As a Useful Biomonitor of Toxic Trace Element Contamination in the Highly Urbanised Istanbul, Turkey; Mytilus Galloprovincialis

In this study, concentrations of toxic trace elements were determined by an ICP-MS device in the edible tissues of Mytilus galloprovincialis from the Marmara Sea, İstanbul-Turkey. Concentrations of As, Pb, Cd, Hg, Ni, and Zn were investigated in digestive gland, gills, and muscles tissues of the mussel.According to the results obtained in the study, As, Pb, Cd, Ni, and Zn in the digestive gland of M. galloprovincialis were above the permissible concentrations (mgkg-1), which were 0.672 for Cd, 6.870 for As, 0.788 for Pb, 1.990 for Ni and 42.6 for Zn. The results show that Cd and As mean concentrations in muscle of M. galloprovincialis were above the permissible legal limits. Furthermore, Cd and Ni mean concentrations in gills of M. galloprovincialis were above the permissible levels. Furthermore, it was observed that the highest value belonged to As in the digestive gland of mussels with 65.42% of Provisional Tolerable Weekly Intake. At the same time, the lowest percentage belonged to Zn with 0.22% of PTWI in muscles and 0.313% of PTWI in gills of the mussels. Thus, it is recommended that As, Pb, Cd, Hg, Ni, and Zn concentrations in seafood samples, particularly in mussels, should be monitored periodically.

Thallium uptake/tolerance in a model (hyper)accumulating plant: Effect of extreme contaminant loads

Thallium (Tl) is a toxic trace element with a highly negative effect on the environment. For phytoextraction purposes, it is important to know the limitations of plant growth. In this study, we conducted experiments with a model Tl-hyperaccumulating plant (Sinapis alba L., white mustard) to better understand the plant tolerance and/or associated detoxification mechanisms under extreme Tl doses (accumulative 0.7/1.4 mg Tl, in total). Both the hydroponic/semi-hydroponic (artificial soil) cultivation variants were studied in detail. The Tl bioaccumulation potential for the tested plant reached up to 1% of the total supplied Tl amount. Furthermore, it was revealed that the plants grown in the soil-like system did not tolerate Tl concentrations in nutrient solutions higher than ~1 mg/L, i.e., wilting symptoms were evident. Surprisingly, for the plants grown in hydroponic solutions, the tolerable Tl concentration was by contrast at least 2-times higher (≥ 2 mg Tl/L), presumably mimicking the K biochemistry. The obtained hydroponic/semi-hydroponic phytoextraction data can serve, in combination, as a model for plant-assisted remediation of soils or mining/processing wastes enriched in Tl, or possibly for environmental cycling of Tl in general.

Fate of elemental Selenium in Sulfur dominated environments

<p>Selenium (Se) is an essential yet toxic trace element with one of the narrowest nutritional optimums of all elements. Se speciation plays a crucial role in its mobility, bioavailability, bioaccumulation, and toxicity. The current perception of Se environmental cycling encompasses a linear series of successive, bi-directional redox processes. Elemental Se is seen as a central species thermodynamically favored in redox conditions found in most environments. Most studies on Se environmental transformations focused on systems characterized by high Se concentrations. In nature though, sulfur (S) concentrations are in general orders of magnitude higher than those of Se. This work investigated elemental selenium reactivity in sulfur dominated environments. A set of laboratory experiments were conducted to determine the reaction rates of elemental selenium with sulfur in various environmental conditions. Our data clearly indicates that an abiotic reaction was occurring between elemental Se and S at neutral to alkaline conditions under anaerobic conditions, solubilizing elemental Se. At neutral pH (pH = 7), the reaction rates were low, whereas at high pH (pH = 12), the reaction was fast and all elemental Se was consumed by the reaction within 12 h. We present for the first time the detailed kinetics of reaction at various environmental conditions and discuss the control exerted by sulfur on selenium cycling.</p>

Cumulative Effect and Content Variation of Toxic Trace Elements in Human Hair around Xiaoqinling Gold Mining Area, Northwestern China

The harm of toxic trace element polluted living environments to human health in mining areas has attracted extensive attention. In this study, human hair samples from a toxic trace element polluted area (village A) in a mineral processing area collected in 2015 and 2019 were studied in detail and the nonpolluted human hair samples from a contrast area (village B) with a relatively clean environment were also collected for comparison. The Hg and As in human hair samples were analyzed by Atomic Fluorescence Spectrometry (AFS) and the Pb, Cd, Cr, and Cu in human hair samples were analyzed by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). The single cumulative index (Pi) and the Nemerrow index (Pz) were used to evaluate the single and comprehensive cumulative pollution index. The results indicated that the average toxic trace element contents in human hair from different ages in the polluted area exhibited certain statistical significance. The average single cumulative indexes indicated a significant accumulation of Hg, Pb, and Cd in human hair of both genders and different ages from the polluted area, and the comprehensive cumulative pollution indexes revealed higher accumulation of toxic trace elements in the hair of males than in females. In general, the content of toxic trace elements in human hair from polluted area was still growing in accumulation. The high content of toxic trace elements in human hair shows a notable correlation with human health, and the environmental pollution in gold mining areas is seriously harmful to human health.

