The role of selenium in iodine metabolism in children with goiter.

Possible interactions between selenium and iodine metabolism were investigated in 7- to 16-year-old children with goiter (n = 136) living in southeastern Poland in iodine-deficient areas influenced by a sulfur industry. The Se-iodine interactions in these children were compared to the interactions in children from outside of that region (n = 38). Blood selenium (BSe) concentration and plasma glutathione peroxidase activity were much lower in the study group (64.1 +/- 15.7 microg/L; 111.0 +/- 27.6 U/L) than in the control group (85.3 +/- 19.6 microg/L; 182.4 +/- 35.6 U/L). Almost all of the data [plasma thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) concentration, plasma free thyroxine (fT(4)) concentration] fell within the reference limits. There was no statistically significant difference between the control and the study groups with respect to fT(4) and TSH. However, statistically significant differences of fT(4) and TSH in the study group were revealed between females belonging to the lower (n = 21; fT(4), 16.1 +/- 3.3 pmol/L; TSH, 1.83 +/- 1.05 mU/L) and upper Se quartiles (n = 24; fT(4), 14.5 +/- 2.2 pmol/L; TSH, 1. 26 +/- 0.90 mU/L), p < 0.05. Neither group differed in iodine in urine concentration, age, and body mass index. The difference in fT(4) concentrations can be attributed to an Se deficiency. The relationship exists only for females, which suggests a sex-linked hormonal response to concomitant Se and iodine deficiencies.

Comparative contents of dietary fiber, total phenolics, and minerals in persimmons and apples.

Dietary fibers, major phenolics, main minerals, and trace elements in persimmons and apples were analyzed and compared in order to choose a preferable fruit for an antiatherosclerotic diet. Fluorometry and atomic absorption spectrometry following microwave digestion were optimized for the determination of major phenolics and minerals. Total, soluble, and insoluble dietary fibers, total phenols, epicatechin, gallic and p-coumaric acids, and concentrations of Na, K, Mg, Ca, Fe, and Mn in whole persimmons, their pulps, and peels were significantly higher than in whole apples, pulps, and peels (P < 0.01-0.0025). Conversely, the contents of Cu and Zn were higher in apples than in persimmons. In persimmons and apples all of the above components were higher in their peels than in whole fruits and pulps. The relatively high contents of dietary fibers, total and major phenolics, main minerals, and trace elements make persimmon preferable for an antiatherosclerotic diet.

Evaluation of zinc content in children's hair.

The zinc content in the hair of 654 children living in various rural and industrial areas in southern Poland was assayed by means of the atomic absorption spectrometry, following the dry digestion procedure. The hair of girls exhibited statistically significant higher level of Zn than the boys' hair, although in the site of extremal Zn contamination, the inverse relation was found.

Lead and cadmium in the hair and blood of children from a highly industrial area in Poland.

The study covered the children living in Miasteczko Slaskie, near the largest Zn plant in Poland. This is one of the areas highly contaminated with heavy metals. The subjects were 158 children aged from 8 to 15 (98 boys and 60 girls). The average Pb and Cd levels in the hair of the entire children population was 8.21 +/- 5.59 microg/g, and 0.91 +/- 0.61 microg/g, and the average Pb and Cd levels in their blood were 14.32 +/- 3.98 and 0.52 +/- 0.24 microg/dL(-1), respectively. The children population under investigation was divided according to their sex. The hair of the girls contained, on the average, 5.06 +/- 2.81 microg/g of Pb and 0.74 +/- 0.48 microg/g of Cd and the hair of the boys 10.14 +/- 6.0 microg/g of Pb and 1.01 +/- 0.65 microg/g of Cd. The blood of the girls contained, on the average, 13.23 +/- 4.23 microg/dL of Pb and 0.48 +/- 0.21 microg/dL of Cd, and the blood of the boys 14.99 +/- 3.68 microg/dL of Pb and 0.55 +/- 0.24 microg/dL of Cd. Thus, both the hair and blood of the boys accumulated more Pb and Cd than those of the girls. A correlation between the concentrations of these metals was confirmed.

The influence of lead and cadmium environmental pollution on anthropometric health factors in children.

