Aminoacid profiles in farm workers

The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of pesticides on t he plasma levels of amino acids and serum liver enzymes in farm workers in the United Arab Emirates. This case-control study consisted of 103 farm wor kers (case) and 105 non-farm workers (control), matched for age, sex, and n ationality selected from Al-Ain City, Dubai, Sharjah, and Fujairah Emirates . The Indian-subcontinent workers represented the majority among farmers (9 0.3%) and non-farmers (82.9%). Seventy percent of the subjects reported wor king in a field with an obvious chemical smell and 60% of the farm workers reported mixing pesticides and spraying with chemical pesticides. Amino aci d analysis showed higher values among farmers than non-farmers for histidin e, threonine, lysine, and arginine as essential amino acids (p<0.0001). Orn ithine, taurine, glutamic, serine glycine, and tryptophan as non-essential amino acids showed significantly higher values in farmers when compared wit h the non-farmers (p<0.0001). (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd.