background: the pollution of the aquatic environment with heavy metals has become a worldwide problem during recent years, due to their potential toxic effects and ability to bio-accumulate in aquatic ecosystems. heavy metals are sensitive indicators for monitoring changes in the aquatic environment. methods: in this study, total concentrations of cr, pb, cu, zn, and fe were measured in water a...

The malarial parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, is an intracellular pathogen and partially dependent on nutrient uptake for survival. In this issue of Chemistry & Biology, Marvin et al. demonstrate that zinc is essential for parasite growth and that the parasite maintains substantial labile cytosolic and mitochondrial zinc pools.

when organic material is decomposed under oxygen-limiting conditions (Nedwell, 1982). (The term sulphide is intended to include undissociated H2S, the bisulphide anion HS− and the sulphide anion S2−.) In marine sediments, sulphide production is enhanced by bacterial sulphate reduction (Jorgensen and Fenchel, 1974; Nedwell, 1982). Species inhabiting intertidal flats or salt marshes are, therefor...