Associations between metal(loid) exposure with overweight and obesity and abdominal obesity in the general population: A cross-sectional study in China.

Previous studies have revealed links between metal(loid)s and health problems; however, the link between metal(loid)s and obesity remains controversial. We evaluated the cross-sectional association between metal(loid) exposure in whole blood and obesity among the general population. Vanadium (V), chromium (Cr), manganese (Mn), cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), arsenic (As), selenium (Se), molybdenum (Mo), cadmium (Cd), antimony (Sb), thallium (T1), and lead (Pb) were measured in 3029 subjects in Guangdong Province (China) using ICP-MS. The prevalence of overweight and obesity (OWO) and abdominal obesity (AOB) was calculated according to body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC), respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that elevated blood Cu, Cd, and Pb levels were inversely associated with the risk of OWO, and these associations were confirmed by a linear dose-response relationship. Elevated blood Co concentration was associated with a decreased risk of AOB. A quantile g-computation approach showed a significantly negative mixture-effect of 13 metal(loid)s on OWO (OR: 0.96; 95% CI: 0.92, 0.99). Two metals-Ni and Mo-were inversely associated with the risk of OWO but positively associated with AOB. We cross-grouped the two obesity measurement types and found that the extremes of metal content were present in people with AOB only. In conclusion, blood Cu, Mo, Ni, Cd, and Pb were inversely associated with the risk of OWO. The presence of blood Co may be protective, while Ni and Mo exposure might increase the risk of AOB. The association between metal(loid) exposure and obesity warrants further investigation in longitudinal cohort studies.

Association of multi-metals with the risk of hypertension and the interaction with obesity: A cross-sectional study in China.

Background: Environmental exposure to multiple metals have been inconsistently associated with hypertension. Obesity is an important independent risk factor for hypertension, and few studies have assessed the interaction between obesity and metals in this context. We aimed to clarify their association and interaction. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 3,063 adults from 11 districts or counties, Guangdong. We measured the whole blood levels of 13 metals and used multipollutant-based statistical methods to analyze the association of metals with hypertension. The interaction between metals and obesity on hypertension was assessed on additive and multiplicative scales. Results: Four metals (manganese, arsenic, cadmium, and lead) were significantly associated with hypertension risk, five metals (manganese, zinc, arsenic, cadmium, and lead) were related to elevated SBP levels, five metals (manganese, zinc, selenium, cadmium, and lead) were associated with elevated DBP levels in single-metal model. Manganese remained significantly related to hypertension risk [odds ratio, 1.35 (1.02-1.78)] after adjusting for these four metals. Significant positive dose-response relationships between manganese, arsenic, cadmium, lead and hypertension risk were observed (P for overall < 0.001, P for non-linearity > 0.05). Compared with those in the lowest quartile, participants in the highest manganese quartile had a 2.83 mmHg (95% Cl: 0.71-4.96) (P FDR = 0.040) higher level of SBP. Individuals in the highest quartiles of zinc and lead had a 1.45 mmHg (0.10-2.81) (P FDR = 0.033) and 2.06 mmHg (0.59-3.53) (P FDR = 0.020) higher level of DBP, respectively. The negative interactions between cadmium, lead and obesity influences hypertension risk. BKMR analysis showed a significant joint effect of manganese, arsenic, cadmium and lead on hypertension when the concentrations of four metals were at or above their 55th percentile compared to their median values. Conclusions: The combined effect of four metals (manganese, arsenic, cadmium and lead) were associated with the prevalence of hypertension. Potential interaction effects of cadmium, lead and obesity on hypertension risk may exist. Further cohort studies in larger population are needed to clarify these findings.

Joint Effect of Multiple Metals on Hyperuricemia and Their Interaction with Obesity: A Community-Based Cross-Sectional Study in China.

