Mineral and trace element concentrations in seaweeds from the sub-Antarctic ecoregion of Magallanes (Chile)

The P, Na, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Cu, Zn and Mn concentrations were determined in seventy-three samples of seaweeds belonging to different genera (classified as brown, red and green seaweeds), which were collected from three zones in the sub-Antarctic ecoregion of Magallanes (Chile). There were clear differences in the concentrations between the considered genera. Brown seaweed had the highest mean K (31.4 g/kg) and Ca (10.3 g/kg) concentrations compared with red (14.1 g/kg for K and 3.11 g/kg for Ca) and green (13.9 g/kg for K and 7.58 g/kg for Ca) seaweed, and green seaweed had the highest mean Mg (15.0 g/kg), Fe (1260 mg/kg) and Cu (7.46 mg/kg) concentrations. The consumption of a serving (8 g) from of the three groups of brown, red and green seaweed is a good source of Fe, Mg and Mn (>25% of the Dietary Recommended Intake). Significant differences were observed in the mean concentrations of all the minerals and trace elements, except for Fe, Cu and Mn, between the three collection zones. Factor and discriminant analysis were used to differentiate the type of seaweed and sampling zone. Besides which, good classifications were obtained according to the type of seaweed using discriminant analysis.     

Toxic trace elements at gastrointestinal level

Many trace elements are considered essential [iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu)], whereas others may be harmful [lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg), arsenic (As)], depending on their concentration and chemical form. In most cases, the diet is the main pathway by which they enter our organism. The presence of toxic trace elements in food has been known for a long time, and many of the food matrices that carry them have been identified. This has led to the appearance of legislation and recommendations concerning consumption. Given that the main route of exposure is oral, passage through the gastrointestinal tract plays a fundamental role in their entry into the organism, where they exert their toxic effect. Although the digestive system can be considered to be of crucial importance in their toxicity, in most cases we do not know the events that occur during the passage of these elements through the gastrointestinal tract and of ascertaining whether they may have some kind of toxic effect on it. The aim of this review is to summarize available information on this subject, concentrating on the toxic trace elements that are of greatest interest for organizations concerned with food safety and health: Pb, Cd, Hg and As.     

How do people interpret information about colorectal cancer screening: observations from a think‐aloud study

Background

The English NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme biennially invites individuals aged 60–74 to participate in screening. The booklet, ‘Bowel Cancer Screening: The Facts'' accompanies this invitation. Its primary aim is to inform potential participants about the aims, advantages and disadvantages of colorectal cancer screening.

Objective

To provide detailed commentary on how individuals process the information contained within ‘The Facts’ booklet.

Design, setting and participants

This study comprised of 18 interviews with individuals aged 45–60 and used a ‘think‐aloud’ paradigm in which participants read aloud the booklet. Participant utterances (verbal statements made in response to researcher‐led prompts) were transcribed and analysed using a combination of content and thematic analysis.

Results

A total of 776 coded utterances were analysed (mean = 43.1 per person; range = 8–95). While overall comprehension was satisfactory, several problem areas were identified such as the use of complex unfamiliar terminology and the presentation of numerical information. Specific sections such as colonoscopy risk information evoked negative emotional responses. Participants made several suggestions for ways in which comprehension might be improved.

Conclusion

Public perceptions of the NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme information materials indicated that specific aspects of the booklet were difficult to process. These materials may be an appropriate target to improve public understanding of the aims, benefits and disadvantages of colorectal cancer screening. These findings will contribute to a broader NIHR‐funded project that aims to design a supplementary ‘gist‐based’ information leaflet suitable for low literacy populations.     

Fluorescent cholangiography: An up-to-date overview twelve years after the first clinical application

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) is one of the most frequently performed gastrointestinal surgeries worldwide. Bile duct injury (BDI) represents the most serious complication of LC, with an incidence of 0.3%-0.7%, resulting in significant perioperative morbidity and mortality, impaired quality of life, and high rates of subsequent medico-legal litigation. In most cases, the primary cause of BDI is the misinterpretation of biliary anatomy, leading to unexpected biliary lesions. Near-infrared fluorescent cholangiography is widely spreading in clinical practice to delineate biliary anatomy during LC in elective and emergency settings. The primary aim of this article was to perform an up-to-date overview of the evolution of this method 12 years after the first clinical application in 2009 and to highlight all advantages and current limitations according to the available scientific evidence.     

