UNASSIGNED: The use of mobile phones has increased enormously all over the world especially among young people. This technology is based upon electromagnetic radiation in the microwave frequency range [radiofrequency (RF) waves and microwaves]. The radiation frequency and modulation standards vary in the range of 300-2100 MHz, depending on the region in the world.
UNASSIGNED: To detect the presence of micronuclei in exfoliated buccal mucosal cells of mobile phone users as well as to carry out a quantitative analysis of micronuclei in exfoliated buccal mucosal cells of mobile phone users.
UNASSIGNED: A cross-sectional study was carried out in 100 individuals, out of which 50 were included under the test group and 50 under the control group. Buccal mucosal smears were obtained from each subject. Staining was done using papanicuolau (PAP) stain and the slides were examined for the presence of micronuclei.
UNASSIGNED: The mean duration of mobile phone usage in years was 5.32 years for the exposed and 2.42 years for the control. Mean duration of mobile phone usage per day in the test group was 94.8 min and 12.4 min in the control group. The frequency of micronucleated cells (MNC) in test and control groups ranged from 0 to 16 and 0 to 2 respectively. The data obtained were statistically analyzed using Student t-test and significant results were obtained at 0.0001 level.
UNASSIGNED: Our study concluded that there is an increased frequency of micronuclei in mobile phone users which is related to carcinogenesis.

The European Union (EU) continuously takes ensuring the safe use of manufactured nanomaterials (MNMs) in consumer products into consideration. The application of a common approach for testing MNMs, including the use of optimized protocols and methods\' selection, becomes increasingly important to obtain reliable and comparable results supporting the regulatory framework. In the present study, we tested four representative MNMs, two titanium dioxides (NM100 and NM101) and two silicon dioxides (NM200 and NM203), using the EU FP7-NANoREG approach, starting from suspension and dispersion preparations, through to their characterization and final evaluation of biological effects. MNM dispersions were prepared following a refined NANOGENOTOX protocol and characterized by dynamic light scattering (DLS) in water/bovine serum albumin and in media used for in vitro testing. Potential genotoxic effects were evaluated on human bronchial BEAS-2B cells using micronucleus and Comet assays, and pro-inflammatory effects by cytokines release. Murine macrophages RAW 264.7 were used to detect potential innate immune responses using two functional endpoints (pro-inflammatory cytokines and nitric oxide [NO] production). The interaction of MNMs with RAW 264.7 cells was studied by electron microscopy. No chromosomal damage and slight DNA damage and an oxidative effect, depending on MNMs, were observed in bronchial cells. In murine macrophages, the four MNMs directly induced tumor necrosis factor α or interleukin 6 secretion, although at very low levels; lipopolysaccharide-induced NO production was significantly decreased by the titania and one silica MNM. The application of this approach for the evaluation of MNM biological effects could be useful for both regulators and industries.

Vitamin B deficiency in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is well-documented; however, few studies have explored genomic damage in patients with IBD using the cytokinesis-block micronucleus cytome (CBMN-Cyt) assay. This study investigated the frequency of micronuclei (MNi) using the CBMN-Cyt assay and the level of vitamin B in patients with IBD. This prospective study was conducted in 15 patients with ulcerative colitis, 15 patients with Crohn\'s disease, and 30 healthy controls from one tertiary hospital. Serum vitamin B and homocysteine levels were measured, and the MNi status was analyzed using the CBMN-Cyt assay. The patients with IBD showed significantly lower serum pyridoxine levels and significantly higher homocysteine levels than controls. The frequencies of binucleated cells (BNCs) with MNi, nucleoplasmic bridges (NPBs), and nuclear buds (Nbuds) were 8.5 [5.8-13.5], 1.0 [0.0-1.9], and 5.4 [4.3-7.4] for the IBD group, and 5.9 [4.8-7.7], 0.2 [0.0-1.0], and 3.5 [2.9-5.4] for the control group (P =  0.011, P =  0.010, and P =  0.002), respectively. This study suggests that patients with IBD have increased frequencies of MNi and decreased levels of pyridoxine than healthy controls.

Patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) require hemodialysis. However, dialysis therapy may cause genomic damage due to increased oxidative stress. Non-invasive assessment of genotoxicity may be helpful for developing management strategies. We applied the buccal micronucleus cytome (BMCyt) assay to ESRD patients on dialysis. Patients (n=35, age 52±2 year) on dialysis therapy (20.9±0.8months) had low glomerular filtration rates (GFR=5.00±0.36ml/min/1.73m2); controls (n=21, age 51±2 year) were healthy adults with no known recent illnesses or exposures. Patients had significantly increased chromosome damage: clastogenic/aneugenic events (frequency of cells with MN), cellproliferation (basal cells), cytokinesis defects (binucleated cells), and celldeath (pyknotic cells); Repair Index was lower in the patient group. Receiver Operator Characteristic (ROC) curve analysis showed that cells with MN were the best predictor for discriminating between patients and controls. Other predictivebiomarkers were the frequencies of basal, binucleated,and pyknotic.

In this work, the model plant for genotoxicity studies Vicia faba L. was used to investigate the relation between Boron (B) content and bioavailability in soil and plant genotoxic/phytotoxic response. A total of nine soil samples were investigated: two soil samples were collected from a B-polluted industrial area in Cecina (Tuscany, Italy), the other samples were obtained by spiking control soil (from a not polluted area of the basin) with seven increased doses of B, from about 20 to 100 mg B kg-1. As expected, B availability, evaluated by chemical extraction, was higher (twofold) in spiked soils when compared with collected polluted soils with the same B total content. To analyze the phytotoxic effects of B, seed germination, root elongation, biomass production, and B accumulation in plant tissues were considered in V. faba plants grown in the various soils. Moreover, the cytotoxic/genotoxic effects of B were investigated in root meristems by mitotic index (MI) and micronuclei frequency (MCN) analysis. The results highlighted that V. faba was a B-sensitive plant and the appearance of phytotoxic effects, which altered plant growth parameters, were linearly correlated to the bioavailable B concentration in soils. Concerning the occurrence of cytotoxic/genotoxic effects induced by B, no linear correlation was observed even if MCN frequency was logarithmic correlated with the concentration of B bioavailable in soils.

BACKGROUND: An estimated 800,000 people worldwide are occupationally exposed to welding-fumes. Previous studies show that the exposure to such fumes is associated with damage to genetic material and increased cancer risk. In this study, we evaluate the genotoxic effect of welding-fumes using the Micronucleus Test on oral mucosa cells of Mexican welders.
METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional, matched case-control study of n = 66 (33 exposed welders, and 33 healthy controls). Buccal mucosa smears were collected and stained with acridine orange, observed under 100x optical amplification with a fluorescence lamp, and a single-blinded observer counted the number of micronuclei and other nuclear abnormalities per 2,000 observed cells. We compared the frequencies of micronuclei and other nuclear abnormalities, and fitted generalised linear models to investigate the interactions between nuclear abnormalities and the exposure to welding-fumes, while controlling for smoking and age.
RESULTS: Binucleated cells and condensed-chromatin cells showed statistically significant differences between cases and controls. The frequency of micronuclei and the rest of nuclear abnormalities (lobed-nuclei, pyknosis, karyolysis, and karyorrhexis) did not differ significantly between the groups. After adjusting for smoking, the regression results showed that the occurrence of binucleated cells could be predicted by the exposure to welding-fumes plus the presence of tobacco consumption; for the condensed-chromatin cells, our model showed that the exposure to welding-fumes is the only reliable predictor.
CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that Mexican welders who are occupationally exposed to welding-fumes have increased counts of binucleated and condensed-chromatin cells. Nevertheless, the frequencies of micronuclei and the rest of nuclear abnormalities did not differ between cases and controls. Further studies should shed more light on this subject.

