Heavy Metal Exposure and Cardiovascular Disease

Evaluation of organ developmental toxicity of environmental toxicants using zebrafish embryos

There is increasing global concern about environmental pollutants, such as heavy metals, plastics, pharmaceuticals, personal care products, and pesticides, which have been detected in a variety of environments and are likely to be exposed to nontarget organisms, including humans. Various animal models have been utilized for toxicity assessment, and zebrafish are particularly valuable for studying the toxicity of various compounds owing to their similarity to other aquatic organisms and 70% genetic similarity to humans. Their development is easy to observe, and transgenic models for organs such as the heart, liver, blood vessels, and nervous system enable efficient studies of organ-specific toxicity. This suggests that zebrafish are a valuable tool for evaluating toxicity in specific organs and forecasting the potential impacts on other nontarget species. This review describes organ toxicity caused by various toxic substances and their mechanisms in zebrafish.

Butterfly-Inspired Multiple Cross-Linked Dopamine-Metal-Phenol Bioprosthetic Valves with Enhanced Endothelialization and Anticalcification

Valve replacement is the most effective means of treating heart valve diseases, and transcatheter heart valve replacement (THVR) is the hottest field at present. However, the durability of the commercial bioprosthetic valves has always been the limiting factor restricting the development of interventional valve technology. The chronic inflammatory reaction, calcification, and difficulty in endothelialization after the implantation of a glutaraldehyde cross-linked porcine aortic valve or bovine pericardium often led to valve degeneration. Improving the biocompatibility of valve materials and inducing endothelialization to promote in situ regeneration can extend the service life of valve materials. Herein, inspired by the hardening process of butterfly wings, this study proposed a dopamine-metal-phenol strategy to modify decellularized porcine pericardium (DPP). This is a strategy to make dopamine (DA) coordinate trivalent metal chromium ions (Cr(III)) with antiplatelets (PLTs) and anti-inflammatory properties, and then cross-link it with tea polyphenols (TP) to generate a valve scaffold that is mechanically comparable to glutaraldehyde-cross-linked scaffolds but avoids the cytotoxicity of aldehyde and presents better biocompatibility, hemocompatibility, anticalcification, and anti-inflammatory response properties.

Interactive association of metals and Life's Essential 8 with mortality in U.S. adults: a prospective cohort study from the NHANES dataset

BACKGROUND

Life's Essential 8 (LE8) is a novel assessment of cardiovascular health (CVH) by evaluating lifestyle, and reports of the associations between LE8 and urinary metals on mortality have been very limited. This study aimed to conduct a prospective cohort study and investigate the combined effects of metals and LE8 on mortality in U.S. adults.

METHODS

This study enrolled participants with complete information on urinary metals, LE8, mortality status, and confounders from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2005-2018). The Cox regression model, adaptive lasso penalized regression, and restricted cubic spline were used to analyze the individual effects of metals and LE8 on all-cause mortality. The additive and multiplicative interaction scales and quantile g-computation were used to evaluate the interaction and combined effects. Stratified analyses were performed to clarify whether metals and LE8 interacted with other variables to influence all-cause mortality.

RESULTS

A total of 8017 participants were included in this study. The concentrations of cadmium, cobalt, lead, antimony, and thorium were greater in the low CVH group than in the high CVH group [median (µg/L): 0.29 vs. 0.19, 0.36 vs. 0.35, 0.48 vs. 0.39, 0.05 vs. 0.04, and 0.07 vs. 0.06]. The interaction between cadmium and LE8 was statistically significant, with a synergy index of 1.169 (95% CI: 1.004, 1.361). The stratified analyses showed that the interaction between age and LE8 had an impact on all-cause mortality (P for interaction = 0.004).

CONCLUSIONS

In this representative sample of the U.S. population, we found that the combined effect of cadmium, lead, thallium, and LE8 was positively associated with all-cause mortality. Furthermore, the interaction between cadmium and LE8 influenced all-cause mortality. So people should adopt healthy behaviors and reduce heavy metal exposure to minimize the risk of adverse health outcomes.

