Features of the Hospitalized Incidence and Prevalence of Pediatric and Adolescent Endocrine Disorders in the Orenburg Region

Background: The incidence of endocrine diseases, eating and metabolic disorders has been increasing recently. The prevalence and structure of pediatric and adolescent endocrine disorders are significantly different from those in adults and have specific regional features. Objective: To study the frequency, structure, and long-term changes in the rates of hospitalization of the child population for diseases of the endocrine system in the Orenburg Region and to assess local features of disease incidence and prevalence. Materials and methods: We analyzed data on all pediatric cases (aged 0–18) of hospital care for endocrine disorders provided by the regional office of the Federal Compulsory Medical Insurance Fund for 2016–2020. We also applied the Ward’s hierarchical clustering method to establish local peculiarities and to group municipalities by the rates and dynamics of endocrine diseases in children. Results: The average rate of hospitalization for endocrine disorders was 3.8 cases per 1,000 children and accounted for almost 3.9 % of all types of hospital care. The proportion of inpatients among children aged 0 to 14 years was higher than that among adolescents. Metabolic disorders (34.0 %), insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (22.3 %), hypofunction and other pituitary disorders (12.6 %), obesity and other types of overnutrition (7.1 %), and undernutrition (5.7 %) prevailed in all hospitalized children. The patterns of pediatric and adolescent inpatients differed significantly. The analysis of the prevalence of endocrine disorders in children and its long-term changes enabled clustering of the territories of the Orenburg Region.Conclusions: Three distinct clusters of territories were established in the analysis of local rates of endocrine diseases in children. The first cluster was characterized by moderate disease rates, while the second and the third clusters demonstrated high and low incidence and prevalence rates of pediatric and adolescent endocrine disorders.</jats:p

Evaluation of Neuroendocrine and Immunological Parameters in Animals Following Chronic Combined Exposure to Xenobiotics

Background: A high prevalence of chromium and benzene compounds in the environment associated with motor vehicle and industrial operations arouses interest in the study of these xenobiotics in a long-term experiment. The objective of this work was to analyze effects of a chronic combined exposure to chromium and benzene on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) and immune systems of male Wistar rats. Materials and methods: Eighty male Wistar rats were administered potassium dichromate and benzene with drinking water in doses equaling one maximum permissible concentration (MPC) during 135 days. The hypothalamus, pituitary gland, adrenal glands, thymus, and spleen were then studied using morphometric, histological, and electron microscopy methods. The streptavidin-biotin peroxidase method was used to determine the expression of pro-apoptotic protein p53 and anti-apoptotic protein bcl2. We also measured the body, thymus and spleen weights of animals, nucleated cell counts in the thymus, spleen, and bone marrow and evaluated the cellular composition of the spleen and bone marrow as well as spontaneous and concanavalin A-induced secretion of interferon gamma (IFN-γ), IL-4, IL-6, and IL-10 cytokines by splenocytes. Results: We established an adverse effect of the exposure on the HPA function expressed in the activation of its secretory activity, blocking the release of hypothalamic neuropeptides at the level of the neurohypophysis and leading to ultrastructural damage to the neurosecretory cells of the hypothalamus, pituitary adenocytes and adrenal cortical cells, as well as in an increase in the programmed death of thymocytes. We also observed a decrease in the thymus weight and thymocyte counts and a complex of structural and functional changes indicating the status of its accidental involution in the exposed rats. The revealed decrease in the splenocyte count in the experimental group was accompanied by an increase in the size of the white spleen pulp. An increase in the induced production of the main immunoregulatory cytokines IFN-γ and IL-4 by splenocytes was found. Conclusion: Our findings can be used to analyze impairments of the HPA and immune systems in workers with a chronic combined exposure to benzene and chromium compounds in the occupational setting.</jats:p

Hygienic Assessment of Ambient Air Pollution, Health Status and Laboratory Parameters of Workers and Residents of the Oil Production Area

Introduction: Petroleum industry is a fundamental part of the economy of the Russian Federation. One of the approaches to up-to-date assessment of human health effects of subthreshold concentrations of pollutants is to determine changes in the immune and hormonal status in people with non-occupational or occupational exposure to industrial contaminants. Objective: To establish body mass indices, hormonal and immune status in workers of an oil producing enterprise and the population environmentally exposed to low concentrations of airborne pollutants emitted by oil production facilities. Materials and methods: The survey covered the population living in the area affected by oil production facilities and 131 oil extraction workers. We estimated the body mass index (BMI) of the subjects and tested their blood serum for the four main classes of antibodies (immunoglobulins IgA, IgM, IgG, and IgE), circulating immune complexes (CICs), and the levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), thyroxine (free T4), and cortisol. Results: We established that all the subjects (in both observation groups (workers (group I) and residents (group II), and the comparison group) were overweight but BMI of the industrial workers was within the normal range. We also found that the hormonal parameters did not differ significantly between the groups but the level of the stress hormone cortisol was lower among the workers. IgA and IgE levels were significantly higher in the exposed residents. A high level of circulating immune complexes in both population groups indicates high prevalence of chronic disorders. Conclusions: The study proves the need for an in-depth study of indices of the endocrine and immune systems and a clinical examination of both the exposed population and industrial workers. It is especially important to study the markers of exposure to oil production emissions in the biological media of the general population.</jats:p