The activity of thymulin (a thymic hormone) is dependent on the presence of zinc in the molecule. We assayed serum thymulin activity in three models of mildly zinc-deficient (ZD) human subjects before and after zinc supplementation: (a) two human volunteers in whom a specific and mild zinc deficiency was induced by dietary means; (b) six mildly ZD adult sickle cell anemia (SCA) subjects; and (c...

Apart from teratogenic and pathological effects of zinc deficiency such as the occurrence of skin lesions, anorexia, growth retardation, depressed wound healing, altered immune function, impaired night vision, and alterations in taste and smell acuity, characteristic behavioral changes in animal models and human patients suffering from zinc deficiency have been observed. Given that it is estima...

health and wellbeing.1 Consequences of severe zinc deficiency have been documented in several populations worldwide.2 The most widely used approach for the assessment of zinc status, particularly in a large population study, is the determination of circulating concentration of either serum or plasma zinc.3 Mild to moderate zinc deficiency is common in several developing countries, as the common...

The prevalence of zinc deficiency has not been adequately investigated, partly due to lack of suitable biomarkers. Based on the food balance data, it is estimated that a large section of the world population is at risk of developing zinc deficiency. The risk of deficiency is highest in populations which consume predominantly cereal based diets with little or no meat consumption. Severe zinc def...

Bao S, Liu M-J, Lee B, Besecker B, Lai J-P, Guttridge DC, Knoell DL. Zinc modulates the innate immune response in vivo to polymicrobial sepsis through regulation of NFB. Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol 298: L744–L754, 2010. First published March 5, 2010; doi:10.1152/ajplung.00368.2009.—Zinc is an essential element that facilitates coordination of immune activation during the host response to...

Zinc deficiency and chronic low level exposures to inorganic arsenic in drinking water are both significant public health concerns that affect millions of people including pregnant women. These two conditions can co-exist in the human population but little is known about their interaction, and in particular, whether zinc deficiency sensitizes individuals to arsenic exposure and toxicity, especi...

Background: β-thalassemia is an autosomal hemoglobinopathy with inconsistent universal distribution. Among patients with thalassemia diverse non-siderotic complications distinctly influence the attribute of life, including zinc deficiency due to varied etiologies. The objective of the present study was to determine zinc levels in patients with β-thalassemia major and its correlation with mat...

Zinc was established as essential for green plants in 1926 and for mammals in 1934. However, >20 y would pass before the first descriptions of zinc deficiencies in farm animals appeared. In 1955, it was reported that zinc supplementation would cure parakeratosis in swine. In 1958, it was reported that zinc deficiency induced poor growth, leg abnormalities, poor feathering, and parakeratosis in ...

Zinc is an essential element that facilitates coordination of immune activation during the host response to infection. We recently reported that zinc deficiency increases systemic inflammation, vital organ damage, and mortality in a small animal model of sepsis. To investigate potential mechanisms that cause these phenomena, we used the same animal model and observed that zinc deficiency increa...