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Nakamura R, Iwai T, Takanezawa Y, Shirahata T, Konishi N, Ohshiro Y, Uraguchi S, Tanabe M, Kobayashi Y, Sakamoto K, Nakahara T, Yamamoto M, Kiyono M. Oleanolic acid-3-glucoside, a synthetic oleanane-type saponin, ameliorates methylmercury-induced dysfunction of synaptic transmission in mice. Toxicology 2024; 506:153867. [PMID: 38906242 DOI: 10.1016/j.tox.2024.153867] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2024] [Revised: 06/07/2024] [Accepted: 06/17/2024] [Indexed: 06/23/2024]
Abstract
Methylmercury (MeHg) is widely distributed in nature and is known to cause neurotoxic effects. This study aimed to examine the anti-MeHg activity of oleanolic acid-3-glucoside (OA3Glu), a synthetic oleanane-type saponin derivative, by evaluating its effects on motor function, pathology, and electrophysiological properties in a mouse model of MeHg poisoning. Mice were orally administered 2 or 4 mg·kg-1·d-1 MeHg with or without 100 µg·kg-1·d-1 OA3Glu 5x/week for four weeks. Motor function was evaluated using beam-walking and dynamic weight-bearing (DWB) tests. High-dose MeHg exposure significantly increased the frequency of stepping off the hind leg while crossing the beam in the beam-walking test, and increased weight on forelegs when moving freely in the DWB test. OA3Glu treatment alleviated motor abnormality caused by high-dose MeHg exposure in both motor function tests. Additionally, OA3Glu treatment reduced the number of contracted Purkinje cells frequently observed in the cerebellum of MeHg-treated groups, although cerebrum histology was similar in all experimental groups. The synaptic potential amplitude in the cerebellum decreased as MeHg exposure increased, which was restored by OA3Glu treatment. Even in the cerebrum, where the effects of MeHg were not observed, the amplitude of the field potential was suppressed with increasing MeHg exposure but was restored with OA3Glu treatment. Taken together, the study findings suggest that OA3Glu improves neurotransmission and movement disorders associated with MeHg exposure via protection of Purkinje cells in the cerebellum while ameliorating pre/post-synaptic deficits in the cerebral cortex in which no changes were observed at the tissue level, potentially providing a treatment to mitigate MeHg toxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryosuke Nakamura
- School of Pharmacy, Kitasato University, 5-9-1, Shirokane, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8641, Japan
| | - Takashi Iwai
- School of Pharmacy, Kitasato University, 5-9-1, Shirokane, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8641, Japan
| | - Yasukazu Takanezawa
- School of Pharmacy, Kitasato University, 5-9-1, Shirokane, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8641, Japan
| | - Tatsuya Shirahata
- School of Pharmacy, Kitasato University, 5-9-1, Shirokane, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8641, Japan
| | - Naruki Konishi
- School of Pharmacy, Kitasato University, 5-9-1, Shirokane, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8641, Japan
| | - Yuka Ohshiro
- School of Pharmacy, Kitasato University, 5-9-1, Shirokane, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8641, Japan
| | - Shimpei Uraguchi
- School of Pharmacy, Kitasato University, 5-9-1, Shirokane, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8641, Japan
| | - Mitsuo Tanabe
- School of Pharmacy, Kitasato University, 5-9-1, Shirokane, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8641, Japan
| | - Yoshinori Kobayashi
- School of Pharmacy, Kitasato University, 5-9-1, Shirokane, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8641, Japan
| | - Kenji Sakamoto
- School of Pharmacy, Kitasato University, 5-9-1, Shirokane, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8641, Japan; Faculty of Pharma-Sciences, Teikyo University, 2-11-1 Kaga, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo 173-8605, Japan
| | - Tsutomu Nakahara
- School of Pharmacy, Kitasato University, 5-9-1, Shirokane, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8641, Japan
| | - Megumi Yamamoto
- Department of Environment and Public Health, National Institute for Minamata Disease, 4058-18, Hama, Minamata, Kumamoto 867-0008, Japan
| | - Masako Kiyono
- School of Pharmacy, Kitasato University, 5-9-1, Shirokane, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8641, Japan.
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Tatsuta N, Asato K, Iwai-Shimada M, Iwai K, Nakayama SF, Yamazaki S, Nakai K. Dietary intake of methylmercury by 0-5 years children using the duplicate diet method in Japan. Environ Health Prev Med 2024; 29:27. [PMID: 38735736 PMCID: PMC11111292 DOI: 10.1265/ehpm.24-00048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2024] [Accepted: 03/30/2024] [Indexed: 05/14/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The developing brains are sensitive to methylmercury (MeHg). However, the exposure to MeHg in baby foods and toddler meals remains unknown. This study aimed to determine MeHg intake from baby food or toddler meals, and to investigate the relationship with child hair total mercury (THg). METHODS A total of 3 days of 24-hour dietary diet and hair samples were collected from 260 consenting children aged 0-5 years. We measured the concentrations of THg and MeHg in the diet and THg in the hair. RESULTS The results of measuring THg were below both the method detection and method quantification limits or either of both in powdered milk (93.8%), 5-6 months (53.3%), and 7-8 months (39.5%). The median daily THg intake was 20.3 (95% confidence interval 0.72-232.5) ng/kgbw. MeHg was not detected in 213 samples with dietary THg concentrations below 1 ng/g. The MeHg concentration with THg concentrations of 1 ng/g or higher was 1.70 (0.87-6.21) ng/g, and MeHg percentage in THg was 90.0%. To estimate MeHg intake, we multiplied the THg concentration by 90.0%, resulting in an estimated MeHg intake of 18.3 (0.65-209.2) ng/kgbw/day. The THg in children's hair was 1.05 (0.31-3.96) ppm, and a weak positive correlation was observed between hair THg and dietary MeHg (r = 0.170). CONCLUSIONS This study highlights the accurate estimation of MeHg intake in children using a duplicate method. Japanese children consume fish, the MeHg intakes exceeded the reference dose and/or provisional tolerable weekly intake in several children. Further discussion based on epidemiological data is required.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nozomi Tatsuta
- Health and Environmental Risk Division, National Institute for Environmental Studies, Tsukuba 305-8506, Japan
- Development and Environmental Medicine, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai 980-8575, Japan
| | - Kaname Asato
- Development and Environmental Medicine, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai 980-8575, Japan
| | - Miyuki Iwai-Shimada
- Health and Environmental Risk Division, National Institute for Environmental Studies, Tsukuba 305-8506, Japan
| | - Kenta Iwai
- Health and Environmental Risk Division, National Institute for Environmental Studies, Tsukuba 305-8506, Japan
| | - Shoji F. Nakayama
- Health and Environmental Risk Division, National Institute for Environmental Studies, Tsukuba 305-8506, Japan
| | - Shin Yamazaki
- Health and Environmental Risk Division, National Institute for Environmental Studies, Tsukuba 305-8506, Japan
| | - Kunihiko Nakai
- Development and Environmental Medicine, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai 980-8575, Japan
- School of Sport and Health Science, Tokai Gakuen University, Miyoshi 470-0207, Japan
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Yalçin SS, Erdal İ, Oğuz B, Duzova A. Associations between toxic elements and blood pressure parameters in adolescents. J Trace Elem Med Biol 2022; 71:126949. [PMID: 35193093 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtemb.2022.126949] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2021] [Revised: 12/20/2021] [Accepted: 02/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Both exposure to toxic elements and hypertension (HT) are a global health problem. We planned to examine the associations between some toxic elements in urine, and blood pressure (BP) and its diurnal changes in adolescents. METHODS In this cross-sectional study, 48 adolescents who were newly diagnosed with HT and 38 adolescents with age-appropriate BP and normal physical examination were included. Anthropometric measurements, urinary toxic elements, carotid intima media thickness (cIMT), and office and 24-hour ambulatory BP measurements (ABPM) of participants were taken. Urinary elements levels were studied with ICP-MS. Elements were grouped in tertiles according to urinary levels. Logistic regression analyses were performed to show the interactions. RESULTS Urinary cadmium, mercury, lead, and arsenic were found to be at detectable level in 90.7%, 69.8%, 91.9% and 100% of the participants, respectively. Univariate analyses showed that elevated daytime systolic and/or diastolic BP was associated with urinary cadmium and mercury. No association between urinary toxic elements and nighttime BP was found. When height and body mass index z-scores adjusted for, age, gender, and all four urinary creatinine-corrected toxic elements analyzed, multiple logistic regression revealed that there was an association between mercury (high vs. low; AOR:3.85) and office HT, and mercury (high vs. low; AOR:6.18) and cadmium (middle vs. low; AOR: 13.38) were associated with "elevated 24-hour systolic BP and/or diastolic BP", and "elevated 24-hour mean arterial BP" in ABPM. CONCLUSION There are complex relationships between toxic elements and BP parameters in adolescents, and more studies are needed to define the evolution of these relations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siddika Songül Yalçin
- Division of Social Pediatrics, Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey.
| | - İzzet Erdal
- Division of Social Pediatrics, Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey.
| | - Berna Oğuz
- Department of Radiology, Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey.
| | - Ali Duzova
- Division of Pediatric Nephrology, Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey.
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Liu H, Zhang C, Wen F, Feng L, Wang H, Wang W, Li P. Effects of Low-dose Mercury Exposure in Newborns on mRNA Expression Profiles. BULLETIN OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINATION AND TOXICOLOGY 2021; 107:975-981. [PMID: 33944966 DOI: 10.1007/s00128-021-03249-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2021] [Accepted: 04/21/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
This study was designed to investigate the molecular mechanism of mercury (Hg) toxicity in the newborns by mRNA sequencing (mRNA-seq). A questionnaire survey, routine blood parameters of pregnant women, and umbilical cord blood (UCB) of newborns were collected. The median (25th percentile, 75th percentile) of total Hg (THg) concentrations in UCB of newborns was 3.63 (2.50, 6.19) µg/L. A total of 504 differentially expressed genes of mRNA were revealed between the case and control group, including 456 upregulated and 48 downregulated genes. The Gene Ontology (GO) analysis showed that differentially expressed genes were primarily involved in mitophagy, hemoglobin complex, and oxygen carrier activity. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis demonstrated that the most differentially expressed genes were annotated in Huntington's disease, Parkinson's disease, and Alzheimer's disease. The qRT-PCR was used to validate the results of mRNA-seq. Low-dose Hg exposure could increase blood NE# and WBC in the pregnant women. This study provides scientific evidences on mechanism of Hg toxicity in newborns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haohao Liu
- School of Public Health/Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Monitoring and Disease Control, Ministry of Education, Guizhou Medical University, 550025, Guiyang, China
| | - Chanchan Zhang
- School of Public Health/Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Monitoring and Disease Control, Ministry of Education, Guizhou Medical University, 550025, Guiyang, China
| | - Fuli Wen
- School of Public Health/Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Monitoring and Disease Control, Ministry of Education, Guizhou Medical University, 550025, Guiyang, China
| | - Lin Feng
- School of Public Health/Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Monitoring and Disease Control, Ministry of Education, Guizhou Medical University, 550025, Guiyang, China
| | - Huiqun Wang
- School of Public Health/Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Monitoring and Disease Control, Ministry of Education, Guizhou Medical University, 550025, Guiyang, China
| | - Wenjuan Wang
- School of Public Health/Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Monitoring and Disease Control, Ministry of Education, Guizhou Medical University, 550025, Guiyang, China
| | - Ping Li
- School of Public Health/Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Monitoring and Disease Control, Ministry of Education, Guizhou Medical University, 550025, Guiyang, China.
