Search

Huntington' disease (HD) is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressive motor, psychiatric, and cognitive deterioration. HD is, together with spinocerebellar ataxias, spinobulbar muscular atrophy and dentatorubral-pallido- luysian atrophy, one of the nine disorders caused by an expansion of glutamine residues in the causative protein where the polyglutamine expansion cause aberrant protein folding. Since an excessive metal's accumulation in organs may induce protein misfolding and oxidative stress, we have studied the blood concentration of essential (Cr, Co, Cu, Fe, Mn, Mo, Ni, Se, Zn) and nonessential (As, Cd, Sb, Sn, V) trace elements in HD patients. We found increased levels of the essential elements iron, chromium, selenium and zinc and of the nonessential element arsenic in the blood of HD patients. Since alteration in metals homeostasis may contribute to the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disease and could eventually constitute a target for therapy, we may suggest the utilize of the blood metal profile as a further in vivo tool to study and characterize Huntington disease., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.)

Elevated exposure to manganese (Mn) has long been a public health concern. However, there is currently no consensus on the best exposure biomarker. Here we aimed to investigate the exposomic characteristics of plasma metals among Mn-exposed workers and explore the potential biomarkers of Mn exposure in the blood pool. First, total sixteen plasma metals (Calcium, Magnesium, Iron, Zinc, Copper, Selenium, Lead, Chromium, Arsenic, Manganese, Nickel, Molybdenum, Cadmium, Mercury, Thallium, and Cobalt) were determined among 40 occupationally Mn-exposed subjects. Second, Mn levels in both plasma and blood cells were detected among 234 workers from the manganese-exposed workers healthy cohort (MEWHC), respectively. Analysis of plasma metal exposome showed that the plasma Mn concentrations were positively correlated to plasma Fe (r=0.361), Ni (r=0.363), Cr (r=0.486), and Hg (r=0.313) (all p<0.05). Mn concentrations in plasma were not significantly correlated to external exposure levels (p trend =0.200), and it was further confirmed among the 234 subjects (p trend =0.452). However, Mn concentrations in blood cells progressively increased as the external exposure dose increased (low-exposure group vs high-exposure group, median 11.53μg/L vs 20.41μg/L, p trend =0.001). Our results suggest that Mn in blood cells, but not plasma, could serve as a potential internal exposure biomarker. Larger validation studies are needed to establish the utility of this biomarker., (Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier GmbH.)

Background: Welders are exposed to a number of metallic elements during work. Bioaccessability, that is important for element uptake, has been little studied. This study addresses bioaccessability and uptake of chromium (Cr), molybdenum (Mo), tungsten (W) and vanadium (V) among welders., Methods: Bioaccessability of Cr, Mo, V and W was studied in airborne particulate matter collected by personal sampling of the workroom air among shipyard welders by using the lung lining fluid simulant Hatch solution. Associations between concentrations of Hatch soluble and non-soluble elements (Hatch sol and Hatch non-sol ) and concentrations of the four elements in whole blood, serum, blood cells and urine were studied., Results: Air concentrations of the four elements were low. Only a small fraction of Cr, V and W was Hatch sol , while similar amounts of Mo were Hatch sol and Hatch non-sol . Welders (N=70) had statistically significantly higher concentrations of all four elements in urine and serum when compared to referents (N=74). Highly statistically significant associations were observed between urinary W and Hatch sol W (p<0.001) and serum V and Hatch sol V (p<0.001), in particular when air samples collected the day before collection of biological samples were considered., Conclusions: Associations between Hatch sol elements in air and their biological concentrations were higher than when Hatch non-sol concentrations were considered. Associations were generally higher when air samples collected the day before biological sampling were considered as compared to air samples collected two days before., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.)

