Mg Of Zinc Research Articles

Effect of an injectable trace mineral supplement containing selenium, copper, zinc, and manganese on immunity, health, and growth of dairy calves

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of 2 subcutaneous injections of a multimineral preparation, each containing 60mg of zinc, 10mg of manganese, 5mg of selenium, and 15mg of copper at 3 and 30d after birth on immunity, health, and growth of dairy calves during the preweaning period. The study was conducted in upstate New York in 2 commercial dairy farms. A total of 790 Holstein heifer calves were randomly allocated at birth into 1 of 2 treatments: trace mineral supplement (TMS) treated or control. Blood samples were collected at 3, 14, and 35d after birth to evaluate glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, haptoglobin, and neutrophil and monocyte function. Incidence of diseases and average daily gain was evaluated in the first 50d of life. At 14d of life, TMS-treated calves had increased neutrophil activity compared with control calves. Moreover, TMS-treated calves had greater GPx activity on d 14 after birth than control calves. The TMS treatment reduced the incidence of diarrhea (TMS=41.7% vs. control=49.7%) and combined incidence of pneumonia or otitis or both (TMS=41.7% vs. control=49.1%). Additionally, GPx was greater for calves diagnosed with otitis at d 35 after birth. However, calves diagnosed with pneumonia had decreased GPx activity at d 35 after birth. Serum SOD and haptoglobin concentrations were not affected by treatment or disease. Moreover, no effects were observed on average daily gain and survivability between TMS-treated and control calves during the preweaning period. Supplementation with trace minerals at 3 and 30d of life increased neutrophil function and GPx activity and reduced the incidence of health disorders.

Effect of the ratio of zinc amino acid complex to zinc sulfate on the performance of Holstein cows

Multiparous (n=70) and primiparous (n=66) Holstein cows were balanced by 305-d previous mature-equivalent milk yield and parity and assigned to 1 of 3 dietary treatments to evaluate the ratio of zinc sulfate to zinc amino acid complex (CZ) in pre- and postpartum Holstein cows fed diets containing 75mg of added zinc/kg. Treatments were (1) 75mg of supplemental zinc/kg of dry matter (DM) provided entirely as zinc sulfate (0-CZ); (2) 0-CZ diet, except 33.3mg of zinc sulfate/kg of DM in the prepartum and 15.5mg of zinc sulfate/kg of DM in the postpartum diet were replaced by CZ from Availa-Zn (16-CZ; Zinpro Corp., Eden Prairie MN); and (3) 0-CZ diet, except 66.6mg of zinc sulfate/kg of DM in the prepartum and 40.0mg of zinc sulfate/kg of DM in the postpartum diet was replaced by Availa-Zn (40-CZ). Cows were housed at the Iowa State University Dairy Farm and were individually offered a total mixed ration containing dietary treatments beginning at 28±15d before expected calving date until 250 d in milk. Relative to 0-CZ, multiparous cows (but not primiparous) fed CZ (16-CZ or 40-CZ) had increased (20%) colostrum IgG concentrations. Prepartum DM intake (DMI) was decreased with CZ supplementation. Postpartum DMI was decreased in cows fed CZ, whereas milk yield (MY) was increased in the 40-CZ-fed cows relative to those fed both 0-CZ and 16-CZ. Feed efficiency increased linearly when measured as MY/DMI, 3.5% fat-corrected MY/DMI, and solids-corrected MY/DMI. Regardless of level, feeding CZ decreased services per conception. Feeding 16-CZ decreased milk fat concentration and feeding CZ linearly increased milk urea nitrogen concentration. In summary, supplementing zinc as a mixture of CZ and zinc sulfate, as opposed to supplementing only zinc sulfate, has beneficial effects on production parameters in dairy cows, with those benefits becoming more apparent as the ratio of CZ to zinc sulfate increases.

