Mitsuko Aoyama

Effects of cigarette smoke exposure on early stage embryos in the rat

It is well recognized that cigarette smoking in pregnant women exerts many deleterious effects on their progenies; intrauterine growth retardation, and increases in perinatal mortality and premature births. The fetal growth retardation also has been reported in animals exposed to cigarette smoke. The authors previously demonstrated that cigarette smoke exposure in pregnant rats retarded the growth of fetuses from mid to late stages of pregnancy. In addition, the weight of uteri containing embryos in animals inhaling the smoke was smaller, although not significant, than that in the control on day 7 of pregnancy. Based on these findings, it was suggested that the growth of embryos in early stage seemed to be harmfully affected as well as during mid and late stages of pregnancy. However, since the uterine weight in early pregnancy was measured in the previous study instead of the direct observation of early stage embryos, it remained unclear whether the early development of embryos was really influenced by cigarette smoke exposure or not. The present study was designed to observe the effects of cigarette smoke inhalation by pregnant rats on early development of embryos from fertilization to implantation.

Determination of Formaldehyde in Textiles Using a Diffusive Sampler

Styczynski (1989) showed the possibi l i ty of formaldehyde transfer from treated to untreated materials which are stored together. Iwama et al. (1990) also reported that untreated tex t i l es may contain formaldehyde derived from treated text i les. Formaldehyde is one of the most signif icant causes of dermatoses originating from chemica] tex t i le finishes (Hatch et al. 1986; Groot et al. 1989; Fowler et al. 1992). I f we could detect the presence of formaldehyde in untreated as well as treated text i les, we might lower the incidence of contact dermatitis from formaldehyde. In Japan, the standard method of detecting formaldehyde in text i les is legislated in the form of a Regulation on Toxic Substances in Home-Use Items (Ministry of Health and Welfare, 1976). We wil l call this Method A. Although this method has sufficient sensitivity and reproducibi l i ty to detect formaldehyde, the text i les tested must f i r s t be cut into swatches. The tex t i l es tested are not available for wear. Such an a r t i f i c ia l testing procedure makes i t d i f f i cu l t to determine formaldehyde in textiles sold on the market.

Fetotoxic effects of exposure to the vapor of organic solvents from a synthetic adhesive in mice

Synthetic adhesives are widely used in various industries as well as at home. Adhesives usually contain several organic solvents which easily vaporize. Exposure can cause aplastic anemia and polyneuropathy in adults. Chronic glue sniffing results in aplastic anemia, polyneuropathy, and muscular atrophy. Inhalation of the solvent contained in adhesives, such as n-hexane, toluene, xylene, and benzene by pregnant animals can decrease the number of live fetuses and retard fetal growth. In humans, the risk of spontaneous abortion is increased in workers exposed to organic solvents. However, information is still limited about the effects of exposure to organic solvents vaporized from adhesives on fetuses. In the present study, female mice were exposed throughout pregnancy to organic solvents vaporized from an adhesive to clarify the effects of the inhalation on progeny. 19 refs., 1 fig., 4 tabs.

An automated determination of urinary 4-hydroxy-3-methoxymandelic acid

An automated method for the determination of urinary 4-hydroxy-3-methoxymandelic acid is described. It is based on the procedure of Pisano et al (Clin Chim Acta, 1962; 7: 285-291). The correlation between the automated method and HPLC was high even though diet and medications were not restricted. The method has the advantages of short analysis time, specificity, and precision.