An overview on amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and cadmium

Oggiano, Riccardo; Pisano, Andrea; Sabalic, Angela; Farace, Cristiano; Fenu, Grazia; Lintas, Simone; Forte, Giovanni; Bocca, Beatrice; Madeddu, Roberto

doi:10.1007/s10072-020-04957-7

Cited by 24 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 54 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…In an animal model, similarly, chronic exposure to PM resulted in a dose-dependent increase in pure cortical neuronal loss and selective neuronal loss especially of the motor cortex, primary somatosensory cortex, and piriform cortex [60]. In addition, traffic-related pollution may contain elements characterized by neurotoxic effects, especially heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, mercury, and selenium already associated with ALS risk [61][62][63][64][65][66]. A neuroimaging study showed that long-term exposure to high ambient air pollution may lead to cortical thinning and reduced subcortical volume in adults [67].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Risk of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Exposure to Particulate Matter from Vehicular Traffic: A Case-Control Study

Filippini

Mandrioli

Malagoli

et al. 2021

IJERPH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

(1) Background: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease with still unknown etiology. Some occupational and environmental risk factors have been suggested, including long-term air pollutant exposure. We carried out a pilot case-control study in order to evaluate ALS risk due to particulate matter with a diameter of ≤10 µm (PM10) as a proxy of vehicular traffic exposure. (2) Methods: We recruited ALS patients and controls referred to the Modena Neurology ALS Care Center between 1994 and 2015. Using a geographical information system, we modeled PM10 concentrations due to traffic emissions at the geocoded residence address at the date of case diagnosis. We computed the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) of ALS according to increasing PM10 exposure, using an unconditional logistic regression model adjusted for age and sex. (3) Results: For the 132 study participants (52 cases and 80 controls), the average of annual median and maximum PM10 concentrations were 5.2 and 38.6 µg/m3, respectively. Using fixed cutpoints at 5, 10, and 20 of the annual median PM10 levels, and compared with exposure <5 µg/m3, we found no excess ALS risk at 5–10 µg/m3 (OR 0.87, 95% CI 0.39–1.96), 10–20 µg/m3 (0.94, 95% CI 0.24–3.70), and ≥20 µg/m3 (0.87, 95% CI 0.05–15.01). Based on maximum PM10 concentrations, we found a statistically unstable excess ALS risk for subjects exposed at 10–20 µg/m3 (OR 4.27, 95% CI 0.69–26.51) compared with those exposed <10 µg/m3. However, risk decreased at 20–50 µg/m3 (OR 1.49, 95% CI 0.39–5.75) and ≥50 µg/m3 (1.16, 95% CI 0.28–4.82). ALS risk in increasing tertiles of exposure showed a similar null association, while comparison between the highest and the three lowest quartiles lumped together showed little evidence for an excess risk at PM10 concentrations (OR 1.13, 95% CI 0.50–2.55). After restricting the analysis to subjects with stable residence, we found substantially similar results. (4) Conclusions: In this pilot study, we found limited evidence of an increased ALS risk due to long-term exposure at high PM10 concentration, though the high statistical imprecision of the risk estimates, due to the small sample size, particularly in some exposure categories, limited our capacity to detect small increases in risk, and further larger studies are needed to assess this relation.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Risk of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Exposure to Particulate Matter from Vehicular Traffic: A Case-Control Study

Filippini

Mandrioli

Malagoli

et al. 2021

IJERPH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Rare Earth Elements:Yttrium (Y), Lanthanum (La), Cerium (Ce), Praseodymium (Pr), Neodymium (Nd), Samarium (Sm), Europium (Eu), Gadolinium (Gd), Terbium (Tb), Dysprosium (Dy), Holmium (Ho), Erbium (Er), Ytterbium (Yb), Lutetium (Lu) [205,282,[284][285][286][287] Coexistence of multiple metal NPs alter the original toxicity of individual NP [285,288] Detection of metalloid, Si [290], which may be of relevance in the veterans from the Gulf Wars where desert dust (e.g. SiO 2 ) and particulate matter are prevalent [291] Si NPs 7 + nm evoke oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction [292,293] Within neurons, microglia, oligodendrocytes, astrocytes.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A perspective on persistent toxicants in veterans and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: identifying exposures determining higher ALS risk

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Multiple studies indicate that United States veterans have an increased risk of developing amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) compared to civilians. However, the responsible etiological factors are unknown. In the general population, specific occupational (e.g. truck drivers, airline pilots) and environmental exposures (e.g. metals, pesticides) are associated with an increased ALS risk. As such, the increased prevalence of ALS in veterans strongly suggests that there are exposures experienced by military personnel that are disproportionate to civilians. During service, veterans may encounter numerous neurotoxic exposures (e.g. burn pits, engine exhaust, firing ranges). So far, however, there is a paucity of studies investigating environmental factors contributing to ALS in veterans and even fewer assessing their exposure using biomarkers. Herein, we discuss ALS pathogenesis in relation to a series of persistent neurotoxicants (often emitted as mixtures) including: chemical elements, nanoparticles and lipophilic toxicants such as dioxins, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and polychlorinated biphenyls. We propose these toxicants should be directly measured in veteran central nervous system tissue, where they may have accumulated for decades. Specific toxicants (or mixtures thereof) may accelerate ALS development following a multistep hypothesis or act synergistically with other service-linked exposures (e.g. head trauma/concussions). Such possibilities could explain the lower age of onset observed in veterans compared to civilians. Identifying high-risk exposures within vulnerable populations is key to understanding ALS etiopathogenesis and is urgently needed to act upon modifiable risk factors for military personnel who deserve enhanced protection during their years of service, not only for their short-term, but also long-term health.

show abstract

“…For these methodological and statistical reasons, potential sub-phenotypes or dynamics in the clinical course were not considered in our study. The identification of the potential toxic agent(s) [42][43][44][45] in terms of plausibility and mechanism of action will be the object of future studies.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Is Chronic Exposure to Raw Water a Possible Risk Factor for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis? A Pilot Case-Control Study

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: The etiopathogenesis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is still largely unknown. Methods: We performed a case-control study (33 cases and 35 controls) in Umbria, Italy. We investigated associations between common lifestyle, clinical factors, as well as environmental exposures potentially implicated with ALS onset. Face-to-face interviews were carried out. All cases were recruited and diagnosed according to El Escorial criteria. Case-control comparisons were made for educational and residential status, occupational exposures, and clinical and lifestyle factors prior to cases’ dates of diagnosis. Results: Our results showed an increased risk of ALS for subjects chronically exposed to raw water use (odds ratio (OR) = 6.55, 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.24–19.12). Garden activities showed a tight association with ALS as well, very likely as a consequence of chronic raw water exposure. Indeed, we could exclude an impact for pesticides, as no significant differences were observed in pesticide exposure in the two groups interviewed. However, cases were more often exposed to fertilizers. After adjustment for age, sex, and heavy physical activities, exposure to raw water was still associated with increased ALS risk (OR = 4.74, 95% CI: 1.33–16.85). Discussion: These findings suggest an association between ALS and exposure to raw water, which should be further investigated for the presence of chemicals interfering with nervous system functionality.

show abstract

An overview on amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and cadmium

Cited by 24 publications

References 54 publications

Risk of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Exposure to Particulate Matter from Vehicular Traffic: A Case-Control Study

Risk of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Exposure to Particulate Matter from Vehicular Traffic: A Case-Control Study

A perspective on persistent toxicants in veterans and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: identifying exposures determining higher ALS risk

Is Chronic Exposure to Raw Water a Possible Risk Factor for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis? A Pilot Case-Control Study

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About