Metal exposures have been inconsistently related to the risk of hyperuricemia, and limited research has investigated the interaction between obesity and metals in hyperuricemia. To explore their associations and interaction effects, 3300 participants were enrolled from 11 districts within 1 province in China, and the blood concentrations of 13 metals were measured to assess internal exposure. Multivariable logistic regression, restricted cubic spline (RCS), Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR), and interaction analysis were applied in the single- and multi-metal models. In single-metal models, five metals (V, Cr, Mn, Co, and Zn) were positively associated with hyperuricemia in males, but V was negatively associated with hyperuricemia in females. Following the multi-metal logistic regression, the multivariate-adjusted odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) of hyperuricemia were 1.7 (1.18, 2.45) for Cr and 1.76 (1.26, 2.46) for Co in males, and 0.68 (0.47, 0.99) for V in females. For V and Co, RCS models revealed wavy and inverted V-shaped negative associations with female hyperuricemia risk. The BKMR models showed a significant joint effect of multiple metals on hyperuricemia when the concentrations of five metals were at or above their 55th percentile compared to their median values, and V, Cr, Mn, and Co were major contributors to the combined effect. A potential interaction between Cr and obesity and Zn and obesity in increasing the risk of hyperuricemia was observed. Our results suggest that higher levels of Cr and Co may increase male hyperuricemia risk, while higher levels of V may decrease female hyperuricemia risk. Therefore, the management of metal exposure in the environment and diet should be improved to prevent hyperuricemia.

Advancement of management information system for discovering fraud in master card based intelligent supervised machine learning and deep learning during SARS-CoV2.

During coronavirus (SARS-CoV2) the number of fraudulent transactions is expanding at a rate of alarming (7,352,421 online transaction records). Additionally, the Master Card (MC) usage is increasing. To avoid massive losses, companies of finance must constantly improve their management information systems for discovering fraud in MC. In this paper, an approach of advancement management information system for discovering of MC fraud was developed using sequential modeling of data depend on intelligent forecasting methods such as deep Learning and intelligent supervised machine learning (ISML). The Long Short-Term Memory Network (LSTM), Logistic Regression (LR), and Random Forest (RF) were used. The dataset is separated into two parts: the training and testing data, with a ratio of 8:2. Also, the advancement of management information system has been evaluated using 10-fold cross validation depend on recall, f1-score, precision, Mean Absolute Error (MAE), Receiver Operating Curve (ROC), and Root Mean Square Error (RMSE). Finally various techniques of resampling used to forecast if a transaction of MC is genuine/fraudulent. Performance for without re-sampling, with under-sampling, and with over-sampling is measured for each Algorithm. Highest performance of without re-sampling was 0.829 for RF algorithm-F score. While for under-sampling, it was 0.871 for LSTM algorithm-RMSE. Further, for over-sampling, it was 0.921 for both RF algorithm-Precision and LSTM algorithm-F score. The results from running advancement of management information system revealed that using resampling technique with deep learning LSTM generated the best results than intelligent supervised machine learning.

A rapid and reliable immunochromatographic strip for detecting paraquat poinsoning in domestic water and real human samples.

Paraquat (PQ) is one of the most commonly used herbicides, but it has polluted the environment and threatened human health through extensive and improper usage. Here, a new naked-eye PQ immunochromatographic strip was developed to recognize PQ in domestic water and real human samples within 10 min based on a novel custom-designed anti-PQ antibody. The PQ test strip could recognize PQ at a concentration as low as 10 ng/ml, reaching the high-efficiency time-of-flight mass spectrometry detection level and identifying trace amounts of PQ in samples treated with a diquat (DQ) and PQ mixture. Notably, both the performance evaluation and clinical trial of the proposed PQ strips were validated in multiple hospitals and public health agencies. Taken together, our study firstly provide the clinical PQ-targeted colloidal gold immunochromatographic test strip designed both for environment water and human sample detection with multiple advantages, which are ready for environmental monitoring and clinical practice.

Cross-Adversarial Learning for Molecular Generation in Drug Design.

Molecular generation is an important but challenging task in drug design, as it requires optimization of chemical compound structures as well as many complex properties. Most of the existing methods use deep learning models to generate molecular representations. However, these methods are faced with the problems of generation validity and semantic information of labels. Considering these challenges, we propose a cross-adversarial learning method for molecular generation, CRAG for short, which integrates both the facticity of VAE-based methods and the diversity of GAN-based methods to further exploit the complex properties of Molecules. To be specific, an adversarially regularized encoder-decoder is used to transform molecules from simplified molecular input linear entry specification (SMILES) into discrete variables. Then, the discrete variables are trained to predict property and generate adversarial samples through projected gradient descent with corresponding labels. Our CRAG is trained using an adversarial pattern. Extensive experiments on two widely used benchmarks have demonstrated the effectiveness of our proposed method on a wide spectrum of metrics. We also utilize a novel metric named Novel/Sample to measure the overall generation effectiveness of models. Therefore, CRAG is promising for AI-based molecular design in various chemical applications.

