Plasma nickel concentration

At plasma nickel concentrations of about 3 mg/L, patients had adverse effects including headaches, nausea, vomiting, and weakness recovery occurred 3 to 13 h after cessation of dialysis... 

A detectable rise in plasma nickel concentration after the oral administration of 22.4 mg of nickel sulfate was reported (69). In collaborative studies, we have examined the interaction of nickel and ascorbic acid in the human intestine. Healthy volunteers received 5 mg of elemental nickel as 22.4 mg of nickel sulfate, as in the previous report. The total volume was 100 mL. This was ingested either alone or with 1 g of ascorbic acid. This constituted a Ni AA molar ratio of 0.015. A significant depression in the rise of plasma nickel was observed when ascorbic acid was present as compared with the situation of aqueous nickel alone see Table V). Our Ni AA ratio of 0.015 compares with a molar ratio... 

For comparison, the half-life for diminution of plasma nickel concentrations in human volunteers after oral intake of NiS04 is approximately 11 hrs with a maximum of the renal excretion after 4 hr [12]. In rats that received NiCl2 by intravenous injection, 93% of the Ni dose was eliminated during 4 days postinjection, including 90% in urine and 3% in feces. 

About 727,000 workers were potentially exposed to nickel metal, nickel alloys, or nickel compounds during the period 1980 to 1983 (USPHS 1993). Worker exposure differs from that of the general population in that the major route of exposure for nickel workers is inhalation and for the general population it is dermal contact (Sevin 1980). Nickel workers with lung cancer had elevated concentrations of 1.97 mg/kg DW in their lungs when compared to the general population (0.03 to 0.15 mg/kg DW USPHS 1977). Plasma concentrations of nickel quickly reflect current exposure history to nickel (USEPA 1980). Mean nickel concentrations in plasma of humans occupationally exposed to nickel have declined by about 50% since 1976, suggesting decreased exposure due to improved safety (Boysen et al. 1980). 

Methods for Determining Biomarkers of Exposure and Effect. Nickel concentrations in hair, nails, blood, or urine are elevated in exposed individuals. A correlation has been established between nickel levels in urine, plasma, and feces in occupationally exposed workers and nickel levels in air (Angerer and Lehnert 1990 Bemacki et al. 1978 Hassler et al. 1983). If the identity of the nickel compounds to which workers are exposed is known, nickel levels in urine and plasma can be used as a biomarker for nickel exposure (Sunderman 1993). Available analytical methods can determine the nickel levels in these media in both unexposed and occupationally exposed persons. Methods to determine nickel speciation in biological media require further development. 

Templeton DM, Sunderman FW Jr, Herber RFM. 1994. Tentative reference values for nickel concentrations in human serum, plasma, blood, and urine Evaluation according to the TRACY protocol. Sci Tot Environ 148 243-251. 

Torjussen W, Andersen I. 1979. Nickel concentrations in nasal mucosa, plasma and urine in active and retired nickel workers. Aim Clin Lab Sci 9 289-298. 

Urease. An enzyme of the hydrolase class that catalyzes the hydrolysis of urea to COj and ammonia. It is nickel protein found in micro-organisms and plant that is frequently used in clinical assays of plasma urea concentrations. 

Analytical Methods and Speclatlon Electrothermal atomic absorption spectrophotometry (ETAAS), differential pulse adsorption voltammetry (DPAV), isotope-dilution mass spectrometry (ID-MS), and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) furnish the requisite sensitivity for measurements of nickel concentrations in biological, technical and environmental samples (Aggarwal et al. 1989, Case et al. 2001, Stoeppler and Ostapczuk 1992, Templeton 1994, Todorovska et al. 2002, Vaughan and Templeton 1990, Welz and Sperling 1999). The detection limits for nickel determinations by ETAAS analysis with Zeeman background correction are approximately 0.45 jg for urine,... 

On the basis of nickel concentrations in the air, plasma, and urine of four nickel platers, Tossavainen et al. [29] calculated biological half-lives in plasma of 20-34 hr and in urine of 17-39 hr referring to a one-compartment-model. Raithel et al. [30] estimated the half-life of renal excretion on the basis of nickel concentrations in urine firom an electroplating worker to 30-50 hr. 

The determination of nickel in blood or plasma/serum is used for the biological monitoring of occupationally exposed persons and for the surveillance of subjects with potential iatrogenic sources of exposure to nickel such as dialysis treatment, leaching of nickel from nickel-containing alloys as prostheses and implants, and contaminated intravenous medications [2,22,61]. Contamination of the blood specimens from the needles for venipuncture has been reported. But recent experiences show that after using stainless steel cannulas with the common analytical methods an increase of the nickel concentration in blood could not be detected. 

Genotoxicity Nickel induces dose- and time-dependent genotoxicity as observed in buccal cells of occupation-ally exposed subjects from the electroplating industry. Plasma nickel and chromium concentration in these workers correlated well with increased MN observed along with other nuclear abnormalities like karyorrhexis, pyknosis and karyolysis (indicators of genotoxicity) in buccal cells [79 ]. 

The application of the Spectroscan DC plasma emission spectrometer confirmed that for the determination of cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, nickel, and zinc in seawater the method was not sufficiently sensitive, as its detection limits just approach the levels found in seawater [731]. High concentrations of calcium and magnesium increased both the background and elemental line emission intensities. 

Mykytiuk et al. [184] have described a stable isotope dilution sparksource mass spectrometric method for the determination of cadmium, zinc, copper, nickel, lead, uranium, and iron in seawater, and have compared results with those obtained by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry and inductively coupled plasma emission spectrometry. These workers found that to achieve the required sensitivity it was necessary to preconcentrate elements in the seawater using Chelex 100 [121] followed by evaporation of the desorbed metal concentrate onto a graphite or silver electrode for isotope dilution mass spectrometry. 

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