Big Data, Big Insights: Leveraging Data Analytics to Unravel Cardiovascular Exposome Complexities

The exposome encompasses the full range of environmental exposures throughout a person's lifetime and plays an important role in cardiovascular health. Interactions with the social, natural, and built components of the exposome significantly impact cardiovascular disease prevalence and mortality. Robust data analytics, including machine learning and geospatial analysis, have advanced our understanding of how these factors converge to influence cardiovascular disease risk. The integration of multiomics platforms and advanced computational approaches enhances our ability to characterize the exposome, leading to targeted public health interventions and innovative risk reduction strategies aimed at improving cardiovascular health globally. These multiomics platforms that integrate factors such as genomics, epigenomics, clinical data, social factors, environmental factors, and wearable technology will characterize the exposome in greater detail concerning cardiovascular health. In this review, we aimed to elucidate the components of the exposome and discuss recent literature regarding their relationship to cardiovascular health.

Applications of nanomaterials with enzyme-like activity for the detection of phytochemicals and hazardous substances in plant samples

Plants such as herbs, vegetables, fruits, and cereals are closely related to human life. Developing effective testing methods to ensure their safety and quantify their active components are of significant importance. Recently, nanomaterials with enzyme-like activity (known as nanozymes) have been widely developed in various assays, including colorimetric, fluorescence, chemiluminescence, and electrochemical analysis. This review presents the latest advances in analyzing phytochemicals and hazardous substances in plant samples based on nanozymes, including some active ingredients, organophosphorus pesticides, heavy metal ions, and mycotoxins. Additionally, the current shortcomings and challenges of the actual sample analysis were discussed.

The Adverse Impact of Bisphenol A Exposure on Optimal Cardiovascular Health as Measured by Life's Essential 8 in U.S. Adults: Evidence from NHANES 2005 to 2016

Background/Objectives: Cardiovascular diseases are the primary cause of global morbidity and mortality, with cardiovascular health (CVH) remaining well below the ideal level and showing minimal improvement in the U.S. population over recent years. Bisphenol A (BPA), a pervasive environmental contaminant, has emerged as a potential contributor to adverse cardiovascular outcomes. This cross-sectional study delves into the impact of BPA exposure on achieving optimal CVH, as assessed by the Life's Essential 8 metric, among U.S. adults. Methods: Analyzing data from 6635 participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) collected between 2005 and 2016, BPA exposure was quantified through urinary BPA levels, while optimal CVH was defined using the American Heart Association's Life's Essential 8 criteria, scoring between 80 and 100. Multivariable logistic regression and propensity score matching were employed to evaluate the association between BPA exposure and CVH. Results: This study reveals that individuals in the highest tertile of urinary BPA levels were 27% less likely to attain optimal CVH compared with those in the lowest tertile (OR, 0.73; 95% CI: 0.59-0.92). This negative association persisted across diverse demographics, including age, sex, and race, mirrored in the link between urinary BPA levels and health factor scores. Conclusions: The findings underscore the potential benefits of reducing BPA exposure in enhancing the prevalence of optimal CVH and mitigating the burden of cardiovascular disease. Given the widespread use of BPA, ongoing monitoring of BPA's impact on CVH is essential. Further studies are necessary to elucidate the long-term and causative connections between BPA and CVH. These insights contribute to understanding the complex interplay between environmental factors and CVH outcomes, informing targeted interventions to mitigate cardiovascular disease risk within the population.

Contextualizing toxic elements in the diet: a case for integration of toxic element data into food databases

Food composition data plays a key role in the practice of nutrition. However, nutrition professionals may currently lack the resources they need to integrate information about toxic elements - such as arsenic, cadmium, and lead - in food into the advice they give consumers. Geographic, sociocultural, and individual factors may impact not only the toxic element content of food, but also how the balance between potentially toxic and health-promoting components of food must be weighed. Better integration and contextualization of toxic element data into key food databases could allow for more nuanced, comprehensive nutrition guidance.

