The effect of three environmentally important metals, arsenic, selenium, and chromium, on the accuracy of DNA synthesis in vitro has been analyzed. The addition of arsenic to fidelity assays did not significantly alter accuracy. Selenium did not alter fidelity under normal conditions of magnesium activation, nor did it affect the mutagenicity of manganese. Chromium in the form of Cr(III) as wel...

The spin-density wave properties of polycrystalline chromium thin films were determined by using infrared reflectivity to determine the gap energies. The incommensurate spin-density wave of bulk chromium is highly sensitive to perturbations from stress, disorder, and finite size effects, such as those found in polycrystalline films. Films prepared under various conditions display three differen...

Hexavalent chromium (VI) compounds are widely used in industry, while trivalent chromium (III) is used as a nutritional supplement. CrVI is generally considered more toxic and carcinogenic than its trivalent form and the toxicity of this metal is associated with free radical processes generating reactive oxygen species (ROS). The detailed mechanism of ROS formation by chromium and its compounds...

The effect of compost and humic acid in mobility and concentration of cadmium and chromium in contaminated soil were investigated. Experiment was carried out with three levels of soil cadmium and chromium and two organic matters (compost and humic acid). The study was performed in a randomized complete block design with 3 replicates. Results indicated that application of organic substances enha...

Chromium yeast supplementation has been studied for its ability to improve carbohydrate and lipid abnormalities. There have been some earlier literature-reported studies involving chromium supplementation amongst patients suffering diabetes, but the results would appear to be somewhat varied. Forty male Wistar rats (ten weeks old, 300 g in average body mass) were divided into one of four groups...

Hexavalent chromium is an environmental contaminant. Within the environment, marine waters are a common site for hexavalent chromium deposition. We have recently reported significantly high levels of chromium in skin tissue from North Atlantic right whales. These findings demonstrate that marine species are being exposed to chromium. It is possible that such exposures may be playing a role in p...

BACKGROUND Chromium is an essential trace element and nutritional supplement that has garnered interest for use as a weight loss aid. OBJECTIVE This trial assesses the effects of chromium picolinate supplementation, alone and combined with nutritional education, on weight loss in apparently healthy overweight adults. DESIGN This was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of 80...

Diabetic gastroparesis is associated with increased oxidative stress attributable to loss of upregulation of heme oxygenase-1 (HO1), with resultant damage to interstitial cells of Cajal and delayed gastric emptying. These changes can be reversed by induction of HO1. HO1 catalyzes the breakdown of heme into iron, biliverdin and, carbon monoxide (CO). The aim of this study was to determine whethe...

The carcinogenicity of chromium compounds is reviewed with specific attention to the gaps in knowledge for risk estimation and research needs. The most important problems at present are whether trivalent chromium compounds cause cancer, and whether there is a difference in cancer causing effects between the soluble and the slightly soluble hexavalent compounds in the practical exposure situatio...

The Panel was asked questions that had been prepared prior to the conference as well as queries from the audience, as follows. In response to a question from R. Bartlett as to how Crvl can get past the digestive tract without being reduced, M. Costa (New York University Medical Center) stated that it is, in fact, likely reduced. He emphasized that the pharmacokinetics of chromium have not been ...