Selenium and Other Trace Elements in the Etiology of Parkinson's Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Case-Control Studies

Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) is the most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer's dementia. Whereas the exact etiology of PD remains unknown, risk of developing PD seems to be related to a combination of genetic and environmental factors. This also includes abnormal exposure to trace elements of nutritional and toxicological interest. Objectives: In this systematic review and meta-Analysis, we summarized the results of case-control studies comparing levels of selenium, copper, iron, and zinc in PD patients and controls in either blood (whole blood, serum/plasma) or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Methods: We performed a systematic PubMed search selecting studies reporting trace element levels in different specimens of patients and controls. We performed a meta-Analysis using a random-effect model to compute the weighted mean differences (WMD) and corresponding 95% CI of selenium, copper, iron, and zinc levels in the blood or CSF of patients and their matched controls. Results: We retrieved 56 papers reporting data for selenium (cases/controls: 588/721), copper (2,190/2,522), iron (2,956/3,469), and zinc (1,798/1,913) contents in CSF and blood. Cases showed considerably higher levels of selenium in CSF compared with controls (+51.6%; WMD 5.49; 95% CI 2.82 to 8.15), while levels in serum were similar (-0.2%; WMD-0.22; 95% CI-8.05 to 7.62). For copper, cases showed slightly higher levels in CSF and slightly lower concentrations in serum (+4.5%; WMD 1.87; 95% CI-3.59 to 7.33, and-4.5%; WMD-42.79; 95% CI-134.35 to 48.76, respectively). A slight increase was also found for CSF iron-levels (+9.5%; WMD 9.92; 1.23 to 18.61), while levels were-decreased in serum/plasma (-5.7%; WMD-58.19; 95% CI-106.49 to-9.89) and whole blood (-10.8%; WMD-95.69; 95% CI-157.73 to-33.65). Conversely, for zinc cases exhibited lower levels both in CSF (-10.8%; WMD-7.34; 95% CI-14.82 to 0.14) and serum/plasma (-7.5%; WMD-79.93; 95% CI-143.80 to-16.06). A longer duration of the disease tends to be associated with overall lower trace element levels in either CSF or blood. Conclusions: Due to the study findings and the greater relevance of the CSF compartment compared with the circulating peripheral ones, this meta-Analysis suggests that overexposure in the central nervous system to selenium, and possibly to copper and iron, may be a risk factor of the disease, while zinc might have a protective-effect

Selenium and other trace elements in the etiology of Parkinson’s disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis of case-control studies

.INTRODUCTION Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative illness recognised as the most common neurological disorder after Alzheimer’s dementia. Whereas the exact PD etiology remains unknown, risk of developing PD seems to be related to an interrelation of genetic and environmental factors, including also altered exposure to trace elements. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we updated and summarized the results of epidemiologic case-control studies comparing levels of selenium, copper, iron and zinc in PD patients with healthy subjects in either blood (as whole blood, serum or plasma) and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). MATERIALS AND METHODS We performed a systematic PubMed search and we included in our assessment only studies reporting demographic and disease-related characteristics, as well as trace element levels in different specimens (whole blood, serum/plasma and CSF). We then performed a meta-analysis of mean differences of trace element levels between cases and controls, using a random-effect model computing the weighted mean differences (WMD) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI) to assess the association between serum/plasma, whole blood, CSF and selenium, copper, iron and zinc with Parkinson’s disease. RESULTS We retrieved 55 papers reporting data for selenium (588 cases and 721 controls), copper (2190 and 2522), iron (2843 and 3434), and zinc (1798 and 1913). Cases showed higher levels of selenium in CSF compared with controls (WMD=5.49; 95%CI 2.82 to 8.15), while levels in serum were similar (WMD=-0.22; -8.05 to 7.62). For copper cases showed higher levels in CSF and lower in serum compared to controls (WMD=1.87; -3.59 to 7.33, and -42.79, -134.35 to 48.76 respectively). Same results were found for iron in CSF (WMD=6.54; -1.97 to 15.04) and in serum/plasma (WMD=-58.19; -106.49 to -9.89 and whole blood (WMD=-95.69; 157.73 to -33.65). On the converse, cases had lower levels of zinc both in CSF (WMD=-7.34; -14.82 to 0.14) and serum/plasma (WMD=-79.93; -143.80 to -16.06). CONCLUSIONS Results of this systematic review and meta-analysis suggests that overexposure to environmental selenium, copper and iron may be risk factors for PD onset or progression. Alternatively, some variation in levels of these trace elements may occur as a consequence of the disease. Considering the burden of PD in the world population, further investigation of trace element exposure in this disease is therefore warranted, especially to plan possible prevention measures

Kesuburan Perairan Ditinjau dari Kandungan Klorofil-a Fitoplankton : Studi Kasus di Sungai Wedung, Demak

Perairan Sungai Wedung merupakan ekosistem pesisir yang banyak dimanfaatkan untuk berbagai kegiatan manusia. Hal tersebut tentunya berpengaruh terhadap kesuburan perairan Sungai Wedung. Kesuburan di perairan tersebut dipengaruhi oleh plankton, faktor kimia, fisika dan juga kandungan Klorofil-A. Pengukuran kandungan klorofil-a fitoplankton merupakan salah satu alat pengukuran kesuburan suatu perairan. Klorofil-a fitoplankton adalah suatu pigmen aktif dalam sel tumbuhan yang mempunyai peran penting dalam berlangsungnya proses fotosintesis perairan. Penelitian dilakukan pada bulan April – Mei 2013 di Sungai Wedung, Demak bertujuan untuk mengetahui aktivitas manusia terhadap sebaran klorofil-a, keterkaitan antara klorofil-a dan kelimpahan fitoplankton dan tingkat kesuburan perairan berdasarkan kandungan klorofil-a fitoplankton. Metode yang digunakan adalah metode studi kasus dengan teknik pengambilan sampel menggunakan metode “Sample Survey Method”. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa hasil analisis data klorofil menggunakan metode anova tersarang (nested anova) diperoleh nilai P untuk stasiun cukup besar sehingga tidak memberikan perbedaan yang nyata pada taraf kepercayaan 95 %. Akan tetapi perbedaan akan nyata pada taraf 90%. Hubungan antara klorofil-a dengan kelimpahan fitoplankton secara linear menunjukkan nilai keeratan yang tinggi dengan nilai koefisien korelasi sebesar 0,93 dan koefisien determinasi sebesar 0,8633 dimana 86% klorofil-a dipengaruhi oleh kelimpahan fitoplankton. Berdasarkan nilai rata-rata klorofil-a yang diperoleh sebesar 1,039863 mg/l dapat disimpulkan bahwa perairan Sungai Wedung tergolong kedalam perairan yang bersifat oligotrofik

Contemporaneous Portal-Arterial Reperfusion during Liver Transplantation: Preliminary Results

We prospectively compared sequential portal-arterial revascularization (SPAr, group 1 no. 19) versus contemporaneous portal-hepatic artery revascularization (CPAr, group 2 no. 21) in 40 consecutive liver transplantation (LT). There were no differences in the demographics characteristics, MELD score, indication to LT, and donor's parameters between the two groups. CPAr had longer warm ischemia 66 ± 8 versus 37 ± 7 min (P < .001), while SPAr had longer arterial ischemia 103 ± 42 min (P = .0004). One-year patient's and graft survival were, respectively, 89% and 95% versus 94% and 100% (P = .29). At median followup of 13 ± 6 versus 14 ± 7 months biliary complications were anastomotic stenosis in 15% versus 19% (P = .78), and intrahepatic nonanastomotic biliary strictures in 26% versus none (P = .01), respectively, in SPAr and CPAr. CPAr reduces the incidence of intrahepatic biliary strictures by decreasing the duration of arterial ischemia

Biological Compost Stability Influences Odor Molecules Production Measured by Electronic Nose During Food-Waste High-Rate Composting

Composting is a technique that is used to convert organic waste into agriculturally useful products. Composting is an aerobic, solid-state biological process, which typically can be divided into two phases, a high-rate composting phase and a curing phase. High-rate composting plays an important role during the composting process, owing to the high microbial activity occurring during this phase. It requires an accurate plant design to prevent the formation of anaerobic conditions and odors. The formation of anaerobic conditions mainly depends on the rate of O2 consumption needed to degrade the substrate, i.e., the biological stability of the substrate. In this study, we investigated the relationship between the biological activity, measured by the dynamic respiration index (DRI) and the odor molecules production, measured by an electronic nose (EN) during two food-waste high-rate composting processes. Although the O2 concentration in the biomass free air space (FAS) was kept optimal (O2 > 140\ua0ml l- 1, v/v) during composting, strong anaerobic conditions developed. This was indicated by the high levels of sulfur compounds, methane, and hydrogen in the outlet air stream. Both the high level of O2 consumption, needed to degrade the high-degradable water-soluble organic matter and the low water O2 solubility, caused by high temperature reached in this stage (up to 60\ua0\ub0C), led to the anaerobic conditions observed in the biofilm-particle level. The application of the partial least square (PLS) analysis demonstrated a good regression between the DRI and the odor molecules produced that was detected by the EN (R2 = 0.991; R2CV = 0.990), signifying the usefulness of the DRI as a parameter to estimate the potential production of odor molecules of the biomass