Tu1834 The Course of Pregnancy in Wilson's Disease-One Center, 20 Years' Experience

Introduction: Under treatment or not, the course of pregnancy in patients with Wilson's disease and drug safety in lactation are issues not well understood. Materyal and Methods : In this study, 194 patients (156 index cases) in Istanbul Faculty of Medicine with a follow-up of median 51 months (13-105 months) and 1069 patient-years were evaluated retrospectively for pregnancy. All patients met EASL 2012 Wilson's disease guideline's criteria. Results: 20 (16 index cases) out of 84 women had a total of 49 pregnancies. On presentation, 7 patients had decompensated cirrhosis, 4 had compensated cirrhosis, 6 had neurological signs (dysarthria, tremor etc.) and 9 were in precirrhotic stage. Out of 16 pre diagnosis pregnancies, 9 resulted in spontaneous abortion. Out of 33 post diagnosis pregnancies, 5 resulted in spontaneous abortion and 5 underwent termination (one due to fetal anomaly and 4 on patients' request). Out of 23 live births, one was born premature and died in three weeks. No anomalies were reported in the other 22 and they are still alive and healthy. One patient was diagnosed with antiphospholipid syndrome and Wilson's disease after 7 abortions. Under treatment, she had a live birth following two miscarriages. One of the patients who discontinued her medication during pregnancy died in the second month postpartum due to liver failure. The other patient developed tremor in the third trimester and her treatment was started again. Drug doses were reduced during pregnancy; one patient was treated with zinc (100mg/d), one was treated with 600 mg of trientine plus 100 mg of zinc and others were treated with D-penicillamine 600 mg/d and zinc 100 mg/ d. Copper deficiency did not develop in any of the pregnancies. The patients breastfed their babies. After lactation, drug doses were increased when needed. No wound healing problems occurred after the c-section of 10 patients who were under D-penicillamine (600 mg/d) treatment. Conclusion : Wilson's patients can get pregnant under combination therapy (chelator and zinc) even if they present with decompansated cirrhosis. During pregnancy, drugs should be administered twice daily (D-penicillamine 600 mg/d, trientine 600 mg/d, zinc 100 mg/d) and treatments should never be discontinued. At given doses, D-penicillamine does not impair wound healing after c-section. No complications occurred when treatment was continued during lactation as long as the mother was thoroughly informed, but further studies are needed to better understand the subject.

Effect of providing a micronutrient‐fortified corn/soy atole or milk powder on linear growth in young Guatemalan children (828.6)

A community‐based feeding study was undertaken in Retalhuleu among 939 malnourished 6‐72 mo old children (HAZ <‐1). Children resided in 18 villages in an impoverished region of southwest Guatemala. Children were randomly assigned to two groups to compare effects of two nutritional interventions on growth and micronutrient status. Group A (n=667) children received 18.75 g of Chispuditos®, a corn/soy atole fortified with 21 vitamins and minerals (delivering 12.5 mg of iron and 9 mg of zinc per day). Group B (n=272) children received an equivalent portion by weight of lactose free milk (diets were isocaloric and isonitrogenous). At the conclusion of 12 mo, the average HAZ score of Group A children increased 12.0% from ‐2.76 to ‐2.43 (p<.01) and by 7.3%, from ‐2.87 to ‐2.66 (p<0.01) in Group B. Children from both dietary groups exhibited improvements in linear growth, with Group A having a greater increase in HAZ than Group B (p=0.01). Formative research conducted with the micronutrient‐fortified corn/soy atole revealed the product was well accepted by both primary caretakers and children. During the study time period Chispuditos was one‐third the cost of lactose free milk and provided a greater linear growth benefit. In conclusion, Chispuditos® is a culturally accepted, fortified atole that improves the health and nutritional status of children from 6‐72 mo of age in a more cost‐efficient manner compared to milk powder.Grant Funding Source: The Mathile Institute for the Advancement of Human Nutrition®

Triple-Fortified Rice Containing Vitamin A Reduced Marginal Vitamin A Deficiency and Increased Vitamin A Liver Stores in School-Aged Thai Children1–3

