Quantitative analysis of some important metals and metalloids in tobacco products by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS)

BACKGROUND: Large scale usage of tobacco causes a lot of health troubles in human. Various formulations of tobacco are extensively used by the people particularly in developing world. Besides several toxic tobacco constituents some metals and metalloids are also believed to pose health risks. This paper describes inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometric (ICP-MS) quantification of some important metals and metalloids in various brands of smoked, sniffed, dipped and chewed tobacco products. RESULTS: A microwave-assisted digestion method was used for sample preparation. The method was validated by analyzing a certified reference material. Percentage relative standard deviation (% R.S.D.) between recovered and certified values was < 5.8. Linearity value for calibration curve of each metal was 1 > r > 0.999. Improved limits of detection (LODs) were in range of ng/L for all elements. Fe, Al and Mn were found to be in the highest concentration in all types of tobacco products, while Zn, Cu, Ni and Cr were below the average concentration of 40 μg/g, and Pb, Co, As, Se and Cd were below 5 μg/g. All elements, apart from Pb, were high in concentration in dipping tobacco in comparison to other tobacco products. Generally, the order of all elemental concentration can be expressed in different tobacco products as chewing < smoked < sniffing < dipping. However, smoked and sniffing will interchange their position in the case of Mn, Cu, Se and Cd. Multivariate statistical analyses were also performed to evaluate the correlation and variations among tobacco products. CONCLUSIONS: The present study highlights the quantification of some important metals and metalloids in a wide spectrum of tobacco formulations. The outcome of this study would be beneficial for health authorities and individuals

Ionomic profiling of pericardial fluid in ischemic heart disease

Metals are essential cofactors that play a crucial role in heart function at the cell and tissue level. Information regarding the role of metals in the pericardial fluid and its ionome in ischemic heart disease (IHD) is limited. We aimed to determine the association of elements in pericardial fluid and serum samples of IHD patients and their correlation with systolic and diastolic function. IHD patients have been studied with systolic and diastolic dysfunction categorized on the basis of echocardiographic parameters. We measured concentrations of sixteen elements in the pericardial fluid and serum of 46 patients obtained during open heart surgery with IHD by ICP-MS. The levels of chromium and nickel in pericardial fluid were significantly higher as compared with serum samples of IHD patients (p \u3c 0.05). The chromium, nickel and manganese levels in pericardial fluid were lower in patients with ejection fraction (EF) \u3c 45% as compared to EF \u3e 45% (p \u3c 0.05). There was no significant difference in pericardial concentrations of elements in diastolic dysfunction grade 0–1 with 2 in IHD patients. We also found that decreased concentration of these elements in pericardial fluid is associated with decreased systolic function. These results suggest that pericardial fluid concentrations of these metals may reflect the extent of ischemic heart disease. These findings are hypothesis generating with regards to a role in the pathogenesis of the disorder

Understanding of metals dysregulation in patients with systolic and diastolic dysfunction in ischemic heart disease

Ischemic heart disease (IHD) is the leading cause of death and chronic disability in the world. IHD affects both the systolic and diastolic function of the heart which progressively leads to heart failure; a structural and functional impairment of filling or ejection of blood from the heart. In this study, the progression of systolic and diastolic dysfunction characterized according to their echocardiographic parameters including left ventricular ejection fraction (EF), grades of diastolic dysfunction and ratio between early mitral inflow velocity and mitral annular early diastolic velocity (E/e\u27), were correlated with differential regulation of various metals in patients sera samples (n = 62) using inductive coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Chromium, nickel and selenium were found significant (p \u3c 0.05) in patients having EF \u3c 45% compared with EF \u3e 45%. In patients with systolic dysfunction (EF \u3c 45%), the level of selenium was decreased while the level of chromium and nickel was increased compared to patients with EF \u3e 45%. Selenium level was also decreased significantly (p \u3c 0.05) in grade 1A and 2 patients that are considered as higher grades of diastole dysfunction in comparison to grade 0-1. Overall, selenium deficiency was identified in both systolic and diastolic dysfunctions of IHD patients corresponding to the progression of disease that could be related to many metabolic and translational pathways specifically which involve selenoproteins

