Applying of factor analyses for determination of trace elements distribution in water from Vardar and its tributaries, Macedonia/Greece.
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ABSTRACT: A systematic study was carried out to investigate the distribution of fifty-six elements in the water samples from river Vardar (Republic of Macedonia and Greece) and its major tributaries. The samples were collected from 27 sampling sites. Analyses were performed by mass spectrometry with inductively coupled plasma (ICP-MS) and atomic emission spectrometry with inductively coupled plasma (ICP-AES). Cluster and R mode factor analysis (FA) was used to identify and characterise element associations and four associations of elements were determined by the method of multivariate statistics. Three factors represent the associations of elements that occur in the river water naturally while Factor 3 represents an anthropogenic association of the elements (Cd, Ga, In, Pb, Re, Tl, Cu, and Zn) introduced in the river waters from the waste waters from the mining and metallurgical activities in the country.
Project description:Natural thermal and mineral waters are widely distributed along the Hellenic region and are related to the geodynamic regime of the country. The diverse lithological and tectonic settings they are found in reflect the great variability in their chemical and isotopic composition. The current study presents 276 (published and unpublished) trace element water data and discusses the sources and processes affecting the water by taking into consideration the framework of their geographic distribution. The dataset is divided in groups using temperature- and pH-related criteria. Results yield a wide range of concentrations, often related to the solubility properties of the individual elements and the factors impacting them (i.e. temperature, acidity, redox conditions and salinity). Many elements (e.g. alkalis, Ti, Sr, As and Tl) present a good correlation with temperature, which is in cases impacted by water rock interactions, while others (e.g. Be, Al, Cu, Se, Cd) exhibit either no relation or an inverse correlation with T possibly because they become oversaturated at higher temperatures in solid phases. A moderately constant inverse correlation is noticed for the vast majority of trace elements and pH, whereas no relationship between trace element concentrations and Eh was found. Seawater contamination and water-rock interaction seem to be the main natural processes that influence both salinity and elemental content. All in all, Greek thermomineral waters exceed occasionally the accepted limits representing in such cases serious harm to the environment and probably indirectly (through the water cycle) to human health.
Project description:Trace metals were measured by neutron-activation analyses in purified nucleic acids and histone(s) of lymphocytes from patients with acute lymphocytic leukaemia or infectious mononucleosis and from normal donor DNA isolated from lymphocytes of a patient with infectious mononucleosis and a normal donor showed a high a high content of Cr2+, Sb2+, Fe2+, and Zn2+, whereas DNA of lymphoblasts from a patient with acute lymphocytic leukaemia had a lower content of these trace metals, but the Co2+ content was 20-fold higher than in DNA or normal donor lymphocytic cells. Total histones from leukaemic cells had higher contents of most of the trace metals except for Zn2+, which was present in lesser concentration than in histones from normal donor lymphocytic cells. Lysine-rich (F1) histones showed lower contents of Cr2+, Sb2+ and Co2+, whereas arginine-rich (F3) histones had significantly higher contents of these trace metals. These observations may be of interest in that F3 histones more effectively inhibit RNA synthesis in human lymphocytic cells than do other species of histones.
Project description:Previous studies revealed that Honghu Lake was polluted by trace elements due to anthropogenic activities. This study investigated the spatial distribution of trace elements in Honghu Lake, and identified the major pollutants and control areas based on the fuzzy health risk assessment at screening level. The mean total content of trace elements in surface water decreased in the order of Zn (18.04 μg/L) > Pb (3.42 μg/L) > Cu (3.09 μg/L) > Cr (1.63 μg/L) > As (0.99 μg/L) > Cd (0.14 μg/L), within limits of Drinking Water Guidelines. The results of fuzzy health risk assessment indicated that there was no obvious non-carcinogenic risk to human health, while carcinogenic risk was observed in descending order of As > Cr > Cd > Pb. As was regarded to have the highest carcinogenic risk among selected trace elements because it generally accounted for 64% of integrated carcinogenic risk. Potential carcinogenic risk of trace elements in each sampling site was approximately at medium risk level (10-5 to 10-4). The areas in the south (S4, S13, and S16) and northeast (S8, S18, and S19) of Honghu Lake were regarded as the risk priority control areas. However, the corresponding maximum memberships of integrated carcinogenic risk in S1, S3, S10-S13, S15, and S18 were of relatively low credibility (50-60%), and may mislead the decision-makers in identifying the risk priority areas. Results of fuzzy assessment presented the subordinate grade and corresponding reliability of risk, and provided more full-scale results for decision-makers, which made up for the deficiency of certainty assessment to a certain extent.