Vitamin A (VA)-fortified rice is a potential intervention strategy to prevent VA deficiency in at-risk populations. Hot-extruded, triple-fortified rice grains with added VA, zinc, and iron were produced by hot extrusion technology and their ability to improve VA status was tested in Thai schoolchildren. The fortification levels were 10 mg of iron, 9 mg of zinc, and 1.05 mg of VA/g extruded rice. A paired stable isotope dilution technique with labeled 13C2-retinyl acetate (13C-RID) was used to quantify VA pool size at the beginning and end of the feeding period. Fifty healthy schoolchildren with a serum retinol (SR) concentration of >0.7 μmol/L were randomly assigned to 2 groups to receive either triple-fortified rice (n= 25) or natural rice (n= 25) for 2 mo as part of the daily school meal. The fortified grains, mixed 1:50 with regular rice, were estimated to provide an extra 890 μg of VA/d, 5 d/wk. 13C2-retinyl acetate (1.0 μmol) was administered orally to each child before and at the end of the feeding period to estimate total body reserves (TBRs) of VA, which increased significantly (P< 0.05) in the intervention group from 153 ± 66 μmol retinol at baseline to 269 ± 148 μmol retinol after 2 mo of feeding. There was no change in the TBRs of VA in the control group (108 ± 67 vs. 124 ± 89 μmol retinol) (P= 0.22). Serum retinol remained unchanged in both groups. We conclude that VA-fortified, hot-extruded rice is an efficacious vehicle to provide additional VA to at-risk populations, and that the efficacy of VA-fortified foods can be usefully monitored by the 13C-RID measurement of TBRs of VA but not by changes in SR concentration. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov>as NCT01199445.

The effect of injectable trace minerals (selenium, copper, zinc, and manganese) on peripheral blood leukocyte activity and serum superoxide dismutase activity of lactating Holstein cows

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of subcutaneous supplementation of 300 mg of zinc, 50 mg of manganese, 25 mg of selenium, and 75 mg of copper on peripheral blood leukocyte activity and serum β-hydroxybutyrate (BHBA) concentrations at 10 ± 2 days in milk (DIM), and on serum superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity during the transition period and subsequent lactation of multiparous Holstein cows. A total of 250 multiparous cows were randomly allocated into one of two treatments groups, namely, trace mineral supplemented (TMS) or control. Cows in the TMS group were injected at 230 and 260 days of gestation, and 35 days postpartum. Serum SOD activity was measured at enrollment, and 10, 60 and 100 DIM. Serum BHBA concentration and leukocyte function were assessed at 10 DIM. Overall serum SOD activity for TMS and control was 16.01 and 12.71 U/mL, respectively. The interaction between treatment and time of serum collection was significant. Additionally, overall serum SOD activity was 12.85 and 14.78 U/mL for cows diagnosed with mastitis and unaffected cows, respectively. Treatment did not affect leukocyte function. For parity >2, TMS cows had lower serum BHBA concentrations than control cows; BHBA concentrations were 0.41 and 0.27 mmol/L for control and TMS cows, respectively. In conclusion, cows diagnosed with mastitis had decreased serum SOD activity, and trace mineral supplementation increased serum SOD activity although leukocyte function was not affected by supplementation.

Biliopancreatic diversion requires multiple vitamin and micronutrient adjustments within 2 years of surgery

BackgroundMalabsorptive bariatric procedures require multiple vitamin supplements, especially regarding fat-soluble vitamins. The exact amount required to maintain normal serum concentrations is still largely unknown. Based on the initial postoperative prescription, we assessed the number of adjustments and the amount of vitamins/micronutrients to normalize the biological markers 2 years after the biliopancreatic diversion with duodenal switch (BPD/DS). MethodsA total of 112 consecutive patients had a laparoscopic BPD/DS between February 2007 and November 2010 for a body mass index of 53.1±5.9 kg/m² at a private hospital. Complete blood checks with vitamin status were obtained at each of the 3-month interval visits during the 1st postoperative year as well as twice during the 2nd year. ResultsInitially, all of the patients were prescribed daily 25,000 International units (IU) of vitamin A, 1000 mg of calcium, multivitamins, and 1900 IU of vitamin D3. Significant adjustments were necessary 3.6±1.1 times during this period. A total of 80% of the patients required added vitamin A, vitamin D, as well as calcium, zinc, and iron. After 2 years,≥20% of patients exhibited vitamin A and iron deficiency with low prealbumin or micropenic anemia. Seventy percent had vitamin D deficiency and 50% secondary hyperparathyroidism. ConclusionThe initial prescription was insufficient to cover the requirements after BPD/DS. At least 3000 mg of calcium with 7000 IU of vitamin D, 50,000 IU of vitamin A, 40 mg of zinc, and 200 mg of iron must be prescribed to start with. The trend toward a decrease in 25 OH vitamin D and hyperparathyroidism remains difficult to control although it can result from increased bone turnover during the early postoperative period.

