Trace element (TEs) contamination in groundwater is a key factor for health risk assessment and one of the environmental challenges linked with Ghana's sustainable development. This study aims to investigate TE concentrations in groundwater used for drinking and domestic purposes and their potential health risk in the Kumasi Metropolis using multivariate statistics. In the study, 23 groundwater samples were analyzed for 32 TEs using Perkin Elmer Nexion 2000 Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer (ICP-MS). Levels of TEs recorded in the study were in order of Na > Si > Ca > K > Mg > S > Ba > Cu > Zn > Al > Sr > Li > Mn > P > Fe > B > Pb > Ni > Co > Bi > Se > Sb > Cr > As > Ti > Be > V > U > C d > T l > Mo > Hg. The study revealed that the concentration of trace and toxic elements like Al, Cu, and Pb exceeded their corresponding WHO permissible standards. Hazard index (HI) values and total likely cancer risk (TLCR) values for non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic health risks indicate that 91.3% of the total sampling sites presented health concerns to adults and children. The mean TLCR values associated with exposure to carcinogenic metals via ingestion of groundwater samples were estimated to be 2.09 × 10 and 4.44 × 10 for adults and children respectively. Exposure through the ingestion pathway was found to be more risky compared to dermal contacts. Children are particularly vulnerable to these health hazards. Pearson correlation (PC) matrix, principal component analysis (PCA), and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) suggested that sources of TEs in the groundwater are attributed to both anthropogenic and geogenic factors.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10661-024-13024-z | DOI Listing |
BJOG
January 2025
Women's, Children's and Adolescents' Health Program, Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Australia.
Background: Evidence suggests L-arginine may be effective at reducing pre-eclampsia and related outcomes. However, whether L-arginine can prevent or only treat pre-eclampsia, and thus the target population and timing of initiation, remains unknown.
Objectives: To evaluate the effects of L-arginine and L-citrulline (precursor of L-arginine) on the prevention and treatment of pre-eclampsia.
Diabetes Metab Res Rev
January 2025
Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, Adelaide Medical School, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia.
Aim: To synthesise the evidence from clinical trials and observational studies using omics techniques to investigate the impact of diet and lifestyle factors on metabolite profile in pregnancy, and in the prevention and management of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM).
Materials And Methods: A systematic literature search was performed using PubMed, Ovid, CINAHL, and Web of Science databases in October 2023 and updated in September 2024. Inclusion criteria were randomised controlled trials (RCT) or non-RCTs in pregnant women with or without GDM, that measured diet and lifestyle factors, and which applied post-transcriptional omics approaches.
J Paediatr Child Health
January 2025
Department of Neonatology, University of Health Sciences, Ankara Bilkent City Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
Objective: To evaluate the incidence of thin catheter surfactant administration (TCA) failure and compare short and long-term neonatal outcomes who failed TCA or did not.
Design: Single-center retrospective cohort study. Infants between 25 and 30 weeks of gestational age with respiratory distress syndrome and receiving 200 mg/kg poractant alfa via thin catheter administration were included.
Australas J Dermatol
January 2025
The Frazer Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Background: Recent Australian trends indicate that shave biopsies for diagnosing lesions suspicious of melanoma are increasing, yet reasons for this remain relatively unknown. We sought to understand which factors influence Australian clinicians' use of shave biopsy for managing thin lesions suspicious of melanoma in sites of low cosmetic sensitivity.
Methods: We used a convergent, exploratory mixed-methods design, with a cross-sectional online survey (n = 59) and semi-structured qualitative interviews (n = 15).
Mycoses
January 2025
Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Excellence Center for Medical Mycology (ECMM), Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria.
Background: This study investigated the impact of posaconazole (POSA) prophylaxis in COVID-19 patients with acute respiratory failure receiving systemic corticosteroids on the risk for the development of COVID-19-associated pulmonary aspergillosis (CAPA).
Methods: The primary aim of this prospective, multicentre, case-control study was to assess whether application of POSA prophylaxis in mechanically ventilated COVID-19 patients reduces the risk for CAPA development. All consecutive patients from centre 1 (cases) who received POSA prophylaxis as standard-of-care were matched to one subject from centre 2 and centre 3 who did not receive any antifungal prophylaxis, using propensity score matching for the following variables: (i) age, (ii) sex, (iii) treatment with tocilizumab and (iv) time at risk.
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