Project description:BackgroundBrucellosis still remains an endemic disease for both livestock and human in Greece, influencing the primary sector and national economy in general. Although farm animals and particularly ruminants constitute the natural hosts of the disease, transmission to humans is not uncommon, thus representing a serious occupational disease as well. Under this prism, knowledge concerning Brucella species distribution in ruminants is considered a high priority. There are various molecular methodologies for Brucella detection with however differential discriminant capacity. Hence, the aim of this survey was to achieve nationally Brucella epidemiology baseline genotyping data at species and subtype level, as well as to evaluate the pros and cons of different molecular techniques utilized for detection of Brucella species. Thirty-nine tissue samples from 30 domestic ruminants, which were found positive applying a screening PCR, were tested by four different molecular techniques i.e. sequencing of the 16S rRNA, the BP26 and the OMP31 regions, and the MLVA typing panel 1 assay of minisatellite markers.ResultsOnly one haplotype was revealed from the 16S rRNA sequencing analysis, indicating that molecular identification of Brucella bacteria based on this marker might be feasible solely up to genus level. BP26 sequencing analysis and MLVA were in complete agreement detecting both B. melitensis and B. abortus. An interesting exception was observed in 11 samples, of lower quality extracted DNA, in which not all expected MLVA amplicons were produced and identification was based on the remaining ones as well as on BP26. On the contrary OMP31 failed to provide a clear band in any of the examined samples.ConclusionsThe present study reveals the constant circulation of Brucella bacteria in ruminants throughout Greece. Further, according to our results, BP26 gene represents a very good alternative to MLVA minisatellite assay, particularly in lower quality DNA samples.
Project description:The determination of trace rare-earth elements (REEs) can be used for the assessment of environmental pollution, and is of great significance to the study of toxicity and toxicology in animals and plants. N, N, N', N'-tetraoctyl diglycolamide (TODGA) is an environmental friendly extractant that is highly selective to REEs. In this study, an analytical method was developed for the simultaneous determination of 16 trace REEs in simulated water samples by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). With this method, TODGA was used as the extractant to perform the liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) sample pretreatment procedure. All 16 REEs were extracted from a 3 M nitric acid medium into an organic phase by a 0.025 M TODGA petroleum ether solution. A 0.03 M ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid disodium salt (EDTA) solution was used for back-extraction to strip the REEs from the organic phase into the aqueous phase. The aqueous phase was concentrated using a vacuum rotary evaporator and the concentration of the 16 REEs was detected by ICP-OES. Under the optimum experimental conditions, the limits of detection (3σ, n = 7) for the REEs ranged from 0.0405 ng mL-1 (Nd) to 0.5038 ng mL-1 (Ho). The relative standard deviations (c = 100 ng mL-1, n = 7) were from 0.5% (Eu) to 4.0% (Tm) with a linear range of 4-1000 ng mL-1 (R2 > 0.999). The recoveries of 16 REEs ranged from 95% to 106%. The LLE-ICP-OES method established in this study has the advantages of simple operation, low detection limits, fast analysis speed and the ability to simultaneously determine 16 REEs, thereby acting as a viable alternative for the simultaneous detection of trace amounts of REEs in water samples.
Project description:The accumulation of hazardous contaminants in Cannabis sativa L. raises warning signs regarding possible adverse effects on human health due to the consumption of herbal medicines and/or other herbal edible products made from cannabis. Thus, there is an urge to investigate the levels of hazardous contaminants, such as heavy metals, in cannabis plant. In the present study, 29 macro and trace elements, including both beneficial and toxic elements (heavy metals and metalloids), were investigated in 90 samples of Cannabis sativa L. collected from Greece. According to the results, the detected concentrations of macro elements in the leaves/flowers of cannabis ranged between 28 and 138,378 ppm, and of trace elements between 0.002 and 1352.904 ppm. Although the concentrations of elements varied among the samples, their accumulation pattern was found to be similar, with the contribution of toxic elements to the total concentration of trace elements being below 1%. The detected levels of the most toxic elements were below the prescribed limits established by the WHO, while the calculated THQ and CR values showed no risk (non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic) for the population exposed to the current cannabis samples. Positive correlation between the concentration of elements and cannabis geographical origin and variety was observed. Cannabis leaves/flowers were more contaminated with trace and macro elements than seeds.
