Combined micro-XRF and TXRF methodology for quantitative elemental imaging of tissue samples.

Local differences in structural properties of biological specimens pose a major limitation to quantitative X-ray fluorescence imaging. This is because both the various tissue compartments of different density and variation in the sample thickness upon frequently used freeze-drying come up with the different values of the sample mass per unit area to be taken into account. Even though several solutions to tackle this problem based on the home-made standards for quantification in terms of thickness- and density-independent elemental mass fractions have been proposed, this issue is not addressed enough due to the samples' heterogeneity. In our recent study, we propose a calculation scheme based on combined external-standard micro X-ray fluorescence (micro-XRF) imaging and internal-standard total reflection X-ray fluorescence (TXRF) analysis to determine the corrected elemental mass fraction distributions in commonly analysed rat tissues: kidney, liver and spleen. The results of TXRF analysis of digested large tissue sections together with the mean values of elemental masses per unit area obtained with micro-XRF were employed to determine the average masses per unit area of the samples. The correction for variation of the tissue thickness and density was done through with the use of Compton intensities. Importantly, by its versatility, our novel approach can be used to produce elemental contrast in a variety of biological specimens where local variations in either the sample density or thickness are no longer the issue.

Does titanium in ionic form display a tissue-specific distribution?

Most studies have focused on the biodistribution of titanium(IV) oxide as nanoparticles or crystals in organism. But several reports suggested that titanium is released from implant in ionic form. Therefore, gaining insight into toxicokinetics of Ti ions will give valuable information, which may be useful when assessing the health risks of long-term exposure to titanium alloy implants in patients. A micro synchrotron radiation-induced X-ray fluorescence (µ-SRXRF) was utilized to investigate the titanium distribution in the liver, spleen and kidneys of rats following single intravenous or 30-days oral administration of metal (6 mg Ti/b.w.) in ionic form. Titanium was mainly retained in kidneys after both intravenous and oral dosing, and also its compartmentalization in this organ was observed. Titanium in the liver was non-uniformly distributed-metal accumulated in single aggregates, and some of them were also enriched in calcium. Correlation analysis showed that metal did not displace essential elements, and in liver titanium strongly correlated with calcium. Two-dimensional maps of Ti distribution show that the location of the element is characteristic for the route of administration and time of exposure. We demonstrated that µ-SRXRF can provide information on the distribution of titanium in internal structures of whole organs, which helps in enhancing our understanding of the mechanism of ionic titanium accumulation in the body. This is significant due to the popularity of titanium implants and the potential release of metal ions from them to the organism.

Essential and Toxic Metals in Oral Fluid-a Potential Role in the Diagnosis of Periodontal Diseases.

Recently, many studies have investigated the relationship between the level of metals in the body and various diseases. The objective of this study was to examine any possible influence of periodontal disease upon the concentration of metals in oral fluid and blood and to explore the usability of applying cluster analysis coupled with the analysis of selected elements in oral fluid, calcium (Ca), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), magnesium (Mg), manganese (Mn), zinc (Zn), cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb), for effectively distinguishing people affected by periodontitis from healthy individuals. The quantification of eight metals in oral fluid and blood samples was performed by two inductively coupled plasma techniques-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). Most of the examined elements were detected at elevated concentration in the oral fluid of periodontal patients. However, the differences were statistically significant in the case of three metals: Cu, Mg and Mn (p < 0.05). Approximately, fivefold increase in the concentration of Cu, threefold-elevated levels of Mn and a twofold increase in the concentration of Mg were found in the oral fluid of the periodontal patients compared to the controls. Cluster analysis confirmed the statistical significance of the differences in the level of metals in the oral fluid between the two groups in most cases, plus enabled the correct classification of the subjects into patients and controls. The relationship between concentrations of metals and periodontal disease may in the future serve to prevent the development of such disease.

Toxicokinetics and tissue distribution of titanium in ionic form after intravenous and oral administration.

