Endophthalmitis ; etiology ; Humans ; Metals ; Occupational Exposure ; adverse effects

Humans ; Metals ; Microwaves ; adverse effects ; Occupational Exposure ; adverse effects ; analysis ; Workplace

Aged ; Humans ; Male ; Metals ; Percutaneous Coronary Intervention ; adverse effects ; Stents ; adverse effects ; Thrombosis ; diagnosis ; Time Factors

One of the causes of the high cost of pharmaceuticals and the major obstacles to rapidly assessing the bioavailability and risk of a chemical is the lack of experimental model systems. A new pre-treatment technology, in vitro bionic digestion was designed for metal analysis in Lianhua Qingwen capsule. The capsule was digested on 37 degrees C under the acidity of the stomach or intestine, and with the inorganic and organic compounds (including digestive enzymes) found in the stomach or intestine, and then the chyme was obtained. Being similar to the biomembrane between the gastrointestinal tract and blood vessels, monolayer liposome was used as biomembrane model Affinity-monolayer liposome metals (AMLMs) and water-soluble metals were used for metal speciation analysis in the capsule. Based on the concentration of AMLMs, the main absorption site of trace metals was proposed. The metal total contents or the concentration of AMLMs in the capsule were compared to the nutritional requirements, daily permissible dose and heavy metal total contents from the "import and export of medicinal plants and preparation of green industry state standards". The metal concentrations in the capsule were within the safety baseline levels for human consumption. After in vitro bionic digestion, most of trace metals were absorbed mainly in intestine. The concentration of As, Cd, Pb was 0.38, 0.07, 1.60 mg x kg(-1), respectively, far less than the permissible dose from the "import and export of medicinal plants and preparation of green industry state standards".
Biological Availability ; Capsules ; adverse effects ; pharmacokinetics ; Digestion ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; adverse effects ; pharmacokinetics ; Humans ; Metals, Heavy ; adverse effects ; pharmacokinetics ; Models, Biological ; Stomach ; metabolism ; Trace Elements ; adverse effects ; pharmacokinetics

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a kind of neurodegenerative diseases, the most common cause of dementia. Although AD has been studied more than, 100 years and the Aβ and tau theory are most widely accepted among the theories achieved, yet it is not really clear what the mechanism related to AD works up to now. However, it is certain that AD is a kind of diseases resulting from multi-causes. Except for causes correlated with heredity, aging and life habits, environmental role is worth taking into consideration as well. Some metals, such as copper, aluminum, zinc and iron et al, can also have close relationship with AD. Now, we make an overview on the correlative researches in the field.
Aluminum ; Alzheimer Disease ; pathology ; Copper ; Humans ; Iron ; Metals ; adverse effects ; Zinc

Air Pollutants ; Dust ; analysis ; Humans ; Lung ; Metals ; adverse effects ; Pneumoconiosis ; Research

OBJECTIVETo study the effects of rare earth exposure on human telomerase and apoptosis of human peripheral mononuclear cells (PBMNs).

METHODSRare earth mine lot in Xunwu county, the biggest ion absorptive rare earth mine lot of China, was selected as the study site. Another village of Xunwu county, with comparable geological structure and social environment was selected as the control site. Thirty healthy adults were randomly selected from the study site as exposure group and another 30 healthy adults randomly selected from the control site as control group. The blood content of 15 rare earth elements, including La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu and Y, were determined by inductive coupled plasma-source mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The total contents of rare earth elements in the blood were calculated. The TRAP and FCM assays were carried out to analyse the telomerase and apoptosis of human PBMNCs respectively.

RESULTSIn the exposure group, the concentration of La, Ce, Dy and Y were significantly higher (P<0.001), and Pr, Nd, Sm, Gd and Yb were higher than those in the control group (P<0.05). The total content of rare earth in the blood of exposure group showed significant difference compared with control group (P<0.001). Telomerase activity in PBMNs of the exposure group was higher than that in the control group (P<0.05); there were 11 adults in the exposure group (30 adults) and 5 adults in control group (30 adults) showed positive telomerase activity. The average age of the exposure group was (38.69 +/- 8.02) years-old, while the control group was (40.45 +/- 9.02) years-old (P >0.05). It was found that there was a significant relationship between telomerase activity and the total content of rare earth elements (P <0.01). 3. The proportion of apoptosis was not different between the two groups (P >0.05), but the cells in the S-phase and G2-M phase were increased (P <0.01) in the exposed group.

