Estimation of Nickel in Different Smokeless Tobacco Products and Their Impact on Human Health of Oral Cancer Patients.

It has been extensively investigated that the chewing of smokeless tobacco (SLT) products may enhance the inflammation of the oral cavity. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the relationship between nickel (Ni) exposure via different SLT products with oral cancer (different sites) incidence in the population of Sindh, Pakistan. The different brands of SLT products (mainpuri, gutkha, and moist snuff) commonly consumed by the studied population were analyzed for Ni contents. The biological samples of oral cancer patients and noncancerous control subjects of both genders, who have or have not consumed SLT products, were collected. The concentration of Ni in biological samples and SLT products were measured by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrophotometer after microwave-assisted acid digestion. The validity and accuracy of the methodology were checked by using certified reference materials. The results of this study showed that the Ni level was significantly higher in scalp hair and blood samples of oral cancer patients compared to controls (P < 0.01). The study suggested that exposure of Ni as a result of chewing different SLT products may be synergistic with risk factors associated with oral cancer.

Scalp hair and blood cadmium levels in association with chewing gutkha, mainpuri, and snuff, among patients with oral cancer in Pakistan.

BACKGROUND: It has been reported that smokeless tobacco (SLT) chewing can lead to caners of oral cavity. In this study, the relationship between cadmium exposure via consumption of different SLT products by patients with oral cancer with related to referents belongs to different cities of Pakistan are investigated. METHODS: The cadmium in different types of SLT products (gutkha, mainpuri and snuff) consumed by studied population and biological samples (scalp hair and blood) of cancerous and healthy subjects were analyzed. Both referents and patients with cancer have same age group (ranged 30-60 years), socioeconomic status, localities, and dietary habits. The concentrations of cadmium in SLT products and biological samples were measured by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrophotometer after microwave-assisted acid digestion. The validity and accuracy of the methodology were checked by certified reference materials. RESULTS: It was estimated that 10 g intake of different types of gutkha, mainpuri, and snuff could contribute, 18-40%, 15.7-33.6%, and 14-68% of the provisional maximum tolerable daily intake of cadmium, respectively for adults (60 kg). The results of present study showed that the mean value of cadmium was significantly higher in scalp hair and blood samples of patients with oral cancer as compared to those results obtained for referents (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The high exposure of cadmium due to consuming different SLT products may have synergistic effects with other risk factors associated for oral cancer.

Correlation of aluminum and manganese concentration in scalp hair samples of patients having neurological disorders.

Neurodegenerative diseases are thought to be multifactorial, while metals (aluminum and manganese) can be involved as cofactors in abnormalities or suspected of being risk factors for this disorder. The aim of our study was to assess the aluminum (Al) and manganese (Mn) concentrations in scalp hair samples of 397 patients having different types of neurological disorder diseases. For comparative purpose, scalp hair samples of 201 control subjects does not have any neuro-disorders of same age group (30-60 years) and were selected as referents. The Al and Mn in scalp hair samples were assessed by the electrothermal atomic absorption spectrophotometry after microwave-assisted acid digestion. The validity of methodology was checked by the certified human hair reference material (NCS ZC81002). The results of this study showed that the mean values of Al and Mn were significantly higher in scalp hair samples of all types of neurological disorder patients as compared to controls (p = 0.01-0.001). The high levels of Al and Mn may play a role in the development of neurological disorders. However, further work is suggested to examine the precise correlation between trace elemental level and the degree of disorders in neurological patients.

Assessment of selenium and mercury in biological samples of normal and night blindness children of age groups (3-7) and (8-12) years.

The causes of night blindness in children are multifactorial and particular consideration has been given to childhood nutritional deficiency, which is the most common problem found in underdeveloped countries. Such deficiency can result in physiological and pathological processes that in turn influence biological sample composition. This study was designed to compare the levels of selenium (Se) and mercury (Hg) in scalp hair, blood, and urine of night blindness children age ranged (3-7) and (8-12) years of both genders, comparing them to sex- and age-matched controls. A microwave-assisted wet acid digestion procedure was developed as a sample pretreatment for the determination of Se and Hg in biological samples of night blindness children. The proposed method was validated by using conventional wet digestion and certified reference samples of hair, blood, and urine. The Se and Hg in biological samples were measured by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry and cold vapor atomic absorption spectrometry, prior to microwave acid digestion, respectively. The concentration of Se was decreased in scalp hair and blood samples of male and female night blindness children while Hg was higher in all biological samples as compared to referent subjects. The Se concentration was inversely associated with the risk of night blindness in both genders. These results add to an increasing body of evidence that Se is a protecting element for night blindness. These data present guidance to clinicians and other professional investigating deficiency of essential micronutrients in biological samples (scalp hair and blood) of night blindness children.

