No abstract

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is an incurable, neuropsychiatric, pathological condition that deteriorates the worth of geriatric lives. AD is characterized by aggregated senile amyloid plaques, neurofibrillary tangles, neuronal loss, gliosis, oxidative stress, neurotransmitter dysfunction, and bioenergetic deficits. The changes in GIT composition and harmony have been recognized as a decisive and interesting player in neuronal pathologies including AD. Microbiota control and influence the oxidoreductase status, inflammation, immune system, and the endocrine system through which it may have an impact on the cognitive domain. The altered and malfunctioned state of microbiota is associated with minor infections to complicated illnesses that include psychosis and neurodegeneration, and several studies show that microbiota regulates neuronal plasticity and neuronal development. The altered state of microbiota (dysbiosis) may affect behavior, stress response, and cognitive functions. Chronic stress-mediated pathological progression also has a well-defined role that intermingles at various physiological levels and directly impacts the pathological advancement of AD. Chronic stress-modulated alterations affect the well-established pathological markers of AD but also affect the gut–brain axis through the mediation of various downstream signaling mechanisms that modulate the microbial commensals of GIT. The extensive literature reports that chronic stressors affect the composition, metabolic activities, and physiological role of microbiota in various capacities. The present manuscript aims to elucidate mechanistic pathways through which stress induces dysbiosis, which in turn escalates the neuropathological cascade of AD. The stress–dysbiosis axis appears a feasible zone of work in the direction of treatment of AD.

Spirometric lung functions were evaluated in 220 asymptomatic glass bangle workers exposed to the salts of various heavy metals, such as arsenic, lead, zinc, copper, manganese, cobalt, cadmium, and selenium, which are used as coloring agents in the manufacture of glass bangles. The mean values of various spirometric variables (viz. FVC, FEV1, IMBC, and PEFR) were within normal range (more than 80% of the predicted values) in both smoking and nonsmoking glass bangle workers and did not reveal any significant differences in comparison with those observed in the unexposed controls. However, variables such as FEV1/FVC% ratio, FEF25-75 and FEF75-85 were reduced significantly (p less than 0.001) in the exposed group. The reduction was more marked in the smoking glass bangle workers indicating additive effect of cigarette smoking on the small airways. The exposed group showed a significantly higher prevalence (16.3%) of respiratory impairment in comparison to that observed in the controls (7.9%) as a result of exposure to various metals in the work environment (p less than 0.01). The respiratory impairment observed in the exposed group indicated primarily restrictive pattern of pulmonary abnormality (10.4%), while the controls revealed only 1.1% prevalence of this disease (p less than 0.001). The effect of the duration of exposure on the prevalence of respiratory impairment in the glass bangle industry revealed significantly higher prevalence (p less than 0.05) in those who worked for more than 10 years (23.0%) than in those who worked for less than 10 years (10.8%) thereby indicating that the duration of exposure is directly related to the prevalence of respiratory impairment.

No abstract

Pulmonary function studies were conducted on 489 pesticide workers engaged in spraying operations on mango plantations. These workers were exposed to a variety of organochlorine and organophosphorus pesticides. A reference group consisting of 208 controls, belonging to the same socioeconomic stratum, was taken from the same area for purposes of comparison. The results of the study showed 36.5 and 41.5% prevalence of respiratory impairment in the exposed workers and in the controls, respectively. The most common pulmonary impairment among the exposed subjects (18.8%) and controls (16.9%) was of the restrictive type, followed by mixed ventilatory defect. Bronchial obstruction affected 2.5 and 3.7% of the exposed and control populations, respectively. In a comparison of the prevalence of total respiratory impairment in the pesticide workers and the controls, the nonsmokers did not show any significant difference in this study. The prevalence rate of respiratory impairment showed an increasing trend in different exposure groups (p less than 0.05), thereby clearly indicating a dose effect. The study revealed that occupational exposure to pesticides had a direct bearing on the respiratory impairment identified in the exposed workers.

No abstract

To evaluate the long-term effects of metal dusts on the bronchopulmonary system and the synergistic effect of cigarette smoke, a comparative study of spirometric measurements in 104 polishers and 90 unexposed controls was carried out in 25 brass and steelware polishing industries at Moradabad in northern India. The two groups were comparable in terms of age, height, smoking habit and socio-economic status. A total of 58.6% of the polishers had one or more respiratory symptoms, compared to only 25.5% of the controls (P<0.05). Chronic cough was present in 21 polishers (20.2%) as compared to 11.1% of the controls. However, this difference was insignificant. Chronic phlegm was nearly three times as frequent among the polishers as among the controls (17.5% vs 4.4%) (P<0.005). The prevalence of dyspnoea of varying grades was also significantly higher (16.3% as opposed to 4.4%) among the exposed groups. Chronic bronchitis (6.7%) and occupational asthma (4.8%) were found to be confined to polishers. The polishers also experienced acute respiratory symptoms during the work shift. The prevalence of acute respiratory symptoms was recorded for cough in 19 workers (44.1%) followed by dyspnoea in 14 workers (32.5%) and throat irritation in 11 workers (25.5%). Comparison of the mean values of pulmonary function parameters in the polishers and the controls showed significant differences in the smoking and non-smoking groups (P<0.001 ). The polishers exhibited significantly greater acute reductions in various lung functions over the work shift, particularly for forced expiratory flow over the 25-75% portion of the spirogram (FEF25_75%) FEF25% and FEF 50%, than did the controls. Among the exposed group, the acute changes in lung function were found to be significantly larger in the smoking than in the non-smoking polishers. The duration of exposure showed a direct correlation with the acute fall in lung function. Polishers who were exposed to dusts of various metals for more than 10 years showed a significantly greater acute reduction in all the pulmonary functions (P<0.001) thereby indicating that occupational exposure to multimetals in the work environment of the polishing industry had deleterious respiratory effects.

No abstract