Serum plasminogen as a potential biomarker for the effects of low-dose benzene exposure.

Exposure to low-dose benzene may lead to hematotoxicity and cause health problems. Though peripheral blood cell count is widely used in benzene exposure assessment and health risk assessment, the reports regarding the effects of low-dose benzene exposure on blood cell count remain inconsistent. To uncover more sensitive biomarkers for low-dose benzene exposure, our previous study screened out three potential serum proteins-plasminogen (PLG), platelet basic protein (PBP) and apolipoprotein B100 (ApoB100)-as biomarkers from chronic benzene poisoning patients by using proteomic analysis. In the present study, we verify the three serum proteins as biomarkers for the effects of low-dose benzene exposure in a large low-dose benzene exposure population. The study showed that serum PLG increased in benzene exposed workers and was positively correlated with benzene exposure levels. However, no significant changes in serum PBP or ApoB100 were found in the benzene exposed workers. To explore whether the candidate serum proteins are associated with hematotoxicity, the study population was regrouped into two groups, based on their WBC counts. Our results showed that the workers with high serum PLG levels suffered higher risk of WBC abnormalities than did workers with low serum PLG levels. Taken together, these findings indicate that the increase in serum PLG might be associated with low-dose benzene exposure and benzene-induced hematotoxicity. Thus, we suggest serum PLG could be used as a potential biomarker for the effects of low-dose benzene exposure.

Pulmonary hypofunction due to calcium carbonate nanomaterial exposure in occupational workers: a cross-sectional study.

Calcium carbonate nanomaterials (nano-CaCO3) are widely used in both manufacturing and consumer products, but their potential health hazards remain unclear. The objective of this study was to survey workplace exposure levels and health effects of workers exposed to nano-CaCO3. Personal and area sampling, as well as real-time and dust monitoring, were performed to characterize mass exposure, particle size distribution, and particle number exposure. A total of 56 workers (28 exposed workers and 28 unexposed controls) were studied in a cross-sectional study. They completed physical examinations, spirometry, and digital radiography. The results showed that the gravimetric nano-CaCO3 concentration was 5.264 ± 6.987 mg/m3 (0.037-22.192 mg/m3) at the workplace, and 3.577 ± 2.065 mg/m3 (2.042-8.161 mg/m3) in the breathing zone of the exposed workers. The particle number concentrations ranged from 8193 to 39 621 particles/cm3 with a size range of 30-150 nm. The process of packing had the highest gravimetric and particle number concentrations. The particle number concentration positively correlated with gravimetric concentrations of nano-CaCO3. The levels of hemoglobin, creatine phosphokinase (CK), lactate dehydrogenase, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) in the nano-CaCO3 exposure group increased significantly, but the white blood cell count (WBC), Complement 3 (C3), total protein (TP), uric acid, and creatinine (CREA) all decreased significantly. The prevalence rate of pulmonary hypofunction was significantly higher (p = 0.037), and the levels of vital capacity (VC), forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), FEV1/FVC, peak expiratory flow and forced expiratory flow 25% (FEF 25%), FEF 25-75% were negatively correlated with gravimetric concentrations of nano-CaCO3 (p < 0.05). Logistic analysis showed that nano-CaCO3 exposure level was associated with pulmonary hypofunction (p = 0.005). Meanwhile, a dose-effect relationship was found between the accumulated gravimetric concentrations of nano-CaCO3 and the prevalence rate of pulmonary hypofunction (p = 0.048). In conclusion, long-term and high-level nano-CaCO3 exposure can induce pulmonary hypofunction in workers. Thus, lung function examination is suggested for occupational populations with nano-CaCO3 exposure. Furthermore, future health protection efforts should focus on senior workers with accumulation effects of nano-CaCO3 exposure.

Comparison of hematological alterations and markers of B-cell activation in workers exposed to benzene, formaldehyde and trichloroethylene.

