Urine selenium concentration is a useful biomarker for assessing population level selenium status

Felix P. Phiri; E. Louise Ander; R. Murray Lark; Elizabeth H. Bailey; Benson Chilima; Jellita Gondwe; Edward J.M. Joy; Alexander A. Kalimbira; John C. Phuka; Parminder S. Suchdev; Daniel R.S. Middleton; Elliott M. Hamilton; Michael J. Watts; Scott D. Young; Martin R. Broadley

doi:10.1016/j.envint.2019.105218

Urine selenium concentration is a useful biomarker for assessing population level selenium status

Felix P. Phiri^*, E. Louise Ander, R. Murray Lark, Elizabeth H. Bailey, Benson Chilima, Jellita Gondwe, Edward J.M. Joy, Alexander A. Kalimbira, John C. Phuka, Parminder S. Suchdev, Daniel R.S. Middleton, Elliott M. Hamilton, Michael J. Watts, Scott D. Young, Martin R. Broadley

^*Corresponding author for this work

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Abstract

Plasma selenium (Se) concentration is an established population level biomarker of Se status, especially in Se-deficient populations. Previously observed correlations between dietary Se intake and urinary Se excretion suggest that urine Se concentration is also a potentially viable biomarker of Se status. However, there are only limited data on urine Se concentration among Se-deficient populations. Here, we test if urine is a viable biomarker for assessing Se status among a large sample of women and children in Malawi, most of whom are likely to be Se-deficient based on plasma Se status. Casual (spot) urine samples (n = 1406) were collected from a nationally representative sample of women of reproductive age (WRA, n =741) and school aged children (SAC, n=665) across Malawi as part of the 2015/16 Demographic and Health Survey. Selenium concentration in urine was determined using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Urinary dilution corrections for specific gravity, osmolality, and creatinine were applied to adjust for hydration status. Plasma Se status had been measured for the same survey participants. There was between-cluster variation in urine Se concentration that corresponded with variation in plasma Se concentration, but not between households within a cluster, or between individuals within a household. Corrected urine Se concentrations explained more of the between-cluster variation in plasma Se concentration than uncorrected data. These results provide new evidence that urine may be used in the surveillance of Se status at the population level in some groups. This could be a cost-effective option if urine samples are already being collected for other assessments, such as for iodine status analysis as in the Malawi and other national Demographic and Health Surveys.

Original language	English
Article number	105218
Journal	Environment International
Volume	134
Early online date	09 Nov 2019
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2019.105218
Publication status	Published - Jan 2020
Externally published	Yes

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
Funding for this study was provided by the University of Nottingham (UoN) UK, the British Geological Survey (BGS) UK, and the Royal Society-Department for International Development (DFID) UK, under project AQ140000, ?Strengthening African capacity in soil geochemistry for agriculture and health?. We thank The Government of Malawi (Ministry of Health; Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development; National Statistics Office), and the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), notably Katie Tripp, Anne Williams, and Carine Mapango, for enabling this work to be conducted, together with all of the participating field teams and volunteers.

Funding Information:
Funding for this study was provided by the University of Nottingham (UoN) UK, the British Geological Survey (BGS) UK, and the Royal Society-Department for International Development (DFID) UK, under project AQ140000 , “ Strengthening African capacity in soil geochemistry for agriculture and health ”. We thank The Government of Malawi (Ministry of Health; Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development; National Statistics Office), and the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), notably Katie Tripp, Anne Williams, and Carine Mapango, for enabling this work to be conducted, together with all of the participating field teams and volunteers. Appendix A

Publisher Copyright:
© 2019 The Authors

Keywords

Biomarkers
Biomonitoring
Micronutrient survey
Selenium status
Sub Saharan Africa
Urine

ASJC Scopus subject areas

General Environmental Science

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Urine selenium concentration is a useful biomarker for assessing population level selenium status
Copyright 2020 the authors. This is an open access article published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits distribution and reproduction for non-commercial purposes, provided the author and source are cited.
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Phiri, F. P., Ander, E. L., Lark, R. M., Bailey, E. H., Chilima, B., Gondwe, J., Joy, E. J. M., Kalimbira, A. A., Phuka, J. C., Suchdev, P. S., Middleton, D. R. S., Hamilton, E. M., Watts, M. J., Young, S. D., & Broadley, M. R. (2020). Urine selenium concentration is a useful biomarker for assessing population level selenium status. Environment International, 134, Article 105218. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2019.105218

