-
Radiology Case Reports Feb 2023Artisanal and small-scale gold mining uses mercury to isolate gold from ore. Although uncommon in the United States, it is more common in poor and undeveloped countries....
Artisanal and small-scale gold mining uses mercury to isolate gold from ore. Although uncommon in the United States, it is more common in poor and undeveloped countries. This practice requires heating mercury, which vaporizes into an odorless gas that can be inspired and absorbed into the blood. Inspired mercury vapors place individuals at risk of acute mercury toxicity and its subsequent chronic sequelae. We report a case of incidentally detected mercury foreign bodies in a 56-year-old male with a prior history of accidental mercury poisoning due to prior contact with artisanal gold mining equipment.
PubMed: 36465164
DOI: 10.1016/j.radcr.2022.10.099 -
Biomedical Journal Apr 2020Despite the hard times COVID-19 has imposed on us, the Biomedical Journal strives to provide fresh and compelling reading material - to be enjoyed safely from home. In... (Review)
Review
Despite the hard times COVID-19 has imposed on us, the Biomedical Journal strives to provide fresh and compelling reading material - to be enjoyed safely from home. In this issue, we glance behind the scenes of dental stem cell preservation for potential therapeutic use, and discover that cancer cells hijack podoplanin expression to induce thrombosis. Moreover, we learn how the helicase DDX17 promotes tumour stemness, how genetic defects in meiosis and DNA repair cause premature ovarian insufficiency, and that the brain-derived neurotrophic factor is associated with several psychiatric diseases. Further accounts relate the role of miR-95-3p in colorectal cancer, the protective power of eggplants against mercury poisoning, and the predictive value of inhibin A for premature delivery. Finally, the very rare case of adenoid cystic carcinoma in the external auditory canal receives some attention, and we get to read up on how 3D imaging and modelling combines functional and aesthetic repair of cleft lip and palate cases.
Topics: Betacoronavirus; COVID-19; Cell Differentiation; Coronavirus Infections; Humans; MicroRNAs; Pandemics; Pneumonia, Viral; SARS-CoV-2; Stem Cells; Tooth
PubMed: 32333995
DOI: 10.1016/j.bj.2020.04.001 -
Scientific Reports Oct 2021Nowadays, there is a growing concern about contamination of toxic metals (TM) in pet food due to the great potential for health risks of these elements. TM...
Nowadays, there is a growing concern about contamination of toxic metals (TM) in pet food due to the great potential for health risks of these elements. TM concentrations in commercial pet foods (n = 100) as well as in ingredients used in their composition (n = 100) were analyzed and compared to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) maximum tolerable level (MTL), and the TM concentrations found in the different sources of carbohydrate, protein, and fat were compared. The TM concentrations were determined by inductively coupled plasma with optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). Concentrations above the MTL for aluminum, mercury, lead, uranium, and vanadium were observed in both dog and cat foods, and the percentage of dog foods that exceeded the MTL of these TM were: 31.9%; 100%; 80.55%; 95.83%; and 75%, respectively, and in cat foods: 10.71%; 100%; 32.14%; 85.71%; 28.57%, respectively. The MTL values of these TMs and the mean values in dog foods (mg/kg dry matter basis) (MTL [mean ± standard deviation]) were: aluminum: 200 (269.17 ± 393.74); mercury: 0.27 (2.51 ± 1.31); lead: 10 (12.55 ± 4.30); uranium: 10 (76.82 ± 28.09); vanadium: 1 (1.35 ± 0.69), while in cat foods were: aluminum: 200 (135.51 ± 143.95); mercury: 0.27 (3.47 ± 4.31); lead: 10 (9.13 ± 5.42); uranium: 10 (49.83 ± 29.18); vanadium: 1 (0.81 ± 0.77). Dry foods presented higher concentrations of most TM (P < 0.05) than wet foods (P < 0.05). Among the carbohydrate sources, there were the highest levels of all TM except cobalt, mercury, and nickel in wheat bran (P < 0.05), while among the protein sources, in general, animal by-products had higher TM concentrations than plant-based ingredients. Pork fat had higher concentrations of arsenic, mercury, and antimony than fish oil and poultry fat. It was concluded that the pet foods evaluated in this study presented high concentrations of the following TM: aluminum, mercury, lead, uranium, and vanadium.