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 550081, Guiyang, China.
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Chan PHY, Kwok KM, Chan MHM, Li AM, Chan IHS, Fok TF, Lam HS. Prenatal methylmercury exposure is associated with decrease heart rate variability in children. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2021; 200:111744. [PMID: 34310966 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2021.111744] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2021] [Revised: 07/19/2021] [Accepted: 07/19/2021] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Although several epidemiological studies have suggested mercury (Hg) might be associated with cardiotoxicity, the impact of Hg exposure on cardiac autonomic activity and blood pressure in children has not been investigated at Hg exposure levels equivalent to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reference dose. OBJECTIVE To investigate the association between low dose prenatal and recent methylmercury (MeHg) exposures and cardiac autonomic function and blood pressure with adjustment for factors such as fish consumption among children from a high fish consumption coastal city. METHODS Children aged 7-8 years were recruited from the birth cohort of our previous study. Heart rate variability (HRV), resting heart rate (RHR) and blood pressure were measured as surrogate markers of cardiac autonomic function. Cord blood and current whole blood Hg concentration were used as biomarkers of prenatal and recent MeHg exposure, respectively. Recent fish consumption information was estimated with a food frequency questionnaire. RESULTS Among 604 children, median cord blood and whole blood Hg concentrations were 45.9 nmol/L (IQR: 32.8-65.03 nmol/L) and 13.57 nmol/L (IQR: 9.29-19.72 nmol/L), respectively. Our results demonstrated that prenatal MeHg exposure was associated with decreased HRV (i.e. low CVRR, SDRR, and RMSSD), reflecting reduced parasympathetic activity (i.e. low CCVHF and HF), and a sympathovagal balance shift toward sympathetic predominance (i.e. high %LF and LF/HF ratio). Adjustment of recent fish consumption further increased the significance and magnitude of the adverse associations of MeHg. CONCLUSION The results of this study suggest that prenatal MeHg exposure is associated with decreased parasympathetic modulation of cardiac autonomic function in children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peggy Hiu Ying Chan
- Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong; Brain and Mind Institute, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Ka Ming Kwok
- Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Michael Ho Ming Chan
- Department of Chemical Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Albert Martin Li
- Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Iris Hiu Shuen Chan
- Department of Chemical Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Tai Fai Fok
- Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Hugh Simon Lam
- Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
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Liu J, Portnoy J, Um P, Cui N, Rudo-Hutt A, Yan C, Raine A, Chen A. Blood lead and mercury levels are associated with low resting heart rate in community adolescent boys. Int J Hyg Environ Health 2021; 233:113685. [PMID: 33556713 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijheh.2020.113685] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2020] [Revised: 12/22/2020] [Accepted: 12/24/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
While the neurotoxic effects of heavy metals at even low levels have been well-studied, few studies have examined the cardiovascular effects of heavy metals on resting heart rate and these have focused on adult populations. The present study aimed to examine the association between low-level environmental lead and mercury exposure and resting heart rate in community adolescents. As part of the China Jintan Cohort Study, 532 adolescents aged 12 years (SD = 0.6) were tested for blood levels of lead (BLL) and mercury (BML) and resting heart rate (RHR). Generalized linear models were conducted to test the relationship between BLL and BML and RHR, controlling for children's sex, age, and socioeconomic status. Analyses were clustered at the preschool level when the children were recruited to adjust for standard error. The mean (SD) BLL and BML were 3.14 (SD = 1.19) μg/dL and 1.26 (SD = 0.68) μg/L at age 12 years, respectively. After adjusting for confounders, we found a significant interaction between BML and BLL in predicting RHR in boys (B = -1.27, SE = 0.49, p < 0.01, n = 289). We created BLL and BML groups in boys based on median cut-offs. Boys in the High BLL/High BML group had significantly lower RHR (mean = 84.22 beats per minute [bpm], SD = 8.77, n = 61) than boys in the Low BLL/Low BML group (mean = 89.03 bpm, SD = 10.75, n = 69; p < 0.05). BML and BLL did not interact to predict RHR in girls (B = -0.18, SE = 0.88, p > 0.05, n = 242). Combined high BLL and BML were associated with low RHR in community adolescent boys. Low RHR is an indication of chronic under-arousal and has been implicated in psychopathology, particularly for externalizing behavior. Our findings may stimulate further communication and research in this area.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianghong Liu
- University of Pennsylvania, School of Nursing, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
| | - Jill Portnoy
- University of Massachusetts Lowell, School of Criminology and Justice Studies, Lowell, MA, USA
| | - Phoebe Um
- University of Pennsylvania, School of Nursing, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Naixue Cui
- Shandong University, School of Nursing and Rehabilitation, Shandong Province, China
| | - Anna Rudo-Hutt
- University of Pennsylvania, School of Arts and Sciences, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Chonghai Yan
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Children's Environmental, Xinhua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Adrian Raine
- University of Pennsylvania, Departments of Criminology, Psychiatry, and Psychology, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Aimin Chen
- University of Pennsylvania, Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Informatics, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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Gorini F, Bustaffa E, Chatzianagnostou K, Bianchi F, Vassalle C. Hydrogen sulfide and cardiovascular disease: Doubts, clues, and interpretation difficulties from studies in geothermal areas. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 743:140818. [PMID: 32758850 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.140818] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2020] [Revised: 06/10/2020] [Accepted: 07/06/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) represents one of the main pollutants originating from both geologic phenomena such as volcanoes, geysers, fumaroles and hot springs, and geothermal plants that produce heat and electricity. Many increasing data suggest that H2S retains a variety of biological properties, and modulates many pathways related to cardiovascular pathophysiology although its role as beneficial/adverse determinant on cardiovascular disease (CVD) is not clearly established. In this review, the current knowledge on the association between H2S exposure and risk of CVD in geothermal areas has been examined. The few epidemiological studies carried out in geothermal areas suggest, in some cases, a protective role of H2S towards CVD, while in others a positive association between exposure to H2S and increased incidence of CVD. Most of the studies have an ecological design that does not allow to produce evidence to support a causal relationship and also often lack for an adequate adjustment for individual CVD risk factors. The review has also considered the potential role of two other aspects not sufficiently explored in this relationship: the production of endogenous H2S that is a gasotransmitter producing beneficial effects on cardiovascular function at low concentration and the intake of H2S-releasing drugs for the treatment of patients affected by hypertension, inflammatory diseases, and CVD. Thus, a threshold effect of H2S and the shift of action as beneficial/adverse determinant given by the synergy of exogenous exposure and endogenous production cannot be excluded. In this complex scenario, an effort is warranted in the future to include a more comprehensive evaluation of risk for CVD in relation to H2S emissions, especially in geothermal areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Gorini
- Unit of Environmental Epidemiology and Diseases Registries, Institute of Clinical Physiology, National Research Council, IFC-CNR, via Moruzzi 1, Pisa 56124, Italy.
| | - Elisa Bustaffa
- Unit of Environmental Epidemiology and Diseases Registries, Institute of Clinical Physiology, National Research Council, IFC-CNR, via Moruzzi 1, Pisa 56124, Italy
| | | | - Fabrizio Bianchi
- Unit of Environmental Epidemiology and Diseases Registries, Institute of Clinical Physiology, National Research Council, IFC-CNR, via Moruzzi 1, Pisa 56124, Italy
| | - Cristina Vassalle
- Gabriele Monasterio Foundation for the Medical and Public Health Research, via Moruzzi 1, Pisa 56124, Italy
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Eccles KM, Thomas PJ, Chan HM. Relationships between mercury concentrations in fur and stomach contents of river otter (Lontra canadensis) and mink (Neovison vison) in Northern Alberta Canada and their applications as proxies for environmental factors determining mercury bioavailability. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2020; 181:108961. [PMID: 31806289 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2019.108961] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2019] [Revised: 11/21/2019] [Accepted: 11/25/2019] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
The fur of piscivorous animals such as river otter (Lontra canadensis) and mink (Neovison vison) has been proposed to be used as a biomarker medium to assess mercury (Hg) exposure, but the relationship with dietary and environmental Hg exposure has not been fully characterized. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between fur total mercury (THg) and stomach content THg in river otter and mink, and their relationships with environmental factors. THg concentrations were measured in fur and stomach contents of river otter (n = 35) and mink (n = 30) collected from northern Alberta, Canada between 2014 and 2017. The fur THg concentration (mean ± standard deviation) was 6.36 ± 4.12 μg/g fur weight and 5.25 ± 3.50 μg/g fur weight and the average stomach content THg was 0.95 ± 0.56 μg/g dry weight and 0.71 ± 0.54 μg/g dry weight in river otter and mink respectively. There was a positive relationship between the log fur THg and log stomach contents THg for both species (p < 0.05). There was a positive relationship between the log THg of stomach contents and the percent of deciduous forest and a negative relationship with soil pH. There was a positive relationship between the log THg of fur and the total area burned by forest fire and a negative relationship with the percentage of wetlands. These results provide field evidence that fur can be used to reflect dietary Hg exposure and to identify sources and environmental factors that affect the bioavailable Hg in the habitats of these wildlife species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristin M Eccles
- Department of Biology, Collaborative Program in Chemical and Environmental Toxicology, University of Ottawa, 180, Gendron Hall, 30 Marie Curie, Ottawa, ON, K1N 6N5, Canada.
| | - Philippe J Thomas
- Department of Biology, Collaborative Program in Chemical and Environmental Toxicology, University of Ottawa, 180, Gendron Hall, 30 Marie Curie, Ottawa, ON, K1N 6N5, Canada; Science and Technology Branch, Environment and Climate Change Canada, National Wildlife Research Center, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Raven Road, Ottawa, ON, K1A 0H3, Canada.
| | - Hing Man Chan
- Department of Biology, Collaborative Program in Chemical and Environmental Toxicology, University of Ottawa, 180, Gendron Hall, 30 Marie Curie, Ottawa, ON, K1N 6N5, Canada.
