Risk factors for elevated blood lead levels among children aged 6-36 months living in Greece.

BACKGROUND: Childhood lead poisoning remains a critical environmental health concern because even low blood lead levels (BLLs) can result in permanent adverse health effects. Social factors and living conditions have been correlated with BLLs. There is no recent survey about the prevalence of elevated BLLs among children in Greece. The purpose of this study was to assess BLLs among children aged 6-36 months born and living in Greece and to evaluate their association with demographic, socio-economic and housing conditions. METHODS: In a cross-sectional hospital-based study including 814 randomly selected children aged 6-36 months, BLLs and haematological parameters were evaluated. A questionnaire investigating demographic and socio-economic conditions was completed in all children. Statistical analysis was performed using STATA for Windows v.8.5, and P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: The mean BLLs of the population were 2.78 (SD = 2.34) µg/dl, and the median was 2.02 µg/dl; 11.7% had BLLs above 5 µg/dl, while 15 children (1.8%) exceeded 10 µg/dl. Being a toddler, being Roma or Asian, living in an industrial/low-income neighbourhood or in an old house, using traditional herbs and/or spices and having a mother with a manual occupation were independent risk factors for elevated BLLs. CONCLUSION: Lead exposure remains a threat for optimal health especially for toddlers and children of socio-economically disadvantaged families living in Greece. A nationwide survey to assess lead exposure in children is necessary to guide prevention governmental policies.

Selenomethionine treatment in patients with autoimmune thyroiditis: a prospective, quasi-randomised trial.

AIMS: To test whether selenium administration affects autoantibodies to thyroid peroxidase (anti-TPO) and thyroglobulin (anti-TG) titres in chronic autoimmune (Hashimoto's - HT) thyroiditis. METHODS: A prospective, open-label, quasi-randomised study in 86 HT patients (n = 86) assigned to either selenomethionine (Seme) 200µg daily for 3 months (Se3, n = 15) or 6 months (Se6, n = 46) or placebo (Control, n = 25). Serum Se, anti-TPO, anti-TG and thyroid hormones were measured in all patients at baseline, 3 and 6 months. A subgroup of 18 patients (twelve on Se6 and six controls) were subjected in thyroid fine-needle biopsy at baseline and 6 months to detect changes in lymphocyte infiltration. RESULTS: No significant difference in anti-TPO levels was recorded after 3 (p = 0.88) or 6 months (p = 0.62) on Seme. Anti-TG levels decreased both at 3 months (p = 0.001) and 6 months (p = 0.001). No significant changes in thyroid stimulating hormone, free thyroxine and free triiodothyronine levels or in the lymphocytes' number in thyroid cytology specimens were detected. Age, gender, duration of disease, baseline anti-TPO levels and per cent change in Se levels could not predict the response of anti-TPO levels to Seme administration. CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that Seme administration in pharmacological doses for a period of 6 months seems to have no significant effect on serum thyroid auto-antibodies' levels or lymphocyte infiltration of the thyroid gland.

Variation in trace element contents among chicken, turkey, duck, goose, and pigeon eggs analyzed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS).

Despite substantial interest in the trace element content of eggs by poultry breeders, nutritionists, and environmental scientists, available data about trace elements levels in eggs are scarce. Trace element contents in yolk and albumen of chicken, turkey, duck, goose, and pigeon eggs were analyzed to establish a baseline dataset and assess differences among trace element content in avian species. We measured the selenium (Se), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn), cobalt (Co), copper (Cu), molybdenum (Mo), vanadium (V), chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni), arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), and thallium (Tl) contents in both yolk and albumen by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. One hundred twenty eggs deriving from 24 birds of each species, reared in the same poultry farm in northern Greece, were used; bird feed was common and based on cereals and legumes and contained no added vitamins or microminerals. Trace element contents in yolks were far higher than those in albumen, except for V and Ni. In yolks, the highest content for Se, Mo, and Tl were in pigeon eggs, for Zn, Mn, Cu, and Cr in turkey eggs, and for Co and Ni in goose eggs. In albumen, Se was highest in duck eggs, while Zn, Mn, and Co in pigeon ones. It is concluded that there is a substantial, up to threefold, variation for trace element contents in eggs among different domestic avian species offered the same feed.