Impact of fortified milk on the iron and zinc levels in Mexican preschool children

The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of a national program of consumption of fortified milk "Liconsa" on the nutritional status of iron and zinc in pre-school children (3-5 y). The study was conducted in 77 healthy children of both genders. 54 of them consumed Liconsa fortified milk (GCLFL) and 23 consumed no fortified milk (GR). Iron status was determined by measuring hemoglobin and ferritin and zinc status by serum zinc. The consumption of milk was on free demand and it was estimated at baseline and 6 mo after. Through 24-h recall of measured consumption of iron and zinc in the total diet. Descriptive statistics, Student's t test for independent samples and chi-square test for differences in proportions. Children who consumed fortified milk showed an increase of hemoglobin and ferritin levels [1.13 g/dL (p < 0.05) and 5.83 μg/L (p < 0.05) respectively]. Additionally, a decrease was found of the prevalence of low iron stores from 20.4 to 4.1% (p < 0.05). The serum zinc level showed an increase of 45.2 μg/dL (p < 0.05). At the end of the study no child showed a micronutrient deficiency. Children who did not consume fortified milk Liconsa showed no significant change in their serum iron and zinc values. The average consumption of milk powder Liconsa was 22.7 ± 14.5 g, providing 2.5 mg of daily iron and zinc. Supplied diet 9.2 ± 3.4 mg of iron and 6.9 ± 3 mg of zinc. The consumption of fortified milk had a beneficial effect on the serum levels of iron and zinc in children's social welfare program Liconsa.

Zinc Absorption by Young Adults from Supplemental Zinc Citrate Is Comparable with That from Zinc Gluconate and Higher than from Zinc Oxide1–3

The water-soluble zinc salts gluconate, sulfate, and acetate are commonly used as supplements in tablet or syrup form to prevent zinc deficiency and to treat diarrhea in children in combination with oral rehydration. Zinc citrate is an alternative compound with high zinc content, slightly soluble in water, which has better sensory properties in syrups but no absorption data in humans. We used the double-isotope tracer method with 67Zn and 70Zn to measure zinc absorption from zinc citrate given as supplements containing 10 mg of zinc to 15 healthy adults without food and compared absorption with that from zinc gluconate and zinc oxide (insoluble in water) using a randomized, double-masked, 3-way crossover design. Median (IQR) fractional absorption of zinc from zinc citrate was 61.3% (56.6–71.0) and was not different from that from zinc gluconate with 60.9% (50.6–71.7). Absorption from zinc oxide at 49.9% (40.9–57.7) was significantly lower than from both other supplements (P < 0.01). Three participants had little or no absorption from zinc oxide. We conclude that zinc citrate, given as a supplement without food, is as well absorbed by healthy adults as zinc gluconate and may thus be a useful alternative for preventing zinc deficiency and treating diarrhea. The more insoluble zinc oxide is less well absorbed when given as a supplement without food and may be minimally absorbed by some individuals. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov> as NCT01576627.

Absorbed Zinc and Exchangeable Zinc Pool Size Are Greater in Pakistani Infants Receiving Traditional Complementary Foods with Zinc-Fortified Micronutrient Powder1,2

Adequacy of zinc intake from breast milk alone becomes marginal in relation to infant requirements by around 6 mo of age. Simple and cost-effective strategies are needed at the population level to ensure adequate intakes of zinc in infants and toddlers in populations at risk of zinc deficiency. We determined the amount of absorbed zinc (AZ) from a micronutrient powder (MNP) without and with 10 mg of zinc (MNP+Zn) added to local complementary foods used in Pakistan and the impact on the exchangeable zinc pool (EZP) size. As a nested study within a large, prospective, cluster randomized trial, 6-mo-old infants were randomly assigned to receive MNP or MNP+Zn. Stable isotope methodology was applied after ∼3 and 9 mo of use to measure AZ from MNP-fortified test meals of rice-lentils (khitchri) and EZP. Nineteen infants per group completed the first metabolic studies and 14 and 17 infants in the MNP and MNP+Zn groups, respectively, completed the follow-up studies. AZs were (mean ± SD) 0.1 ± 0.1 and 1.2 ± 0.5 mg at the first point for the MNP and MNP+Zn groups, respectively (P < 0.001); results were nearly identical at the follow-up measurement. EZP did not differ between groups at the first measurement but was less in the MNP group (3.7 ± 0.6 mg/kg) than in the MNP+Zn group (4.5 ± 1.0 mg/kg) at the second measurement (P = 0.01). These data confirm that the MNP+Zn in khitchri were well absorbed and after 1 y of home fortification, zinc status assessed by EZP was significantly better for the MNP+Zn group. Additional field studies may be necessary to ascertain the adequacy of this dose for infants at high risk of deficiency. This trial was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov> as NCT00705445.