Environmental and occupational risk factors for early onset dementia in an Italian community

Background: Early onset dementia (EOD) is defined as dementia with symptoms onset before 65 years. Little is known about the etiological role of environmental and occupational risk factors. We aimed at assessing the role of these factors in disease etiology.Methods: Using a case-control design, we recruited all EOD cases resident in Modena province from October, 2016 to October, 2019, as well as a referent population drawn from patients’ care-givers. We investigated residential history of study participants, and their occupational and environmental exposures to pesticides, solvents and metals through a self-administered questionnaire. We computed the odds ratios (ORs) of disease risk, and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs), according to exposure to the investigated risk factors, using an unconditional logistic regression model adjusted for sex, age, and education. Results: Fifty-eight EOD cases and fifty-four controls agreed to participate. Among occupational factors, disease risk was associated with exposure to aluminum (OR 2.6, 95% CI 0.4-15.7), pesticides (OR 2.3, 95% CI 0.7-7.8) particularly from agricultural occupational exposure (OR 3.1, 95% CI 0.7-13.3) and dyes, paints or thinners (OR 1.7, 95% CI 0.6-5.0). Among lifestyles factors, smoking (OR 1.3, 95% CI 0.6-2.9) and playing football (OR 2.2, 95% CI 0.5-9.3) or cycling (OR 2.3, 95% CI 0.4-13.4) were associated with higher EOD risk, although overall sports practice appeared to be protective factor (OR 0.4, 95% CI 0.2-0.9). Risk was also positively associated with history of head trauma (OR 1.2, 95% CI 0.3-4.1) and particularly upper arm trauma (OR 2.2, 95% CI 0.7-7.5), but not overall trauma. No association emerged for exposure to electromagnetic fields. Conclusions:Despite the study limitations, our results appear to support a role of environmental risk factors in EOD etiology, particularly of some chemical exposures and professional sports, while overall sports practice may have a beneficial effect

Environmental Risk Factors for Early-Onset Alzheimer's Dementia and Frontotemporal Dementia: A Case-Control Study in Northern Italy

Background: Early-onset dementia (EOD) is defined as dementia with symptom onset before 65 years. The role of environmental risk factors in the etiology of EOD is still undefined. We aimed at assessing the role of environmental risk factors in EOD etiology, taking into account its different clinical types. Methods: Using a case-control study, we recruited all EOD cases referred to Modena hospitals from 2016 to 2019, while the referent population was drawn from cases' caregivers. We investigated residential history, occupational and environmental exposures to chemicals and lifestyle behaviors through a self-administered questionnaire. We computed the odds ratios of EOD risk (overall and restricting to the Alzheimer's dementia (AD) or frontotemporal dementia (FTD) diagnoses) and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals using an unconditional logistic regression model. Results: Fifty-eight EOD patients (19 FTD and 32 AD) and 54 controls agreed to participate. Most of the investigated exposures, such as occupational exposure to aluminum, pesticides, dyes, paints or thinners, were associated with an increased odds ratio (OR) for FTD but not for AD. Long-term use of selenium-containing dietary supplements was associated with increased OR for EOD and, particularly, for FTD. For both EOD forms, smoking and playing football showed an increased odds ratio, while cycling was associated with increased risk only in FTD. Overall sports practice appeared to be a protective factor for both types. Conclusions: Our results suggest a role of environmental and behavioral risk factors such as some chemical exposures and professional sports in EOD etiology, in particular with reference to FTD. Overall sports practice may be associated with a reduced EOD risk

Predicting anaerobic biogasification potential of ingestates and digestates of a full-scale biogas plant using chemical and biological parameters

The aim of this work was to develop simple and fast tests to predict anaerobic biogasification potential (ABP) of ingestates and digestates from a biogas plant. Forty-six samples of both ingestates and digestates were collected within an eight-month observation period and were analyzed in terms of biological and chemical parameters, namely, ABP test, oxygen demand in a 20-h respirometric test (OD20), total solids (TS), volatile solids (VS), total organic carbon (TOC), total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN), ammonia, cell solubles (CS), acid detergent fibers (ADF), lignin (ADL), cellulose, and hemicellulose. Considering both quantitative (VS and TOC) and qualitative aspects (OD20 and CS) of organic matter (OM), four models (linear regressions; 0.80 < R2 < 0.913; 16% < standard errors < 23%) were proposed to predict ABP. The models were chosen according to the needed accuracy of the evaluation in terms of time schedule and the availability of the required laboratory analyses