Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterised by problems with social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication and repetitive behaviour. In mice, the 14th postnatal day is believed to correspond to the third trimester of human embryonic development and is considered a vital period for central nervous system development. It has been shown that ASD affects 2 to 3 times more male than female individuals. In the present study, ASD was induced in 14 postnatal day (PND) BALB/c mice using valproic acid (VPA). VPA administration brought about substantial differences in the histoarchitecture of the brain in both male and female mice, linked to behavioural deficits. We observed that both male and female mice showed similar morphological changes in the prefrontal cortex, hippocampus and Purkinje cells. We also observed hair loss from PND 17 to 25, which was again similar between male and female mice. However, there were higher rates of change in the cerebral cortex, frontal cortex and temporal lobe and hippocampus in VPA-treated male animals. With respect to the cerebellum, we did not observe any alterations by haematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining, but detailed morphological observation using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed a higher rate of phenotype changes in VPA-treated male animals. Moreover, 5-HT2A receptor protein levels were upregulated in the cerebral cortex, hippocampus and Purkinje cells in VPA-treated male mice compared with control animals and VPA-treated female mice, as shown by immunohistochemical analysis. Based on all these findings, we conclude that male animals are more susceptible to VPA-induced ASD than females.

The aim of this study was to investigate the sociodemographic characteristics of patients based on the poison chosen and different types of organophosphorus compounds. The data were collected to explore the sociodemographic characteristics of organophosphate (OP)-poisoned patients based on the source, site, and route of poisoning, education level, occupational status, and the purpose of poisoning. Furthermore, we estimated the serotonin and dopamine levels in the plasma samples of patients, and survival plots were also described. During the study of OP pesticide poisoning in 116 human subjects and 5 healthy volunteers, we observed, based on the survival plot, that75.9% of the patients were discharged, and the remaining patients died (24.1% of the patients) due to respiratory failure followed by cardiac arrest. Our findings suggest that the serotonin levels significantly (p < 0.01 and p < 0.001) decreased from 12 to 36 h, whereas the dopamine levels slightly increased from 12 to 36 h in the group with OP poisoning compared to the control group. Based on these findings, this study may aid in deciphering the precise mechanism by which pesticides cause behavioural changes that influence serotonin and dopamine levels in OP-poisoned patients. The purpose of this work was to serve as a small reminder of the risk to public health associated with organophosphate pesticides.

Background:Pesticides represent many risks to human and environmental health, but few end-user selection criteria account for differences in risk across compounds. People who inadvertently consume toxins such as organophosphate pesticides were commonly seen in India's tertiary hospital emergency departments. However, the scarcity of knowledge about organophosphorus pesticide toxicity and the pesticide influences on neurotransmitters' role in humans is not reported.Aim and ObjectiveTo investigate the name of the OP pesticide consumed, their severity of the poisoning, and socio-demographic data (N=116, were OP pesticide exposed) and Control group (N=5), were not consume OP pesticide. Furthermore, we estimated the levels of neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine in acute OP poison human plasma and survival and mortality in human suicidal cases with different OP pesticides at general tertiary hospitals in India.MethodsThis prospective studydata (N=116, were OP pesticide exposed) and Control group (N=5), aims on hospital admitted human suicidal attempt cases to examine the toxicity of organophosphorus poisons. The data was collected to explore the socio-demographic characteristics of OP poisoned patients based on source, site, and route of poison, education, occupational status, and purpose of poisoning. ELISA kits determined the estimation of neurotransmitters. GraphPad Prism version 5.0 was used to interpret the data, including Dunnett's multiple comparison analysis and Kaplan-Meier survival plots.Findings/ResultsDuring the three years of this prospective investigation of organophosphorus pesticide poisoning in humans, we surveyed one hundred and sixteen instances of attempted suicide by ingesting OP pesticides. Males accounted for 72.41% of the cases, while females accounted for 27.59%. We observed that, based on the survival plot, N = 75.9% of patients were discharged, and the remaining cases died (N = 24.1% of patients) due to respiratory failure followed by cardiac arrest. Findings suggested that the serotonin levels significantly (p<0.01 and p<0.001) were decreased from 12 to 36 hours, whereas the dopamine levels slightly increased from 12 to 36 hours compared to the control group.Interpretation/ConclusionSuicidal poisoning is induced by a mix of psychological and social reasons; certain poisoning patterns are more common in demographic niche clusters. Based on these findings, this study may aid in deciphering the precise mechanism by which pesticides cause behavioral changes that influence serotonin and dopamine levels in OP poison cases. So the clinician should focus on treatment and maintain the imbalance of these neurotransmitters, such as serotonin and dopamine.