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FSH and rheumatoid arthritis
Information older hypertensives might be appropriate, the evidence in the normal population did not support a recommendation for universal salt restriction. The decrease in systolic blood pressure for a 100 mmol/day reduction in the daily sodium excretion (a measure of dietary sodium intake) was found to be 3.7 mm Hg in the 28 trials that involved I I31 subjects with high blood pressu:re, but only I mm Hg in the 28 trials involving 2374 subjelcts with normal blood pressure. Decreases in blood pressure were larger in trials of older hypertensive individuals, but small and non-significant in non-institutionalized normotensives whose meals were prepared for them. It should, however, be noted that 29 of the trials studied were of 2 wk or less in duration (Midgley et al., Journal of the American Medical Association 1996,275, 1590).
FSH and rheumatoid arthritis
Section
1021
damage in the bone marrow cells when administered to mice by intraperitoneal injection (Nakano et al., Teratogenesis, Carcinogenesis and Mutagenesis 1996, 16, 37).
Phenoxy herbicides, dioxins and cancer An excess number of deaths from non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma has been reported among 2479 German men employed in four different plants manufacturing phenoxy herbicides and chlorophenols. Chloracne had been reported in two of these plants, indicative of high dioxin (TCDD) exposure, and this was verified by blood sampling. The excess of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma occurred in these two groups, providing an SMR for the combined cohorts of 326 (95% CI 119-710) based on six cases (Becher et al.. Cancer Causes and Control 1996, 7, 3 12).
A US study provides support for the hypothesis that omega-3 fatty acids present in fish oils may protect against the development of rheumatoid arthritis. In an analysis of the diets of 324 women with the disease and 1245 female non-sufferers, the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis was significantly reduced in those who consumed two or more servings of broiled or baked fish per week compared with those who consumed less than one weekly serving [adjusted odds ratio (013) 0.57,95% confidence interval (Cl) 0.35-0.93 I. No similar protective effect was evident for the other fish categories analysed (fried fish, tuna, shellfish, or all fish items) (Shapiro et a/., Epidemiology 1996, 7, 256).
A preliminary study of birth abnormalities in Minnesota, USA found an excess of anomalies in the offspring of registered users of pesticides as well as in the general population of the agricultural western part of the State. The survey looked at a total of almost 5000 births to about 35,000 agricultural workers certified to apply restricted-use pesticides and at about 211,000 births in the state population as a whole (Carry et al., Encironmenral Health Perspectit’es 1996, 104, 394.)
Breast cancer and diet
Vanadium pentoxide-reprotoxoicity
A large case-control study involving 2569 Italian women with breast cancer and a similar number of hospitalized non-cancer controls found that the risk of cancer increased with intake of available carbohydrates (OR I .30 for women with the highest compared with the lowest quintile of intake). Starch was the main contributor to this adverse effect (OR 1.39 for lhe highest compared with lowest quintile). The investigators commented that intervention trials promoting a low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet aimed at reducing fat intake below 20% of energy consumption encouraged carbohydrate intake “up to proportions compatible from [these] findings with an increase in risk of breast cancer” (Franceschi ef al., Lancer 1996, 347, 1351).
Vanadium pentoxide reduced the fertility of male mice given an intraperitoneal injection of 8.5 mg/kg body weight every 3 days for 60 days, while untreated females mated with these males showed a reduced number of implantation sites and live foetuses and an increase in the numbers of resorptions and dead foetuses. Foetal weight was also reduced. Sperm parameters (including count, motility and morphology) were adversely affected in male mice given 8.5 mg/kg body weight by injection every 3 days for IO20 days. A single intraperitoneal injection of around 6 mg/kg body weight produced DNA damage in the testis (Altamirano-Lozano et al.. Terarogenesis, Carcinogenesis and Mutagenesis 1996, 16, 7).