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Zareba W, Thurston SW, Zareba G, Couderc JP, Evans K, Xia J, Watson GE, Strain JJ, McSorley E, Yeates A, Mulhern M, Shamlaye CF, Bovet P, van Wijngaarden E, Davidson PW, Myers GJ. Prenatal and recent methylmercury exposure and heart rate variability in young adults: the Seychelles Child Development Study. Neurotoxicol Teratol 2019; 74:106810. [PMID: 31128243 DOI: 10.1016/j.ntt.2019.106810] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2018] [Revised: 03/22/2019] [Accepted: 05/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Epidemiologic evidence of an adverse association between exposure to methylmercury (MeHg) from consuming fish and heart rate variability (HRV) is inconclusive. We aimed to evaluate MeHg exposure in relation to HRV parameters in a large cohort of young adults from a high fish consuming population in the Republic of Seychelles. Main Cohort participants in the Seychelles Child Development Study were evaluated at a mean age of 19 years. Prenatal MeHg exposure was determined in maternal hair growing during pregnancy and recent exposure in participant's hair taken at the evaluation. The evaluation consisted of short (~2 h) and long (overnight) Holter recordings obtained in 514 and 203 participants, respectively. Multivariable analyses examined the association of prenatal and recent MeHg exposure (in separate models) with time-domain and frequency-domain HRV parameters in different physiologic circumstances: supine position, standing position, mental stress when undergoing a mathematics test, sleep, and long recording. Prenatal MeHg exposure was not associated with any of the 23 HRV parameters studied after adjustment for multiplicity. The recent MeHg showed a trend toward significance only for few variables in the primary model. However, after additional adjustment for activity levels, polyunsaturated fatty acids, and multiplicity none were significant after a Bonferroni adjustment. In conclusion, prenatal and recent MeHg exposure had no consistent pattern of associations to support the hypothesis that they are adversely associated with heart rate variability in this study population that consumes large amounts of fish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wojciech Zareba
- Heart Research, Cardiology Division, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, United States of America.
| | - Sally W Thurston
- Department of Biostatistics and Computational Biology; University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, United States of America
| | - Grazyna Zareba
- Department of Environmental Medicine, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, United States of America
| | - Jean Philippe Couderc
- Heart Research, Cardiology Division, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, United States of America
| | - Katie Evans
- Department of Biostatistics and Computational Biology; University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, United States of America
| | - Jean Xia
- Heart Research, Cardiology Division, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, United States of America
| | - Gene E Watson
- Department of Environmental Medicine, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, United States of America; Eastman Institute for Oral Health, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, United States of America
| | - J J Strain
- University of Ulster, Coleraine, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
| | - Emeir McSorley
- University of Ulster, Coleraine, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
| | - Alison Yeates
- University of Ulster, Coleraine, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
| | - Maria Mulhern
- University of Ulster, Coleraine, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
| | | | - Pascal Bovet
- University Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Edwin van Wijngaarden
- Department of Environmental Medicine, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, United States of America; Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, United States of America; Department of Pediatrics, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, United States of America; Eastman Institute for Oral Health, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, United States of America
| | - Philip W Davidson
- Department of Environmental Medicine, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, United States of America; Department of Pediatrics, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, United States of America
| | - Gary J Myers
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, United States of America; Department of Environmental Medicine, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, United States of America; Department of Neurology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, United States of America
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Nakamura R, Shirahata T, Konishi N, Takanezawa Y, Sone Y, Uraguchi S, Kobayashi Y, Kiyono M. Oleanolic acid 3-glucoside, a synthetic oleanane-type saponin, alleviates methylmercury toxicity in vitro and in vivo. Toxicology 2019; 417:15-22. [PMID: 30776458 DOI: 10.1016/j.tox.2019.02.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2018] [Revised: 01/20/2019] [Accepted: 02/11/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Methylmercury (MeHg) is one of the most toxic environmental pollutants, presenting a serious health hazard worldwide. In this study, we examined the potential of derivatives of oleanolic acid (OA), such as OA 3-glucoside, OA 28-glucoside, and OA 3,28-diglucoside, to mitigate MeHg toxicity in vitro and in vivo. We found that OA 3-glucoside suppressed the cellular MeHg uptake by 63.4% compared with that of the control and improved the cell viability from 75.4% to 107.9% upon exposure to cytotoxic MeHg in Caco-2 cells. To verify the anti-MeHg activity of OA 3-glucoside, mice were orally administered MeHg (0, 1.0, or 5.0 mg kg-1·d-1), with or without OA 3-glucoside, and then mercury accumulation was measured in various organs of the mice. The mice co-treated with MeHg and OA 3-glucoside showed significantly lower mercury content in organs such as the cerebrum, cerebellum, liver, kidney, and spleen, with 83.1%, 68.7%, 71.7%, 82.1%, and 18.2% of those in the OA 3-glucoside-untreated group, respectively. This suggested OA 3-glucoside had the potential as an anti-MeHg compound, owing to its ability to suppress the distribution of MeHg into organs. Supporting this hypothesis, the mice treated with MeHg and OA 3-glucoside showed a tendency to survive one day longer than the control mice. Our findings suggest OA 3-glucoside administration alleviates the toxicity of MeHg by suppressing MeHg accumulation in organs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryosuke Nakamura
- School of Pharmacy, Kitasato University, 5-9-1, Shirokane, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8641, Japan
| | - Tatsuya Shirahata
- School of Pharmacy, Kitasato University, 5-9-1, Shirokane, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8641, Japan
| | - Naruki Konishi
- School of Pharmacy, Kitasato University, 5-9-1, Shirokane, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8641, Japan
| | - Yasukazu Takanezawa
- School of Pharmacy, Kitasato University, 5-9-1, Shirokane, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8641, Japan
| | - Yuka Sone
- School of Pharmacy, Kitasato University, 5-9-1, Shirokane, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8641, Japan
| | - Shimpei Uraguchi
- School of Pharmacy, Kitasato University, 5-9-1, Shirokane, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8641, Japan
| | - Yoshinori Kobayashi
- School of Pharmacy, Kitasato University, 5-9-1, Shirokane, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8641, Japan
| | - Masako Kiyono
- School of Pharmacy, Kitasato University, 5-9-1, Shirokane, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8641, Japan.
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Assessment of Cardiac Autonomic Function in Relation to Methylmercury Neurotoxicity. TOXICS 2018; 6:toxics6030038. [PMID: 30036985 PMCID: PMC6161203 DOI: 10.3390/toxics6030038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2018] [Revised: 07/12/2018] [Accepted: 07/18/2018] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
After the European Food Safety Authority reviewed reports of methylmercury and heart rate variability (HRV) in 2012, the panel concluded that, although some studies of cardiac autonomy suggested an autonomic effect of methylmercury, the results were inconsistent among studies and the implications for health were unclear. In this study, we reconsider this association by adding a perspective on the physiological context. Cardiovascular rhythmicity is usually studied within different frequency domains of HRV. Three spectral components are usually detected; in humans these are centered at <0.04 Hz, 0.15 Hz (LF), and 0.3 Hz (HF). LF and HF (sympathetic and parasympathetic activities, respectively) are evaluated in terms of frequency and power. By searching PubMed, we identified 13 studies examining the effect of methylmercury exposure on HRV in human populations in the Faroe Islands, the Seychelles and other countries. Considering both reduced HRV and sympathodominant state (i.e., lower HF, higher LF, or higher LF/HF ratio) as autonomic abnormality, eight of them showed the significant association with methylmercury exposure. Five studies failed to demonstrate any significant association. In conclusion, these data suggest that increased methylmercury exposure was consistently associated with autonomic abnormality, though the influence of methylmercury on HRV (e.g., LF) might differ for prenatal and postnatal exposures. The results with HRV should be included in the risk characterization of methylmercury. The HRV parameters calculated by frequency domain analysis appear to be more sensitive to methylmercury exposure than those by time domain analysis.
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Miller C, Karimi R, Silbernagel S, Kostrubiak D, Schiavone F, Zhang Q, Yang J, Rashba E, Meliker JR. Mercury, omega-3 fatty acids, and seafood intake are not associated with heart rate variability or QT interval. ARCHIVES OF ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH 2018; 73:251-257. [PMID: 28379067 DOI: 10.1080/19338244.2017.1315360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2016] [Accepted: 03/30/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Mercury (Hg), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) concentrations differ across seafood types. Our aim was to investigate the association of Hg, EPA, and DHA, as well as avid consumption of diverse seafood types, with cardiovascular variables heart rate variability (HRV) and QT interval duration (QTc) in a contemporary population. We measured HRV and QTc by Holter monitor, EPA and DHA in plasma, total Hg in whole blood, and possible confounders in 94 avid seafood consumers from Long Island, NY. Participants had mean Hg of 8.4 mcg/L, mean EPA of 1.2%, and mean DHA of 3.7% of total fatty acids. Adjusted for possible confounders, EPA+DHA, Hg, and total seafood consumption were not associated with HRV or QTc. Associations with consumption of specific seafood types were suggested (eg, tuna steak with QTc and anchovies with HRV) but require verification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles Miller
- a Department of Medicine , Stony Brook University School of Medicine , Stony Brook , New York , USA
| | - Roxanne Karimi
- b School of Marine and Atmospheric Science , Stony Brook University , Stony Brook , New York , USA
| | - Susan Silbernagel
- b School of Marine and Atmospheric Science , Stony Brook University , Stony Brook , New York , USA
| | | | - Frederick Schiavone
- d Department of Emergency Medicine , Stony Brook University School of Medicine , Stony Brook , New York , USA
| | - Qiao Zhang
- e US Food and Drug Administration , Center for Veterinary Medicine , Silver Spring , Maryland , USA
| | - Jie Yang
- f Department of Family, Population, and Preventive Medicine , Stony Brook University School of Medicine , Stony Brook , New York , USA
| | - Eric Rashba
- g Division of Cardiology, Electrophysiology Section, Department of Medicine , Stony Brook University School of Medicine , Stony Brook , New York , USA
| | - Jaymie R Meliker
- f Department of Family, Population, and Preventive Medicine , Stony Brook University School of Medicine , Stony Brook , New York , USA
- h Stony Brook University Program in Public Health , Stony Brook , New York , USA
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13
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Utzinger ML. Enhancing Heart Rate Variability. Integr Med (Encinitas) 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-323-35868-2.00096-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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14
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Associations of the serum long-chain n-3 PUFA and hair mercury with resting heart rate, peak heart rate during exercise and heart rate recovery after exercise in middle-aged men. Br J Nutr 2017; 119:66-73. [PMID: 29208059 DOI: 10.1017/s0007114517003191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Long-chain n-3 PUFA from fish have been associated with lower risk of CVD. Fish may also contain methylmercury, which may attenuate the inverse associations of the long-chain n-3 PUFA. However, the mechanisms underlying these associations are not fully known. We evaluated the associations of the serum long-chain n-3 PUFA (EPA, DPA and DHA) and hair Hg with resting heart rate (HR), peak HR during cycle ergometer exercise and HR recovery after exercise. A total of 1008 men from the population-based Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study, aged 42-60 years and free of CVD, were studied. After multivariate-adjustments in ANCOVA, higher serum total long-chain n-3 PUFA concentration was associated with lower resting HR (extreme-quartile difference 2·2 beats/min; 95 % CI 0·2, 4·1, P trend across quartiles=0·02), but not with peak HR or HR recovery. Associations were generally similar when EPA, DPA and DHA were evaluated individually, except for DPA, which was also associated with better HR recovery after exercise (extreme-quartile difference 2·1 beats/min; 95 % CI 0·1, 4·2, P trend=0·06). Higher hair Hg content had a trend towards lower peak HR after adjusting for the long-chain n-3 PUFA (P trend=0·05), but it only slightly attenuated the associations of the serum long-chain n-3 PUFA with HR. These findings suggest that higher serum long-chain n-3 PUFA concentrations are associated with lower resting HR in middle-aged men from Eastern Finland, which may partially explain the potential cardioprotective effect of fish intake.
