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Trace elements in full-term neonate hair
R Moro1, G Gialanella, Y X Zhang
1Dipartimento di Scienze Fisiche, Università di Napoli, Italy.
Insights
Trace element levels in newborn hair, measured by Proton Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE), showed no sex or gestational differences. Correlations between elements may reveal insights into human trace element metabolism.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Nutrition
- Trace Element Analysis
- Biomedical Science
Background:
- Trace elements are essential for human health and development.
- Hair analysis is a non-invasive method to assess long-term exposure to elements.
- Understanding elemental profiles in newborns is crucial for assessing nutritional status and potential health risks.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify the concentrations of 12 trace elements in the hair of 141 AGA newborn infants.
- To investigate potential correlations between these trace elements.
- To compare findings with existing literature and explore implications for trace element metabolism.
Main Methods:
- Proton Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE) was utilized for simultaneous measurement of 12 trace elements.
- Hair samples were collected from 141 AGA newborn infants at term.
- Statistical analysis, including log-normal distribution and partial correlation, was performed.
Main Results:
- Log-normal distributions were observed for all measured trace elements.
- No significant differences in trace element concentrations were found concerning sex, gestational age, or body weight.
- Significant correlations were identified between various trace elements, suggesting interconnected metabolic pathways. Zinc and copper levels were lower than reported in literature, while chromium and selenium were higher, aligning with some previous studies.
Conclusions:
- Hair trace element concentrations in newborns do not appear to be significantly influenced by sex, gestational age, or body weight.
- Observed correlations among elements may provide insights into the regulatory mechanisms of trace element metabolism in humans.
- While absolute concentrations can vary, elemental ratios and correlations might offer a more stable indicator of metabolic processes.
Abstract:
Proton Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE) was employed to measure simultaneously the concentration of 12 trace elements in the hair of 141 AGA newborn infants at term. Log-normal distributions were measured for all elements. There were no significant differences in trace elements in relation to sex, gestational age and body weight. The geometric means (mg/kg) were: Cr, 1.5 +/- 0.2; Mn, 1.5 +/- 0.1; Fe, 51 +/- 4; Ni, 1.0 +/- 0.2; Cu, 6.1 +/- 0.3; Zn, 133 +/- 3; As, 0.055 +/- 0.005; Se 0.81 +/- 0.05; Br, 1.3 +/- 0.1; Pb, 1.4 +/- 0.2; Rb, 0.22 +/- 0.03; and Sr, 1.5 +/- 0.2. Some direct and inverse partial correlations among elements were found at different levels of significance. Each element was significantly correlated with at least one other. Zinc and copper concentrations were lower compared to data in the literature. The high values of chromium and selenium concentrations were in agreement with previous findings. The manganese level was in accordance with previous data. The Zn/Cu ratio agreed very well with the data in the literature. This indicates that while concentration values may be subjected to large variations due to living conditions, correlations could be more stable and therefore offer insight on the regulatory mechanisms governing trace element metabolism in man.