A larger number of subjects might allow additional information about the other microelements to be gathered, perhaps resolving situations with borderline significance, such as the Ca/Mg ratio that was higher in ASD children ( p = 0.052), and V, S ( p = 0.076), and Zn ( p = 0.09) that were lower in ASD children with respect to controls. 5.
3-PBA Level in Urine of ASD and Control Children (CTR) in the First Group Figure 1 A shows that the two groups differed slightly, but the difference in the urinary level of 3-PBA did not reach statistical significance ( p = 0.054).
Urine concentration of 3-BPA in ASD children had higher values than in the control group, which were marginally significant ( p = 0.054).
Further studies involving a larger cohort of subjects will permit to consolidate data on hair concentration of V, S, Zn, and Ca/Mg, that were nearly statistically significant, and to examine the activity of detoxifying enzymes in ASD and CTR children.