The use of mouthguards is advocated by the American Dental Association for orofacial injury prevention and teeth protection. However, the chemical environment in the mouth may cause harmful substances within the mouthguard's polymer material to leach out and be absorbed by the user. Considering this, the present study for the first time analyzed commercially available mouthguards and disclosed the presence of trace elements. Specifically, an analytical method was developed based on closed-vessel microwave-assisted digestion and plasma-based atomic spectrometry for determining toxic trace elements in mouthguard samples. Initially, 75 elements were assessed and, thereafter, quantified cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu) and lead (Pb) in each sample by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Method validation was carried out by analyzing a certified reference material of Low-Density Polyethylene, and by addition and recovery experiments. Results for copper were further validated by ICP optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). While most samples exhibited elemental levels beneath the method's limit of quantification, Cd, Cu and Pb were detected in four samples. Remarkably, one sample had Cu levels exceeding safe limits by 109 times, highlighting potential toxicity risks. This initial research underscores the need for stricter contamination control in mouthguard materials to minimize potentially health hazards.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.172790 | DOI Listing |
Coffee is a popular beverage with significant commercial and social importance. The study aimed to determine the fatty acids profile, volatile compounds, and concentration of major and trace elements (Na, Mg, K, Ca, P, S, Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn, Cr, Ni, Cd, and Pb) in the two most important varieties of coffee, namely arabica and robusta. The leaching percentages of mineral elements and the effect of boiling time on the transfer of elements to aqueous extracts were also determined.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Mater Sci Mater Med
January 2025
Department of Neurology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, Hunan, PR China.
In-stent restenosis (ISR) following interventional therapy is a fatal clinical complication. Current evidence indicates that neointimal hyperplasia driven by uncontrolled proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) is a major cause of restenosis. This implies that inhibiting VSMC proliferation may be an attractive approach for preventing in-stent restenosis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPlant Cell Rep
January 2025
School of Agriculture and Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China.
An endoplasmic reticulum-localized Cu transporter, PhHMA5II1, interacts with copper chaperones and plays an important role in Cu detoxification in petunia. Copper (Cu) is an essential element for plant growth but toxic when present in excess. In this study we present the functional characterization of a petunia (Petunia hybrida) P-type heavy-metal ATPases (HMAs), PhHMA5II1.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAnal Chim Acta
February 2025
Biofuel and Renewable Energy Research Center, Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Chemical Engineering, Babol Noshirvani University of Technology, Babol, Iran.
Background: The buildup of methylparaben (MP), a broad-spectrum antimicrobial preservative with endocrine-disrupting properties, in environmental sources, especially aquatic systems, has become a significant concern due to its adverse health effects, including allergic reactions, promoting the risk of developing cancer, and inducing reproductive disorders. Hence, introducing inexpensive and easy-to-use monitoring devices for rapid, selective, and sensitive detection and quantification of MP is highly desirable. In this context, electrochemical platforms have proven to be attractive options due to their remarkable features, such as ease of fabrication and use, short response time, and acceptable sensitivity, accuracy, and selectivity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAnal Chim Acta
February 2025
Key Laboratory of Optic-Electric Sensing and Analytical Chemistry for Life Science, MOE, Shandong Key Laboratory of Biochemical Analysis, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266042, China. Electronic address:
The accurate and reliable quantification of the levels of disease markers in human sweat is of significance for health monitoring through wearable sensing technology, but the sensors performed in real sweat always suffer from biofouling that cause performance degradation or even malfunction. We herein developed a wearable antifouling electrochemical sensor based on a novel multifunctional hydrogel for the detection of targets in sweat. The integration of polyethylene glycol (PEG) into the sulfobetaine methacrylate (SBMA) hydrogel results in a robust network structure characterized by abundant hydrophilic groups on its surface, significantly enhancing the PEG-SBMA hydrogel's antifouling and mechanical properties.
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