Portable X-ray fluorescence of zinc and selenium with nail clippings-Mother and Infant Nutrition Investigation (MINI).

Zinc and selenium are essential minerals for human nutrition. Reliable biomarkers of zinc status and selenium status in humans are therefore important. This work investigates a novel portable X-ray fluorescence (XRF) method with the ability to rapidly assess zinc and selenium in nail clippings.

Toenail arsenic species and metallome profiles associated with breast, cervical, prostate, and skin cancer prevalence in the Atlantic Partnership for Tomorrow's Health cohort.

Introduction: Chronic exposure to arsenic through drinking water has been linked to several cancers. The metabolism of arsenic is thought to play a key role in arsenic-related carcinogenesis as metabolites of varying toxicity are produced and either stored in or excreted from the body. Atlantic Canada has the highest age-standardized incidence rates of all cancers in the country.

Arsenic Speciation and Metallomics Profiling of Human Toenails as a Biomarker to Assess Prostate Cancer Cases: Atlantic PATH Cohort Study.

Chronic exposure to inorganic arsenic and trace metals has been linked to prostate cancer, and altered arsenic methylation capacity may have an important role in arsenic carcinogenesis. Biomarkers may be able to elucidate this role. Our objectives were to characterize profiles of arsenic species and metallome in toenails and urine samples, compare profiles between prostate cancer cases and controls, and determine the discriminant ability of toenail and urine biomarkers.

Applying Machine Learning to Arsenic Species and Metallomics Profiles of Toenails to Evaluate Associations of Environmental Arsenic with Incident Cancer Cases.

Chronic exposure to environmental arsenic has been linked to a number of human diseases affecting multiple organ systems, including cancer. The greatest concern for chronic exposure to arsenic is contaminated groundwater used for drinking as it is the main contributor to the amount of arsenic present in the body. An estimated 40% of households in Nova Scotia (Canada) use water from private wells, and there is a concern that exposure to arsenic may be linked to/associated with cancer.

Toenail speciation biomarkers in arsenic-related disease: a feasibility study for investigating the association between arsenic exposure and chronic disease.

Long-term exposure to environmental arsenic has been associated with many chronic diseases, including several cancers, and diabetes. Urinary studies have implicated arsenic speciation as an important risk factor, however, such associations have not been replicated using toenail samples: a relatively new biosample for estimating long-term internal dose-exposure to arsenic. Despite having several advantages over conventional biosamples such as ease of collection and storage, standard methods for arsenic speciation analysis in toenails have not yet been established.

Portable X-ray fluorescence of zinc applied to human toenail clippings.

Zinc is an essential trace element in humans. Zinc deficiency can result in a range of serious medical conditions which include effects on growth and development, the immune system, the central nervous system, and the gastrointestinal system. Diagnosis of zinc deficiency is often precluded by the lack of a noninvasive and reliable biomarker.