Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine (Environ Health Prev Med)

Publications in this journal

• Article: Evaluation of an automatic fogging disinfection unit

  Seizoh Nakata, Takuya Ikeda, Hiroshi Nakatani, Masako Sakamoto, Minoru Higashidutsumi, Takesi Honda, Akira Kawayoshi, Yoshiji Iwamura
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  ABSTRACT: A new fogging disinfection method was evaluated as a means of disinfecting ward rooms and operating theaters. A temporary room was established where the disinfection effect of fogging was examined. Based on the results, an automatic fogging disinfection unit was developed. This unit was then used in the disinfection of operating theaters, where its safety and effectiveness were examined. To evaluate the results of disinfection, bacterial culture tests were performed on the floor, walls and other areas of the operating theater, and the number of colony forming units was used as an index of effectiveness. Benzalkonium chloride, alkyldiaminoethylglycine, sodium hypochlorite, glutaral and acidic electrolytic water were used for the operating theaters. The average disinfection effect was 90% or better for all disinfectants, except acidic electrolytic water. The newly developed automatic fogging disinfection unit enables safe and effective disinfection, and may be suitable for disinfecting ward rooms and operating theaters.
  Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine 04/2012; 6(3):160-164.
• Article: The effects of Ginkgo biloba extract (GBe) on axonal transport microvasculature and morphology of sciatic nerve in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats

  Jinman Kim, Kazuhito Yokoyama, Shunichi Araki
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  ABSTRACT: To evaluate the protective effects ofGinkgo biloba extract (GBe) which has antioxidant activity against peripheral neuropathy due to diabetes mellitus, slow axonal transport and morphology of sciatic nerve including endoneurial microvessels were examined in 12 rats with diabetes mellitus induced by streptozotocin (STZ, 60mg/kg, b.w., i.p.). Six of the diabetic rats were treated with 0.1 % of GBe for 6 weeks from one week after the STZ injection. Serum glucose and lipid peroxide levels in GBe-treated diabetic rats were significantly lower than those in untreated diabetic rats (p<0.01, respectively), though the serum glucose level was higher than that in the control rats. L-[35S] methionine pulse radiolabeling with subsequent gel fluorography demonstrated that mean velocities (Vmean) of actin and β-tubulin, i.e. slow component b (SCb) transport in untreated diabetic rats were significantly lower than those in control rats (p<0.05, respectively); mean diameter of axons in the former rats was significantly smaller than that in the latter (p<0.01). Vmean of actin transport in GBe-treated diabetic rats was significantly faster than that in untreated diabetic rats (p<0.05). Vmean of slow axonal transport was significantly correlated with mean diameter of axons in the three groups of rats combined (p<0.01). On electron microscopy, severe altered endoneurial microvessels decreasing in luminal area together with endothelial cell degeneration or hypertrophy, pericyte debris and basement membrane thickening were observed in untreated diabetic rats; on the other hand these findings were less prominent in the diabetic rats treated with GBe. It is suggested that GBe treatment may protect disturbed slow axonal transport and pathological alterations of peripheral nerve with abnormal endoneurial microvasculature from diabetes mellitus by antioxidant activity.
  Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine 04/2012; 5(2):53-59.
• Article: The effect of daily walking on body fat distribution

  Taeko Kajioka, Hiroshi Shimokata, Yuzo Sato
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  ABSTRACT: The effect of daily walking on body fat distribution was investigated using an electronic pedometer and ultrasonography. Subjects were 77 women, aged 31 to 72 years. They were divided into four groups according to the average number of steps they walked per day (I<7,500, 7,500 ≤II<10,000, 10,000 <III<12,500, 12,500 ≤IV). Subcutaneous fat in the trunk and limbs, and the minimum thickness of subcutaneous fat (Smin) and the maximum thickness of preperitoneal fat (Pmax) below the xiphoid process were measured by ultrasonography. Abdominal wall fat index (AFI) reflecting the intra-abdominal fat accumulation was obtained by dividing Pmax by Smin. Fat distribution was analyzed by ANCOVA, controlled for age, body mass index (BMI), percent body fat, and menopausal status. Energy and macronutrient intake were obtained through a nutritional survey. There were no significant differences in anthropometric variables, energy and macronutrient intake, and subcutaneous fat thickness in trunk and limbs. Pmax of Group I was significantly higher than Group IV. Furthermore, Group I showed significantly higher AFI than the other three Groups (II, III, IV). The results of this study suggested that women who walked less than 7,500 steps per day tend to have significantly increased intra-abdominal fat accumulation.
  Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine 04/2012; 5(3):85-89.
• Article: Methodological issues for a large-scale intervention trial of lifestyle modification: Interim assessment of the high-risk and population strategy for occupational health promotion (HIPOP-OHP) study

