Microsoft Word - 19-26 Ibn Al-Haitham Jour.for Pure & Appl.Sci. 33 (3) 2020   19       Determined the Concentration Elements to Human Nail Using X- Ray Fluorescence Technique Nada M. Hasan Abstract Cancer constitutes a serious disease and a major health problem in worldwide, a lot of people were infected with this dangerous disease, Therefore, there must be attention to this disease through diagnosis and prevention there. In this study, we determined the relationship between the Cancer and the concentration of trace elements by comparing the concentration trace elements for infected and non-infected people. The trace elements concentrations to nails are one of the diagnostic criteria that easily to detect and dated this disease without any harm to the patient. Eight nails samples were collected from cancer-infected and eight samples from non-infected of the relatives of first-degree. All samples were measured by the concentration’s elements using X- ray fluorescence. The accuracy and precision were verified using standard samples. The results showed that the average concentrations of elements (Magnesium, silicon, potassium, calcium, ironand selenium,) were lower for cancer patients than their non-infected relatives and the trace elements (zinc, copper, cadmium, lead, chromium, manganese) were higher for cancer patients than their non-infected relatives. In conclusion, we need further studies to confirm the relationship between trace elements and cancer disease and attention the effect of diet and environmental risk of cancer. Key word: X-Ray Fluorescence, Trace elements, Cancer, Nails. Ibn Al Haitham Journal for Pure and Applied Science Journal homepage:http://jih.uobaghdad.edu.iq/index.php/j/index Doi: 10.30526/33.3.2470 Article history: Received 2October 2019, Accepted 22October 2019, Published in July 2020. drjamal40@hotmail.com        nada66_altai@yahoo.com Jamal K. Al-saedi Ali A. AbdAlhasan      ali11_77ahmed@yahoo.com Radioactive Waste Management and Treatment, Ministry of Science and Technology Nuclear Research and Applications, Ministry of Science and Technology, Baghdad, Iraq Nuclear Research and Applications, Ministry of Science and Technology, Baghdad, Iraq Ibn Al-Haitham Jour.for Pure & Appl.Sci. 33 (3) 2020   20   1. Introduction Identifying the concentration elements for biological tissues, such as nails, where used in several purposes such as the level of environmental pollution [1]. The impact of work areas to the healthy workers, and the diagnosis of many diseases such as diabetes [2]. Heart disease and cancer [3]. And indication of many characteristics such as heavy metal exposure related to a geographical location, drinking water, type of food [4]. Soil, smoking [5]. And some diseases [6].In recent years, the researchers have attention to the measurement of trace elements in human tissues because these elements and effect of the biochemical and physiological processes [7]. Trace element concentrations in the nails were used to monitor exposure to toxic elements or to assess the association between increased or decreased concentrations of elements with cancer[8].Cancer is a complex disease, several factors cause it like food system, environmental factors, genetic and smoking [9]. The probability of cancer incidence is due to environmental factors 65-70%, 30-40% dietary habits and only 2 % genetic predisposition [10]. Blood and other Body fluids give transient concentrations, while the nail growth is a continuous process of