Association between mixed metal exposure and stroke risk in Shanxi Province: a case-control study.

BACKGROUND: Stroke is the second leading cause of death for all human beings and poses a serious threat to human health. Environmental exposure to a mixture of metals may be associated with the occurrence and development of stroke, but the evidence in the Chinese population is not yet conclusive. OBJECTIVES: This study evaluated the association between stroke risk and 13 metals METHODS: Metal concentrations in whole blood samples from 100 stroke cases and 100 controls were measured by ICP-MS. The cumulative impact of mixed metal on stroke risk was investigated by using three statistical models, BKMR, WQS and QGC. RESULTS: The case group had higher concentrations of Mg, Mn, Zn, Se, Sn, and Pb than the control group (p<0.05). BKMR model indicated a correlation between the risk of stroke and exposure to mixed metals. WQS model showed that Mg (27.2 %), Se (25.1 %) and Sn (14.8 %) were positively correlated with stroke risk (OR=1.53; 95 %Cl: 1.03-2.37, p=0.013). The QGC model showed that Mg (49.2 %) was positively correlated with stroke risk, while Ti (31.7 %) was negatively correlated with stroke risk. CONCLUSIONS: Mg may be the largest contributor to the cumulative effect of mixed metal exposure on stroke risk, and the interaction between metals requires more attention. These findings could provide scientific basis for effectively preventing stroke by managing metals in the environment.

Meta-analysis of TLR4 pathway-related protein alterations induced by arsenic exposure.

Arsenic is a toxic metal, which ultimately leads to cell apoptosis. TLR4 signaling pathway played a key role in immunomodulatory. Therefore, alterations in related proteins on the TLR4 signaling pathway induced by arsenic exposure was systematically reviewed and analyzed by meta-analysis. Some databases were searched including PubMed, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and WANFANG MED ONLINE. The results of NF-κB, IKK, NF-κBp65, phospho-NF-κBp65, and TLR4 expressions were analyzed by Review Manage 5.3. In the arsenic intervention group, NF-κB, phospho-NF-κBp65, and TLR4 expression levels were higher than the control group, respectively. SMD and 95%CI were 11.29 (6.34, 16.24), 4.71(1.73, 7.68), and 5.79 (-4.22, 15.80). Compared to controls, in the exposed group, IKK levels were found to be 38.11-fold higher (Z = 0.97; P = 0.33); NF-κBp65 levels were found to be 0.92-fold higher (Z = 3.33; P = 0.0009) for normal cells and tissue, while IKK levels were found to be 5.18-fold lower (Z = 5.34; P < 0.0001); NF-κBp65 levels were found to be 2.01-fold lower (Z = 3.87; P = 0.0001) for abnormal cells. With comparing of low dose, high dose of arsenic exposure was found to reduce the expression of NF-κB, but increase the expression of NF-κBp65. This review supports the alterations in related proteins on the TLR4 signaling pathway induced by arsenic exposure, which is helpful to provide theoretical basis for the mechanism of toxicity of arsenic-induced immune system damage.