  Tomonori Okamura, Taichiro Tanaka, Toru Takebayashi, Hideaki Nakagawa, Hiroshi Yamato, Katsushi Yoshita, Takashi Kadowaki, Akira Okayama, Hirotsugu Ueshima, the HIPOP-OHP research group
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  ABSTRACT: ObjectiveTo clarify the methodological issues for the High-risk and population Strategy for Occupational Health Promotion Study (HIPOP-OHP study), which is a 4-year non-randomized control trial, an interim assessment of male participants was performed 3 years after the baseline survey. MethodsWe had approximately 2,500 and 4,000 participants in the intervention and control groups, respectively. The population measures and prevalence of risk factors at each year, and between the baseline and 4th examinations were compared between the two groups. The personal trends of returning participants who were in the study at the 1st and 4th examinations were also evaluated. ResultsDuring the 3 years, an increase in serum HDL cholesterol (2.7 mg/dl), and a reduction in the prevalence of hypertriglycemia detected with fasting blood samples (3.6%) and current smokers (5.4%) were observed in the intervention group. The mean HDL cholesterol level was significantly higher in the intervention group than in the control group at the 4th examination, reversed from the baseline survey. The serum non-HDL cholesterol level was significantly increased only in the control group. There was also a significant increase in the prevalence of hypertriglycemia nad high plasma glucose detected with fasting blood samples in the control group. The return participation rate after 3 years was 72.2% for the intervention group and 74.9% for the control group. The above-mentioned changes for risk factors were mainly due to returning participants at each examination. ConclusionThese interventional methods may be effective in improving overall cardiovascular risk factors in the population. However, the low return participation rate will dilute the effect of the intervention.
  Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine 04/2012; 9(4):137-143.
• Article: Biological effects of fibrous and particulate substances and related areas: foreword

  Takemi Otsuki
  Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine 04/2012; 14(4):214-215.
• Article: Gelatin potentiates lead toxicity due to improper preparation of a Chinese tea drug, choreito. A study based on our previously published case report of long-term choreito use

  YE Huijuan, Masao Katsumata, Masayasu Minami
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  ABSTRACT: A woman who had used a Chinese tea drug, choreito, for treatment of chronic renal diseases over years, experienced lead poisoning with blood lead concentration over 600 μg/l on admission to the hospital. We found that one of the ingredients in choreito, kasseki, was commonly contaminated by lead (30–50 μg/g of kasseki), but this level of lead contamination in the drug had never caused poisoning previously. Our experiment indicates that another ingredient, gelatin, has lead-extracting ability and an adhesive quality on the walls of teapots. Thus, the possible causes of the toxicity seemed to be: (1) the lead in the kasseki, which was extracted by gelatin that had adhered to the wall of the pot, accumulated in large quantities for a long period of time (the patient used the same pot for more than a year without washing); and (2) a large quantity of the accumulated lead was released into the decoted drug day by day and induced the intoxication. In all, 37.2 mg of lead was extracted by 10 extractions of 4% acetic acid from the patient's pot. Repeated extraction (four times) of lead from the pot which was made by the same manufacturer in the same lot of the patient's pot with acetic acid, only totally 18.5 μg of lead was detected. Also, it is evident that the intoxication was due to an improper method of decoction, that is, the patient did not prepare the tea according to Japanese pharmsacopoedia. The patient decocted all of the ingredients at the same time.
  Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine 04/2012; 5(4):167-172.
• Article: The relationship between physical fitness and coronary risk factor profiles in Japanese women