Benzene, formaldehyde (FA) and trichloroethylene (TCE) are ubiquitous chemicals in workplaces and the general environment. Benzene is an established myeloid leukemogen and probable lymphomagen. FA is classified as a myeloid leukemogen but has not been associated with non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), whereas TCE has been associated with NHL but not myeloid leukemia. Epidemiologic associations between FA and myeloid leukemia, and between benzene, TCE and NHL are, however, still debated. Previously, we showed that these chemicals are associated with hematotoxicity in cross-sectional studies of factory workers in China, which included extensive personal monitoring and biological sample collection. Here, we compare and contrast patterns of hematotoxicity, monosomy 7 in myeloid progenitor cells (MPCs), and B-cell activation biomarkers across these studies to further evaluate possible mechanisms of action and consistency of effects with observed hematologic cancer risks. Workers exposed to benzene or FA, but not TCE, showed declines in cell types derived from MPCs, including granulocytes and platelets. Alterations in lymphoid cell types, including B cells and CD4+ T cells, and B-cell activation markers were apparent in workers exposed to benzene or TCE. Given that alterations in myeloid and lymphoid cell types are associated with hematological malignancies, our data provide biologic insight into the epidemiological evidence linking benzene and FA exposure with myeloid leukemia risk, and TCE and benzene exposure with NHL risk.

Chronic trimethyltin chloride exposure and the development of kidney stones in rats.

We recently reported that occupational exposure to trimethyltin (TMT) is a risk factor for developing kidney stones. To further examine the association between TMT exposure and the formation of kidney stones, we conducted a 180-day animal study and exposed the randomly grouped Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats to TMT in the drinking water at doses of 0, 8.2, 32.8 and 131.3 µg kg(-1) day(-1). Transient behavioral changes were observed in the high-dose group during the first 2 weeks of exposure. TMT exposure led to a significant dose-dependent inhibition of renal H(+)/K(+)-ATPase and an increase in urinary pH. In comparison to no kidney stones being identified in the control and the lowest dose group, 1 rat in the 32.8 µg kg(-1) day(-1) dose group and 3 out of 9 rats in the 131.3 µg kg(-1) day(-1) dose group were found to have stones in the kidney/urinary tract. Pathological analysis showed that more wide spread calcium disposition was observed in kidneys of rats with TMT exposure compared with the rats in the control group. However, X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis found that the kidney stones were mainly composed of struvite with the formula: NH4MgPO4 6H2O, while calcium-containing components were also detected. Together, this study further demonstrates through animal studies that chronic exposure to a relatively low level of TMT induces nephrotoxicity and increases the risk for developing kidney stones.

Modified effect of urinary cadmium on breast cancer risk by selenium.

BACKGROUND: Previous experimental studies have shown an antagonistic interaction between cadmium and selenium. We explored the interaction between cadmium and selenium on human breast cancer risk. METHODS: A case-control study, enrolled 240 incident invasive breast cancer patients and 246 age-matched controls from 2 hospitals, was conducted in Guangzhou, China. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry was used to examine urinary concentrations of cadmium and selenium. Association and interaction of the metal levels with breast cancer risk were tested using generalized additive and logistic regression models. RESULTS: As continuous variables, urinary cadmium [OR (95% CI): 1.16 (1.01-1.34)] but not selenium was significantly linearly associated with breast cancer risk. As tertiles, urinary cadmium did not significantly increase breast cancer risk; whereas women with the second tertile of selenium concentration had a significantly decreased risk of breast cancer as compared with those in the lowest tertile [OR (95% CI): 0.50 (0.30-0.81)]. Among the women with the lowest tertile of selenium, the highest tertile of cadmium significantly increased the risk of breast cancer [OR (95% CI): 2.83 (1.18-6.86)] compared to the lowest tertile of cadmium. A multiplicative interaction was found between tertiles of cadmium and selenium on breast cancer risk (P=0.018), particularly among postmenopausal women. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggested that the association of urinary cadmium with breast cancer risk was modified by urinary selenium.

[Distribution of copper and zinc level in urine of general population in eight provinces of China].

