Splinter Haemorrhages,Pitting, and Other Findings in Fingernails of Healthy Adults

Splinter haemorrhages, pitting, transverse grooving, ridging, and flaking occur often in the fingernails of the healthy. While they may occur more often in certain diseases they have little diagnostic value in the absence of proper methods of measurement and examination and without a range of normal values for the sexes and age groups.     

Nail Antioxidant Trace Elements Are Inversely Associated with Inflammatory Markers in Healthy Young Adults

Antioxidant intake may be linked to a reduction of the chronic low-grade inflammatory state related to obesity and several accompanying disorders such as insulin resistance, cardiovascular diseases, and metabolic syndrome. So, the aim of this study was to evaluate the potential associations between nail trace elements and several indicators in healthy young adults, emphasizing on the putative effect of antioxidant trace element intake on inflammation-related marker concentrations. This study enrolled 149 healthy young adults, whose anthropometrical and blood pressure values as well as lifestyle features were analyzed. Fasting blood samples were collected for the biochemical and inflammation-related measurements (C-reactive protein, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-6, IL-18, and homocysteine). Nail samples were collected for the analysis of selenium, zinc, and copper concentrations. Our results showed that nail selenium was negatively associated with IL-18; nail zinc concentrations were inversely related to circulating IL-6, IL-18, and TNF-α, whereas nail copper (Cu) and Cu/selenium values were negatively correlated with homocysteine levels and the Cu/zinc ratio was unaffected. In conclusion, nail content on some trace elements related to antioxidant defense mechanisms seems to be associated with several inflammation-related markers linked to chronic diseases in apparently healthy young adults, which is of interest to understand the role of antioxidant intake.     

中药及中药制剂中微量元素铜、铬的含量测定

应用火焰原子吸收光度法(FAAS)对苦参、黄柏及黄柏胶囊中微量元素铜、铬的含量进行了测定,并对FAAS若干条件进行了优化选择。结果表明,该法的平均回收率在95.2%～104.8%之间,相对标准偏差在1.76%以下,结果可靠,方法简便,可用于实际样品的测定。     

Determination of Trace Elements in Jinqi,a Traditional Chinese Medicine

We have determined the trace element composition of Jingi, a common remedy used in traditional Chinese medicine, using atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS). The concentration of the trace elements analyzed in this medicine decreases in the order: zinc > manganese > chromium > magnesium > copper > iron > lead > nickel > vanadium. We suggest that these trace elements may play a direct or indirect role in the hypoglycemic properties of Jinqi. The three plants used as main ingredients in the preparation of this recipe should be planted in a lead-free soil rich in zinc, manganese, chromium, magnesium, and vanadium.     

Chemometric Methods for Studying the Relationships Between Trace Elements in Laryngeal Cancer and Healthy Tissues

A quick and reliable method for the evaluation and classification of two types of tissues is presented. Several chemometric methods were applied to evaluate multivariate data of the tissue samples with respect to the content of trace elements. The content of Pb, Al, Zn, Cd, Cu, Ni and Co was determined in samples of healthy and cancerous tissue obtained from 26 patients. Determination was done at milligram/kilogram level with inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) and atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) techniques. Contents of trace metals in studied tissues are not normally distributed; however, normal distribution was confirmed for log values. There is a statistically significant difference in the content of Zn, Cd, Cu and Al (p?<?0.01) and Ni and Co (p?<?0.05) when healthy tissue is compared to cancerous one. Correlation between contents of trace elements for studied tissues was positive; the highest was found between Zn and Cu. A chemometric methodology seems to be a promising tool for classifications of the tissue samples.     

中药及其水煎液中微量元素含量研究

采用火焰原子吸收光谱法(flame atomic absorption spectrometry,FAAS)测定了黄芪、白术、防风及玉屏风散各次水煎液中铁、铜、锰、铅4种微量元素的含量。结果表明,中药各次水煎液中微量元素的浸出率各不相同,应合理用药,以更好地发挥中药的疗效。     

Comparison of Trace Elements in the Scalp Hair of Malignant and Benign Breast Lesions Versus Healthy Women