  Tomoko Takamiya, Teruichi Shimomitsu, Yuko Odagiri, Yumiko Ohya, Ayumi Sakamoto, Toshihito Katsumura, Norio Murase, Mamiko Naka, Junichi Kajiyama
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  ABSTRACT: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between physical fitness and coronary risk factor profiles in Japanese women. The subjects were 1,483 women (ages 30 to 69) who participated in a practical health promotion program. After medical examination, physical fitness was evaluated by conducting a symptom limited maximal exercise test by ergometer to measure maximum oxygen uptake (peakVO2) with an expired gas analyzer. The subjects were classified into 3 groups (high fitness, moderate fitness, and low fitness) according to age and physical fitness level. The results showed that the subjects in higher fitness groups had lower levels in: body mass index (BMI), percentage of body fat, waist-hip ratio, resting blood pressure, and atherogenic index, and higher HDL-cholesterol compared to those in lower fitness group. Even after adjustment for the effects of age and BMI, die subjects in the higher fitness groups had better coronary risk factor profiles. These results suggest that among Japanese women a high level of physical fitness is related to favorable coronary risk factor profiles.
  Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine 04/2012; 5(1):6-12.
• Article: Suicidal risk factors and completed suicide: meta-analyses based on psychological autopsy studies

  Kouichi Yoshimasu, Chikako Kiyohara, Kazuhisa Miyashita, The Stress Research Group of the Japanese Society for Hygiene
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  ABSTRACT: The purpose of the present review is to evaluate the effects of common risk factors for suicide by meta-analyses using data extracted from studies based on the psychological autopsy method. We focused on five common risk factors of suicide: substance-related disorders, mood disorders, adverse marital status, adverse employment status, and self-harm behaviors. A total of 24 articles were identified from MEDLINE in which the crude odds ratio (OR) could be calculated for the above five risk factors through 30 April 2007, using such search keywords as “suicide,” “psychological autopsy,” and “case-control study.” Overall, both substance-related disorders [OR=5.24; 95% confidence interval (CI)=3.30–8.31] and mood disorders [OR=13.42; 95% CI=8.05–22.37] were strongly associated with suicidal risk. Suicidal attempt and deliberate self-harm, which can directly lead to completed suicide, have been shown to be very strongly associated with suicidal risk [OR=16.33; 95% CI=7.51–35.52]. Effects of social factors such as adverse marital and employment status were relatively small. As substance-related disorders and mood disorders were strongly associated with an increased risk of completed suicide, the comorbidity of these two disorders should be paid a maximum attention. The effective prevention of suicide depends on whether we can successfully incorporate these personal factors as well as social factors into an adequate multi-factorial model.
  Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine 04/2012; 13(5):243-256.
• Article: Japan’s national tuberculosis control strategies with economic considerations

  Nader Ghotbi, Shuzo Nishimura, Naoyoshi Takatsuka
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  ABSTRACT: We made a bibliographic search for Japanese and non-Japanese literature on tuberculosis control programs to study the current public health policies for tuberculosis control in Japan especially in regard to cost-effectiveness. Then, we compared the Japanese, strategies for tuberculosis control with those in other countries including the United States, and those recommended by World Health Organization (WHO). The current trend of tuberculosis incidence in the Japanese community demonstrates major differences from the situation that had prompted installation of tuberculosis control measures several decades ago. The tuberculosis control measures should be targeted to the elderly people (over 65 years old) because of the following three aspects. (1) A continuing decline of tuberculosis in the young Japanese population, particularly children who might attain benefits from BCG immunization; (2) The enhancement of the prevalence among the elderly people who are not covered by a uniform national surveillance strategy; (3) Cost-ineffectiveness of Mass Miniature Radiography (MMR) being used as a means to screen for tuberculosis. The cost-effectiveness issue must be considered more seriously, and the WHO recommendations especially in regard with the DOTS (directly-observed treatment, short course) strategy need to be incorporated more effectively into the national program since the incidence of drug resistant tuberculosis in Japan has been recently increasing. Finally, we propose to limit BCG immunization further and to discontinue annual MMR in the young population, and instead to develop effective strategies of both active and passive case finding in the elderly through public and community health services.
  Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine 04/2012; 10(4):213-218.
• Article: Determination of the platelet activating factor in silicotic patients and its effect on fibroblasts

  Qunwei Zhang, Yiqun Mo, Jinpin Lou, Xinqiang Zhu, Zhimin Chen, Linyun He, Huixian Zhong
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  ABSTRACT: Platelet-activation factor (PAF), one of the potent proinflammatory mediators, is produced from a large range of cells, including polymorphonuclear neutrophils, monocytes, and natural killer cells. To study the role of PAF in the pathogenesis of silicosis, we determined the PAF in silicotic patients and in healthy persons. The results showed that the concentration of PAF in the plasma of silicotic patients was significantly higher than that of healthy persons. Ourin vitro experimental results showed that the total numbers of fibroblasts were markedly raised with added PAF from 0 to 1 μ g/ml. Adding 1 μ g/ml PAF significantly increased the total numbers of fibroblasts after culture for 48, 72, 96 hrs. Therefore, we suggest that PAF be possibly involved in the pathogenesis of silicosis. However, the mechanism remains to be further elucidated.
  Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine 04/2012; 5(4):134-137.
• Article: Occlusal function associated with body composition in premenopausal Japanese women

