Association of blood heavy metal levels with osteocalcin abnormality and incidence of osteoporosis in Saudi subjects

Serum toxic metals have been implicated in development of many diseases. This study investigated the association between blood levels of lead and cadmium with abnormal bone mineral density (BMD) and incidence of osteoporosis. Sixty Saudi male adults age matching were assigned into two groups: A healthy control group (n = 30) and osteoporosis patients diagnosed according to T-score (n = 30). Serum calcium, vitamin D, osteocalcin, lead, cadmium were measured. Osteoporotic group showed a highly significant elevation of blood lead and cadmium levels compared to the control group (p <0.001). BMD was negatively correlated with serum osteocalcin level compared with control. There was a significant negative correlation between the cadmium and lead levels (r=-0.465 and p-value = 0.01) and calcium (p < 0.004). Our findings suggested that high cadmium and lead were negative correlated to BMD and increased the risk factor for osteoporosis.

Potential remediators in the rice production area of Zambales, Philippines contaminated with mine tailing

High concentration of cadmium and lead are hazardous to environment. The study isolated and identified potential fungal, bacterial and hyperaccumulating plants as bioremediators in contaminated rice ecosystem. Fungi were identified morphologically and with the use of internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region sequencing. Bacteria were identified using 16S ribosomal RNA sequences. Plants were analyzed for Cadmium and Lead accumulation in root and shoot tissues using atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS). Fungal species including Penicillium janthinellum, Trichoderma hamatum, Trichoderma harzianum, and Curvularia lunata along with bacterial species such as Bacillus cereus, Bacillus thuringiensis, Pseudomonas gessardii, Lysinibacillus xylanilyticus, Lysinibacillus sphaericus, and two species of unidentified bacteria were identified. Plants predominant in the area includes Cyperus difformis, Scirpus juncoides, Fimbristylis miliacea, Centella asiatica, Sphagneticola trilobata, and Monochoria vaginalis. Cadmium was detected in the shoots of S. trilobata (3.2 mg kg−1) and roots of C. asiatica (3.6 mg kg−1). Lead was found in the shoots of C. asiatica (2.8 mg kg−1) and roots of both S. juncoides (15.00 mg kg−1) and F. miliacea (15.00 mg kg−1). Phytoremediation potential of S. juncoides, F. miliacea, C. asiatica and S. trilobata was observed. Heavy metal resistant microbes can be harnessed as a very useful biological tool for in-situ bioremediation.

EFFECT OF LOCAL HONEY PRODUCTION AREAS ON ITS CONTENT OF SOME HEAVY METALS

This study was conducted to estimate some heavy metals cadmium, lead, nickel and iron in 15 samples of Iraqi honey with 3 replicates for each sample which were collected from apiaries near potential contamination areas in five Iraqi governorates, including Baghdad, Karbala, Babylon, Diyala and Salah al-Din. The atomic absorption technique was used to estimate the concentrations of heavy metals, the results showed that there were significant differences at (P≤0.05) between the concentrations of these elements in the honey samples, the highest concentrations of cadmium 0.123 mg/kg were recorded in Baghdad, near the petrochemical production complex, lead 4.657 mg/kg and nickel 0.023 mg/kg in Babylon near the power plant, iron was 1.863 mg/kg in Karbala near the waste collection and incineration plant, and all the concentrations of cadmium and lead in the studied honey samples were higher than the acceptable limits set by the European Commission Regulation.

EFFECT OF LOCAL HONEY PRODUCTION AREAS ON ITS CONTENT OF SOME HEAVY METALS

ABSTRACT This study was conducted to estimate some heavy metals cadmium, lead, nickel and iron in 15 samples of Iraqi honey with 3 replicates for each sample which were collected from apiaries near potential contamination areas in five Iraqi governorates, including Baghdad, Karbala, Babylon, Diyala and Salah al-Din. The atomic absorption technique was used to estimate the concentrations of heavy metals, the results showed that there were significant differences at (P≤0.05) between the concentrations of these elements in the honey samples, the highest concentrations of cadmium 0.123 mg/kg were recorded in Baghdad, near the petrochemical production complex, lead 4.657 mg/kg and nickel 0.023 mg/kg in Babylon near the power plant, iron was 1.863 mg/kg in Karbala near the waste collection and incineration plant, and all the concentrations of cadmium and lead in the studied honey samples were higher than the acceptable limits set by the European Commission Regulation.

Study of the surface properties of glauconite

The acid-base properties of the glauconite surface has been studied by potentiometric titration. Using a surface complexation model with a constant exchange capacity, it was shown that positively charged surface centers and exchange centers dominate in the acidic pH region, and negatively charged centers dominate in the neutral and alkaline regions. The corresponding constants of acid-base equilibrium have been calculated. The data obtained were used to study the sorption of cadmium and lead on glauconite.