Adverse impact of occupational exposure on Laborers of cement industry have scalp psoriasis and Pityriasis amiantacea with deficiency of zinc and selenium: impact of mineral supplement.

The relationship between occupational exposure and different skin diseases including scalp psoriasis and Pityriasis amiantacea has been studied. The information about imbalance of essential trace elements in psoriatic patients is still scarce. In the present follow-up study, the scalp hair and blood samples of patients (labors of cement factory) have different skin disorders (plaque's psoriasis and Pityriasis amiantacea) and were analyzed for zinc (Zn) and selenium (Se) before and after treatment with mineral supplements. For comparative purposes, both biological samples of referents who do not have any skin disease (office workers and labors of cement industry) were also analyzed for Zn and Se using an atomic absorption spectrometer. The result indicates a significant decrease in the concentrations of Se and Zn in both biological samples of patients with scalp psoriasis and P. amiantacea as compared with referents/controls, whereas the referent labor has not any skin disease with 15-25% lower values of both essential trace elements as compared to office worker, possibly due to poor diet.

Evaluate the effect of cadmium on levels of zinc in scalp hair and blood samples of smoker and nonsmoker psoriatic patients at different stage.

Psoriasis, a skin inflammatory disease, originates from dysregulated interactions of the immune system and environmental factors. In the present study, cadmium (Cd) and zinc (Zn) were analyzed in biological samples (blood and scalp hair) of smoker and nonsmoker males who have mild and severe psoriasis. The patients were evaluated according to criteria based on the standard clinical diagnosis and classified into mild and severe psoriasis groups using the Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI) score. Both elements were determined by atomic absorption spectrometry after matrix oxidation. In smoker psoriatic patients, the level of Cd in biological samples was significantly increased. The Zn was significantly decreased in smoker mild and severe psoriatic patients as related to nonsmokers' referents and patients. The resulted data indicated that the levels of Zn in smoker referents were about 5.0% lower than nonsmoker's referents. While the concentrations of Zn in blood samples of nonsmoker's mild and severe psoriatic patients have 17.8 to 33.3% lower than nonsmoker's referents. The results indicate that the level of Cd in blood samples of referent smokers has ≥ 25% than nonsmokers, whereas the psoriatic patients at different stages have two- to threefold higher Cd in both biological samples.

Toxic Risk Assessment of Arsenic in Males Through Drinking Water in Tharparkar Region of Sindh, Pakistan.

Humans are exposed to arsenic (As) through air, drinking water, and food. The arsenic (As) hazardous quotient was calculated on the basis of its concentration in drinking water of different origin and scalp hair of male subjects (n = 313), residents of different exposed and non-exposed areas of Sindh, Pakistan. The total As was determined in water and scalp hair samples, while As species were determined in water samples by advance extraction methodologies. The total As concentrations in drinking water of less-exposed (LE) and high-exposed (HE) areas was found to be 2.63 to 4.46 and 52 to 235, fold higher than the permissible limit, respectively, than recommended by World Health Organization (2004) for drinking water. While the levels of As in drinking water of non-exposed (NE) areas was within the permissible limit. The resulted data indicated that the dominant species was As(+5) in groundwater samples. The levels of As in scalp hair samples of male subjects of two age groups (18-30 and 31-50 years), belonging to NE, LE, and HE areas, ranged from 0.26 to 0.69, 0.58 to 1.34, and 15.6 to 60.9 µg/g, respectively. A significant correlation between As levels in drinking water and scalp hair was observed in HE area (r = 0.86-0.90, p < 0.001) as compared to those subjects belonging to LE area. A toxicity risk assessment was calculated as hazard quotient (HQ), which indicates that the study subjects of HE area have significantly higher values of HQ than LE. The population of As exposed areas is at high risk of non-carcinogenic and carcinogenesis effects.

Exposure of children to arsenic in drinking water in the Tharparkar region of Sindh, Pakistan.

