Comparative analysis of zinc, molybdenum, manganese, chromiumi content in hair, blood serum and urine of students from Central Asia, Middle East and Central Russia during the period of adaptation to study

Introduction. The most popular education in Russian higher education institutions is among applicants from Central Asian countries, including Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. Students from this region make up more than half of all foreign citizens studying in Russian universities. Changed environmental conditions lead to the development of stressful situations, decreased learning ability and, in the future, the possible development of a number of diseases closely related to the presence of various elementoses. In this regard, in addition to the socio-cultural adaptation of students, it is very important to pay attention to the study of the elemental status of students in the process of their further adaptation to the changed living conditions.

The aim of the study – a comparative analysis of the elemental status of first-year students from different climatic and geographical regions of the world who arrived to study in the Russian Federation and students living in the territory of the Russian Federation.

Material and methods. From September 1, 2022 to January 1, 2023, a study of the elemental composition of hair was conducted using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry in 180 first-year students of RUDN University who had previously lived in the Middle East (60 people) and in the Moscow region (120 people). The age of the subjects was 18–26 years, the average age was 22.7 ± 4 years. Gender differences in the comparison groups were not taken into account. Differences in samples were determined using the Mann–Whitney test for independent samples (significance level p < 0.05).

Results. The presented results of a comparative analysis of the content of Zn, Mo, Mn, Cr elements in the hair of students who arrived from the countries of the Middle East, Central Asia and regions of Central Russia during the adaptation period to training in 2023 are characterized by reliable differences in the content of essential microelements in various biosubstrates.

Conclusion. The established features of the elemental profiles of students showed that the hair of the subjects reflects the territorial climatic and geographical features of the region of residence of the examined persons.