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Yahyazadeh A, Gur FM. Promising the potential of β-caryophyllene on mercury chloride-induced alteration in cerebellum and spinal cord of young Wistar albino rats. NAUNYN-SCHMIEDEBERG'S ARCHIVES OF PHARMACOLOGY 2024:10.1007/s00210-024-03268-4. [PMID: 38995373 DOI: 10.1007/s00210-024-03268-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2024] [Accepted: 06/29/2024] [Indexed: 07/13/2024]
Abstract
Mercury chloride (ME) is a chemical pollutant commonly found in the environment, which can contribute to undesirable health consequence worldwide. The current study investigated the detrimental impact of ME on the cerebellum and spinal cord tissues in 6-8-week-old female rats. We also evaluated the neuroprotective efficacy of β-caryophyllene (BC) against spinal and cerebellar changes caused by ME. Thirty-five young Wistar albino rats were randomly chosen and assigned into five groups: control (CO), olive oil (OI), ME, BC, ME + BC. All samples were analysed by means of unbiased stereological, biochemical, immunohistochemical, and histopathological methods. Our biochemical findings showed that SOD level was significantly increased in the ME group compared to the CO group (p < 0.05). We additionally detected a statistically significant decrease in the number of cerebellar Purkinje cells and granular cells, as well as spinal motor neuron in the ME group compared to the CO group (p < 0.05). In the ME + BC group, the number of Purkinje cells, granular cells, and spinal motor neurons was significantly higher compared to the ME group (p < 0.05). Decreased SOD activity in the ME + BC group was also detected than the ME group (p < 0.05). Immunohistochemical (the tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α)) and histopathological examinations also exhibited crucial information in each of the group. Taken together, ME exposure was associated with neurotoxicity in the cerebellum and spinal cord tissues. BC treatment also mitigated ME-induced neurological alteration, which may imply its potential therapeutic benefits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmad Yahyazadeh
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Karabuk University, Karabuk, Turkey.
| | - Fatih Mehmet Gur
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Nigde Ömer Halisdemir University, Nigde, Turkey
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Dack K, Huang P, Taylor CM, Rai D, Lewis SJ. Environmental and genetic predictors of whole blood mercury and selenium concentrations in pregnant women in a UK birth cohort. ENVIRONMENTAL ADVANCES 2024; 15:100469. [PMID: 38562418 PMCID: PMC10951965 DOI: 10.1016/j.envadv.2023.100469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2023] [Revised: 12/13/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
There is evidence that tissue concentrations of mercury (Hg) and selenium (Se) are predicted by numerous dietary, sociodemographic, environmental, and genetic factors. This study aimed to estimate the relative importance of predictors of Hg and Se concentrations in blood samples taken from pregnant women. The Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) in the UK measured whole blood Hg and Se concentrations in 3,972 pregnant women. We identified 30 potential predictors of Hg and 24 of Se, which were evaluated using cross-validated random forests to identify the optimal models for predictive power. The relative importance of individual variables was estimated by averaging the added-R2 per predictor. Linkage disequilibrium score regression was used to estimate the variance explained by genotype. A multivariable model of 14 predictors explained 22.4% of Hg variance (95% CI: 13.0 to 37.1), including 6.9% from blood Se and 3.2% from white fish consumption. There were 11 predictors which explained 15.3% of Se variance (CI: 8.9 to 25.9), including 6.4% from blood Hg, 1.3% from blood lead, and 1.3% from oily fish. Measured genetic variation explained 30% of Hg variance (CI: 8.4 to 51.5) and 37.5% of Se (CI: 10.4 to 64.5). A high proportion of Hg and Se variance could be explained from dietary, sociodemographic, metabolic, and genetic factors. Seafood consumption was less predictive of Hg than may be expected and other factors should be considered when determining risk of exposure. There was tentative evidence that genotype is a major contributor to Hg and Se variation, possibly by modifying the efficacy of internal metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyle Dack