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Tatsuta N, Nakai K, Iwai-Shimada M, Suzuki T, Satoh H, Murata K. Total mercury levels in hair of children aged 7years before and after the Great East Japan Earthquake. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2017; 596-597:207-211. [PMID: 28432910 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.04.110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2017] [Revised: 04/11/2017] [Accepted: 04/14/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
The Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011 caused severe damage to the Sanriku coastal area, where we have been conducting a birth cohort study. The disaster occurred in the middle of 7-year-old examination. The mother-child pairs who participated in our study were compulsorily divided into two groups: the examination was finished for 157 children before the disaster, and for 335 after the disaster. We examined whether the disaster affected total mercury (THg) levels of the cohort, as well as a relationship between the THg levels at birth and at present. Although there was no significant difference between the predisaster and postdisaster groups for THg levels in cord blood (16.3 and 16.1ngg-1, respectively) or maternal hair at parturition (2.57 and 2.55μgg-1, respectively), the THg in hair of the 7-year-old children was significantly lower in the postdisaster group (1.79μgg-1) than in the predisaster group (2.51μgg-1). The difference remained significant after adjusting for the prenatal exposure level of THg. In the 492 mother-child pairs, the cord-blood THg was significantly correlated with the THg in maternal hair at parturition (r=0.846) and in hair of the 7-year-old children (r=0.147). In conclusion, the 29% decrease in hair THg after the disaster appears to have been due to the fact that children in the affected area could not consume fish/seafood as usual, probably because of destructive damage to the fishery. Nevertheless, the THg levels at 7years of age reflected the prenatal exposure levels to some extent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nozomi Tatsuta
- Development and Environmental Medicine, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-1 Seiryo-machi, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8575, Japan; Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Akita University Graduate School of Medicine, 1-1-1 Hondo, Akita, Akita 010-8543, Japan
| | - Kunihiko Nakai
- Development and Environmental Medicine, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-1 Seiryo-machi, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8575, Japan
| | - Miyuki Iwai-Shimada
- Centre of Health and Environmental Risk Research, National Institute for Environmental Studies, 16-2, Onokawa, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8506, Japan
| | - Tomoe Suzuki
- Development and Environmental Medicine, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-1 Seiryo-machi, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8575, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Satoh
- Environmental Health Sciences, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-1 Seiryo-machi, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8575, Japan
| | - Katsuyuki Murata
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Akita University Graduate School of Medicine, 1-1-1 Hondo, Akita, Akita 010-8543, Japan.
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Kuras R, Janasik B, Stanislawska M, Kozlowska L, Wasowicz W. Assessment of Mercury Intake from Fish Meals Based on Intervention Research in the Polish Subpopulation. Biol Trace Elem Res 2017; 179:23-31. [PMID: 28130742 PMCID: PMC5550534 DOI: 10.1007/s12011-017-0939-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2016] [Accepted: 01/10/2017] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
The paper's objective was to estimate weekly Hg intake from fish meals based on intervention research. Total Hg (THg) concentrations in blood and hair samples collected from men (n = 67) from an intervention study as well as muscular tissues of fresh and after heat-treating fish were determined using the thermal decomposition amalgamation atomic absorption spectrometry method (TDA-AAS) using direct mercury analyzer (DMA-80). The mean of the estimated weekly intake (EWI) was estimated at 0.62 μg/kg bw/week in the range 0.36-0.96 μg/kg body weight (bw) /week through the consumption of 4 edible marine fish species every day (for 10 days) by the participants from the intervention research in Lodz, Poland. The Hg intake in the volunteers in our intervention study accounted for 38.6% of the provisional tolerable weekly intake (PTWI) (1.6 μg/kg bw, weekly) value. The average Hg concentration in the analyzed fish ranged from 0.018 ± 0.006 mg/kg wet weight (Gadus chalcogrammus) to 0.105 ± 0.015 mg/kg wet weight (Macruronus magellanicus). The results for the average consumers were within PTWI of methylmercury (MeHg). Moreover, the average concentration of Hg in the selected fish after heat treatment did not exceed the maximum permitted concentrations for MeHg (MPCs = 0.5 mg/kg wet weight) in food set by the European Commission Regulation (EC/1881/2006). Hence, the risk of adverse effects of MeHg for the participants is substantially low.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renata Kuras
- Department of Biological and Environmental Monitoring, Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine, 8 Teresy St, 91-348, Lodz, Poland.
| | - Beata Janasik
- Department of Biological and Environmental Monitoring, Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine, 8 Teresy St, 91-348, Lodz, Poland
| | - Magdalena Stanislawska
- Department of Biological and Environmental Monitoring, Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine, 8 Teresy St, 91-348, Lodz, Poland
| | - Lucyna Kozlowska
- Department of Dietetics, Faculty of Human Nutrition and Consumer Sciences, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Wojciech Wasowicz
- Department of Biological and Environmental Monitoring, Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine, 8 Teresy St, 91-348, Lodz, Poland
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17
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Zhang J, Cavallari JM, Fang SC, Weisskopf MG, Lin X, Mittleman MA, Christiani DC. Application of linear mixed-effects model with LASSO to identify metal components associated with cardiac autonomic responses among welders: a repeated measures study. Occup Environ Med 2017; 74:810-815. [PMID: 28663305 PMCID: PMC5740538 DOI: 10.1136/oemed-2016-104067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2016] [Revised: 04/07/2017] [Accepted: 05/10/2017] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Background Environmental and occupational exposure to metals is ubiquitous worldwide, and understanding the hazardous metal components in this complex mixture is essential for environmental and occupational regulations. Objective To identify hazardous components from metal mixtures that are associated with alterations in cardiac autonomic responses. Methods Urinary concentrations of 16 types of metals were examined and ‘acceleration capacity’ (AC) and ‘deceleration capacity’ (DC), indicators of cardiac autonomic effects, were quantified from ECG recordings among 54 welders. We fitted linear mixed-effects models with least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) to identify metal components that are associated with AC and DC. The Bayesian Information Criterion was used as the criterion for model selection procedures. Results Mercury and chromium were selected for DC analysis, whereas mercury, chromium and manganese were selected for AC analysis through the LASSO approach. When we fitted the linear mixed-effects models with ‘selected’ metal components only, the effect of mercury remained significant. Every 1 µg/L increase in urinary mercury was associated with −0.58 ms (−1.03, –0.13) changes in DC and 0.67 ms (0.25, 1.10) changes in AC. Conclusion Our study suggests that exposure to several metals is associated with impaired cardiac autonomic functions. Our findings should be replicated in future studies with larger sample sizes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinming Zhang
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health, Boston, USA
| | - Jennifer M Cavallari
- Department of Community Medicine and Health Care, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, USA
| | - Shona C Fang
- Department of Epidemiology, New England Research Institute, Watertown, USA
| | - Marc G Weisskopf
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health, Boston, USA
| | - Xihong Lin
- Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health, Boston, USA
| | - Murray A Mittleman
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health, Boston, USA.,Cardiovascular Epidemiology Research Unit, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center/Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA
| | - David C Christiani
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health, Boston, USA.,Pulmonary and Critical Care Division, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA
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18
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Milioni ALV, Nagy BV, Moura ALA, Zachi EC, Barboni MT, Ventura DF. Neurotoxic impact of mercury on the central nervous system evaluated by neuropsychological tests and on the autonomic nervous system evaluated by dynamic pupillometry. Neurotoxicology 2017; 59:263-269. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuro.2016.04.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2015] [Revised: 04/09/2016] [Accepted: 04/11/2016] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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Valera B, Dewailly E, Anassour-Laouan-Sidi E, Poirier P. Influence of n-3 fatty acids on cardiac autonomic activity among Nunavik Inuit adults. Int J Circumpolar Health 2016; 70:6-18. [DOI: 10.3402/ijch.v70i1.17800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
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20
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Nedellec V, Rabl A. Costs of Health Damage from Atmospheric Emissions of Toxic Metals: Part 2-Analysis for Mercury and Lead. RISK ANALYSIS : AN OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE SOCIETY FOR RISK ANALYSIS 2016; 36:2096-2104. [PMID: 26992113 DOI: 10.1111/risa.12598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2014] [Revised: 03/24/2015] [Accepted: 09/13/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
In this part of the series we explain the detailed literature review and the calculations of impacts and damage costs of mercury and lead. Methodology and general assumptions are explained in the companion article, Part 1 of this series, and the spreadsheet with the calculations is available as a supplementary file of Part 1.3 For mercury, the damage cost is 22,937 €2013 /kg if there is a no-effect threshold, 52,129 €2013 /kg if there is none; 91% is due to mortality from heart disease, the rest from loss of IQ points. For lead, the damage cost is 29,343 €2013 /kg, about 80% due to mortality and 20% due to IQ loss; there does not seem to be a no-effect threshold. These costs are per kg of emitted pollutant.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ari Rabl
- ARMINES/Ecole de Mines de Paris, Consultant on Environmental Impacts, Bures sur Yvette, France
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21
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Urinary miR-16 transactivated by C/EBPβ reduces kidney function after ischemia/reperfusion-induced injury. Sci Rep 2016; 6:27945. [PMID: 27297958 PMCID: PMC4906401 DOI: 10.1038/srep27945] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/29/2016] [Accepted: 05/26/2016] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) induced acute kidney injury (AKI) is regulated by transcriptional factors and microRNAs (miRs). However, modulation of miRs by transcriptional factors has not been characterized in AKI. Here, we found that urinary miR-16 was 100-fold higher in AKI patients. MiR-16 was detected earlier than creatinine in mouse after I/R. Using TargetScan, the 3′UTR of B-cell lymphoma 2 (BCL-2) was found complementary to miR-16 to decrease the fluorescent reporter activity. Overexpression of miR-16 in mice significantly attenuated renal function and increased TUNEL activity in epithelium tubule cells. The CCAAT enhancer binding protein beta (C/EBP-β) increased the expression of miR-16 after I/R injury. The ChIP and luciferase promoter assay indicated that about −1.0 kb to −0.5 kb upstream of miR-16 genome promoter region containing C/EBP-β binding motif transcriptionally regulated miR-16 expression. Meanwhile, the level of pri-miR-16 was higher in mice infected with lentivirus containing C/EBP-β compared with wild-type (WT) mice and overexpression of C/EBP-β in the kidney of WT mice reduced kidney function, increased kidney apoptosis, and elevated urinary miR-16 level. Our results indicated that miR-16 was transactivated by C/EBP-β resulting in aggravated I/R induced AKI and that urinary miR-16 may serve as a potential biomarker for AKI.
