Pesticides used in agriculture are designed to protect crops against unwanted species, such as weeds, insects, and fungus. Many compounds target the nervous system of insect pests. Because of the similarity in brain biochemistry, such pesticides may also be neurotoxic to humans. Concerns have been raised that the developing brain may be particularly vulnerable to adverse effects of neurotoxic pesticides. Current requirements for safety testing do not include developmental neurotoxicity. We therefore undertook a systematic evaluation of published evidence on neurotoxicity of pesticides in current use, with specific emphasis on risks during early development. Epidemiologic studies show associations with neurodevelopmental deficits, but mainly deal with mixed exposures to pesticides. Laboratory experimental studies using model compounds suggest that many pesticides currently used in Europe -including organophosphates, carbamates, pyrethroids, ethylenebisdithiocarbamates, and chlorophenoxy herbicides -can cause neurodevelopmental toxicity. Adverse effects on brain development can be severe and irreversible. Prevention should therefore be a public health priority. The occurrence of residues in food and other types of human exposures should be prevented with regard to the pesticide groups that are known to be neurotoxic. For other substances, given their widespread use and the unique vulnerability of the developing brain, the general lack of data on developmental neurotoxicity calls for investment in targeted research. While awaiting more definite evidence, existing uncertainties should be considered in light of the need for precautionary action to protect brain development.

The arterial pathology in DM does not only include increased occurrence of atherosclerotic plaques but also comprises generalized arterial alterations, that is, endothelial dysfunction, increased stiffness, extracellular matrix (ECM) changes and calcifications, which can be observed in both atherosclerotic and nonatherosclerotic parts of the arterial tree. Generalized changes in the vascular ECM have been described among patients with T1DM, that is, for glycosaminoglycans, 3 glycoproteins, 4,5 and collagens. 6 More recently, alterations in the levels of the metalloproteinase, matrix metalloproteinase Background-The increased risk of cardiovascular diseases in type 2 diabetes mellitus has been extensively documented, but the origins of the association remain largely unknown. We sought to determine changes in protein expressions in arterial tissue from patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and moreover hypothesized that metformin intake influences the protein composition. Methods and Results-We analyzed nonatherosclerotic repair arteries gathered at coronary bypass operations from 30 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and from 30 age-and sex-matched nondiabetic individuals. Quantitative proteome analysis was performed by isobaric tag for relative and absolute quantitation-labeling and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, tandem mass spectrometry analysis on individual arterial samples. The amounts of the basement membrane components, α1-type IV collagen and α2-type IV collagen, γ1-laminin and β2-laminin, were significantly increased in patients with diabetes mellitus. Moreover, the expressions of basement membrane components and other vascular proteins were significantly lower among metformin users when compared with nonusers. Patients treated with or without metformin had similar levels of hemoglobin A1c, cholesterol, and blood pressure. In addition, quantitative histomorphometry showed increased area fractions of collagen-stainable material in tunica intima and media among patients with diabetes mellitus. Conclusions-The distinct accumulation of arterial basement membrane proteins in type 2 diabetes mellitus discloses a similarity between the diabetic macroangiopathy and microangiopathy and suggests a molecular explanation behind the alterations in vascular remodeling, biomechanical properties, and aneurysm formation described in diabetes mellitus. The lower amounts of basement membrane components in metformin-treated individuals are compatible with the hypothesis of direct beneficial drug effects on the matrix composition in the vasculature. (Circ Cardiovasc Genet. 2015;8:727-735.

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The 'regulatory'b-subunit of protein kinase CK2 has previously been shown to interact with protein kinases such as A-Raf, c-Mos, Lyn and Chk1 in addition to the catalytic subunit of CK2. Sequence alignments suggest that these interactions have a structural basis, and hence other protein kinases harboring corresponding sequences may be potential interaction partners for CK2b. We show here that Chk2 specifically interacts with CK2b in vitro and in cultured cells, and that activation of Chk2 leads to a reduction of this interaction. Additionally, we show that the presence of the CK2b-subunit significantly reduces the Chk2-catalysed phosphorylation of p53 in vitro. These findings support the notion that CK2b can act as a general modulator of remote docking sites in protein kinasesubstrate interactions.