- Medical Research Council Integrative Epidemiology Unit, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Peiyuan Huang
- Medical Research Council Integrative Epidemiology Unit, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Caroline M Taylor
- Centre for Academic Child Health, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Dheeraj Rai
- Medical Research Council Integrative Epidemiology Unit, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Sarah J Lewis
- Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
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Fang Y, Chen C, Chen X, Song J, Feng S, Li Z, Li Z, Xiong Y, Zhang Q, Su H, Liu H, Zhu G, Hu B, Wang W, Liu Z, Jiao K, Zhang C, Zhang F, Jiang K, He J, Sun Z, Yuan D, Chen W, Zhu J. Exposure to heavy metal elements may significantly increase serum prostate-specific antigen levels with overdosed dietary zinc. ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY 2024; 272:116080. [PMID: 38350215 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2024.116080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2023] [Revised: 01/24/2024] [Accepted: 02/04/2024] [Indexed: 02/15/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is a primary metric for diagnosis and prognosis of prostate cancer (PCa). Exposure to heavy metals, such as lead, cadmium, mercury, and zinc can impact PSA levels in PCa patients. However, it is unclear whether this effect also occurs in men without PCa, which may lead to the overdiagnosis of PCa. METHOD Data on a total of 5089 American men who had never been diagnosed with PCa were obtained from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey performed from 2003-2010. The relationship between serum PSA levels (dependent variable) and concentrations of lead (μmol/L), cadmium (nmol/L), and mercury (μmol/L) were investigated with dietary zinc intake being used as a potential modifier or covariate in a weighted linear regression model and a generalized additive model. A series of bootstrapping analyses were performed to evaluate sensitivity and specificity using these models. RESULTS Regression analyses suggested that, in general, lead, cadmium, or mercury did not show an association with PSA levels, which was consistent with the results of the bootstrapping analyses. However, in a subgroup of participants with a high level of dietary zinc intake (≥14.12 mg/day), a significant positive association between cadmium and serum PSA was identified (1.06, 95% CI, P = 0.0268, P for interaction=0.0249). CONCLUSIONS With high-level zinc intake, serum PSA levels may rise in PCa-free men as the exposure to cadmium increases, leading to a potential risk of an overdiagnosis of PCa and unnecessary treatment. Therefore, environmental variables should be factored in the current diagnostic model for PCa that is solely based on PSA measurements. Different criteria for PSA screening are necessary based on geographical variables. Further investigations are needed to uncover the biological and biochemical relationship between zinc, cadmium, and serum PSA levels to more precisely diagnose PCa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yinyi Fang
- Guizhou University Medical College, Guiyang city, Guizhou Province 550025, China; People's Hospital Affiliated to Guizhou University, Guiyang city, Guizhou Province, China
| | - Chi Chen
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Guiyang College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang, Guizhou Province 550001, China
| | - Xiaoyue Chen
- Guizhou University Medical College, Guiyang city, Guizhou Province 550025, China
| | - Jukun Song
