Serum and follicular fluid zinc concentrations were investigated in patients undergoing assisted reproductive treatment. No correlation was found between zinc and oestradiol concentrations in serum. At the time of oocyte retrieval, zinc concentrations in follicular fluid were significantly lower than serum concentrations (P<0.0001). The expression of the two families of zinc transporters, ZnT and ZiP, as well as the metal regulatory transcription factors, MTF1 and 2, and metallothioneins, which are both involved in regulatory aspects of zinc transport, was assayed in cumulus cells and in germinal-vesicle oocytes. Most of the zinc transporters, metallothioneins and metal regulatory transcription factor are expressed in oocytes and not in cumulus cells. This may indicate an important role for zinc, in particular with potential linking to genome stability during early embryonic development. In contrast, cumulus cells seem to be at the end of their life's journey, with weak expression of transcriptional activity linked to cellular housekeeping.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.rbmo.2011.03.015 | DOI Listing |
Viruses
December 2024
Institute of Experimental Morphology, Pathology and Anthropology with Museum, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria.
Photodynamic inactivation (PDI) has been revealed as a valuable approach against viral infections because of the fast therapeutic effect and low possibility of resistance development. The photodynamic inhibition of the infectivity of human herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) strain Victoria at different stages of its reproduction was studied. PDI activity was determined on extracellular virions, on the stage of their adsorption to the Madin-Darby bovine kidney (MDBK) cell line and inhibition of the viral replication stage by application of two tetra-methylpyridiloxy substituted gallium and zinc phthalocyanines (ZnPcMe and GaPcMe) upon 660 nm light exposure with a light-emitting diode (LED 660 nm).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFVaccines (Basel)
November 2024
Department of Social and Environmental Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Saga University, 5-1-1 Nabeshima, Saga 849-8501, Japan.
Background/objectives: Although the protective effects of zinc against COVID-19 are documented, its impact on COVID-19 vaccine immunogenicity remains unknown.
Methods: We conducted a prospective study involving a cohort of 79 Japanese individuals (aged 21-56 years; comprising three subcohorts) and measured their serum zinc levels pre-vaccination and anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgM/IgG levels pre- and post-vaccination over 4 months.
Results: Serum zinc concentrations ranged between 74-140 and 64-113 μg/dL in male and female individuals, respectively, with one male and 11 female participants exhibiting subclinical zinc deficiency (60-80 μg/dL).
Polymers (Basel)
December 2024
Polymer Science Program, Division of Physical Science, Faculty of Science, Prince of Songkla University, Hat-Yai 90110, Thailand.
Water pollution is a major global issue, and antibiotic drugs released into aquatic environments by the pharmaceutical industry, such as ciprofloxacin, have negative consequences on both human health and the ecosystem. In this study, the performance of PVA as a polymer ligand for ciprofloxacin (CPFX) removal is evaluated through polymer-enhanced ultrafiltration using a novel composite PVC-ZnO membrane. The initial concentration of the ciprofloxacin solution, pH, ionic strength, ideal polymer concentration, duration, and maximum retention capacity were among the factors that were examined.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPolymers (Basel)
December 2024
Department of Prosthodontics, Medical University of Warsaw, 02-097 Warsaw, Poland.
Incorporating nanoparticles into denture materials shows promise for the prevention of denture-associated fungal infections. This study investigates the antifungal properties of acrylic modified with microwave-sintered ZnO-Ag nanoparticles. ZnO-Ag nanoparticles (1% and 2.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPolymers (Basel)
December 2024
Tecnologico de Monterrey, School of Engineering and Sciences, Atizapan de Zaragoza C.P. 52926, Estado de Mexico, Mexico.
A trend has been established concerning the research and development of various green and biodegradable plastics for multi-purpose applications, aiming to replace petroleum-based plastics. Herein, we report the synthesis of chitosan (CH) films using lemon juice; these were reinforced with NiZnFeO nanoparticles (NiZnFeO NPs) to obtain improved mechanical and barrier properties, facilitating their future application as sustainable, corrosion-resistant coatings for medical instruments. The synthesized NiZnFeO NPs had a crystallite size of ~29 nm.
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