Trace elements including Al, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, Pb, Sb, Sr, and Zn were analyzed in the scalp hair samples of women with malignant breast lesions, women with benign breast lesions, and healthy donors using atomic absorption spectrophotometric method. In the scalp hair of malignant-tumor patients, the highest average concentration was shown by Ca (1,187 μg/g), followed by Na (655 μg/g), Mg (478 μg/g), Zn (391 μg/g), Sr (152 μg/g), Fe (114 μg/g), and K (89.8), while in the case of benign-tumor patients, the average estimated element levels were 1,522, 1,093, 572, 457, 217, 80.4, and 74.7 μg/g, respectively. Most of the elements exhibited non-normal distribution evidenced by large spread, standard error, and skewness values. Mean concentrations of Ca (634 μg/g), Zn (206 μg/g), Mg (162 μg/g), Fe (129 μg/g), and Na (82.1 μg/g) were noteworthy in the scalp hair of healthy women. Average levels of Na, Sr, K, Cd, Co, Pb, Mg, Ca, Zn, Ni, Sb, and Mn were revealed to be significantly higher in the hair of malignant and benign patients compared to the healthy women; however, Fe, Cu, Al, and Cr were not significantly different in the scalp hair of the three groups. The quartile distributions of Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, K, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, Pb, Sb, and Sr revealed maximum spread in the scalp hair of malignant and benign groups; nevertheless, Al, Cu, Fe, and Zn exhibited almost comparable quartile levels in the three groups. Strong correlation coefficients were found between Fe and Cd, Al and Na, Mn and Sr, Co and Cr, Cd and Cr, Pb and K, Pb and Mn, Cu and Na, and Al and Fe in the scalp hair of malignant-tumor patients, while Fe and K, Cd and Co, Na and Co, and Cr and Pb showed strong correlations in the scalp hair of benign-tumor patients, both of which were significantly different compared with the healthy subjects. Multivariate cluster analysis also revealed divergent clustering of the elements in the scalp hair of malignant and benign patients in comparison with the healthy women.     

Trace Elements in Human Nutrition

A number of trace elements are required by man, but clear-cut evidence of deficiency has been observed for only iodine and iron. Despite the fact no evidence exists that human diets may be deficient in trace minerals other than iron and iodine, there is an increasing tendency to add more and more minerals to vitamin-mineral preparations. Since potassium iodide is a mandatory constituent of table salt in Canada, iron is apparently the only trace element which may not be consumed in adequate amounts under Canadian conditions, and whose addition to dietary supplements for sale to the general public can be justified. It is suggested that trace elements other than iron should not be advertised to the general public, but should be administered only on the advice of a physician, who is in a position to judge the merit of available products in each specific situation.     

Trace Elements in Fruit Juices

Fruit juices are widely consumed in tropical countries as part of habitual diet. The concentrations of several minerals in these beverages were evaluated. Four commercially available brands of juices were analyzed for cadmium, lead, copper, zinc, aluminum, iron, chromium, manganese, and molybdenum. The levels ranged from 0.02 to 0.08 mg/L for copper, from 0.05 to 0.23 mg/L for zinc, from 0.1 to 0.4 mg/L for aluminum, from 0.02 to 0.45 mg/L for iron, and from 0.01 to 0.22 mg/L for manganese. The levels of cadmium, lead, and chromium in all samples were very low or undetectable. The metal contents of fruit juices depend on a number of factors, including the soil composition, the external conditions during fruit growing and fruit harvesting, as well as on details of the fruit juice manufacturing processes employed. The concentrations of none of the metals in juice samples analyzed exceeded the limits imposed by local legislation.     

Trace Elements in Obese Turkish Children

The quality of the diet of obese children is poor. Eating habits may alter micronutrient status in obese patients. In this study, we determined the serum levels of selenium, zinc, vanadium, molybdenum, iron, copper, beryllium, boron, chromium, manganese, cobalt, silver, barium, aluminum, nickel, cadmium, mercury, and lead in obese Turkish children. Thirty-four obese and 33 healthy control subjects were enrolled in the study. Serum vanadium and cobalt levels of obese children were significantly lower than those of the control group (0.244 ± 0.0179 vs. 0.261 ± 0.012 μg/l, p < 0.001, and 0.14 ± 0.13 vs. 0.24 ± 0.15 μg/l, p = 0.011, respectively). There was no significant difference between groups regarding the other serum trace element levels. In conclusion, there may be alterations in the serum levels of trace elements in obese children and these alterations may have a role in the pathogenesis of obesity.     

饲养条件下白(既鱼)豚微量元素的积累

白(鱼既)豚(Lipotes vexillifer)是仅分布于我国长江中下游水域的一种珍稀濒危动物.长江水体污染(如有毒元素等)被认为可能是白(鱼既)豚种群致危的主要因素之一(Yang,1997).迄今,有关白(鱼既)豚体内微量元素的研究尚很少,只有陆佩洪等(1983)、杨利寿等(1988)曾报道过白(鱼既)豚组织中铁(Fe)、铜 (Cu)、锌 (Zn)、锰 (Mn)、镍(Ni)、铅 (Pb)、汞(Hg)和镉 (Cd)在某些组织器官中的积累水平.本文对1头饲养条件下白(鱼既)豚"淇淇"体内的必需元素Cu、Zn、锰 (Mn)、钼 (Mo)、硒 (Se)和有毒或非必需元素砷 (As)、Cd、铝 (Al)的积累特征进行了报道,以期为白(鱼既)豚的保护提供基础资料.     