  Shuichi Hara, Hisako Yanagi, Hitoshi Amagai, Shigeo Tomura
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  ABSTRACT: ObjectivesThe goal of the present study was to investigate the relationship between occlusal function and body composition in 108 premenopausal healthy Japanese women aged 20–45 years. MethodsPressure-sensitive sheets were used to measure occlusal function. Whole fat mass and lean mass, fat-free mass, and whole-bone mineral content were measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). ResultsAfter being adjusted for age and the square of height, the whole lean mass and grip strength of the large occlusal contact-area group were found to be significantly higher than those of the small occlusal area groups (p<0.05, respectively). In the 1-year follow-up study, changes in weight in the small-occlusal contact-area group and the low-occlusal force group were significantly larger than other occlusal-contact area or occlusal-force groups. The mean occlusal-contact area and occlusal force were both significantly smaller in subjects with partial dentures than in those without (p<0.05). ConclusionLarge occlusal contact-area, high occlusal force, and no dentures may be associated with some good health conditions in premenopausal Japanese women.
  Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine 04/2012; 6(3):170-176.
• Article: A cross-sectional population-based study on senile dementia in a rural city

  Miyoko Honda, Yukinori Kusaka, Akemi Morita, Sumio Nagasawa, Kousuke Umino, Kiminori Isaki
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  ABSTRACT: All residents aged 65 or over in a rural city (n=5340) were studied with a self-administered questionnaire on psychiatric symptoms, physical health status, medical history, and environmental factors. After the screening, the clinical diagnosis of senile dementia was made by psychiatrists. The overall prevalence was 4.0% among responders staying at home (201/4969). The prevalence increased with age for both males and females and tended to be higher for females than males. The multilogistic analysis of the above variables showed that in the cerebrovascular type, stroke and inactive physical status might be risk factors for both gender groups. For the Alzheimer’s type, age and inactive physical status might be risk factors. For overall dementia, age, stroke, and inactive physical status might be risk factors.
  Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine 04/2012; 5(1):31-36.
• Article: The unique correlation between anti-mutagenicity of human saliva and change in body weight

  Masahario Toda, Kanehisa Morimoto, Sei-ichi Nakamura, Takashi Umeda, Shigeyuki Nakaji, Kazuo Sugawara
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  ABSTRACT: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of weight reduction on the anti-mutagenicity of human saliva. Subjects were 16 male college judo players. The anti-mutagenicity of the saliva was measured using the umu test. There was an inhibiting effect of the saliva on the mutagenicity of AF-2. However, a modifying effect of the saliva on Trp-P-1 was not observed. On the day before a competition and 7 days after the competition, the inhibiting capacity of the saliva for the mutagenicity of AF-2 decreased and increased in two non-weight reduction and two weight reduction groups, respectively. However, on the day before the competition, the changed body weights (r=−0.77, p<0.01) and BMI (r=−0.77, p<0.01) were significantly correlated with that of the inhibiting capacity of the saliva for the mutagenicity of AF-2. In addition, the BMI at 20 days before the competition was not significantly but markedly correlated with it (r=0.50, p=0.057). At 7 days after the competition, however, these correlations were not found. These findings suggest a unique correlation between the anti-mutagenicity of human saliva and body weight or BMI.
  Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine 04/2012; 6(2):82-87.
• Article: Maternal leisure-time physical activities are not determinant risk factors of low birthweight babies: A cross-sectional study of 1,714 pregnant women

