1 Phthalate esters are known to cause hepatic peroxisome proliferation in rodents and, after prolonged administration, hepatocarcinogenesis. Peroxisome proliferators as a group are hepatocarcinogenic. The mechanism is not known but it does not appear to involve a direct genotoxic element. 2 DEHP and DBP have been shown to cause renal cysts in rodents and they also produce renal peroxisome proliferation. There are no data to causally link the two phenomena. 3 Although renal cysts have been noted in haemodialysis patients and haemodialysis is a route of exposure to DEHP, there are no data to suggest a cause and effect relationship. 4 More studies are needed on the mechanism of renal cystogenesis.
A number of methods for categorization of carcinogens, including classification and ranking, have been examined and applied to 13 carcinogenic chemicals. Compounds known to be carcinogenic to humans ranked highly in the ranking systems. The TD50 approach was a satisfactory ranking system. The examination of the classification system of the International Agency for Research on Cancer, and the studies of the ranking systems revealed the importance of considering the underlying mechanisms of carcinogenesis. Some of the important problems of categorizing carcinogens are discussed.
The ability to convey specific meanings is important to scientists in their writing. However, difficulties arise when the ideas to be portrayed are judgemental. While extreme terms expressing strength of meaning are readily understood, more subtle ones appear not to be.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.