• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.122-129
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• 2008

Purpose: Patients with chronic gastrointestinal disease are at risk for trace element deficiency due to impaired absorption and gastrointestinal loss. The aim of this study was to evaluate the trace element status of patients with gastrointestinal disease by blood and hair analysis, and to determine the usefulness of hair mineral analysis for diagnosing trace element deficiency not detected by a blood test. Methods: An analysis of hair minerals was performed and compared with blood mineral analysis in 13 patients with chronic gastrointestinal disease. The concentration of each element in the hair and blood was compared in the subgroups based on parenteral nutritional support or clinical symptoms. Results: Almost all patients had trace element deficiency. The trace elements deficient in the blood or hair analysis included zinc, selenium and copper. The hair zinc concentration was significantly lower in the group receiving parenteral nutritional support. The hair selenium concentration was statistically associated with the clinical symptoms of hair loss, brittle hair and loss of hair pigmentation. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that patients with chronic gastrointestinal disease should receive adequate zinc and selenium replacement to avoid trace element deficiency especially when treated with long-term parenteral nutrition. Hair mineral analysis is useful as a complementary tool for the detection of a trace element deficiency.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.756-766
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• 1998

The objectives of this study were to examine the growth pattern and hair trace element contents of healthy infants who were fed breast milk(BF infant) and formula (FF infant) during the first 6 months and its relationship to intake of trace elements. Bimonthyl anthropometric measurements were obtained on 32 infants through 6 months of age. Mean calculated energy, iron, zinc and copper intake from breast milk at 2 months of age were 432.4kcal/d, 0.19mg/d, 1.18mg/d and 0.22mg/d. The values obtained from formular were543.7kcal/d, 6.68mg/d , 2.82mg/d and 0.33mg/d , respectively. In spite of the significantly lower intake of energy and trace elements in BF infants than in FF infants, BF infants showed growth above the average Kroean infant standard growth rate and showed no significant growth rate difference or hair trace element content. Hair iron content in the BF infants at 6 mo. of age was positively related to birth weight and iron intake at 2 mo. of age. In contrast, hair zinc and copper content in the FF infants at 6 mo. of age as negatively related to height increment and weight increment during 6 months, respectively. These results support the suggesting that BF infant's higher iron, zinc and copper intake is attributed to the superior bioabailability of these trace elements from breast milk.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.12-13
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• 1959

The contents of trace elements of the 44 Korean women's hair samples are studied quantitatively by means of th ecircular paper chromatography method in this paper. The elements studied are Fe, Co, Cu, Ni, Mn, Mg, Ca, and Zn. The age distribution of subjectes and the results are shown in table 1 and 2.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.64-71
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• 2002

Hair provides important information about the body's mineral status. Therefore, we have studied the trace elemental distribution in human hair under different inhalation and ingestion environment using neutron activation analysis (NAA). NAA is a powerful analytical method which can be used successfully to determine trace elements in environmental and biological materials. Total diet and six different herbal medicine were analysed to study ingestion environment. Airborne dust in foundry was analysed and compared with outdoor dust to study inhalation environment. Human hairs of common person, herbal medicine taker and foundry worker were analysed to estimate the trace elemental distribution of people under different inhalation and ingestion environment. Analytical results show that herbal medicines contain higher micronutrients such as Ca, Mg, Mn and Cu that total diet and airborne dust in foundry has high Cr. The concentration of Ca, Mg and Mn in hair of herbal medicine taker is two times higher than in hair of common person and Cr con-centration in hair of foundry worker is about three times higher than in hair of common person. These results show that NAA can be used importantly to monitor human health through biological and environmental samples.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.11 no.sup1
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• pp.117-126
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• 2008