粮食中微量元素锌与大骨节病的关系

本文就西南大骨节病区粮食中微量元素锌、铁、锰、铜、铬测定作了初步分析。其中较有规律的是锌,并对锌在大骨节病发病过程中的作用进行了试探性讨论。认为锌在发病中占有重要的地位,很可能是硒对大骨节病作用的重要复合因子之一。     

脾虚证胃粘膜形态DNA cAMP微量元素改变的临床与实验研究

目的研究脾虚证实质、脾虚证与胃癌发生的关系。方法采用 IBAS2000型图象分析系统、501B 型扫描电镜附有9100/60型能量色散 X 分析仪,以及组织化学与放射免疫方法,检测脾虚证患者胃粘膜超微结构、肠化生亚型、DNA、cAMP、微量元素及其氧化物。结果脾虚色滞证患者中胃癌发生率、不完全性结肠型肠化生发生率和"背景病变"发生率均显著高于脾气虚证患者;胃粘膜 cAMP、Zn、Cu、ZnO 和 Cuo 含量,随着肠化生完全性至不完全性、小肠型至结肠型的顺序递减;而 DNA 含量则随以上顺序递增,P<0.05～0.001。胃粘膜不完全性结肠型肠化生组织内 DNA、cAMP、Zn、Cu、ZnO 和 CuO 含量则与胃癌组织同元显著性差异。结论脾虚气滞证胃病有癌变倾向;不完全性结肠型肠化生与胃癌的发生有密切关系。@何雪芬$目的!研究脾虚证实质、脾虚证与胃癌发生的关系。方法采用 IBAS2000型图象分析系统、501B 型扫描电镜附有9100/60型能量色散 X 分析仪,以及组织化学与放射免疫方法,检测脾虚证患者胃粘膜超微结构、肠化生亚型、DNA、cAMP、微量元素及其氧化物。结果脾虚色滞证患者中胃癌发生率、不完全性结肠型肠化生发生率和"背景病变"发生率均显著高于脾气虚证患者;胃粘膜 cAMP、Zn、Cu、ZnO 和 Cuo 含量,随着肠化生完全性至不完全性、小肠型至结肠型的顺序递减;而 DNA 含量则随以上顺序递增,P<0.05～0.001。胃粘膜不完全性结肠型肠化生组织内 DNA、cAMP、Zn、Cu、ZnO 和 CuO 含量则与胃癌组织同元显著性差异。结论脾虚气滞证胃病有癌变倾向;不完全性结肠型肠化生与胃癌的发生有密切关系。@尹玉芬$目的!研究脾虚证实质、脾虚证与胃癌发生的关系。方法采用 IBAS2000型图象分析系统、501B 型扫描电镜附有9100/60型能量色散 X 分析仪,以及组织化学与放射免疫方法,检测脾虚证患者胃粘膜超微结构、肠化生亚型、DNA、cAMP、微量元素及其氧化物。结果脾虚色滞证患者中胃癌发生率、不完全性结肠型肠化生发生率和"背景病变"发生率均显著高于脾气虚证患者;胃粘膜 cAMP、Zn、Cu、ZnO 和 Cuo 含量,随着肠化生完全性至不完全性、小肠型至结肠型的顺序递减;而 DNA 含量则随以上顺序递增,P<0.05～0.001。胃粘膜不完全性结肠型肠化生组织内 DNA、cAMP、Zn、Cu、ZnO 和 CuO 含量则与胃癌组织同元显著性差异。结论脾虚气滞证胃病有癌变倾向;不完全性结肠型肠化生与胃癌的发生有密切关系。     

Immunoaffinity Extraction and Alternative Approaches for the Analysis of Toxins in Environmental,Food or Biological Matrices