Humans can be exposed to arsenic (As) through air, drinking water, and food. The aim of this study was to calculate the hazard quotient (HQ) of As, based on its concentration in drinking water and the scalp hair of children (males) belonging to two age groups (5-10 and 11-14 years) who consumed water contaminated with different concentrations of As. The water samples were collected from As-exposed and nonexposed areas, which were classified as low-exposed (LE), high-exposed (HE), and nonexposed (NE) areas. The total concentration of inorganic As (iAs) and its species (As(III) and As(V)) in water samples of all selected areas was determined by advanced extraction methods. For purposes of comparison, the total As level was also determined in all water samples. The resulting data indicated that the predominant inorganic As species in groundwater samples was arsenate (As(V)). The As concentrations in drinking water of LE and HE areas were found to be 2.6-230-fold higher than the permissible limit for drinking water established by the World Health Organization (2004). However, the As levels in drinking water of the NE area was within the permissible limit (<10 µg/L). The As levels in the scalp hair samples from boys of NE, LE, and HE areas ranged from 0.16 to 0.36, 0.36 to 0.83, and 11.5 to 31.9 mg/kg, respectively. A significant, positive correlation was observed between the As levels in drinking water and scalp hair samples of children from the HE area, compared with the other two groups (p>0.01). The As toxicity risk assessment based on HQ for the NE, LE, and HE areas corresponded to <10, ≥ 10, and >10, respectively. These HQ values indicated the noncarcinogenic, less carcinogenic, and highly carcinogenic exposure risks faced by children from the NE, LE, and HE areas, respectively. It can be concluded that children consuming the groundwater of the LE (Khairpur Mir's) and HE (Tharparkar) areas of Pakistan are at a potential risk of chronic As toxicity.

Correlation of Arsenic Levels in Smokeless Tobacco Products and Biological Samples of Oral Cancer Patients and Control Consumers.

It has been extensively reported that chewing of smokeless tobacco (SLT) can lead to cancers of oral cavity. In present study, the relationship between arsenic (As) exposure via chewing/inhaling different SLT products in oral cancer patients have or/not consumed SLT products was studied. The As in different types of SLT products (gutkha, mainpuri, and snuff) and biological (scalp hair and blood) samples of different types of oral cancer patients and controls were analyzed. Both controls and oral cancer patients have same age group (ranged 30-60 years), socio-economic status, localities, and dietary habits. The concentrations of As in SLT products and biological samples were measured by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrophotometer after microwave-assisted acid digestion. The validity and accuracy of the methodology were checked by certified reference materials. The resulted data of present study indicates that the concentration of As was significantly higher in scalp hair and blood samples of oral cancer patients than those of controls (p<0.001). It was also observed that the values of As were two- to threefolds higher in biological samples of controls subjects, consuming SLT products as compared to those have none of these habits (p>0.01). The intake of As via consuming different SLT may have synergistic effects, in addition to other risk factors associated with oral cancer.

Variation in the Levels of Aluminum and Manganese in Scalp Hair Samples of the Patients Having Different Psychiatric Disorders with Related to Healthy Subjects.

There is very limited information available on the role of trace elements in psychiatric disorders (PSD). Immense pieces of evidence support the idea that exposure to trace and toxic metals, such as aluminum (Al) and manganese (Mn), may be factors or cofactors in the etiopathogenesis of a variety of psychiatric disorders. The aim of our study was to assess the Al and Mn in scalp hair samples of 102 patients having different types of psychiatric disorder PSD diseases together with 120 referent subjects of male patients in the age group of 45-60 years. The understudy elements in scalp hair samples were assessed by the flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry after microwave-assisted acid digestion method .The validity of methodology was checked by the certified human hair reference material (NCS ZC81002). The recovery of studied elements was found in the range of 98.1-99.2 % of certified reference material. The results of this study showed that the mean values of Al and Mn were significantly higher in scalp hair samples of all types of PSD as compared to referents subjects. The resulted data indicated a significant increase in the contents of Mn and Al in scalp hair samples of psychiatric patients than that of its control counterpart, which may provide prognostic tool for the diagnosis of the mental disorders. However, further work is suggested to examine the exact correlation between trace elements level and the degree of disorder.

Determination of nickel in blood and serum samples of oropharyngeal cancer patients consumed smokeless tobacco products by cloud point extraction coupled with flame atomic absorption spectrometry.

