(1) Background: Methylmercury (MeHg) exposure during pregnancy is an important issue due to its possible adverse health effects on fetus. To contribute the development of assessment system of Hg exposure through fish consumption and health effects on children, we examined the hair Hg levels in pregnant women and birth weight and length. (2) Methods: In 2018, a cohort study was conducted on 118 pregnant women-infant pairs from six community health centers in the northern coastal area in Central Java Indonesia. Data on mothers’ characteristics during pregnancy, birth outcomes, and fish consumption were collected. Total Hg concentrations were determined from hair samples. (3) Results: The median (min-max) of the maternal hair Hg level was 0.434 (0.146–8.105) µg/g. Pregnant women living in lowland areas, near the sea, showed higher hair Hg concentration and fish consumption than those in highland areas {[0.465 (0.146–8.105) vs. 0.385 (0.150–1.956) µg/g; p = 0.043] and [(85.71 (0–500.0) vs. 49.76 (0.0–428.57) g/day; p < 0.01], respectively}. The maternal hair Hg level had no association with baby’s birth weight and length. (4) Conclusions: The median maternal hair Hg is at a low level and had no association with infant birth weight and length in this study subjects.
Background:�Oxidative stress�and�inflammation�play�an important role in�pathogenesis of�brain aging�and neurodegenerative diseases such as�Alzheimer. Green tea�has been shown to have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and neuroprotective�activity. Objectives: to determine the effect of green tea extract on�spatial memory function and superoxide dismutase�enzyme activity in mice with D-galactose induced dementiaMethods:�An experimental study using "post test only control group design".�Twenty male�BALB/c Mice aged 6-8�weeks were divided into�4�groups.�Negative control group�(NG)�was induced by subcutaneous injection of�D-galactose�(150�mg/kg BW)�once�daily for�6�weeks.�GT-90, GT-270,�GT-540�were induced by�D-galactose�and orally administered with 90, 270, and 540 mg/kg BW of�green tea extract�once daily for 6 weeks.�The spatial memory functions were assessed using Morris water maze and�SOD enzyme activities�were evaluated using ELISA.�One-way Anova and Kruskal-Wallis were used for statistical analysis.�Results: mean�percentage of latency time in the GT-90�(35.29�(SD=�2.69)%),�GT-270�(35.28 (SD= 2.62)%), and�GT-540�(35.62�(SD=5.05)%)�were�significantly�higher compared to that of NG�(20.38�(SD =�3.21)%), p�<0.05). SOD enzyme activity in the�GT-270�(0.78 (SD = 0.07) U/ml)�was�significantly�higher�compared to that of NG�(0.51 (SD = 0.01) U�ml), p= 0.004).Conclusion:�Green tea extract�may�improve�spatial memory�function�and�the activity of�superoxide dismutase�enzyme in mice�with D-galactose induced�dementia.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.