CONCLUSIONThe telomerase activity of PBMNs in the rare earth elements exposed group was higher than that of the control group, and there is no effect on apoptotic rate of PBMNs, but may promote the diploid DNA replication, and increase the percentage of G2/M and S phase cells.

Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Environmental Exposure ; adverse effects ; Female ; Humans ; Leukocytes, Mononuclear ; cytology ; enzymology ; Male ; Metals, Rare Earth ; adverse effects ; analysis ; Telomerase ; metabolism

Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) has been successfully applied for the treatment of the knee pathology at the end stage such as osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Although TKA has became a very mature technology, some patients still suffer from the persistent pain after surgery. The cause of this pain have been recognized as the operation or technical error in most cases, and it usually requires a surgical intervention. Only when the cause of pain is judged accurately, can the operation and other factors be estimated correctly, determining the appropriate treatment methods. In the article, the causes of the post-operative pain after TKA are reviewed, which may be helpful to study the causes of the pain, and to decrease the occurrence incidence of pain.
Adult ; Age Factors ; Aged ; Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee ; adverse effects ; Female ; Humans ; Joint Instability ; complications ; Male ; Metals ; adverse effects ; Middle Aged ; Pain, Postoperative ; etiology ; Sex Characteristics

OBJECTIVETo explore the exposure level and risk factors of heavy metal among Shanghai infants in their prenatal period.

METHODSA total of 1652 pregnant or puerperal women were recruited from 10 midwifery-qualified hospitals in Shanghai since October 2008 to October 2009, by the stratified cluster sampling method. They answered the questionnaire and their umbilical cord blood and serum were collected to detect the content of Pb, Hg, Mn, Cd, As and Tl. The risk factors were analyzed by single and multiple regression methods respectively.

RESULTSThe median value of the content of Pb, Hg, Mn, Cd, As and Tl were 41.00, 1.88, 4.10, 0.03, 0.86 and 0.02 µg/L respectively. The Hg concentration of pregnant women who ate fish for 4 - 7 times per week (9.7% (160/1652)) was 2.76 µg/L, which was higher than that of pregnant women who only ate fish for 1-3 times per week (49.3% (814/1652)) and those who seldom ate fish (40.0% (661/1652)); the Hg concentration in the two groups above were 2.41 and 2.03 µg/L separately. The difference had statistical significance (χ(2) = 36.40, P < 0.001). Meanwhile, the concentrations of Pb and Tl in the group of pregnant women whose houses were remodeled by PVC pipe (85.0% (1404/1652)) was higher than the concentrations in group of pregnant women whose houses were remodeled by galvanized pipe (15.0% (248/1652)); the Pb concentration in the two groups above were 45.54 and 40.00 µg/L (Z = 2.54, P < 0.05) and the Tl concentration in the two groups above were 0.021 and 0.018 µg/L (Z = 2.97, P < 0.05). However, the As concentration in the group of PVC pipe remodeled was 4.33 µg/L, which was lower than that in the group of galvanized pipe (9.37 µg/L). The difference had statistical significance (Z = 3.99, P < 0.01). The concentrations of Mn, Cd and Tl in the groups of pregnant women whose house had been remodeled in the last 3 years (38.0% (628/1652)) were 14.78, 0.51 and 0.022 µg/L separately, which were all significantly higher than those in the groups of women whose houses' were not remodeled (62.0% (1024/1652)), whose concentrations were 11.01, 0.29 and 0.02 µg/L respectively. The differences had statistical significance (Mn: Z = 2.46, P < 0.05; Cd: Z = 2.38, P < 0.05; Tl: Z = 2.81, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONThe infants in Shanghai were exposed to heavy metals in their prenatal period. The main sources of the exposure were daily diet and remodeled pollution.

Adult ; China ; Environmental Pollution ; Female ; Fetal Blood ; chemistry ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Maternal Exposure ; adverse effects ; Metals, Heavy ; adverse effects ; Pregnancy ; Risk Factors ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Metal biomaterials must be biocompatible; especially, when they contact directly with blood, they must be haemocompatible. Now, stainless steel, tantalum and nickel-titanium shape memory metal alloy are normally made into intravascular stands that are used to stretch blood vascular and resume blood circulation. Intravascular stand's haemocompatibility is very important because it directly influences the occurrence of thrombogenesis in blood system. This paper briefly reviews the metal intravascular stand's surface property, interface reaction with blood, structure design and the research of haemocompatibility.
Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary ; adverse effects ; Biocompatible Materials ; chemistry ; Humans ; Metals ; chemistry ; Nickel ; chemistry ; Stainless Steel ; chemistry ; Stents ; adverse effects ; Surface Properties ; Titanium ; chemistry