Oropharyngeal cancer is a significant public health issue in the world. The incidence of oropharyngeal cancer has been increased among people who have habit of chewing smokeless tobacco (SLT) in Pakistan. The aim of present study was to evaluate the concentration of nickel (Ni) in biological samples (whole blood, serum) of oral (n = 95) and pharyngeal (n = 84) male cancer patients. For comparison purposes, the biological samples of healthy age-matched referents (n = 150), who consumed and did not consumed SLT products, were also analyzed for Ni levels. As the Ni level is very low in biological samples, a preconcentration procedure has been developed, prior to analysis of analyte by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS). The Ni in acid-digested biological samples was complexed with ammonium pyrrolidinedithio carbamate (APDC), and a resulted complex was extracted in a surfactant Triton X-114. Acidic ethanol was added to the surfactant-rich phase prior to its analysis by FAAS. The chemical variables, such as pH, amounts of reagents (APDC, Triton X-114), temperature, incubation time, and sample volume were optimized. The resulted data indicated that concentration of Ni was higher in blood and serum samples of cancer patients as compared to that of referents who have or have not consumed different SLT products (p = 0.012-0.001). It was also observed that healthy referents who consumed SLT products have two to threefold higher levels of Ni in both biological samples as compared to those who were not chewing SLT products (p < 0.01).

Interaction between selenium and mercury in biological samples of Pakistani myocardial infarction patients at different stages as related to controls.

It has been speculated that trace elements may a play role in the pathogenesis of heart diseases. In the present study, we aimed to assess the levels of selenium (Se) and mercury (Hg) in biological samples (whole blood, urine, and scalp hair) of myocardial infarction (MI) patients of both genders (age range 45-60 years) at the first, second, and third heart attack (n = 130), hospitalized in a cardiac ward of a civil hospital of Hyderabad City (Pakistan). For comparison, healthy age-matched referent subjects (n = 61) of both genders were also selected. Se and Hg in biological samples were measured by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry and cold vapor atomic absorption spectrometry, prior to microwave acid digestion, respectively. The validity of the methodology was checked by biological certified reference materials. During this study, 78 % of the 32 registered patients of third MI attack (aged >50 years) died. The concentration of Se was decreased in scalp hair and blood samples of MI patients, while Hg was higher in all biological samples as compared to referent subjects. Se concentration was inversely associated with the risk of MI attacks in both genders. These results add to an increasing body of evidence that Se is a protective element for cardiovascular health.

Interaction between essential elements selenium and zinc with cadmium and mercury in samples from hypertensive patients.

The abnormal metabolism of metal ions plays an important role in health and disease conditions; hence, the studies about them have received much interest. The objective of this study was to evaluate the association between trace and toxic elements zinc (Zn), cadmium (Cd), selenium (Se), and mercury (Hg) in biological samples (scalp hair, blood, and urine) of hypertensive patients (n = 257), residents of Hyderabad, Pakistan. For comparison purpose, the biological samples of age-matched healthy controls were selected as referents. The concentrations of trace and toxic elements were measured by atomic absorption spectrophotometer prior to microwave-assisted acid digestion. The validity and accuracy of the methodology was checked using certified reference materials and by the conventional wet acid digestion method. The recovery of all studied elements was found in the range of 96.4-99.1 % in certified reference materials. The results of this study showed that the mean values of Cd and Hg were significantly higher in scalp hair, blood, and urine samples of hypertensive patients than in referents (P < 0.001), whilst the concentrations of Zn and Se were lower in the scalp hair and blood, but higher in the urine samples of hypertensive patients. The deficiency of Zn and Se and the high exposure of toxic metals may be synergistic with risk factors associated with hypertension.

Levels of arsenic, cadmium, lead, manganese and zinc in biological samples of paralysed steel mill workers with related to controls.

The determination of essential trace and toxic elements in the biological samples of human beings is an important clinical screening procedure. This study aimed to assess the possible effects of environmental exposure on paralysed male workers (n = 75) belonging to the production and quality control departments of a steel mill. In this investigation, the concentrations of arsenic, cadmium, lead, manganese and zinc were determined in biological samples (blood, urine and scalp hair samples) of exposed paralysis and non-paralysed steel mill workers. For comparative purposes, unexposed healthy subjects of same age group were selected as referents. The elements in the biological samples were measured by atomic absorption spectrophotometry prior to microwave-assisted acid digestion. The validity of the methodology was checked by the biological certified reference materials. The results indicate that the level understudy elements in all three biological samples were significantly higher in paralysed workers of both groups (quality control and production) as compared to referents (p < 0.01). The possible connection of these elements with the aetiology of disease is discussed. The results also show the need for immediate improvements of workplace ventilation and industrial hygiene practices.