饲养条件下白豚微量元素的积累

白鱀豚(Lipotesvexillifer)是仅分布于我国长江中下游水域的一种珍稀濒危动物。长江水体污染(如有毒元素等)被认为可能是白鱀豚种群致危的主要因素之一(Yang,1997)。迄今,有关白鱀豚体内微量元素的研究尚很少,只有陆佩洪等(1983)、杨利寿等(1988)曾报道过白鱀豚组织中铁(Fe)、铜(Cu)、锌(Zn)、锰(Mn)、镍(Ni)、铅(Pb)、汞(Hg)和镉(Cd)在某些组织器官中的积累水平。本文对1头饲养条件下白鱀豚“淇淇”体内的必需元素Cu、Zn、锰(Mn)、钼(Mo)、硒(Se)和有毒或非必需元素砷(As)、Cd、铝(Al)的积累特征进行了报道,以期为白豚的保护提供…     

The Phytomanagement of Trace Elements in Soil

Trace elements (TEs) occur at low concentrations (<1000 mg kg ^?1) in organisms, yet they have a large biological effect, both as essential nutrients and environmental contaminants. Phytomanagement describes the manipulation of soil-plant systems to affect the fluxes of TEs in the environment with the goal of remediating contaminated soils, recovering valuable metals, or increasing micronutrient concentrations in crops. Phytomanagement includes all biological, chemical, and physical technologies employed on a vegetated site. Successful phytomanagement should either cost less than other remediation or fortification technologies, or be a profitable operation, by producing valuable plant biomass products. This may include bioenergy or timber production on contaminated land, a practice that does not reduce food production. We review the components of phytomanagement and the underlying biogeochemical processes, with a view to elucidating situations where this technology may be successfully applied and identifying future research needs. Many full-scale operations have proved the efficacy of plants to reduce contaminant mobility in soils (phytostabilization), particularly when used in combination with other technologies. As a stand-alone technology, the oft-touted use of plants to extract TEs from contaminated soils (phytoextraction) or low-grade ore bodies (phytomining) is unsuitable for most, if not all, sites due to low-extraction rates and problems caused by site heterogeneity, the limited rooting depth of plants and the presence of contaminant mixtures. Unsubstantiated claims about phytoextraction have tarnished the reputation of all “phyto” technologies. Nevertheless, phytoextraction, as part of a larger environmental toolkit, has a role in phytomanagement. The growth, or lack thereof, of profitable companies that provide phytomanagement will indicate its value. A critical knowledge gap in phytomanagement is the integration of the processes that affect plant–TE interactions and the biophysical processes affecting TE fluxes in the root zone, especially the effect of roots on contaminant fluxes.     

The Role of Trace Elements in Tinnitus

A growing understanding of antioxidant mechanisms and insulin-like actions of trace elements selenium and zinc has rekindled researchers’ interest towards their role in diabetes mellitus, nutritional management of which concentrates predominantly on macronutrient intake. However, selenium studies limiting largely to diabetes have yielded inconsistent results with sparse knowledge in the pre-diabetes population. This hospital-based cross-sectional study screened 300 people who came to the institutional hospital laboratory with fasting plasma glucose and glycosylated haemoglobin requisition over a period of 6 months. Thirty-five pre-diabetes subjects aged 25–45 years and 35 age-matched healthy controls were selected as per inclusion criteria and clinical history. Serum selenium was estimated by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry, zinc and magnesium by colorimetric end-point methods and insulin by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and insulin resistance was calculated using a homeostasis model assessment (HOMA) 2 calculator. Data analysis was done using SPSS ver. 16 employing an independent sample t test for intergroup comparison of means and Pearson’s correlation for correlation analysis. Serum mineral levels in the pre-diabetes group (selenium 63.01 ± 17.6 μg/L, zinc 55.78 ± 13.49 μg/dL, magnesium 1.37 ± 0.38 mg/dL) were significantly reduced (p < 0.05) in comparison to the healthy controls (selenium 90.98 ± 15.81 μg/L, zinc 94.53 ± 15.41 μg/dL, magnesium 2.12 ± 0.22 mg/dL). A significant negative correlation was seen with glycaemic indices and insulin resistance. This study conducted in pre-diabetes subjects highlights a considerable deficiency of serum selenium, zinc and magnesium observed at a much earlier pre-clinical phase. This coupled with the evidence of a strong inverse association with glycaemic indices and insulin resistance postulates the role of mineral alterations in the pathophysiology of hyperglycaemia and insulin resistance.