3 New studies of Pulmnary & Water Damaged Buildings, NIOSH, JOEM, JTox

[Guest guest]

Hi All,

Below are three news studies on the subject of illness caused by damp indoor

buildings.

1.Health Effects Laboratory Division, National Institute for Occupational

Safety and Health, town, West Virginia 26505, USA. sby5@...

: _Inhal Toxicol._ (javascript:AL_get(this, 'jour', 'Inhal Toxicol.') 2006

Oct;18(11):865-74.Pulmonary exposure to 1 --> 3-beta-glucan alters adaptive

immune responses in rats.

_Young SH_

(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed & cmd=Search & itool=pubmed\

_AbstractPlus & term= " Young+SH " [Author]) ,

_ JR_

(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed & cmd=Search & itool=pubmed\

_AbstractPlus & term= " +JR " [Author]) ,

_Antonini JM_

(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed & cmd=Search & itool=pubmed\

_AbstractPlus & term= " Antonini+JM " [Author]) .

1 --> 3-beta-glucans have been associated with increased pulmonary

inflammation in fungal-related indoor air problems. Epidemiological studies

have shown

a correlation between increases in T-cell proliferation and decreases in

CD4+/CD8+ ratio after exposure to fungi. The objective of the present

investigation was to determine the mechanisms by which 1 --> 3-beta-glucans

affect

immune responses using an animal model. Rats received a single dose of zymosan

A

(2.5 mg/kg body weight) via intratracheal instillation (IT) and were

euthanized on days 1, 4, 6, 8, and 10 post IT. Bronchoalveolar lavage was

performed

at each time point post-IT. Inflammation and lung injury were assessed by

measuring neutrophil infiltration into bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and

by

measuring albumin and lactate dehydrogenase levels in BALF, respectively.

Alveolar macrophage activation was determined by chemiluminescence. Immune

response was characterized via immunophenotyping of bronchoalveolar lavage

cells

and lymphocytes isolated from the lung-associated lymph nodes. Upon challenge

with zymosan, rats exhibited increased inflammation and injury at early time

points (days 1 and 4) post IT exposure. Although elevations in neutrophil

infiltration and chemiluminescence had returned to control levels on day 4,

lymphocytes recovered from lung-associated lymph nodes continued to proliferate

and reached a maximum on day 6. The CD4+/CD8+ T cell ratio from lymph nodes

was lower in zymosan-treated rats than in control rats. Zymosan treatment

increased tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-10, and

IL-12p70 secretion in BALF on day 1. In summary, rats exposed to zymosan had an

increase in acute inflammation, and the altered lymphocyte profiles were

consistent with the findings of epidemiology studies.

PMID: 16864404 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

2. _J Occ Environ Med._ (javascript:AL_get(this, 'jour', 'J Occup Environ

Med.') 2006 Aug;48(8):852-858.

(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/utils/lofref.fcgi?itool=Abstract-def & PrId=31\

59 & uid=16902378 & db=PubMed & url=http://meta.wkhealth.com/pt/pt-core/template-

journal/lwwgateway/media/landingpage.htm?an=00043764-200608000-00014)

Specific Molds Associated With Asthma in Water-Damaged Homes.

_Vesper SJ_

(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed & cmd=Search & itool=pubmed\

_Abstract & term= " Vesper+SJ " [Author]) , _McKinstry C_

(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed & cmd=Search & itool=pubmed\

_Abstract &

term= " McKinstry+C " [Author]) , _Yang C_

(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed & cmd=Search & itool=pubmed\

_Abstract & term= " Yang+C " [Author]) ,

_Haugland RA_

(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed & cmd=Search & itool=pubmed\

_Abstract & term= " Haugland+RA " [Author]) , _Kercsmar CM_

(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed & cmd=Search & itool=pubmed\

_Abstrac

t & term= " Kercsmar+CM " [Author]) , _Yike I_

(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed & cmd=Search & itool=pubmed\

_Abstract & term= " Yike+I " [Author]) ,

_Schluchter MD_

(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed & cmd=Search & itool=pubmed\

_Abstract & term= " Schluchter+MD " [Author]) , _Kirchner HL_

(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed & cmd=Search & itool=pubmed\

_A

bstract & term= " Kirchner+HL " [Author]) , _Sobolewski J_

(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed & cmd=Search & itool=pubmed\

_Abstract & term= " Sobolew

ski+J " [Author]) , _Allan TM_

(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed & cmd=Search & itool=pubmed\

_Abstract & term= " Allan+TM " [Author]) , _Dearborn

DG_

(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed & cmd=Search & itool=pubmed\

_Abstract & term= " Dearborn+DG " [Author]) .