OBJECTIVE: Carbon monoxide (CO) exposure is still one of the leading causes of unintentional poisonings. Although its neurological sequels have been extensively studied, the knowledge about cytogenetic conse- quences still remains very limited. The aim of this study was to estimate the genotoxic potential of carbon monoxide in the course of acute poisoning.
METHODS: The examined group consisted of 73 patients treated because of accidental acute CO poisoning, and 22 healthy control individuals. Poisoning severity was estimated on the basis of neurological symptoms at admission, age, duration of exposure, carboxyhemoglobin (COHb) level and blood lactate concentration. The cytochalasine-B (cytokinesis blocker) micronucleus assay (CBMN) was used to analyze the cytogenetic alterations in lymphocytes from peripheral blood of the patients.
RESULTS: Intoxicated patients displayed higher numbers of micronuclei (MN) than controls. The frequency of MN depended on the age of patients, loss of consciousness, neurological symptoms at admission, and the level of carboxyhemoglobin, but did not correlate with lactate level. We also observed differences in cell responses depending on the gender.
CONCLUSIONS: Our results confirm the presence of cytogenetic changes after carbon monoxide poisoning. Based on these data we conclude, that CO might have genotoxic potential.

India has a long history of tobacco, which includes chewing tobacco and smoking tobacco in various forms. Initially, the smokeless tobacco chewing habit was seen among the majority of the farmers who cultivated tobacco; but in recent years, smokeless tobacco is available in many forms and is cheaper as well and hence it is widely being used among literate and illiterate people. The subjects of our study are living in hilly regions of Yerkaud in Salem district, South India. Most of the inhabitants of our study area are illiterate and more particularly they are unaware of the health effects due to tobacco use. Recent epidemiological reports have strongly indicated the association of cancer risk with usage of smokeless tobacco. The prime aim of our study is to evaluate the genotoxic effects of tobacco use by analysing the cytogenetic end points such as chromosome aberrations in peripheral blood and micronucleus in peripheral blood and buccal cells. About 85 smokeless tobacco users were enrolled for the study and same numbers of age- and sex-matched nontobacco users were also enrolled to serve as controls. The result of our study revealed that tobacco users displayed varied levels of elevated chromosomal damage and micronucleated cells than nontobacco users. The variation in the extent of genetic damage was dependent on the duration of the tobacco use. In conclusion, this study might be helpful in creating awareness on the hazards of the smokeless tobacco products among the global population as a whole for those who chose such products as a cheap alternative to tobacco smoke.

Mechanistically relevant information on responses of humans to xenobiotic exposure in relation to chemically induced biological effects, such as micronuclei (MN) formation can be obtained through large-scale transcriptomics studies. Network analysis may enhance the analysis and visualisation of such data. Therefore, this study aimed to develop a \'MN formation\' network based on a priori knowledge, by using the pathway tool MetaCore. The gene network contained 27 genes and three gene complexes that are related to processes involved in MN formation, e.g. spindle assembly checkpoint, cell cycle checkpoint and aneuploidy. The MN-related gene network was tested against a transcriptomics case study associated with MN measurements. In this case study, transcriptomic data from children and adults differentially exposed to ambient air pollution in the Czech Republic were analysed and visualised on the network. Six genes from the network, i.e. BAX, DMNT1, PCNA, HIC1, p21 and CDC20, were retrieved. Based on these six genes and in combination with p53 and IL-6, a dedicated network was created. This dedicated network is possibly suited for the development of a reporter gene assay that could be used to screen populations complementary to the current MN test assay. In conclusion, we have shown that network analysis of transcriptomics data in relation to the formation of MN is possible and provides a novel mechanistic hypothesis by indicating which genes are regulated and influence others.

Aim of this work was to assess the predictive value of micronuclei (MN) frequency in peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) for the risk of cancer death in disease-free individuals. Blood samples from 1650 subjects selected from the general population of Pisa, Italy, were collected between June 1991 and November 1993. The follow-up until January 2005 recorded a total of 111 deaths (52 for cancer). MN frequency was assessed for 49 cancer cases and 101 matched controls. A significantly higher MN frequency was found in cancer cases (4.7+/-3.4 MN/1000 BN cells) versus controls (1.5+/-1.7; p<0.0001). Donors were stratified in two classes and multivariate logistic regression analysis confirmed that individuals with high MN frequency (>2.5 MN/1000 BN cells) had a significantly increased risk of cancer death (OR=10.7; 95% CI=4.6-24.9; p<0.0001) when compared to individuals with low MN frequency (case-control study performed 14 years after the original recruitment.