AIM To evaluate the levels of circulating immune complexes, trace elements (copper, iron and selenium) in serum of patients with oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF), oral leukoplakia (L), and oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), analyze the alteration and identify the best predictors amongst these parameters for disease occurrence and progression. METHODS Circulating immune complexes (CIC) were est...

Three constitutive forms of superoxide dismutase activity have been demonstrated in the cyanobacterial marine picoplankter Synechococcus sp. WH 7803 using polyacrylamide gel activity staining techniques. A protein which gave a positive non-haem iron stain on native polyacrylamide gels exhibited N-terminal similarity to both the iron superoxide dismutase and the manganese superoxide dismutase of...

Graminaceous monocots, including most of the world's staple grains (i.e. rice, corn, and wheat) use a chelation strategy (Strategy II) for primary acquisition of iron from the soil. Strategy II plants secrete phytosiderophores (PS), compounds of the mugineic acid family that form stable Fe(III) chelates in soil. Uptake of iron-PS chelates, which occurs through specific transporters at the root ...

Cellular oxygen partial pressure is sensed by a family of prolyl-4-hydroxylase domain (PHD) enzymes that modify hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)alpha subunits. Upon hydroxylation under normoxic conditions, HIFalpha is bound by the von Hippel-Lindau tumor suppressor protein and targeted for proteasomal destruction. Since PHD activity is dependent on oxygen and ferrous iron, HIF-1 mediates not only...

Studies on planktonic cyanobacteria have shown variability in cyanotoxin production, in response to changes in growth phase and environmental factors. Few studies have investigated cyanotoxin regulation in benthic mat-forming species, despite increasing reports on poisoning events caused by ingestion of these organisms. In this study, a method was developed to investigate changes in cyanotoxin ...

Macrophages play a key role in iron metabolism by recycling iron through erythrophagocytosis. Ferroportin-1 (FPN1) is a transporter protein that is known to mediate iron export from macrophages. Since divalent metals often interact with iron metabolism, we examined if divalent metals could regulate the expression of FPN1 in macrophages. J774 macrophage cells were treated with copper, manganese,...

The development of common bean cultivars with high technological quality that are biofortified with minerals, is required to meet the demand for food with health benefits. The objectives of this study were to evaluate whether common bean genotypes differ in terms of technological and mineral biofortification traits, to study the correlations between these characters, to analyze the genetic diss...

During development, the fetus is entirely dependent on the mother for its nutrient requirements. Subsequently, it is a period when both are vulnerable to changes in dietary supply, especially of those nutrients that are marginal under normal circumstances. In developed countries, this applies mainly to micronutrients. Even now, iron deficiency is a common disorder, especially in pregnancy. Simi...

Removal of the spleen in albino rats free from Bartonella muris infection is followed by an increased elimination of copper in the feces, which commences 2 weeks after splenectomy. This is associated with a persistent negative copper balance. An increased retention of iron occurs during a period of 4 to 6 weeks after splenectomy with a return of the iron metabolism to normal after this period. ...

Ample evidence now exists to show that the nutritional anawmia, or milk anaemia, of babies bears a very close resemblance to the milk aneemia of rats, but whereas young rats in whom anwemia is induced by prolonged milk feeding suffer from a deficiency of copper as well as of iron, and require both copper and iron for their cure4, it is not yet proven that copper deficiency plays any part in the...