PMID: 

Food Chem. 2019 Apr 25 ;278:805-810. Epub 2018 Dec 4. PMID: 30583446

Abstract Title: 

Antioxidant efficacy of thymol and carvacrol in microencapsulated walnut oil triacylglycerols.

Abstract: 

Antioxidant efficiency of thymol and carvacrol in walnut oil triacylglycerols (WO-TAGs) was investigated. WO-TAGs alone or fortified with thymol/carvacrol were emulsified with sodium caseinate-lactose mixture. Oxidative stability of freeze dried emulsions was assessed via Rancimat and accelerated oven tests. Bulk WO-TAGs with and without thymol/carvacrol were also tested for comparison. Higher induction periods (IPs) were recorded for encapsulated and antioxidant fortified WO-TAGs compared to non-encapsulated and non-fortified counterparts. IP of thymol included and encapsulated WO-TAGs were found to be 1.5-2 fold higher than that of carvacrol at all concentrations (0.05-0.20%). IP of WO-TAGs was increased dose-dependent manner in the case of thymol and the highest protection was obtained with 0.20% thymol concentration (p 

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PMID: 

Eur J Cancer. 2007 Jul ;43(11):1741-7. Epub 2007 Jun 27. PMID: 17600696

Abstract Title: 

Environmental risk factors for sporadic acoustic neuroma (Interphone Study Group, Germany).

Abstract: 

The only known risk factor for sporadic acoustic neuroma is high-dose ionising radiation. Environmental exposures, such as radiofrequency electromagnetic fields and noise are under discussion, as well as an association with allergic diseases. We performed a population-based case-control study in Germany investigating these risk factors in 97 cases with acoustic neuroma, aged 30 to 69 years, and in 194 matched controls. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated in multiple logistic regression models. Increased risks were found for exposure to persistent noise (OR=2.31; 95% CI 1.15-4.66), and for hay fever (OR=2.20; 95% CI 1.09-4.45), but not for ionising radiation (OR=0.91; 95 % CI 0.51-1.61) or regular mobile phone use (OR=0.67; 95% CI 0.38-1.19). The study confirms results of recently published studies, although the pathogenetic mechanisms are still unknown.

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PMID: 

Microb Pathog. 2019 Jun 18 ;134:103603. Epub 2019 Jun 18. PMID: 31226290

Abstract Title: 

Inhibitory effects of thymol on the cytotoxicity and inflammatory responses induced by Staphylococcus aureus extracellular vesicles in cultured keratinocytes.

Abstract: 

Staphylococcus aureus extracellular vesicles (EVs) deliver effector molecules to host cells and induce host cell pathology. This study investigated the disruption of S. aureus EVs by thymol along with its inhibitory effects on the cytotoxicity and inflammatory responses induced by EVs derived from two different S. aureus strains in cultured keratinocytes. Membrane disruption of the S. aureus EVs treated with thymol was determined using transmission electron microscopy. Human keratinocyte HaCaT cells were incubated with either intact or thymol-treated S. aureus EVs and then analyzed for cytotoxicity and pro-inflammatory cytokine gene expression. Thymol inhibited the growth of S. aureus strains and disrupted the membranes of the S. aureus EVs. The cytotoxicity and the expression levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokine genes towards HaCaT cells differed between the EVs derived from two S. aureus strains. Thymol-treated S. aureus EVs inhibited the cytotoxicity and the expression of the pro-inflammatory cytokine genes when compared to intact S. aureus EVs. Thymol-treated S. aureus EVs delivered lesser amounts of the EV component to host cells than intact EVs. Our results suggest that the thymol-induced disruption of the S. aureus EVs inhibits the delivery of effector molecules to host cells, resulting in the suppression of cytotoxicity and inflammatory responses in keratinocytes. Thymol may attenuate the host cell pathology induced by an S. aureus infection via both the antimicrobial activity against the bacteria and the disruption of the secreted EVs.

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PMID: 

Bioelectromagnetics. 2011 Feb ;32(2):85-93. Epub 2010 Oct 28. PMID: 21225885

Abstract Title: 

A case-case study of mobile phone use and acoustic neuroma risk in Japan.

