Zinc News and Research

RSS

Zinc is an essential mineral that is naturally present in some foods, added to others, and available as a dietary supplement. Zinc is also found in many cold lozenges and some over-the-counter drugs sold as cold remedies.

Large percentage of child deaths related to malaria are attributable to undernutrition and deficiencies

A large percentage of child deaths related to malaria are attributable to undernutrition and deficiencies of vitamin A, zinc, iron and folate, according to a new report by researchers with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

20 Aug 2004

Zinc plays a crucial role in blindness

Dartmouth Medical School researchers in their quest to find cures for inherited diseases have found that zinc plays a crucial role in blindness in over one million people worldwide.

18 Aug 2004

The U.S. FDA approves 2 drugs for treating radiation contamination

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved two drugs, pentetate calcium trisodium injection (Ca-DTPA) and pentetate zinc trisodium injection (Zn-DTPA) for treating certain kinds of radiation contamination. The FDA is approving these two drugs as part of its ongoing effort to provide the American public the best available protection against nuclear accidents and terrorist threats.

11 Aug 2004

Antioxidant pills do nothing to prevent cardiovascular disease

Research published in the current issue of the Journal of the American Heart Association, shows that antioxidant pills have no clear benefit in the prevention of cardiovascular disease.

2 Aug 2004

In-depth study into how heavy metals exposure at the Tar Creek Superfund Site in Oklahoma may affect the health of children

Unlike many studies that investigate the health effects of a single chemical, the new center will study how exposure to mixtures of metals affects health—reflecting more accurately the nature of toxic waste dumps where multiple chemicals may be present.

9 Jul 2004

Class of molecules that could lead to treatments for a wide range of diseases, including cancer, arthritis, and heart disease

By making use of model compounds in drug design, chemists at the University of California, San Diego identified a class of molecules that could lead to treatments for a wide range of diseases, including cancer, arthritis, and heart disease.

21 Jun 2004

Fruit consumption may protect against age-related maculopathy (ARM)

Eating fruit may help protect against the development of age-related maculopathy (ARM), an eye disease that can cause blindness, according to an article in the June issue of the Archives of Ophthalmology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

15 Jun 2004

Zinc may help to accelerate recovery from pneumonia

The addition of zinc to standard antimicrobial treatment may accelerate recovery from pneumonia, say researchers in this week's issue of The Lancet.

20 May 2004

Scientists closer to a potential vaccine or treatment for botulism

By deciphering the near atomic-level structure of the catalytic domain of botulinum toxin type E — one of seven neurotoxins that cause botulism, a disease that paralyzes victims by blocking nerve cells’ ability to communicate — scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory are one step closer to a potential vaccine or treatment.

10 May 2004

First canine insulin drug

FDA has approved a porcine insulin zinc suspension product as the first drug for treating diabetic dogs. Prior to the development of this product, the only treatment veterinarians could use on diabetic dogs was human insulin, which is less compatible with a dog’s metabolic system.

4 May 2004

Watch out Skippy, the meat of Australia's bush kangaroo may be the highest known source of the healthy fat CLA

The meat of Australia's bush kangaroo may be the highest known source of the healthy fat CLA, a University of Western Australia and CSIRO sponsored PhD student has discovered.

22 Apr 2004

Curry offers possible protection against Alzheimer’s disease

A new study has found that curry, a common and popular cooking additive, could be an effective enhancer of an enzyme that protects the brain against oxidative conditions.

19 Apr 2004

Completion of the sequencing of human chromosome 19

The United States Department of Energy (DOE) Joint Genome Institute (JGI) and Stanford University report today the completion of the sequencing of human chromosome 19, the most gene-rich of all the human chromosomes. This achievement is described in the April 1, 2004 edition of the journal Nature.

7 Apr 2004

Gene-rich human Chromosome 19 sequence completed

31 Mar 2004

20% of worldwide population lack enough zinc in diet

Up to one-fifth of the world's people lack sufficient zinc in their diet, while an estimated one-third live in countries considered at high risk of zinc deficiency, warns a comprehensive new report by an international group of medical researchers.

23 Mar 2004