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Karakulak UN, Gündüzöz M, Tutkun E, Yılmaz ÖH. An arrhythmic episode after mercury exposure and successful treatment with chelation therapy: A case report. Anatol J Cardiol 2016; 15:589-90. [PMID: 26139172 PMCID: PMC5337042 DOI: 10.5152/akd.2015.6282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
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Abstract
BACKGROUND Mercury affects the nervous system and has been implicated in altering heart rhythm and function. We sought to better define its role in modulating heart rate variability, a well-known marker of cardiac autonomic function. DESIGN This is a systematic review study. METHODS We searched PubMed, Embase, TOXLINE, and DART databases without language restriction. We report findings as a qualitative systematic review because heterogeneity in study design and assessment of exposures and outcomes across studies, as well as other methodological limitations of the literature, precluded a quantitative meta-analysis. RESULTS We identified 12 studies of mercury exposure and heart rate variability in human populations (ten studies involving primarily environmental methylmercury exposure and two studies involving occupational exposure to inorganic mercury) conducted in Japan, the Faroe Islands, Canada, Korea, French Polynesia, Finland, and Egypt. The association of prenatal mercury exposure with lower high-frequency band scores (thought to reflect parasympathetic activity) in several studies, in particular the inverse association of cord blood mercury levels with the coefficient of variation of the R-R intervals and with low-frequency and high-frequency bands at 14 years of age in the Faroe Islands birth cohort study, suggests that early mercury exposure could have a long-lasting effect on cardiac parasympathetic activity. Studies with later environmental exposures to mercury in children or in adults were heterogeneous and did not show consistent associations. CONCLUSIONS The evidence was too limited to draw firm causal inferences. Additional research is needed to elucidate the effects of mercury on cardiac autonomic function, particularly as early-life exposures might have lasting impacts on cardiac parasympathetic function.
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Yilmaz OH, Karakulak UN, Tutkun E, Bal C, Gunduzoz M, Ercan Onay E, Ayturk M, Tek Ozturk M, Alaguney ME. Assessment of the Cardiac Autonomic Nervous System in Mercury-Exposed Individuals via Post-Exercise Heart Rate Recovery. Med Princ Pract 2016; 25:343-9. [PMID: 26964065 PMCID: PMC5588423 DOI: 10.1159/000445322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2015] [Accepted: 03/09/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to assess exercise heart rate recovery (HRR) indices in mercury-exposed individuals when evaluating their cardiac autonomic function. SUBJECTS AND METHODS Twenty-eight mercury-exposed individuals and 28 healthy controls were enrolled. All the subjects underwent exercise testing and transthoracic echocardiography. The HRR indices were calculated by subtracting the first- (HRR1), second- (HRR2) and third-minute (HRR3) heart rates from the maximal heart rate. The two groups were evaluated in terms of exercise test parameters, especially HRR, and a correlation analysis was performed between blood, 24-hour urine and hair mercury levels and the test parameters. RESULTS The mercury-exposed and control groups were similar in age (37.2 ± 6.6 vs. 36.9 ± 9.0 years), had an identical gender distribution (16 females and 12 males) and similar left ventricular ejection fractions (65.5 ± 3.1 vs. 65.4 ± 3.1%). The mean HRR1 [25.6 ± 6.5 vs. 30.3 ± 8.2 beats per min (bpm); p = 0.009], HRR2 (43.5 ± 5.3 vs. 47.8 ± 5.5 bpm; p = 0.010) and HRR3 (56.8 ± 5.1 vs. 59.4 ± 6.3 bpm; p = 0.016) values were significantly lower in the mercury-exposed group than in the healthy controls. However, there were no significant correlations between blood, urine and hair mercury levels and exercise test parameters. CONCLUSIONS Mercury-exposed individuals had lower HRR indices than normal subjects. In these individuals, mercury exposure measurements did not show correlations with the exercise test parameters, but age did show a negative correlation with these parameters. Therefore, cardiac autonomic functions might be involved in cases of mercury exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ugur Nadir Karakulak
- Department of Cardiology, Ankara, Turkey
- *Ugur Nadir Karakulak, MD, Department of Cardiology, Ankara Occupational Diseases Hospital, TR—06280 Kecioren, Ankara (Turkey), E-Mail
| | - Engin Tutkun
- Department of Clinical Toxicology, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Ceylan Bal
- Department of Biochemistry, Ankara Occupational Diseases Hospital, Ankara, Turkey
| | | | | | - Mehmet Ayturk
- Department of Department of Cardiology, Kecioren Research and Training Hospital, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Mujgan Tek Ozturk
- Department of Department of Cardiology, Kecioren Research and Training Hospital, Ankara, Turkey
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Karita K, Sakamoto M, Yoshida M, Tatsuta N, Nakai K, Iwai-Shimada M, Iwata T, Maeda E, Yaginuma-Sakurai K, Satoh H, Murata K. [Recent Epidemiological Studies on Methylmercury, Mercury and Selenium]. Nihon Eiseigaku Zasshi 2016; 71:236-251. [PMID: 27725427 DOI: 10.1265/jjh.71.236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
More than sixty years has passed since the outbreak of Minamata disease, and high-level methylmercury contaminations now seem nonexistent in Japan. However, mercury has been continuously discharged from natural sources and industrial activities, and the health effects on children susceptible to methylmercury exposure at low levels, in addition to mercury contamination from mercury or gold mining areas in developing countries, become a worldwide concern. In this article, we provide a recent overview of epidemiological studies regarding methylmercury and mercury. The following findings were obtained. (1) Many papers on exposure assessment of methylmercury/mercury have been published since the Minamata Convention on Mercury was adopted in 2013. (2) The most crucial problem is child developmental neurotoxicity resulting from prenatal exposure to methylmercury, but its precise assessment seems to be difficult because most of such effects are neither severe nor specific. (3) Several problems raised in birth cohort studies (e.g., whether IQ deficits due to prenatal methylmercury exposure remain when the children become adults, or whether the postnatal exposure at low levels also causes such adverse effects in children) remain unsolved. (4) Concurrent exposure models of methylmercury, lead, polychlorinated biphenyls, aresenic, and organochlorine pesticides, as well as possible antagonists such as polyunsaturated fatty acids and selenium, should be considered in the study design because the exposure levels of methylmercury are extremely low in developed countries. (5) Further animal experiments and molecular biological studies, in addition to human studies, are required to clarify the mechanism of methylmercury toxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kanae Karita
- Department of Hygiene and Public Health, Kyorin University School of Medicine
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Bottino C, Vázquez M, Devesa V, Laforenza U. Impaired aquaporins expression in the gastrointestinal tract of rat after mercury exposure. J Appl Toxicol 2015; 36:113-20. [DOI: 10.1002/jat.3151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2015] [Revised: 02/18/2015] [Accepted: 02/18/2015] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Cinzia Bottino
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Human Physiology Unit; University of Pavia; Pavia Italy
| | - Marta Vázquez
- Institute of Agrochemistry and Food Technology (IATA-CSIC); Paterna Valencia Spain
| | - Vicenta Devesa
- Institute of Agrochemistry and Food Technology (IATA-CSIC); Paterna Valencia Spain
| | - Umberto Laforenza
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Human Physiology Unit; University of Pavia; Pavia Italy
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Périard D, Beqiraj B, Hayoz D, Viswanathan B, Evans K, Thurston SW, Davidson PW, Myers GJ, Bovet P. Associations of baroreflex sensitivity, heart rate variability, and initial orthostatic hypotension with prenatal and recent postnatal methylmercury exposure in the Seychelles Child Development Study at age 19 years. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2015; 12:3395-405. [PMID: 25807149 PMCID: PMC4377973 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph120303395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2014] [Revised: 03/11/2015] [Accepted: 03/13/2015] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND A few studies have suggested an association between prenatal exposure to methylmercury and decreased heart rate variability (HRV) related to autonomic heart function, but no study has examined this association using baroreflex sensitivity (BRS). In this study we assessed the distribution of BRS and immediate orthostatic hypotension (IOH) in young Seychellois adults and their associations with exposure to prenatal and recent postnatal methylmercury. METHODS Subjects in the Seychelles Child Development Study (SCDS) main cohort were evaluated at age 19 years. Non-invasive beat-to-beat blood pressure (BP) monitoring (Finapres, Ohmeda) was performed at rest and during active standing in 95 consecutive subjects. Recent postnatal mercury exposure was measured in subjects' hair at the age of 19 years and prenatal exposure in maternal hair grown during pregnancy. BRS was estimated by sequence analysis to identify spontaneous ascending and descending BP ramps. HRV was estimated by the following markers: PNN50 (relative numbers of normal-to-normal intervals which are shorter by more than 50 ms than the immediately following normal-to-normal intervals); rMSSD (root mean of the squared sum of successive interval differences); LF/HF (low frequency/high frequency component ratio); ratio of the mean expiratory/inspiratory RR intervals (EI ratio); and the ratio between the longest RR interval 30 s after active standing and the shortest RR interval at 15 s (Max30/Min15). IOH was estimated by the deepest BP fall within the first 15 s after active standing up. RESULTS Prenatal MeHg exposures were similar in boys and girls (6.7±4.3, 6.7±3.8 ng/g) but recent postnatal mercury levels were higher in males than females (11.2±5.8 vs 7.9±4.3 ng/g, p=0.003). Markers of autonomic heart rate control were within the normal range (BRS: 24.8±7 ms/mm Hg, PNN50: 24.9±6.8%, rMSSD: 68±22, LF/HF: 0.61±0.28) in both sexes. After standing, 51.4% of subjects had a transient systolic BP drop>40 mm Hg, but only 5.3% reported dizziness or had syncope. Prenatal and recent postnatal MeHg levels, overall, were not associated with BRS, E/I ratio, PNN50, rMSSD, LF/HF ratio, Max30/Min15 ratio, and IOH. CONCLUSIONS This study provides no support for the hypothesis that prenatal or recent postnatal MeHg exposure from fish consumption is associated with impaired autonomic heart rate control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Périard
- Service d'Angiologie, Hôpital Cantonal, Fribourg 1700, Switzerland.
