Trace elements concentrations of Ca, Fe, and Zn in cataractous human lenses have been determined using the proton induced X-ray emission technique (PIXE). The technique was selected due to its sensitivity and only modest requirements for sample material processing and preparation. In the study a statistically significant sample of post–surgery (phacoemulsification method) human lenses with cata...

The tra-1 gene of Caenorhabditis elegans is a major developmental regulator that promotes female development. Two mRNAs are expressed from the tra-1 locus as a result of alternative mRNA processing. One mRNA encodes a protein with five zinc fingers and the other a protein with only the first two zinc fingers. We have derived a preferred in vitro DNA binding site for the five finger protein by s...

In this study the hydrometallurgical processing of BOF sludge in the sulphuric acid solutions under atmospheric pressure and temperatures up to 100 °C is investigated on a laboratory scale. The influence of sulphuric acid concentration, temperature, time and liquid to solid ratio (L:S) on the leaching process was studied. The main aim of this study was to determine optimal conditions when the m...

The zinc fingers of the HIV-1 nucleocapsid protein, NCp7, are prime targets for antiretroviral therapeutics. Here we show that S-acyl-2-mercaptobenzamide thioester (SAMT) chemotypes inhibit HIV by modifying the NCp7 region of Gag in infected cells, thereby blocking Gag processing and reducing infectivity. The thiol produced by SAMT reaction with NCp7 is acetylated by cellular enzymes to regener...

Heavy metal toxicity is a major public health concern. Exposure to such metals as cadmium, arsenic, lead etc. in human body causes deleterious effect. World Health Organization informed that the emission rate of cadmium is maximum in developing countries than in the developed part. Cadmium poisoning is reflected in the form of renal dysfunction, poor bone mineral density. It’s occurrence in nat...

after iron deficiency, zinc deficiency is the major micronutrient deficiency in developing countries, and staple food fortification is an effective strategy to prevent and improve it among at-risk-populations. no action has been taken to reduce zinc deficiency via flour fortification so far in iran, and little is known about the influence of zinc fortification of flour on serum zinc and the iro...

desferroxamine (desferal) is used tochelate iron in thalassemia, a disease of very high prevalence in various parts of lran. we have investigated intestinal zinc absorption in desferal-treated rats which, in pilot experiments, showed low serum levels of both iron and zinc. intraperitoneal administration of ten 0.5 g doses of desferal (one injection every other day) to male rats produced severe ...

objective â  febrile convulsion (fc) is a common cause of seizure in young children, withâ an excellent prognosis. in addition to genetic predisposition and infections,fcs are generally thought to be induced by metabolic and elemental changesâ during fever such as zinc (zn) deficiency. regarding the high prevalence ofâ febrile convulsions and the role of zn deficiency, we investigated the role ...