longevity. Therefore, the presence of minerals is long. Moreover, nails are a continuous record of concentration of elements. Also, we have features such as ease of collection and storage because they do not require any complicated conditions for analysis. All these features make it a more attractive screening and diagnostic tool in developing countries [11]. Several studies have focused on the relationship between heavy metals and human’s cancer [12, 13]. There are many techniques that can be used to determine the concentrations of elements for nails, such as Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (AAS) [14]. Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP- MS) [15]. Neutron Activated Analysis (NAA) [16]. X-ray fluorescence (XRF) technique [17].It was chosen in this study because the preparation of sample easily, accurate results and the analyzing of many samples at the same time was possible. The incidence of cancer has increased in recent decades; the number of cases reported annually was expected to raise from 10 million cases in 2000 to 15 million cases in 2030 according to the World Health Organization (WHO) [18]. Therefore, it needs many researches on screening methods, disease symptoms and cancer indicator in the initial stages. The aim of this study is to identify the concentrations of trace elements in nails of patients with cancer and compared with their relative non-infected, and identified a possible relationship between the concentrations of elements and cancer. This study attempted to develop the possibility of monitoring cancer incidence and to identify the effect of concentrations elements to cancer incidence. 2. Materials and Method 2.1.Sample Collection and Preparation Eight samples were collected from the people with cancer and eight samples from their relativly non-infected that were in hospital. A special form has been filled for each person, including the person's age, place of residence, gender, occupation, and diseases clinical stage as shown in Table 1. The people washed their hands with soap and water and then dried it with paper tissue, after that the nails was trimmed. The samples were immersed in a 70% ethanol Ibn Al-Haitham Jour.for Pure & Appl.Sci. 33 (3) 2020   21   solution for 10 minutes to reduce the risk of microbiological pollutants such as fungi and bacteria, then we washed the samples from ethanol. Table 1. The history of human with cancer. Sample code Sex Edge Side History of the disease / month Treatment time /month S1 Male 74 Karkh 5 2 S2 Male 52 Karkh 11 10 S3 Male 74 Karkh 8 6 S4 Female 70 Diyala 12 5 S5 Female 67 Rusafa 7 6 S6 Female 70 Karkh 18 14 S7 Male 10 Karkh 12 8 S8 Male 68 Karkh 24 16 2.2.Preparation of samples The samples were crushed with an electric grinder to a diameter range between (60µm - 125µm) that makes the powder a homogenous particle size. This process ensured the minimizing of the matrix effect error. The crushed samples were dried at 200oC for 30min with the oven and then pressed in a hydraulic press into 100 mg/cm2 pellet with a diameter of 32 mm. The weight of each samples was (3-4) gm. 2.3.Procedure for sample analysis The samples were analyzed using the SPECTRO XEPOS XRF unit with silicon drift lithium detector. The resolution of this system is 45eV at 5.9KeV to the iron isotope 55Fe. This detector did not need liquid nitrogen for cooling; it was cooled using Peltier effect. The X-ray unit has formed tube with beryllium window; the thickness was approximately 0.076 mm. This system uses targets that covered a wide range of X-ray energies. These targets were highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG), alumina (Al203) and Molybdenum. 