title: Effect of exposure to trace elements in the soil on the prevalence of neural tube defects in a high-risk area of China.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Our objective is to build a model that explains the association between the exposure to trace elements in the soil and the risk of neural tube defects.
  
  
  METHODS
  We built a function with different parameters to describe the effects of trace elements on neural tube defects. The association between neural tube defects and trace element levels was transformed into an optimization problem using the maximum likelihood method.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Tin, lead, nickel, iron, copper, and aluminum had typical layered effects (dosage effects) on the prevalence of neural tube defects. Arsenic, selenium, zinc, strontium, and vanadium had no effect, and molybdenum had one threshold value that affected the prevalence of birth defects.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  As an exploratory research work, our model can be used to determine the direction of the effect of the trace element content of cultivated soil on the risk of neural tube defects, which shows the clues by the dosage effect of their toxicological characteristics. Based on our findings, future biogeochemical research should focus on the direct effects of trace elements on human health.
authors.affiliation: School of Mathematical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Jilei
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Tiejun
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Xinming
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Bingzi
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Pingwen
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Xiaoying
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zheng
mesh_terms: D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008670:Metals / Q000737:chemistry / Q000633:toxicity; D008954:Models, Biological; D009436:Neural Tube Defects / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000453:epidemiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D015995:Prevalence; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000633:toxicity*; D014131:Trace Elements / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D008670:Metals; D012989:Soil Pollutants; D014131:Trace Elements