  Adriana Schüler Cavalli, Toyoho Tanaka
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  ABSTRACT: There is a general recognition of the role of low birthweight (LBW) as a major determinant of infant mortality rates. Since the rate of LBW has been increasing over the past fifteen years in Japan, we decided to ascertain the risk factors related to it, and also to verify whether or not maternal leisure-time physical activities including sports activities, before pregnancy and during gestation, affected the rate of LBW babies. In our study of the 2,682 questionnaires delivered within a year to the Municipal Health Centers of the three cities chosen for this study, 1,714 questionnaires were analyzed. The results in a univariate analysis showed that maternal height, pre-pregnancy weight, length of gestation, smoking, hospitalization before the 37th week of gestation, a history of LBW, and occupational activities were significantly associated with LBW. In logistic regression analyses, mothers of smaller stature, less pre-pregnancy weight, less length of gestation and mothers who were, furthermore, hospitalized before the 37th week of gestation, smoked, had previously delivered a LBW baby or had experienced stressful events during pregnancy were more likely to have LBW babies. The results showed that maternal leisure-time physical activities before and/or during pregnancy had no bearing on the delivery of a LBW baby.
  Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine 04/2012; 5(2):72-80.
• Article: Policy functions of smoking control in Japan

  Hajime Sato, Shunichi Araki, Kazuhito Yokoyama
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  ABSTRACT: Analysis of policy functions, with a focus on their major participants, elicits a clear picture of the decision-making process for smoking control in Japan. Activities of various advocacy groups have affected the functions of policy, including: Intelligence, Promotion, Prescription, Invocation, Application and Appraisal. In fulfilling these functions, they have affected every issue they faced by creating, transforming and propagating information in line with their interests and by influencing government decisions using coalition-building and the lobbying of elected officials. Furthermore, they have determined the development and implementation of various programs, even assuming key roles in substantiating the decisions. On the other hand, political leverage by the tobacco industry, exercised through various policy functions, intimidated the government leadership and eventually controlled its actions. When the nonsmokers’ rights groups emerged, they gradually started to take part in policy functions, sometimes in cooperation with the health agency. The initial and final forms of smoking control policies in society have been deeply affected by the involvement of these groups.
  Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine 04/2012; 4(4):156-164.
• Article: Chronic effect of training on neutrophil functions in humans

  Kazumasa Tsukamoto, Katsuhiko Suzuki, Kazuhiko Machida
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  ABSTRACT: We performed this study to evaluate the chronic effect of training on neutrophil functions in humans. Twenty-six university students (14 males and 12 females) with a mean age of 19.1±0.8 years were divided into the athlete group and the control group based on answers given to a written questionnaire. The capacity of circulating neutrophils to ingest bacteria (phagocytosis) and to produce superoxide (nitroblue tetrazolium reduction) was measured under resting conditions in the absence of training activities. In addition, we measured hematological and serum biochemical parameters. The present analyses revealed that the frequency of subjective symptoms concerning susceptibility to infections (sum of males and females) was higher in the athlete group than in the control group (p<0.05). In the investigation of males, hemoglobin and serum protein levels of the athlete group were lower than that of the control group (p<0.01, p<0.05, respectively). Although total and differential leukocyte counts, and phagocytic activity of neutrophils were not significantly different between the groups, superoxide productivity of neutrophils in the male athlete group was higher than that in the control group (p<0.05). Since significant differences were observed in hemoglobin and serum protein levels in the male athletes, the training is considered to have been intense. An increase was noted in the neutrophil superoxide production along with these changes, but no significant difference was observed in the phagocytic activity. Therefore, there is the possibility of superoxide overproduction, which may lead to tissue damage.
  Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine 04/2012; 6(1):22-26.
• Article: A butter diet induces higher levels of n-3 PUFA and of n−3/n−6 PUFA ratio in rat serum and hearts than a safflower oil diet

  Kazuko Hirai, Yuriko Ozeki, Takayo Nakano, Reiko Takezoe, Mamoru Nakanishi, Yasuyo Asano, Hisa Higuchi
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  ABSTRACT: The effects of a 47-week diet of butter or safflower oil as fat in combination with casein or soy protein as protein were observed for the serum concentrations of lipids and fatty acid compositions in rat serum and heart. Serum total cholesterol (Chol) did not differ among the four experimental diet groups. In the butter groups, significantly higher low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-Chol and lower high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-Chol were observed than in the safflower oil groups (p<0.005, respectively). Higher levels of α-tocopherol were found in the butter groups than in the safflower oil groups (p<0.05) and in the casein groups than in the soy protein groups (p<0.01). In comparison with the safflower oil groups, the butter groups showed higher n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) contents and lower n-6 PUFA contents in serum and the hearts (p<0.005). The ratios of n-3/n-6 PUFA in the butter groups in serum, 0.26 and 0.18, and in the hearts, 0.37 and 0.36, (butter-casein diet and butter-soy protein diet, respectively) were higher than those of the safflower oil groups of under 0.01 in serum and 0.02 and 0.03 in the hearts (safflower oil-casein diet and safflower oil-soy protein diet, respectively) (p<0.005). In the soy protein groups, higher n-3 PUFA contents in the hearts were found than those of the casein groups (p<0.05). This study suggested that the butter diet induces higher levels of n-3 PUFA and a higher n-3/n-6 PUFA ratio than the safflower oil diet in rat serum and hearts over a long feeding period.
  Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine 04/2012; 5(4):138-143.
• Article: The endocrine disruptive effects of mercury

