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It has been suggested that the frequency of micronuclei (MN) in defoliated urothelial cells could be used as a biomarker for both the potential risk of bladder cancer (BC) and its progression. To prove this we have carried out a large study evaluating the MN frequency in a group of 383 hospital patients submitted to cystoscopy. From them, 77 were negative in their first cystoscopy, and were considered as a reference group; 79 were positive and were classified as patients with tumor; and 227 with previous bladder cancer submitted to follow-up monitoring were negative and classified as BC patients without tumor. Vesical washes were processed and the obtained cells were placed onto microscope slides for further scoring. To minimize scoring misinterpretations, cells were stained with DAPI, and observed in a fluorescence microscope. Results indicated that patients with BC presented higher incidence of MN than controls (18.29 ± 10.04 vs. 14.40 ± 8.49, P = 0.010, respectively). When individuals with BC were classified depending on whether the BC was a primary or a recidivated tumor, those patients with recurrent BC presented a higher frequency of MN than those where BC was detected for the first time (19.22 ± 9.59 vs. 16.60 ± 10.78, respectively); nevertheless, this increase did not reach statistical significance. Finally, a positive and significant correlation was observed between MN frequency and the degree of the tumor (P = 0.038). All this together would confirm the potentiality of the MN frequency in urothelial defoliated cells assay to be used, at least, in the follow-up and surveillance of BC patients. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. 60: 168-173, 2019. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., (© 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

End-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients present high levels of phosphorus and calcium products in serum, which contribute to the development of vascular calcification and cardiovascular disease, and to low iron stores and carnitine deficiency. For these reasons, ESRD patients are generally supplemented with different medicines. Some of the most common treatments include the use of Carnicor, Venofer, and Sevelamer drugs. Carnicor is used as a source of L-carnitine, acting as antioxidant and neuroprotector. Venofer is used to reduce the deficit of iron. Sevelamer is used to treat hyperphosphatemia. To determine the potential harmful genotoxic effects of these drugs, a group of 214 patients included in a hemodialysis program with different intakes of Carnicor, Venofer, and Sevelamer were evaluated. The levels of basal and oxidative DNA damage, as well as chromosomal damage, were measured in all individuals using the comet and the micronucleus assays, respectively. Our results indicate that Carnicor administration was associated with low but significant increases in the frequency of basal DNA damage and micronuclei. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. 59:302-311, 2018. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., (© 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients are characterized by elevated levels of genomic damage. This damage increases when kidney function decreases being maximum in hemodialysis patients. As kidney transplantation improves renal function, and it is related with better survival, the aim of our study was to evaluate potential changes in DNA damage levels after kidney transplantation, and comparing living donor recipients with cadaveric donor recipients. The alkaline comet assay was used to determine DNA breaks and oxidative damaged DNA; and the micronucleus assay was used to determine chromosomal breakage and/or aneuploidy. Fifty CKD patients were followed up after 6 and 12 months of their kidney transplantation. All patients increased their genomic damage levels after 6 and 12 months of renal transplantation, compared with those observed before transplantation, despite of the improvement of their metabolic functions. Donor advanced age correlated positively with higher DNA damage. Genomic damage was lower in living donor transplants with respect to cadaveric donor transplants. Our conclusion is that DNA damage increased in kidney transplantation patients, whereas their renal function improved. Higher levels of DNA damage were found in cadaveric donor transplants when compared to living donor transplants. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. 58:712-718, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., (© 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Patients suffering from chronic kidney disease (CKD) exhibit a high incidence of cancer and cardiovascular diseases, as well as high levels of genomic damage. To confirm the association of CKD with genomic damage we have carried out the largest study to date addressing this issue, using a total of 602 subjects (187 controls, 206 pre-dialysis CKD patients and 209 CKD patients in hemodialysis). DNA oxidative damage was measured in all individuals using the comet assay. Our results indicate that CKD patients have significantly higher levels of DNA damage than controls, but no significant differences were observed between pre-hemodialysis (pre-HD) and hemodialysis (HD) patients. When oxidative damage was measured, no differences were observed between patients and controls, although HD patients showed significantly higher levels of oxidative damage than pre-HD patients. In addition, a positive relationship was demonstrated between genomic damage and all-cause mortality. Our study confirms that genomic damage can be predictive of prognosis in CKD patients, with high levels of DNA damage indicating a poor prognosis in HD patients., (© 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

It is assumed that hemodialysis treatment can diminish the levels of genetic damage in circulating lymphocytes by cleaning the blood of uremic toxins that cause oxidative stress. However, the hemodialysis process by itself may also induce genomic damage by producing reactive oxygen species (ROS). We conducted a follow-up study in a group of 70 hemodialysis patients followed for a mean time of 15 months. We investigated the effect of exposure time in hemodialysis on the levels of genetic damage in peripheral blood lymphocytes using the micronucleus assay. In addition, genetic damage after in vitro irradiation with 0.5 Gy was also analyzed to evaluate changes in radiosensitivity. Our results showed that, at the end of the study, there was a decrease in both the basal levels of genetic damage (9.9 ± 1.0 vs. 7.6 ± 0.7) and radiosensitivity values (38.5 ± 3.0 vs. 27.6 ± 2.4). We conclude that hemodialysis procedures may act as an ameliorating factor reducing the genetic damage present in chronic kidney disease patients., (Copyright © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Patients suffering chronic renal failure (CRF) exhibit a high incidence of cancer, as well as high levels of genetic damage. We hypothesized that these patients show genomic instability as measured by increased radiosensitivity to the induction of genetic damage. The background levels of genetic damage and the net genetic damage after in vitro irradiation with 0.5 Gy were analyzed using the micronucleus assay in peripheral blood lymphocytes of 174 CRF patients and 53 controls. The net radiation-induced genetic damage was significantly higher in CRF patients with respect to controls. Among CRF patients, the levels of genetic damage were higher in those with prior incidence of cancer than in those without cancer; in addition, those CRF patients undergoing hemodialysis presented with higher levels of genetic damage than those in the advanced Stages (4-5) of the pathology. A positive association was observed between basal and net micronucleus frequency among CFR patients. However, no association was found between net genetic damage and parameters linked to the different stages of the pathology, such as urine creatinine levels and glomerular filtration rate. Our results indicate that CRF patients show increased radiosensitivity and that the degree of radiosensitivity is associated with the progression of the pathological stage of the disease., (Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

The frequency of micronuclei (MN) in peripheral blood lymphocytes and in buccal epithelial cells was used as a biomarker of genotoxic effects resulting from occupational exposure to pesticides. In addition, the cytokinesis-block proliferation index (CBPI) was calculated to detect possible variations in the proliferative kinetics of lymphocytes due to pesticide exposure. This study was performed on 84 pesticide-exposed workers and 65 unexposed controls from Hungary. The pesticide-exposed workers, classified as moderately and highly exposed, were also evaluated separately. Statistical evaluation of the cytogenetic biomarkers indicated that there were no significant differences between pesticide-exposed workers and controls, nor between moderately and highly exposed workers. Nevertheless, the statistical analysis revealed that additional factors such as age, sex, ingestion of raw vegetables, and working as a pesticide applicator affected lymphocyte MN frequency. In addition, age, sex, and smoking affected the frequency of MN in buccal cells. Results from the CBPI analysis showed that the proliferation index decreased with pesticide exposure and that this parameter was also affected by smoking and by the gender of individuals. The results of this study indicate no significant increase in MN in this group of Hungarian workers; however, the reduced CBPI in the highly exposed population suggests a possible genotoxic effect of pesticide exposure., (Copyright 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc.)