3. Results and Discussion X-ray spectroscopy technique is an acceptable accuracy for such research as shown in Table 2, 3. The tables show the concentrations elements (Magnesium, Silicon, Potassium, Calcium, Iron and selenium) of the infected person’s nails and compared with their healthy relatives. The results showed decrease in the concentration of elements in above for cancer patients. The results showed a decrease in the concentration of calcium and magnesium, as some studies had shown. Patients with brain, lymph and leukemia usually have low calcium and magnesium concentrations [19]. Table 4. Showed the increase the concentration elements (Arsenal, chromium, Zinc, Copper, cadmium and, lead) in the cancer patient’s nails compared with their first-degree relatives. Our study had showed a decrease in the concentration of selenium, in cancer patients relative to healthy relatives. This is consistent with many studies and this has been proven by clinical trials [20]. Other researchers have also observed that selenium supplements were effective in suppressing cancers of the gastrointestinal [21]. Clinical trials have also shown that low selenium concentration is an important factor in cancer, especially gastrointestinal, prostate and breast cancer [22]. The manganese component ranged from the increase and decrease among cancer patients and their relatives.Arsenic and Cadmium are very Ibn Al-Haitham Jour.for Pure & Appl.Sci. 33 (3) 2020   22   toxic elements; these elements are a carcinogen even at very low levels and have no beneficial functions for humans [11]. Chromium is an essential element in low concentration but it is toxic and known human carcinogens [11]. Lead is a deadly poison and the increase the concentration causes many diseases, including cancer, where it enters the human body through air, water and food. Table 2. Shows the comparison of results between experimental data and the results published in certificate data to [PCC-1]. A.N.: atomic number, E.S.: element symbol, Con*: The experimental concentration (%), Con**: The certificate concentration (%). Table 3. The concentrations of main elements of nails the cancer patients and compared with their relatives Healthy. Table 4. The concentrations of trace elements of nails the cancer patients and compared with their relatives healthy. No A. N E.S Con* Con** Error % No. A. N. E.S. Con.* Con.** Error% 1 11 Na 0.35 0.36 2.78 10 25 Mn 0.52 0.50 4.00 2 12 Mg 28.34 26.19 8.21 11 26 Fe 1.41 1.25 12.80 3 13 Al 0.33 0.35 5.71 12 27 Co 0.006 0.0062 3.22 4 14 Si 20.61 19.48 5.80 13 28 Ni 0.34 0.37 8.11 5 15 p 0.37 0.40 7.50 14 29 Cu 0.0001 0.0001 0 5 16 S 0.26 0.24 6.56 15 30 Zn 1.71 1.87 8.56 6 17 Cl 0.75 0.87 13.79 16 34 Se 0.002 0.003 33.33 7 19 K 9.11 10.00 8.9 17 42 Mo 0.004 0.003 33.33 8 20 Ca 0.24 0.27 11.11 18 80 Hg 0.001 0.001 0 9 24 Cr 0.032 0.031 3.22 19 82 Pb 0.0001 0.0001 0 Active Nonactive Mg Si K Ca Fe Mg Si K Ca Fe S1 420 67 789 1546 268 450 89 890 1897 320 S2 340 90 966 1352 311 380 121 1583 2032 423 S3 310 45 785 1276 322 342 52 983 1534 420 S4 390 62 734 1032 210 420 81 896 1342 334 S5 350 41 617 1321 423 390 53 722 1255 320 S6 430 37 623 1122 173 450 112 1201 1902 461 S7 410 32 590 1011 182 430 37 623 1122 257 S8 420 34 100 348 175 440 38 120 1123 232 Active Nonactive Ni Mn Hg As Cr Ni Mn Hg As Cr S1 58 39 8.7 