSTRACT This paper examines the first reported case of Green Tobacco Sickness (GTS) in Poland. A 25-year-old man who worked in a tobacco field for 14 hours with no protective measures experienced symptoms of GTS, and additionally, diplopia, after leaving the field. Upon hospital admission, diplopia was no longer observed. Diplopia was most probably caused by disturbances to the cholinergic neuromuscular transmission, secondary to nicotine. These neurological disturbances, the first of their kind observed in the course of GTS, deserve special attention. The case shows a potential adverse health effect related to tobacco harvest, as most Polish tobacco plantations are not mechanized. Polish farmers should be obligated to protect their workers with protective clothing, shoes, gloves and masks. Recommendations for tobacco harvester health are put forth in the paper.

Urine as a material for evaluation of exposure to manganese in methcathinone users.

Chronic exposure even to low doses of manganese may lead to development of neurological syndrome similar to parkinsonism. The aim of this research is to assess the possibility of manganese poisoning based on the level of metal in the urine of long-term methcathinone users from Poland. Graphite furnace atomic absorption spectroscopy (GFAAS) was used to determine manganese in urine, while the detection of the psychoactive drugs was performed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Results of survey on longitudinal patterns of drug use showed that users of traditional illicit drugs now turn to cheaper alternatives, such as methcathinone. Parkinsonian features were observed in almost half of methcathinone users. The subjects had a higher mean level of Mn in their urine (8.68±9.27 μg L(-1)) than the controls (4.27±1.91 μg L(-1)). The presence of numerous psychoactive substances (in unchanged forms and their metabolites) was confirmed in all of the samples, with only one exception. The elevated level of manganese in urine (in 29.2% of patients) can be used as a primary marker of recent methcathinone administration, especially in the case of long time intravenous drug users where blood sampling is complicated.

Proteins as biomarkers of carbon monoxide neurotoxicity

Abstract Context: Carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning is the most common form of accidental lethal poisoning and is associated with a risk of brain damage in survivors. Objective: The goal of this study was to examine whether Tau protein or S100B protein may be used as a biomarker for acute brain dysfunction. Materials and methods: The determination of Tau and S100B proteins was performed in serum samples collected from 27 CO-poisoned patients and 12 healthy volunteers. Results: The level of Tau protein in the serum of patients (444 ± 227 ng L−1) differed significantly compared with those in the healthy controls (240 ± 61 ng L−1) and correlated with the level of carboxyhemoglobin. A higher concentration of Tau protein was found in patients who had lost consciousness during CO exposure. The concentration of S100B in the serum of CO-poisoned subjects (0.08 ± 0.03 µg L−1) was not statistically different from values obtained for the controls (0.07 ± 0.02 µg L−1). Conclusion: CO poisoning appears to be associated with an elevated level of Tau and S100B proteins in the serum of patients who had suffered a loss of consciousness. The study has shown that Tau protein is a more sensitive biomarker than S100B protein for the earlier stage of neurotoxic effects of CO intoxication.

Trace Determination of Manganese in Urine by Graphite Furnace Atomic Absorption Spectrometry and Inductively Coupled Plasma–Mass Spectrometry

This paper describes a simple and sensitive method for the determination of manganese in human urine by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectroscopy (GFAAS), which includes sample preparation by microwave digestion. Matrix modifier combinations, the digestion power, pyrolysis, and atomization temperatures were optimized. A mixture of 5.0 µg Pd(NO3)2 and 3.2 µg Mg(NO3)2 modifier presented the best performance. The optimal temperatures for pyrolysis and atomization were 1500°C and 1950°C, respectively. The GFAAS method was compared to inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (ICP–MS) for the determination of manganese in urine. Analytical figures of merit for GFAAS and ICP–MS were: accuracy (3.46%, 2.19%), precision (3.61%, 5.84%), LOD (0.109 µg · L−1, 0.015 µg · L−1), LOQ (0.327 µg · L−1, 0.045 µg · L−1), and recovery (80–100%, 74–89%). Both methods were employed for the determination of Mn in urine and the results were compared statistically.

Exposure to environmental tobacco smoke and respiratory tract infections in pre-school children – a cross-sectional study in Poland

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE Knowledge of the harmful influence of environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) has a positive impact on changing social behaviours worldwide. In many homes smoking is totally prohibited; in some others, partial limitations of tobacco consumption have been introduced. OBJECTIVE To study the correlation between the adopted rules of tobacco use in homes of 3-year-olds, and the kind and frequency of acute respiratory system infections within a 6-month period of attending pre-schools. MATERIALS AND METHODS The study was performed among children attending municipal pre-schools in Białystok, Poland. The data was collected by anonymous questionnaires completed by the parents of 302 children aged 3 years chosen randomly from 1,200 children attending 51 pre-schools. The exposure of children to tobacco smoke was measured by determining cotinine to creatinine ratio (CCR) in urine. RESULTS In the 150 families of children who were surveyed, 210 were smokers. Every day, the smokers consisted of fathers (37.3%) and mothers (23.6%). The 3-year-old children were divided into 3 groups according to smoking habits in their homes: 28.5% of the children under examination came from homes where tobacco smoking was forbidden (mean CCR - 15.21 ng/mg, SD=11.86), 26.2% came from homes where tobacco was smoked in separate rooms (mean CCR - 65.75 ng/ml, SD=81.51), 45.4% lived in homes where no rules connected with smoking had been established (mean CCR - 61.75 ng/ml, SD= 70.29). During the analyzed period of 6 months, 85% of the children had at least 1 respiratory tract infection (60% - upper, 16.9% - lower, 16.5% - upper and lower, 7.1% - otitis media). CONCLUSIONS The majority of the 3-year-old children who had lower respiratory tract infections required antibiotics and hospitalization. Living in a home where no tobacco rules were established may cause an increase of respiratory tract infections.

Determination of N-benzylpiperazine in human plasma using derivatization-free liquid–liquid extraction and gas chromatography mass spectrometry

A simple, fast and low-cost liquid–liquid extraction (LLE) method without a derivatization step for quantification of N-benzylpiperazine (BZP) in human plasma using a gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) technique was developed. Among the tested extraction agents the best results were obtained with the use of ethyl acetate at pH 12. Optimization of the gas chromatography conditions was conducted including split ratio, temperature gradient of the analytical column and injection volume. The main validation parameters of the proposed method were determined. The extraction recovery was 68% with intra-day and inter-day precision (RSD%) below 5% (n = 3). The limit of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) of BZP was 24.8 and 82.7 ng mL−1, respectively. A linear calibration curve in the range from LOQ to 1000 ng mL−1 was obtained with the use of the selected ion monitoring (SIM) mode with determination coefficient (r2) higher than 0.999. The optimized and validated LLE-GC-MS method was effectively applied for analysis of clinical plasma samples. The proposed sample preparation protocol was found to be a good alternative to the derivatization step and may be applicable in tests for proof of BZP intake in toxicological routine analysis.