Titanium is widely used both in food and cosmetics, as well as in surgery and industry. Contrary to most studies, the present work focused on the determination of the toxicokinetic parameters of titanium in ionic form, as well as on its tissue biodistribution in rats. The animals were administered either a single intravenous dose of 6 mg Ti/kg b.w., or received the same dose orally every day for 30 days. The concentration of titanium in the serum and organs was measured by a graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry. Metal rapidly distributed from the circulation to the investigated organs after both routes of administration, and kidney was identified as the main target tissue, followed by liver and spleen. One month of oral exposure to Ti led to the increase of its concentration in liver, kidneys, spleen, and heart. In the intravenous study, both the highest area under concentration-time curves and the longest elimination half-life time were recorded in the kidney followed by serum, spleen and liver. The present study contributes to the knowledge of the toxicokinetics of titanium in ionic form, which may be especially useful when assessing the health risks of long-term exposure to titanium alloy implants in patients.

Metal concentrations in hair of patients with various head and neck cancers as a diagnostic aid.

Head and neck cancers are one of the most frequent cancers worldwide. This paper attempts to evaluate disturbances of homeostasis of the necessary elements (calcium, magnesium, zinc, copper, iron, manganese) and changes in the levels of toxic metals (lead, cadmium, cobalt, chromium VI) in hair of patients with head and neck cancers, as well as people without a diagnosed neoplastic disease. In order to quantify the necessary elements and toxic metals, a method using ICP-MS and ICP-OES techniques had been developed and validated. The studies have shown that patients with head and neck cancer used to drink alcohol and smoked much more frequently than healthy individuals, both in the past and presently. Statistically significant differences in concentrations of average metal content in the group of patients with head and neck cancers compared to the control group were confirmed. Significant differences in metal content between the group of patients with head and neck cancers and healthy individuals were found which enabled distinguishing between the study groups. To this end, a more advanced statistical tool, i.e. chemometrics, was used. The conducted research analyses and the use of advanced statistical techniques confirm the benefits of using alternative material to distinguish the patients with head and neck cancers from the healthy individuals.

Essential metals profile of the hair and nails of patients with laryngeal cancer.

Trace elements have an impact on numerous physiological processes. The monitoring of their levels in the organism allows you to detect not only their deficiencies, but also several illnesses. The aim of this study was to compare the levels of essential elements (calcium, magnesium, zinc, copper, iron, manganese) in hair, nails and serum of both patients with laryngeal cancer and healthy people. The determination of six metals was performed by an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and an inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). The concentration of essential elements in hair and nails of the control group was statistically significantly higher than in the group of patients with laryngeal cancer. In the case of serum, differences were found between the patients and controls in respect of the level of three metals. The results of principal component analysis (PCA) revealed the strong and similar clustering behavior of essential elements in hair and nails. The metals did not correlate between two alternative materials. The present study indicated that, using the level of essential elements in hair and nails as a basis, it is possible to distinguish cancer patients from healthy people. The alternative materials are independent of homeostasis and therefore seem to be more useful in the detection of diseases and mineral deficiencies in human than the classical biological materials, such as blood.

Classification models based on the level of metals in hair and nails of laryngeal cancer patients: diagnosis support or rather speculation?

The etiology of cancer is complex, and the disturbances in toxic and essential metals homeostasis are among many of the factors that lead to the development of malignancy. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between cancer risk and element status as well as cancer risk and external factors, such as diet, smoking and drinking habits, in order to support diagnosis of cancer. The samples of hair and nails obtained from patients with larynx cancer and healthy subjects were analyzed. Essential elements (Ca, Cr, Mg, Zn, Cu, Mn, and Fe), besides toxic metals (Cd, Co, and Pb), were determined using inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) and mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) techniques. The concentration of essential elements was from 1.5- (Zn) to 4.7-fold (Fe) higher in hair and from 2.4- to 3.3-fold higher in the nails of the control group compared to the patients, while the opposite trend was observed for the heavy metals. The differences between two groups in the level of metals (except for Zn) were statistically significant (p < 0.05). The association of cancer with metals and other factors was evaluated using various statistical methods, for which the best predictions were obtained using logistic regression, artificial neural networks and canonical discriminant analysis. The classifiers constructed using the data from a survey of diet and lifestyle, and analysis of elements in hair and nails, can be useful tools for estimating cancer risk and early screening of the disease.

Proteins as biomarkers of carbon monoxide neurotoxicity.