2.2 37 34 28 3.4 1.5 21 S2 31 21.8 5.7 1.4 25 36 11 3.4 1.2 14 S3 52 55.1 6.2 2.2 30 49 22 5.2 1.2 22 S4 65 62 1.5 2.4 43 51 50 4.0 1.5 16 Ibn Al-Haitham Jour.for Pure & Appl.Sci. 33 (3) 2020   23   4. Multivariate Statistical Analysis The statistical software SPSS (17.0 version) was used to identify the relationship among the element’s variables. The basic of statistical analysis, such as stander deviation, skewness, variance, kurtosis, median, mean, min., max., were used to describe the statistical characteristics of the elements as shown in Table 5 and 6.The stander deviation of elements was less than the mean value and this indicated a high degree of irregular in their distribution. The skewness of concentrations (Si,fe,Ni,Mn,Pb,Cr) in the two groups were positive, showing that their distributions were symmetric towards values that were more positive. While skewness of concentrations (Mg,K,S,Ca,Hg) was negative that showed their distributions which were asymmetric towards values that were more negative Table 5. Statistical analysis of nails concentrations elemental of cancer patients. Mean Median Std. Deviation Variance Skewness Kurtosis Range Min Max Mg 383.75 400 44.701 1998.21 -0.7 -1.2 120 310 430 Si 51 43 20.284 411.43 1.12 0.48 58 32 90 K 650.5 678.5 254.21 64624.9 -1.5 3.52 866 100 966 Ca 1126 1199 361.62 130766 -1.5 3.17 1198 348 1546 Fe 258 239 89.781 8060.57 0.83 -0.1 250 173 423 Ni 142.38 61.5 229.71 52766 2.79 7.84 678 31 709 Mn 67.013 47 68.718 4722.13 2.63 7.16 212.2 21.8 234 Pb 5.84 5.95 0.8383 0.703 0.69 0.36 2.5 4.9 7.4 Hg 5.91 6.3 2.9333 8.60 -0.5 -0.6 8.3 1.5 9.8 As 1.92 2.1 0.4062 0.16 -0.7 -1.2 1.1 1.3 2.4 Cr 37.26 34.05 11.06 122.32 0.61 -1.1 30 25 55 Zn 125.46 118 41.325 1707.72 0.19 -1.8 110.9 72.1 183 S5 98 44 9.8 2.1 50 81 30 2.7 2.0 33 S6 709 234 7.1 1.7 27 64 125 2.0 1,7 20 S7 58 30.2 6.4 1.3 31.1 64 9.8 5.8 1.1 14 S8 68 50 1.9 2.1 55 97 28.0 6.4 1.3 16 Active Nonactive Zn Cu Cd Pb Se Zn Cu Cd Pb Se S1 91 31 6.2 4.9 0.8 82 16 4.5 2.1 1.8 S2 167.6 15.5 5.0 5.1 1.0 80.2 4.6 3.6 2.5 2.1 S3 183 20.7 7.2 5.8 1.0 90.5 8.4 3.9 2.9 2.0 S4 135 30.4 6.8 6.1 0.9 8.4 15 5.0 3 1.9 S5 101 26 11 6.1 0.9 89 17 8 3.1 1.7 S6 159.7 94.8 10 7.4 2.3 8.7 49.4 7.0 5.5 1.1 S7 72.1 8.4 12 6.3 0.4 37 4.8 5 3 1.3 S8 94.3 40.8 5.0 5.0 0.6 73.3 20.7 5.0 2.6 1.1 Ibn Al-Haitham Jour.for Pure & Appl.Sci. 33 (3) 2020   24   Cu 33.45 28.2 26.729 714.42 2.07 4.97 86.4 8.4 94.8 Cd 7.9 7 2.7318 7.463 0.49 -1.5 7 5 12 Se 0.99 0.9 0.5693 0.324 2.06 5.25 1.9 0.4 2.3 Table 6. Statistical analysis of nails concentrations elemental to relatives healthy. Mean Median Std. Dev Variance Skewness Kurtosis Range Min Max Mg 412.75 425 38.66 1494.81 -0.896 -0.148 108 342 450 Si 72.87 67 32.75 1072.42 0.383 -1.543 84 37 121 K 877.25 893 427.08 182395 -0.166 1.209 1463 120 1583 Ca 1525.88 1438 371.87 138291 0.284 -1.958 910 1122 2032 Fe 345.87 327 81.98 6720.4 0.061 -1.312 229 232 461 Ni 59.5 57.5 21.69 470.57 0.588 -0.352 63 34 97 Mn 37.95 28 37.33 1393.93 2.241 5.445 115.2 9.8 125 Hg 4.11 3.7 1.55 2.39 0.262 -1.229 4.4 2 6.4 As 3.35 1.4 5.52 30.5 2.814 7.937 15.9 1.1 17 Cr 19.5 18 6.279 39.43 1.586 2.905 19 14 33 Zn 58.64 76.75 35.15 1235.5 -0.768 -1.475 82.1 8.4 90.5 Cu 16.99 15.5 14.37 206.43 1.911 4.392 44.8 4.6 49.4 Cd 5.25 5 1.50807 2.274 1.04 0.246 4.4 3.6 8 Pb 3.09 2.95 1.03017 1.061 2.222 5.755 3.4 2.1 5.5 Se 1.62 1.75 0.40267 0.162 -0.4 -1.764 1 1.1 2.1 25 Ibn Al-Haitham Jour.for Pure & Appl.Sci. 33 (3) 2020 5. 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