Relationship of whole blood zinc levels to acne severity among Filipinos 18-25 years old: A cross-sectional comparative study in a tertiary government hospital

@#<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>INTRODUCTION:</strong> Acne Vulgaris is one of the most common dermatologic diagnoses in the world. It can persist for years, result in permanent scarring, and have serious adverse effects on psychosocial development.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>OBJECTIVES:</strong> This study aims to determine the relationship between whole blood zinc levels and severity of acne.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>METHODS:</strong> This is a cross-sectional comparative study. Whole blood zinc levels of 30 patients with acne vulgaris divided into mild (n=10), moderate (n=10), and severe (n=10), and 10 healthy patients were measured. Acne severity was evaluated using the Global Acne Grading System (GAGS).</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>RESULTS:</strong> A total of 40 patients participated in this study. The mean whole blood zinc level in acne patients and non-acne patients were 5.03 ± 1.92 mcg/mL and 7.39 ± 0.79 mcg/mL, respectively. The mean zinc level of the controls was significantly higher compared to that of the acne patients (p=0.0006). Furthermore, mean whole blood zinc level of the patients with severe acne was significantly lower compared to that of the controls, mild acne and moderate acne (p<0.001). Adjusting for age and sex, there is a significant association between severity of acne vulgaris and blood zinc levels (p<0.0001). Specifically, the mean blood zinc level of the patients with moderate and severe acne were significantly lower compared to that of the control group (p=0.019 and p<0.001, respectively).</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>CONCLUSION:</strong> Whole blood zinc levels were inversely correlated with acne vulgaris severity in the Filipino population. Further studies are recommended to determine the role of zinc in the pathogenesis of acne and the effects of oral zinc supplementation on acne patients.</p>

A study of zinc level in cord blood of neonates and its relationship with antropometric measurements in the neonates: a descriptive cross-sectional study

Background: During pregnancy, fast growth and cell differentiation takes place in both mother and foetus. Maternal nutritional factors play an important role in the growth of the neonate. Among the micronutrient zinc is an important micronutrient whose deficiency is associated with poor pregnancy outcomes. The objective the current study was to evaluate the relationship of serum zinc concentration of the maternal blood and the neonatal cord blood with that of the infant's anthropometric measurements.Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was performed under the Department of Neonatology, Saveetha medical college. Duration of the study was from April 2017 to June 2018. The study included 82 singleton mother baby dyads born in Saveetha medical college. Anthropometric measurements such as birth weight, head circumference, neonate length apart from other clinical features of both the mother and neonates were recorded for statistical analysis. Serum zinc levels were estimated using 2-(5-bromo-2-pyridylazo)-5-(N-Propyl-N-sulfopropylamino)-phenol (5-Br-PAPS) protocol.Results: The mean maternal age of the study population is 25.3'2.3 years. Majority of the mother had natural mode of delivery (57%). The mean cord serum zinc level was found to be 94.0'1.6microgram /dl and the mother's serum zinc level was 93.8'30.7microgram /dl (range from 49 to 171microgram /dl) which was not found to be statistically significant. Serum zinc levels of the cord was compared with the child anthropometrics and mother's serum zinc levels to assess for the significance, but there was no correlation observed between the umbilical cord, and the birth weight (r=0.03), length of the child (r=-0.02), head circumference (r=-0.07) and mothers serum zinc levels (r=-0.002).Conclusions: According to our results authors were unable to establish a relationship between Neonates growth parameters and zinc levels in neonates cord blood and zinc levels in the mother. Further studies with a larger sample size and prospective design would establish a causal relationship between zinc and growth parameters in the neonate.

Changes of blood zinc content in patients with coal-burning endemic fluorosis and its implication / 第二军医大学学报

Objective To assess the association of zinc (Zn) with coal-burning endemic fluorosis (coal-burning fluorosis), so as to provide an evidence for the role of Zn in preventing coal-burning fluorosis. Methods Fifty children with dental fluorosis and 100 healthy controls were selected from Wushan County by stratified sampling, and the same number of children and controls were also selected from Fengjie County. Thirty adults were selected from skeletal fluorosis patients in Duping Township of Wushan County, and 60 healthy controls were selected in the same township. Fasting blood samples were collected from all the participants for Zn determination. Urine samples were collected to examine urine fluoride content. Wilcoxon rank sum test was used to analyze the differences in Zn and fluoride contents between cases and controls and between the two counties. The association between blood Zn and urine fluoride was examined by Pearson linear correlation/Spearman rank correlation. Results The average urine fluoride contents were significantly higher in the child fluorosis cases than in the controls from both counties (P<0.01); and the average blood Zn contents were significantly lower in the fluorosis cases than in the controls from both counties (P<0.01). Moreover, the child cases and controls from Wushan County had significantly lower average blood Zn contents compared with those from Fengjie County (P<0.05); the child fluorosis cases in Wushan County had a significantly lower urine fluoride content compared with those from Fengjie County (P<0.05). The average urine fluoride content of skeletal fluorosis adults from Wushan County was significantly higher than that of controls, and the average blood Zn content was significantly lower than that of controls (P<0.01). In addition, Pearson linear correlation/Spearman rank correlation showed a weak positive relationship between blood Zn and urine fluoride in both children and adults (P<0.05, P<0.01). Conclusion It is indicated that patients with fluorosis are generally Zn deficient, suggesting Zn deficiency might be a risk factor for fluorosis.

Occupational Health Management in the Lead Industry: The Korean Experience

In 1967, the problem of occupational lead exposure came to public attention in Korea. Since then, regular progress has been made in lowering workplace lead exposures, instituting new workplace controls, and implementing health examinations of exposed workers. Past serious lead poisoning episodes made it possible to introduce biological monitoring programs on a voluntary basis in high-lead-exposure facilities in Korea. Industry-specific occupational health services for lead workers in Korea during the last 22 years can be categorized into three phases. During the first phase (1988-1993), efforts were directed at increasing awareness among workers about the hazards of lead exposure, biological monitoring of blood zinc protoporphyrin began, and a respiratory protection program was introduced. During the second phase (1994-1997), a computerized health management system for lead workers was developed, blood-lead measurement was added to biologic monitoring, and engineering controls were introduced in the workplace to lower air-lead levels to comply with air-lead regulations. Finally, during the third phase (1998-present), a new biomarker, bone-lead measurement by X-ray fluorescence, was introduced. Bone-lead measurement proved to be useful for assessing body burden and to demonstrate past lead exposure in retired workers. Occupational health service practice for lead workers, including the industry-specific group occupational health system, has brought considerable success in the prevention of lead poisoning and in reducing the lead burden in Korean lead workers during the last several decades. The successful achievement of prevention of lead poisoning in Korea was a result of the combined efforts of lead workers, employers, relevant government agencies, and academic institutes.

Investigation on Variety of Blood Zinc,Copper,Iron,Calcium Levels in Children with Lead Poisoning / 实用儿科临床杂志

Objective To discuss the variety of blood zinc,copper,iron,calcium level in children of lead poisoning Methods The stratified - random sampling method was used. Five hundred and forty children were selected in the urban areas, the rural areas and the islands. We examined blood lead level and other elements levels of these children, and analyzed the changes of these elements levels on condition of lead poisoning. Results The blood zinc level of children with lead poisoning was (4. 93 ? 1 12) mg/L, it was significantly lower than that of children without lead poisoning( t = 2.282 P