Trace Elements Calcium Research Articles

Effects and Mechanism Analysis of Non-Bagging and Bagging Cultivation on the Growth and Content Change of Specific Substances of Fuji Apple Fruit.

The experiment was conducted at the Taidong Base of Shandong Institute of Pomology, Tai'an City, Shandong Province, China, from May to October 2022. Using Fuji Apple Tianhong.2/SH/Malus robusta (M. robusta) as experimental materials, the differences and mechanisms of the effects of non-bagging and bagging cultivation on the growth and changes in some substance content of Fuji apple fruits were studied. The results showed that compared with bagging, non-bagging cultivation increased single fruit weight and decreased fruit shape index, increased fruit sugar content, reduced acid content, and increased taste. It increased the content of vitamin C (VC) and protein in the fruit, increased the types and content of aromatic components in the fruit, significantly increased the activity of sugar- and acid-related enzymes, and improved the antioxidant capacity of the fruit. Compared to bagging cultivation, non-bagging cultivation improved the weight, taste (sugar acid ratio), and aroma of Fuji fruit, which is related to increasing the content of auxin (IAA), cytokinin (ZR), and salicylic acid (SA) and reducing the content of abscisic acid (ABA) in the fruit, as well as increasing the content of medium and trace elements calcium (Ca), iron (Fe), manganese (Mg), and boron (B). One of the mechanisms involved is the significant increase in gene expression related to phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, pentose and glucuronate interconversion, starch and sucrose metabolism, zeatin biosynthesis, microtubules, motor proteins microtubule movement, xyloglucan metabolic process, cell division, and peroxidase activity. In short, non-bagging cultivation is more conducive to improving the intrinsic quality and flavor development of Fuji apples, and one of the mechanisms is that non-bagging cultivation is beneficial for increasing the expression of related genes.

Assessment of Urinary Lead (Pb) and Essential Trace Elements in Autism Spectrum Disorder: a Case-Control Study Among Preschool Children in Malaysia

Lead (Pb) is a heavy metal which is abundant in the environment and known to cause neurotoxicity in children even at minute concentration. However, the trace elements calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), zinc (Zn) and iron (Fe) are essential to children due to its protective effect on neurodevelopment. The primary objective of this study was to assess the role of Pb and trace elements in the development of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) among preschool children. A total of 81 ASD children and 74 typically developed (TD) children aged between 3 and 6 years participated in the study. Self-administered online questionnaires were completed by the parents. A first-morning urine sample was collected in a sterile polyethene urine container and assayed for Pb, Ca, Mg, Zn and Fe using an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Comparisons between groups revealed that the urinary Pb, Mg, Zn and Fe levels in ASD children were significantly lower than TD children. The odds of ASD reduced significantly by 5.0% and 23.0% with an increment of every 1.0 μg/dL urinary Zn and Fe, respectively. Post interaction analysis showed that the odds of ASD reduced significantly by 11.0% and 0.1% with an increment of every 1.0 μg/dL urinary Zn and Pb, respectively. A significantly lower urinary Pb level in ASD children than TD children may be due to their poor detoxifying mechanism. Also, the significantly lower urinary Zn and Fe levels in ASD children may augment the neurotoxic effect of Pb.

Estimation of trace elemental concentration in Azadirachta indica and Withania somnifera anti-cancer medicinal plants of Telangana using EDXRF technique

Abstract X-ray fluorescence is one of the most versatile and high precision technique. EDXRF technique was employed to determine the 13 trace elemental concentrations in selected medicinal plant samples of Azadirachta indica (bark) and Withania somnifera (roots). From the current findings, the concentrations of trace elements Calcium, Iron, Copper, Selenium, Bromine and Strontium are higher while Phosphorus, Sulphur, Potassium, Manganese, Zinc and Rubidium are lower in the bark of A. indica and in the roots of W. somnifera the elemental content of Sulphur, Chlorine, Potassium, Calcium, Manganese, Iron, Copper, Zinc, Selenium, and Bromine are higher while P, Rb and Sr are lower when compare with NIST 1515 certified values. The elemental compositions in both A. indica and W. somnifera were discovered to be diverse. Hence, various parts of these herbal plants are enriched in a few macro and trace elements i.e. P, S, Cl, K, Ca, Fe, Cu, Zn, Mn, Rb, Se, and Sr, which are very important for biological process. Medicinal properties of these plant samples and their elemental distribution have been correlated to cancer therapy.

