| Biomarkers of metal toxicity in population studies: research potential and interpretation issues. | |
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MedLine Citation:
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PMID: 18654897 Owner: NLM Status: MEDLINE |
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
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Biomarkers of effects are molecular tools that can serve to identify changes or effects occurring in the organism because of exposure to a given toxicant or stressor. The potential of biomarkers of effects in epidemiology resides mainly in their greater sensitivity and specificity as compared with more traditional endpoints. Noninvasiveness and objectivity are also important features of effect biomarkers that allow minimizing of the risks of participation and response biases in population studies. Since effect biomarkers are not specific for a given metal, they should always be used in combination with biomarkers or tests of exposure. Dose-response/effect relationships emerging between effect and exposure biomarkers should be carefully analyzed in order to avoid confounding by sampling conditions, subjects' characteristics or lifestyle, or else recent changes in exposure levels. It is also important to exclude the possibility of secondary associations, as well as to make sure that metal exposure is the cause of the effect and not the opposite (reverse causality). Assessing the health significance of associations between effect biomarkers and metal exposure is a delicate task, which necessarily implies some personal judgment. Factors to consider in this exercise include the magnitude and type of adverse effect, the possibility of some reversal, the strength of associations, and the type and size of populations at risk. |
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Authors:
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Alfred Bernard |
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Publication Detail:
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Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't |
Journal Detail:
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Title: Journal of toxicology and environmental health. Part A Volume: 71 ISSN: 1528-7394 ISO Abbreviation: J. Toxicol. Environ. Health Part A Publication Date: 2008 |
Date Detail:
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Created Date: 2008-07-25 Completed Date: 2008-08-21 Revised Date: - |
Medline Journal Info:
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Nlm Unique ID: 100960995 Medline TA: J Toxicol Environ Health A Country: England |
Other Details:
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Languages: eng Pagination: 1259-65 Citation Subset: IM |
Affiliation:
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Department of Public Health, Catholic University of Louvain, Brussels, Belgium. alfred.bernard@uclouvain.be |
Export Citation:
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APA/MLA Format Download EndNote Download BibTex |
| MeSH Terms | |
Descriptor/Qualifier:
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Biological Markers
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analysis* Dose-Response Relationship, Drug Endpoint Determination / methods* Environmental Monitoring / methods* Humans Metals / toxicity* Population Surveillance* Predictive Value of Tests Public Health Risk Assessment |
| Chemical | |
Reg. No./Substance:
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0/Biological Markers; 0/Metals |
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
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