Crohn’s disease and diet
Sulfenamide TS-developmental
An increase in the incidence of Crohn’s disease (an inflammatory bowel disease) has been reported in Japan over recent decades. U:;ing data on dietary intake obtained between I966 and 198fi among 16,SO(r68,000 people from 4200-16,500 Japanese families, correlations were found between the incidence csf the disease and an increased intake of animal protein anti an increased ratio of n-6 to n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (Shoda et al., American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 1996, 63, 741).
Sulfenamide TS (N-cyclohexyl-2-benzothiazolesulfenamide) is a rubber vulcanization accelerator. It produced abnormalities in the foetuses of rats treated on days 6615 of pregnancy at an oral dose level of IS0 mg/kg body weight/ day (and possibly also at SO mg/kg body weight/day). Overt maternal toxicity was seen only at 450 mg/kg body weight/day (Sitarek et al.. Teratogenesis. Carcinogenesis and Mutagenesis 1996, 16, I).
Agriccultural Minnesota
chemicals
linked to birth defects
in
and genotoxicity
toxicity
Reproductive toxicity of a-terpinene High-fat diet and aggression Aggressive behaviour has been compared in male rats and mice fed for 3 wk on a diet either high in polyunsaturated fats (43% calories from fat) or low in fat (16% calories from fat). Aggression, judgemd by monitoring reaction to a male intruder to the home cage, was exhibited more quickly and for a longer duration in the animals on the high-fat diet. The investigators postulated that increases in female hormone levels may have been responsible. They hypothesized that “an appropriate diet low in fat... may have important beneficial influences on [human] male aggression” (Hilakivi-Clarke er al., Life Sciences 1996, 58, 1653).
Flumethrin genotoxicity Flumethrin, a synthetic pyrethroid insecticide, tested as the technical product Bayticol 60%, induced chromosomal
a-Terpinene, a monoterpene found in the essential oils of a large variety of useful plants, caused embryo and foetal toxicity when given to rats (by stomach tube) at doses of 60 mg/kg body weight/day and above on days 6-15 of pregnancy. Even at the lowest tested dose of 30 mg/kg body weight/day there were some signs of weak foetal toxicity. Maternal toxicity was reported at I25 mg/kg body weight/ day (Araujo et al.. Food and Chemical To.\-icologj,1996. 34, 477).
Developmental toxicity of monoethanolamine There was no evidence of developmental toxicity when monoethanolamine was in covered contact (6 hr/day) with the skin of rats (225 mg/kg body weight/day on days &I 5 of pregnancy) or rabbits (75 mg/kg body weight/day on days 618 of pregnancy), at doses producing overt maternal
FSH and rheumatoid arthritis
Section
1021
damage in the bone marrow cells when administered to mice by intraperitoneal injection (Nakano et al., Teratogenesis, Carcinogenesis and Mutagenesis 1996, 16, 37).
Phenoxy herbicides, dioxins and cancer An excess number of deaths from non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma has been reported among 2479 German men employed in four different plants manufacturing phenoxy herbicides and chlorophenols. Chloracne had been reported in two of these plants, indicative of high dioxin (TCDD) exposure, and this was verified by blood sampling. The excess of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma occurred in these two groups, providing an SMR for the combined cohorts of 326 (95% CI 119-710) based on six cases (Becher et al.. Cancer Causes and Control 1996, 7, 3 12).
A US study provides support for the hypothesis that omega-3 fatty acids present in fish oils may protect against the development of rheumatoid arthritis. In an analysis of the diets of 324 women with the disease and 1245 female non-sufferers, the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis was significantly reduced in those who consumed two or more servings of broiled or baked fish per week compared with those who consumed less than one weekly serving [adjusted odds ratio (013) 0.57,95% confidence interval (Cl) 0.35-0.93 I. No similar protective effect was evident for the other fish categories analysed (fried fish, tuna, shellfish, or all fish items) (Shapiro et a/., Epidemiology 1996, 7, 256).
A preliminary study of birth abnormalities in Minnesota, USA found an excess of anomalies in the offspring of registered users of pesticides as well as in the general population of the agricultural western part of the State. The survey looked at a total of almost 5000 births to about 35,000 agricultural workers certified to apply restricted-use pesticides and at about 211,000 births in the state population as a whole (Carry et al., Encironmenral Health Perspectit’es 1996, 104, 394.)
