From the Department of Occupational Health, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China.
J Occup Environ Med. 2014 Feb;56(2):155-60. doi: 10.1097/JOM.0000000000000100.
To analyze cognitive functions and tau-protein expression in peripheral blood lymphocytes of retired aluminum (Al)-exposed workers.
A total of 66 retired Al potroom workers and 70 unexposed controls were investigated. The cognitive functions were assessed with the Mini-Mental State Examination. The tau-protein expression in peripheral blood lymphocyte was analyzed with Western blot.
The cognitive functions of the exposed group were significantly decreased. Twelve mild cognitive impairment cases in the exposed group and four mild cognitive impairment cases in the control group were diagnosed. Significantly higher p-tau181 and p-tau231 levels were detected in the Al-exposed workers than in the control group.
The study suggests that long-term exposure to Al may cause cognitive disorders and that p-tau181 and p-tau231 might be useful indicators for monitoring cognitive decline in Al-exposed workers.
分析退休铝（Al）暴露工人外周血淋巴细胞的认知功能和 tau 蛋白表达。
共调查了 66 名退休 Al 电解车间工人和 70 名未暴露对照者。采用简易精神状态检查评估认知功能。采用 Western blot 分析外周血淋巴细胞中的 tau 蛋白表达。
暴露组的认知功能明显下降。暴露组诊断出 12 例轻度认知障碍病例，对照组诊断出 4 例轻度认知障碍病例。暴露组 p-tau181 和 p-tau231 水平明显高于对照组。
本研究表明，长期暴露于 Al 可能导致认知障碍，p-tau181 和 p-tau231 可能是监测 Al 暴露工人认知能力下降的有用指标。
