A critical review of the epidemiology of Agent Orange or 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin and lymphoid malignancies

A Review about the Mycoremediation of Soil Impacted by War-like Activities: Challenges and Gaps

(1) Background: The frequency and intensity of war-like activities (war, military training, and shooting ranges) worldwide cause soil pollution by metals, metalloids, explosives, radionuclides, and herbicides. Despite this environmentally worrying scenario, soil decontamination in former war zones almost always involves incineration. Nevertheless, this practice is expensive, and its efficiency is suitable only for organic pollutants. Therefore, treating soils polluted by wars requires efficient and economically viable alternatives. In this sense, this manuscript reviews the status and knowledge gaps of mycoremediation. (2) Methods: The literature review consisted of searches on ScienceDirect and Web of Science for articles (1980 to 2023) on the mycoremediation of soils containing pollutants derived from war-like activities. (3) Results: This review highlighted that mycoremediation has many successful applications for removing all pollutants of war-like activities. However, the mycoremediation of soils in former war zones and those impacted by military training and shooting ranges is still very incipient, with most applications emphasizing explosives. (4) Conclusion: The mycoremediation of soils from conflict zones is an entirely open field of research, and the main challenge is to optimize experimental conditions on a field scale.

Subacute effects of the chlorinated flame retardant dechlorane 602 on intestinal microenvironment in mice

BACKGROUND

Chlorinated flame retardant Dechlorane 602 (Dec 602) has been detected in daily food, indicating that it may pose a risk to intestinal health. The intestinal microenvironment plays an important role in intestinal health. Intestinal microbiota and metabolites are two important factors for maintaining the microenvironment. However, little is known about the effects of Dec 602 on intestinal microbiota and metabolites.

OBJECTIVES

We aimed to probe the effects of Dec 602 on the intestine by revealing the changes that Dec 602 caused to the intestinal microbiota and metabolites.

METHODS

Adult female C57BL/6 mice were exposed to Dec 602 (low/high doses: 1.0/10.0 μg/kg body weight per day) orally for 7 consecutive days, and sacrificed after 7 days of recovery. The composition of colonic microbiota was measured by 16S rRNA gene sequencing, and the colonic metabolites were determined by LC-ESI-MS/MS. Finally, the effects of Dec 602 on the colon were validated by histopathological analysis.

RESULTS

The intestinal microbiota composition was altered toward a pro-inflammatory status after exposure to Dec 602. Dec 602 exposure also up-regulated oxidative metabolites (glutathione disulfide, taurine and retinoic acid) and pro-inflammatory metabolites (prostaglandin E2). On the other hand, antioxidative metabolites (s-adenosylmethionine and 11-cis-retinol) and anti-inflammatory metabolites (alpha-linolenic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid) were down-regulated after exposure to Dec 602. Infiltration of lymphocytes in the colonic lamina propria was observed in the mice treated with Dec 602 for 7 days, and it was not recovered after another 7 days without further treatment.

CONCLUSION

Dec 602 interfered with the colonic microbiota and metabolome, and exhibited inflammatory features. Histopathological studies confirmed that Dec 602 exposure did induce colonic inflammation.

Cohort Profile: The Korean Vietnam War Veterans' Health Study Cohort (KOVECO)

During the Vietnam War, many troops and citizen were exposed to large amounts of Agent Orange (AO), and the hazardous effects of AO are continuously being researched and reported. The Korean Vietnam War Veterans’ Health Study Cohort (KOVECO) is a retrospective cohort to demonstrate the health status of the Korean Vietnam War veterans and their second-generation offsprings. The KOVECO is a collaboration of data from the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs and the National Health Insurance Sharing Service from 2002 to 2018. The study participants were all Korean Vietnam War veterans and their second-generation offsprings, and the references were the general population in which gender and region were matched with the participants. As of 2002, 191,272 Vietnam War veterans (1,000,320 comparisons) and 1,963,402 s-generations (1,173,061 references) were included in the cohort. The KOVECO consists of personal information, medical facility visit information, and general health examination information. The KOVECO could act as a health surveillance system, which would be able to detect long-term health effects caused by exposure to AO and provide a direction for policy making through academic research.

Three Primary Cancers in a Veteran With Agent Orange and Agent Blue Exposures

A Vietnam War veteran's exposures likely contributed to his cancer diagnoses, but these associations are confounded by his substance use, particularly cigarette smoking.