What Can We Learn from the Scalp Hair's Trace Element Content? The Relationship with the Advancement of Coronary Artery Disease

Background: Multiple risk factors for coronary artery disease have been identified without answering one of the leading questions related to the extent of the involvement of the epicardial arteries. Trace elements are involved in various stages of atherosclerotic lesion formation and may play a significant role in the advancement of coronary artery disease. Methods: A total of 157 (92 (59%) men and 65 (41%) women) patients with a median age of 71 (65-75) years presenting with chronic coronary syndrome were enrolled in the prospective single-center analysis. The coronary angiography results were compared with the concentration of trace elements in scalp hair. Results: Through Spearman analysis, a positive correlation between the number of diseased coronary arteries and hair trace element concentration was found for sodium (r = 0.198, p = 0.013), vanadium (r = 0.164, p = 0.040), chromium (r = 0.242, p = 0.002), and nickel (r = 0.176, p = 0.026). A negative relationship was noted between magnesium (r = -0.237, p = 0.003) and calcium (r = -0.217, p = 0.007) and the extent of epicardial lesions. Conclusions: Scalp hair trace element analysis indicates the possible modulatory role of trace elements in advancing coronary artery disease. Since a significant correlation with one- and two-vessel but not with three-vessel disease was noted, it might be considered an "all or nothing" phenomenon. A positive correlation between the number of diseased coronary arteries and sodium, vanadium, chromium, and nickel and an inverse correlation with magnesium and calcium were noted. The presented analysis is hypothesis-generating, and further studies are necessary to corroborate the results from a clinical perspective.

Are Hair Scalp Trace Elements Correlated with Atherosclerosis Location in Coronary Artery Disease?

Coronary artery disease is among the leading current epidemiological challenges. The genetic, clinical, and lifestyle-related risk factors are well documented. The reason for specific epicardial artery locations remains unsolved. The coronary artery topography and blood flow characteristics may induce local inflammatory activation. The atherosclerotic plaque formation is believed to represent inflammatory response involving enzymatic processes co-factored by trace elements. The possible relation between trace elements and coronary artery disease location was the subject of the study. There were 175 patients (107 (61) men and 68 (39) females) in a median (Q1-3) age of 71 years (65-76) admitted for coronary angiography due to chronic coronary syndrome. The angiographic results focused on the percentage of lumen stenosis in certain arteries and were compared with the results for hair scalp trace elements. The correlation between left main coronary artery atherosclerotic plaques and nickel (Ni), zinc (Zn), and antimony (Sb) hair scalp concentration was noted. The analysis revealed a positive relation between left descending artery disease and chromium (Cr), sodium (Na), arsenic (As), and molybdenum (Mo) and a negative correlation with strontium (Sr). The atherosclerotic lesion in the circumflex artery revealed correlations in our analysis with sodium (Na), potassium (K), chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni), arsenic (As), and negative with strontium (Sr) (r) hair scalp concentrations. The negative correlations between right coronary artery disease and magnesium (Mg) and strontium (Sr) concentrations were noted. The possible explanation of different epicardial artery involvement and severity by atherosclerotic processes may lay in their topography and blood rheological characteristics that induce different inflammatory reactions co0factored by specific trace elements. The trace element concentration in the hair scalp may correlate with a particular coronary atherosclerotic involvement, including the severity of lumen reduction. This may indicate the missing link between the pathophysiological processes of atherosclerosis development and its location in coronary arteries.

Advances in Hydrogels Research for Ion Detection and Adsorption

The continuing development of heavy industry worldwide has led to an exponential increase in the amount of wastewater discharged from factories and entering the natural world in the form of rivers and air. As the top of the food chain in the natural world, toxic ions penetrate the human body through the skin, nose, and a few milligrams of toxic ions can often cause irreversible damage to the human body, so ion detection and adsorption is related to the health and safety of human beings. Hydrogel is a hydrophilic three-dimensional reticulated polymer material that first synthesized by Wichterle and Lim in 1960, which is rich in porous structure and has a variety of active adsorption sites as a new type of adsorbent and can be used to detect ions through the introduction of photonic crystals, DNA, fluorescent probe, and other materials. This review describes several synthetic and natural hydrogels for the adsorption and detection of ions and discusses the mechanism of ion adsorption by hydrogels, and provide a perspective for the future development.