Mineral status of non-anemic Peruvian infants taking an iron and copper syrup with or without zinc from 6 to 18 months of age: A randomized controlled trial

ObjectivesWe evaluated changes in the status of iron, zinc, and copper in non-anemic Peruvian infants who were receiving daily supplements of 10 mg of iron and 0.5 mg of copper with or without 10 mg of zinc from 6 to 18 mo of age. MethodsOverall, 251 infants were randomized to receive one of two daily supplements. Venous blood draws at 6, 12, and 18 mo of age were taken to characterize hemoglobin, plasma ferritin, zinc, and copper concentrations. The urinary excretion of zinc was also measured at each time point. Repeated measures analysis of variance was used to evaluate changes over time and by supplement type. ResultsBoth hemoglobin and copper concentrations increased significantly and plasma ferritin decreased from 6 to 12 mo of age (P < 0.05). Mean plasma zinc concentrations in the zinc treatment group were maintained over time, whereas zinc concentrations in the control group declined; differences by treatment were found at 12 and 18 mo of age (P < 0.05). Urinary zinc concentration was increased in the zinc group at 12 mo only. There was evidence that zinc treatment improved the hemoglobin level at 18 mo of age (P = 0.09). Compliance with supplementation was high, with 81% of the intended dose consumed over the 12-mo period. ConclusionsDaily mineral supplementation over the course of 1 y appears to be feasible and acceptable in this population. A combined supplement can improve the status of iron, zinc, and copper in infants at the same time.

A double-blind block randomized clinical trial on the effect of zinc as a treatment for diarrhea in neonatal Holstein calves under natural challenge conditions

Diarrhea is the leading cause of death in neonatal calves and contributes to major economic losses. The objective of this double-blind randomized clinical trial was to evaluate the effect of oral inorganic or organic zinc supplementation as a treatment for neonatal diarrhea in calves. Seventy nine 1 to 8 day old male Holstein calves on a California calf ranch were block randomized to one of 3 treatments within 24h from their first onset of diarrhea. Calves received a daily dose of either a placebo composed of 80mg of zinc-free powder, 381.54mg of zinc methionine (Met) (equivalent to 80mg of zinc), or 99.69mg of zinc oxide (ZO) (equivalent to 80mg of zinc) in 2L of a zinc-free oral rehydration solution (ORS). Calves were treated once daily until normal fecal consistency or for a maximum of 14 days. Upon enrollment and exit, calves were weighed, and blood, feces, and liver biopsies were collected for trace mineral analysis. Fecal samples at enrollment and exit were tested for E. coli K99, Cryptosporidium spp., rotavirus and coronavirus. Pre-treatment liver zinc concentrations for the 71 calves in the placebo, zinc Met, and ZO treatment groups were 710.6 (SEM=147.7), 852.3 (SEM=129.6), and 750.7 (SEM=202.9)mg/kg dry weight (DW), respectively. Exit liver zinc concentrations for the calves in the placebo, zinc Met, and ZO treatment groups were 728.9 (SEM=182.9), 1141.0 (SEM=423.8), and 636.8 (SEM=81.5)mg/kg dry weight, respectively. Although statistically non-significant, there were clinically important findings identified for each of zinc Met and ZO treatments. Calves treated with zinc Met gained on average 40g/day during a diarrhea episode compared to a weight loss of 67g/day on average in the placebo-treated calves (Power 19.9%). Calves treated with ZO had 1.4 times higher hazard of clinical cure compared to calves in the placebo group (Power 5.3%). Calves that were fecal positive to cryptosporidium spp. at enrollment and treated with zinc Met had higher odds of testing negative at exit compared to placebo calves (Odds Ratio (OR)=16.0). In contrast, calves treated with ZO tended to recover (fecal score=1) one day earlier compared to calves treated with a placebo (8.5 d vs. 9.7 d). The current trial identified clinically important findings that warrant further research to investigate zinc's therapeutic effect for calf diarrhea.