Abstract: 

Results of case-control studies of mobile phone use and acoustic neuroma have been inconsistent. We conducted a case-case study of mobile phone use and acoustic neuroma using a self-administered postal questionnaire. A total of 1589 cases identified in 22 hospitals throughout Japan were invited to participate, and 787 cases (51%) actually participated. Associations between laterality of mobile phone use prior to the reference dates (1 and 5 years before diagnosis) and tumor location were analyzed. The overall risk ratio was 1.08 (95% confidence interval (CI), 0.93-1.28) for regular mobile phone use until 1 year before diagnosis and 1.14 (95% CI, 0.96-1.40) for regular mobile phone use until 5 years before diagnosis. A significantly increased risk was identified for mobile phone use for>20 min/day on average, with risk ratios of 2.74 at 1 year before diagnosis, and 3.08 at 5 years before diagnosis. Cases with ipsilateral combination of tumor location and more frequently used ear were found to have tumors with smaller diameters, suggesting an effect of detection bias. Furthermore, analysis of the distribution of left and right tumors suggested an effect of tumor-side-related recall bias for recall of mobile phone use at 5 years before diagnosis. The increased risk identified for mobile phone users with average call duration>20 min/day should be interpreted with caution, taking into account the possibilities of detection and recall biases. However, we could not conclude that the increased risk was entirely explicable by these biases, leaving open the possibility that mobile phone use increased the risk of acoustic neuroma.

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PMID: 

J Agric Food Chem. 2019 Jul 31 ;67(30):8382-8392. Epub 2019 Jul 17. PMID: 31271032

Abstract Title: 

Thymol Mediates Bactericidal Activity againstby Targeting an Aldo-Keto Reductase and Consequent Depletion of NADPH.

Abstract: 

is a common pathogen that can cause life-threatening infections. Treatment of antibiotic-resistantinfection needs effective antibacterial agents. Thymol, a generally recognized safe natural compound, has potential as an alternative to treatinfections. However, the targets and mechanisms of action of thymol were not fully understood. Bioinformatics analysis showed that IolS, a predicted aldo-keto reductase (AKR) in, could be a potential target of thymol. Isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) analysis demonstrated that thymol directly binds IolS and amino acid residues (Y30 and L33) are essential for such binding. Deletion of IolS or mutation of Y30A and L33A reduced the bactericidal activity of thymol at the concentration of 200μg/mL, suggesting that thymol mediates bactericidal activity via binding with IolS. Biochemical analysis showed that addition of thymol significantly increased AKR activity of IolS from 1.6 ± 0.1 to 2.4 ± 0.2 U (

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PMID: 

J Craniofac Surg. 2011 Mar ;22(2):706-10. PMID: 21415640

Abstract Title: 

Asymmetries in hip mineralization in mobile cellular phone users.

Abstract: 

A number of potential effects of mobile cellular phones on human health have been pinpointed, but the question of whether they affect bone mineralization has rarely been addressed. This study assessed differences in bone mineralization in the right and left hip of healthy male adult volunteers who were either nonusers of mobile phones (n=24) or users who carried the phone close to the right hip, for at least 1 year (n=24). Dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (GE Lunar Prodigy) was performed in dual femur mode for each subject. Right and left hip bone mineral density (BMD) and bone mineral content (BMC) were compared. No difference in mean BMDs and BMCs between groups was found. Nonusers had higher BMC in the right femoral neck (P=0.0044), a difference absent in mobile phone users (P=0.028 for the right-left difference in nonusers vs users). Mobile phone users, but not nonusers, had lower BMD at the right trochanter (P=0.027) and lower BMC at the right trochanter (P=0.014) and right total hip (P=0.039). Linear regression showed a correlation between estimated cumulative hours carrying a cell phone on the right hip and differences between right and left trochanter BMD (r=0.434; P=0.034). The different asymmetries between right and left hip dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry values in nonusers and mobile phone users suggest that these devices may adversely affect bone mineralization.

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PMID: 

Occup Med (Lond). 2001 Feb ;51(1):25-35. PMID: 11235824

Abstract Title: 

Mobile phone use and subjective symptoms. Comparison of symptoms experienced by users of analogue and digital mobile phones.

Abstract: 

In 1995 many people reported symptoms such as headaches, feelings of discomfort, warmth behind/around or on the ear and difficulties concentrating while using mobile phones. The number of complaints was higher for people using the digital (GSM) system, i.e. with pulse modulated fields, than for those using the analogue (NMT) system. Our main hypothesis was that GSM users experience more symptoms than NMT users. An epidemiological investigation was initiated including 6379 GSM users and 5613 NMT 900 users in Sweden, and 2500 from each category in Norway. The adjusted odds ratio did not indicate any increased risk for symptoms for GSM users compared with NMT 900 users. Our hypothesis was therefore disproved. However, we observed a statistically significant lower risk for sensations of warmth on the ear for GSM users compared with NMT 900 users. The same trend was seen in Norway for sensations of warmth behind/around the ear and in Sweden for headaches and fatigue. Factors distinguishing the two systems (radio frequency emission, phone temperatures and various ergonomic factors) may be responsible for these results, as well as for a secondary finding: a statistically significant association between calling time/number of calls per day and the prevalence of warmth behind/around or on the ear, headaches and fatigue.