| | - Bujar Beqiraj
- Service d'Angiologie, Hôpital Cantonal, Fribourg 1700, Switzerland.
| | - Daniel Hayoz
- Service d'Angiologie, Hôpital Cantonal, Fribourg 1700, Switzerland.
| | | | - Katie Evans
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14642, USA.
| | - Sally W Thurston
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14642, USA.
| | - Philip W Davidson
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14642, USA.
| | - Gary J Myers
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14642, USA.
- Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine, Lausanne University Hospital, CHUV, Lausanne 1010, Switzerland.
| | - Pascal Bovet
- Section of Non Communicable Diseases, Ministry of Health, Victoria, Seychelles.
- Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine, Lausanne University Hospital, CHUV, Lausanne 1010, Switzerland.
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Wang W, Evans RD, Hickie BE, Rouvinen-Watt K, Evans HE. Methylmercury accumulation and elimination in mink (Neovison vison) hair and blood: results of a controlled feeding experiment using stable isotope tracers. ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY 2014; 33:2873-2880. [PMID: 25258205 DOI: 10.1002/etc.2762] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2014] [Revised: 07/25/2014] [Accepted: 09/21/2014] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Concentrations of metals in hair are used often to develop pharmacokinetic models for both animals and humans. Although data on uptake are available, elimination kinetics are less well understood; stable isotope tracers provide an excellent tool for measuring uptake and elimination kinetics. In the present study, methylmercury concentrations through time were measured in the hair and blood of mink (Neovison vison) during a controlled 60-d feeding experiment. Thirty-four mink were fed a standard fish-based diet for 14 d, at the end of which (day 0), 4 mink were sacrificed to determine baseline methylmercury (MeHg) concentrations. From day 0 to day 10, the remaining mink were fed a diet consisting of the base diet supplemented with 0.513 ± 0.013 µg Me(199) Hg/g and 0.163 ± 0.003 µg Me(201) Hg/g. From day 10 to day 60, mink were fed the base diet supplemented with 0.175 ± 0.024 µg Me(201) Hg/g. Animals were sacrificed periodically to determine accumulation of Me(201) Hg in blood and hair over the entire 60-d period and the elimination of Me(199) Hg over the last 50 d. Hair samples, collected from each mink and cut into 2.0-mm lengths, indicate that both isotopes of MeHg appeared in the hair closest to the skin at approximately day 10, with concentrations in the hair reaching steady state from day 39 onward. The elimination rate of Me(199) Hg from the blood was 0.05/d, and the ratio of MeHg in the hair to blood was 119. A large fraction of MeHg (22% to >100%) was stored in the hair, suggesting that in fur-bearing mammals the hair is a major route of elimination of MeHg from the body.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Wang
- Environmental & Life Sciences Graduate Programme, Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada
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Kalish BT, Rifas-Shiman SL, Wright RO, Amarasiriwardena CJ, Jayawardene I, Gillman MW, Lipshultz SE, Oken E. Associations of prenatal maternal blood mercury concentrations with early and mid-childhood blood pressure: a prospective study. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2014; 133:327-33. [PMID: 25019468 PMCID: PMC4364915 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2014.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2013] [Revised: 05/11/2014] [Accepted: 06/05/2014] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Childhood blood pressure (BP) is an important determinant of adult cardiovascular disease. Prenatal exposure to methylmercury through maternal fish consumption has been reported to increase the BP of children years later. METHODS Mother-child pairs were enrolled from Project Viva, a prospective cohort study in Massachusetts. From second trimester maternal blood samples, we measured erythrocyte mercury concentration. Systolic BP in children, measured up to 5 times per visit in early and mid-childhood (median ages 3.2 and 7.7 years), was the primary outcome. We used mixed-effect regression models to account for variation in the number of BP measurements and to average effects over both time points. RESULTS Among 1103 mother-child pairs, mean (SD) second trimester total erythrocyte mercury concentration was 4.0 (3.9)ng/g among mothers whose children were assessed in early childhood and 4.0 (4.0)ng/g for children assessed in mid-childhood. Mean (SD) offspring systolic BP was 92.1 (10.4)mm Hg in early childhood and 94.3 (8.4)mm Hg in mid-childhood. After adjusting for mother and infant characteristics, mean second trimester blood mercury concentration was not associated with child systolic BP (regression coefficient, 0.1mm Hg; 95% CI, -1.3 to 1.5 for quartile 4 vs. quartile 1) at either time period. Further adjusting for second trimester maternal fish consumption, as well as docosahexaenoic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid consumption, did not substantially change the estimates. CONCLUSIONS The results of this study demonstrate an absence of association between childhood blood pressure and low-level mercury exposure typical of the general US population.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sheryl L Rifas-Shiman
- Obesity Prevention Program, Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Robert O Wright
- Channing Laboratory, Brigham and Women׳s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Chitra J Amarasiriwardena
- Channing Laboratory, Brigham and Women׳s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Innocent Jayawardene
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Matthew W Gillman
- Obesity Prevention Program, Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Steven E Lipshultz
- Department of Pediatrics, Wayne State University School of Medicine and Children׳s Hospital of Michigan, Detroit, MI, United States
| | - Emily Oken
- Obesity Prevention Program, Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Boston, MA, United States
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Valera B, Suhas E, Counil E, Poirier P, Dewailly E. Influence of polyunsaturated fatty acids on blood pressure, resting heart rate and heart rate variability among French Polynesians. J Am Coll Nutr 2014; 33:288-96. [PMID: 24971659 DOI: 10.1080/07315724.2013.874913] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To analyze the associations between marine n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and blood pressure (BP), resting heart rate (HR), and heart rate variability (HRV) in a population highly exposed to methylmercury through the diet. METHODS Concentrations of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) in erythrocytes membranes were measured in 180 French Polynesian adults (≥18 years) residing in Tubuai, which is a community with a traditional lifestyle, or Papeete, which has a modern lifestyle. HRV was measured using a 2-hour ambulatory electrocardiogram (Holter). Resting HR and BP were measured using standardized protocols and pulse pressure (PP) was calculated as systolic BP - diastolic BP. The associations between n-3 PUFAs and the dependent variables were studied using simple and multiple linear regressions. RESULTS Increasing DHA concentration was associated with lower resting HR (β = -2.57, p = 0.005) and diastolic BP (β = -1.96, p = 0.05) and higher HRV in multivariable models. Specifically, DHA was associated with high frequency (HF; β = 0.19, p = 0.02) and the square root of the mean squared differences of successive R-R intervals (difference between two consecutive R waves; rMSSD; β = 0.08, p = 0.03), which are specific indices of the parasympathetic activity of the autonomic nervous system. CONCLUSION DHA was associated with lower BP and resting HR and higher HRV among French Polynesians who are also exposed to high methylmercury levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beatriz Valera
- a Axe Santé des Populations et Environnement, Centre de Recherche du CHUQ , Quebec , CANADA (B.V., E.D.); Institut Louis Malardé , Papeete , POLYNÉSIE FRANÇAISE (E.S.); École des Hautes Études en Santé Publique, Département épidémiologie et biostatistiques , Paris , FRANCE (E.C.); IRIS , UMR 8156-997, Bobigny , FRANCE (E.C.); Quebec Heart and Lung Institute, Laval Hospital Research Centre (P.P.), Faculty of Pharmacy (P.P.), Department of Social and Preventive Medicine (E.D.), Laval University , Quebec , CANADA
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Valera B, Dewailly E, Poirier P. Association between methylmercury and cardiovascular risk factors in a native population of Quebec (Canada): a retrospective evaluation. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2013; 120:102-108. [PMID: 22959488 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2012.08.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2012] [Revised: 07/24/2012] [Accepted: 08/02/2012] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Epidemiological evidence suggests a negative impact of methylmercury (MeHg) on cardiovascular risk factors such as blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR). This issue is of concern in Arctic populations such as in the Inuit of Nunavik since this contaminant is accumulated in fish and marine mammals, which still represent the subsistence diet of this population. OBJECTIVE We examined the associations between MeHg and BP and resting HR among Inuit adults. METHODS The "Santé Quebec" health survey was conducted in 1992 in the 14 villages of Nunavik and a complete set of data was obtained for 313 Inuit adults≥18 years. Blood samples were collected in order to determine total mercury, lead, total polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), fasting glucose and lipid profile while socio-demographic variables were obtained through questionnaires. Anthropometric measurements as well as BP and resting HR were obtained using standardised protocols. Pulse pressure (PP: systolic BP minus diastolic BP) was also calculated. Multiple linear regression was used in order to determine the change in the dependent variables associated with the quartiles of MeHg concentration, taking the quartile 1 as reference. RESULTS The mean age of the participants was 38±14 years and the sample was composed of 132 men (42.2%) and 181 women (57.8%). MeHg geometric mean was 15.4 μg/L (95%CI: 13.9-17.0) and levels ranged from 0.8 to 112.0 μg/L. Resting HR increased linearly across quartiles of blood MeHg concentration after adjusting for confounders (p for trend=0.02). An increase of 6.9 beats per minute (bpm) between the 4th and 1st quartile was observed after adjusting for confounders. No significant association was observed between blood MeHg and systolic BP, diastolic BP or PP. CONCLUSIONS MeHg was associated with increasing resting HR after considering traditional risk factors as well as other contaminants (lead and total PCBs) and n-3 PUFAs. In contrast, no significant association with blood pressure was observed in this study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beatriz Valera
- Axe santé des populations et environnementale, Centre de recherche du CHUQ, Édifice Delta 2, 2875, boulevard Laurier, 6e étage, Sainte-Foy, Québec, Canada G1V 2M2.
