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  • Title: [Mercury concentration in cerebrospinal fluid in patients with chronic mercury poisoning].
    Author: Liu WW, Jiang CQ, Hu ZB, Zhang C, Xu QR, Zhou G.
    Journal: Zhonghua Lao Dong Wei Sheng Zhi Ye Bing Za Zhi; 2006 Jul; 24(7):403-5. PubMed ID: 16889700.
    Abstract:
    OBJECTIVE: To investigate the changes of mercury (Hg) levels in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in patients with chronic mercury poisoning and elucidate the neurotoxic mechanism of mercury. METHODS: Nine patients with chronic mercury poisoning (poisoning group) as well as eight patients without exposure to mercury were included in this study. Mercury concentrations of 24 hour urine (U-Hg) and CSF (CSF-Hg) were measured with cold-vapor atomic absorption spectrometry-alkali stannous chloride method. The concentration of blood (B-Hg) at the same day was measured with cold-vapor atomic absorption spectrometry-acidic stannous chloride method. In five patients of poisoning group, these concentrations before chelation therapy were compared with those after chelation therapy. RESULTS: The levels of B-Hg, U-Hg, and CSF-Hg in poisoning group (250.00 +/- 48.54, 160.07 +/- 91.15, 20.22 +/- 10.21 nmol/L, respectively) were significantly higher than those in control group (81.04 +/- 63.01, 24.73 +/- 9.96 nmol/L, undetectable, respectively; P < 0.01). In nine patients of poisoning group, CSF-Hg concentrations were correlated with B-Hg (r = 0.675, P < 0.05), but not U-Hg. After chelation therapy with dimercaptopropane sulfonate in five patients of poisoning group, the levels of B-Hg, U-Hg, and CSF-Hg were decreased significantly (P < 0.05). The reduction of CSF-Hg was not related with B-Hg and U-Hg. CONCLUSION: CSF-Hg concentration in chronic mercury poisoning patient is increased with the rise of B-Hg, but not U-Hg. When the levels of B-Hg and U-Hg drop to normal, the CSF-Hg level is still high enough to be detected. It indicates that mercury is combined with protein after entering brain and this complex is difficult to cross through blood-cerebral barrier. The complex may cause neuromuscular disorder and fremitus in chronic mercury poisoning.
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