Trace Elements in Autopsy Tissues from World Trade Center Decedents

描述（由申请人提供）：本提案的目的是测试来自世贸中心（WTC）粉尘、气体或烟雾的微量元素在2001年9月11日之后仍存在于人体组织中的假设，因此，可能有助于开发累积世贸中心暴露的生物标志物。我们的项目将努力实现《扎德罗加法案》的研究目标，即扩大对世贸中心灾难对健康影响的认识。利用体内x射线荧光（XRF），我们发现Ti和Sb可能被吸收并保留在一些WTC幸存者的骨骼中。我们现在希望通过分析世界贸易中心健康登记处（WTCHR）登记的死者组织中的微量元素来进一步验证这一假设，这些死者是由纽约市首席法医办公室（OCME）验尸的。2007-2011年进行的约100例WTCHR注册人“索引”尸检的组织将与50例匹配对照尸检的组织一起用于研究。对照尸检将提供来自正常城市生活的微量元素本底浓度的测量方法。入组时的访谈数据将用于指数尸检，并将揭示WTC微量元素的组织浓度与访谈反应估计的WTC暴露量之间的相关性。我们还将比较WTCHR受试者不同器官中的微量元素浓度与通过气管内吸入接触WTCHR粉尘的动物的微量元素浓度。该研究假设的支持将激发进一步的研究，以开发指示WTC污染物累积暴露的生物标志物。更好地了解世贸中心污染物的身体负担，可能会改善世贸中心幸存者中观察到的疾病的病因学研究和医学治疗。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The goal of this proposal is to test the hypothesis that trace elements from World Trade Center (WTC) dust, gas or fumes remain present in human tissues years after 9/11/2001 and, thus, may be useful in developing biomarkers of cumulative WTC exposure. Our project will work towards the research objective of the Zadroga Act of expanding knowledge of the health effects of the World Trade Center disaster. Using in vivo x-ray fluorescence (XRF), we found that Ti and Sb may have been absorbed and retained in the bones of some WTC survivors. We now wish to pursue this hypothesis further by analyzing trace elements in tissues of deceased individuals enrolled in the World Trade Center Health Registry (WTCHR) who were autopsied by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) of the City of New York. Tissues from approximately 100 "index" autopsies of WTCHR registrants conducted in 2007-2011 will be available for study, along with tissues from 50 matched control autopsies. Control autopsies will provide measures of background concentrations of trace elements resulting from normal urban life. Interview data from the time of enrollment will be available for index autopsies and will reveal correlations between tissue concentrations of WTC trace elements and WTC exposure estimated from interview responses. We also will compare concentrations of trace elements in different organs of subjects in the WTCHR with those obtained from animals exposed to WTC dust via intratracheal inhalation. Support of the study hypothesis will inspire additional research to develop biomarkers indicative of cumulative exposures to WTC contaminants. Etiologic studies of diseases observed among WTC survivors and medical treatments might be improved with better understanding of the body burden of WTC contaminants.