Silicone passive sampling used to identify novel dermal chemical exposures of firefighters and assess PPE innovations

A plethora of chemicals are released into the air during combustion events, including a class of compounds called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). PAHs have been implicated in increased risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease, both of which are disease endpoints of concern in structural firefighters. Current commercially available personal protective equipment (PPE) typically worn by structural firefighters during fire responses have gaps in interfaces between the ensemble elements (e.g., hood and jacket) that allow for ingress of contaminants and dermal exposure. This pilot study aims to use silicone passive sampling to assess improvements in dermal protection afforded by a novel configuration of PPE, which incorporates a one-piece liner to eliminate gaps in two critical interfaces between pieces of gear. The study compared protection against parent and alkylated PAHs between the one-piece liner PPE and the standard configuration of PPE with traditional firefighting jacket and pants. Mannequins (n = 16) dressed in the PPE ensembles were placed in a Fireground Exposure Simulator for 10 min, and exposed to smoke from a combusting couch. Silicone passive samplers were placed underneath PPE at vulnerable locations near interfaces in standard PPE, and in the chamber air, to measure PAHs and calculate the dermal protection provided by both types of PPE. Silicone passive sampling methodology and analyses using gas chromatography with mass-spectrometry proved to be well-suited for this intervention study, allowing for the calculation and comparison of worker protection factors for 51 detected PAHs. Paired comparisons of the two PPE configurations found greater sum 2-3 ring PAH exposure underneath the standard PPE than the intervention PPE at the neck and chest, and at the chest for 4-7 ring PAHs (respective p-values: 0.00113, 0.0145, and 0.0196). Mean worker protection factors of the intervention PPE were also greater than the standard PPE for 98% of PAHs at the neck and chest. Notably, the intervention PPE showed more than 30 times the protection compared to the standard PPE against two highly carcinogenic PAHs, dibenzo[a,l]pyrene and benzo[c]fluorene. Nine of the detected PAHs in this study have not been previously reported in fireground exposure studies, and 26 other chemicals (not PAHs) were detected using a large chemical screening method on a subset of the silicone samplers. Silicone passive sampling appears to be an effective means for measuring dermal exposure reduction to fireground smoke, providing evidence in this study that reducing gaps in PPE interfaces could be further pursued as an intervention to reduce dermal exposure to PAHs, among other chemicals.

Successful chemotherapy of hepatic metastases in a case of succinate dehydrogenase subunit B-related paraganglioma

Compared to other familial pheochromocytoma/paragangliomas (PHEO/PGLs), the succinate dehydrogenase subunit B (SDHB)-related PHEO/PGLs often present with aggressive and rapidly growing metastatic lesions. Currently, there is no proven effective treatment for malignant PHEO/PGLs. Here, we present a 35-year-old white man with primary malignant abdominal extra-adrenal 11 cm paraganglioma underwent surgical successful resection. But 6 months later, he developed extensive bone, liver, and lymph nodes metastasis, which were demonstrated by computed tomography scan and the (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography. However, his (123)I-metaiodobenzylguanidine scintigraphy was negative; therefore, the cyclophosphamide, vincristine, and dacarbazine (CVD) combination chemotherapy was initiated. The combination chemotherapy was very effective showing 80% overall reduction in the liver lesions and 75% overall reduction in the retroperitoneal mass and adenopathy, and normalization of plasma catecholamine and metanephrine levels. However, plasma levels of dopamine (DA) and methoxytyramine (MTY) were only partially affected and remained consistently elevated throughout the remaining period of follow-up evaluation. Genetic testing revealed an SDHB gene mutation. Here, we present an SDHB-related PHEO/PGL patient with extensive tumor burden, numerous organ lesions, and rapidly growing tumors, which responded extremely well to CVD therapy. We conclude patients with SDHB-related PHEO/PGLs can be particularly sensitive to CVD chemotherapy and may have an excellent outcome if this therapy is used and continued on periodic basis. The data in this patient also illustrate the importance of measuring plasma levels of DA and MTY to provide a more complete and accurate assessment of the biochemical response to therapy than provided by measurements restricted to other catecholamines and O-methylated metabolites.

Penetrance and clinical consequences of a gross SDHB deletion in a large family

Mutations in the gene encoding subunit B of the mitochondrial enzyme succinate dehydrogenase (SDHB) are inherited in an autosomal dominant manner and are associated with hereditary paraganglioma (PGL) and pheochromocytoma. The phenotype of patients with SDHB point mutations has been previously described. However, the phenotype and penetrance of gross SDHB deletions have not been well characterized as they are rarely described. The objective was to describe the phenotype and estimate the penetrance of an exon 1 large SDHB deletion in one kindred. A retrospective and prospective study of 41 relatives across five generations was carried out. The main outcome measures were genetic testing, clinical presentations, plasma catecholamines and their O-methylated metabolites. Of the 41 mutation carriers identified, 11 were diagnosed with PGL, 12 were found to be healthy carriers after evaluation, and 18 were reportedly healthy based on family history accounts. The penetrance of PGL related to the exon 1 large SDHB deletion in this family was estimated to be 35% by age 40. Variable expressivity of the phenotype associated with a large exon 1 SDHB deletion was observed, including low penetrance, diverse primary PGL tumor locations, and malignant potential.

Biochemical diagnosis, localization and management of pheochromocytoma: focus on multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2 in relation to other hereditary syndromes and sporadic forms of the tumour

Approximately 50% of patients with multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN) 2A or 2B develop pheochromocytoma. These tumours are almost exclusively benign and localized in the adrenal glands. About one-third are bilateral at initial diagnosis. Amongst patients with pheochromocytoma, those with MEN 2A have subtler symptoms compared to those with sporadic disease. Since pheochromocytomas in patients with MEN 2 often secrete catecholamines episodically (but metabolize them continuously to metanephrines), the first choice for biochemical diagnosis is the measurement of free metanephrines in plasma, with urinary fractionated metanephrines being the second choice. In patients with pheochromocytomas that produce exclusively normetanephrine, MEN 2 can be excluded. In patients with biochemically proven MEN 2-related pheochromocytoma, anatomical imaging of the adrenals (with either computerized tomography or magnetic resonance) should be obtained next. Functional imaging with specific ligands (e.g. scintigraphy with [(123)I]-metaiodobenzylguanidine or, if available, positron emission tomography with [(18)F]-fluorodopamine, [(18)F]-dihydroxyphenylalanine, [(11)C]-adrenaline or [(11)C]-hydroxyephedrine) may then be particularly useful in patients with distorted anatomy from previous surgery, in cases of equivocal biochemical data despite high clinical suspicion for a tumour, to rule out multifocal disease, or where there is suspicion of metastatic disease (e.g. tumours larger than 5 cm). Laparoscopic surgery is the treatment of choice and subtotal (cortical-sparing) adrenalectomy is the procedure of choice in bilateral pheochromocytomas.