Breast cancer and diet
Vanadium pentoxide-reprotoxoicity
A large case-control study involving 2569 Italian women with breast cancer and a similar number of hospitalized non-cancer controls found that the risk of cancer increased with intake of available carbohydrates (OR I .30 for women with the highest compared with the lowest quintile of intake). Starch was the main contributor to this adverse effect (OR 1.39 for lhe highest compared with lowest quintile). The investigators commented that intervention trials promoting a low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet aimed at reducing fat intake below 20% of energy consumption encouraged carbohydrate intake “up to proportions compatible from [these] findings with an increase in risk of breast cancer” (Franceschi ef al., Lancer 1996, 347, 1351).
Vanadium pentoxide reduced the fertility of male mice given an intraperitoneal injection of 8.5 mg/kg body weight every 3 days for 60 days, while untreated females mated with these males showed a reduced number of implantation sites and live foetuses and an increase in the numbers of resorptions and dead foetuses. Foetal weight was also reduced. Sperm parameters (including count, motility and morphology) were adversely affected in male mice given 8.5 mg/kg body weight by injection every 3 days for IO20 days. A single intraperitoneal injection of around 6 mg/kg body weight produced DNA damage in the testis (Altamirano-Lozano et al.. Terarogenesis, Carcinogenesis and Mutagenesis 1996, 16, 7).
Crohn’s disease and diet
Sulfenamide TS-developmental
An increase in the incidence of Crohn’s disease (an inflammatory bowel disease) has been reported in Japan over recent decades. U:;ing data on dietary intake obtained between I966 and 198fi among 16,SO(r68,000 people from 4200-16,500 Japanese families, correlations were found between the incidence csf the disease and an increased intake of animal protein anti an increased ratio of n-6 to n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (Shoda et al., American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 1996, 63, 741).
Sulfenamide TS (N-cyclohexyl-2-benzothiazolesulfenamide) is a rubber vulcanization accelerator. It produced abnormalities in the foetuses of rats treated on days 6615 of pregnancy at an oral dose level of IS0 mg/kg body weight/ day (and possibly also at SO mg/kg body weight/day). Overt maternal toxicity was seen only at 450 mg/kg body weight/day (Sitarek et al.. Teratogenesis. Carcinogenesis and Mutagenesis 1996, 16, I).
Agriccultural Minnesota
chemicals
linked to birth defects
in
and genotoxicity
toxicity
Reproductive toxicity of a-terpinene High-fat diet and aggression Aggressive behaviour has been compared in male rats and mice fed for 3 wk on a diet either high in polyunsaturated fats (43% calories from fat) or low in fat (16% calories from fat). Aggression, judgemd by monitoring reaction to a male intruder to the home cage, was exhibited more quickly and for a longer duration in the animals on the high-fat diet. The investigators postulated that increases in female hormone levels may have been responsible. They hypothesized that “an appropriate diet low in fat... may have important beneficial influences on [human] male aggression” (Hilakivi-Clarke er al., Life Sciences 1996, 58, 1653).
Flumethrin genotoxicity Flumethrin, a synthetic pyrethroid insecticide, tested as the technical product Bayticol 60%, induced chromosomal
a-Terpinene, a monoterpene found in the essential oils of a large variety of useful plants, caused embryo and foetal toxicity when given to rats (by stomach tube) at doses of 60 mg/kg body weight/day and above on days 6-15 of pregnancy. Even at the lowest tested dose of 30 mg/kg body weight/day there were some signs of weak foetal toxicity. Maternal toxicity was reported at I25 mg/kg body weight/ day (Araujo et al.. Food and Chemical To.\-icologj,1996. 34, 477).
Developmental toxicity of monoethanolamine There was no evidence of developmental toxicity when monoethanolamine was in covered contact (6 hr/day) with the skin of rats (225 mg/kg body weight/day on days &I 5 of pregnancy) or rabbits (75 mg/kg body weight/day on days 618 of pregnancy), at doses producing overt maternal