Nutrient Composition of Cirina forda (Westwood)-Enriched Complementary Foods

Background/Aims: Dried Cirina forda (Westwood) larva is widely marketed, cheap, and commonly consumed in Southwestern Nigeria. Its powder was used in enriching two commonly used complementary food staples (maize and sorghum) as a source of protein and essential micronutrients in complementary foods for infants and young children. Methods: Samples of soaked and dried sorghum and maize flours and C. forda powder were prepared, and C. forda powder was added to the dried soaked maize and sorghum flours at 5, 10, and 15% (w/w) inclusion levels and analyzed for proximate, mineral, and antinutrient compositions using standard methods of AOAC. Results: One hundred grams of C. forda larva contained 52.6 g of protein, 16.8 g of lipids, 2.6 g of ash, 268.67 mg of calcium, 5.64 mg of iron, and 15.00 mg of zinc, and yielded 458.40 kcal energy with 4.40 mg of trypsin inhibitor. Sorghum and maize flours contained 9.2 and 8.3 g of protein, respectively. Addition of C. forda at 5, 10, and 15% levels to fermented sorghum and maize flours significantly increased both micro- and macronutrients of the complementary foods (p < 0.05), and the nutrient density and trypsin inhibitor increased with the inclusion level (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The trypsin inhibitor level was very low and cannot cause protein malabsorption. C. forda can serve as a good source of nutrients such as protein, fat, calcium, phosphorus, iron, and zinc in formulating nutrient-dense complementary foods.

Zinc to Treat Tinnitus in the Elderly

Several reports suggest that zinc, which is involved in several neural transmissions systems throughout the auditory pathway, might help some tinnitus patients. However, previous studies used inadequate experimental designs. Therefore, we tested the effectiveness of zinc to reduce tinnitus. Randomized, prospective double-blind placebo-controlled design. Tertiary referral center. Tinnitus subjects older than 60 years, who are more likely to have a zinc deficiency. In Phase 1, 58 subjects were randomized to receive 50 mg of zinc per day for 4 months, and 58 subjects received a placebo. After a 1-month washout period, the 2 groups were crossed over to receive the alternative regime (Phase 2). Difference scores between before and after measures of the Tinnitus Handicap Questionnaire. Changes on the difference scores 20 or greater were considered as a statistically significant and, therefore, clinically meaningful improvement for THQ. Five percent (5 of 93 patients) had an improvement of 20 points or greater in THQ scores after zinc treatment, whereas 2% (2 of 94 patients) had an improvement of 20 or greater in THQ scores after placebo. The difference between 2 proportions is 5/93 - 2/94 = 0.03, the estimate of relative improvement is (5/93) / (2/94) = 2.53, with 95% confidence interval from 0.5 to 12.7. From chi-square independent test, there was no significant evidence that patients treated by zinc improved better than those treated by placebo (X2 (1) = 1.4, p > 0.05). The observed power in THQ for zinc is 0.16, and that for placebo is 0.06. Zinc is not an effective treatment for tinnitus in this subgroup of patients.

Availability of microelements in recently weaned piglets fed diet supplemented with inulin

The effects of inulin-supplemented diet on Cu, Mn, and Zn bioavailability in recently weaned piglets raised at an experimental and a commercial farm were studied. Piglets were weaned at 28 days of age, when all of them were fed a barley-wheat based starter diet supplemented with a usual vitamin-mineral premix for piglets. The reference diet group received additional 50 mg of zinc per kg diet, while the experimental inulin diet group was supplemented with 1.5% inulin (no additional zinc). Both diets, low in inorganic copper (provided only from forages), covered the demands for minerals of the growing piglets. Four piglets were sacrificed on days 28, 33, and 39 in each group at each farm and liver samples were collected and analyzed. The contents of Cu, Mn, and Zn were determined by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. The feeding experiments showed that the presence of inulin enhanced (P &amp;lt; 0.05) the biological availability of copper from the weaned piglets&amp;rsquo; diet despite its low content therein. No significant differences (P &amp;gt; 0.05) between experimental inulin diet group and reference diet group could be noticed for zinc and manganese concentrations in the liver. Biological availability of copper was higher in the piglets reared under high and standardized sanitary conditions than in those reared under commercial farm conditions (P &amp;lt; 0.05). &amp;nbsp;