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PMID: 

Am J Epidemiol. 2008 Feb 15 ;167(4):457-67. Epub 2007 Dec 6. PMID: 18063591

Abstract Title: 

Cellular phone use and risk of benign and malignant parotid gland tumors–a nationwide case-control study.

Abstract: 

The objective of this nationwide study was to assess the association between cellular phone use and development of parotid gland tumors (PGTs). The methods were based on the international INTERPHONE study that aimed to evaluate possible adverse effects of cellular phone use. The study included 402 benign and 58 malignant incident cases of PGTs diagnosed in Israel at age 18 years or more, in 2001-2003, and 1,266 population individually matched controls. For the entire group, no increased risk of PGTs was observed for ever having been a regular cellular phone user (odds ratio = 0.87; p = 0.3) or for any other measure of exposure investigated. However, analysis restricted to regular users or to conditions that may yield higher levels of exposure (e.g., heavy use in rural areas) showed consistently elevated risks. For ipsilateral use, the odds ratios in the highest category of cumulative number of calls and call time without use of hands-free devices were 1.58 (95% confidence interval: 1.11, 2.24) and 1.49 (95% confidence interval: 1.05, 2.13), respectively. The risk for contralateral use was not significantly different from 1. A positive dose-response trend was found for these measurements. Based on the largest number of benign PGT patients reported to date, our results suggest an association between cellular phone use and PGTs.

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PMID: 

J Psychosom Res. 2008 Jan ;64(1):1-9; discussion 11-2. Epub 2007 Aug 1. PMID: 18157992

Abstract Title: 

Psychological factors associated with self-reported sensitivity to mobile phones.

Abstract: 

OBJECTIVE: Some people report symptoms associated with mobile phone use. A minority also report"electrosensitivity,"experiencing symptoms following exposure to other electrical devices. Research suggests that electromagnetic fields do not trigger these symptoms. In this study, we examined the differences between these two"sensitive"groups and healthy controls.METHODS: Fifty-two people who reported sensitivity to mobile phones, 19 people who reported sensitivity to mobile phones and"electrosensitivity,"and 60 nonsensitive controls completed a questionnaire assessing the following: primary reason for using a mobile phone, psychological health, symptoms of depression, modern health worries (MHW), general health status, symptom severity, and the presence of other medically unexplained syndromes.RESULTS: Perceived sensitivity was associated with an increased likelihood of using a mobile phone predominantly for work (3% of controls, 13% of those sensitive to mobile phones, and 21% of those reporting"electrosensitivity") and greater MHW concerning radiation [mean (S.D.) on a scale of 1-5: 2.0 (1.0), 2.7 (0.9), and 4.0 (0.8), respectively]. Participants who reported"electrosensitivity"also experienced greater depression, greater worries about tainted food and toxic interventions, worse general health on almost every measure, and a greater number of other medically unexplained syndromes compared to participants from the other two groups. No group differences were observed with regards to psychiatric cases.CONCLUSIONS: The data illustrate that patients reporting"electrosensitivity"experience substantially worse health than either healthy individuals or people who report sensitivity to mobile phones but who do not adopt the label"electrosensitivity."Clinicians and researchers would be wise to pay greater attention to this subdivision.

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PMID: 

Oral Dis. 2012 Nov ;18(8):786-92. Epub 2012 Jun 10. PMID: 22681456

Abstract Title: 

Effect of mobile phones on micronucleus frequency in human exfoliated oral mucosal cells.

Abstract: 

OBJECTIVE: In the last two decades, the use of mobile phones has increased enormously all over the world. The controversy regarding whether radiofrequency (RF) fields exert effects upon biological systems is a concern for the general population. An evaluation is made of DNA damage and cytokinetic defects, proliferative potential, and cell death because of RF radiation emitted by mobile phones in healthy young users.STUDY DESIGN: This cohort study was carried out in 50 Caucasian mobile phone users. We collected two cell samples from each subject (a total of 100 cell samples), corresponding to the right and left cheek mucosa, respectively. Case histories and personal information were assessed, including age, gender, body height and weight, history of cancer, smoking and alcohol consumption, exposure to chemical carcinogens or radiation, and dietary habits. Sampling comprised cell collection from both cheeks with a cytobrush, centrifugation, slide preparation, fixation, and staining, followed by fluorescent microscopic analysis. A total of 2000 exfoliated cells were screened for nuclear abnormalities, especially micronucleus.RESULTS: No statistically significant changes were recorded in relation to age, gender, body mass index, or smoking status. A comparison of the results vs the control area according to the side of the face on which the mobile phone was placed, and in relation to the duration of exposure (years) to mobile phone radiation in the total 100 samples, yielded no significant differences.CONCLUSIONS: No genotoxic effects because of RF exposure were observed in relation to any of the study parameters.

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