- Guizhou University Medical College, Guiyang city, Guizhou Province 550025, China; People's Hospital Affiliated to Guizhou University, Guiyang city, Guizhou Province, China
| | - Shuangshuang Feng
- Guizhou University Medical College, Guiyang city, Guizhou Province 550025, China
| | - Zhuang Li
- Urology Department, Guizhou Provincial People's Hospital, Guiyang city, Guizhou Province 550002, China; Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang city, Guizhou Province, China
| | - Zhengnan Li
- Urology Department, Guizhou Provincial People's Hospital, Guiyang city, Guizhou Province 550002, China; Zunyi Medcical University, Zunyi City, Guizhou Province, China
| | - Yuliang Xiong
- Urology Department, Guizhou Provincial People's Hospital, Guiyang city, Guizhou Province 550002, China; Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang city, Guizhou Province, China
| | - Qinyi Zhang
- Urology Department, Guizhou Provincial People's Hospital, Guiyang city, Guizhou Province 550002, China; Zunyi Medcical University, Zunyi City, Guizhou Province, China
| | - Hao Su
- Urology Department, Guizhou Provincial People's Hospital, Guiyang city, Guizhou Province 550002, China; Zunyi Medcical University, Zunyi City, Guizhou Province, China
| | - Heng Liu
- Urology Department, Guizhou Provincial People's Hospital, Guiyang city, Guizhou Province 550002, China; Zunyi Medcical University, Zunyi City, Guizhou Province, China
| | - Guohua Zhu
- Urology Department, Guizhou Provincial People's Hospital, Guiyang city, Guizhou Province 550002, China; Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang city, Guizhou Province, China
| | - Bin Hu
- Zunyi Medcical University, Zunyi City, Guizhou Province, China
| | - Wei Wang
- Urology Department, Guizhou Provincial People's Hospital, Guiyang city, Guizhou Province 550002, China; Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang city, Guizhou Province, China
| | - Zhangcheng Liu
- Urology Department, Guizhou Provincial People's Hospital, Guiyang city, Guizhou Province 550002, China; Zunyi Medcical University, Zunyi City, Guizhou Province, China
| | - Ke Jiao
- Urology Department, Guizhou Provincial People's Hospital, Guiyang city, Guizhou Province 550002, China; Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang city, Guizhou Province, China
| | - Chang Zhang
- Urology Department, Guizhou Provincial People's Hospital, Guiyang city, Guizhou Province 550002, China
| | - Fan Zhang
- Urology Department, Guizhou Provincial People's Hospital, Guiyang city, Guizhou Province 550002, China; Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang city, Guizhou Province, China
| | - Kehua Jiang
- Urology Department, Guizhou Provincial People's Hospital, Guiyang city, Guizhou Province 550002, China
| | - Jun He
- Department of Reproductive Medicine, Guizhou Provincial People's Hospital, Guiyang city, Guizhou Province 550002, China
| | - Zhaolin Sun
- Guizhou University Medical College, Guiyang city, Guizhou Province 550025, China; Urology Department, Guizhou Provincial People's Hospital, Guiyang city, Guizhou Province 550002, China; People's Hospital Affiliated to Guizhou University, Guiyang city, Guizhou Province, China
| | - Dongbo Yuan
- Guizhou University Medical College, Guiyang city, Guizhou Province 550025, China; Urology Department, Guizhou Provincial People's Hospital, Guiyang city, Guizhou Province 550002, China; People's Hospital Affiliated to Guizhou University, Guiyang city, Guizhou Province, China.
| | - Weiming Chen
- Guizhou University Medical College, Guiyang city, Guizhou Province 550025, China; People's Hospital Affiliated to Guizhou University, Guiyang city, Guizhou Province, China; Department of Reproductive Medicine, Guizhou Provincial People's Hospital, Guiyang city, Guizhou Province 550002, China.
| | - Jianguo Zhu
- Guizhou University Medical College, Guiyang city, Guizhou Province 550025, China; Urology Department, Guizhou Provincial People's Hospital, Guiyang city, Guizhou Province 550002, China; People's Hospital Affiliated to Guizhou University, Guiyang city, Guizhou Province, China.