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Hassauer M, Kaiser E, Schneider K, Schuhmacher‐Wolz U. Collate the literature on toxicity data on mercury in experimental animals and humans (Part I – Data on organic mercury). ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2012. [DOI: 10.2903/sp.efsa.2012.en-297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Martin Hassauer
- Forschungs‐ und Beratungsinstitut Gefahrstoffe GmbH (FoBiG) Freiburg Germany
| | - Eva Kaiser
- Forschungs‐ und Beratungsinstitut Gefahrstoffe GmbH (FoBiG) Freiburg Germany
| | - Klaus Schneider
- Forschungs‐ und Beratungsinstitut Gefahrstoffe GmbH (FoBiG) Freiburg Germany
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Scientific Opinion on the risk for public health related to the presence of mercury and methylmercury in food. EFSA J 2012. [DOI: 10.2903/j.efsa.2012.2985] [Citation(s) in RCA: 276] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
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Hinners T, Tsuchiya A, Stern AH, Burbacher TM, Faustman EM, Mariën K. Chronologically matched toenail-Hg to hair-Hg ratio: temporal analysis within the Japanese community (U.S.). Environ Health 2012; 11:81. [PMID: 23113987 PMCID: PMC3511224 DOI: 10.1186/1476-069x-11-81] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2012] [Accepted: 10/07/2012] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Toenail-Hg levels are being used as a marker of methylmercury (MeHg) exposure in efforts to associate exposure with effects such as cardiovascular disease. There is a need to correlate this marker with more established biomarkers that presently underlie existing dose-response relationships in order to compare these relationships across studies. METHODS As part of the Arsenic Mercury Intake Biometric Study, toenail clippings were collected at three time points over a period of one year amongst females from within the population of Japanese living near Puget Sound in Washington State (US). Variability in temporal intra-individual toenail-Hg levels was examined and chronologically matched hair and toenail samples were compared to more accurately define the toxicokinetic variability of Hg levels observed between the two compartments. RESULTS Mean toenail-Hg values (n=43) for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd visits were 0.60, 0.60 and 0.56 ng/mg. Correlations were as follows: r=0.92 between 1st and 2nd clinic visits, r=0.75 between 1st and 3rd visits and r=0.87 between 2nd and 3rd visits. With few exceptions, toenail-Hg values from any visit were within 50-150% of the individual's mean toenail-Hg level. Nearly all participants had less than a two-fold change in toenail-Hg levels across the study period. A regression model of the relationship between toenail-Hg and hair-Hg (n = 41) levels representing the same time period of exposure, gave a slope (Hg ng/mg) of 2.79 for hair relative to toenail (r=0.954). CONCLUSIONS A chronologically matched hair-Hg to toenail-Hg ratio has been identified within a population that consumes fish regularly and in quantity. Intra-individual variation in toenail-Hg levels was less than two-fold and may represent dietary-based fluctuations in body burden for individuals consuming various fish species with different contaminant levels. The chronologically matched ratio will be useful for relating MeHg exposure and dose-response derived from toenail-Hg measurements to those derived from hair-Hg measurements in other studies, and may be useful in future investigations as an indicator of stable MeHg body burden within a population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Hinners
- National Exposure Research Laboratory, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Las Vegas, NV, USA
| | - Ami Tsuchiya
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Services, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Alan H Stern
- Department of Environmental Protection, Trenton, NJ, USA
| | - Thomas M Burbacher
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Services, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Elaine M Faustman
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Services, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Institute for Risk Analysis and Risk Communication, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
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Valera B, Muckle G, Poirier P, Jacobson SW, Jacobson JL, Dewailly E. Cardiac autonomic activity and blood pressure among Inuit children exposed to mercury. Neurotoxicology 2012; 33:1067-74. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuro.2012.05.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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Left ventricular diastolic function in workers occupationally exposed to mercury vapour without clinical presentation of cardiac involvement. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol 2012; 263:368-73. [DOI: 10.1016/j.taap.2012.07.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2012] [Revised: 07/10/2012] [Accepted: 07/11/2012] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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Mozaffarian D, Shi P, Morris JS, Grandjean P, Siscovick DS, Spiegelman D, Willett WC, Rimm EB, Curhan GC, Forman JP. Mercury exposure and risk of hypertension in US men and women in 2 prospective cohorts. Hypertension 2012; 60:645-52. [PMID: 22868395 PMCID: PMC3466587 DOI: 10.1161/hypertensionaha.112.196154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2012] [Accepted: 07/09/2012] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Cross-sectional studies and animal experiments suggest that methylmercury exposure could increase the risk of hypertension. This relationship has not been evaluated in large prospective studies. Using data from previous nested case-control studies in 2 separate prospective cohorts, we measured toenail mercury, a valid biomarker of long-term methylmercury exposure, among 6045 US men and women free of hypertension at baseline. Geometric mean toenail mercury concentrations were 0.08 μg/g in the lowest quintile and 0.74 μg/g in the highest quintile, the latter corresponding with exposures ≈2.0-fold higher than the US Environmental Protection Agency reference dose. Participants were followed prospectively (mean±SD follow-up, 14.9±7.9 years) for a new self-report of physician-diagnosed hypertension (3540 cases), shown to be >95% sensitive and specific for diagnosing hypertension in these cohorts as compared with review of medical charts and direct blood pressure measurement, respectively. After adjustment for demographic, clinical, and lifestyle risk factors, the hazard ratio (95% CI) for incident hypertension in the highest versus lowest quintile of mercury exposure was 0.96 (0.84-1.09) in women, 0.82 (0.62-1.08) in men, and 0.94 (0.84-1.06) in both cohorts combined. Findings were similar when more extreme categories of mercury were compared (across deciles, with geometric mean levels in highest decile ≈2.9-fold higher than the reference dose) and in analyses stratified by fish or omega-3 consumption, selenium levels, body mass index, and age. These findings from 2 separate large prospective cohort studies do not support any clinically apparent adverse effects of methylmercury exposure on the risk of hypertension in men or women, including at levels ≤2.5-fold higher than the reference dose.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dariush Mozaffarian
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
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Murota K, Yoshida M, Ishibashi N, Yamazaki H, Minami T. Direct absorption of methyl mercury by lymph. Biol Trace Elem Res 2012; 145:349-54. [PMID: 21892592 DOI: 10.1007/s12011-011-9190-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2011] [Accepted: 08/22/2011] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Abstract
Methyl mercury is contained in fish and seafood products and is taken up into the body in food. While the central nervous system is known as a target organ, methyl mercury also induces autoimmunity and acts as a potent immunosuppressor. The aim of the present study is to know whether methyl mercury is directly absorbed by lymph. Conscious rats were infused with methyl mercury (4 mg/kg) via duodenal tubing as a single pulse infusion, followed by the continuous infusion of saline, and lymphatic fluids were continuously collected from the thoracic lymph duct every 30 min until 360 min after infusion. Mercury was detected immediately after infusion, and total mercury contents in lymph gradually increased until 90-120 min, remained steady, and then gradually decreased until 360 min; however, the amount of mercury collected during 330-360 min was about twofold higher than during 0-30 min. The amount of cumulative mercury in lymph at 360 min was 1.4 μg. In contrast, blood mercury concentration was 2.4 μg/ml 5 min after infusion, with the value at 360 min being 12.6 times higher than at 5 min. Plasma mercury concentration was 56 ng/ml at 5 min, with hundreds of nanograms per milliliter of mercury detected until 360 min. From the present study, it is concluded that some methyl mercury is directly absorbed by lymph and remains steady 6 h after infusion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaeko Murota
- Department of Life Sciences, School of Science and Engineering, Kinki University, 3-4-1 Kowakae, Higashi-osaka, Osaka 577-8502, Japan
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Yaginuma-Sakurai K, Murata K, Iwai-Shimada M, Nakai K, Kurokawa N, Tatsuta N, Satoh H. Hair-to-blood ratio and biological half-life of mercury: experimental study of methylmercury exposure through fish consumption in humans. J Toxicol Sci 2012; 37:123-30. [DOI: 10.2131/jts.37.123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Kozue Yaginuma-Sakurai
- Environmental Health Sciences, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine
- Research Fellow of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
| | - Katsuyuki Murata
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Akita University Graduate School of Medicine
| | - Miyuki Iwai-Shimada
- Environmental Health Sciences, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine
- Research Fellow of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
| | - Kunihiko Nakai
- Environmental Health Sciences, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine
| | - Naoyuki Kurokawa
- Environmental Health Sciences, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine
| | - Nozomi Tatsuta
- Environmental Health Sciences, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine
| | - Hiroshi Satoh
- Environmental Health Sciences, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine
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Murata K, Yoshida M, Sakamoto M, Iwai-Shimada M, Yaginuma-Sakurai K, Tatsuta N, Iwata T, Karita K, Nakai K. Recent evidence from epidemiological studies on methylmercury toxicity. Nihon Eiseigaku Zasshi 2011; 66:682-95. [PMID: 21996768 DOI: 10.1265/jjh.66.682] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
More than fifty years have passed since the outbreak of Minamata disease, and large-scale methylmercury poisoning due to industrial effluents or methylmercury-containing fungicide intoxication has scarcely happened in developed countries. On the other hand, widespread environmental mercury contamination has occurred in gold and mercury mining areas of developing countries. In this article, we provided an overview of recent studies addressing human health effects of methylmercury, which we searched using the PubMed of the US National Library of Medicine. The following suggestions were obtained for low-level methylmercury exposure: (1) In recent years, the proportion of human studies addressing methylmercury has tended to decrease. (2) Prenatal exposure to methylmercury through fish intake, even at low levels, adversely affects child development after adjusting for polychlorinated biphenyls and maternal fish intake during pregnancy, whereas maternal seafood intake has some benefits. (3) Long-term methylmercury exposure through consumption of fish such as bigeye tuna and swordfish may pose a potential risk of cardiac events involving sympathovagal imbalance. (4) In measuring methylmercury levels in preserved umbilical cord collected from inhabitants born in Minamata areas between 1945 and 1989, the elevated concentrations (≥1 mg/g) were observed mainly in inhabitants born between 1947 and 1968, and the peak coincided with the peak of acetaldehyde production in Minamata. (5) Since some developing countries appear to be in similar situations to Japan in the past, attention should be directed toward early recognition of a risky agent and precautions should be taken against it.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katsuyuki Murata
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Akita University Graduate School of Medicine, Japan.
