Cadmium, Lead and Zinc in the Soil-Plant-Alpaca System and Potential Health Risk Assessment Associated with the Intake of Alpaca Meat in Huancavelica, Peru

The consumption of contaminated natural pastures with highly dangerous and toxic heavy metals such as cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) by Andean camelids could cause harmful effects on the health of people exposed via consumption of contaminated alpaca meat. The concentration of Cd, Pb and Zn in the soil-plant-alpaca system was determined and the potential health risk associated with the intake of alpaca meat was evaluated. Soil and grass samples were collected in grazing areas of the South American camelid, and in the Municipal Slaughterhouse of Huancavelica, 30 samples of alpaca pectoral muscle were collected. The concentrations of Cd in the soil, grass and alpaca muscle exceeded the threshold values of national and international standards. The bioaccumulation factor values of the three elements studied was less than 1, Cd was the element with the highest bioavailability and mobility in the soil-plant-alpaca muscle system. The mean concentration of Cd in muscle was 0.335 ± 0.088 mg/kg which exceeded the maximum level allowed by the FAO/WHO and the European Commission, the concentration of Pb and Zn did not exceed the regulated limits. No significant differences were detected in accumulation according to sex. The non-carcinogenic hazard index (HI) values for the studied metals indicated that there is no adverse health risk (HI < 1) for children and adults from alpaca meat intake, but they could experience carcinogenic risk from prolonged exposure to Cd, and for exceeding the 1×10–4 limit threshold. It is recommended to conduct further studies on the accumulation of potentially toxic elements in alpaca tissues in order to determine the possible total risk of heavy metals in consumer’s health

Heavy Metal Accumulation in Sediment and Removal Efficiency in the Stabilization Ponds with the Hydrocotyle ranunculoides Filter

The heavy metal accumulation in the sediment and removal efficiency in stabilization ponds with Hydrocotyle ranunculoides filter were evaluated. Sediment and water were sampled in June, July and August 2018. The sediment sampling for each lagoon was conducted at three sites forming a composite sample. The water samples were collected in the tributary and effluent pipelines to determine the heavy metal concentration and removal efficiency by Hydrocotyle ranunculoides. The determination of heavy metals was performed with the method of atomic flame absorption spectrophotometry. The mean concentration of heavy metals in the sediment, in a descending order, was: Fe > Zn > Pb > Cu > Cd. The concentrations of these metals ranged from 998.0 to 1365.02, from 488.01 to 600.30, from 88.23 to 95.01, from 1.47 to 1.53 and from 0.01 to 0.13 mg/Kg, respectively. In the four stabilization ponds, the pollution factor values for Cd, Cu and Fe qualified as low pollution factor. While for Zn and Pb, they qualified as moderate pollution factors. The heavy metal removal rates from the water varied by metal

New insights into the genetic etiology of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias

Characterization of the genetic landscape of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and related dementias (ADD) provides a unique opportunity for a better understanding of the associated pathophysiological processes. We performed a two-stage genome-wide association study totaling 111,326 clinically diagnosed/‘proxy’ AD cases and 677,663 controls. We found 75 risk loci, of which 42 were new at the time of analysis. Pathway enrichment analyses confirmed the involvement of amyloid/tau pathways and highlighted microglia implication. Gene prioritization in the new loci identified 31 genes that were suggestive of new genetically associated processes, including the tumor necrosis factor alpha pathway through the linear ubiquitin chain assembly complex. We also built a new genetic risk score associated with the risk of future AD/dementia or progression from mild cognitive impairment to AD/dementia. The improvement in prediction led to a 1.6- to 1.9-fold increase in AD risk from the lowest to the highest decile, in addition to effects of age and the APOE ε4 allele

New insights into the genetic etiology of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias

Characterization of the genetic landscape of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and related dementias (ADD) provides a unique opportunity for a better understanding of the associated pathophysiological processes. We performed a two-stage genome-wide association study totaling 111,326 clinically diagnosed/‘proxy’ AD cases and 677,663 controls. We found 75 risk loci, of which 42 were new at the time of analysis. Pathway enrichment analyses confirmed the involvement of amyloid/tau pathways and highlighted microglia implication. Gene prioritization in the new loci identified 31 genes that were suggestive of new genetically associated processes, including the tumor necrosis factor alpha pathway through the linear ubiquitin chain assembly complex. We also built a new genetic risk score associated with the risk of future AD/dementia or progression from mild cognitive impairment to AD/dementia. The improvement in prediction led to a 1.6- to 1.9-fold increase in AD risk from the lowest to the highest decile, in addition to effects of age and the APOE ε4 allele