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Dack K, Bustamante M, Taylor CM, Llop S, Lozano M, Yousefi P, Gražulevičienė R, Gutzkow KB, Brantsæter AL, Mason D, Escaramís G, Lewis SJ. Genome-Wide Association Study of Blood Mercury in European Pregnant Women and Children. Genes (Basel) 2023; 14:2123. [PMID: 38136945 PMCID: PMC10742428 DOI: 10.3390/genes14122123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2023] [Revised: 11/16/2023] [Accepted: 11/22/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Mercury has high industrial utility and is present in many products, and environmental contamination and occupational exposure are widespread. There are numerous biological systems involved in the absorption, metabolism, and excretion of Hg, and it is possible that some systems may be impacted by genetic variation. If so, genotype may affect tissue concentrations of Hg and subsequent toxic effects. Genome-wide association testing was performed on blood Hg samples from pregnant women of the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (n = 2893) and children of the Human Early Life Exposome (n = 1042). Directly-genotyped single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were imputed to the Haplotype Reference Consortium r1.1 panel of whole genotypes and modelled againstlog-transformed Hg. Heritability was estimated using linkage disequilibrium score regression. The heritability of Hg was estimated as 24.0% (95% CI: 16.9% to 46.4%) in pregnant women, but could not be determined in children. There were 16 SNPs associated with Hg in pregnant women above a suggestive p-value threshold (p < 1 × 10-5), and 21 for children. However, no SNP passed this threshold in both studies, and none were genome-wide significant (p < 5 × 10-8). SNP-Hg associations were highly discordant between women and children, and this may reflect differences in metabolism, a gene-age interaction, or dose-response effects. Several suggestive variants had plausible links to Hg metabolism, such as rs146099921 in metal transporter SLC39A14, and two variants (rs28618224, rs7154700) in potassium voltage-gated channel genes. The findings would benefit from external validation, as suggestive results may contain both true associations and false positives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyle Dack
- Medical Research Council Integrative Epidemiology Unit, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TH, UK; (K.D.)
| | - Mariona Bustamante
- ISGlobal, Institute for Global Health, 08036 Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), 08018 Barcelona, Spain
- Spanish Consortium for Research on Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), 28029 Madrid, Spain (G.E.)
| | - Caroline M. Taylor
- Centre for Academic Child Health, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 2PS, UK;
| | - Sabrina Llop
- Spanish Consortium for Research on Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), 28029 Madrid, Spain (G.E.)
- Epidemiology and Environmental Health Joint Research Unit, FISABIO- Universitat Jaume I - Universitat de València, 46020 Valencia, Spain
| | - Manuel Lozano
- Epidemiology and Environmental Health Joint Research Unit, FISABIO- Universitat Jaume I - Universitat de València, 46020 Valencia, Spain
- Department of Preventative Medicine, Food Sciences, Toxicology and Forensic Medicine Department, Universitat de València, 46100 Valencia, Spain
| | - Paul Yousefi
- Medical Research Council Integrative Epidemiology Unit, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TH, UK; (K.D.)
| | - Regina Gražulevičienė
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Vytautas Magnus University, 53361 Kaunas, Lithuania
| | - Kristine Bjerve Gutzkow
- Department of Air Quality and Noise, Division of Climate and Environmental Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, P.O. Box 222 Skoyen, NO-0213 Oslo, Norway;
| | - Anne Lise Brantsæter
- Department of Food Safety, Division of Climate and Environmental Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, P.O. Box 222 Skoyen, NO-0213 Oslo, Norway
| | - Dan Mason
- Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Duckworth Lane, Bradford BD9 6RJ, UK
| | - Georgia Escaramís
- Spanish Consortium for Research on Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), 28029 Madrid, Spain (G.E.)
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Neuroscience, University of Barcelona, 08035 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Sarah J. Lewis
- Medical Research Council Integrative Epidemiology Unit, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TH, UK; (K.D.)
- Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TH, UK
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de Carvalho Machado C, Dinis-Oliveira RJ. Clinical and Forensic Signs Resulting from Exposure to Heavy Metals and Other Chemical Elements of the Periodic Table. J Clin Med 2023; 12:jcm12072591. [PMID: 37048674 PMCID: PMC10095087 DOI: 10.3390/jcm12072591] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2022] [Revised: 03/19/2023] [Accepted: 03/28/2023] [Indexed: 03/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Several heavy metals and other chemical elements are natural components of the Earth’s crust and their properties and toxicity have been recognized for thousands of years. Moreover, their use in industries presents a major source of environmental and occupational pollution. Therefore, this ubiquity in daily life may result in several potential exposures coming from natural sources (e.g., through food and water contamination), industrial processes, and commercial products, among others. The toxicity of most chemical elements of the periodic table accrues from their highly reactive nature, resulting in the formation of complexes with intracellular compounds that impair cellular pathways, leading to dysfunction, necrosis, and apoptosis. Nervous, gastrointestinal, hematopoietic, renal, and dermatological systems are the main targets. This manuscript aims to collect the clinical and forensic signs related to poisoning from heavy metals, such as thallium, lead, copper, mercury, iron, cadmium, and bismuth, as well as other chemical elements such as arsenic, selenium, and fluorine. Furthermore, their main sources of occupational and environmental exposure are highlighted in this review. The importance of rapid recognition is related to the fact that, through a high degree of suspicion, the clinician could rapidly initiate treatment even before the toxicological results are available, which can make a huge difference in these patients’ outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolina de Carvalho Machado
- Department of Public Health and Forensic Sciences, and Medical Education, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
- Correspondence: (C.d.C.M.); or (R.J.D.-O.); Tel.: +351-224-157-216 (R.J.D.-O.)
| | - Ricardo Jorge Dinis-Oliveira
- Department of Public Health and Forensic Sciences, and Medical Education, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
- TOXRUN—Toxicology Research Unit, University Institute of Health Sciences (IUCS), CESPU, 4585-116 Gandra, Portugal
- UCIBIO-REQUIMTE-Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, Laboratory of Toxicology, Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
- MTG Research and Development Lab, 4200-604 Porto, Portugal
- Correspondence: (C.d.C.M.); or (R.J.D.-O.); Tel.: +351-224-157-216 (R.J.D.-O.)
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Barlow NL, Bradberry SM. Investigation and monitoring of heavy metal poisoning. J Clin Pathol 2023; 76:82-97. [PMID: 36600633 DOI: 10.1136/jcp-2021-207793] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2022] [Accepted: 11/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Historically, heavy metal measurement and interpretation has been a highly specialised area performed only in a handful of centres within the UK. However, recent years have seen a move to more local testing due to the repatriation of referred work into pathology networks and the increased availability of inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry technology. While management of significant poisoning is still overseen by tertiary care poisoning specialists, management of milder cases may be undertaken locally.Non-specialist clinical scientists and clinicians need to know when heavy metal testing is appropriate, which samples are required (and any specific requirements around collection) and how to interpret and act on the results.This Best Practice article provides guidance on the investigation and monitoring of the toxic elements most frequently encountered in general medical practice; lead, mercury and arsenic. It is intended as a reference guide for the non-specialist and as a comprehensive summary for clinical toxicologists and clinical scientists.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicola L Barlow
- Clinical Biochemistry, Black Country Pathology Services, West Bromwich, UK
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Jansen EC, Hector EC, Goodrich JM, Cantoral A, Téllez Rojo MM, Basu N, Song PXK, Olascoaga LT, Peterson KE. Mercury exposure in relation to sleep duration, timing, and fragmentation among adolescents in Mexico City. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2020; 191:110216. [PMID: 32956656 PMCID: PMC7750915 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2020.110216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2020] [Revised: 09/09/2020] [Accepted: 09/10/2020] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Mercury intoxication is known to be associated with adverse symptoms of fatigue and sleep disturbances, but whether low-level mercury exposure could affect sleep remains unclear. In particular, children may be especially vulnerable to both mercury exposures and to poor sleep. We sought to examine associations between mercury levels and sleep disturbances in Mexican youth. METHODS The study sample comprised 372 youth from the Early Life Exposures to Environmental Toxicants (ELEMENT) cohort, a birth cohort from Mexico City. Sleep (via 7-day actigraphy) and concurrent urine mercury were assessed during a 2015 follow-up visit. Mercury was also assessed in mid-childhood hair, blood, and urine during an earlier study visit, and was considered a secondary analysis. We used linear regression and varying coefficient models to examine non-linear associations between Hg exposure biomarkers and sleep duration, timing, and fragmentation. Unstratified and sex-stratified analyses were adjusted for age and maternal education. RESULTS During the 2015 visit, participants were 13.3 ± 1.9 years, and 48% were male. There was not a cross-sectional association between urine Hg and sleep characteristics. In secondary analysis using earlier biomarkers of Hg, lower and higher blood Hg exposure was associated with longer sleep duration among girls only. In both boys and girls, Hg biomarker levels in 2008 were associated with later adolescent sleep midpoint (for Hg urine in girls, and for blood Hg in boys). For girls, each unit log Hg was associated with 0.2 h later midpoint (95% CI 0 to 0.4), and for boys each unit log Hg was associated with a 0.4 h later sleep midpoint (95% CI 0.1 to 0.8). CONCLUSIONS There were mostly null associations between Hg exposure and sleep characteristics among Mexican children. Yet, in both boys and girls, higher Hg exposure in mid-childhood (measured in urine and blood, respectively) was related to later sleep timing in adolescence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erica C Jansen
- Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Division of Sleep Medicine, Department of Neurology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
| | - Emily C Hector
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Jaclyn M Goodrich
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | | | - Martha María Téllez Rojo
- Center for Research on Nutrition and Health, National Institute of Public Health, Cuernavaca, Mexico
| | - Niladri Basu
- Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Peter X K Song
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Libni Torres Olascoaga
- Center for Research on Nutrition and Health, National Institute of Public Health, Cuernavaca, Mexico
| | - Karen E Peterson
- Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
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Wanyana MW, Agaba FE, Sekimpi DK, Mukasa VN, Kamese GN, Douglas N, Ssempebwa JC. Mercury Exposure Among Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Miners in Four Regions in Uganda. J Health Pollut 2020; 10:200613. [PMID: 32509414 PMCID: PMC7269329 DOI: 10.5696/2156-9614-10.26.200613] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2019] [Accepted: 04/28/2020] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Artisanal and small-scale gold mining is a human health concern, especially in low-income countries like Uganda due to the use of mercury (Hg) in the mining process. OBJECTIVE The aim of the present study was to assess Hg exposure among artisanal and small-scale gold miners in Uganda through biologic monitoring parameters and Hg-related clinical manifestations. METHODS A cross-sectional study was conducted from June to July 2018 among 183 miners from Ibanda (Western region), Mubende (Central region), Amudat (Karamoja region) and Busia (Eastern region) in Uganda. An interviewer-administered questionnaire and health assessment were used to collect socio-demographic, exposure and self-reported Hg poisoning symptoms. In addition, 41 urine, 41 blood and 26 environment samples were assessed. Descriptive statistics, Kruskal-Wallis test and Wilcoxon signed-rank test for comparison of Hg levels in urine and blood among miners were performed while logistic regression was used to assess associations between exposure and Hg poisoning-related symptoms. RESULTS The miners ranged from 15 to 65 years old and were primarily male (72.6%). The majority (73.3%) had worked directly with Hg for an average duration of 5.3 years. Symptoms associated with working directly with Hg included chest pain (odds ratio (OR)=9.0, confidence interval (CI)=3.3 to 24.6), numbness (OR=8.5, CI=2.1 to 34.4), back pain (OR=6.2, CI= 2.2 to 17.5), fatigue and stress (OR=5.4, 2.0 to CI=14.9), headache (OR=4.7, CI=1.9 to 11.3), dizziness (OR=3.8, CI=1.5 to 9.7) joint pain (OR=3.2, CI=1.3 to 8.3) and respiratory problems (3.2, 1.0 to 10.1). Statistically significant differences in Hg levels with p-values less than 0.05 were observed across district, gender and type of work. Mubende had the highest blood and urine levels (136 μg/l and 105.5 μg/l) in comparison with Busia (60 μg/l and 70.6 μg/l) and Ibanda (43 μg/l and 58 μg/l). Females (84.7 μg/l), panners (109 μg/l) and those with knowledge of occupational health and safety measures (95.6 μg/l) reported higher levels of Hg in urine. The average levels of Hg in water and soil samples were 23.79 μg/l and 0.21 μg/l, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Variation in Hg levels were attributed to varied duration of exposure across geographical sites. There was considerable exposure to Hg as indicated by both clinical manifestations and biologic parameters among miners in Uganda with Hg in urine exceeding the recommended thresholds. PARTICIPANT CONSENT Obtained. ETHICS APPROVAL Ethical approval was obtained from the Makerere University School of Health Science Institutional Review Board (reference number SHSREC REF 2018-2019) and Uganda National Council for Science and Technology (reference number SS 4577). COMPETING INTERESTS The authors declare no competing financial interests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mercy Wendy Wanyana