OBJECTIVE: To describe the distribution of zinc (Zn) and copper (Cu) in urine samples of generalpopulation in eight provinces of China, to analyze their characteristics of distribution between different region, gender and age-cohorts, and to provide the baseline of themetabolites in the general population. METHODS: From 2009 to 2010, 18 120 subjects from the general population aged from 6 to 60 years old were recruited from 24 areas among 8 provinces of China mainland by random sampling. The environmental and physical condition characteristics were collected from questionnaires, and urine samples were collected at the mean time. The levels of Zn and Cu in urine were measured using ICP-MS. Data were analyzed by statistical methods to compare the distribution characteristics of Zn and Cu among populations with different ages and genders. RESULTS: Totally, the median of Cu and Zn in urine were 9.28 and 115.47 µg/L respectively; and the inter-quartile range of Cu and Zn were 2.66-16.09 and 35.32-265.15 µg/L respectively. The median of Cu in male and female were 9.90 and 8.60 µg/L (Z=-5.63, P<0.001), and Zn in male and female were 140.44 and 95.27 µg/L (Z=-14.79, P<0.001). The median of Cu among the groups aged 6-12, 13-16, 17-20, 21-30, 31-45 and 46-60 years old were 9.30, 10.14, 9.67, 9.33, 8.38 and 8.74 µg/L (χ2=70.94, P<0.001), respectively, and the median of Zn 130.83, 132.07, 139.34, 109.3, 78.74 and 109.51 µg/L ((χ2=146.00, P<0.001), respectively.There was statistically significant differences in urinary Cu and Zn levels between male and female, and among the different age groups. CONCLUSION: The Cu and Zn levels and distribution in urine among general population between 2009 and 2010 in China were reported in this article. These basic data in China will provide scientific and reliable reference for further scientific research.

[Distribution of manganese, cobalt and molybdenum in blood and urine among general population in 8 provinces of China].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluated the manganese (Mn), cobalt (Co) and molybdenum (Mo) levels in blood and urine among general population in China, and thereby to analyze their prevalent features. METHODS: From 2009 to 2010, a total of 18 120 subjects of general population aged 6-60 years were recruited from 24 districts in 8 provinces in eastern, central and western China mainland, by cluster random sampling method. The information about their living environment and health status were collected by questionnaire, and their blood and urine samples were also collected.Inductive coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) was applied to test the Mn, Co and Mo levels of blood and urine samples, and the Mn, Co, Mo distribution in blood and urine among groups of population in different ages and genders were then analyzed. RESULTS: Among general population in China, the geometric mean (GM) of Mn concentration in blood was 8.98 µg/L. The Mn concentration in blood among males and females were separately 8.14 µg/L and 9.88 µg/L (Z = -18.84, P < 0.01). The GM of Mn concentration in urine was 0.63 µg/L. The Mn concentration in urine among males and females were separately 0.62 µg/L and 0.63 µg/L (Z = -0.67, P > 0.05). The geometric mean (GM) of Co concentration in blood was 0.194 µg/L. The Co concentration in blood among males and females were separately 0.166 µg/L and 0.225 µg/L (Z = -23.04, P < 0.01). The GM of Co concentration in urine was 0.282 µg/L. The Co concentration in urine among males and females were separately 0.260 µg/L and 0.307 µg/L (Z = -7.35, P < 0.01). The GM of Mo concentration in blood was 0.25 µg/L. The Mo concentration in blood among male and female group were separately 0.27 µg/L and 0.23 µg/L (Z = -5.03, P < 0.01). The GM of Mo concentration in urine was 27.7 µg/L. The Mo concentration in urine among males and females were 29.8 µg/L and 25.6 µg/L (Z = -6.31, P < 0.01), respectively. CONCLUSION: The Mn, Co and Mo levels in blood and urine varied by gender and area among general population in China, the study provided basic data evidence for the following Mn, Co and Mo biological monitoring studies in near future.

[Study on the solid sorbent tube for capturing mercury in the workplace air and determination by cold vapor atomic absorption spectrometry].

A new KMnO4-MnO2 solid multisorbent tube for capturing mercury in workplace air was developed. Experimental conditions for solid multisorbent tube, efficiency of sampling, desorption efficiency and stability were studied. Mercury and its compounds in air were captured by solid KMnO4-MnO2 sorbent filled tube and desorbed with 0. 90 mol L-1 sulfuric acid solution. Mercury and its compounds were quantitatively analyzed according to the method of GBZ/T 160. 14-2004 cold vapor atomic absorption spectrometry. The linear range of the proposed method was 0. 000 2-0. 015 0 mg L-1 with r=0. 999 1, the average efficiency of sampling was 99. 9%-100. 0% in the concentration range of 0. 001-2. 820 mg m-3 , and the breakthrough capacity was more than 505.4 microg for 300 mg KMnO4-MnO2 solid multisorbent, the average recovery rate was 96. 4% approximately103. 8%, the intra-day and inter-day precision was 3. 0% approximately 3. 3% and 3. 5% approximately 5. 2% respectively, the limit of detection was 0. 0013 mg m-3 (7. 5 L of air ) and 0. 000 6 mg m-3 (96 L of air), after sampling, and the solid multisorbent tube could be kept at least 30 d at room temperature without significant loss. The present method was simple and suitable for capturing mercury and its compounds in the workplace air and ambient air. The solid multisorbent tube was useful for personal sampling and time weighted average sampling.