Topics: Animal Feed; Animals; Cats; Dogs; Food Analysis; Food Ingredients; Heavy Metal Poisoning; Metals, Heavy
PubMed: 34697366
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-00467-4 -
Environmental Science and Pollution... May 2022The relationship between toxic metals in the environment and clinical stroke risk remains unclear, although their role as immunotoxicants and carcinogens has been well... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
The relationship between toxic metals in the environment and clinical stroke risk remains unclear, although their role as immunotoxicants and carcinogens has been well established. We conducted a systematic review of the relationship between five metals (arsenic, mercury, copper, cadmium, and lead) and stroke. First, we comprehensively searched 3 databases (Pubmed, EMBASE, and Cochrane) from inception until June 2021. Random-effects meta-analyses, pooled relative risks (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were applied to evaluate the effect value. We finally identified 38 studies involving 642,014 non-overlapping participants. Comparing the highest vs. lowest baseline levels, chronic exposure to lead (RR = 1.07; 95%CI,1.00-1.14), cadmium (RR = 1.30; 95%CI,1.13-1.48), and copper (RR = 1.19; 95%CI,1.04-1.36) were significantly associated with stroke risks. However, the other two metals (arsenic and mercury) had less effect on stroke risk. Further analysis indicated that the association was likely in a metal dose-dependent manner. The results may further support the possibility that environmental toxic metal contaminants in recent years are associated with the increased risk of stroke.
Topics: Arsenic; Cadmium; Copper; Heavy Metal Poisoning; Humans; Lead; Mercury; Stroke
PubMed: 35190994
DOI: 10.1007/s11356-022-18866-z -
Frontiers in Pharmacology 2022Realgar- and cinnabar-containing AnGongNiuHuang Pill (AGNHP) is widely used for treating encephalopathy syndrome. However, it raises great safety concerns due to the...
Realgar- and cinnabar-containing AnGongNiuHuang Pill (AGNHP) is widely used for treating encephalopathy syndrome. However, it raises great safety concerns due to the adverse effects reported by arsenic or mercury poisoning. Although AGNHP has been generally recognized, little is known about the metabolism of arsenic and mercury and their resulting potential health risk . Thus, comparative pharmacokinetics and urinary excretion of arsenic and mercury were conducted in rats after oral administration of realgar, cinnabar and AGNHP, respectively. The contents of arsenic and mercury in rat blood and urine were determined by hydride-generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry (HG-AFS) after wet digestion. AGNHP significantly reduced the absorption of arsenic in blood and promoted urinary arsenic excretion. Whereas, it increased the blood mercury absorption and reduced urinary mercury excretion. No significant toxicity was observed in the clinical dose range of AGNHP. However, excessive exposure to arsenic and mercury may still pose risks especially by long-term or excessive medication. The results are helpful for the rational clinical applications of realgar- and cinnabar-containing TCMs.
PubMed: 36110533
DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2022.967608 -
Neuropediatrics Dec 2022
Topics: Humans; Mercury Poisoning; Hypertension; Extremities
PubMed: 35253146
DOI: 10.1055/a-1788-7340 -
Indian Journal of Dermatology,... 2022
Topics: Humans; Blister; Erythema; Mercury Poisoning; Mercury; Pruritus; Poisoning
PubMed: 35962500
DOI: 10.25259/IJDVL_343-2021 -
Environmental Science. Processes &... May 2022Mercury (Hg) is a toxic metal released into the environment through human activities and natural processes. Human activities have profoundly increased the amount of Hg... (Review)
Review
Mercury (Hg) is a toxic metal released into the environment through human activities and natural processes. Human activities have profoundly increased the amount of Hg in the atmosphere and altered its global cycling since the Industrial Revolution. Gaseous elemental Hg is the predominant form of Hg in the atmosphere, which can undergo long-range transport and atmospheric deposition into the aquatic systems. Hg deposition elevates the methylmercury (MeHg) level in fish through bioaccumulation and biomagnification, which poses a serious human health risk. Acute poisoning of MeHg can result in Minamata disease, while low-level long-term exposure in pregnant women can reduce the intelligence quotient of infants. After five sessions of intergovernmental negotiation, the Minamata Convention on mercury entered into force in August 2017 to protect human health and the environment from Hg pollution. Currently China contributes the largest quantity of Hg production, consumption, and emission globally. However, the status of Hg pollution in the environment in China and its associated health risk remains relatively unknown, which hinders the development of implementation plans of the Minamata Convention. In this paper, we provide a comprehensive review on the atmospheric release of Hg, distribution of air Hg concentration, human exposure to MeHg and health impacts caused by Hg pollution in China. Ongoing improvement of air pollution control measures is expected to further decrease anthropogenic Hg emissions in China. Air Hg concentrations in China are higher than the background values in the Northern Hemisphere, with spatial distribution largely influenced by anthropogenic emissions. Long-term observations of GEM in China show a decline in recent years. The net Hg transport outflow from China in 2013 is estimated to be 511 t year, and ∼60% of such outflow is caused by natural surface Hg emissions. Hg concentrations in fish and rice in China are relatively low and therefore the associated risks of human Hg exposure are low. Future research needs and recommendations for the implementation of the Minamata Convention are also discussed in this paper.