From the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (Dr Vesper, Dr Haugland),

Cincinnati, Ohio; Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (Dr McKinstry),

Richland,

Washington; P & K Microbiology Services (Dr Yang), Cherry Hill, New Jersey;

Department of Pediatrics (Dr Kercsmar, Dr Yike, Dr Schluchter, Dr Kirchner, Dr

Dearborn), Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital, Case Western Reserve

University, Cleveland, Ohio; and Cuyahoga County Board of Health (Mr

Sobolewski, Mr

Allan), Cleveland, Ohio.

OBJECTIVE:: We sought to determine if specific molds were found in

significantly higher concentrations in the water-damaged homes of asthmatic

children

compared with homes with no visible water damage. METHODS:: The mold

concentrations in the dust in asthmatic children's bedrooms in water-damaged

homes (N

= 60) and control homes (N = 22) were measured by mold-specific quantitative

polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS:: Two molds, Scopulariopsis brevicaulis

and Trichoderma viride, had significantly (P < 0.05) higher concentrations in

asthmatics' homes compared with control homes and three other molds

(Penicillium crustosum group, Stachybotrys chartarum, and Wallemia sebi) had P

values

<0.1. CONCLUSIONS:: A relative moldiness index was developed to predict the

likely development of asthma in water-damaged homes in Cleveland.

PMID: 16902378 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

3. Comparison of Inflammatory Responses in Mouse Lungs Exposed to Atranones

A And C from Stachybotrys Chartarum

G. Rand A1, J. Flemming A1, J. A2, Taiwo O. Womiloju A2

A1 Department of Biology, Saint 's University, Halifax, Nova Scotia,

Canada

A2 Department of Chemistry, Carleton University, Ottawal, Ontario, Canada

Abstract:

Stachybotrys chartarum isolates can be separated into two distinct

chemotypes based on the toxins they produce. One chemotype produces macrocyclic

trichothecenes; the other produces atranones (and sometimes simple

trichothecenes,

e.g., trichodermol and trichodermin). Studies using in vivo models of lung

disease revealed that exposure to spores of the atranone producing S. chartarum

isolates led to a variety of immunotoxic, inflammatory, and other

pathological changes. However, it is unclear from these studies what role the

pure

atranone toxins sequestered in spores of these isolates exert on lung disease

onset. This study examined dose-response (0.2, 1.0, 2.0, 5.0, or 20 μg

atranone/animal) and time-course (3, 6, 24, and 48 h postinstillation [PI])

relationships associated with inflammatory cell and proinflammatory

chemokine/cytokine

responses in mouse lungs intratracheally instilled with two pure atranones

(either A or C) isolated from S. chartarum. High doses (2.0 to 20 μg

toxin/animal) of atranone A and C induced significant inflammatory responses

manifested as differentially elevated macrophage, neutrophil, macrophage

inflammatory

protein (MIP)-2, tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and interleukin (IL)-6

concentrations in the bronchioalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of intratracheally

exposed

mice. Compared to controls, BALF macrophage and neutrophil numbers were

increased to significant levels from 6 to 48 h (PI). Except for macrophage

numbers

in atranone A treatment animals, cells exhibited significant dose

dependent-like responses. The chemokine/cytokine marker responses were

significantly

and dose-dependently increased from 3 to 24 h PI and declined to nonsignificant

levels at 48 h PI. The results suggest not only that atranones are

inflammatory but also that they exhibit different inflammatory potency with

different

toxicokinetics. Data also suggest that exposure to these toxins in spores of

S. chartarum in contaminated building environments could contribute to

inflammatory lung disease onset in susceptible individuals.