[Study of distribution and influencing factors of lead and cadmium in whole blood and urine among population in 8 provinces in China].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the levels of lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) in blood and urine among general population in China, and thereby analyze their prevalent features. METHODS: A total of 18 120 subjects from general population aged 6-60 years were recruited from 24 districts in 8 provinces in eastern, central and western China mainland from 2009 to 2010, by cluster random sampling method. The blood samples and urine samples of these people were collected. The questionnaire survey was used to collect the information of the living environment and health conditions.Inductive coupled plasma mass spectrometry was applied to test the Pb and Cd levels in the samples, and the distribution of Pb and Cd in blood and urine for different ages, genders, areas and life habits were then analyzed. RESULTS: Among the general population in China, the geometric mean (GM) of blood Pb concentration was 34.9 µg/L; the GM of blood Pb in male and female groups were 40.1 and 30.4 µg/L (Z = -28.05, P < 0.05), respectively; the GM from eastern, central and western China were 31.2, 38.8 and 58.9 µg/L (χ(2) = 1 483.33, P < 0.05) , respectively. The GM of urine Pb of the whole population was 1.05 µg/L;while the GM in male and female groups were 1.06 µg/L and 1.05 µg/L (Z = -0.73, P > 0.05) , respectively;the values from eastern, central and western China were 0.76, 2.85 and 3.22 µg/L (χ(2) = 1 982.11, P < 0.05), respectively. The GM of blood Cd concentration among general population was 0.49 µg/L; and the values in male and female group were 0.60 and 0.41 µg/L (Z = -11.79, P < 0.05) , respectively; the GM from eastern, central and western China were 0.45, 0.65 and 0.67 µg/L (χ(2) = 69.87, P < 0.05), respectively; the GM of urine Cd concentration of the whole population was 0.28 µg/L, while the GM in male and female groups were 0.29 and 0.28 µg/L (Z = -3.86, P < 0.05), respectively; the values from eastern, central and western China were 0.29,0.42 and 0.18 µg/L (χ(2) = 402.76, P < 0.05), respectively. the Spearman's rank correlation coefficient for Cd in blood and Cd in urine was 0.22, for Pb in blood and Pb in urine was 0.21. Both the correlations were statistic significant (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The Pb and Cd levels in blood and urine were relatively higher among general population in China varying by gender and area. There were positive correlations between Pb and Cd levels in blood and those in urine.

[Study of distribution and influencing factors of arsenic in whole blood and urine among population in 8 provinces in China].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluated the levels of arsenic (As) in blood and urine among general population in China and analyze its influencing factors. METHODS: A total of 18 120 subjects from general population aged 6-60 years were recruited from 24 districts in 8 provinces in eastern, central and western China mainland from 2009 to 2010, by cluster random sampling method. Blood samples and urine samples were collected, the information of the life-style was collected by questionnaire.Inductive coupled plasma mass spectrometry was applied to test the As level in the samples, and the distribution of As in blood and urine for different ages, genders, areas and life habits were then analyzed. RESULTS: The geometric mean (GM) of blood As concentration among general population was 2.33 µg/L;the GM of blood As in male (2.35 µg/L) was higher than and female (2.30 µg/L) (Z = -1.42, P < 0.05); from eastern, central to western China, the blood As level were 2.94, 1.30 and 0.98 µg/L (χ(2) = 643.22, P < 0.05) , respectively; the GM in smokers (2.84 µg/L) was higher than non-smokers (2.27) (Z = -6.28, P < 0.05) ;the seafood consumer had a higher blood As level (2.59 µg/L) than people not consuming seafood (1.47 µg/L) (Z = -23.68, P < 0.05). The urine As level of the whole population was 13.72 µg/L;while its GM in male (14.10 µg/L) was higher than female (13.33 µg/L) (Z = -3.94, P < 0.05); the values from eastern, central to western China were 14.14, 16.02 and 9.57 µg/L (χ(2) = 353.89, P < 0.05), respectively;the level in smokers (16.06 µg/L) was higher than nonsmokers (13.70 µg/L) (Z = -2.63, P < 0.05); the level in seafood consumers (14.82 µg/L) was higher than people not consuming seafood (10.99 µg/L) (Z = -3.20, P < 0.05). The blood As level had a positive correlation with urine As level (correlation coefficient:0.285, P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The As level in blood and urine varied by gender and area among general population in China, and related to life-styles. There was a positive correlation between As level in blood and that in urine.

