Biomedical subjects

J Pongracić

Publications and source records attributed to J Pongracić.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1997

[Chrome, nickel and manganese in stainless steel cooking utensils and legal regulations].

Assaying chromium nickel and manganese for specific migrations with a 4%-acetic acid under specific time and temperature related conditions is an obligatory part of the hygienic safety surveillance. Routine surveillance of a larger number of imported cooking utensils has shown the specific migrations to be more or less above the maximum allowances for chromium and/or nickel, and less frequently so for manganese. Further tests with repeated extraction, however, revealed that the levels of all three metals in most of the unfit samples were within the allowed limits. With respect to our findings, and to a longer period of use of the cooking utensils, amendments to the current regulations demanding obligatory testing after repeated extraction seem justified.

Chromium↗

PubMed1996

Lead poisoning associated with the use of Ayurvedic metal-mineral tonics.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to confirm the connection between lead poisoning and the use of traditional Ayurvedic metal mineral tonics. METHODS: The study group comprised 29 subjects (26 adults and three children) who had previously taken Ayurvedic metal mineral tonics. All subjects were tested for lead absorption by blood lead, erythrocyte delta-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase activity and erythrocyte protoporphyrin. RESULTS: Eighteen samples of Ayurvedic preparations were obtained from 15 subjects and analyzed for lead content. Five adult subjects with established lead poisoning received chelation therapy. In Ayurvedic preparations a wide range of lead content was found (0.9-72,990 micrograms Pb/g; 0.35-29,900 micrograms Pb/capsule or tablet). The blood lead, erythrocyte delta-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase and erythrocyte protoporphyrin of the subjects, grouped according to the remedies used, correlated with the lead content in the preparations (p < 0.001). Chelation therapy was successful in normalization of laboratory findings and clinical recovery. CONCLUSION: Ayurvedic metal-mineral tonics are again identified as a potential source of high lead. The import of such tonics should be strictly controlled.

Adult↗

PubMed1991

Dietary calcium and blood lead levels in women.

Nutritional factors are known to influence metabolism and toxicity of several metals in animal experiments, but relevant human data are scarce and inconclusive. In this work, we tested the hypothesis that dietary calcium influences lead metabolism in humans. Blood lead concentrations were used as indicators of lead exposure and metabolism. Two groups of peasant women living in similar conditions in two different regions in Yugoslavia (100 in each) were chosen as subjects for this purpose. In region A, the dietary calcium intake was about 940 mg, and in region B about two times lower, i.e., 450 mg/day. The average blood lead concentration was significantly lower in women from region A (69 micrograms/L) than from region B (83 micrograms/L). Our results support the assumption that adequate calcium intake might be one of the preventive measures for decreasing lead absorption. This new evidence, sought for some time by nutritionists and toxicologists, needs further international confirmation.

Adult↗

PubMed1976

[Lead in hair].

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Child↗