  Xinqiang Zhu, Yukinori Kusaka, Kazuhiro Sato, Qunwei Zhang
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  ABSTRACT: Mercury, identified thousands of years ago is one of the oldest toxicants known. The endocrine disruptive effects of mercury have recently become one of the major public concerns. In this report, the adverse effects of mercury on the hypothalamus, pituitary, thyroid, adrenal gland, and gonads (testis and ovary) in laboratory animals as well as in humans are reviewed. The effects of both environmental and occupational exposures to organic, inorganic, or metallic mercury are explained. There is sufficient evidence from animal studies supporting the disruptive effects of mercurials on the functions of the thyroid, adrenal, ovary, and testis, although several factors make it difficult to extrapolate the animal data to the human situation. However, the human studies performed so far, which focused mainly on serum hormone levels, failed to provide any conclusive data to confirm the findings from the animal studies. Therefore, further well-designed epidemiological studies are urgently needed. The possible mechanisms of the toxic effects are also discussed. The broad enzyme inhibition and the influence on the combining of hormones by their receptors, which seem due to its avid binding to sulphydryl, may account for the primary mechanism. The interference with intracellular calcium metabolism, and peroxidation may also be involved.
  Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine 04/2012; 4(4):174-183.
• Article: Relationship between maternal physical activities and preterm birth

  Adriana Schüler Cavalli, Toyoho Tanaka
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  ABSTRACT: A cross-sectional study was conducted in three Municipal Health Centers located in Aichi prefecture, central Japan. The main purpose of this study was to verify the interaction between maternal leisure-time physical activities prior to and/or during pregnancy and preterm birth and also, to determine the risk factors related to preterm birth. In this study of the 2,682 questionnaires delivered within one year to mothers or relatives at the Municipal Health Centers, 1,714 questionnaires were analyzed. In a univariate analysis the results showed that mothers who had a previous low birthweight or a premature baby, or who were hospitalized during pregnancy before the 37th week of gestation, or had an occupational activity, or carried out their household chores, or were sick, or received much medical advice and did not exercise were more likely to have a preterm baby. In multivariable logistic regression analyses, maternal hospitalization before the 37th week of gestation and occupational activities were significant determinants associated with preterm birth. Thus, it was verified that maternal leisure-time physical activities prior to and/or during pregnancy were not related to preterm birth.
  Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine 04/2012; 6(2):74-81.
• Article: Urinary porphyrins in patients with endemic chronic arsenic poisoning caused by burning coal in China

  Yaxiong Xie, Masao Kondo, Hidenori Koga, Hiroshi Miyamoto, Momoko Chiba
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  ABSTRACT: ObjectiveTo evaluate the effect of arsenic (As) on the porphyrin biosynthetic pathway, urine samples from patients with endemic chronic arsenic poisoning were examined. Subjects and MethodsThe subjects were 16 patients, who had been exposed to As from burning coal for 8 to 25 years, and 16 controls living in the same region in Guizhou Province in southwest China. Concentrations of urinary As, porphyrins and ALA were determined by induced coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with a reversed-phase column and fluorescence detector, and colorimetric spectrophotometry, respectively. ResultsConcentrations of As in patients and controls, 184.40±200.04 and 86.82±64.20μ g/g creatinine (mean ±SD) respectively, were significantly different (p<0.05). The concentrations of various kinds of urinary porphyrins, including isomers I and III of coproporphyrin and pentacarboxylporphyrin, were determined. Positive correlations were observed between As and porphyrins (e.g. total porphyrins, hexacarboxylporphyrin and coproporphyrin III) or between As and ALA in male and female patients. However, porphyrin and ALA concentrations were not significantly different between the patients and the controls. Urinary porphyrin concentrations in females were higher than those in males. ConclusionExposure to As from burning coal may influence porphyrin biosynthesis.
  Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine 04/2012; 5(4):180-185.