[Distribution of copper and zinc in blood among general population from 8 provinces in China].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the level of zinc (Zn) and copper (Cu) in whole blood among general population from 8 provinces in China, and to analyze the characteristics of distribution among different regions. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was performed in 8 provinces from eastern, middle and western China between 2009 and 2010, including 13 110 subjects from 24 regions, and the blood and urine samples were collected. The ICP-MS was applied to test the content of ICP-MS in blood samples, and the results were used to analyze the characteristics of contents and distributions of Zn and Cu among population from different ages, genders and regions groups. RESULTS: Totally, the mean (95%CI) contents of Cu and Zn in blood were 795 (791-799)µg/L and 3 996(3 976-4 015) µg/L, respectively. The characteristics of distribution of Cu content were as followed, the content of males were lower than it of females (male:767 µg/L; female: 822 µg/L, t = -13.302, P < 0.01). The contents of blood Cu in groups of people aging 6-12, 13-16, 17-20, 21-30, 31-45 and 46-60 years old were separately 860(853-868), 758(748-769), 734(728-734), 782(774-790), 811(795-827) and 820(815-826) µg/L. The differences showed statistical significance (F = 78.77, P < 0.01). The blood Cu content of people in eastern China (800µg/L) were also significantly higher than it in middle (774 µg/L)and western China (782 µg/L) (F = 10.94, P < 0.01). Distribution of blood Zn content showed characteristics as follows: the Zn content was higher in males than in females (male 4 085 µg/L and female 3 908 µg/L, t = 8.78, P < 0.01). The contents of blood Zn in groups of people aging 6-12, 13-16, 17-20, 21-30, 31-45 and 46-60 years old were separately 3 306 (3 261-3 350), 3 888 (3 839-3 937), 3 948 (3 902-3 994), 4 272(4 228-4 315), 4 231(4 180-4 281) and 4 250 (4 205-4 294)µg/L, which showed significant statistical differences (F = 233.68, P < 0.01). The blood Zn content of people in eastern China (3 938 µg/L) were significantly lower than it in middle (4 237 µg/L)and western China (4 105 µg/L) (F = 53.16, P < 0.01). In addition, the study also compared the relation between content of Cu and Zn and the frequency of eating seafood. The results found that the frequency of eating seafood could influence the content of Cu and Zn (Cu: F = 13.54, P < 0.01; Zn: F = 200.20, P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: The contents and distributions of Cu and Zn in blood differs among people from different groups in ages, genders and regions. The baseline data of this study provided reliable scientific evidence for further research.

[Association between urinary cadmium and clinicopathological characteristics of breast cancer].

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the association between urinary cadmium and clinicopathological characteristics of breast cancer. METHODS: The clinicopathological characteristics of 240 patients with breast cancer were obtained and urine specimens were collected from October 2009 to July 2010. The concentration of urinary cadmium was determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). χ(2) test and Wilcoxon rank sum test were used to analyze whether urinary cadmium is associated with clinicopathological characteristics of breast cancer. RESULTS: The median concentration of urine cadmium of 240 patients was 1.99 µg/g (25th percentile, 1.32 µg/g; 75th percentile, 2.88 µg/g). HER-2 positive rate, regional/distant metastasis rate, and advanced stage rate in patients with the highest tertile of cadmium concentration were significantly higher than those in the patients with second and lowest Cd tertiles (P = 0.042, P = 0.028 and P = 0.017, respectively), and 28.2% vs. 16.5% for HER-2 and 47.2% vs. 32.0% for regional/distant metastasis, respectively. There were still significant associations between urinary cadmium levels and these clinicopathological parameters after being adjusted in age by unconditional logistic regression model, respectively (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study suggest that urinary cadmium levels are associated with the HER-2 status, regional/distant metastasis status and stages of breast cancer, respectively. Cadmium may induce highly aggressive breast cancer in humans.