CONTEXT: Carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning is the most common form of accidental lethal poisoning and is associated with a risk of brain damage in survivors. OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study was to examine whether Tau protein or S100B protein may be used as a biomarker for acute brain dysfunction. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The determination of Tau and S100B proteins was performed in serum samples collected from 27 CO-poisoned patients and 12 healthy volunteers. RESULTS: The level of Tau protein in the serum of patients (444 ± 227 ng L(-1)) differed significantly compared with those in the healthy controls (240 ± 61 ng L(-1)) and correlated with the level of carboxyhemoglobin. A higher concentration of Tau protein was found in patients who had lost consciousness during CO exposure. The concentration of S100B in the serum of CO-poisoned subjects (0.08 ± 0.03 µg L(-1)) was not statistically different from values obtained for the controls (0.07 ± 0.02 µg L(-1)). CONCLUSION: CO poisoning appears to be associated with an elevated level of Tau and S100B proteins in the serum of patients who had suffered a loss of consciousness. The study has shown that Tau protein is a more sensitive biomarker than S100B protein for the earlier stage of neurotoxic effects of CO intoxication.

Chronic treatment with zinc hydroaspartate induces anti-inflammatory and anti-ulcerogenic activity in rats.

BACKGROUND: The previous study indicated the enhancement of the anti-inflammatory effect of ketoprofen by acute and sub chronic administration of zinc hydroaspartate. METHODS: The present study examined anti-inflammatory, anti-ulcerogenic and analgesic activity induced by chronic (14 days) administration of ZHA (30 mg/kg, po), with a combination of a single administration of ketoprofen, in rats. Moreover, the zinc concentration in serum and stomach mucosa was also determined. RESULTS: Chronic ZHA po administration exhibits anti-inflammatory activity and enhanced the effect induced by ketoprofen. Likewise, ZHA administration demonstrated anti-ulcerogenic activity. While ZHA alone did not exhibit analgesic action, it enhanced the effect of ketoprofen. CONCLUSIONS: The present study demonstrated for the first time that chronic treatment with zinc salt exhibits anti-inflammatory activity. Besides, anti-ulcerogenic activity and the enhancing properties of zinc to ketoprofen induced anti-inflammatory and analgesic activity were also shown.

Urine as a material for evaluation of exposure to manganese in methcathinone users.

Chronic exposure even to low doses of manganese may lead to development of neurological syndrome similar to parkinsonism. The aim of this research is to assess the possibility of manganese poisoning based on the level of metal in the urine of long-term methcathinone users from Poland. Graphite furnace atomic absorption spectroscopy (GFAAS) was used to determine manganese in urine, while the detection of the psychoactive drugs was performed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Results of survey on longitudinal patterns of drug use showed that users of traditional illicit drugs now turn to cheaper alternatives, such as methcathinone. Parkinsonian features were observed in almost half of methcathinone users. The subjects had a higher mean level of Mn in their urine (8.68±9.27 µg L(-1)) than the controls (4.27±1.91 µg L(-1)). The presence of numerous psychoactive substances (in unchanged forms and their metabolites) was confirmed in all of the samples, with only one exception. The elevated level of manganese in urine (in 29.2% of patients) can be used as a primary marker of recent methcathinone administration, especially in the case of long time intravenous drug users where blood sampling is complicated.

[The influence of periodontal diseases on the concentration of selected metals in saliva]. / Wplyw chorób przyzebia na stezenie wybranych metali w slinie.

Analysis of elements (mainly metals) in biological materials provides a challenge for analytics. It results from complex matrix of this kind of samples and strict requirements for purity at all stages of the analytical process. Over the years many effective methods for determination of metals in body fluids have been developed, which link with searching for the association between elemental composition of human body and various diseases. The aim of the investigation was to study the usefulness of available methodology to determination of selected metals in saliva and blood of patients with periodontitis and healthy controls by two techniques" ICP-MS and ICP-OES. Next statistical analysis of the data statistical was carried out. The influence of periodontal disease upon the concentrations of selected metals (Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, Pb and Zn) in saliva was examined, as well the attempt to classify samples of patients with periodontitis and healthy individuals correctly was made. Additionally mutual relations between analytes in examined materials were determined by computing the Pearson's correlation coefficient and principal component analysis (PCA).