- Uganda National Association of Community and Occupational Health, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Friday E. Agaba
- Uganda National Association of Community and Occupational Health, Kampala, Uganda
| | | | - Victoria N. Mukasa
- Uganda National Association of Community and Occupational Health, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Geoffrey N. Kamese
- Uganda National Association of Community and Occupational Health, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Nkonge Douglas
- Ministry of Gender Labour and Social Development, Kampala, Uganda
| | - John C. Ssempebwa
- Department of Disease Control and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
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Wang S, Yang J, Yang Z, Zhu W, Li H, Song J, Guo X. Nanosized Copper Selenide for Mercury Removal from Indoor Air and Emergency Disposal of Liquid Mercury Leakage. Ind Eng Chem Res 2019. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.iecr.9b05499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Shengcai Wang
- School of Metallurgy and Environment, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410083, China
| | - Jianping Yang
- School of Energy Science and Engineering, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410083, China
| | - Zequn Yang
- Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Wenbing Zhu
- School of Energy Science and Engineering, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410083, China
| | - Hailong Li
- School of Energy Science and Engineering, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410083, China
| | - Jianfei Song
- School of Metallurgy and Environment, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410083, China
| | - Xueyi Guo
- School of Metallurgy and Environment, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410083, China
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Exposure routes and health effects of heavy metals on children. Biometals 2019; 32:563-573. [DOI: 10.1007/s10534-019-00193-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2018] [Accepted: 03/22/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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Oliveira CS, Nogara PA, Ardisson-Araújo DMP, Aschner M, Rocha JBT, Dórea JG. Neurodevelopmental Effects of Mercury. ADVANCES IN NEUROTOXICOLOGY 2018; 2:27-86. [PMID: 32346667 PMCID: PMC7188190 DOI: 10.1016/bs.ant.2018.03.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The toxicology of mercury (Hg) is of concern since this metal is ubiquitously distributed in the environment, and living organisms are routinely exposed to Hg at low to high levels. The toxic effects of Hg are well studied and it is known that they may differ depending on the Hg chemical species. In this chapter, we emphasize the neurotoxic effects of Hg during brain development. The immature brain is more susceptible to Hg exposure, since all the Hg chemical forms, not only the organic ones, can harm it. The possible consequences of Hg exposure during the early stages of development, the additive effects with other co-occurring neurotoxicants, and the known mechanisms of action and targets will be addressed in this chapter.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cláudia S Oliveira
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Ciências Biológicas: Bioquímica Toxicológica, Centro de Ciências Naturais e Exatas, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, RS, Brazil
| | - Pablo A Nogara
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Ciências Biológicas: Bioquímica Toxicológica, Centro de Ciências Naturais e Exatas, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, RS, Brazil
| | - Daniel M P Ardisson-Araújo
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Ciências Biológicas: Bioquímica Toxicológica, Centro de Ciências Naturais e Exatas, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, RS, Brazil
- Laboratório de Virologia de Insetos, Departamento de Bioquímica e Biologia Molecular, Centro de Ciências Naturais e Exatas, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, RS, Brazil
| | - Michael Aschner
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, NY, USA
| | - João B T Rocha
- Departamento de Bioquímica e Biologia Molecular, Centro de Ciências Naturais e Exatas, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, RS, Brazil
| | - José G Dórea
- Professor Emeritus, Faculdade de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, DF, Brazil
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