THE AIM: The aim of the study was to examine the relationship between environment pollution (lead and cadmium) and selected anthropological factors. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study group comprised 267 children, aged 11 +/- 0.4. Blood sampling and anthropological measurements were carried out in Kraków (polluted area) and in the Krosno region (low polluted area) in 1995. The lead and cadmium concentrations in the whole blood were determined using atomic absorption spectrometry with a graphite furnace and automatic dosage. The anthropometric measurements were made at the same time as the blood collection. RESULTS: The blood lead content in boys and girls was: 5.89 +/- 2.54, 5.01 +/- 1.62 micrograms/dl respectively, and the cadmium blood content was: 0.65 +/- 0.30, 0.68 +/- 0.47 microgram/l. Body mass and height did not correlate with lead and cadmium concentrations in the children's blood. Smaller head circumferences, independently of gender, were associated with a higher cadmium level. The values of four skin-folds (on the arm: biceps, triceps, under scapular bone and above iliac crest), as well as the percentage of fat content in the organism (PFDWB) calculated by the Slaughter-Lohman equation was higher in girls than in boys. CONCLUSIONS: 1. The relationships between cadmium and lead blood levels in children on the one hand and the degree of environmental pollution with these metals, and the gender of the children on the other were observed. The boys accumulated more lead, whereas the girls absorbed more cadmium. 2. Anthropometric analysis did not show a significant influence exerted by the polluted environment on the basic auxological parameters. In the group of children examined, the only differences observed were related to gender, head circumferences and indicators of obesity.

Prenatal lead exposure and the pregnancy outcome. A case-control study in southern Poland.

In an attempt to test null hypothesis (Ho): that prenatal lead exposure does not increase the risk of prematurity and the delivery of SGA infants, a case-control study was performed in four hospitals of Southern Poland (Kraków, Rabka, Limanowa, Zakopane). Lead content was determined in maternal and cord blood as well as in head and pubic hair by the GF AAS (Perkin Elmer). A significant interregional variation of lead content in maternal blood was observed. Lead concentration in maternal and cord blood was significantly higher in the group of mothers of SGA newborns when compared to the controls. This was not the case with respect to the mothers of preterm infants. Also, the comparison of lead concentration in head and pubic hair revealed no statistically significant case-control differences. For a combined population of cases and controls, a significant gradient of lead concentration between maternal and cord blood was demonstrated. The correlation between lead content in different body compartments was observed. Conclusions. Different blood lead levels observed in mothers from four hospitals suggest different exposure. Higher lead concentration in maternal blood was associated with an increased risk of the delivery of SGA infant.

[Study of the degree of discrepancies between analytical and theoretical results of the evaluation of daily food rations]. / Badanie wielkosci odchylen wyników analitycznych od teoretycznych przy ocenie wartosci calodziennych racji pokarmowych.

Thirty-six daily food rations given as the basic diet to children in two paediatric hospitals in the City of Cracow were analysed. Using laboratory methods in these meals the contents were analysed of protein, fat and carbohydrates and the energy value was determined. Parallelly the theoretical values++ of these parameters were calculated using "Tables of Composition and Nutritional Value of Food Products". For the assessment of the differences between analytical and theoretical values the following were used: 1) deviations of the values obtained in analysis from the theoretical ones accepted as 100%, 2) indices of differences. The general characteristics of the results was determined by the arithmetical++ mean, standard deviation, variance coefficient and 95% confidence limits. The results shown in the study demonstrate that the lowest mean deviation from the theoretical values was found in the case of protein (1.1%) and energy value (12.5%) with the largest one for carbohydrates (38.9%).

[The content of selected trace elements and heavy metals in the hair of children from Chorzów]. / Zawartosc wybranych mikroelementów i metali ciezkich we wlosach dzieci z Chorzowa.

Hair zinc, copper, lead and cadmium concentrations were determined by atomic absorption spectrometry in children aged 10-11 years. The studied children, 30 boys and 39 girls, lived in the most polluted district of the town of Chorzów. The mean Zn content in the hair of the children was 173.86 micrograms/g. Girls had significantly higher levels of Zn in their hair than boys (182.32 and 154.11 micrograms/g respectively, p = 0.02). The mean Cu concentration in the hair of the children was 12.57 micrograms/g. For girls, the mean Cu concentration was significantly higher than for boys (13.53 and 11.77 micrograms/g). The mean Pb content in the hair of children was 4.41 micrograms/g. Boys had almost twice the level of Pb in their hair than girls (6.15 and 3.57 micrograms/g respectively, p = 0.002). The mean Cd concentration in hair of children was 0.53 micrograms/g). For boys the mean Cd concentration was not significantly higher than for girls (0.91 and 0.44 micrograms/g).

Predicted intake of trace elements and minerals via household drinking water by 6-year-old children from Kraków (Poland). Part 1: lead (year 2000).

