Wistar rats were exposed for 2 y r to diesel engine exhaust, carbon black (Printex 90, Degussa, FRC), and ultrafine TiO, (P25, Degussa, FRC) and were subsequently kept in clean air for 6 mo. Particle exposure concentration was increased during the course of the experiment for carbon black and TiO, to reach particle lung loads similar to those found in the diesel soot-exposed rats. The average particle exposure concentrations for diesel soot, carbon black, and JiO, were 7, 11.6, and 70 mg/m', respectively. Lung tumor rates in these rats increased with increasing cumulative particle exposure (mg/m3 x h) independent of the type of particle employed. The exposure to 2.5 mg/m3 diesel soot also induced a significantly increased lung tumor rate, but 0.8 mg/m' diesel soot did not. With this study, it could be demonstrated that the carbon core of diesel soot is mainly responsible for the occurrence of diesel engine exhaust-related lung tumors; the role of diesel soot-attached polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and NO,-PAH is probably of minor importance in the rat lung. Agglomerates of ultrafine carbon and TiO, particles seem particularly suited to exert toxic effects primarily on alveolar macrophages and alveolar lung particle clearance. Although such lung toxic effects were also seen with the lowest diesel soot exposure concentration (0.8 mg/m3) used, no increased lung tumor rate was detected in this group of rats. Whether this result implies a threshold for the particle-related lung tumor induction mechanism as already discussed by Vostal (7986) or whether the tumor effect was simply not observed because of statistical reasons needs further research on the possible mode of action of ultrafine insoluble particles in the lung. NMRl mice that were kept in the same exposure atmospheres (high diesel soot, car6on black, TiOJ as the rats did not show an increased lung tumor rate. furthermore, there was no treatment-related tumor response in NMRl nor in C57BL/6N mice exposed to diesel exhaust containing 4.5 mg/m3 diesel soot or to the same exhaust dilution but devoid of soot particles. C57BU6N mice were exposed for 24 mo and were subsequently kept in clean air for another 6 mo. Not only the average survival time but also the particle load per gram lung wet weight of the C57BL/6N mice was very similar to rats exposed to 7 mg/m' diesel soot.In 1986, the lung tumor-inducing activity of diesel engine exhaust in rats exposed to diesel soot concentrations of at least 2.2 mg/m3 was observed by various laboratories (Brightwell et al., 1986;Heinrich et al., 1986a;Mauderly et al., 1986). In 1987, based o n these results, diesel exhaust was classified in Germany as a carcinogenic working material. In

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Agenesis of the corpus callosum (ACC) is among the most frequent human brain malformations with an incidence of 0.5–70 in 10,000. It is a heterogeneous condition, for which several different genetic causes are known, for example, ACC as part of monogenic syndromes or complex chromosomal rearrangements. We systematically evaluated the data of 172 patients with documented corpus callosum abnormalities in the records, and 23 patients with chromosomal rearrangements known to be associated with corpus callosum changes. All available neuroimaging data, including CT and MRI, were re-evaluated following a standardized protocol. Whenever feasible chromosome and subtelomere analyses as well as molecular genetic testing were performed in patients with disorders of the corpus callosum in order to identify a genetic diagnosis. Our results showed that 41 patients with complete absence (agenesis of the corpus callosum—ACC) or partial absence (dysgenesis of the corpus callosum—DCC) were identified. Out of these 28 had ACC, 13 had DCC. In 11 of the 28 patients with ACC, the following diagnoses could be established: Mowat–Wilson syndrome (n = 2), Walker–Warburg syndrome (n = 1), oro-facial-digital syndrome type 1 (n = 1), and chromosomal rearrangements (n = 7), including a patient with an apparently balanced reciprocal translocation, which led to the disruption and a predicted loss of function in the FOXG1B gene. The cause of the ACC in 17 patients remained unclear. In 2 of the 13 patients with DCC, unbalanced chromosomal rearrangements could be detected (n = 2), while the cause of DCC in 11 patients remained unclear. In our series of cases a variety of genetic causes of disorders of the corpus callosum were identified with cytogenetic anomalies representing the most common underlying etiology.

BackgroundBiological effects of tailor-made multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) without functionalization were investigated in vivo in a two-year carcinogenicity study. In the past, intraperitoneal carcinogenicity studies in rats using biopersistent granular dusts had always been negative, whereas a number of such studies with different asbestos fibers had shown tumor induction. The aim of this study was to identify possible carcinogenic effects of MWCNTs. We compared induced tumors with asbestos-induced mesotheliomas and evaluated their relevance for humans by immunohistochemical methods.MethodsA total of 500 male Wistar rats (50 per group) were treated once by intraperitoneal injection with 109 or 5 × 109 WHO carbon nanotubes of one of four different MWCNTs suspended in artificial lung medium, which was also used as negative control. Amosite asbestos (108 WHO fibers) served as positive control. Morbid rats were sacrificed and necropsy comprising all organs was performed. Histopathological classification of tumors and, additionally, immunohistochemistry were conducted for podoplanin, pan-cytokeratin, and vimentin to compare induced tumors with malignant mesotheliomas occurring in humans.ResultsTreatments induced tumors in all dose groups, but incidences and times to tumor differed between groups. Most tumors were histologically and immunohistochemically classified as malignant mesotheliomas, revealing a predominantly superficial spread on the serosal surface of the abdominal cavity. Furthermore, most tumors showed invasion of peritoneal organs, especially the diaphragm. All tested MWCNT types caused mesotheliomas. We observed highest frequencies and earliest appearances after treatment with the rather straight MWCNT types A and B. In the MWCNT C groups, first appearances of morbid mesothelioma-bearing rats were only slightly later. Later during the two-year study, we found mesotheliomas also in rats treated with MWCNT D – the most curved type of nanotubes. Malignant mesotheliomas induced by intraperitoneal injection of different MWCNTs and of asbestos were histopathologically and immunohistochemically similar, also compared with mesotheliomas in man, suggesting similar pathogenesis.ConclusionWe showed a carcinogenic effect for all tested MWCNTs. Besides aspect ratio, curvature seems to be an important parameter influencing the carcinogenicity of MWCNTs.

A long-term exposure study with hamsters, mice and rats inhaling filtered and unfiltered diesel engine exhaust was carried out to investigate effects of chronic toxicity and, predominantly, carcinogenicity in the respiratory tract. The level of diesel exhaust in the exposure chambers corresponded to a concentration close to 4 mg m-3 in the unfiltered diesel exhaust. Satellite groups of animals were additionally treated with BaP, DBahA or nitrosamines in order to check for syncarcinogenic effects. In hamsters and rats, alveolar lung clearance and mechanical lung function tests as well as biochemical and cytological measurements in lung lavage fluids showed significant changes only after exposure to unfiltered diesel exhaust and, predominantly, in rats. No lung tumors were found in hamsters. Spontaneous tumor rates occurred in mice and both types of diesel exhaust increased the incidence of adenocarcinomas in the lungs. In rats, only the unfiltered diesel exhaust caused a lung tumor incidence. It amounted to 16% with no tumors in the controls. The heavy load of particulate matter in the lungs of rats was caused by an exposure-related impairment of the alveolar lung clearance and may have been instrumental in the induction of squamous cell tumors. However, an effect of particle-associated PAH cannot be excluded. Syncarcinogenic effects of diesel exhaust after initial carcinogen treatment were found only in the respiratory tract of rats.