In this study we determined the concentration of 9 trace elements (As, Cd, Cu, Hg, Mn, Mo, Pb, Se and Zn) in whole blood of children (n=100, 64 girls, 36 boys and median age: 36 months) using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The proportion of children potentially deficient in essential elements or poisoned by toxic elements was evaluated. The aging effects on the concentration of these elements were also investigated. The median values were 3.17μg/L (As), 0.15μg/L (Cd), 1.1mg/L (Cu), 2.1μg/L (Hg), 10.4μg/L (Mn), 17.7μg/L (Mo), 8.7μg/dL (Pb), 10.7μg/L (Se) and 5.0mg/L (Zn). The concentration of many elements (As, Cd, Hg, Mn, Pb and Zn) showed significant age variations but not sex influence. Regarding levels of the essential elements (Cu, Mn, Mo, Se and Zn), B-Cu, B-Mn, B-Se and B-Zn were in the normal range, whereas exceeded levels were observed for B-Mo. None of these children was deficient in essential elements. Except B-Cd, all toxic elements showed exceeded blood levels. The proportion of children potentially poisoned by toxic elements varies from 10% (n=10) to 95% (n=95) and depends on toxic element: 95% for As, 10% for Hg and 35% for Pb. The main health concerns emerging from this study are the high As, Hg and Pb exposures of the Kinshasan children requiring further documentation, corrective actions and the implementation of appropriate regulations., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.)

The concentration of molybdenum was measured in whole blood samples of 418 (244 males and 174 females) apparently normal donors ranging in age from 18 to 27-years old and living in nine different locations in the Mérida State (Venezuela). The geometric mean concentration of molybdenum of 418 subjects was of 2.66+/-0.66 microgL(-1) (range: 1.20-4.80 microgL(-1)). The levels of molybdenum in whole blood samples found in this work were of 2.57+/-0.52 and 2.54+/-0.51 (range: 1.20-4.80 and 1.40-4.20) microgL(-1) for males and females, respectively. The data of the content molybdenum in whole blood had no statistical correlation with age, sex or height above the sea level of the sampling sites. However, there was a tendency to decrease the levels of the element in those sampling sites located in highlands (> or = 1900 m above the sea level). This variability may be due to the source of molybdenum from the soil to the food chain that has affected its levels in donors from these areas under study. The results of this study are compared with values previously reported for subjects studied in other populations.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the serum and urine levels of cobalt (Co), chromium (Cr), manganese (Mn), molybdenum (Mo) and nickel (Ni) in patients who had undergone metal-on-metal hybrid surface arthroplasties on the supposition that a release of metals would occur due to the large head size of this type of implant. Metal levels were determined by using an analytical method based on sector field inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Results showed a significant difference between patients and control subjects in mean levels of Co and Cr in serum (p<0.0001 and p=0.02, respectively) and in urine (p<0.0001 for both). No significant differences were observed in mean serum and urinary levels of Mn, Mo and Ni. Although the clinical consequences of these changes, if any, are unknown, further studies could be performed in a larger number of subjects implanted with a total surface arthroplasty at follow-up times over different periods.

The serum molybdenum (Mo) concentrations in 70 Japanese adults (35 males and 35 females) not receiving any medical care or treatment were determined by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. Serum Mo concentration in the subjects ranged from <0.1 to 9.11 ng/mL. More than half (55.7%) of the subjects showed values of less than 1 ng/mL and only 6 (8.6%) subjects showed more than 2 ng/mL. The mean+/-SD, geometrical mean (GM), range of GM+/-geometrical SD (GSD) and median value were 1.21+/-1.34, 0.81, 0.30 to 2.16, and 0.90 ng/mL, respectively. Among age, body mass index and several serum biochemical values, activities of aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase showed significant associations with serum Mo; 15 subjects suspected of having liver dysfunction showed significantly higher serum Mo than others. We propose a range of 0.10-4.73 ng/mL, estimated as a range of GM+/-2GSD of serum Mo in the remaining 55 subjects without liver dysfunction, as a reference range of serum Mo in Japanese healthy adults.

Chelation therapy with tetrathiomolybdate (TTM) was applied to Long-Evans rats with a cinnamon coat-color (LEC rats), an animal model for Wilson disease, to remove copper (Cu) accumulated in the liver in a form bound to metallothionein (MT). Changes in molybdenum (Mo) and Cu concentrations and their biological forms in serum of LEC rats determined at different times after a single intraperitoneal injection were compared with those of Wistar (normal) rats. The change in Mo concentration in serum of normal rats was mono-phasic, whereas in LEC rats it was bi-phasic. The phase in normal rats and the first phase in LEC rats appeared to reflect the process of uptake and disappearance of TTM in the livers of Wistar and LEC rats. On the other hand, the second phase in LEC rats paralleled the changes of Cu and appeared to reflect the complex formation (Cu/thiomolybdate complex) between Mo and Cu accumulated in the liver. The complex was specifically bound to albumin as determined by high performance liquid chromatography with inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (HPLC/ICP-MS). The results suggested that the changes in the Mo concentration in serum reflected the amount of Cu in the liver.