Toenail concentrations of zinc, selenium and nickel in patients with chronic recurrent warts: A pilot two-group comparative study.

BACKGROUND: Normal immune functioning requires sufficient levels of trace elements including zinc and selenium, while elements such as nickel can be immunotoxic. AIM: To assess long-term abnormalities in zinc, selenium and nickel levels in patients with chronic recurrent warts. METHODS: Toenail samples were taken from 28 patients with chronic recurrent warts and 30 apparently healthy matching controls were analysed. Toenail concentrations of zinc, selenium and nickel were measured using inductively-coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy. RESULTS: Selenium levels were significantly higher in patients than in controls (P = 0.03). Levels of trace elements did not correlate with the number or duration of warts. Toenail nickel levels in all subjects were higher than globally reported values. LIMITATIONS: A small sample size and the absence of regional reference ranges for concentrations of trace elements in toenails. CONCLUSION: Zinc does not seem to be involved in the chronicity of warts, and it is unclear if selenium has a protective role against warts. Our finding of high concentrations of nickel in both patients and controls raises concerns about environmental exposure.

The increase of immunity and disease resistance of the giant freshwater prawn, Macrobrachium rosenbergii by feeding with selenium enriched-diet.

The effects of inorganic selenium (Se) (sodium selenate, SSe) and organic selenium (seleno-l-methionine, MSe) supplementation on the immune response, antioxidant status, and disease resistance of the giant freshwater prawn, Macrobrachium rosenbergii, were studied. Five experimental diets, including a control diet (without Se enrichment), 0.5 mg (kg diet)(-1) of MSe, 1 mg (kg diet)(-1) of MSe, 0.5 mg (kg diet)(-1) of SSe, and 1 mg (kg diet)(-1) of SSe, were used. After 75 days of culture, prawn fed the Se-enriched diets had lower mortality compared to that of prawn fed the control diet after being challenged by the pathogen, Debaryomyces hansenii. No significant differences in the total hemocyte count, superoxide dismutase activity, or clearance efficiency of prawn were recorded among the control and treated groups. Significantly increased phenoloxidase and phagocytic activities in prawn fed the Se-enriched diets were found compared to the controls. Respiratory bursts of prawn fed both forms of 1 mg Se (kg diet)(-1) significantly increased compared to control prawns. For the antioxidant status analysis, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase, and glutathione s-transferase of prawn fed the SSe-enriched diet at 1 mg (kg diet)(-1) were significantly increased. The results indicated that the cheaper selenium, SSe is recommended to be added in prawn feed at the concentration of 0.5 mg resulting in 1.5 mg SSe (kg diet)(-1) increased prawn immunity and disease resistance against the pathogen, D. hansenii.