title: Genotoxic Evaluation of Mexican Welders Occupationally Exposed to Welding-Fumes Using the Micronucleus Test on Exfoliated Oral Mucosa Cells: A Cross-Sectional, Case-Control Study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  An estimated 800,000 people worldwide are occupationally exposed to welding-fumes. Previous studies show that the exposure to such fumes is associated with damage to genetic material and increased cancer risk. In this study, we evaluate the genotoxic effect of welding-fumes using the Micronucleus Test on oral mucosa cells of Mexican welders.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted a cross-sectional, matched case-control study of n = 66 (33 exposed welders, and 33 healthy controls). Buccal mucosa smears were collected and stained with acridine orange, observed under 100x optical amplification with a fluorescence lamp, and a single-blinded observer counted the number of micronuclei and other nuclear abnormalities per 2,000 observed cells. We compared the frequencies of micronuclei and other nuclear abnormalities, and fitted generalised linear models to investigate the interactions between nuclear abnormalities and the exposure to welding-fumes, while controlling for smoking and age.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Binucleated cells and condensed-chromatin cells showed statistically significant differences between cases and controls. The frequency of micronuclei and the rest of nuclear abnormalities (lobed-nuclei, pyknosis, karyolysis, and karyorrhexis) did not differ significantly between the groups. After adjusting for smoking, the regression results showed that the occurrence of binucleated cells could be predicted by the exposure to welding-fumes plus the presence of tobacco consumption; for the condensed-chromatin cells, our model showed that the exposure to welding-fumes is the only reliable predictor.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings suggest that Mexican welders who are occupationally exposed to welding-fumes have increased counts of binucleated and condensed-chromatin cells. Nevertheless, the frequencies of micronuclei and the rest of nuclear abnormalities did not differ between cases and controls. Further studies should shed more light on this subject.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of medicine, Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara, Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico.
authors.forename: Ana Cecilia
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Jara-Ettinger
authors.affiliation: Faculty of medicine, Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara, Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico.
authors.forename: Juan Carlos
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: López-Tavera
authors.affiliation: Faculty of medicine, International Program, Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara, Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico.
authors.forename: María Guadalupe
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Zavala-Cerna
authors.affiliation: Faculty of medicine, International Program, Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara, Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico.
authors.forename: Olivia
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Torres-Bugarín
mesh_terms: D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002467:Cell Nucleus; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004249:DNA Damage; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008800:Mexico; D048629:Micronuclei, Chromosome-Defective / Q000139:chemically induced*; D015162:Micronucleus Tests; D009061:Mouth Mucosa / Q000473:pathology*; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D014896:Welding