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Valera B, Dewailly É, Poirier P, Counil E, Suhas E. Influence of mercury exposure on blood pressure, resting heart rate and heart rate variability in French Polynesians: a cross-sectional study. Environ Health 2011; 10:99. [PMID: 22078280 PMCID: PMC3228671 DOI: 10.1186/1476-069x-10-99] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2011] [Accepted: 11/13/2011] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Populations which diet is rich in seafood are highly exposed to contaminants such as mercury, which could affect cardiovascular risk factors OBJECTIVE To assess the associations between mercury and blood pressure (BP), resting heart rate (HR) and HR variability (HRV) among French Polynesians METHODS Data were collected among 180 adults (≥ 18 years) and 101 teenagers (12-17 years). HRV was measured using a two-hour ambulatory electrocardiogram (Holter) and BP was measured using a standardized protocol. The association between mercury and HRV and BP parameters was studied using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) RESULTS: Among teenagers, the high frequency (HF) decreased between the 2nd and 3rd tertile (380 vs. 204 ms2, p = 0.03) and a similar pattern was observed for the square root of the mean squared differences of successive R-R intervals (rMSSD) (43 vs. 30 ms, p = 0.005) after adjusting for confounders. In addition, the ratio low/high frequency (LF/HF) increased between the 2nd and 3rd tertile (2.3 vs. 3.0, p = 0.04). Among adults, the standard deviation of R-R intervals (SDNN) tended to decrease between the 1st and 2nd tertile (84 vs. 75 ms, p = 0.069) after adjusting for confounders. Furthermore, diastolic BP tended to increase between the 2nd and 3rd tertile (86 vs. 91 mm Hg, p = 0.09). No significant difference was observed in resting HR or pulse pressure (PP) CONCLUSIONS: Mercury was associated with decreased HRV among French Polynesian teenagers while no significant association was observed with resting HR, BP, or PP among teenagers or adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beatriz Valera
- Axe Santé des Populations et Environnement, Centre de Recherche du CHUQ, 2875 Boulevard Laurier, Québec, G1V 2M2, Canada
| | - Éric Dewailly
- Axe Santé des Populations et Environnement, Centre de Recherche du CHUQ, 2875 Boulevard Laurier, Québec, G1V 2M2, Canada
- Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Laval University, 1050 avenue de la Médecine, Quebec, G1V 0A6, Canada
| | - Paul Poirier
- Quebec Heart and Lung Institute, Laval Hospital Research Centre, 2725 Chemin Sainte-Foy, Québec, G1V 4G5, Canada
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Laval University, 1050 avenue de la Médecine, Quebec, G1V 0A6, Canada
| | - Emilie Counil
- Département Épidémiologie et Biostatistiques, École des Hautes Études en Santé Publique, Hôtel-Dieu, 1, place Notre-Dame, Paris Cedex 4, 75181, France
- Université Paris 13, GISCOP93, UFR SMBH, 74, rue Marcel Cachin, Bobigny Cedex, 93017, France
| | - Edouard Suhas
- Unité de maladies non transmissibles (LMNT), Institut Louis Malardé, rue du 5 mars 1797, Papeete, 98713, Polynésie Française
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Valera B, Dewailly E, Poirier P. Impact of mercury exposure on blood pressure and cardiac autonomic activity among Cree adults (James Bay, Quebec, Canada). ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2011; 111:1265-1270. [PMID: 21962568 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2011.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2010] [Revised: 08/15/2011] [Accepted: 09/01/2011] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Aboriginal populations from Quebec (Canada) are exposed to higher mercury levels than southern regions since these populations consume high quantities of fish. Epidemiological evidence suggests a detrimental impact of mercury on cardiovascular risk factors such as heart rate variability (HRV) and blood pressure (BP). The objective of this study was to assess the impact of mercury exposure on BP, resting heart rate (HR) and HRV among Cree adults. Data were collected among 791 adults≥18 years old living in seven communities of the James Bay. Blood mercury and hair levels were used as biomarkers of recent and long-term exposure. BP was measured through a standardised protocol while HRV was derived from a 2-h Holter monitoring assessment. The relationship between mercury and the outcomes was studied using ANOVA and ANCOVA analysis. Geometric mean of blood mercury and hair mercury concentration was 17.0 nmol/L (95%CI: 6.1-44.0) and 2.36 nmol/g (95%CI: 2.09-2.65); respectively. After adjusting for confounders, blood mercury was associated with HRV parameters such as LF (β=0.21, P=0.0002), HF (β=0.15, P=0.004) and LF/HF (β=0.06, P=0.003). Similar associations were observed with hair mercury. In contrast, no significant association was observed between blood mercury or hair mercury and BP after adjusting for confounders. In conclusion, mercury exposure seems to affect HRV among Cree adults even after considering fish nutrients (n-3 fatty acids and selenium) and other contaminants (lead and polychlorinated biphenyls) that are also present in the traditional diet of this population.
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Affiliation(s)
- B Valera
- Axe Santé des Populations et Environnement, Centre de Recherche du CHUQ, Quebec (QC), Canada
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Recognizing and preventing overexposure to methylmercury from fish and seafood consumption: information for physicians. J Toxicol 2011; 2011:983072. [PMID: 21785592 PMCID: PMC3139210 DOI: 10.1155/2011/983072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2011] [Accepted: 04/27/2011] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Fish is a valuable source of nutrition, and many people would benefit from eating fish regularly. But some people eat a lot of fish, every day or several meals per week, and thus can run a significant risk of overexposure to methylmercury. Current advice regarding methylmercury from fish consumption is targeted to protect the developing brain and nervous system but adverse health effects are increasingly associated with adult chronic low-level methylmercury exposure. Manifestations of methylmercury poisoning are variable and may be difficult to detect unless one considers this specific diagnosis and does an appropriate test (blood or hair analysis). We provide information to physicians to recognize and prevent overexposure to methylmercury from fish and seafood consumption. Physicians are urged to ask patients if they eat fish: how often, how much, and what kinds. People who eat fish frequently (once a week or more often) and pregnant women are advised to choose low mercury fish.
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Roman HA, Walsh TL, Coull BA, Dewailly É, Guallar E, Hattis D, Mariën K, Schwartz J, Stern AH, Virtanen JK, Rice G. Evaluation of the cardiovascular effects of methylmercury exposures: current evidence supports development of a dose-response function for regulatory benefits analysis. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES 2011; 119:607-14. [PMID: 21220222 PMCID: PMC3094409 DOI: 10.1289/ehp.1003012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 160] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2010] [Accepted: 01/10/2011] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) has estimated the neurological benefits of reductions in prenatal methylmercury (MeHg) exposure in past assessments of rules controlling mercury (Hg) emissions. A growing body of evidence suggests that MeHg exposure can also lead to increased risks of adverse cardiovascular impacts in exposed populations. DATA EXTRACTION The U.S. EPA assembled the authors of this article to participate in a workshop, where we reviewed the current science concerning cardiovascular health effects of MeHg exposure via fish and seafood consumption and provided recommendations concerning whether cardiovascular health effects should be included in future Hg regulatory impact analyses. DATA SYNTHESIS We found the body of evidence exploring the link between MeHg and acute myocardial infarction (MI) to be sufficiently strong to support its inclusion in future benefits analyses, based both on direct epidemiological evidence of an MeHg-MI link and on MeHg's association with intermediary impacts that contribute to MI risk. Although additional research in this area would be beneficial to further clarify key characteristics of this relationship and the biological mechanisms that underlie it, we consider the current epidemiological literature sufficiently robust to support the development of a dose- response function. CONCLUSIONS We recommend the development of a dose- response function relating MeHg exposures with MIs for use in regulatory benefits analyses of future rules targeting Hg air emissions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henry A Roman
- Industrial Economics Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts 02140, USA.
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Mozaffarian D, Shi P, Morris JS, Spiegelman D, Grandjean P, Siscovick DS, Willett WC, Rimm EB. Mercury exposure and risk of cardiovascular disease in two U.S. cohorts. N Engl J Med 2011; 364:1116-25. [PMID: 21428767 PMCID: PMC3082949 DOI: 10.1056/nejmoa1006876] [Citation(s) in RCA: 146] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Exposure to methylmercury from fish consumption has been linked to a potentially increased risk of cardiovascular disease, but evidence from prior studies is equivocal. Beneficial effects of the ingestion of fish and selenium may also modify such effects. METHODS Among subjects from two U.S. cohorts (a total of 51,529 men and 121,700 women) whose toenail clippings had been stored, we prospectively identified incident cases of cardiovascular disease (coronary heart disease and stroke) in 3427 participants and matched them to risk-set-sampled controls according to age, sex, race, and smoking status. Toenail mercury and selenium concentrations were assessed with the use of neutron-activation analysis. Other demographic characteristics, cardiovascular risk factors, fish consumption, and lifestyle habits were assessed by means of validated questionnaires. Associations between mercury exposure and incident cardiovascular disease were evaluated with the use of conditional logistic regression. RESULTS Median toenail mercury concentrations were 0.23 μg per gram (interdecile range, 0.06 to 0.94) in the case participants and 0.25 μg per gram (interdecile range, 0.07 to 0.97) in the controls. In multivariate analyses, participants with higher mercury exposures did not have a higher risk of cardiovascular disease. For comparisons of the fifth quintile of mercury exposure with the first quintile, the relative risks were as follows: coronary heart disease, 0.85 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.69 to 1.04; P=0.10 for trend); stroke, 0.84 (95% CI, 0.62 to 1.14; P=0.27 for trend); and total cardiovascular disease, 0.85 (95% CI, 0.72 to 1.01; P=0.06 for trend). Findings were similar in analyses of participants with low selenium concentrations or low overall fish consumption and in several additional sensitivity analyses. CONCLUSIONS We found no evidence of any clinically relevant adverse effects of mercury exposure on coronary heart disease, stroke, or total cardiovascular disease in U.S. adults at the exposure levels seen in this study. (Funded by the National Institutes of Health.).
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Affiliation(s)
- Dariush Mozaffarian
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
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