NEUROTOXIC EFFECT OF TITANIUM DIOXIDE NANOPARTICLES: BIOCHEMICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL APPROACH IN MALE WISTAR RATS

Objective: Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs) are widely used in pharmaceutical, cosmeceutical, biomedical and industrial applications. The adverse effects of TiO2 NPs are also increasing alarmingly. The purpose of this study is to investigate the toxicity of TiO2 NPs on biochemical and histological changes in different regions of brain in adult male Wistar rats.Methods: Two different doses of TiO2 NPs (50 mg/kg b. w and 100 mg/kg b. w) administered orally for 14 d along with one control group, each group consisting of six animals. Standard biochemical methods were adopted for the estimation of enzymes alkaline phosphatase, 5’ nucleotidase, ATPases and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase. Trace elements calcium, sodium, potassium and magnesium as well as metals like iron, zinc and copper were also estimated.Results: When compared with the control group, the enzymes ATPases, ALP, 5’-NT and GGT activities were significantly decreased in both the TiO2 NPs treated groups. Ca, Na, Fe, Cu and TiO2 contents were significantly increased in both the experimental groups, while the K, Mg and Zn contents decreased. However, the changes in the parameters studied were more in 100 mg treated group (p<0.001) when compared to the 50 mg treated group (p<0.05and p<0.01). Moreover, it is also evident that different regions responded differently due to TiO2 NPs exposure. The changes were maximum in the cerebral hemisphere (p<0.001) followed by medulla oblongata (p<0.001) and cerebrum (p<0.05).Conclusion: The results clearly imply that TiO2 NPs could impair the electrochemical gradient, ionic homeostasis and membrane stability in different regions of the rat brain.

Trace Element Levels and Cognitive Function in Rural Elderly Chinese

Trace elements are involved in metabolic processes and oxidation-reduction reactions in the central nervous system and could have a possible effect on cognitive function. The relationship between trace elements measured in individual biological samples and cognitive function in an elderly population had not been investigated extensively. The participant population is part of a large cohort study of 2000 rural elderly Chinese persons. Six cognitive assessment tests were used to evaluate cognitive function in this population, and a composite score was created to represent global cognitive function. Trace element levels of aluminum, calcium, cadmium, copper, iron, lead, and zinc were analyzed in plasma samples of 188 individuals who were randomly selected and consented to donating fasting blood. Analysis of covariance models were used to assess the association between each trace element and the composite cognitive score adjusting for demographics, medical history of chronic diseases, and the apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotype. Three trace elements-calcium, cadmium, and copper-were found to be significantly related to the composite cognitive score. Increasing plasma calcium level was associated with higher cognitive score (p <.0001). Increasing cadmium and copper, in contrast, were significantly associated with lower composite score (p =.0044 and p =.0121, respectively). Other trace elements did not show significant association with the composite cognitive score. Our results suggest that calcium, cadmium, and copper may be associated with cognitive function in the elderly population.

Nuclear microscopy of normal and necrotic skeletal muscle fibers: an intracellular elemental microanalysis

The in situ total elemental composition and elemental concentrations present in mouse soleus (type I) and gastrocnemius (type IIA) muscle fibers were analyzed by using nuclear microscopy (NM). Elemental changes in necrotic fibers, induced by intramuscluar injection with snake venom ( Pseudechis australis), were also studied 3 h post-injection. Nuclear microscopy is a new method based on nuclear technology that utilizes the interaction between a million-electron-volt nuclear particle beam and the muscle sample (in the case of the present study). Elemental analysis was done at the parts per million (ppm) level of sensitivity on unfixed, rapidly frozen and unstained single fast- and slow-twitch muscle fibers with imaging capabilities of μm spatial resolution and in multi-elemental mode. In total, 12 different intracellular elements were mapped, co-localized and analyzed in single normal and necrotic skeletal muscle fibers from mice. Elements such as potassium, sulfur, phosphorus, chlorine and sodium were found in concentrations from 1000 to 18 000 ppm. Unlike conventional electron-probe X-ray microanalysis, NM also detected and analyzed the trace elements such as magnesium, calcium, iron and zinc that were found in concentrations of 50 to 1000 ppm. Other elements — copper, manganese and rubidium — were also detected in concentrations of less than 50 ppm. The trace elements calcium, iron and zinc were more abundant in the soleus than the gastrocnemius (the level of iron was statistically significant). Calcium, sodium and chlorine were significantly elevated in venom-induced necrotic soleus muscle fibers.

Optical phenomena observed in low‐energy ion and electron bombardment of silica surfaces

Optical spectroscopy has been used to characterize the interaction of ionizing radiation with glasses, including ions with energies in the 3–10 keV range, and electrons with energies ranging from 320 to 640 eV. Characteristic line emission spectra of desorbed excited atoms, as well as luminescence spectra from the near‐surface bulk, were observed. A search for possible changes in desorption mechanisms as a function of radiation dose was carried out by observing the time dependence of integrated intensity and spectral linewidth for desorbed silicon and the trace element calcium. Defect formation in the near‐surface bulk was monitored by spectrally resolved, time‐dependent measurements of the bulk luminescence and by electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy. These spectroscopic observations are correlated with identifiable differences in the manufacturing processes of several silicas, and thus can be related to one particular kind of surface radiation damage, namely, ion‐ and electron‐induced desorption.