Project description:Maintenance hemodialysis induces water-soluble vitamins and trace elements losses, which is why recommendations regarding potential supplementation were provided, but mainly based on conventional hemodialysis. This study's aim was to measure the water-soluble vitamins and trace element losses during one on-line post-dilution hemodiafiltration (HDF) session. Thirty-nine patients under maintenance HDF were enrolled. We used the Theraflux® sampler (Theradial Corp., Orvault, France) to analyze the full session dialysate mass transfer. Blood and dialysate samples were collected before and after one HDF session to measure B1, B2, B6, B9, B12, C vitamins, zinc, and selenium concentrations. Values significantly decreased for B1 (20.2%), B2 (13%), B6 (25.4%), B9 (32.6%), C (66.6%) and selenium (6.7%). No significant differences were found for vitamin B12 and zinc. The dialysate losses per session were 1.12 ± 0.88 mg for vitamin B1, 0.28 ± 0.30 mg for B2, 0.33 ± 0.09 mg for B6, 0.3 ± 0.18 mg for B9, 147.5 ± 145.50 mg for C and 25.75 ± 6.91 mg for zinc. Vitamin B12 and selenium were under detection values. In conclusion, during a standard 4hr-HDF session, we found important losses for vitamin B1, B6, B9, C and zinc, suggesting the need for regular monitoring of plasma levels and systematic supplementation of these compounds.
Project description:The safety of lake ecosystems on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) has attracted increasing attention, owing to its unique location and ecological vulnerability. Previous studies have shown that the aquatic systems on the QTP have been polluted to varying degrees by trace elements. However, little is known of the distribution and sources of trace elements in lakes in the northeast QTP. Here, 57 sediment samples were collected from six lakes (Dasugan Lake, Xiaoqaidam Lake, Kreuk Lake, Toson Lake, Gahai Lake and Xiligou Lake) in the Qaidam Basin, northeast QTP, and the trace elements (V, Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Ba, Tl, Cd, Pb, and U) were analyzed. The results indicated that Ba, Zn, V, and Cr had a higher content and a wider distribution relative to the other tested elements. Correlation coefficient matrix results showed that the trace elements in the study area were strongly correlated, revealing their source of similarity. Self-organizing maps (SOM, an artificial neural network algorithm) results indicated that the degree of pollution in Xiaoqaidam Lake was the highest, and that of Dasugan Lake was the lowest. Furthermore, all sampling points were clustered into four categories through K-means clustering. The positive matrix factorization (PMF) results indicated that atmospheric deposition and anthropogenic inputs were the main trace elements sources in these lakes, followed by traffic emission and geological sources. Collectively, trace elements of six lakes in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau presented high-content and pollution characteristics. This research provides a scientific basis for better water environment management and ecological protection on the QTP.
Project description:Heavy metals contamination in aquatic ecosystems has been a major concern, however, no information is available about the concentrations, depth distributions and ecological risks of heavy metals in sediments cores from microtidal lagoonal ecosystem in Lagos, Nigeria. Four sediment cores were collected using a 50 cm × 3.5 cm Wildco® hand corer. Elemental determinations were carried out using the Microwave Plasma Atomic Emission Spectrometry (4200 MP-AES) after extraction. The concentrations of heavy metals in the sediment cores indicated enhanced degree of contamination influenced by anthropogenic discharges especially industrial effluents. Vertical depth distributions indicated varied depositional periods largely controlled by increasing anthropogenic land-based activities. The remarkable metal pollution of core sediments raises the concern potential sources of metals to the lagoonal ecosystem and ecological risks to the biota, humans, and the environment. The results of elemental concentrations should be considered as baseline data for heavy metals in sediments in the region.
Project description:A new, simple and sensitive solid-phase spectrometry (SPS) that is easily applicable to the on-site analysis of targeted chemical components in water at ?g dm(-3) or sub-?g dm(-3) levels is proposed in this study. The main features of the SPS are the simplicity of operation, high sensitivity and applicability to real samples without the need for any pretreatment procedures. A portable spectrophotometer, consisting of an LED light source, a grating and a CCD, was used for the solid-phase light measurements. The universal applicability of the proposed system to on-site analysis was evaluated by determining phosphate, chromium(VI) and iron(II) in natural water.