A population of 232 children living in urban, peripheral and rural areas of southern Poland was included in the study. Household drinking water was collected twice a day, early in the morning and in the evening. The lead (Pb) concentration was estimated by a graphite furnace-atomic absorption spectroscopy (GF-AAS) method. The geometric mean of Pb concentration in drinking water in 2000 for evening samples was 0.68, 1.24 and 2.28 microg x l(-1) for urban, peripheral and rural areas, respectively, while for morning samples it was 1.42, 2.16 and 2.97 microg x l(-1). These areas differed significantly (p < 0.05) and odds ratio for peripheral versus urban areas was 1.6. The difference of Pb concentrations in the morning and evening water was significant (p < 0.001). The mean ratio was 1.8 and the median difference 0.8 microg x l(-1). The predicted contribution of drinking water to the Pb intake by 6-year-old children living in urban, peripheral and rural areas was 1.2, 2.0 and 5.6% of the provisional tolerable weekly intake (PTWI) respectively. For the 4.3-11.1% of children, the Pb concentration in water > 10 microg x l(-1) and in these cases the predicted Pb intake with drinking water contributed to PTWI by 22.3-30.0%. The simple test introduced in this study, the analysis of morning and evening water samples, proved that contamination of water in the plumbing is significant and common. The above parameters can be applied to routine quality control of drinking water performed in the households. The in-house water contamination should be considered as a factor in public health protection programmes with special attention to children.

Comparative analysis of zinc status, food products' frequency intake and food habits of 11-year-old healthy children.

Children are particularly vulnerable to zinc (Zn) deficiency during periods of rapid growth and development such as infancy and adolescence. The aim was to find the relationship between food frequency, intake, food habits and zinc status in 11-year-old healthy children from southern Poland. The study group comprised children (n = 157) in the age range 11.0 +/- 0.4 years. The level of Zn in serum, erythrocytes and hair samples was measured using atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The parents of children examined completed a special food frequency questionnaire. The Zn concentration in hair (boys 182.98 +/- 65.63 microg x g(-1), n = 78; girls 203.82 +/- 39.80 microg x g(-1), n = 79; p = 0.0171), erythrocytes (8.60 +/- 2.76 mg x l(-1), n = 50) and blood serum (0.79 +/- 0.15 mg x l(-1)) correlated significantly (p < 0.05) with frequency intake of different products (hair: meat, rolls, fruit juices without additives, brawn, pate, barley, black pudding, fish canned, chips, margarine used for cooking, bacon; erythrocytes: fruits, matured cheese, dishes of meal, white cottage cheese, fruit juices without additives, cakes and cakes with cream, margarine used for bread spread; blood serum: bread, fruits, milk, kefir, yoghurt). The relationship of the Zn amount in food products, food frequency intake and the concentration in different healthy children tissues is influenced by many internal and external factors.

Use of pattern recognition methods in the interpretation of heavy metal (lead and cadmium) in children's scalp hair.

A study has been performed to identify the exposure to toxic metals and possible adverse effects in children from various rural and industrial areas in southern Poland. The population studied consisted of school children of age 7-12. The concentrations of Pb and Cd were determined by atomic absorption spectrometry. The mean Pb and Cd content in the hair of the sampled individuals was found to be 4.85 +/- 5.91 micrograms g-1 and 0.430 +/- 0.569 micrograms g-1, respectively. The hair of boys (particularly those living in the areas of greater industrial contamination) exhibited statistically significant higher levels of Pb and Cd than the hair of girls from the same area. No relationship was revealed between metal content and either anthropometric indices (weight : height ratio or height : age ratio) or educational achievements.

Effect of oxovanadium(IV) complexes on nondiabetic and streptozotocin-diabetic rats.

The effects of vanadium complexes with organic ligands, [VO(phen)2]SO4.3H2O, [VO(bpy)2]SO4.2H2O, and [VOCl2(Hmcp)2H2O], on blood glucose and plasma lipid levels were studied in nondiabetic and streptozotocin-diabetic rats and compared to that of [VO(mal)2] (the reference compound). The present results provide evidence that the compounds examined possess lower toxicity than [VO(mal)2]. One of the compounds examined, viz. [VO(bpy)2]SO4.2H2O, decreases, statistically significantly, the glucose level and a second one, viz. [VOCl2(Hmcp)2H2O], decreases, also significantly, the total cholesterol level.

The influence of some cinnamic acid derivatives on cyclo-oxygenase and lipoxidase activities.

Seven derivatives of cinnamic acid containing hydroxyl group in phenyl ring were found to stimulate cyclo-oxygenase from ram seminal vesicle microsomes and to inhibit lipoxidases from soybean and from horse blood platelets. Certain degree of negative correlation (r=-0,7) was found between the activities of both enzymes.