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title = "Urine selenium concentration is a useful biomarker for assessing population level selenium status",

abstract = "Plasma selenium (Se) concentration is an established population level biomarker of Se status, especially in Se-deficient populations. Previously observed correlations between dietary Se intake and urinary Se excretion suggest that urine Se concentration is also a potentially viable biomarker of Se status. However, there are only limited data on urine Se concentration among Se-deficient populations. Here, we test if urine is a viable biomarker for assessing Se status among a large sample of women and children in Malawi, most of whom are likely to be Se-deficient based on plasma Se status. Casual (spot) urine samples (n = 1406) were collected from a nationally representative sample of women of reproductive age (WRA, n =741) and school aged children (SAC, n=665) across Malawi as part of the 2015/16 Demographic and Health Survey. Selenium concentration in urine was determined using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Urinary dilution corrections for specific gravity, osmolality, and creatinine were applied to adjust for hydration status. Plasma Se status had been measured for the same survey participants. There was between-cluster variation in urine Se concentration that corresponded with variation in plasma Se concentration, but not between households within a cluster, or between individuals within a household. Corrected urine Se concentrations explained more of the between-cluster variation in plasma Se concentration than uncorrected data. These results provide new evidence that urine may be used in the surveillance of Se status at the population level in some groups. This could be a cost-effective option if urine samples are already being collected for other assessments, such as for iodine status analysis as in the Malawi and other national Demographic and Health Surveys.",

keywords = "Biomarkers, Biomonitoring, Micronutrient survey, Selenium status, Sub Saharan Africa, Urine",

author = "Phiri, {Felix P.} and Ander, {E. Louise} and Lark, {R. Murray} and Bailey, {Elizabeth H.} and Benson Chilima and Jellita Gondwe and Joy, {Edward J.M.} and Kalimbira, {Alexander A.} and Phuka, {John C.} and Suchdev, {Parminder S.} and Middleton, {Daniel R.S.} and Hamilton, {Elliott M.} and Watts, {Michael J.} and Young, {Scott D.} and Broadley, {Martin R.}",

note = "Funding Information: Funding for this study was provided by the University of Nottingham (UoN) UK, the British Geological Survey (BGS) UK, and the Royal Society-Department for International Development (DFID) UK, under project AQ140000, ?Strengthening African capacity in soil geochemistry for agriculture and health?. We thank The Government of Malawi (Ministry of Health; Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development; National Statistics Office), and the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), notably Katie Tripp, Anne Williams, and Carine Mapango, for enabling this work to be conducted, together with all of the participating field teams and volunteers. Funding Information: Funding for this study was provided by the University of Nottingham (UoN) UK, the British Geological Survey (BGS) UK, and the Royal Society-Department for International Development (DFID) UK, under project AQ140000 , “ Strengthening African capacity in soil geochemistry for agriculture and health ”. We thank The Government of Malawi (Ministry of Health; Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development; National Statistics Office), and the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), notably Katie Tripp, Anne Williams, and Carine Mapango, for enabling this work to be conducted, together with all of the participating field teams and volunteers. Appendix A Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2019 The Authors",

year = "2020",

month = jan,

doi = "10.1016/j.envint.2019.105218",

language = "English",

volume = "134",

journal = "Environment International",

issn = "0160-4120",

publisher = "Elsevier Ltd",

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Phiri, FP, Ander, EL, Lark, RM, Bailey, EH, Chilima, B, Gondwe, J, Joy, EJM, Kalimbira, AA, Phuka, JC, Suchdev, PS, Middleton, DRS, Hamilton, EM, Watts, MJ, Young, SD & Broadley, MR 2020, 'Urine selenium concentration is a useful biomarker for assessing population level selenium status', Environment International, vol. 134, 105218. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2019.105218

TY - JOUR

T1 - Urine selenium concentration is a useful biomarker for assessing population level selenium status

AU - Phiri, Felix P.

AU - Ander, E. Louise

AU - Lark, R. Murray

AU - Bailey, Elizabeth H.

AU - Chilima, Benson

AU - Gondwe, Jellita

AU - Joy, Edward J.M.

AU - Kalimbira, Alexander A.

AU - Phuka, John C.

AU - Suchdev, Parminder S.

AU - Middleton, Daniel R.S.

AU - Hamilton, Elliott M.

AU - Watts, Michael J.

