title: Maternal and umbilical cord blood levels of mercury, manganese, iron, and copper in southern Taiwan: A cross-sectional study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The effect of maternal exposure to essential minerals and heavy metals on fetus is an important issue, which affects women around the world. Few data are available on the concentration of both essential minerals and heavy metals in maternal/fetal medicine. The aims of this study were to (1) assess the correlation of mercury (Hg), manganese (Mn), iron (Fe), and copper (Cu) in paired maternal/fetal blood samples, and (2) study potential confounding factors during pregnancy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Our study recruited 145 healthy pregnant women with a mean age of 28.06 years, gathering information by collecting interviewer-administered questionnaires. Paired maternal/fetal blood samples were collected by delivery.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was a positive correlation of Hg (r = 0.78, p<0.001), Mn (r = 0.31, p<0.001), Fe (r = 0.17, p = 0.038), and Cu (r = 0.21, p = 0.010) in paired maternal/fetal samples. Prenatal vitamin use (>3 times/wk) was significantly associated with lower maternal Hg (adjusted odds ratio 0.272, p = 0.005) and lower maternal Cu (adjusted odds ratio 0.267, p = 0.004) levels. Median fetal Hg, Mn, and Fe levels were higher than corresponding maternal levels, while median fetal Cu level was lower than maternal Cu level.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There was a positive correlation of Hg, Fe, Cu, and Mn in paired maternal/fetal samples in this series. Our findings have raised the possibility of reducing maternal Hg and Cu by way of prenatal vitamin supplementation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, College of Health Science, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, ROC; Department of Nursing, Fooyin University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: Shih-Hui
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, ROC; National Yang-Ming University, School of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC; Shu-Zen College of Medicine and Management, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: Ken-Pen
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Weng
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences and Biotechnology, Fooyin University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, ROC; Planning Department, Fooyin University Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: Ching-Chiang
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Fooyin University Hospital, Pingtung, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: Chung-Cheng
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, College of Health Science, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: Charles Tzu-Chi
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Education and Research, Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: Luo-Ping
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Ger
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, College of Health Science, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, ROC; Department of Family Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, ROC; Research Center for Environmental Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, ROC. Electronic address: e_encourage@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Ming-Tsang
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Wu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003300:Copper / Q000097:blood; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007501:Iron / Q000097:blood; D008345:Manganese / Q000097:blood; D008628:Mercury / Q000097:blood; D019216:Metals, Heavy / Q000097:blood*; D011247:Pregnancy; D014815:Vitamins / Q000008:administration & dosage
chemical_list: D019216:Metals, Heavy; D014815:Vitamins; D008345:Manganese; D003300:Copper; D007501:Iron; D008628:Mercury
keywords: copper; iron; manganese; mercury; pregnant woman; vitamin use