Sea-water samples collected by a variety of clean sampling techniques yielded consistent results for copper, cadmium, zinc, and nickel, which implies that representative, uncontaminated samples were obtained. A dithiocarbamate extraction method coupled with atomic absorption spectrometry and electro,thermal atomization is described which is essentially 100% quantitative for each of the four met...

Metallothioneins are small, cysteine-rich proteins that avidly bind heavy metals such as zinc, copper, and cadmium to reduce their concentration to a physiological or nontoxic level. Metallothionein gene transcription is induced by several stimuli, notably heavy metal load and oxidative stress. Transcriptional induction of metallothionein genes is mediated by the metal-responsive transcription ...

Background: This study was performed to evaluate the levels of heavy metals in the livers and kidneys of cattle, sheep and goats from a mining region in the west of Iran. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 90 samples were collected from the livers and kidneys of cattle (n=30), sheep (n=30) and goats (n=30) from a slaughterhouse in Hamedan City, western Iran. Lead, cadmium, manganese, zi...

background: cadmium is an extremely toxic metal with ubiquitous environmental distribution. cadmium is a potent reproductive and developmental toxic agent, and intensive environmental exposure to this substance has been reported among the residents of tehran. in this study, we investigated the correlation between amniotic fluid cadmium levels and the risk of preeclampsia, prematurity and low bi...

background : pancreatic cancer is a major worldwide health problem. little is known about the etiology of pancreatic cancer, which is an important cause of cancer mortality in developed countries. this study evaluates the importance of amounts of trace elements in pancreatic cancer etiology and diagnostics. methods : atomic absorption spectrometry was used to estimate zinc, selenium, copper, ca...

BACKGROUND Toxic element exposure and essential trace element consumption may have changed after the Chinese economy transformed to a market-oriented system.The objectives of this study were to measure urinary concentrations of toxic (arsenic,cadmium, lead) and essential trace (selenium, zinc, copper) elements among rural residents in Hainan, China and to examine if variations in economic devel...