Topics: Animals; China; Environmental Monitoring; Environmental Pollution; Female; Fishes; Humans; Mercury; Methylmercury Compounds; Pregnancy
PubMed: 35485580
DOI: 10.1039/d2em00039c -
Journal of Hazardous Materials Mar 2023Noninvasively imaging mercury poisoning in living organisms is critical to understanding its toxicity and treatments. Especially, simultaneous fluorescence imaging of Hg...
Noninvasively imaging mercury poisoning in living organisms is critical to understanding its toxicity and treatments. Especially, simultaneous fluorescence imaging of Hg and MeHgin vivo is helpful to disclose the mysteries of mercury poisoning. The key limitation for mercury imaging in vivo is the low imaging signal-to-background ratio (SBR) and limited imaging depth, which may result in unreliable detection results. Here, we designed and prepared a near-infrared II (NIR II) emissive probe, NIR-Rh-MS, leveraging the "spirolactam ring-open" tactic of xanthene dyes for in situ visualization of mercury toxicity in mice. The probe produces a marked fluorescence signal at 1015 nm and displays good linear responses to Hg and MeHg with excellent sensitivity, respectively. The penetration experiments elucidate that the activated NIR-II fluorescence signal of the probe penetrates to a depth of up to 7 mm in simulated tissues. Impressively, the probe can monitor the toxicity of Hg in mouse livers and the accumulation of MeHg in mouse brains via intravital NIR-II imaging for the first time. Thus, we believe that detecting Hg and MeHg in different organs with a single NIR-II fluorescence probe in mice would assuredly advance the toxicologic study of mercury poisoning in vivo.
Topics: Mice; Animals; Mercury; Coloring Agents; Spectroscopy, Near-Infrared; Benzopyrans; Mercury Poisoning; Fluorescent Dyes
PubMed: 37056002
DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2022.130612 -
Journal of Biochemical and Molecular... Dec 2023Gut microbiota plays a functionally important part in retaining the homeostasis of host physiology, however, under exposure of various heavy metals, the composition of... (Review)
Review
Gut microbiota plays a functionally important part in retaining the homeostasis of host physiology, however, under exposure of various heavy metals, the composition of gut biota is disturbed in relation to species diversity and richness. Ever since the increase of microbiome-related studies during the last decade, many research studies have delivered an understanding of the reasons and concerns of gut microbiota-related modifications. During the past decade, it's been confirmed from various studies that heavy metals poisoning alters the microbial composition, which results in changes in gene expression, alteration in metabolism, immunity, neurological dysfunction, and causes various other disorders. The present comprehensive review is summarizing an attempt to enumerate the key findings from recent clinical or preclinical studies related to the influence of heavy metals on gut microbiota published recently. Google, PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, and Google Scholar were employed as primary search engines using the keywords such as "heavy metals, gut microbiota, dysbiosis, and intestinal microbiota" for finding relevant research articles from the past 10 years and some old important articles. Here, we tried to provide insight into some of the key timelines and scientific findings from reported literature, like the effects of heavy metals such as arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury on the general body and specifically on the gut microbiota of different model organisms. So, it is important to increase awareness against heavy metal-induced toxicity and formulate guidelines for the benefit of the environment.
Topics: Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Metals, Heavy; Cadmium; Arsenic
PubMed: 37593904
DOI: 10.1002/jbt.23485