Health effects of environmental exposure to cadmium: objectives, design and organization of the cadmibel study: a cross-sectional morbidity study carried out in Belgium from 1985 to 1989

Cadmium is a cumulative environmental pollutant. For the general population mainly exposed by the oral route and through tobacco smoke inhalation, the kidney is the critical organ. Belgium is the principal producer of cadmium in Europe, and certain areas of the country are polluted by cadmium mainly because of past emissions from nonferrous industries. Preliminary studies carried out in one polluted area have suggested that environmental pollution might lead to an increased uptake of cadmium by the human body and possibly to health effects. Thus, a large-scale morbidity study has been initiated to assess the validity of this hypothesis. The present paper describes the protocol of this study. Its main objectives are to determine to what extent environmental exposure to cadmium resulting from industrial emissions may lead to accumulation of the metal in the human organism; to establish whether or not environmental exposure may induce renal changes and/or influence blood pressure; and to assess the acceptable internal dose of cadmium for the general population. The study design takes advantage of the fact that biological indicators of exposure, body burden, and early nephrotoxic effects of cadmium are available, which increase the likelihood of detecting a cause-effect relationship

Determinants of serum zinc in a random population sample of four Belgian towns with different degrees of environmental exposure to cadmium

This report investigated the distribution of serum zinc and the factors determining serum zinc concentration in a large random population sample. The 1977 participants (959 men and 1018 women), 20–80 years old, constituted a stratified random sample of the population of four Belgian districts, representing two areas with low and two with high environmental exposure to cadmium. For each exposure level, a rural and an urban area were selected. The serum concentration of zinc, frequently used as an index for zinc status in human subjects, was higher in men (13.1 μmole/L, range 6.5–23.0 μmole/L) than in women (12.6 μmole/L, range 6.3–23.2 μmole/L). In men, 20% of the variance of serum zinc was explained by age (linear and squared term, R = 0.29), diurnal variation (r = 0.29), and total cholesterol (r = 0.16). After adjustment for these covariates, a negative relationship was observed between serum zinc and both blood (r = −0.10) and urinary cadmium (r = −0.14). In women, 11% of the variance could be explained by age (linear and squared term, R = 0.15), diurnal variation in serum zinc (r = 0.27), creatinine clearance (r = −0.11), log γ-glutamyltranspeptidase (r = 0.08), cholesterol (r = 0.07), contraceptive pill intake (r = −0.07), and log serum ferritin (r = 0.06). Before and after adjustment for significant covariates, serum zinc was, on average, lowest in the two districts where the body burden of cadmium, as assessed by urinary cadmium excretion, was highest. These results were not altered when subjects exposed to heavy metals at work were excluded from analysis

How to survive Auschwitz?

Razrađujući projekat "Revitalizacija malih jevrejskih opština u Srbiji" urednici „Pinkasa“ su članovima jevrejske zajednice, рге svega u malim opštinama, ponudili kratke, interesantne tekstove sa jevrejskom tematikom, pogodne za čitanje, ali i za organizovanje razgovora u opštinama. Komisija za kulturu i obrazovanje Saveza i Odbor projekta odštampali su tekstove u sveskama (pinkasima) sa temama iz jevrejske istorije (opšte i jugoslovenske), iz umetnosti i nauke, o problemima Holokausta, antisemitizma, jevrejskog identiteta i sl. Jedan od tih tekstova je tekst Žana Amerija „Kako preživeti Aušvic?“ u kome analizira sudbinu, psihološke i egzistencijalne probleme intelektualaca koji su bili u koncentracionim logorima.Elaborating on the project "Revitalization of Small Jewish Communities in Serbia", the editors of “Pinkas“ offered to members of the Jewish community, mostly in small communities, several short, interesting texts on Jewish topics, suitable for reading and organizing conversations in communities. The Commission for Culture and Education of the Federation and the Project Board printed texts in notebooks (pinks) on topics from Jewish history (general and Yugoslav), art and science, problems of the Holocaust, anti-Semitism, Jewish identity, etc. One of those texts is Jean Amery's text "How to Survive Auschwitz?", in which he analyzes the fate, psychological and existential problems of intellectuals who were in concentration camps.Ovaj tekst, pod naslovom “Na granicama duha”, preuzet je iz časopisa za jevrejsku književnost "Mezuza", br. 1/1993. (This text, entitled "On the Limits of the Spirit", is from the magazine for Jewish literature "Mezuzah", no. 1/1993).Pinkas 7 - tema: Holokaust (topic: Holocaust)

Comparison of the effect of celiprolol and nifedipine on blood pressure and plasma lipids.

During a double-blind, randomized study in hypertensive patients, changes in blood pressure (BP) and in plasma lipid and lipoprotein levels during treatment with celiprolol were compared with those occurring during nifedipine treatment. Fifty-three patients (28 men and 25 women) with mild-to-moderate hypertension, aged 20-64 years, were studied. After a 1-month placebo run-in period, patients were randomly assigned to receive either nifedipine (40 mg daily) or celiprolol (200 mg daily) each time using a double dummy technique. After 6 weeks, dosages of each drug could be doubled. Both drugs caused similar reductions in blood pressure but after 12 weeks treatment, the percentage of decrease in diastolic BP (DBP) was more pronounced (p less than 0.01) in the nifedipine group (-18%) than in the celiprolol group (-12%). After 6 weeks, there were no differences in plasma lipids between the two treatment groups. However, the changes after 12 weeks treatment were different (p less than 0.05) between the groups, leading to lower levels of plasma esterified cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and apoprotein AI, AII, and B in the celiprolol group. Plasma lecithin cholesterol acyltransferase activity (LCAT) was not modified, suggesting that reverse cholesterol transport was not affected by the drugs. In both treatment groups, a significant positive relationship was observed between changes in LDL cholesterol and apoprotein B. As compared with nifedipine, celiprolol after 12-week therapy had a rather favorable plasma lipid profile. The clinical relevance of such findings, in terms of prevention of cardiovascular complications, has yet to be established

Impairment of renal function with increasing blood lead concentrations in the general population

Cadmium and lead are toxic to the kidney. Both metals are known to induce nephropathy in subjects with heavy exposure. Environmental exposure to cadmium is associated with renal tubular dysfunction, but few studies have attempted to evaluate the renal effects of environmental lead exposure. A weak positive correlation between serum creatinine and blood lead concentrations was found in men, but not women, in the British civil service. We investigated the relation between lead exposure and renal function in the general population, using data obtained during the Cadmibel (Cadmium in Belgium) Study. Lead exposure was estimated by measuring blood concentrations of lead and zinc protoporphyrin, which is increased in the presence of high lead levels