Polymeric hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography coupled with Orbitrap mass spectrometry and chemometric analysis for untargeted metabolite profiling of natural rice variants

GC-MS based metabolomics of genetically modified rice varieties are widely reported but involves tedious derivatization processes. Broad-scale LC-MS-based metabolomics are lacking or limited to targeted analyses. In this study, metabolite diversity in natural rice variants including basmati and non-basmati rice varieties was investigated using polymeric hydrophilic interaction chromatography coupled to an Orbitrap mass analyzer. Identification was performed using exact mass and standard retention times. A total of 329 metabolites were selected using IDEOM (Identification of metabolites) software. Statistical tests were used to filter out top 50 rice varieties discriminating metabolites. Several up- or down-regulated metabolites were observed in rice varieties and can be used as biomarker compounds to differentiate between rice varieties. The developed method and generated data can be used for the comparison of genetically modified rice varieties with natural ones, an important requirement for the implementation of comparator-based GMO risk assessment procedures demanded by national and international regulations

Metabolomics Study of Serum Samples of &beta;-YAC Transgenic Mice Treated with Tenofovir Disoproxil Fumarate

&beta;-thalassemia is one of the most common monogenic disorders and a life-threatening health issue in children. A cost-effective and safe therapeutic approach to treat this disease is to reactivate the &gamma;-globin gene for fetal hemoglobin (HbF) production that has been silenced during infancy. Hydroxyurea (HU) is the only FDA approved HbF inducer. However, its cytotoxicity and inability to respond significantly in all patients pose a need for an HbF inducer with better efficacy. The study describes the serum metabolic alteration in &beta;-YAC transgenic mice treated with Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) (n = 5), a newly identified HbF inducer, and compared to the mice groups treated with HU (n = 5) and untreated control (n = 5) using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Various univariate and multivariate statistical analyses were performed to identify discriminant metabolites that altered the biological pathways encompassing galactose metabolism, lactose degradation, and inositol. Furthermore, the decreased concentrations of L-fucose and geraniol in TDF-treated mice help in recovering towards normal, decreasing oxidative stress even much better than the HU-treated mice. The proposed study suggested that TDF can reduce the deficiency of blood required for &beta;-thalassemia and can be used for the preclinical study at phase I/II for fetal hemoglobin production

Depression among adult patients with primary brain tumour: A cross-sectional study of risk factors in a low-middle-income country

Objective: The prevalence of depression among patients with primary brain tumour ranges from 15% to 40% globally. Several individual and clinical factors contribute to the development of depression. However, their association with depression in Pakistani setting has not yet been assessed. Thus, we aim to study the factors associated with depression among adult patients with primary brain tumour at a tertiary care hospital in Karachi, Pakistan.Study design: A prospective cross-sectional study.Setting: This study was conducted at a tertiary care hospital of Karachi, Pakistan.Participants: This study included 132 patients with confirmed diagnosis of primary brain tumour (initially diagnosed on MRI of the brain with contrast and later confirmed on histology of surgical specimen) in various stages of treatment.Primary outcome: The primary outcome of this study was to assess depression and its associated factors among adult patients with primary brain tumour. Depression was assessed using a validated screening tool Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). Scores of 10-27 on PHQ-9 were indicative of screen positive for depressive symptoms. A set of the structured pre-tested questions was used to evaluate patient-related, tumor-related and treatment-related factors.Results: Fifty-one (39%, CI: 33.33-46.94) patients in our study screened positive for depressive symptoms on PHQ-9. There was a significant association between depressive symptoms and Karnofsky Performance Scores (KPS) (prevalence ratio: 3.25 and CI: 1.87-5.62) after controlling covariates. Propensity scores predicted a positive association between KPS (functional status) and unemployment, treatment stage, and tumour recurrence. Tumor-related and treatment-related factors including tumour grade, location, type and hemispheric lateralisation were found insignificant.Conclusion: Depression is common in patients with primary brain tumour. Impaired functional status has a direct impact on depression in these patients. Incorporating the psychosocial domain earlier in the course of treatment needs to be considered for better neuro-oncology management of patients with primary brain tumour