Diverse pathways of epithelial mesenchymal transition related with cancer progression and metastasis and potential effects of endocrine disrupting chemicals on epithelial mesenchymal transition process

Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are natural or synthetic compounds that interfere with normal functions of natural hormones in the body, leading to a disruption of the endocrine system. Specifically, EDCs have the potential to cause formation of several hormone-dependent cancers, including breast, ovarian, and prostate cancers. Epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) process by which epithelial cells lose their cell polarity and cell-cell adhesion and acquire mesenchymal phenotype is closely associated with malignant transformation and the initiation of cancer metastasis. As a key epithelial marker responsible for adherens junction, E-cadherin enables the cells to maintain epithelial phenotypes. EMT event is induced by E-cadherin loss which can be carried out by many transcription factors (TFs), including Snail, Slug, ZEB1, ZEB2, Kruppel-like factor 8 (KLF8), and Twist. N-cadherin, fibronectin, and vimentin are mesenchymal markers needed for cellular migration. The EMT process is regulated by several signaling pathways mediated by transforming growth factor β (TGF-β), Wnt-β-catenin, Notch, Hedgehog, and receptor tyrosine kinases. In the present article, we reviewed the current understanding of cancer progression effects of synthetic chemical EDCs such as bisphenol A (BPA), phthalates, tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), and triclosan by focusing their roles in the EMT process. Collectively, the majority of previous studies revealed that BPA, phthalates, TCDD, and triclosan have the potential to induce cancer metastasis through regulating EMT markers and migration via several signaling pathways associated with the EMT program. Therefore, it is considered that the exposure to these EDCs can increase the risk aggravating the disease for the patients suffering cancer and that more regulations about the use of these EDCs are needed.

The aetiology of B-cell lymphoid malignancies with a focus on chronic inflammation and infections

B-cell malignancies are a heterogeneous group of lymphoproliferative disorders with different molecular characteristics and clinical course. It is increasingly recognized that the group displays considerable heterogeneity also regarding aetiologic factors. Here, we summarize the latest developments in the aetiology of B-cell lymphoid malignancy subtypes focusing on immune perturbation. Severe immune suppression constitutes a strong and well-established risk factor for aggressive subtypes (e.g. diffuse large B-cell and Burkitt lymphoma), but appears unrelated to risk of common low-grade subtypes (e.g. follicular and mantle cell lymphoma). Inflammation and infections are known co-factors amongst the immunosuppressed; however, immune stimulation is now recognized as a crucial determinant of lymphomagenesis also amongst immunocompetent individuals. This is best exemplified in marginal zone lymphomas where local chronic inflammation and infection in the stomach, ocular adnexa and salivary glands have been directly linked with the development of oligoclonal and monoclonal malignant B-cell populations. Aggressive subtypes (e.g. diffuse large B-cell lymphoma) are increasingly linked with features of systemic immune stimulation including autoimmune/inflammatory disease and subclinical cytokine elevations. Lifestyle factors (e.g. high body mass index, cigarette smoking) are associated with risk of diffuse large B-cell and follicular lymphoma, respectively, possibly mediated through inflammation. Recent genome-wide association studies further underline the importance of immune function by linking several subtypes to variations in the human leucocyte antigen (HLA) class genes. In the future, improved knowledge of mechanistic pathways of inflammation/infections in lymphoma development may translate to active measures of prevention or treatment, as is already the case for some low-grade lymphoma subtypes.

The impact of Agent Orange exposure on prognosis and management in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia: a National Veteran Affairs Tumor Registry Study

Exposure to Agent Orange (AO) has been associated with the development of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). We performed a retrospective study of 2052 Vietnam veterans identified in the National VA Tumor Registry to assess the impact of AO exposure on CLL prognosis, treatment and survival. Prognostic factors did not differ based on exposure. Veterans exposed to AO were diagnosed younger (63.2 vs. 70.5 years, p < .0001) and had longer overall survival (median not reached vs. 91 months, p < .001). This prolonged survival was in the subgroups of patients aged 60-69 years (p< .0001) and those with 11q deletion (p < .0001). Those exposed to AO were more likely to be treated with fludarabine, chlorambucil and rituximab (38 vs. 21%, p < .001) and bendamustine plus rituximab (25 vs. 18%, p = 0.039) as first line therapy. Exposure to AO was not associated with either poor prognostic factors or shortened overall survival in our large veteran population with CLL.

Wartime toxin exposure: recognising the silent killer

Wartime toxin exposures have been implicated in the genesis of malignancy in war veterans. Agent Orange, one toxin among many, has been linked to malignancy and the subcomponent phenoxyacetic acid has been associated with soft tissue sarcomas (STSs). This case demonstrates the association between a wartime toxin exposure (Agent Orange) and subsequent cancer development. Ultimately, we aim to highlight the importance of simple, specific questions in the patient history to account for previous wartime toxin exposures.