Associations of serum lead, cadmium, and mercury concentrations with all-cause and cause-specific mortality among individuals with cardiometabolic multimorbidity

Epidemiological evidence indicates an association between exposure to toxic metals and the occurrence of cardiometabolic diseases (CMDs). However, the impact of exposure to harmful metallic elements, such as lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), and mercury (Hg), on mortality in individuals with cardiometabolic multimorbidity (CMM) remains uncertain. Therefore, in this study, we analyzed data from 4139 adults diagnosed with CMM from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2016. CMM was defined as the presence of at least two CMDs (hypertension, diabetes, stroke, and coronary artery disease). Over an average follow-up period of 9.0 years, 1379 deaths from all causes, 515 deaths related to cardiovascular disease (CVD), and 215 deaths attributable to cancer were recorded. After adjusting for potential covariates, serum Pb concentrations were not associated with all-cause, CVD, or cancer mortality. Participants exposed to Cd had an elevated risk of all-cause mortality (hazard ratio [HR], 1.23; 95 % CI, 1.16-1.30), CVD-related mortality (HR, 1.23; 95 % CI, 1.12-1.35), and cancer-related mortality (HR, 1.29; 95 % CI, 1.13-1.47). Participants with serum Hg levels in the highest quantile had lower risks of all-cause (HR, 0.64; 95 % CI, 0.52-0.80) and CVD-related (HR, 0.62; 95 % CI, 0.44-0.88) mortality than did those in the lowest quantile. Stratified analyses revealed significant interactions between serum Cd concentrations and age for CVD-related mortality (P for interaction =0.011), indicating that CMM participants aged < 60 years who were exposed to Cd were at a greater risk of CVD-related mortality. A nonlinear relationship was observed between serum Cd concentrations and all-cause (P for nonlinear relationship = 0.012) and CVD-related (P for nonlinear relationship < 0.001) mortality. Minimizing Cd exposure in patients with CMM may help prevent premature death.

An analysis of exogenous harmful substance exposure as risk factors for COPD and hypertension co-morbidity using PSM

Background

Some occupational and environmental exposures could increase the risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and hypertension in various work and living environments. However, the effect of exposure to multiple exogenous harmful substances on COPD and hypertension co-morbidities remains unclear.

Methods

Participants were selected from eight hospitals in five provinces in China using a multistage cluster sampling procedure. Participants' demographic, exposure, and disease information were collected through questionnaires, spirometry, and blood pressure examinations. Demographic data were used as matching factors, and 1:1 matching between the exposed and non-exposed groups was performed by employing propensity score matching (PSM) to minimize the influence on the results. A one-way chi-squared analysis and multifactorial logistic regression were used to analyze the association between the exposure to exogenous harmful substances (metals and their compound dust, inorganic mineral dust, organic chemicals, and livestock by-products) and the co-morbidity of COPD and hypertension.

Results

There were 6,610 eligible participants in the final analysis, of whom 2,045 (30.9%) were exposed to exogenous harmful substances. The prevalence of co-morbidities of COPD and hypertension (6.0%) in the exposure group was higher than their prevalence in the total population (4.6%). After PSM, exogenous harmful substance exposure was found to be a risk factor for the co-morbidity of COPD and hypertension [odds ratio (OR) = 1.347, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.011-1.794], which was not statistically significant before PSM (OR = 1.094, 95% CI: 0.852-1.405). Meanwhile, the results of different outcomes showed that the association between hypertension and exogenous harmful substance exposure was not statistically significant (OR = 0.965, 95% CI: 0.846-1.101). Smoking (OR = 4.702, 95% CI: 3.321-6.656), history of a respiratory disease during childhood (OR = 2.830, 95% CI: 1.600-5.006), and history of respiratory symptoms (OR = 1.897, 95% CI: 1.331-2.704) were also identified as risk factors for the co-morbidity of COPD and hypertension.

Conclusion

The distribution of exogenous harmful substance exposure varies in the population, and the prevalence of co-morbidities is generally higher in susceptible populations. Exposure to exogenous harmful substances was found to be a key risk factor after adjusting for demographic confounders.

Environmental Impacts on Cardiovascular Health and Biology: An Overview

Environmental stressors associated with human activities (eg, air and noise pollution, light disturbance at night) and climate change (eg, heat, wildfires, extreme weather events) are increasingly recognized as contributing to cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. These harmful exposures have been shown to elicit changes in stress responses, circadian rhythms, immune cell activation, and oxidative stress, as well as traditional cardiovascular risk factors (eg, hypertension, diabetes, obesity) that promote cardiovascular diseases. In this overview, we summarize evidence from human and animal studies of the impacts of environmental exposures and climate change on cardiovascular health. In addition, we discuss strategies to reduce the impact of environmental risk factors on current and future cardiovascular disease burden, including urban planning, personal monitoring, and mitigation measures.