China
Africa
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Environmental Toxins
Published in Gia Merlo, Kathy Berra, Lifestyle Nursing, 2023
Ozone (O3) is a highly reactive gas composed of three oxygen atoms. Ozone occurs naturally in the environment but can also be a man-made product that has adverse effects on human health. Stratospheric ozone occurs naturally and reduces the amount of harmful ultraviolet radiation that reaches the Earth’s surface. Ground level ozone is formed from man-made processes and is able to be inhaled by humans. Ground level ozone is mainly formed from photochemical reactions between two major classes of air pollutants, volatile organic compounds (VOC) and nitrogen oxides. Significant sources of VOC in the environment are chemical plants, gasoline pumps, and autobody shops. Nitrogen oxides result primarily from high temperature combustion from sources such as power plants, industrial furnaces and boilers, and motor vehicles (EPA, 2021a).
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Published in Jason Liebowitz, Philip Seo, David Hellmann, Michael Zeide, Clinical Innovation in Rheumatology, 2023
Vaneet K. Sandhu, Neha V. Chiruvolu, Daniel J. Wallace
Calcineurin inhibitors such as tacrolimus (TAC) have long been used in Asia to treat lupus nephritis. There is a paucity of data showing efficacy of calcineurin inhibitors for induction therapy in lupus nephritis. Hence, Mok and colleagues studied a cohort of patients that were either treated with TAC or MMF followed by AZA for maintenance. Their study showed that induction therapy with TAC was comparable to MMF.71 Similarly, another group looked at TAC versus CYC in lupus nephritis in a Chinese population and found no difference in complete remission. However, patients treated with TAC had significantly lower proteinuria. TAC was also tolerated better with less adverse effects.72Voclosporin (VOC) is another calcineurin inhibitor that was studied in both phase 2 and 3 trials as part of the AURA-LV study. Results demonstrated an increased complete renal response (CRR) rate in patients treated with low-dose VOC in addition to MMF compared to placebo and MMF.73 VOC is now FDA approved for use alongside standard of care (MMF) in patients with active LN.
Fragrance for Hair Care Products
Published in Dale H. Johnson, Hair and Hair Care, 2018
At one time, this would have been the extent of their responsibilities, but now they must be up-to-date on environmental issues, as well. Various federal and state regulatory agencies are expressing concern that the quantity of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) released during the application of many personal care products is adversely affecting the environment, depleting the ozone layer, and enhancing the “greenhouse effect” on global warming. Restriction of VOCs affects product formulations; e.g., lower quantities of solvents such as ethanol are being explored along with their effects on drying time, polymer types and spray patterns. All this information is being relayed to the perfumers, who must learn to work within these confines and still achieve fragrances with sparkle and “lift.”
Site-specific protein biomarkers in gastric cancer: a comprehensive review of novel biomarkers and clinical applications
Published in Expert Review of Molecular Diagnostics, 2023
Takahiro Shinozuka, Mitsuro Kanda, Yasuhiro Kodera
Collecting breath samples containing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) is a noninvasive procedure, causing minimal discomfort to the patient [90]. VOCs are not proteins, but they may be useful biomarkers. Xiang et al. performed a meta-analysis to assess the feasibility of using exhaled VOC analysis for GC diagnosis [80]. The authors extracted the sensitivity and specificity of GC diagnosis from five studies [91–95]. The pooled analysis showed a mean sensitivity of 85% (95% CI: 79%–90%) and specificity of 89% (95% CI: 86%–91%) for GC-related exhaled VOC profiles. The mean positive likelihood ratio was 6.65 (95% CI: 4.41–10.02), suggesting that individuals with GC are approximately six times more likely to have such VOC profiles than those without GC. The mean negative likelihood ratio and diagnostic OR were 0.19 (95% CI: 0.14–0.26) and 41.30 (95% CI: 21.56–79.10), respectively. The AUC was 0.93, indicating high diagnostic performance.
Carcinogenic and health risk assessment of respiratory exposure to acrylonitrile, 1,3-butadiene and styrene in the petrochemical industry using the US Environmental Protection Agency method
Published in International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics, 2022
Vahid Ahmadi-Moshiran, Ali Asghar Sajedian, Ahmad Soltanzadeh, Fatemeh Seifi, Rozhin Koobasi, Neda Nikbakht, Mohsen Sadeghi-Yarandi
In recent years, following the growth of industries, the reduction of workplace air quality due to chemicals in the air has been evident. Petrochemical and refining plants are among the industries exposed to work-related organic pollutants due to their operation [1]. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are one of the leading causes of air pollution, and due to their high evaporation rate and rapid dispersion in the environment, many people are exposed. Consequently, there are irreversible effects on health in various jobs [2,3]. These compounds also enhance atmospheric oxidation and adversely influence respiratory air quality. The diverse effects of these organic compounds include irritation and the creation of various types of occupational cancers [3–6]. Materials released from the refineries and petrochemicals are mainly composed of a mixture of toxic chemicals such as VOCs (e.g., 1,3-butadiene, acrylonitrile, styrene) [3].
Intake of New Zealand Blackcurrant Powder Affects Skin-Borne Volatile Organic Compounds in Middle-Aged and Older Adults
Published in Journal of Dietary Supplements, 2022
M. E. T. Willems, M. Todaka, M. Banic, M. D. Cook, Y. Sekine
In humans, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are chemicals that are primarily produced by endogenous biochemical processes. VOCs are emitted via urine, feces, breath, and skin (de Lacy Costello et al. 2014). The chemical classification of the VOCs (e.g., carboxylic acids, alcohols, aldehydes, and ketones) is based on functional groups in their chemical structure, and it allows the analysis of a VOC profile (Baranska et al. 2013). The VOC profile or even the occurrence of a particular VOC can be altered by disease conditions, for example, breath VOCs in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (Van Berkel et al. 2010; e.g., isoprene) and Alzheimer’s disease (Mazzatenta et al. 2015) and urine and feces VOCs for colorectal cancer (Bond et al. 2019; Mozdiak et al. 2019). In addition, breath VOCs can reveal the risk for development of a pathophysiological condition (Lacey et al. 2018) and skin VOCs for the presence of body odor (Ishino et al. 2010; Jha 2017). The analysis of breath and skin emissions of VOCs is an emerging research discipline to allow detection of noninvasive biomarkers of internal metabolic processes linked with health and disease.