9 research outputs found
Examination of distribution of trace elements in hair, fingernails and toenails as alternative biological materials : application of chemometric methods
The aim of this study was to find correlations between several studied elements and analyzed materials as well as the application
and validation of an analytical method to determine trace elements in hair, fingernails and toenails of healthy volunteers (normal
concentration). The method developed covers washing, mineralization and ICP- MS determination of 10 elements (Ca, Cd, Co, Cr,
Cu, Fe, Mg, Ni, Pb and Zn) in hair and nails. Concentrations of the selected elements in hair, fingernails and toenails were measured
for 24 women and 18 men. Furthermore, a chemometric approach (Principal Component Analysis, PCA) was employed to evaluate
the correlations between concentrations of the elements in hair and nails and between these materials. Until now PCA has not been
frequently applied in handling and interpretation of the results of analysis of biological materials. However, the results of the present
investigation show the high potential of PCA in extraction of valuable information from analytical measurements. Additionally, PCA
has become a useful tool for visualization of the obtained results. Moreover, the cluster analysis (CA) was used to group the samples
according to gender, taking into account two different groups of elements: essential and toxic