The lead content in biological media term infants with hypoxic-ischemic CNS

Introduction: The frequency of births of infants with perinatal pathology has increased inrecent years. The aim of this study is to determination of lead content in the biomedias ofnewborns with hypoxic-ischemic damage of the central nervous system (CNS). Materials andMethods: We studied influence of the lead content in children, which were born with hypoxicischemiclesion CNS (HIL CNS). Determination of this microelement was carried out in theblood serum, erythrocytes and urine of 30 newborn infants which were suffered from asphyxiaafter birth. The comparison group consisted of 30 healthy full-term newborns. Results: In thebiomedias of children with the HIL of the central nervous system, a toxic trace element of leadhas been identified which is poorly retained in the placenta, so the fetus is more vulnerable toits toxic effects in the prenatal period. In the article the features of the lead content in serum,erythrocytes and urine in term infants which were born with hypoxic-ischemic CNS lesions areinvestigated. This group of subjects had increased serum and erythrocyte concentration of lead.The high content of lead in the erythrocytes of children with hypoxia which is already at birthmay indicate a transplacental penetration of this toxic trace element and the possibility of itsnegative impact on the course of pregnancy. Conclusions: The prognostic significance of thelead content was high. Thus, the informative index (Ī) for lead content in serum is 7.40, and theprognostic factor (PC) is + 15.1. As for the prognostic value of the lead content in erythrocytesand urine, very high predictor properties are established for them: Ī = 7.44; PC = + 7.0 and Ī =13.42; PC = + 16.1 respectively. Bangladesh Journal of Medical Science Vol.20(2) 2021 p.330-333

Effect of toxic trace element detoxification, body fat reduction following four-week intake of the Wellnessup diet: a three-arm, randomized clinical trial

Background: Detox diet are known as a popular dieting strategies that helps toxins elimination and weight manage but there is very little clinical evidence. The Wellnessup diet (WD) used in the present study designed as a healthy meals based on organic plant based diets including various vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts and phytonutrients. Methods: To evaluate the effects of 4 week intake of the WD on toxic trace element detoxification, body fat reduction, and safety parameters. Forty-five women with body mass index (BMI) of 23.5-30 kg/m 2 were recruited. Thirty of them were assigned 1:1 to the test group (WD, 15 subjects) and control group 1 (calorie-restricted diet, CRD, 15 subjects) in a single blind and randomized, and the remaining 15 subjects were assigned to control group 2 (maintaining regular diet, MRD). The primary outcome were toxic trace element levels in hair (29 types of heavy metals), and the secondary outcomes were changes in anthropometric and urinary organic acids. Results: The levels of four toxic trace elements in hair decreased in the WD group after the diet compared to before the diet. Ni, Rh, Sn, and Ga were significantly lower in the WD group than in the CRD or MRD group (p<0.05). At the end of the trial, both WD and CRD groups had lower BMI, Waist Circumference(WC), Hip Circumference(HC) and WHR compared to the baseline values (p<0.05). Compared to the WD group, the CRD group had a greater mean change (p<0.05) from the baseline for weight loss (-3.22±0.48kg vs -1.88±0.95kg vs) and fat free mass (-2.08 kg vs -1.09 kg). The weight, BMI, body fat mass, fat free mass, WC, and HC of the CRD group were significantly decreased compared to the MRD (p<0.05). No significant changes in any safety parameter were observed. Conclusions: Use of WD might have several beneficial effects and safety such as body fat reduction and improving some the element detoxification through caloric restriction but did not reducing body fat mass more than calorie-restricted diet.

Effect of toxic trace element detoxification, body fat reduction following four-week intake of the Wellnessup diet: a three-arm, randomized clinical trial

Background: Detox diet are known as a popular dieting strategies that helps toxins elimination and weight manage but there is very little clinical evidence. The Wellnessup diet (WD) used in the present study designed as a healthy meals based on organic plant based diets including various vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts and phytonutrients. Methods: To evaluate the effects of 4 week intake of the WD on toxic trace element detoxification, body fat reduction, and safety parameters. Forty-five women with body mass index (BMI) of 23.5-30 kg/m2 were recruited. Thirty of them were assigned 1:1 to the test group (WD, 15 subjects) and control group 1 (calorie-restricted diet, CRD, 15 subjects) in a single blind and randomized, and the remaining 15 subjects were assigned to control group 2 (maintaining regular diet, MRD). The primary outcome were toxic trace element levels in hair (29 types of heavy metals), and the secondary outcomes were changes in anthropometric and urinary organic acids. Results: The levels of four toxic trace elements in hair decreased in the WD group after the diet compared to before the diet. Ni, Rh, Sn, and Ga were significantly lower in the WD group than in the CRD or MRD group (p<0.05). At the end of the trial, both WD and CRD groups had lower BMI, Waist Circumference(WC), Hip Circumference(HC) and WHR compared to the baseline values (p<0.05). Compared to the WD group, the CRD group had a greater mean change (p<0.05) from the baseline for weight loss (-3.22±0.48kg vs -1.88±0.95kg vs) and fat free mass (-2.08 kg vs -1.09 kg). The weight, BMI, body fat mass, fat free mass, WC, and HC of the CRD group were significantly decreased compared to the MRD (p<0.05). No significant changes in any safety parameter were observed. Conclusions: Use of WD might have several beneficial effects and safety such as body fat reduction and improving some the element detoxification through caloric restriction but did not reducing body fat mass more than calorie-restricted diet.