Trace elements compose a very small portion of the body, however they have a variety of essential functions. Various diseases are caused by trace element deficiencies, and sometimes they can be fatal. Long-term TPN is a risk factor of trace element deficiency, and trace elements need to be checked regularly while receiving TPN. It is important to provide sufficient requirements of trace elements regarding the clinical features and the problems of trace element excess or deficiency. Moreover extensive studies to establish the efficiency of examining human hair and nails, recent method to determine the trace elements, are required.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.21-27
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• 2002

In order to study the relationships between trace element concentrations of hair and internal organs, autopsy samples of hair, liver, kidney cortex, kidney medulla, heart, lung, spleen, cerebrum, testis and bone from 162 Korean subjects were analyzed for Cd, Hg, Pb and Zn by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry. High significant positive correlations were found between the Cd concentration in hair and bone and Pb in hair and lung. Hair Hg levels were highly significantly correlated with organ Hg levels in the liver, kidney cortex, kidney medulla, heart, lung, spleen, cerebrum, testis and bone. And hair Zn levels were highly significantly correlated with organ Zn levels in the kidney cortex, kidney medulla, spleen, testis and bone.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.9
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• pp.4249-4253
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• 2012

While associations between trace elements and heavy metals with prostate cancer are still debatable, they have been considered as risk factors for prostate cancer. Thus, this study aimed to detect any links between selected minerals and heavy metals including Se, Zn, Cu, Mn and Fe with prostate cancer. A case control study was carried out among 100 subjects (case n=50, control n=50), matched for age and ethnicity. Trace elements and heavy metals level in hair and nail samples were determined by ICP-MS. Mean selenium levels in hair and nail of the cases were significantly lower as compared to controls. A similar trend was noted for zinc in both hair and nail samples, whereas the mean level of copper was significantly higher in cases than controls. Similar elevation was noted for iron and manganese (p<0.05 for all parameters). Low levels of selenium and zinc and high levels of copper, iron and manganese appear to be associated with the risk of prostate cancer. Further studies to elucidate the causal mechanisms and appropriate chemopreventive measures are needed.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.8-11
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• 1959

The method for the estimation of trace elements in hair is studied on this paper modifying the circular paper chromatography method shown by Giri and Balakrishnan for the estimation of vitamins from the multivitamin preparation. The elements studied are Ni, Al, Mn, Mg, Zn, Ca, Co, Cu, and Fe. The content of the element is estimated quantitatively by comparison the size and the color density of spots of the standard chromatogram prepared by the known amount of each standard substance and the chromatogram prepared from sample solution, after checking those chromatogram qualitatively. The comparative study has been made between the results from this method and the results from the other methods which are applying routinely at this laboratories. The experimental errors at each elements were within 10% limits. There was no interference between each elements. It is recommendable that this method can be applied to treat numerous speciemens saving times within experimental error of 10%.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.18-23
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• 2006

Purpose : The reliability of hair mineral analyses regarding nutritional status, environmental exposure or diseases is controversial. The aim of this study was to determine the normal reference range of hair mineral concentration of Korean children. Methods : We examined hair mineral concentrations of 223 children(3-12 yrs old, 110 boys, 113 girls, mean age $8.8{\pm}2.2$ yrs old) living in the northern area of Seoul. The trace elements including six toxic elements(Al, As, Cd, Ba, Hg, Pb) and 11 nutritional elements(Na, Mg, P, K, Ca, Cr, Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, Se) were analyzed by inductive coupled plasma mass spectrometry(ICP-MS). Results : The mean concentrations of Ca and Mg were higher in girls than in boys. The mean concentrations of Cd, Pb and Cr were higher in boys than girls. The Zn, Ca, Mg, Cu and Hg levels in hair samples were positively correlated with increasing age. The Zn levels of the Korean children's hair samples appear to be lower than that of other countries' reference values. Conclusion : There are considerable differences in hair mineral concentrations by age, sex and race. Additional research is needed to establish Korean reference values, and to evaluate the usefulness of hair mineral analyses as a screening tool for nutrition- and environment-related childhood diseases.