The evolution of instrumentation in terms of separation and detection allowed a real improvement of the sensitivity and analysis time. However, the analysis of ultra-traces of toxins in complex samples requires often a step of purification and even preconcentration before their chromatographic analysis. Therefore, immunoaffinity sorbents based on specific antibodies thus providing a molecular recognition mechanism appear as powerful tools for the selective extraction of a target molecule and its structural analogs to obtain more reliable and sensitive quantitative analysis in environmental, food or biological matrices. This review focuses on immunosorbents that have proven their efficiency in selectively extracting various types of toxins of various sizes (from small mycotoxins to large proteins) and physicochemical properties. Immunosorbents are now commercially available, and their use has been validated for numerous applications. The wide variety of samples to be analyzed, as well as extraction conditions and their impact on extraction yields, is discussed. In addition, their potential for purification and thus suppression of matrix effects, responsible for quantification problems especially in mass spectrometry, is presented. Due to their similar properties, molecularly imprinted polymers and aptamer-based sorbents that appear to be an interesting alternative to antibodies are also briefly addressed by comparing their potential with that of immunosorbents.     

维持性血液透析患者全血微量元素与甲状旁腺激素水平的相关性分析

目的探讨维持性血液透析(maintenance hemodialysis,MHD)患者血清甲状旁腺激素(parathyroid hormone,PTH)与全血微量元素之间的关系。方法采用单中心横断面研究,纳入2019年9月在暨南大学附属广州红十字会医院血液透析中心行MHD的患者。记录患者临床资料、用药情况,测定透析前血常规、血清生化指标和全血微量元素锌、铜、锰、铅、硒(电感耦合等离子体质谱仪法)。根据血清PTH数值分为高PTH组(PTH≥300pg/ml)和低PTH组(PTH<300pg/ml),比较2组患者的临床特征。应用单因素和多因素logistic回归分析PTH≥300pg/ml的相关因素。结果共纳入MHD患者153例,其中高PTH组46例,低PTH组107例。与低PTH组患者相比,高PTH组患者有较高的透析前血清总钙、磷、肌酐、碱性磷酸酶、白蛋白、前白蛋白、铁蛋白以及全血铅水平,余微量元素在两组间无统计学差异。多因素Logistic回归分析结果显示,较高的透析前血清总钙、血清磷、较高的骨化三醇使用率及全血铅高于中位数44.3μg/L是MHD患者血清PTH≥300pg/ml的独立相关因素(OR值分别为13.646,2.859,3.400,2.655;95%CI分别为1.470~126.649,1.442~5.667,1.470~7.863,1.162~6.113;P值分别为0.022,0.003,0.004,0.021)。结论MHD患者全血铅>44.3μg/L和血清PTH≥300pg/ml独立相关,值得临床关注并进一步进行相关研究。     

儿童反复呼吸道感染影响因素分析

目的探讨儿童反复呼吸道感染(RRTIs)的相关影响因素,为儿童RRTIs的有效防治提供依据和策略。方法选择183例RRTIs患儿纳入病例组,85例同期门诊体检健康儿童纳入对照组,对以上所有儿童可能导致RRTIs的相关因素进行临床资料调查,并对血清微量元素铁、锌、钙、铜,血清25-羟维生素D[25-(OH)-D]水平及肺炎支原体(MP)-IgM抗体进行检测,并对两组儿童的结果进行对比,对RRTIs的相关影响因素进行多因素Logistic回归分析。结果病例组中剖宫产、母乳喂养、湿疹、变应性鼻炎、哮喘、被动吸烟、多次使用抗菌药物儿童所占百分比与对照组比较,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。多因素Logistic回归分析显示,哮喘、被动吸烟、多次使用抗菌药物为儿童RRTIs的危险因素,母乳喂养为儿童RRTIs的保护因素。病例组血清微量元素铁、锌、钙及血清25-(OH)-D水平均明显低于对照组,MP-IgM抗体阳性率明显高于对照组,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。结论积极控制儿童哮喘,远离被动吸烟,避免抗菌药物滥用,尽量母乳喂养,及时合理补充微量元素铁、锌、钙及维生素D制剂,均衡营养,警惕MP感染,并积极规范治疗,对儿童RRTIs的有效防治非常重要。