Short-Course Prophylactic Zinc Supplementation for Diarrhea Morbidity in Infants of 6 to 11 Months

Zinc supplementation during diarrhea substantially reduces the incidence and severity of diarrhea. However, the effect of short-course zinc prophylaxis has been observed only in children >12 months of age. Because the incidence of diarrhea is comparatively high in children aged 6 to 11 months, we assessed the prophylactic effect of zinc on incidence and duration of diarrhea in this age group. In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, we enrolled infants aged 6 to 11 months from an urban resettlement colony in Delhi, India, between January 1, 2011, and January 15, 2012. We randomly assigned 272 infants to receive either 20 mg of zinc or a placebo suspension orally every day for 2 weeks. The primary outcome was the incidence of diarrhea per child-year. All analyses were done by intention-to-treat. A total of 134 infants in the zinc and 124 in the placebo groups were assessed for the incidence of diarrhea. There was a 39% reduction (crude incident rate ratio [IRR] 0.61, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.53-0.71) in episodes of diarrhea, 39% (adjusted IRR 0.61, 95% CI 0.54-0.69) in the total number of days that a child suffered from diarrhea, and reduction of 36% in duration per episode of diarrhea (IRR 0.64, 95% CI 0.56-0.74) during the 5 months of follow-up. Short-course prophylactic zinc supplementation for 2 weeks may reduce diarrhea morbidity in infants of 6 to 11 months for up to 5 months, in populations with high prevalence of wasting and stunting.

Effect of an injectable trace mineral supplement containing selenium, copper, zinc, and manganese on the health and production of lactating Holstein cows

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of a subcutaneous injection of a multimineral preparation containing 300mg of zinc, 50mg of manganese, 25mg of selenium, and 75mg of copper at 230 and 260days of gestation and 35days postpartum, on the health, milk production and reproductive performance of lactating Holstein cows. A randomized field trial was conducted on three large commercial dairy farms located near Ithaca, New York, USA, with 1416 cows enrolled. All cows were housed and offered a total mixed ration consisting of approximately 55% forage and 45% concentrate on a dry matter basis of the diet, which supplied 2–6 times the NRC requirements for the supplemented elements. Dry cows and pregnant heifers were blocked by parity and randomly allocated to one of two treatments: Trace mineral supplemented (TMS) or control.For multiparous cows, subcutaneous TMS significantly decreased linear somatic cell count scores (normalized data) as compared to control cows. The incidence of subclinical mastitis for TMS and control cows was 10.4% and 8.0%, respectively (P=0.005). The main effect of treatment on clinical mastitis was not significant but the interaction of treatment and parity was significant. For primiparous cows, the incidence of clinical mastitis was 11.8% and 15.6% for control and TMS cows, respectively (P=0.33); for multiparous cows, the incidence of clinical mastitis for control and TMS cows was 25.4% and 19.7%, respectively (P=0.03). Additionally, control cows had increased odds of stillbirth and endometritis (odds ratios 1.69 and 1.30, respectively). The incidence of endometritis was 34.2% and 28.6% for control and TMS cows, respectively (P=0.039) but treatment had no effect on reproductive performance, milk production or other health traits. Further research is required to confirm these findings and to establish whether the response seen in this study was related to the supplementation of a particular mineral.