AU - Young, Scott D.

AU - Broadley, Martin R.

N1 - Funding Information: Funding for this study was provided by the University of Nottingham (UoN) UK, the British Geological Survey (BGS) UK, and the Royal Society-Department for International Development (DFID) UK, under project AQ140000, ?Strengthening African capacity in soil geochemistry for agriculture and health?. We thank The Government of Malawi (Ministry of Health; Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development; National Statistics Office), and the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), notably Katie Tripp, Anne Williams, and Carine Mapango, for enabling this work to be conducted, together with all of the participating field teams and volunteers. Funding Information: Funding for this study was provided by the University of Nottingham (UoN) UK, the British Geological Survey (BGS) UK, and the Royal Society-Department for International Development (DFID) UK, under project AQ140000 , “ Strengthening African capacity in soil geochemistry for agriculture and health ”. We thank The Government of Malawi (Ministry of Health; Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development; National Statistics Office), and the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), notably Katie Tripp, Anne Williams, and Carine Mapango, for enabling this work to be conducted, together with all of the participating field teams and volunteers. Appendix A Publisher Copyright: © 2019 The Authors

PY - 2020/1

Y1 - 2020/1

N2 - Plasma selenium (Se) concentration is an established population level biomarker of Se status, especially in Se-deficient populations. Previously observed correlations between dietary Se intake and urinary Se excretion suggest that urine Se concentration is also a potentially viable biomarker of Se status. However, there are only limited data on urine Se concentration among Se-deficient populations. Here, we test if urine is a viable biomarker for assessing Se status among a large sample of women and children in Malawi, most of whom are likely to be Se-deficient based on plasma Se status. Casual (spot) urine samples (n = 1406) were collected from a nationally representative sample of women of reproductive age (WRA, n =741) and school aged children (SAC, n=665) across Malawi as part of the 2015/16 Demographic and Health Survey. Selenium concentration in urine was determined using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Urinary dilution corrections for specific gravity, osmolality, and creatinine were applied to adjust for hydration status. Plasma Se status had been measured for the same survey participants. There was between-cluster variation in urine Se concentration that corresponded with variation in plasma Se concentration, but not between households within a cluster, or between individuals within a household. Corrected urine Se concentrations explained more of the between-cluster variation in plasma Se concentration than uncorrected data. These results provide new evidence that urine may be used in the surveillance of Se status at the population level in some groups. This could be a cost-effective option if urine samples are already being collected for other assessments, such as for iodine status analysis as in the Malawi and other national Demographic and Health Surveys.

AB - Plasma selenium (Se) concentration is an established population level biomarker of Se status, especially in Se-deficient populations. Previously observed correlations between dietary Se intake and urinary Se excretion suggest that urine Se concentration is also a potentially viable biomarker of Se status. However, there are only limited data on urine Se concentration among Se-deficient populations. Here, we test if urine is a viable biomarker for assessing Se status among a large sample of women and children in Malawi, most of whom are likely to be Se-deficient based on plasma Se status. Casual (spot) urine samples (n = 1406) were collected from a nationally representative sample of women of reproductive age (WRA, n =741) and school aged children (SAC, n=665) across Malawi as part of the 2015/16 Demographic and Health Survey. Selenium concentration in urine was determined using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Urinary dilution corrections for specific gravity, osmolality, and creatinine were applied to adjust for hydration status. Plasma Se status had been measured for the same survey participants. There was between-cluster variation in urine Se concentration that corresponded with variation in plasma Se concentration, but not between households within a cluster, or between individuals within a household. Corrected urine Se concentrations explained more of the between-cluster variation in plasma Se concentration than uncorrected data. These results provide new evidence that urine may be used in the surveillance of Se status at the population level in some groups. This could be a cost-effective option if urine samples are already being collected for other assessments, such as for iodine status analysis as in the Malawi and other national Demographic and Health Surveys.

KW - Biomarkers

KW - Biomonitoring

KW - Micronutrient survey

KW - Selenium status

KW - Sub Saharan Africa

KW - Urine

U2 - 10.1016/j.envint.2019.105218

DO - 10.1016/j.envint.2019.105218

M3 - Article

C2 - 31715489

AN - SCOPUS:85074607907

SN - 0160-4120

VL - 134

JO - Environment International

JF - Environment International

M1 - 105218

ER -

Urine selenium concentration is a useful biomarker for assessing population level selenium status

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

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