RESISTANCE OF RHODOTORULA RUBRA g2/1 TO HEAVY METALS AND THEIR ADSORPTION

The aim was to study the level of resistance of the strain Rhodotorula rubra g2/1 to the heavy metals Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd and adsorption of them by the yeast cells. Red yeast strain Rhodotorulla rubra g2/1 was isolated by seeding on nutrient medium Saburo from the coastal waters of the Zmiiniy Island. The estimation of the influence of ions of heavy metals on physiology of yeast growth was conducted on Reader medium with addition of various concentrations of heavy metals Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd. The content of the metals in the investigated samples was determined with the atomic absorption spectrophotometer “Saturn-2”. The minimal concentrations of heavy metals inhibited the growth of yeast strain Rhodotorula rubra g2/1 were determined. They are 750 mg/l for copper, 500 mg/l for zinc, 120 mg/l for lead, 10 mg/l for cadmium. Thus, the studied yeast strain is the most resistant to copper and the most sensitive to cadmium. During incubation of the yeast in solutions containing heavy metals for 2 hours they remove 85.6% of copper, 18.6% of lead, 7.8% of cadmium, 7.7% of zinc. One gram of dry yeast biomass accumulates 90.0 mg of copper, 38.9 mg of cadmium, 12.9 mg of zinc and 26.2 mg of lead. Thus, the conducted investigations have shown that the yeast strain Rhodotorula rubra g2/1 simultaneously possesses high levels of resistance to copper and the ability to absorb this metal.

Formulation of Low Cost Complementary Baby Food to Improve the Nutritional Status of the Malnourished Children in Bangladesh

In the present study we formulated a low cost complementary baby food and investigated its role to improve the nutritional status of the malnourished baby. One hundred gm of complementary baby food was prepared by blending of 40 gm cereal powder, 16 gm green gram powder, 14 gm sesame powder, 14 gm banana powder, 10 gm pumpkin powder and 6 gm sugar powder according to the proportion of balanced diet. The formulated complementary baby food contained 336.5 Kcal energy and 6.56% moisture, 1.76% crude fiber, 17.5% protein, 13.7% fat, 31.31% carbohydrate, 30.93% ash, 27.7 mg of vitamin C, 210 µg of vitamin E, 30.15 mg of iron, 45.32 mg of zinc, 470.3 mg of calcium, 73.6 mg of magnesium and 1100 µg β-carotene. Impact of formulated complementary food to improve nutritional status was observed by conducting a cross-sectional study on 27 suspected malnourished children living in low socioeconomic status. According to the anthropometric data 18 children were found to be malnourished. From the 18 children, 13 children were taken as Feeding Group and remaining 5 children taken as Control Group. We found that 30.76% children were severe malnourished, 46.15% children were moderate malnourished and 23.07% children were mild malnourished according to Gomez classification. Nutritional status of the feeding and control group was investigated during the three months study period. It was found that control group gradually lost their weight (wasting) during the study periods due to faulty feeding practices and lack of calorie intake. Percent weight loss (wasting) at the end of the study period for Control-1, Control-2, Control-3, Control-4 and Control-5 were 8.60%, 7.14%, 8.33%, 10.0%, and 9.25% respectively. While the newly formulated complementary baby food was provided 120gm/day for the severe malnourished children and 80gm/day for the mild to moderate malnourished children during the study period. It was found that the formulated complementary baby food can reverse muscle wasting and improving nutritional status of the malnourished children during the study period. Thus newly formulated complementary baby food was efficiently providing both calorie and other dietary essentials to the malnourished children.

Effects of oral antioxidant treatment upon the dynamics of human sperm DNA fragmentation and subpopulations of sperm with highly degraded DNA

The primary aim of this study was to determine the effect of oral antioxidant treatment (1500mg of l-Carnitine; 60mg of vitamin C; 20mg of coenzyme Q10; 10mg of vitamin E; 10mg of zinc; 200μg of vitamin B9; 50μg of selenium; 1μg of vitamin B12) during a time period of 3months upon the dynamics of sperm DNA fragmentation following varying periods of sperm storage (0h, 2h, 6h, 8h and 24h) at 37°C in a cohort of 20 infertile patients diagnosed with asthenoteratozoospermia. A secondary objective was to use the sperm chromatin dispersion test (SCD) to study antioxidant effects upon a specific subpopulation of highly DNA degraded sperm (DDS). Semen parameters and pregnancy rate (PR) were also determined. Results showed a significant improvement of DNA integrity at all incubation points (P<0.01). The proportion of DDS was also significantly reduced (P<0.05). Semen analysis data showed a significant increase in concentration, motility, vitality and morphology parameters. Our results suggest that antioxidant treatment improves sperm quality not only in terms of key seminal parameters and basal DNA damage, but also helps to maintain DNA integrity. Prior administration of antioxidants could therefore promote better outcomes following assisted reproductive techniques.